HL2 Environment

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One of my favorite aspects of Half-Life' would have to be the attention to detail. EVERYWHERE in the environment has been tweaked to make it interesting and have some purose of being there. This, I'm referring to the corroded bodies, graffiti (excellent looking tags), and the posters.

One of my favorite pieces was the poster that simply says "born."

On the picture, it shows an upreached arm with the Lamda logo on a disk in the palm of the hand. This has to be one of the most... Intriguing posters in the game.

Recently, I've been on a binge to find as much stuff as possible that was in game that I would like to have decorating my computer. This is something I must have, becuase the one i have for my avatar here is far too small and dark. I know for a fact that this poster in Ravenholm was far brighter colored that this one. Hopefully I can find it in the image files for the game, but if I can't, could someone please gimmie some kind of idea of what to search for on altavista or something. It doesn't turn up many good results.


Also, please feel free to post here your favorite poster, graraffiti, or small environment that you noticed stood out in your mind while in the game.
 
qx2frk.jpg
 
One of the reasons why I love HL2 so much - the enviroment. My favourite has to be Nova Prospekt. The down trodden gulag, now an even more horrific place than it once was. With the Combine applying their little touches, you can really see the contrast from whats familiar, and whats alien, adding to the already oppressive atmosphere and creating a strong tension throughout.

It works, because you knew what type of place it was before the Combine invaded. But now its this whole other thing, a processing facility where the citizens lose their last traces of humanity.
 
I loved where during house-to-house fighting during Anticitizen One you stumble across a darkened bloodspattered room with an interrogation chairs... and on the table lie a pair of pliers.

Details like that really make a game.
 
Ding dang doh Eejit. Is that the one where you attempt to take out the Combine barricade?
 
Samon said:
One of the reasons why I love HL2 so much - the enviroment. My favourite has to be Nova Prospekt. The down trodden gulag, now an even more horrific place than it once was. With the Combine applying their little touches, you can really see the contrast from whats familiar, and whats alien, adding to the already oppressive atmosphere and creating a strong tension throughout.

It works, because you knew what type of place it was before the Combine invaded. But now its this whole other thing, a processing facility where the citizens lose their last traces of humanity.
Click to expand...


Me too, my favorite scenario from HL2 was Nova Prospekt, but one thing that could have been improved was the apearance of the Overwatch troops at N.Prospekt, they should´ve been modeled with some sort of shock (riot) troop armor, the kind of armor policemen use to deal with prison riots. That would be cool.
 
Agreed with Samon... the Nova Prospekt is a marvellous environment. I also like the streets, both in the first chapter and the latest parts of the game. The architecture and the style of City17 are very familiar, downright to the car models.
 
THis has probably been come up ages ago, but do you think nova prospekt is in russia, because of its name? or is it all supposed to be an imaginary Earth? and this is very off-topic, too..
 
Neither the spelling nor the name of "Nova Prospekt" are Russian. It's more even like Czech than Russian.

HL2 is NOT in Sweden, Estonia, Poland, Moldova or anywhere else. It's a fictional location that has been *influenced* by Eastern European countries. The architecture is reminiscient of pretty much any Eastern Europe/Socialist Bloc country, there are some Russian words around the game, some not correctly spelled in Russian, but with, say, Bulgarian spellings.
 
I thought we traced it to Bulgaria.
 
Neither the spelling nor the name of "Nova Prospekt" are Russian.
Click to expand...

But it does resemble greatly the name of a famous street in St. Petersburg, Nevski Prospekt. Wouldn't you say? Nova doesn't mean the same but is close enough. I thought they might have gotten the name from there, and the citizens of city 17 look as miserable as I imagine Russians to be. :P They probably took the name from there.
 
Samon said:
Ding dang doh Eejit. Is that the one where you attempt to take out the Combine barricade?
Click to expand...
I think so. I'm not very good at remembering locations precisely.

As for the location, is the one from the Valve tasks the most 'official' location. You know, the map co-ordinates hidden in the password (for task 2 I think).
 
Nova doesn't mean anything close to Nevski :). Nevski is a name, Alexander Nevski is a Russian leader from 800 or so years ago.

The gas stations, contrary to popular belief, do not have to be Swedish. The prices on it are specified in kronas, which are used in Sweden - but they are also used in Estonia. Estonia is much more likely to be an influence/impression for City17, seeing how it's an ex-Soviet country.
 
Well read the rest. It says: Volym. And: summa.
Swedish words.
 
City 17 is not in any particular country, don't try to argue it is.
 
It is merely a combination of eastern european cities, no more, no less. Don't look too much into it.
 
Rizzo89 said:
Well read the rest. It says: Volym. And: summa.
Swedish words.
Click to expand...

Summa is a word in many languages. Including, say, Latvian, which's another ex-Soviet country. Can't recall right now whether volym is a word in any other European language, though. Yes, I am somewhat knwoledgable with languages.

Samon - although Valve had said that even before HL2 shipped, there will always be fans who try to pinpoint the location of City 17. You know it's futile to make the truth known ;).
 
The best bit within the HL2 Environment to me has to have been that small intersection where your in the dark abandoned tunnel with the cars up-turned, then as you go to move them you hear the howling and screaming of the fast zombies and normal zombies, so you quickly run into that room on the right. Rather freaky moment that scared the crap out of me when i first played it, i barricaded the door and everything lol. Even though its a short not really relevant section in the game i just love little bits like that :)
 
I like the combine holding the baby graffiti. Intriguing and yet I don't understand its purpose... yet.
 
this reminds me that a source engine remake of silent hill 2 would be the greatest thing. both games look like andrew wyeth paintings, and that's the key to why they look more whole and real than a game like f.e.a.r.. an impressionistic view of a highly detailed world.
 
oo I dunno, F.E.A.R looked pretty realistic to me ;P maxxed out on highest reso/settings anyways, otherwise it looks pretty crap
 
Look on Wikipedia for Half-Life 2. I t will tell you everything. It will even tell you about Nova Prospekt. And no its not a Russian thing. It has something to do with Italians. Just look at all the info they have before saying anything.
 
hey you know what i just thought of? it's sort of wierd that a science fiction game can be realistic. hey! maybe we could post some screenshots while we play HL2, and the screenshots could show just how realistic VALVe made the environments.
 
Nova doesn't mean anything close to Nevski
Click to expand...

I meant the resemblance on the surface - I know they don't mean the same. :) But in fact, didn't Nevski Prospekt get its name because of the river Neva nearby, so "nevski" means sort of "nevian" if you see what I mean? I am no Russian expert, but that's what I thought. Well, I suppose it's the common explanation for the name. So I thought they just changed the name a little, into nova, so it is an implicit reference and also has its proper meaning.

The Swedish are being stupid, not using euros. :P
 
i think nova prospekt means new prospective
 
XANA said:
i think nova prospekt means new prospective
Click to expand...

I believe that is what Valve said. It is supposed to be a play on New Prospective with some changes.. I think?
 
I LOVE HL2 for the detail. Just the amazing things you find. The graffiti, for example, is possibly the best bit of extra detail I have ever seen. The Caste graffiti (the combine soldier holding the baby), for example, strikes me as being absolutely beautiful. I actually made some very basic wallpapers from it a while ago:

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/9481/casteoutlineemptyfinal0hn.jpg

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/3669/casterecolorlonefinal5gn.jpg

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/3126/casterecolorwallfinal2vv.jpg

EDIT: imageshack didn't resize them properly, so I'll just be lazy and take the IMG tags off them. But still, check 'em out.
 
I love the "Head for the Horse" arena section right before you enter the Citadel. Quite frankly, it was much too short for my tastes. The way you had to fight for every inch, how you were helpless to the striders 'till the end and most of all, the way the buildings made me feel I was in the middle of an uprising in Czechoslovakia. I had been waiting ages for that kind of environment in a game. Half Life 2 delivered. It might've just been 30 minutes at max, but it was the greatest 30 minutes in gaming history. :imu:

I especially loved the part where you had to fight house to house.

scorp_hlcw01.jpg
 
605Scorpion said:
I love the "Head for the Horse" arena section right before you enter the Citadel. Quite frankly, it was much too short for my tastes. The way you had to fight for every inch, how you were helpless to the striders 'till the end and most of all, the way the buildings made me feel I was in the middle of an uprising in Czechoslovakia. I had been waiting ages for that kind of environment in a game. Half Life 2 delivered. It might've just been 30 minutes at max, but it was the greatest 30 minutes in gaming history. :imu:

I especially loved the part where you had to fight house to house.

scorp_hlcw01.jpg
Click to expand...

Yeah, that bit is quite awesome.
 
I thought it'd rather be New Prospect, it would suit better as a noun, right?

The caste graffiti is intriguing indeed. I don't know what to think about it! Is it propaganda..?
 
Well i think the Combine holding a baby is more:
The combine toke my baby away.

Or something.
 
605Scorpion said:
The way you had to quicksave every inch
Click to expand...
Fixed ^^ It's a cool area, but I found babysitting my resistance buddies particuarly frustrating in this part because they have no concept of running quickly away from Striders which I lack the ammo to fight.

My favorite little bit of Graffiti has to be this
ZOMG NEW G-MAN SIGHTING! ^^

This one looks cool too, though I can't say I remember it from in game!

And to add to the City 17 location discussion how about Odessa in the Ukraine?. After all, there is a "New Little Odessa" nearby C17 run by the Resistance, and I can't help but feel that Sat image is similar to the one you see below you at the top of the Citadel (after all, A real city was probably used as the base for that shot).

Of course, it's all a case of a whole load of Eastern European sites rolled into one fictional one, but it's nice to speculate on where we could place City 17. Perhaps Valve don't want to commit themselves to a place because they don't want to spoil it by sending an influx of FPS tourists? ;P
 
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