Speculation

[Jandor]

I just had a thought, is it possible that all this speculation is pointless, not in a 'yeh it is, lets go out and live a real life' but in that all the small bits of 'evidence' we pick out to prove our points arn't really there for any other reason than that Valve thought it would look cool?

Like Houndseye being in places where they could not get on Xen
That would never be used to prove a point, they where just there, and they shouldn't have been.

Surely its possible that very little can be used as 'evidence' because its not there for any story reason.

Like the Citadel might not have any particular point other than to provide atmosphere and look cool. It has no bearing on the Xen-Combine theories.
or the Teleports on Xen where just there so you could get to the next level, not because Valve wanted people to theorize, who put them there, are they natural or not?

Is it all pointless?

 

[ríomhaire]

Of course it's pointless, but everthing in the game affects its story.

 

[Laivasse]

I'd agree with you but I'd actually draw a distinction between HL1 and HL2. It seems to me that HL1 was intended to be a game first and foremost - corridors didn't look like actual corridors, things weren't laid out exactly like they might have been in a real life version of the same type of facility, and enemy placement was just there based on valve's whim.

But with HL2, and all the hype about the uber-advanced physics, and beautiful textures that made a lot of reviewers say "photo-realistic", Valve were under more pressure to create environments that seemed like they could be in the real world, in order not to shatter the immersion (you at the back, stop whining about HL2's immersion!). So with HL2 I feel they tried to be more consistent with the concept, meaning that a lot of the tiny stuff which might mean something, often does mean something - indeed you need to look out for it in order to try and pick up the story.

In HL1 a lot of stuff was chucked in to give the illusion of conceptual depth, without necessarily meaning anything significant. That's why I think it's kind of stupid for people to say stuff like "oh, it's OBVIOUS that the Combine were on Xen, look at the Nihilanth's metal ass!" Yeah, okay, but isn't that slightly glossing over the fact that there are no Combine in the game? In HL1 I think you have to theorise based on what the NPCs tell you, and the obvious scripted scenes you see, but not EVERY little thing. In HL2, pick out what you want, it's a more thoroughly thought out environment and everything affects the story.

Now someone's probably going to say something like "omg 1nce i thru a paint can at Cr0mbine + saw no pant - cr0mbine wit ANti-paint forcze?????"

 

[Angry Lawyer]

It's true, our speculation is all in vain, probably. However, I'd like to keep the storyline in my mod as close to what Valve intended for their games. That, and I like exercising my brain, and arguing is one of those ways.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Marx! II]

Crombine... Priceless.
But he brings up a valid point, would not the endless skies of Xen be filled with gunships under combine rule?
Sorry.

 

[ríomhaire]

Yeah, okay, but isn't that slightly glossing over the fact that there are no Combine in the game?

There is 1 Combine in HL2 and he's not even on Earth.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

But the Synth seem to be a well-established facet of Combine military. Wouldn't THEY be on Xen?

-Angry Lawyer

 

[ríomhaire]

But the Synth seem to be a well-established facet of Combine military. Wouldn't THEY be on Xen?

-Angry Lawyer

I don't want to turn this into a debate thread but as I have said before Xen was stable so the invading army was taken out. Earth was not stable so the synths (and at least 1 cremator) was not pulled out. Once the remaining humans were stalkered or overwaatched they would have pulled them out and possibly some overwatch to be part of the next invasion force.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

*sighs noisily*

Look, even Samon has turned to the Lawyer side...why don't you join us? Join usssssss!

There are still too many inconsistancies, like the fact that Raising the Bar was going to include a bit where you find out what the Combine actually do with Vortigaunts - stick them in bottles and sap their energy to power up their forcefields. Apparently, you were going to have to smash the bottles and lead the Vortigaunts against the Combine. Man, that've been really cool.

Still, why would no Xenians be drafted into invading Earth? If you chose the 'bad' ending for HL1, you'd see that there are still a huge number of grunts and controllers ready to rip you to pieces.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[ríomhaire]

Still, why would no Xenians be drafted into invading Earth? If you chose the 'bad' ending for HL1, you'd see that there are still a huge number of grunts and controllers ready to rip you to pieces.

-Angry Lawyer

But wouldn't they be more likly to in the g-man's control "Xen, is under our control".

 

[Jandor]

oooh, Riomhaire has a point.

 

[Mith']

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG
NEW THEORY!!
Nihilanth is Gmans slave, and so is Gordon! Because he was hired!! Because "we are all slaves"
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

 

[Jandor]

 

[Laivasse]

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG
NEW THEORY!!
Nihilanth is Gmans slave, and so is Gordon! Because he was hired!! Because "we are all slaves"
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

That's the most awful theory in the universe.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

But wouldn't they be more likly to in the g-man's control "Xen, is under our control".

But the Combine don't tend to keep all their troops on one world - remember the quote "Faliure will lead to permanent off-world assignment".

It'd make sense for them to keep them as troops, considering their efficiency. And under the theory of "using a race's own troops against them", that'd rule out Synths as part of the invading army.

-Angry Lawyer