Llama
Tank
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As per usual, comments and pointers will be appreciated. This is an edited version (heavily) of the last, and is not a carbon copy intended to rasie my postcount:dozey:
Theory of Half-Life
Note: These Theories do not take into account ANY of Half-life Decay. The basis of these theories are from my own experience of the games, the Half-Life 2 strategy guide, and from conclusions drawn up by other forum members and in particular, Angry Lawyer.
Xen Contents
1.) Home world
2.) Social Structure
3.) Purpose of the Nihilanth
4.) Teleportation
Human Contents
5.) Black Mesa and the Science Team
6.) Gordon Freeman
7+8.) Marine Cleanup, Resonance Cascade
Combine Contents
9.) The true Combine
10.) Synth
11.) Combine Teleportation
12.) The Portal-Storms
13.) The Seven-Hour War
14.) Civil Protection and the Over watch
15.) The Citadels
16.) Transforming Earth
G-Man Contents
17.) His race and his employers
Extra Contents
18.) Race X
19.) The Combine-Xen relationship
Xen
1.) Home World
Xen or “The Border World” is another dimension discovered by humans working in Black Mesa. It is used as a slingshot for the human method of teleportation, and is inhabited by a highly intelligent race, the Xenians. The Xenians are split into two main groups, the telepathically communicating “Civilised” race (See social structure), and the Wild Xenians, made up of the species such as the Tentacles, Headcrabs and Bullsquids. The home world Xen itself is of an unknown size. It is comprised of thousands of floating bodies of rock that very in size from 10 feet in diameter to pieces larger than a city. Gravity on this home world is very low, and it seems that these floating bodies are all orbiting a singular, larger body. Another possibility is that Xen, as a universe, is “closed” in the same was as our Universe - It is impossible to reach its edge, even though it is not infinite - But on a much smaller scale, which would explain the floating bodies.
2.) Social Structure
The “civilized” inhabitants of Xen are a mix of several different species. The worker class of this race, the Vortigaunt or “Alien Slave” carries out all tasks that required physical labour, much like ancient Egyptian slaves. They are a highly intelligent breed that have the ability to store and offensively use outbursts of electricity. To combat this, they were enslaved by their masters through collars that oppress free thought and cause them to follow any order without question.
The warriors are known as “Alien Grunts”. Grunts are strong, factory-grown aliens that provide the backbone of the Xenian armies. They are powerful warriors that are protected by a thick exoskeleton and a parasite shooting gun, a hive-hand that is attached to the grunts while they are created and forms a symbiotic relationship with the animal.
The dominant rulers of Xen are the Controllers. These are humanoid creatures with an extremely high intelligence. They are the Xen Masters that rule and oppress the Vortigaunt. They are also the only race with the ability to Teleport themselves without the need for machine portals.
3.) Purpose of the Nihilanth
The Nihilanth is a single, powerful entity, created by the controllers to rule Xen. It has the ability to Teleport Xen inhabitants to desired locations using sheer power of mind. The presence of the Nihilanth also aids both the rule of the Controllers over the Slaves, and prevents large amounts of external teleportation from an unknown area (This is the reason the human scientists could only create small portals for a short amount of time using such powerful equipment) The Nihilanth, while powerful, is also dependant on specially created Xen technology as a life support - Machines moulded to its body help keep it fed, breathing and stable - as well as a dependence on the Xen crystals as a power source. It is highly possible that Nihilanth is the reason the Combine have not discovered Xen - The combine, because of the size of their teleports and activities, were prevented from reaching Xen, while the small profile teleports of Black Mesa were able to ‘puncture’ this security.
4.) Xen Teleportation
The Inhabitants of Xen rely on two forms of Teleportation. The first involves building small, energy efficient portals that use the home world itself to slingshot them around Xen or to an external area. The second is a slingshot created by a controller or the Nihilanth. Both teleport techniques seem to be powered by the large Xen crystals that grow throughout the border world.
Humanity
5.) Black Mesa and the Science Team
Black Mesa is (Or more accurately, was) a government owned research facility. It was a highly secret organization involving only the best and brightest for its research. Among the medical and military technologies developed, the highest ranking scientists worked in an area known as the Lambda lab, a specialist area devoted primarily to Teleportation Technology.
6.) Gordon Freeman
Gordon freeman is the Individual who (In-avertedly) set off the resonance cascade. Freeman was an employee of the facilities test labs, whose job it was to analyse various specimens brought in from other areas of the complex. Freeman himself had no knowledge of the origin of the specimens until the resonance cascade.
7+8.) The Resonance Cascade, Military Involvement
The Resonance Cascade was caused by Gordon Freeman pushing a Xen Crystal into the Anti-Mass Spectrometer that was intended to analyse it. Unfortunately, due to the purity of the crystal and the increase in resolution that the Spectrometer was using, the machine hay wired and the crystal opened up a large portal.
As we know, this portal sucked several Xen life forms into the Earth. Nihilanth is not a hostile entity by nature, but in order for him to close or control it he would have to send forces of his own to stabilize it. The unbalance has weakened the creature enough to prevent him from sealing it himself. The American Government, fearing an alien invasion, sends in squads to kill off the extra terrestrial intruders and all BM personnel not involved in the Lambda Sector. The government believes that the only way to close the portal is to shut it from the Xenian side.
When Gordon Freeman launches the satellite, he once again weakens the Nihilanth. Nihilanth is now sending increasing amounts of Xenian forces to Black Mesa in order to counter-balance the Cascade (Now that the Satellite is launched, the portal becomes more balanced, allowing Nihilanth to transport more advanced troops) but the human military forces still see this as an act of hostility and continue to fight. However, due to not only the Xenians but also through the acts of Freeman, the marines are ordered to pull out of the facility. The Nihilanth sees this as an opportunity, and begins sending in large units of Xenians as the first waves of an invasion force that can only move through now the cascade has become more stable.
The Lambda scientists are convinced that destroying the Xen side of the portal will close it, and uninterrupted by the Military, they manage to open a portal that will take Freeman directly to Xen. In a state of panic, the Xen Controllers teleport directly to the portal chamber in an attempt to close it from the human side once and for all. Freeman, however, resists this and travels directly to Xen. While the Nihilanth would normally easily kill Freeman, such is his weakened state that Freeman is able to kill him, while back on Earth the special forces troops that had prevented Military involvement with Lambda detonate a 16-Megaton Thermonuclear warhead, destroying the entire Black Mesa facility.
The Combine
9.) The True Combine
The true combine are known as “Advisors” huge, slug like creatures utterly dependant on technology to survive. The Advisors command an enormous empire by attacking other races, modifying the best the race has to offer, and destroying the inferior remains while harvesting the planets resources, which are then used to create more troops and expand its empire.
10.) Synthetics
The Synthetics or “Synth” are among the Combines most powerful assimilated races, and provide the backbone of the Combine’s fighting force. They are heavily modified living machines, that the combine can grow and mechanically alter themselves. The most common Synthetics, also known as Crabs and their counter-machines, the mortars, are the most advanced in that they can self replicate and self repair. These creatures feel only basic emotions and have no sympathy for the life they destroy - They carry out orders like the machines they are. It was the Synth that wiped out humanities fighting forces during the Seven hours war.
11.) Combine Teleportation
The Combine portals are large and powerful, and are capable of moving huge forces through them. Unfortunately, the energy they require is enormous, so the Combine has to use immense “Dark Fusion” reactions to power them. They cannot teleport locally; instead the portals they use are string-based. To teleport to a destination you must first have another portal open at the other end.
12.) The Portal Storms
The Combine were attracted to Earth following the portal storms. When Freeman killed the Nihilanth the portal completely unbalanced, sending out the equivalent of an intergalactic beacon. These portal storms covered the entire planet, transporting Xen fauna everywhere from the highest mountains to the deepest oceans.
13.) The Seven Hours War
The Combine did not attack the moment the portal storms to appear. It took several months or possibly even years for then to ready their invasion force, all the while that humanity was growing weaker through constant attack by wild Xenians. The Combine attack was coordinated to the minute. Citadels were teleported to cities all over the planet, Synthetics in their thousands poured over the surface of the planet. After a mere seven hours of fighting a truce was broken by Wallace Breen, the former administrator of Black Mesa. With most world governments and military forces wiped out, the populace had no choice but to surrender to the oppressive regime of the combine.
14.) Civil Protection and the Over watch
The Combine force left to control the populace was known as the Over watch. As well as the more fearsome type of Synth, it selected the best of the civilian population and genetically modified them into the combine soldiers and elites that make up the Over watch human forces. Those you volunteered were integrated into “Civil Protection” Civil Protection was comprised of the more basic weapons of the combine arsenal, mostly modified human weapons and vehicles, and was run by the Metrocops. The Metrocops are simply humans that have volunteered to join the Combine. They have gone through no modification and remain, unlike Over watch soldiers, completely human.
15.) The Citadels
At the centre of each city is a Citadel, a monstrous building measuring 3 miles from its underground cavernous base to its towering spire. The Citadels supply the Over Watch with a constant supply of Synth, either new or repaired. The Citadels are protected by their ‘teeth’, enormous walls of blue-black steel that slowly expand into the cities and destroy all that gets in their way. The material they swallow is then processed into usable materials for the combine. Each Citadel is powered by a Dark Fusion reactor. This reactor supplies the energy for not only the enormous diggers at the base of the Citadel, but they are used to open and maintain the string portals used by the Combine.
16.) Transforming Earth
It is apparent that the Combine is slowly sucking the Earth of Resources. The sea levels have dropped by roughly ten metres, indicating a huge amount of water has been used. The very planet itself is being altered by the Combine. Whether it is solely for resources or whether the Combine wishes to build a more permanent military facility is unknown.
The G-Man
17.) His race and employers
I do not believe that the G-Man is a human. As has been stated often, he seems very uncomfortable with human speech. There is also the matter of his ability to Teleport with no apparent technology. It is also currently debated whether or not it was the G-Man that stops time when Gordon destroys the Citadel.
It is most likely that the G-Man is from another world. The most sensible theory is not that he is a “God” as such, but that he represents another powerful race with unknown intentions. It also seems that he shows hostility towards the combine, but what he wants from Earth is also unknown. If the combine-Xen relationship theory is to be believed, it could help shed light on the quote “The border world, Xen, is in our control, for the time being” If his race is not Combine or human, another race is involved and is possibly clashing with the Combine.
Extras
18.) Race-X
Race-X is an alien race encountered in the Half-Life expansion pack, opposing force. It is a race not from Xen, and seems far more militant, based solely on fighting. The Race-X creatures made a first appearance around the time of the military withdrawal. A point of interest is that after Freeman left for Xen, absurd amounts of Race-X creatures landed on Earth, and the Xenians all but disappeared, suggesting a strong link between the two events. It is unlikely; however, that Race-X had any contact with the Xenians over than Black Mesa.
The Race itself was mainly comprised of vaguely humanoid aliens, called “Pit Drones” and “Shocktroopers”. The Pit Drones seemed to be mindless killing machines that would eat their own fallen comrades, whereas the Shocktroopers were far more intelligent. The Shocktroopers also used a biological weapon, the Shock Roach, but unlike the Xenian grunts it was not Symbiotic with its host and would separate upon death. The largest entity was the Gene worm, which seemed to act as a guardian of sorts, protecting a large portal that the Race-X creatures could use to reach earth. When the Gene worm was killed, the portal closed. However, this portal was a separate portal than the one created by the Cascade, so had (In theory) little to no effect on the portal storms of later times.
18.) The Combine-Xen relationship
(NOTE: It is unknown whether this applies to all Xen life, or just the civilised Xenians. This Theory assumes it applies solely to the civilized Xenians.)
The Xenians were not always the rulers of Xen. They had, in fact, come from another world not yet seen in the Half-Life series. The Xenians were chased out of their home world by none other than the Combine. It seems that they used Xen as a safe haven for their race, owing to the Combines inability to access it through local teleportation. Indeed, it is unlikely the Combine were aware of Xen after the Xenians fled their homeland.
This also helps to explain why the Nihilanth was keen to solve the Cascade situation so quickly. During its initial phases, the Xenians could have seen humanity as another branch of the Combine, or an empire equivalent to the Combine itself. When it became apparent that they were not, the Xenians used this opportunity and attempted a hostile takeover (Which was, of course, thwarted by Gordon Freeman)
Theory of Half-Life
Note: These Theories do not take into account ANY of Half-life Decay. The basis of these theories are from my own experience of the games, the Half-Life 2 strategy guide, and from conclusions drawn up by other forum members and in particular, Angry Lawyer.
Xen Contents
1.) Home world
2.) Social Structure
3.) Purpose of the Nihilanth
4.) Teleportation
Human Contents
5.) Black Mesa and the Science Team
6.) Gordon Freeman
7+8.) Marine Cleanup, Resonance Cascade
Combine Contents
9.) The true Combine
10.) Synth
11.) Combine Teleportation
12.) The Portal-Storms
13.) The Seven-Hour War
14.) Civil Protection and the Over watch
15.) The Citadels
16.) Transforming Earth
G-Man Contents
17.) His race and his employers
Extra Contents
18.) Race X
19.) The Combine-Xen relationship
Xen
1.) Home World
Xen or “The Border World” is another dimension discovered by humans working in Black Mesa. It is used as a slingshot for the human method of teleportation, and is inhabited by a highly intelligent race, the Xenians. The Xenians are split into two main groups, the telepathically communicating “Civilised” race (See social structure), and the Wild Xenians, made up of the species such as the Tentacles, Headcrabs and Bullsquids. The home world Xen itself is of an unknown size. It is comprised of thousands of floating bodies of rock that very in size from 10 feet in diameter to pieces larger than a city. Gravity on this home world is very low, and it seems that these floating bodies are all orbiting a singular, larger body. Another possibility is that Xen, as a universe, is “closed” in the same was as our Universe - It is impossible to reach its edge, even though it is not infinite - But on a much smaller scale, which would explain the floating bodies.
2.) Social Structure
The “civilized” inhabitants of Xen are a mix of several different species. The worker class of this race, the Vortigaunt or “Alien Slave” carries out all tasks that required physical labour, much like ancient Egyptian slaves. They are a highly intelligent breed that have the ability to store and offensively use outbursts of electricity. To combat this, they were enslaved by their masters through collars that oppress free thought and cause them to follow any order without question.
The warriors are known as “Alien Grunts”. Grunts are strong, factory-grown aliens that provide the backbone of the Xenian armies. They are powerful warriors that are protected by a thick exoskeleton and a parasite shooting gun, a hive-hand that is attached to the grunts while they are created and forms a symbiotic relationship with the animal.
The dominant rulers of Xen are the Controllers. These are humanoid creatures with an extremely high intelligence. They are the Xen Masters that rule and oppress the Vortigaunt. They are also the only race with the ability to Teleport themselves without the need for machine portals.
3.) Purpose of the Nihilanth
The Nihilanth is a single, powerful entity, created by the controllers to rule Xen. It has the ability to Teleport Xen inhabitants to desired locations using sheer power of mind. The presence of the Nihilanth also aids both the rule of the Controllers over the Slaves, and prevents large amounts of external teleportation from an unknown area (This is the reason the human scientists could only create small portals for a short amount of time using such powerful equipment) The Nihilanth, while powerful, is also dependant on specially created Xen technology as a life support - Machines moulded to its body help keep it fed, breathing and stable - as well as a dependence on the Xen crystals as a power source. It is highly possible that Nihilanth is the reason the Combine have not discovered Xen - The combine, because of the size of their teleports and activities, were prevented from reaching Xen, while the small profile teleports of Black Mesa were able to ‘puncture’ this security.
4.) Xen Teleportation
The Inhabitants of Xen rely on two forms of Teleportation. The first involves building small, energy efficient portals that use the home world itself to slingshot them around Xen or to an external area. The second is a slingshot created by a controller or the Nihilanth. Both teleport techniques seem to be powered by the large Xen crystals that grow throughout the border world.
Humanity
5.) Black Mesa and the Science Team
Black Mesa is (Or more accurately, was) a government owned research facility. It was a highly secret organization involving only the best and brightest for its research. Among the medical and military technologies developed, the highest ranking scientists worked in an area known as the Lambda lab, a specialist area devoted primarily to Teleportation Technology.
6.) Gordon Freeman
Gordon freeman is the Individual who (In-avertedly) set off the resonance cascade. Freeman was an employee of the facilities test labs, whose job it was to analyse various specimens brought in from other areas of the complex. Freeman himself had no knowledge of the origin of the specimens until the resonance cascade.
7+8.) The Resonance Cascade, Military Involvement
The Resonance Cascade was caused by Gordon Freeman pushing a Xen Crystal into the Anti-Mass Spectrometer that was intended to analyse it. Unfortunately, due to the purity of the crystal and the increase in resolution that the Spectrometer was using, the machine hay wired and the crystal opened up a large portal.
As we know, this portal sucked several Xen life forms into the Earth. Nihilanth is not a hostile entity by nature, but in order for him to close or control it he would have to send forces of his own to stabilize it. The unbalance has weakened the creature enough to prevent him from sealing it himself. The American Government, fearing an alien invasion, sends in squads to kill off the extra terrestrial intruders and all BM personnel not involved in the Lambda Sector. The government believes that the only way to close the portal is to shut it from the Xenian side.
When Gordon Freeman launches the satellite, he once again weakens the Nihilanth. Nihilanth is now sending increasing amounts of Xenian forces to Black Mesa in order to counter-balance the Cascade (Now that the Satellite is launched, the portal becomes more balanced, allowing Nihilanth to transport more advanced troops) but the human military forces still see this as an act of hostility and continue to fight. However, due to not only the Xenians but also through the acts of Freeman, the marines are ordered to pull out of the facility. The Nihilanth sees this as an opportunity, and begins sending in large units of Xenians as the first waves of an invasion force that can only move through now the cascade has become more stable.
The Lambda scientists are convinced that destroying the Xen side of the portal will close it, and uninterrupted by the Military, they manage to open a portal that will take Freeman directly to Xen. In a state of panic, the Xen Controllers teleport directly to the portal chamber in an attempt to close it from the human side once and for all. Freeman, however, resists this and travels directly to Xen. While the Nihilanth would normally easily kill Freeman, such is his weakened state that Freeman is able to kill him, while back on Earth the special forces troops that had prevented Military involvement with Lambda detonate a 16-Megaton Thermonuclear warhead, destroying the entire Black Mesa facility.
The Combine
9.) The True Combine
The true combine are known as “Advisors” huge, slug like creatures utterly dependant on technology to survive. The Advisors command an enormous empire by attacking other races, modifying the best the race has to offer, and destroying the inferior remains while harvesting the planets resources, which are then used to create more troops and expand its empire.
10.) Synthetics
The Synthetics or “Synth” are among the Combines most powerful assimilated races, and provide the backbone of the Combine’s fighting force. They are heavily modified living machines, that the combine can grow and mechanically alter themselves. The most common Synthetics, also known as Crabs and their counter-machines, the mortars, are the most advanced in that they can self replicate and self repair. These creatures feel only basic emotions and have no sympathy for the life they destroy - They carry out orders like the machines they are. It was the Synth that wiped out humanities fighting forces during the Seven hours war.
11.) Combine Teleportation
The Combine portals are large and powerful, and are capable of moving huge forces through them. Unfortunately, the energy they require is enormous, so the Combine has to use immense “Dark Fusion” reactions to power them. They cannot teleport locally; instead the portals they use are string-based. To teleport to a destination you must first have another portal open at the other end.
12.) The Portal Storms
The Combine were attracted to Earth following the portal storms. When Freeman killed the Nihilanth the portal completely unbalanced, sending out the equivalent of an intergalactic beacon. These portal storms covered the entire planet, transporting Xen fauna everywhere from the highest mountains to the deepest oceans.
13.) The Seven Hours War
The Combine did not attack the moment the portal storms to appear. It took several months or possibly even years for then to ready their invasion force, all the while that humanity was growing weaker through constant attack by wild Xenians. The Combine attack was coordinated to the minute. Citadels were teleported to cities all over the planet, Synthetics in their thousands poured over the surface of the planet. After a mere seven hours of fighting a truce was broken by Wallace Breen, the former administrator of Black Mesa. With most world governments and military forces wiped out, the populace had no choice but to surrender to the oppressive regime of the combine.
14.) Civil Protection and the Over watch
The Combine force left to control the populace was known as the Over watch. As well as the more fearsome type of Synth, it selected the best of the civilian population and genetically modified them into the combine soldiers and elites that make up the Over watch human forces. Those you volunteered were integrated into “Civil Protection” Civil Protection was comprised of the more basic weapons of the combine arsenal, mostly modified human weapons and vehicles, and was run by the Metrocops. The Metrocops are simply humans that have volunteered to join the Combine. They have gone through no modification and remain, unlike Over watch soldiers, completely human.
15.) The Citadels
At the centre of each city is a Citadel, a monstrous building measuring 3 miles from its underground cavernous base to its towering spire. The Citadels supply the Over Watch with a constant supply of Synth, either new or repaired. The Citadels are protected by their ‘teeth’, enormous walls of blue-black steel that slowly expand into the cities and destroy all that gets in their way. The material they swallow is then processed into usable materials for the combine. Each Citadel is powered by a Dark Fusion reactor. This reactor supplies the energy for not only the enormous diggers at the base of the Citadel, but they are used to open and maintain the string portals used by the Combine.
16.) Transforming Earth
It is apparent that the Combine is slowly sucking the Earth of Resources. The sea levels have dropped by roughly ten metres, indicating a huge amount of water has been used. The very planet itself is being altered by the Combine. Whether it is solely for resources or whether the Combine wishes to build a more permanent military facility is unknown.
The G-Man
17.) His race and employers
I do not believe that the G-Man is a human. As has been stated often, he seems very uncomfortable with human speech. There is also the matter of his ability to Teleport with no apparent technology. It is also currently debated whether or not it was the G-Man that stops time when Gordon destroys the Citadel.
It is most likely that the G-Man is from another world. The most sensible theory is not that he is a “God” as such, but that he represents another powerful race with unknown intentions. It also seems that he shows hostility towards the combine, but what he wants from Earth is also unknown. If the combine-Xen relationship theory is to be believed, it could help shed light on the quote “The border world, Xen, is in our control, for the time being” If his race is not Combine or human, another race is involved and is possibly clashing with the Combine.
Extras
18.) Race-X
Race-X is an alien race encountered in the Half-Life expansion pack, opposing force. It is a race not from Xen, and seems far more militant, based solely on fighting. The Race-X creatures made a first appearance around the time of the military withdrawal. A point of interest is that after Freeman left for Xen, absurd amounts of Race-X creatures landed on Earth, and the Xenians all but disappeared, suggesting a strong link between the two events. It is unlikely; however, that Race-X had any contact with the Xenians over than Black Mesa.
The Race itself was mainly comprised of vaguely humanoid aliens, called “Pit Drones” and “Shocktroopers”. The Pit Drones seemed to be mindless killing machines that would eat their own fallen comrades, whereas the Shocktroopers were far more intelligent. The Shocktroopers also used a biological weapon, the Shock Roach, but unlike the Xenian grunts it was not Symbiotic with its host and would separate upon death. The largest entity was the Gene worm, which seemed to act as a guardian of sorts, protecting a large portal that the Race-X creatures could use to reach earth. When the Gene worm was killed, the portal closed. However, this portal was a separate portal than the one created by the Cascade, so had (In theory) little to no effect on the portal storms of later times.
18.) The Combine-Xen relationship
(NOTE: It is unknown whether this applies to all Xen life, or just the civilised Xenians. This Theory assumes it applies solely to the civilized Xenians.)
The Xenians were not always the rulers of Xen. They had, in fact, come from another world not yet seen in the Half-Life series. The Xenians were chased out of their home world by none other than the Combine. It seems that they used Xen as a safe haven for their race, owing to the Combines inability to access it through local teleportation. Indeed, it is unlikely the Combine were aware of Xen after the Xenians fled their homeland.
This also helps to explain why the Nihilanth was keen to solve the Cascade situation so quickly. During its initial phases, the Xenians could have seen humanity as another branch of the Combine, or an empire equivalent to the Combine itself. When it became apparent that they were not, the Xenians used this opportunity and attempted a hostile takeover (Which was, of course, thwarted by Gordon Freeman)
