Time Difference?

[Ophiguris]

You all remember how there's a lot of speculation in between HL1 and HL2 right? Well, how much time difference is there between HL2 and EP1? And possibly EP1 and EP2?

 

[MorganFreeman911]

That topic has been going around since EP1 was released and completed. No one knows, no sources are the same. Some say 10 years, some say 20.

 

[jdog5000]

For HL2 and EP1, it's on the order of hours. Alyx got saved from the explosion somehow ("and then ... Vortigaunts?") and started searching for Gordon.

For EP1 to EP2, it's supposed to carry over with no lapse at all ... I expect this is part of what's supposed to be episodic about them.

 

[sarcastinator]

Well, Gordon might get KO'd again. He does that a lot.

 

[Piers89]

That topic has been going around since EP1 was released and completed. No one knows, no sources are the same. Some say 10 years, some say 20.

Eh? Which episode are you on about? ...122? :S

 

[Oppressor]

Well, how much time difference is there between HL2 and EP1? And possibly EP1 and EP2?

I recall its several hours between HL2 and EP1, atleast 5-6, indicated by Alyx in the first scenes of EP1;

"Ooh, its my father! We've been trying to reach him for hours!"

And previous to that, Gordon was in stasis for an unknown amount of time and Dog spend time digging after Alyx.

EP2 is impossible to tell ATM, as we don't know if there is any interuption by G-Man in the start scene. Otherwise its supposed to pick up right after EP1. It will be interesting to see what Valve will do with the first scenes.

 

[Asknoone]

2 decades beteen HL1 and HL2 I believe.

 

[ríomhaire]

Episode 1 starts the moment Half-Life 2 ends. Then you get knocked out, then you wake up several hours later.

 

[Ophiguris]

2 decades beteen HL1 and HL2 I believe.

Same, but why do other think ten years? I mean, it'd take time for the combine to first of all FIND Earth and then have the Seven Hour War, then to set the citdael up after it was teleported to its destination.

 

[Benefactor]

All proof you need is Alyx. She was a small child when she lived with her parents at the Black Mesa facilty. In Half-Life 2 she's 25 (if I remember correctly), which leads to the conclusion that approximately 20 years has gone since the events in HL1.

 

[sarcastinator]

I have come to the decision that it was exactly 18 years, based on the fact that I said so, damnit.

 

[Ophiguris]

yeah I KNOW it's twenty years, but why do people think it's a ten year difference?

 

[Benefactor]

Because they don't know any better?

 

[ríomhaire]

On the time difference between HL2 and EP1
The g-man's original intro speech (as seen in Raising the Bar) has numerous references to ten years.
The Episode 1 site says two decades
Dr Kleiner says "there is greater reason for hope now than at any time in the past decade"

I would guess that the number of years is in the mid-teens.

 

[Ophiguris]

Hmmm, It makes some sense, but it just seems more like 20 than 15, 10, or even 13... I don't know, but I was originally asking about time differences in the episodic series, I'm pretty sure that someone answered that already though.

 

[Narvi]

Definitely mid-teens. Otherwise Barney would be about fifty.

 

[Ophiguris]

It's obvious he is... He just uses a BowFlex... mmhmm, he's a fifty year-old grandpa...

 

[Stene]

Well, Eli was alot younger in HL1, you meet him with someone just after resonance cascade. And Alyx told that "Airlock Story", and if Barney and Gordon were old friends it can be kinda annoying for Barney that he is almost 40 and Gordon still looks same that he was in Black Mesa

Yes, Gordon is still 27. And Alyx is maybe at same age, bit younger.

 

[Ophiguris]

Gordon has Eugenics on his side!
But yeah, I can imagine Barney's feelings about how old he is and Gordon's age. Hey, If it's ok to tell me, how does Barney get out of BMRF? Or does he just go through Xen like everybody else?

 

[Oppressor]

Hey, If it's ok to tell me, how does Barney get out of BMRF? Or does he just go through Xen like everybody else?

Play Blue Shift

 

[Piers89]

Play Blue Shift

lies! blue shift is calhoun, not barney!

 

[darkeye92]

Calhoun IS Barney
Barney's whole name: Barney Calhoun

 

[Asknoone]

Calhoun IS Barney
Barney's whole name: Barney Calhoun

Hi, Daniel, I won't be able to clear up much. It was a deliberate decision to have Gearbox never call him Barney in Blue Shift, only Calhoun. Raising the Bar is not a game, so material is presented differently there; manifestations differ in every medium. Gearbox took our Barney and did their own best version, but I'm not sure that Barney is the same Barney I'm picturing when I picture Valve's Barney. In the time BS was created, there were many Barneys. Only gradually have the redundant creature and character types slowly settled into iconic individuals...it's an ongoing process. Gearbox did what was right for their games. Even though they had feedback and guidance from us, they didn't always listen to it, and they steered by their own lights, etc., etc. I wasn't very close to the creation of the expansion packs, and much more concerned with how to move the story forward and open up the universe; so I only take the games created by Valve into consideration when I am working on the story...there are more than enough potential contradictions in our own designs without me worrying about contradictions in the inventions of other developers who were not part of our initial creative meetings. I know this is confusing to fans; it's partly a byproduct of the way expansion packs were created, the way they were packaged and published, and also I was very new to this whole concept at the time. It never occurred to me that large chunks of the story would be taken out of our hands, changes made beyond our control, and then have the stuff handed back with some odd unexpected kinks in it. So try not to worry about it, and simply do my best with material directly in my control. However, as to your last question, There was pressure on us to set Half-Life 2 at Black Mesa, which a lot of us felt would be creative death; it was important to break new ground. Nuking Black Mesa was a good way to ensure that we had a way to avoid setting Half-Life 2 there. You might say I gave the G-Man his orders. The whole issue of canon is something the fans came up with. I guess you will be able to identify as canon those story elements we continue to build on and develop and mention repeatedly as the story progresses. Others might fall by the wayside once they've served their purpose. Couldn't you say the same of us all?
Marc Laidlaw

:O

 

[Narvi]

Unless it's directly contradicted in the games, than Barney is Calhoun, I'm afraid.

 

[Atomic War Cow]

Dr Kleiner says "there is greater reason for hope now than at any time in the past decade"

I would guess that the number of years is in the mid-teens.

i always assumed that he was referring to the teleport technology being developed.
but then again i havn't played through that part in awhile.

 

[Piers89]

Unless it's directly contradicted in the games, than Barney is Calhoun, I'm afraid.

Im sorry, this is not true, read the first line in Samon's quote. 'Calhoun,' never even met Gordan, the only point they meet, for lack of a better word; its not even an actual meeting; is when you get teleported to that room and you see the 2 grunts dragging gordon off.

There is no point at which calhoun says about buying gordon a beer aswell, so dont bother replying that 'they could of met before.'

Answer?

CALHOUN IS NOT BARNEY

 

[Que-Ever]

Isn't the Barney in HL2 called Barney Calhoun?

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Isn't the Barney in HL2 called Barney Calhoun?

Yes.

If Valve had made the expansions (but then HL2 would have taken even longer D: ) instead of 3rd party companies we woulnd't be having this debate. I just hope whoever's doing Epi4 listens to Valve.

 

[Ophiguris]

I wonder, if it might just be coincidence that Barney's last name is calhoun, but ANOTHER security guard has the same name (Calhoun) as a FIRST name??? Or is that TOO realistic?

 

[Narvi]

Im sorry, this is not true, read the first line in Samon's quote. 'Calhoun,' never even met Gordan, the only point they meet, for lack of a better word; its not even an actual meeting; is when you get teleported to that room and you see the 2 grunts dragging gordon off.

There is no point at which calhoun says about buying gordon a beer aswell, so dont bother replying that 'they could of met before.'

Answer?

CALHOUN IS NOT BARNEY

Read the bit again. It's pretty clear that the expansion packs contain plot points which Valve adher to, like Black Mesa been nuked. While the writer is uncertain that he'll adher to the expansion packs, he makes it clear that what is canon is what is expanded upon later, but he does not say that which is not expanded is not canon. We'll have to take that as we see fit, but I find it reasonable that plot points which are not directly contradicted later are still canon. So B. Calhoun (yes, Calhoun is his last name, check the Blue Shift manual) is still probably Barney.

...and why couldn't they have met before? :dozey:

 

[ríomhaire]

Looking over all the info I can find it seems that Calhoun from Blue Shift is always refered to as B. Calhoun, never Barney. In the timetables, in the opening bio and in his letter. Though Valve did use Gearbox's name by giving Half-Life 2's Barney the name Barney Calhoun (As seen in the ending credits)

 

[Piers89]

Read the bit again. It's pretty clear that the expansion packs contain plot points which Valve adher to, like Black Mesa been nuked. While the writer is uncertain that he'll adher to the expansion packs, he makes it clear that what is canon is what is expanded upon later, but he does not say that which is not expanded is not canon. We'll have to take that as we see fit, but I find it reasonable that plot points which are not directly contradicted later are still canon. So B. Calhoun (yes, Calhoun is his last name, check the Blue Shift manual) is still probably Barney.

...and why couldn't they have met before? :dozey:

I seriously wish people read before they spoke here, my point was, how barney says 'about that beer i owe you,' now where during the events of blue shift does b. calhoun say that to gordon hm?

anyway... 'but I'm not sure that Barney is the same Barney I'm picturing when I picture Valve's Barney'

nuff said.

 

[Narvi]

I seriously wish people read before they spoke here, my point was, how barney says 'about that beer i owe you,' now where during the events of blue shift does b. calhoun say that to gordon hm?

anyway... 'but I'm not sure that Barney is the same Barney I'm picturing when I picture Valve's Barney'

nuff said.

That wasn't my point at all. My point was that Valve holds certain plot elements (like Black Mesa nukey nukey) which were introduced in the expansion packs as canon. Therefore, unless it's directly contradicted by later games, we should take the expansion packs as true.

And people can promise beer to people offscreen. :cheese:

 

[Piers89]

Yes i know that, but my point, is the Laidlaw has pretty much explicitly said, Gerbox's barney or whatever his name is, is not Valve's barney, im not denying the nuking of bmrf or anything like that, but when the WRITER of the half life series says that it isnt right, well then, i dont know what other evidence you need really.

Another point, Race X doesnt contradict any of the half life plot, but we arent going to be seeing them anytime soon now are we.

 

[ríomhaire]

I seriously wish people read before they spoke here, my point was, how barney says 'about that beer i owe you,' now where during the events of blue shift does b. calhoun say that to gordon hm?

anyway... 'but I'm not sure that Barney is the same Barney I'm picturing when I picture Valve's Barney'

nuff said.

Barney obviously knew Gordon before the resonance cascade
"I've heard sorries about you and air-ducts..."

 

[Ophiguris]

I seriously wish people read before they spoke here, my point was, how barney says 'about that beer i owe you,' now where during the events of blue shift does b. calhoun say that to gordon hm?

My friend, EVERY security you pester, he'll say "After all this, I'll buy you a beer." Valve KNEW about that, and that is why when Barney takes off his helmet he brings it up... the only REAL question is WHICH security guard from HL1 is barney, my bets are on the one at the computer in the beginning

 

[Rapstah]

My friend, EVERY security you pester, he'll say "After all this, I'll buy you a beer." Valve KNEW about that, and that is why when Barney takes off his helmet he brings it up... the only REAL question is WHICH security guard from HL1 is barney, my bets are on the one at the computer in the beginning

No, since that one calls you "Mr. Freeman", while the "real" Barney would call you Gordon.
My guess is the one that you meet shooting those zombies in the start.

 

[sarcastinator]

Okay, either Barney is the guy from Blue Shift or we don't know how he got out of Black Mesa. Valve will clear it up if and when it ever actually matters.

Also, ignoring Race X and acting like it never existed is as close to "contradicting" it as you can get without directly mentioning it and thereby implying that it did exist after all.

 

[Narvi]

Okay, either Barney is the guy from Blue Shift or we don't know how he got out of Black Mesa. Valve will clear it up if and when it ever actually matters.

Also, ignoring Race X and acting like it never existed is as close to "contradicting" it as you can get without directly mentioning it and thereby implying that it did exist after all.

HL2 doesn't refer to certain bits of HL1 either. :cheese: It's a bad idea to call Race X not canon, without rationalizing why they haven't been referred to yet.

 

[Que-Ever]

The Barney in blue shift is the one your see banging on the door at the beginning of the tram ride. However, all the Barneys are named Barney. The HL2 barney is a sort of combination of all the Barneys from HL1. Or at least, that's what I've heard.