Timeframe question?

[Story]

We know that the timeframe between Half-Life(and expansions) and Half-Life 2 is ''almost 20 years'' right?(I could be wrong)

Is there any indication that the events of Half-Life 2 and beyond are anything more than days apart?Cuz that's how it looks like.

 

[Barnz]

it's "almost ten years/or ten years". episodes continue right where you left in previous one.

 

[Story]

I took it from here and wikipedia where it says ''nearly 2 decades''.

http://ep1.half-life2.com/story.php

Wouldn't Alyx be like 15 then?

 

[Barnz]

ah yes, but laidlaw said ten in some hl2.net interview

 

[Story]

Well guess it don't matter that much anyway.

 

[Acepilotf14]

It's been a bit above two weeks since the start of HL2. While in stasis in HL2 two weeks pass, and the rest of it happens in a matter of hours.

 

[Story]

When are you in stasis in HL2?

And how do you know it's 2 weeks?

 

[Barnz]

Kleiner says it's been two weeks since they teleported out of Nova Prospekt.

 

[Story]

Kleiner says it's been two weeks since they teleported out of Nova Prospekt.

Oh yeah,forgot bout that.

Thanks.

 

[Apocalypse89]

Well it sounds like Valve are contradicting themselves on the ten vs. twenty years issue(although I've never seen that interview), I go with twenty because it makes the most sense. It explains why there are no children in the game, since the youngest people in the world, those born right before the suppression field was activated, would be in early adulthood by the time of HL2.

 

[Story]

Well it sounds like Valve are contradicting themselves on the ten vs. twenty years issue(although I've never seen that interview), I go with twenty because it makes the most sense. It explains why there are no children in the game, since the youngest people in the world, those born right before the suppression field was activated, would be in early adulthood by the time of HL2.

I agree.

 

[kupocake]

Well it sounds like Valve are contradicting themselves on the ten vs. twenty years issue(although I've never seen that interview), I go with twenty because it makes the most sense. It explains why there are no children in the game, since the youngest people in the world, those born right before the suppression field was activated, would be in early adulthood by the time of HL2.

Which also makes it likely that the Seven Hour War happened a lot closer to Half-Life 1 than Half-Life 2. Unless humanity created the suppression field for some reason or other (e.g: to prevent overcrowding in cities stretched to breaking point by the portal storms, or to suppress ALL reproduction so that the Xen wildlife can be hunted and removed. Perhaps it suppresses Xen invasion as well?).

Also: Alyx and her being a baby at Black Mesa according to Eli. 10 years simply wouldn't work with that detail.

 

[ríomhaire]

There's no proof that Alyx was a baby during the Black Mesa Incident. The only evidence of this is Eli saying that he carried her out of there, which we already know is a lie.

Half-Life takes place in 200- and takes place over about three days.
Half-Life 2 takes place between ten and twenty years later. Two days between being dropped off in the train station and getting to Nova Prospekt. Then the uprising is on of a week until Gordon returns to the world for a day of streetwar.
Episode One kicks off from the moment Half-Life 2 ends, but Gordon falls unconcious for a few hours until D0g digs him out of the rubble
Episode Two picks up the morning after Episode One after getting knocked out when the train crashes and he falls unconcious at the end of that too.

 

[Story]

There's no proof that Alyx was a baby during the Black Mesa Incident. The only evidence of this is Eli saying that he carried her out of there, which we already know is a lie.

Half-Life takes place in 200- and takes place over about three days.
Half-Life 2 takes place between ten and twenty years later. Two days between being dropped off in the train station and getting to Nova Prospekt. Then the uprising is on of a week until Gordon returns to the world for a day of streetwar.
Episode One kicks off from the moment Half-Life 2 ends, but Gordon falls unconcious for a few hours until D0g digs him out of the rubble
Episode Two picks up the morning after Episode One after getting knocked out when the train crashes and he falls unconcious at the end of that too.

But there is proof-the family picture of Eli that shows Eli,his wife and Alyx's mother Margaret and a baby Alyx so she was indeed a baby during the events of Black Mesa.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

But there is proof-the family picture of Eli that shows Eli,his wife and Alyx's mother Margaret and a baby Alyx so she was indeed a baby during the events of Black Mesa.

Since when was her name Margaret; its Azian

Speaking of which, what is the significance of the necklace? It seems bulky enough

 

[ríomhaire]

But there is proof-the family picture of Eli that shows Eli,his wife and Alyx's mother Margaret and a baby Alyx so she was indeed a baby during the events of Black Mesa.

No one said when that photo was taken. All it proves was that Alyx was at some point in the past a baby; a truly shocking revelation.

 

[Barnz]

you can't be serious

 

[Story]

Since when was her name Margaret; its Azian

Speaking of which, what is the significance of the necklace? It seems bulky enough

Azian yeah,don't know why I was thinkin of Margaret Thatcher so I typed Margaret.

Necklace is ....who knows...family thing maybe.

 

[Story]

No one said when that photo was take. All it proves was that Alyx was at some point in the past a baby; a truely shocking revelation.

Since Alyx was a baby in the photo and Azian died during Black Mesa you can deduce she was a baby during that time if not a newborn in that pic.

 

[ríomhaire]

1. Alyx was a baby in the photo
2. The photo was in Black Mesa
3. Therefore Alyx was a baby in Black Mesa

The photograph was clearly professionally taken and as you point out she might very well be a newborn in it. It's not terribly unlikely the photo was taken to celebrate Alyx's birth. There's no evidence to suggest that it was even taken in Black Mesa, let alone that it was the most up-to-date one at the time of the incident. Do you think running for his life out of the facility Eli would take the photo that had the most emotional impact, the one that shows him and his wife smiling with their new child, or the most up to date one? In fact, he probably didn't choose, it was probably the one lying on his desk or on their mantlepiece or something and unless Eli made sure to update his office photo of his family constantly so as to keep the most accurate possible representation of his daughter on his desk at all times the photo gives no ****ing indication of the age Alyx was at the time of the Black Mesa Incident other than being some amount of time (days, months, years) older than she is in that photo.

 

[Story]

If Azian died in Black Mesa and she is in the photo then it's clearly a photo from that time.Azian would not be in a photo after BM since she is dead after that.
So whatever age Alyx was there added with almost 20 years is her age.

 

[Sloth]

Listen to Riomhaire, Black Mesa was a long standing facility - that photo could have been resting on Eli's desk for 6 years before the Incident even happened.
Ten years still works within the time frame, but 20 sounds better.

 

[ríomhaire]

If Azian died in Black Mesa and she is in the photo then it's clearly a photo from that time.Azian would not be in a photo after BM since she is dead after that.
So whatever age Alyx was there added with almost 20 years is her age.

You fail at time. If Azian died in Black Mesa and she is in the photo then it's clearly a photo from that time or from before then. Azian existed prior to the Black Mesa Incident. She didn't pop into existance when Alyx was born and die straight after that photo was taken.

 

[Story]

True, that sounds right.

But I believe it's from Blacl Mesa since Eli looks like in his Black Mesa days with more black hair than white like he did in Half-Life 1.

 

[Tagaziel]

1. Alyx was a baby in the photo
2. The photo was in Black Mesa
3. Therefore Alyx was a baby in Black Mesa

The photograph was clearly professionally taken and as you point out she might very well be a newborn in it. It's not terribly unlikely the photo was taken to celebrate Alyx's birth. There's no evidence to suggest that it was even taken in Black Mesa, let alone that it was the most up-to-date one at the time of the incident. Do you think running for his life out of the facility Eli would take the photo that had the most emotional impact, the one that shows him and his wife smiling with their new child, or the most up to date one? In fact, he probably didn't choose, it was probably the one lying on his desk or on their mantlepiece or something and unless Eli made sure to update his office photo of his family constantly so as to keep the most accurate possible representation of his daughter on his desk at all times the photo gives no ****ing indication of the age Alyx was at the time of the Black Mesa Incident other than being some amount of time (days, months, years) older than she is in that photo.

If Alyx was older, then why doesn't the photo show an older Alyx? After all, people keep more or less up-to-date pictures of their family with them.

Also, Chekhov's Gun Principle. Do not nclude any unnecessary elements in the story. Since Laidlaw's writing for HL is self-contained and tends to not include loose ends, it's not far fetched to assume that the photograph is an example of a Chekhov's gun - intended to show that Alyx was indeed, if not a baby, then at least an infant or a really small child during the Black Mesa Incident.

Your criticism completely ignores storytelling conventions and as such is completely without merit.

 

[schlitzer]

I always assumed that the photo was supposed to show that Alyx' mother died (?) when Alyx was still an infant. I don't remember how I came to that conclusion though, it probably doesn't make any sense. Is there anything like a game script for Episode 2 somewhere? I didn't find one googling and I don't have a save game for that part right now.


Anyway, I don't agree that Eli having a baby photo of Alyx when she was already older during the Black Mesa Incident would be a loose end: If it was a Chekhov's Gun, I'd think it had to do with Alyx' mother rather than tell us about Alyx' age. Unless the latter would somehow be important farther down the line (in Episode 3), which would be quite surprising to me at least.

 

[ríomhaire]

After all, people keep more or less up-to-date pictures of their family with them.

My family sure as hell doesn't. You do have a point with your storytelling view on it, but I don't think as strong a one as you think you do. The main purpose of the photo is to show Alyx's mother before she died and show the necklace (IIRC Azian is wearing it in the photo, but I may be wrong). I also think part of the reason is that showing the family photo with a baby has more of an emotional impact than one with an older child. There is an implication that Alyx was a baby at the time of the Incident with that photo and Eli's comment, but I don't think it's undeniable proof.

The main reason I contest this is Alyx's own line:
"You worked with my father in Black Mesa. I'm sure you don't remember me though." *fixes hair*
To me this rings with implications that she remembers him and she's a little young in that photo for that.

 

[Tagaziel]

My family sure as hell doesn't. You do have a point with your storytelling view on it, but I don't think as strong a one as you think you do. The main purpose of the photo is to show Alyx's mother before she died and show the necklace (IIRC Azian is wearing it in the photo, but I may be wrong). I also think part of the reason is that showing the family photo with a baby has more of an emotional impact than one with an older child. There is an implication that Alyx was a baby at the time of the Incident with that photo and Eli's comment, but I don't think it's undeniable proof.

Why can't the photo play several roles? Show Azian and her necklace, indicate Alyx's age and provide some emotional content?

The main reason I contest this is Alyx's own line:
"You worked with my father in Black Mesa. I'm sure you don't remember me though." *fixes hair*
To me this rings with implications that she remembers him and she's a little young in that photo for that.

That line is ambiguous. It might as well go "You worked with my father in Black Mesa. I'm sure you don't remember me though. [because I was an infant back then]."

At any rate, Alyx's age is probably below 5. She looks very early 20s to me.

 

[Story]

Yeah Alyx is probbaly early to mid 20's.