Timeline? [SPOILERS]
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kupocake
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I think definitely post Half-Life, though the facility was last occupied around those events.
http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=132032
http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=132032
My guess: a little while after the 7-hour war.
Aperture Science was evacuated and/or GLaDOS killed everyone (either because it keeps them from being turned into Combine or stalkers, or just because the outside world seemed extremely dangerous, and in order to be able to support any humans with the existing resources most humans had to die, or any other science fiction reason for a computer to find it reasonable to killed everyone). In the final battle, she does say something about it being bad outside. This would be the case either during the portal storms and 7-hour war, or anytime since then if the facility was located in a wasteland produced by the war.
GLaDOS, of course, remains in the facility with the survivors. Not knowing how many people will be able to survive, GLaDOS starts by saving a good amount of people ("saving" in this case meaning "not killing"), and as it becomes more and more clear that longer and longer term planning must be made for anyone to survive this situation, fewer and fewer survivors are allowed.
Of course, another of her directives is to keep the facility online and actively doing research, so she may as well use the survivors as lab rats before killing them.
I haven't played ep2 yet, so hopefully that'll help too.
Aperture Science was evacuated and/or GLaDOS killed everyone (either because it keeps them from being turned into Combine or stalkers, or just because the outside world seemed extremely dangerous, and in order to be able to support any humans with the existing resources most humans had to die, or any other science fiction reason for a computer to find it reasonable to killed everyone). In the final battle, she does say something about it being bad outside. This would be the case either during the portal storms and 7-hour war, or anytime since then if the facility was located in a wasteland produced by the war.
GLaDOS, of course, remains in the facility with the survivors. Not knowing how many people will be able to survive, GLaDOS starts by saving a good amount of people ("saving" in this case meaning "not killing"), and as it becomes more and more clear that longer and longer term planning must be made for anyone to survive this situation, fewer and fewer survivors are allowed.
Of course, another of her directives is to keep the facility online and actively doing research, so she may as well use the survivors as lab rats before killing them.
I haven't played ep2 yet, so hopefully that'll help too.
Grand Architect
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I say after the 7 hour war and before HL2.
just my two cents.
just my two cents.
Black Op
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Judging by the active projection listing Black Mesa as a rival, Aperture Science was depopulated either from panic induced by the Black Mesa Incident or from a seperate accident before the Incident caused by Aperture. The events of Portal could have happened anytime between HL1 and HL2.
It's pretty clear that the facility was last in use before the Black Mesa incident. A calendar on the wall says 1986, I think, but that's definitely an old calendar. Glados probably went nuts and killed most of the Aperture staff, in which case my guess would be that it takes place after HL1 but shortly before the full-scale Combine invasion.
tehsolace
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GLaDOS killed everyone. Gabe mentions in the commentary that the red phone in GlaDOS's big room was there because there was supposed to be someone watching her at all times and if she ever showed signs of self awareness, that person was to use the red phone (and apparently that plan didnt work out too well).
So the fact that the laboratories are empty doesn't really prove that it was post-war...
So the fact that the laboratories are empty doesn't really prove that it was post-war...
Ah. I haven't listened to the Portal commentary yet, or played Ep2 for that matter.
I didn't see any obvious signs saying it's post-war or even post-HL. It could well take place at about the same time as HL, why not? Though I think that's unlikely.
I didn't see any obvious signs saying it's post-war or even post-HL. It could well take place at about the same time as HL, why not? Though I think that's unlikely.
theholygod
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I think its actually Pre-HL1-testchamber. The landscape outside of the building looks too perfect for it to have been ovverun by combine or aliens.
Also, wouldnt GLaDOS be really smug about black mesa being overrun? Theres also the matter of projected profits and such.
Also, wouldnt GLaDOS be really smug about black mesa being overrun? Theres also the matter of projected profits and such.
You barely see the landscape. The White Forest also looks nice, based on screens. At the time of the Black Mesa incident, only certain parts of the world were overrun by Xen aliens, it was only some time later that the aliens and Combine took over most of the planet.
Glados could also not know about BM being overrun/destroyed. For example, Glados kills most of the Aperture staff before the incident, but Portal takes place after - in which case, that'd simply be a case of Glados being cut off from the rest of the world and not knowing anything.
Glados could also not know about BM being overrun/destroyed. For example, Glados kills most of the Aperture staff before the incident, but Portal takes place after - in which case, that'd simply be a case of Glados being cut off from the rest of the world and not knowing anything.
FatboyTim
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The HL1 manual says that the Black Mesa incident occurs on May 5, 200_, so both Science Facility disasters (the BM resonance cascade and the AS GLaDOS self-awareness incident) could occur at roughly the same time.
According to notes.exe on the http://www.aperturescience.com/ site (LOGIN name: cjohnson, pwd: tier3) the Disk Operating System part of GLaDOS was ready in 1996, but developement of the Genetic Lifeform component only begins in 1996 and takes 'several years'. The behind-the-scenes grafitti from the other test subjects, shows that the tests have been running for some further time before Chell is put through her paces.
I think it's possible that Chell has been in the relaxation chamber for years, having been taken there on 'bring your daughter to work day' as a child. In which case, GLaDOS may have been running an empty-of-staff (automated) Aperture Science facility for years, continuing to carry out research on the people who are still alive. :naughty:
According to notes.exe on the http://www.aperturescience.com/ site (LOGIN name: cjohnson, pwd: tier3) the Disk Operating System part of GLaDOS was ready in 1996, but developement of the Genetic Lifeform component only begins in 1996 and takes 'several years'. The behind-the-scenes grafitti from the other test subjects, shows that the tests have been running for some further time before Chell is put through her paces.
I think it's possible that Chell has been in the relaxation chamber for years, having been taken there on 'bring your daughter to work day' as a child. In which case, GLaDOS may have been running an empty-of-staff (automated) Aperture Science facility for years, continuing to carry out research on the people who are still alive. :naughty:
I saw that too, around 1996 or a couple years after was when Glados went psycho. Black mesa went up around 2000 or a year or two after. That could put both incidents into the same timeframe. Heck, from what I've seen in episode 2, portal storms can do some serious damage. Perhapse some components got fried during the storm.
Either way, from some of the dialog, Glados seems glad that she's down there and not in the above world, making notes to Chell at different times about how the above ground world is different, and worse, in ways even she cant fully understand.
This means that there has been perhaps 20 years since Glados killed everyone. (If the events of halflife 2 are 20 years later as indicated by time lines) Glados could still be working autonomously, or with a buyer in mind, as she said in the closing song, she's making a neat gun for people are still alive.
This would detract from the theory that the G-man is the buyer, since he already had the ability to teleport since before the black mesa incident.
Either way, from some of the dialog, Glados seems glad that she's down there and not in the above world, making notes to Chell at different times about how the above ground world is different, and worse, in ways even she cant fully understand.
This means that there has been perhaps 20 years since Glados killed everyone. (If the events of halflife 2 are 20 years later as indicated by time lines) Glados could still be working autonomously, or with a buyer in mind, as she said in the closing song, she's making a neat gun for people are still alive.
This would detract from the theory that the G-man is the buyer, since he already had the ability to teleport since before the black mesa incident.
Acepilotf14
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Too dark.. Anyone have photshop and wants to prim it up? 
But Valve wouldn't reuse THAT prop, that would just make us think too hard.
Perhaps Aperture was stealing tech from Black Mesa?
But Valve wouldn't reuse THAT prop, that would just make us think too hard.
Perhaps Aperture was stealing tech from Black Mesa?
DeltaBlast
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IMO it had to happen around or after the portal storms: GLaDOS tells you that it isn't any better outside and that she is protecting you from that or something.
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Are you trying to escape? [chuckle] Things have changed since the last time you left the building. What's going on out there will make you wish you were back in here. I have an infinite capacity for knowledge, and even I'm not sure what's going on outside. All I know is I'm the only thing standing between us and them. Well, I was.
*
And I was thinking, she might very well be keeping the area clean of Xen wildlife with the turrets. Perhaps even made a deal with the combine: they get the portal gun as long as they allow her to keep on testing. Hell, maybe the combine gave Chell to her to test on. Chell obviously came from prison or something, might as well be a combine prison.
*
edit>
Are you trying to escape? [chuckle] Things have changed since the last time you left the building. What's going on out there will make you wish you were back in here. I have an infinite capacity for knowledge, and even I'm not sure what's going on outside. All I know is I'm the only thing standing between us and them. Well, I was.
*
And I was thinking, she might very well be keeping the area clean of Xen wildlife with the turrets. Perhaps even made a deal with the combine: they get the portal gun as long as they allow her to keep on testing. Hell, maybe the combine gave Chell to her to test on. Chell obviously came from prison or something, might as well be a combine prison.
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