I really liked how they shifted slowly from the familiar to the unfamiliar when first introducing the Combine architecture in Nova Prospekt and Entanglement. I’d like to see them do the same in introducing something new - shift slowly from the now familiar Combine architecture into something new to us, maybe another enslaved world or the homeworld or Santa’s workshop or something.
Zombie Elfs. LOL.
Seriously i don’t really understand your post. Would you please dumb it down for me?
When we were first introduced to completely Combine rooms, it was after a long build up. Nova Prospekt started by taking us through recognizably human environments like concrete cell blocks and air ducts. Then it slowly added Combine elements as you progressed through the chapter - a force field here, a console there. The further you got, the more Combine elements there were. By the end of Entanglement you were in completely Combine rooms, with the distinctively non-human Combine architectural elements.
By Episode Three, however, we’re all going to be very familiar with Combine architecture. I’d like them to start us out in a recognizably Combine environment, and slowly add new, unfamiliar elements to it, slowly fading us into an entirely new environment.
Like you could start out in a citadel on another occupied planet, or the overworld. And as you play further out from the citadel, more and more elements of the alien planets native architecture would become apparent, until we find ourselves in completely natively designed areas.
I’m not very good at this eschewing obfuscation thing 
…
Bear in mind that it’s the last episode, not last game. If we’re ever gonna visit an alien planet, i think it would better to get your hopes up for HL3.
EDIT: The Borealis should be full of stalkers, like in the beta. From what i’ve seen, it was creepy (as in crap-your-pants creepy)
That wouldn’t make very much sense with the retail storyline.
Why not? The combine has already arrived.
What would be the point of putting stalkers on the Borealis? In the citadel they were just slaves who operated some equipment. If it weren’t for the razor trains with stalkers on them leaving the citadel I’d be surprised if they weren’t all killed when the citadel exploded.
Fighting the stalkers outright was cut from HL2, and good riddance. I played the leak and they were just annoying. Their weird gimp-mask look was complemented nicely by the annoying giggling they made.
The point is because they have LASER SIGHT. Laser can not only be used to weld metal, but also to cut through it. So the combine could use the stalkers to cut open the Borealis. That, and they have already (in the concept art) built an base there. Bases need maintenance, and stalkers are made just for that purpose.
They’re not the combine’s only source of lasers. Plus, those things would probably freeze to death in seconds. Now I’m imagining Stalkers with heavy winter coats on. 
I picture something not too far from this
i don’t think stalkers would be brought aboard for something like cracking the borealis’ tech, what with transport being at least one issue (unless they have some sort of more mobile combine creation). Maybe some sort of scanner variation or synth with a laser tool, floating about, poking around at the aperture tech.
When thinking about how the Combine will get through the ice to get inside the borealis, I can’t picture them using lasers. I mean they’re desperate this point to get inside the ship so that they can get home so they might just be using explosives. Just BOOM BOOM BOOM HURRY type stuff.
They don’t want to get home. They want what teleported the Borealis there. And using explosives might damage it.
Also, the stalkers should be there to keep their base in shape. Not just for combat purposes.
Uhh, if I was part of a stranded battalion in another dimension, I would have FIND A WAY HOME on the top of my to do list. And of course they want what’s on board becasue they hope it will open the gateway back to their homeworld.
But they’re not gonna be all BOOM BOOM HURRY UP because (as i said) they could damage the equipment.
And please sir, don’t be all “Uhh, like are you freakin’ stupid?”. I get enough of that in school. :’(
they’re no stranded batallion, the only reason I’d think the combine would want to open a portal would be to send MORE reinforcements
I would like to have alien grunts in my side like the vortigaunts and I thinked this other thing too:
name: combine destroyer.
side: combine.
weapons and description: heavy-armored combine soldier wich combines the heavy guns fire power with heavily rpg and nades fire. It also has a wrench like shephard[/SIZE] for melee combat.
special abilities: squad commander he is the leader of a squad, if he is killed his squad will ran away for some seconds of it’s initial position.
I was wondering, isn’t the strider and hunter technically alive or are they robots? Because I think a zombie stalker or strider would be awesome. Also, the aliens in HL:OF (I don’t remember their names) would be epic. And finally, I know alot of people have probably mentioned this, but I think Adrian Shepard from HL:OF will make a return, hopefully as an ally, but most likely as an enemy.
Advisors maybe the vortiguants or some other ally gives you a way to resist how the Advisors can like paralyze you like in Episode 2 then instead of paralyzing you they pick up items like the gravity gun does and fling em at you at high speeds
Or maybe that would be a boss fight because it would suck to have the gravity gun used against you D:
Crowbar Trooper: After witnessing first hand the devastating effects of the crowbar, the Combine reverse engineered it. After a few days of research, the Crowbar Troopers were sent to the front lines. They are exactly the same as normal Overwatch soldiers, but when in close combat, they will pull out a crowbar and charge the player. When the player uses a crowbar, CROWBAR DUEL!
Seriously, I would enjoy it if they made combine officers, who command squads from behind the frontlines, call in reinforcements, striders, and gunships.