Episode 3 Discussion and Information.

Half-Life Series
#221

Wow, Wall-o-text. When i first started this, I had intended for it to be a short post. But once i start, I can’t stop. Thats why i try to avoid this thread as much as possible.

If I recall correctly, the combine want to create another Black Mesa like incident in order for their off world forces to be able to punch a hole back through and overwhelm the resistance once again.

I think that then ending of Episode 3 will definitely set up for HL3, and that this is perhaps one of the reasons that it is taking so long, is because they are also thinking about HL3 and deciding on how they want to proceed. Most likely in Episode 3 the Gman’s plot will be reveal at least partially, and that he will become the main antagonist of HL3. Remember that after HL1, the Gman’s forces were left in control of Xen, and that it was one of the few places that the combine can’t reach. The perfect place to begin building up one’s forces and preparing for an invasion.

Now I’m sure that Alyx will play a pivotal roll in the main plot of Episode 3 based on the significance placed on her by both the gman and the vorts. Since the Borealis has experimental portal tech similar to Black Mesa and is capable of creating another resonance cascade, I am going to guess that the ship will go on the verge of a resonance cascade. Since the previous resonance cascade opened up a hole to Xen, the Gman may want Alyx to trigger another cascade tearing open a hole to xen which they can exploit and release the build up of gman’s forces laying in wait to invade and wipe out the combine completely. Gman has shown that he has the ability to control Alyx’s behavior; he may program her to activate a resonance cascade right at the very end.

I think that Episode 3 will be like Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith. The real major villan will be revealed, and will triumph at the end of the episode and drive his enemies to the bring of extinction. Then in the sequel time has passed, Gordon (and maybe Alyx) has returned in the future, thanks to the vorts, and Gordon’s job will be to defeat the Gman.

I think that The Universal Union and the Combine aren’t that synonymous. I think its something like the EU; different sovereign countries that share ties with each other, except the UU has more government powers. I think that the UU is something of a universal ruling body that’s primary political party is the combine, and that the Gman is “working” for a rival faction, his employers, who will attempt and succeed in a coup d’état of the UU and wipe out their rivals the combine. Something like the Old republic becoming the Galactic imperium. But since the Gman has shown his lack of regard for his employer’s orders and his ability to know more than they do (i.e. about Alyx) I think that he will also stab his employers in the back and usurp authority for himself.

Remember the Combine story arc is over after this episode. Now in HL2 all they have done is defeated the forces of the combine on Earth, but there are many more planets and dimension under their control that could easily wipe them out if given a chance. Now either their ability to make it back to earth is permanently sealed off, thus removing the threat of the combine and closing the arc, or the combine is completely annihilated, something that only the gman would perhaps be capable of. We know he is planning something big, and this may just be it. Also remember there has to be a cliffhanger for HL3 or something that opens the door for the plot of HL3.

#222

I think that Eli isn’t actually dead but instead his mind or brain was taken to be put into a host body. (An idea suggested to Dr. Breen) They might need him because he is a scientist and they need one to work the Borealis.

What will happen in Episode 3 is that you get on the Helicopter you ride it and it is shot down (like 20 other people have said), but then you turn out to be closer to the ship than you thought.

Then having snuck or forced your way onto the ship you have some fights, solve some puzzles and you find the remains of Glados. Then having defeated an advisor the ship falls and just as it is about to break it teleports to the combine home world. (During the teleport you may see glimpses of Xen and other things.)

Thats just my theory, I based it mostly off my life.

#223

Do people honestly think that you’ll be on the helicopter ride? What would be the point?

Would you get up from exactly where you were in EP2 and just get in the Heli with Eli’s body lying there? If anything the game will start with you being woken up on the helicopter at the end of the flight. Waking up on it near the end of the flight, with a little bit of exposition. (hopefully including barney. :smiley: )

You’re life is full of drug-trips? :aah:

#224

That sounds like a good idea to me. I had been thinking they might start you off at Eli’s funeral, so that people who hadn’t played Ep2 would instantly realise that he had died, but then I guessed they could do that as a trailer type thing. Maybe having Dr Kleiner giving an obituary type thing, with all the rebels and even Dr Magnuson. In fact I might try my hand at doing a little test version jst so people have a better idea.

But yeh either way, you’re right. We don’t need a pointless helicopter ride. It’s just more work for Valve and it’d just bore the player.

#225

You think a helicopter ride would bore the player, but you think sitting through a funeral in an action game is something people would enjoy sitting through?

sounds more like a crappy fan fic.

#226

I hope than the experience of gordon freeman don’t finish in EP3

the coming half-life 3

:stuck_out_tongue:

#227

anything past the third part is milking a dry cow man , learn it

#228

^

You clearly haven’t paid much attention to video games.

#229

it seems to me like a primarily arctic environment would be tuff to create and make enjoyable gameplay wise… I am sure there will be lots of diversity though(valve)… I’ve just been thinking about how you would go about it…

#230

fighting zombie polar bears n shit

#231

I don’t know if this was said before but here goes:

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Four advisors

Four advisors again.

Lol, this must not be a coincidence. Also, I really want to see Mossman’s and Barney’s reaction.

#232

If you actually looked at the other pages of this topic, you’d see that it’s been posted, and commented on a dozen times already.

#233

No it wasn’t (I just searched for ‘advisor’ on each page). Advisors were mentioned of course, but the fact that there were 4 on both pictures wasn’t discussed… I’m intrigued. It’s not like a single one couldn’t fuck up everyone’s mind at the same time. Why would there be 4? Scary.

Could there be only four of them in total? Or are there like 50 packs of 4 like that? :S

#234

My mistake, I remember the discussion of the 4 advisors from before the forum crash. I still hate having the same two pics posted on the same topic a dozen times.

as for that, there were a lot more then four that left the citadel, but I wouldn’t rule out only encountering four of them in Episode 3.

#235

The interesting question is: How are you ever gonna pwnz these motherfuckers? One of them was enough to knock out you and two npcs in Episode 2! Without Dog you’d already be deader than a dead dead guy! I wanna fry them! They had me staring helplessly while (supposedly) killing Eli and almost severely hurting or even killing the only hot chick I have ever ran into in a pc game. They gotta burn for that! Someone’s gotta finally give the player the initiative against them. Gawd would I love to make those fuckers suffer!

(Sorry for swearing so much - just watched a couple of George Carlin shows - guess that had some influence)

#236

By ‘only hot chick’ you mean ‘only believable chick that doesn’t have a bra-size that only exists in another dimension’ ?

#237

I mean “only hot chick”. Lara Croft for instance is not a hot chick - she is a puppet - a doll. Like Barbie, except that HER body measures are inhuman in the exact opposite way. And yes - credibility gives it the kind of extra spice that really made me care for the girl this time. Usually I’d find it annoying to have an npc around me for 80 % of a game. Not Alyx. I’d be worried to leave her alone, actually. That says a lot about the quality of this game for me (and about my psychic state, from another point of view)…

#238

As to Advisors, if you look closely during the final scene in Episode 2, you’ll notice that their telekinesis seems to have little effect on Eli. He appears to find moving difficult, but he isn’t rendered completely helpless like you or Alyx, and ends up having to be knocked down and held physically with the Advisor’s arms. Maybe you’ll be able to resist similarly in Episode 3, allowing you to fight them?

#239

I think they may have been so focused on keeping Alyx and Gordon (Their only real threats at that moment, before Dog comes crashing in) pinned and helpless that they didn’t have any “energy” left to deal with Eli as well.

Either that, or they didn’t view Eli as enough of a threat to bother using strong telekinesis on in the first place. They probably knew he was unarmed and couldn’t do much more than hit one of them in the face with a pipe.

I am curious how the Advisor fights in Ep3 will work, though. In Ep2, they seem almost untouchable unless an outside force they don’t foresee manages to attack them before being noticed by the Advisors. As I’ve seen suggested before, perhaps Vortigaunts will play a role, temporarily suppressing the Advisor’s telekinesis and giving Gordon and/or Alyx an opening to attack.

#240

Im sorry for the length of this:

With all the mention of GMan’s intentions and Xen being an actual place instead of simply a ‘highway’ between places… I think some people might be forgetting a couple things.

The GMan spoke to not only Freeman, but the Vances as well. Freeman is not the only one in his plot (or his contractors plot… whatever). Remember that he is the reason that Alyx is still alive. Once the Vorts were stuck in their trance, he could have ended her right there (something he implied when they were busy with her while Freeman stood by and watched)

People keep forgetting Shephard. I dont know how. Hes the only character that has managed to surprise the GMan (save for the vorts). Hence his stasis. If the GMan felt him to be a threat, instead of a viable asset, he would have killed him off. Not directly, since thats not how he works, but still. Although the GMan did try, he tried in the same manner he ‘tried’ to kill Freeman in the first HL. After Freeman proved himself (surprisingly) to the GMan, who initially wasnt even paying attention to him to start off with (noted by the ‘angry stare’ given when he was arguing with the scientist about using HIS specimen instead of the usual), thats when he decided to take him. Remember the statement the GMan uses constantly “The right man, at the wrong time, can make all the difference.” Gman didnt plan on using him during the first cascade. Freeman proved resourceful so he was taken up. Same thing with Shephard. Only this time, GMan thought he had what he needed. Shaphard was put on stasis not just to keep his mouth shut, but to possibly be used later on (either in some other unrelated contract, or as an ‘aces up the sleeve’ puppet in case Freeman ‘rebels’, or is forced to do so by the Vorts (evident at the top of the tower))

To be honest, the ship would be a perfect setting for a HECU Marine to be placed in. More so if hes told to do something like… do in Freeman once the cascade has occurred (over the ship)… something related to that. I wouldnt be surprised if Shephard becomes the antagonist (through the GMan) to eliminate Freeman (tying in his main purpose in HL:OF), Vance, and anyone else that would be a problem. Only, in keeping with HL theme, Freeman evades just enough to not die. Whether Alyx dies or not, wouldnt really matter (then, VALVe can make Shephards side of the story, where he finds out he was used as a pawn, though the full reason why isnt truly revealed, as per HL theme).

As far as the Advisors are concerned, I wouldnt be surprised if they were simply pregnant Combine (remember what a Combine actually is… thats not truly what their race is, but what their race does), or possibly, what the Combine really look like (or at least their parental-forms: those that create and those that defend, like an ant colony).

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.