The Combines

Half-Life Series
#1

It is mentioned that the Combines are one large intergalactic empire that has attacked and enslaved different planets in different universe. This leads to some question I need to know.

  1. In Half Life 2 and its episodes, we have never seen the Combines directly, closest are the Synth forces that the Combines have, half-animal,half- robot, and the Advisors.Is there a main alien race of the Combine Empire?
  2. An Empire requires a leader to lead the entire empire. Breen was just a puppet ruler of Earth. Advisors are the ‘somehow’ true leader of Earth for Breen. But there are more than 1 Advisors, is it possible for the Combines to have one central ruler (Combine Overlord, Combine Emperor)?
  3. Although not a question but, why haven’t the Combine invaded Xen yet? I have 2 theories.
  4. In order to open a portal to Xen, a large concentration of energy and matter is need.( Nihilanth keeping the portal open from Xen, teleportation lab in Lambda Core) I assume that the Combine don’t have the technology to teleport to Xen.
  5. Xen is the borderworld, it is also the mid section between two dimensions. Maybe the Combines aren’t able to attack Xen yet as their teleportation technology can only teleport to any location within the same dimension. In order to open a portal to Xen, concentration of energy is needed or a mineral or crystals charged with energy is able to open an unpredictable portal to Xen.(Black Mesa Incident)

What are your theories about the Combine Empire and Half Life Universe?

#2

Ughh… Where to start?
Answers:

  1. My theory is that the advisors are the actual combine, because the only technological thing on them are their arms, so I presume that they are the original.
  2. Obviously, yes. I imagine a large Advisor.
  3. They have. Didn’t you see the enslaved vort in HL2? Those collars were similar to the ones in Half-Life 1, and the Alien Grunts seems to have combine-like armor. Also, in the factory-like part of Xen, where the Grunt-eggs are created, there are thumper-like devices. And if you look at the technology they use in HL2, I think they have more than enough tech to travel to Xen, since their tech is way more advanced than human technology. And the stories told by npc’s in the HL2 games, they hint that the combines were on Xen.
#3

Humans got to Xen, so definately the combines aswell!

#4

The Combine never reached Xen because they didn’t know it existed or something. The Nihilanth had hidden it or something. The reason the vortigaunts are wearing collars in Half-Life 1 is because the Nihilanth and the controllers enslaved them.

#5

If you discount the Nihilanth then nothing Combine has ever been on Xen.

Also it’s Combine.

#6

EDIT: Nevermind.

#7

The Combine has never been to Xen. It was supposed to be a safe haven for the all of the alien races living there. When the Resonance Cascade happened at Black Mesa, the alien species saw the portals opening as final safety from the Combine. As to why haven’t the Combine invaded Xen, either they don’t know about its existence or they just don’t care about its existence.

#8

Combine.

The plural of Combine is still Combine.

Not combines.

#9

#10

and…
this is why I love Dr. Karamazov

#11

I don’t think it’s necessary to have a unique race of beings that represent “the Combine”. They could be similar, superficially, to the Borg in Star Trek. The Borg are not represented by any unique race of beings and any sentient being could be “assimilated” into the collective. Humans no more represent the Borg than any other race. It is possible that the Combine are similar; they’re a collective of beings.

Of course, I could be wrong. I’m just speculating.

#12

The Borg had a central intelligence, those woman

#13

If I am to understand your post correctly, you’re claiming that the Borg Queen was the central intelligence for all the Borg. She isn’t, not technically, or else Picard killing her at the end of First Contact would’ve ended the Borg collective. She is an “avatar” of sorts of the Borg’s collective intelligence, not the center. I still believe that the Borg have no center; they’re a decentralized intelligence.

Which is similar to how I see the Combine. But the Combine may have a central intelligence similar to what you were trying to claim with the Borg Queen. Perhaps their power comes from their homeworld and Gordon must destroy whatever source drives the collective intelligence to finally bring down the Combine.

Hm. That gives me an idea.

The Borealis.

When it disappeared, it became the center of the cross-dimensional rip, combining an ancient Combine homeworld (before the Combine existed) and modern Earth. The Borealis is the center of the Combine collective intelligence. Destroying it destroys the Combine.

…or maybe not. :wink:

#14

Combine is the name of the empire, not of any one species.

#15

Advisors are grubs. Imagine what the hell it’s the final form. Good luck Gordon and Alyx. Actually, since Alyx has no HEV, she’s propably going to rest in peace. Oh the pessimism.

#16

And he loves you too.

#17

They’re like grubs, but they’re not grubs. They’re not going to evolve into giant alien flies.

#18

but that would still be fucking awesome

#19

What if they evolve into giant alien gene worms?

(kidding)

#20

even if that was a joke, I still feel my insides regurgitating themselves from inside out

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.