Foes that are a credable and interesting military threat

[18-Till-I-Die]

Ghetto Edit:

D'oh! I'm sorry, not Hegemony, i mean Hyperion. My mistake.

[Ar-Adunakhor]

There is some indication that the Combine used some kind of weapon that had more effect on humans than our buildings, since if City 17 is any indication most of the buildings are still standing and the cities still livable...but the streets are practically empty 90% of the time. Now, of course, this is because of programing limitations in RL. But in-universe, combined (no pun intended) with the Combine's ability to "stop" human breeding somehow, indicates that they may have some kind of "deathwand" stuff like in the Hegemony novels. If they can just flip a switch and screw around with our biochemical processes enough to prevent humans from being able to cary a baby to term (it was some kind of energy field, they say it outright, plus it "shut down" when their reactor went boom) then they have a very advanced grasp of biological functions. Supposedly the energy field prevented certain protein chains required to conceive were "prevented" from activating.

Uh, woah. You could enter the olympics with logical leaping skills like that. Have you ever considered the fact that Gordon is constantly, you know, involved in massive firefights? I sure as hell know I would slam and lock the doors when the combine starts dropping Overwatch by the truckload and some guy in an orange suit guns down two dozen of them without breaking a sweat. What about the areas he is not fighting Overwatch, you say? Well, they are covered in headcrabs or antlions and therefore not ideal living conditions either.

If you remember back to the start of the game (before Gordon starts blasting the shit out of people) then you will find there were plenty of people in the train station and around it.

[Gil Hamilton]

Also note that its likely the Overwatch IS systematically killing humans. At the beginning of Half-Life 2, you get caught in the middle of the CPs blitzing some apartment buildings and dragging people off, presumably to send them off to the Citadel for processing while those walking wall things crush the city.

I think the thing with the Combine is that they are damn penny pinchers when it comes to conquered planets. The technology the Overwatch had wasn't THAT much better than anyone elses and certainly not enough to roll Earth's military. Even Striders aren't THAT dangerous, even though it does take some massed RPG fire to bring them down. Chances are whatever the Combine used to conquer either has long since picked up and left and now the Overwatch is practically immates running the asylum, with just enough toys to make sure they stay on top and not break the bank doing it. Some neat toys in the Manhacks, though those would probably benefit from adding some sort of gun rather than being a flying sawblade.

[Ford Prefect]

Some neat toys in the Manhacks, though those would probably benefit from adding some sort of gun rather than being a flying sawblade.

Interestingly, there was a I recall a gun-armed drone in the works, but it was scrapped. Also, gunships are actually rather impressive, especially when you realise they have suppresion devices in their bellies.

[Darth Ruinus]

Some neat toys in the Manhacks, though those would probably benefit from adding some sort of gun rather than being a flying sawblade.

Interestingly, there was a I recall a gun-armed drone in the works, but it was scrapped. Also, gunships are actually rather impressive, especially when you realise they have suppresion devices in their bellies.

What? They do? Whats this in, since I never saw that in the first Half Life 2. (man that sounds stupid)

Also, I doubt that those manhacks could handle recoil well enough, but Im not sure.

[Peptuck]

Some neat toys in the Manhacks, though those would probably benefit from adding some sort of gun rather than being a flying sawblade.

Interestingly, there was a I recall a gun-armed drone in the works, but it was scrapped. Also, gunships are actually rather impressive, especially when you realise they have suppresion devices in their bellies.

I personally found it rather strange that a gunship that's smaller than most modern helicopters could somehow fit about eighty times its mass in large rolling bombs in its belly.

[Ryan Thunder]

Some neat toys in the Manhacks, though those would probably benefit from adding some sort of gun rather than being a flying sawblade.

Interestingly, there was a I recall a gun-armed drone in the works, but it was scrapped. Also, gunships are actually rather impressive, especially when you realise they have suppresion devices in their bellies.

I personally found it rather strange that a gunship that's smaller than most modern helicopters could somehow fit about eighty times its mass in large rolling bombs in its belly.

Portal to bomb factory, perhaps?

[Cykeisme]

Despite 18-till-I-Die's leap in logic regarding the empty streets in HL2, he has a point: if the Combine can erect a field that prevents conception and/or pregnancy, they can probably also create one that can kill.
However, there's still a flaw: if they could kill humans that way, then why don't they just do it, instead of waiting for the remaining humans to die out? And why don't they use it to kill Gordon?

Knowing how exactly the "suppression field" works would help, though. Are the humans unable to create a shielded room for the purposes of procreation? It is truly fantastic if its interference with biological processes are low enough that it only prevents reproduction without killing outright, yet cannot be shielded against simply by using sheets of dense materials such as lead.

Portal to bomb factory, perhaps?

That would make sense.
Teleportation technology is commonplace in the Combine, after all.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Wrong. They cannot do point-to-point teleportation like Black Mesa; they can only tunnel from one universe to another. Once here, they're dependent on local and direct transportation. This was a major plot point in HL2.

[Illuminatus Primus]

The Xen forces from HL1 have nothing to do with the Combine military.

On the contrary, they have a lot of similar technology and the Nihilanth states that the Xen armies are "their slaves". While this could be referring to another controlling organisation we've not seen (or the Nihilanth feels compelled to lie for some reason), I don't see any particular reason to invoke that given the superficial resemblance of Nihilanth's armour and combine technology and the fact the combine have a huge Gonarch sac to produce weaponised headcrabs. Also, at the start of HL2, there's a vortigaunt sweeping up with a control collar around its neck like the vorts in HL1.

The Nihilanth's chamber was apparently where the richest sample of "xenium" that caused the resonance cascade in the first place, and one of its attacks is a portal it throws at you, implying that the combine's main means of invasion was through the enslaved Nihilanth in Xen, which tore down the dimensional barriers and supplied the initial invading force to accomplish that.

The Vorts and other Xenians are a combination of local and refugees from other Combine-ruled worlds who were taken control by the Nihilanth. Black Mesa (possibly as provoked by the G-man) triggered the resonance cascade and allowed the Nihilanth to begin an invasion of Earth. Freeman kills the Nihilanth, allowing Xen to be secured and the portal to be closed; but the portal storms persist, and the Combine uses the opening to attack and capture Earth. This was verified by Valve employees. The Nihilanth and Xenians were not Combine operatives; rather they were refugees. The consequences of HL1 allowed the Combine to follow after them to Earth, however.

Besides, all the points you brought up are at best superficial, circumstancial, or vague, and hardly firmly establish the Xenian invasion of HL1 with the Combine of HL2. This aside from the fact VIPs confirm that the Nihilanth was not under the Combine's control.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I'd have to ask my brother to bring the book down to me, for I don't have it in my house, but the HL2: Raising The Bar making of book does have some interesting pieces on the races involved in the storyline. I do recall a few snippets discussing the Combine later managing to take Xen and subdue any resistance from the Vorts as they moved on to Earth. Whatever they were up to, they made it a big enough deal that all the parties, Humans, Xenians and Vorts have to work together to try and deal with the garrison on Earth. I expect if anyone can try and fight back, the likes of the minds that went on to form Black Mesa East will be important.

Though I do also wonder if the G-Man hasn't played all sides against one another, like some extra-dimensional Clash of the Titans situation. For all we know, Gordon is just one person being helped by him on our side. The Combine may have had help from the G-Man too. Nihilanth knew of this entity, so others knowing isn't a big leap.

With the loss of City 17 and Breen's control, how long until the prison guards are replaced with the army who actually sanitised the planet? Gil's points are all valid; the Overwatch, even their elite units, are merely spec-ops for controlling any unruly citizens. They're no army. I don't believe it'd be a good idea to win back the territory too quickly and then invoke a "shock and awe" action to teach all involved that resistance is truly futile.

[Illuminatus Primus]

You need to play Episode 2.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Right after I've finished having fun with TF2. Sadly, it doesn't have much in the way of plot, just plenty of assholes to shoot.

And where's my cake? I was promised it!

[The Grim Squeaker]

Right after I've finished having fun with TF2. Sadly, it doesn't have much in the way of plot, just plenty of assholes to shoot.

And where's my cake? I was promised it!

It's at the end of the oven .

Also, Ep2 medium spoiler: The Combine are trying to establish a "Super portal" due to being cut off after the Citadel's explosion in Ep1. Without it, they can't move in sufficient forces of ass-kickery to crush the resistance, though it's heavily hinted that with it established any resistance is doomed within minutes. And they do have some military personnel, the "Advisors". Who are NASTY, Nasty Fuckers /End spoilers.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Okay, okay. I'll start Episode 2 tonight, though I was saving it to play later. I'll see if I can get hold of the book too and grab any info from it relevant.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Discussion of the various races' relations to each other aside, would the forces in HL1 be a decent enemy? The vortigaunts suck in combat (zero armor and a significant charge-up time for their main weapon), but then again, it's made pretty obvious that they were a slave-labour force first and soldiers second. But what about the alien grunts? They seem to be larger and more durable than humans, and wear far better armor (though body-coverage is much less). The hive-hand doesn't do quite as much damage as an M-16, but its homing projectiles are far more accurate.

The Gargantuans would decimate infantry, as they seem to just shrug off anything short of artillery fire. Granted, it's shown in the game that once a lock is established, any sort of long-range artillery fire will completely own them, so they would perform far better in dense urban combat.

Xen Masters would suck terribly in combat. No armor, very little ability to effectively take cover, and rather inefficient weaponry.

Snarks would be incredibly nasty against infantry simply because they're pretty much an angry grenade on legs.

Kites don't seem to be all that effective. They're highly maneuverable and can hold a payload of at least eight Grunts. They can take out other aircraft, but have to hover directly over them for a few seconds to do so, which makes them worthless, offensively, against any halfway-decent military. I'd see them more as a support force.

They also seem to have well-controlled teleportation abilities. HL: Opfor shows Vortigaunts rapidly teleporting between several locations to attack Gordon more effectively. Granted, it doesn't seem to happen that often, so their ability with teleportation may be limited or unduly expensive.

The things HL1's forces seem to lack the most are any sort of air-superiority and long-range heavy artillery.

[Rye]

Besides, all the points you brought up are at best superficial, circumstancial, or vague, and hardly firmly establish the Xenian invasion of HL1 with the Combine of HL2. This aside from the fact VIPs confirm that the Nihilanth was not under the Combine's control.

I already corrected myself, you doof.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Besides, all the points you brought up are at best superficial, circumstancial, or vague, and hardly firmly establish the Xenian invasion of HL1 with the Combine of HL2. This aside from the fact VIPs confirm that the Nihilanth was not under the Combine's control.

I already corrected myself, you doof.

Although, I must say, the Combine are the creepiest totalitarian alien conquerers in a long time.

[Nephtys]

Wrong. They cannot do point-to-point teleportation like Black Mesa; they can only tunnel from one universe to another. Once here, they're dependent on local and direct transportation. This was a major plot point in HL2.

It's not very flattering for a superadvanced alien conquerer race to be out performed by freaking Aperture Science of all people.

Still, I think a description of the combine from the Machanima series 'Civil Protection' says it best. Paraphraised, it's something like... "You know the Combine? Those guys are badass. They conquered the whole planet in 7 hours. And you know what? They didn't even do it themselves. They sent ANOTHER alien race they conquered earlier to conquer us, and are probably sitting back on their home planet sipping space margaritas"

[Xon]

It's not very flattering for a superadvanced alien conquerer race to be out performed by freaking Aperture Science of all people.

Humanity before the resonance cascade was developing fightning advanced technology, easily approching the Combine.

That HEV suit is something to write home about, thats for sure. And the powered armour the marines had was also damn nice too.

[Xon]

It's not very flattering for a superadvanced alien conquerer race to be out performed by freaking Aperture Science of all people.

After clocking Portal in ~3 hours, Aperture Science features a clasical Rampent AI. And frankly given Black Mesa's track record with ludicriously dangerous technology, it isnt a suprise that the entire thing went south.

[JointStrikeFighter]

It's not very flattering for a superadvanced alien conquerer race to be out performed by freaking Aperture Science of all people.

Humanity before the resonance cascade was developing fightning advanced technology, easily approching the Combine.

That HEV suit is something to write home about, thats for sure. And the powered armour the marines had was also damn nice too.

Not to mention the Tau Cannon, Gluon Gun and the remote sentry turrets.

[Darth Smiley]

It's not very flattering for a superadvanced alien conquerer race to be out performed by freaking Aperture Science of all people.

Of course, complacency may be the big issue. The Combine, from what we know, rules multiple UNIVERSES. Its specialty seems to be adapting the local life-forms to serve it, not physics. It hasn't actually needed point-to-point teleport capabilities, and lets face it - until Gordon Freeman went and blew up the Citadel's reactor, humans were screwed. Even then, the only reason he could do that is the interference of some kind of extra-dimensional agency, that is above and beyond even the Combine.

Not to mention the Tau Cannon, Gluon Gun and the remote sentry turrets.

Even with the various high-energy implements of destruction, humans were so far outgunned it didn't matter. If things got rough, all the combine has to do is pull a 7-hour war, and call in reinforcements.

The things HL1's forces seem to lack the most are any sort of air-superiority and long-range heavy artillery.

Of course, thats what this thread is about - threats that are credible, interesting, but ultimately to be defeated by the Good Guys. In this case, what is really scary about the Xen monsters is that you can't every clear an area of them. As long as there is a Portal Storm in progress, anything you can't monitor directly could have enemies teleporting in behind your back.

Some of the extra game material makes it clear that after black mesa, non-urban areas were abandoned by humanity, because it was simply too much area to patrol. In the cities, with constant vigilance, it was possible to at least respond rapidly. Of course, grouping all of humanity into the cities has the nice side effect of making it easy to conquer Earth in one swoop by taking the cities...which, of course, the Combine did.

[Gil Hamilton]

That's how I think Half Life 2 is going to end in total, because I think Valve and their excellent storytellers know better than to establish that the Combine can headstomp the Earth in a day but then have the haggard survivors of many years of oppression turn around and beat them, even if they do have Gordon Freeman, Human Tank and Walking Arsenal. Chances are, Gordon is going to stop the Combine from making more portals to Earth at all and cut the remains of the Overwatch off from support, allowing the uprising to succeed rather than have Gordon shoot his way through the Combines actual army.

After all, going the Quake 2 route and having a single dude systematically kick the crap out an enitre Evil Alien Empire is just not up to HL standards. (even if I admit I waste a round of ammo on Alyx when she said "Zombine", due to the lameness of the line )

[Zixinus]

But in-universe, combined (no pun intended) with the Combine's ability to "stop" human breeding somehow, indicates that they may have some kind of "deathwand" stuff like in the Hegemony novels. If they can just flip a switch and screw around with our biochemical processes enough to prevent humans from being able to cary a baby to term (it was some kind of energy field, they say it outright, plus it "shut down" when their reactor went boom) then they have a very advanced grasp of biological functions. Supposedly the energy field prevented certain protein chains required to conceive were "prevented" from activating.

It's far more likely that everyone was injected somehow. I recall a tread about how someone noticed patches or something on every citizen. Perhaps this injection also protects them from diseases or other treat that the combine or creatures from Xen might have brought, which is why even rebels take it.

It is also possible that everyone was injected when the Combine invaded first and the Resistence formed later, once it realised the goals of the resistence.

It's not very flattering for a superadvanced alien conquerer race to be out performed by freaking Aperture Science of all people.

Actually, they might. We only know that the Combine ON EARTH don't have this kind of technology. The actual Combine might find it overly risky or valuable enough to give it to mere servants or perhaps don't have real use of it.

Also, it is also possible that Aperture Science had outside help, which might give a new depth to our otherwise quite cliché Rampant AI.