I feel it could've added more effect to the combine attack had it given you the time to relax and lower your guard. Get you thinking that yes, you're going to be safe here and be able to destroy the combine, only to suddenly destroy it. I feel the chapter was so short so I never really cared for the place.
@@imperatoriacustodum4667 Same, it was a super short stay in Black Mesa East. It had much going on there... The thing that fascinated me the most about it was the lab where Eli still collected samples from the crystal, as if he tried to use it to reverse the Resonance Casscade and send back the Combine and the zombies to where they came from. I know Valve cut a lot of content to make these "intermissions" shorter but actually some of them were better than actual playable sections in the game so I wish they were a bit longer.
I remember when I was a kid and first played this game and made a fan fiction about a counterpart to Black Mesa East called “Black Mesa West” without realizing that would just be the original Black Mesa lol
This video reminded me that black mesa east was so much bigger than we saw. It’s fitting that Gordon Freeman barely got to see any of it before it was destroyed, but I wish we did see more. It was always like a safe haven to me, one of my favorite spots as a kid
I would've loved Black Mesa East more if we got to go through more of it and then back track during the attack as a parallel to the New Mexico Black Mesa Facility.
@@Generlc_Human that would’ve been so cool that’s actually an awesome idea, to have like a half life 1 style segment through black mesa east! Idk how that would do with the pacing tho, and it’s basically the idea with ravenholm so we got that at least
@@RoachDoggJr2112 it’s fitting because of the Themes present in Gordon Freeman’s journey. Playing through the entire game, one can realize that although Gordon is the hero, and is revered as even a Christ-like figure by the resistance, he is directly the cause of many resistance member’s deaths. Whether it’s leading the combine to their bases, or other actions, Gordon Freeman is responsible for the deaths of many rebels during his fight against the combine. It’s a funny and interesting fact, and because of that it’s fitting that Gordon arriving at Black mesa east is immediately a bad omen and death sentence for all those who were living their lives there there. Although he is bringing about the downfall of the combine on earth, many lives are lost in order to do it, and the game almost treats them as disposable compared to Gordon freeman. Onto my second point: I don’t think you know much about game design. Half life 2 is designed to be a run-and-gun style game. You’re supposed to be moving from one place to another, and the story projects that as well. If the game all-of-a-sudden gave you a whole base to spend an hour+ in doing basically nothing it would completely demolish the pacing of the game. Black Mesa east was meant to give the player a purposefully brief, but relaxing amount of levity before shoving the player back into the fray. This is especially evident considering ravenholm is the next chapter. The game was designed to give you a short moment of calm before thrusting you into one of the scariest portions in half life 2. Try not to confuse lazy game design with choices that have deeper meaning on a game design level.
It's really no surprise the Combine discovered BME and it's larger network. Think about it, Kleiner's lab put out occasional power surges, and Kleiner himself was a known teleportation expert.
It’s more that they were looking for Freeman. The Combine let humanity live because they knew they had local portal technology. They wanted humans to finish it. Unknown to them, Aperture already perfected it.
Whenever I think of this place my first thought is always the picture of G Man's face hidden in a piece of machinery in Eli's lab, reminding us that even when he's not around he's still watching
@@joeb3505 I hadn't seen it myself but it should be next to the scanner. Theres some orange circle in a machine there that if you look through you see Gman's face. Apparently this easter egg was found only in recent years. The devs did excellent job hiding him there.
@@joeb3505 there's a generator or something that a vort plugs something into a little while after you arrive, but if you look into the light before he does and turn the screen as dark as possible his face is in there
I still remember one of the only glitch / bug I have ever experienced in Half Life 2. Do you remember the elevator part with Judith Mossman? For some reasons the elevator was not working, leaving me and Judith watch each other awkwardly in the elevator while obsoletely nothing was happening around us. It felt really surreal. And I obsoletely hated the Ravenholm section. I felt really safe in Black Mesa East and the drastic change of pace in Ravenholm was really discomforting (to say the least). I was only 12 lol
Man i remember black mesa east. It was such a great resting point in the game just right after the intense airboat section. This is one of the rare moments where the game lets you go and explore relax and interact with your allies.
Every time I see it, I'm amazed at how beautiful Ravenholm was. It's actually eerie to see living, walking and working people in the daylight in it. Great vids, mate. Cheers
I enjoyed Black Mesa East and meeting with Eli, but everytime I played the game.. it's feels like the doorstep leading up to Ravenholm, like "here.. have short little cute family reunion and now it's time for one Hell of long Halloween Zombie night with Father Grigori 💀"
I can’t possibly heap enough praise upon you and your Half Life lore videos. Though lengthy, they go by so fast! Your research, narration, and editing are just superb. Thank you for these! 🖖😀
The head crab launchers from the Lost Coast building. That is an excellent reference and please consider Half-Life Lost Coast being your next half-life video.
YES!! Just as I came home from getting a fat order at McDs Skyrionn uploaded another Half Life lore vid😂 I like the way you started the video with the depression field HL2 OST in the background, gave me goosebumps👀 Love your work man
This was insanely good. I'm a huge fan of the whole universum, but there were tons of facts in the video that I didn't know. Keep up the fantastic work.
I think it reasonable that, because of Mossman, the Combine were fully aware of all Resistance locations associated with Black Mesa East. They had a vested interest in the teleportation technology working, and knew that it was much easier to simply *allow* the resistance to undertake their work, than to try and force the scientists to do research on their behalf. The idea that a single patrol officer in the Civil Protection could somehow cause the Combine to overlook an entire industrial facility, or that an AI operated paramilitary group wouldn't have the data analysis capabilities to cross reference his activities is... Practically impossible. Barney wasn't James Bond. He was most certainly permitted to 'spy' on them, to give the Resistance plausible deniability about their own cover. We even have in-game proof that they knew, because mere minutes after a high value target was identified, in the form of Gordon Freeman, the Combine were able to hit every single railroad station along his path. The only way they could do that in advance of Gordon's arrival is if they already knew about them. So, clearly the railroad was under surveillance, but permitted to exist. Considering that, the railroad offered the Combine a couple of benefits; It gave the resistance a reason to continue work on the teleporter, so long as the Combine kept up a moderate amount of pressure, and it presented a way for dissidents to self-select and remove themselves from the city. Only the ones who weren't willing to submit would even try to leave, so if they did, then either they would die along the way, or end up helping with the teleporter project that the Combine was leeching data from. Either way it's a win for the Combine. Ravenholm on the other hand, given it was clearly visible to Airwatch fly-overs and a substantial surface settlement, would have raised suspicion if they *hadn't* struck it eventually. There was also no reason to allow the resistance base to continue expanding if work on the teleporter was going well enough. A headcrab bombardment would have been a good way to wash their hands of the situation, and also justify not going in to do a deeper exploration and "find" Black Mesa East, which they already knew about. When we, as Gordon, enter the situation is when the cost benefit analysis shifts, and the destruction of Black Mesa East to capture us outweighs the benefits of information to be gained from the teleportation project. And besides, now that it works, and the final test data from Mossman has likely been received - the Combine just so happen to be ready to activate their own prototype in Nova Prospekt. Black Mesa East was no longer required. There's also the prototype in Kleiner's lab - which of the many thousands of buildings Combine striders and artillery flattened during the City 17 uprising, his workshop remained totally untouched weeks after the uprising began. A building which, on the second story catwalk, was the first place a City 17 scanner had detected Gordon Freeman after he had been identified... And yet the building was apparently never search? There's no way they didn't know.
@@datrtzhush3734 If it was as simple as 'video game' why would there have been a spy sub-plot at all? Or hours worth of lore to build a whole channel on. Half-Life literally made multi-layered stories a thing in gaming.
I just realised that i know nothing about the hl2 after the ending of hl 1 . My attention kinda shifted to the gman . I was curious , i wanted to know what chess game gman is playing and where is gordon in his chess game . Thank you Skyrionn for all Half Life Lore videos it actually helped me understand more about half life's world and discover more Interesting character that abandoned in my first gameplay decade ago . I guess i gotta check the game again
First and foremost amazing video, second i love how you included the fact that the place was raided not by the transhumans but the civil protection. Comes back to the older video of yours I commented on before, way back before I joined the army for mandatory military service(reason why I rarely comment).
@readuth1488 Just doing what i can for my country i guess, but hey thanks, it won't be long before my service ends, after that what follows is the choice to enlist for career in the army or get in the police force to become a counter terrorist. Either way still gonna serve in times of peace and war.
In the game, it is also said that Eli knew that Judith was a Breen spy, because she also told him, but he kept secret, because she was also spying on combine from within. He most likely knew the costs when Gordon will show up eventually, thus sending him and Alyx to other part of base, where they wont be captured, but he will, thus making Breen look OK~ish to Combine, and not a complete failure. Eli was playing 4d chess before it was even invented
@@silent_stalker3687 somewhere in ep1 or ep2, where alyx confronted eli that judith is combine agent, and he said he trusts her because she is double agent
Great content creator to eat lunch/dinner to. Had myself some much needed ramen after neglecting my hunger needs for days and was able to actually commit to finishing it.
"Eli Vance just reached out to the Vortigaunts" That part almost sounds like he sent them an E-Mail or a Friend request lol xD But great video don't get me wrong. Unbelievable how great and deep half life lore goes. Love to go to sleep hearing ur videos, just immensely immersive. Tyvm!
Your videos are amazing, my favorite is probably the half life and portal combined timeline. I can actually see that you are making this videos with passion
I wish there was more to explore in Black Mesa East. I always wanted to visit the kitchen section and other power generation sections to see what vorts were doing. and maybe have an interaction with them and the resistance members.
@@Omega-jg4oq No lol I mean it would bhave been much better if Valve had given us more room to explore with good interaction with people. Maybe we can talk and know some of their stories.
This is another amazing video! I feel so comfortable with your videos and love the Half Life universe even more now! It was amazing to play it back then but now understanding so much I feel like I am in the story of a great book everytime I go back to Half Life or Portal. Also I feel at home in your videos they calm me down, all while learning something new most of the time! Please never stop making Half Life content, you are by far the best Half Life creator on TH-cam and I want to discover every last little detail of Half Life together with you. Thank you so much for the great work you do! Oh btw. you're voice is so perfect for those videos! It's pleasant to listen to and very calming. So I love watching your videos at night because you don't scream loudly like others or try to sound intential harsh. No your voice is just comforting me :)
i love a lot this place, how important it was for eli, for alyx, for any of the resistance members, as you said it was like home for eli and alyx, not only being a safe place for the player itself but for them too, not only eli and alyx but any of the humans and vortigaunts that get to the place, it must be a feeling of relief when they get there and feeling so safe, finally being able to socialize as they can, finally having a breath, and for the vortigaunts i love to think they get a long with eli very well since i believe, eli was the first one to ally with them, i imagine eli did many things there too, experimenting with many things with the resistance members, especially with the vortigaunts, i dont know something tells me vortigaunts would definitely be working on such things, also probably this was the place alyx grew up, if you give me time to talk about her and how eli raised her i will be talking hours about it, there is really a lot i wanna say about this, not much people realize how important black mesa east was for the humanity, it was probably bigger than we saw and i am kinda sad that we cannot see all Black Mesa East
Does any content explain how Gordon Freeman was able to successfully fight the Combine, but Earth's militaries could not? Also, how come we don't see wrecked military assets everywhere if there was such a desperate fight?
Well, the main reason for that is because the Combine is no longer really ON Earth. They're not the type to stick around long after obliterating a planet's infrastructure and stealing all it's reaources. What we see in the game is simply what the Combine left behind to ensure Earth quietly died. The 7 Hour War involved the Combine using weapons of godlike power, using laws of physics incomprehensible to us (god I really wish we knew more about this). Now, even the Combine we see in the game would be pretty impossibly to topple so easily with mostly just a handful of people, but Gordon's whole thing is being "The right man in the wrong place." His success is mostly due in part to Gman's interference. He abducted Gordon at the end of Half-Life 1, saving him from certain annihilation. He then pulled Gordon 20 years into the future and dropped him EXACTLY where he needed to be to set the necessary events in motion. Gman is playing some kind of twisted chess game for unknown reasons, and Gordon is simply a pawn that he used as part of his master plan. Whether the Combine losing on Earth is Gman's main goal is unknown, but personally I think it's more likely that the Combine and Gordon are a relatively small blip on his radar.
@@devoutrelic1228 We take out the tripods and hover gunships with RPGs and small arms. What was the Combine wielding against actual military equipment?
@@biostemm That's something we don't know. There's a lot of mystery surrounding the 7 Hour War, all we know is that they were way more powerful during that time. You also have to keep in mind that it wasn't JUST the Combine. The resonance cascade tore a hole into *Xen,* allowing for creatures and species from many different universes to randomly appear on Earth. Most of that has been contained by the Combine and isn't seen much in Half-Life 2, but Half-Life Alyx (which has you go into one of these "quarantine zones") paints a pretty clear picture of how devastating this event was. Many parts of Earth now...don't really look like Earth anymore, rather they're more like the nightmares I imagine Eldritch gods might have.
10:50 The black Mesa facility was on the ground and therefore since it was nuked at the most likely is a hidden under thousands of rubble so it’s probably impossible but maybe likely
Civil protection (the black uniforms with white masks and Stunsticks) were ordinary people that signed up to monitor and police other citizens in return for benefits and “privileges.” The higher up combine soldiers are the modified ones.
I felt that they could've done much more with Black Mesa East. In Half life 1, you could do so much exploring when you got off the tram. There were plenty of scientists in hl1 to talk to as well. Gordon went through so much trouble to arrive at Black Mesa East only for it to be discovered and destroyed immediately.
The first time I got to Black Mesa East I thought "finally, a little bit of a respite.. oh no, next level is gonna be screwed up isn't it?" I was not prepared for what Ravenholm had in store lol.
I would've loved Black Mesa East more if we got to go through more of it and then back track during the attack as a parallel to the New Mexico Black Mesa Facility.
And here I am... Waiting roughly half my life already on HL3. But I will keep on waiting and hoping Valve will learn to count to 3 at some point in my lifetime.
My question may be dumb, but I rememberwatching the video from a few months ago of about 3 hours explaining the whole Half life / portal lore. I didn't find the time to watch the new videos you uploaded since then until now ; Do you expand each subject even more than during the 3 hours video ?
Hey Skyrionn, i dont know if this video is already out, but can you make a video talking about the BRIDGE POINT. From the chapter...I forgot the name but it would be cool to see a video about it.
I always thought it was a bad idea and a weird plot decision for them to leave the junkyard open like they did, given how obscured the rest of the base was. Even if it's tucked in between some cliffs and far from the main city, it just looked like any one of the various scouting drones or ships would've easily spotted it from above, especially with those giant spotlights running. The fact too that Ravenholm was a known area of resistance members and just over the hill, they would have shut down and closed off the junkyard after it was attacked... but no.
Maybe since it's so close to Ravenholm, as that place is decimated, the combine forces would think that Black Mesa East was also devoid of human life hence not worth checking, I dunno
omg man, you never let the quality of your videos down! I watch every video with joy and appreciation so much, that I got inspired to start my own videos project of the lore of my favorite games and series! (still working) I knew it was hard, but not like that hard 💀 I respect you much more than before, knowing that you put so much work in your videos to being that good❤🩹 Thanks so much, I love your content skyrionn, do never stop! ps: if my english is weird, I still learning lol🥲
If you think about it gman probably lured Lamar to the vents causing the teleportation accident which inadvertently cause the destruction of the canal and several checkpoints and the destruction of Black mesa east and the capturing of eli and the derailing of a vital research into world changing teck goes to show that Lamar better turn into a gonarch one day or he would single handedly just be considered the worst pet in the universe for if wasn't for him half life 2 would have ended differently
Can you remember the name of the map you were in when you heard it? That would help to pinpoint the music. The Underground Railroad spans many maps with pieces of music at regular intervals.
Wait... The Xenian wildlife wiped out so many of Earth's native animal forms -- if it is the case that cats were still common enough for Kleiner or Eli to grab a stray off the street, Gordon on all his travels would surely have seen a few. Never mind, Kleiner himself -- who not only sees the best in people but can even find good in vicious hideous alien monsters -- wouldn't hurt a fly, unless it was threatening his life or his resistance cell. If there had been an actual animal test gone wrong, it seems pretty obvious that the kindhearted scientist should be the one having nightmares, not the former gun-toting security guard who's singlehandedly slain several small infantry platoons. So was there really a cat, in that failed test? Or was Barney the subject and the side-effects gave him strange dreams? ...or, come to think of it, was Barney just making it up to mess with Alyx? That definitely seems more like something he'd do.
I was hoping this was a lore video on BME during the timeframe of the original game. 😒 Yeah, sure, it didn't really exist in 1998, but it would have still been interesting to learn more about it's background in-universe, prior to the Combine and even the Resonance Cascade. 🤷🏻♂️
(Gramar correction) the editing looks very different, I believe, Nonetheless, great video!! (Original Comment) the editing looks very different, I believe, Nontheless, great video!!
I hope it's not just me trying to hop as fast as I can to the other side of the hallway right when the Black Mesa East raid starts and you're getting forced to go to Ravenholm, despite knowing theres no true continuation if Gordon does manage to get to the other side of the hallway on time right before everything collapses. I recently played HL2VR and I gotta say Ravenholm is twice as frightening than it is on a PC screen lol, I still try to rush my way through as fast as I can to avoid any confontration with the fast zombies. Black Mesa East felt somewhat more safer than White Forest base to me. It's more concealed, maybe less remoted than White Forest but it seems easier to defend and hide there as it was right under the Combines' noses. I wish we could see more of Black Mesa East but that dream is definitely dead. Nontheless, good video Skyrionn!
Do you hang around a little longer than you should in Black Mesa East to postpone your visit to Ravenholm?
We don't go to Ravenholm
Yeah I like to explore every corner
@@security864I do xD
@@security864am I wrong for listing Ravenholm as my favourite level?
No sadly😢
Black mesa east fascinated me because there always seemed like there was so much more going on there, shame we couldn’t see more of it in game
I feel it could've added more effect to the combine attack had it given you the time to relax and lower your guard. Get you thinking that yes, you're going to be safe here and be able to destroy the combine, only to suddenly destroy it. I feel the chapter was so short so I never really cared for the place.
@@imperatoriacustodum4667 Same, it was a super short stay in Black Mesa East. It had much going on there... The thing that fascinated me the most about it was the lab where Eli still collected samples from the crystal, as if he tried to use it to reverse the Resonance Casscade and send back the Combine and the zombies to where they came from. I know Valve cut a lot of content to make these "intermissions" shorter but actually some of them were better than actual playable sections in the game so I wish they were a bit longer.
Black mesa east was always my favorite place to noclip and look a round
I remember when I was a kid and first played this game and made a fan fiction about a counterpart to Black Mesa East called “Black Mesa West” without realizing that would just be the original Black Mesa lol
Black Mesa Southeast 😢
Alternatively the original Black Mesa could just be Black Mesa Center
13:08 Omg, baby Dog… my word, what an adorable
This video reminded me that black mesa east was so much bigger than we saw. It’s fitting that Gordon Freeman barely got to see any of it before it was destroyed, but I wish we did see more. It was always like a safe haven to me, one of my favorite spots as a kid
just like black mesa its as big as the story demands, unlimited liminal spaces^^
I would've loved Black Mesa East more if we got to go through more of it and then back track during the attack as a parallel to the New Mexico Black Mesa Facility.
@@Generlc_Human that would’ve been so cool that’s actually an awesome idea, to have like a half life 1 style segment through black mesa east! Idk how that would do with the pacing tho, and it’s basically the idea with ravenholm so we got that at least
How is it ‘fitting?’ It seems like Valve just couldn’t be fucked to make more than a single map. Lazy.
@@RoachDoggJr2112 it’s fitting because of the Themes present in Gordon Freeman’s journey. Playing through the entire game, one can realize that although Gordon is the hero, and is revered as even a Christ-like figure by the resistance, he is directly the cause of many resistance member’s deaths. Whether it’s leading the combine to their bases, or other actions, Gordon Freeman is responsible for the deaths of many rebels during his fight against the combine. It’s a funny and interesting fact, and because of that it’s fitting that Gordon arriving at Black mesa east is immediately a bad omen and death sentence for all those who were living their lives there there. Although he is bringing about the downfall of the combine on earth, many lives are lost in order to do it, and the game almost treats them as disposable compared to Gordon freeman. Onto my second point: I don’t think you know much about game design. Half life 2 is designed to be a run-and-gun style game. You’re supposed to be moving from one place to another, and the story projects that as well. If the game all-of-a-sudden gave you a whole base to spend an hour+ in doing basically nothing it would completely demolish the pacing of the game. Black Mesa east was meant to give the player a purposefully brief, but relaxing amount of levity before shoving the player back into the fray. This is especially evident considering ravenholm is the next chapter. The game was designed to give you a short moment of calm before thrusting you into one of the scariest portions in half life 2. Try not to confuse lazy game design with choices that have deeper meaning on a game design level.
It's really no surprise the Combine discovered BME and it's larger network. Think about it, Kleiner's lab put out occasional power surges, and Kleiner himself was a known teleportation expert.
It’s more that they were looking for Freeman. The Combine let humanity live because they knew they had local portal technology. They wanted humans to finish it. Unknown to them, Aperture already perfected it.
Whenever I think of this place my first thought is always the picture of G Man's face hidden in a piece of machinery in Eli's lab, reminding us that even when he's not around he's still watching
I'm about to play through this again, where can I find him/his face at? =o
@@joeb3505 I hadn't seen it myself but it should be next to the scanner. Theres some orange circle in a machine there that if you look through you see Gman's face. Apparently this easter egg was found only in recent years. The devs did excellent job hiding him there.
@@royliber3824 It was never actually found, the HL2 dev who created this easter egg posted it on twitter a few years baack
@@joeb3505 there's a generator or something that a vort plugs something into a little while after you arrive, but if you look into the light before he does and turn the screen as dark as possible his face is in there
@@don-valley-parkway Wow. tried this in gmod, only works if you zoom in and as the hdr adjusts, its barely visible but definitely there, damn!
I still remember one of the only glitch / bug I have ever experienced in Half Life 2.
Do you remember the elevator part with Judith Mossman? For some reasons the elevator was not working, leaving me and Judith watch each other awkwardly in the elevator while obsoletely nothing was happening around us.
It felt really surreal.
And I obsoletely hated the Ravenholm section. I felt really safe in Black Mesa East and the drastic change of pace in Ravenholm was really discomforting (to say the least).
I was only 12 lol
I Also experienced that bug XD, but for some reason to me It Also happened when you First meet alyx in the First chapter and in white Forest on Ep2.
I normally only watch this while going to bed. But I appreciate these videos and the work you still do for half life! Thank you!
Thanks for being here.
same here, videos like these before bed are so calming and aid for a good sleep
Exactly this! It really has a calming effect for anxiety. His voice is so calm
Man i remember black mesa east. It was such a great resting point in the game just right after the intense airboat section. This is one of the rare moments where the game lets you go and explore relax and interact with your allies.
Every time I see it, I'm amazed at how beautiful Ravenholm was. It's actually eerie to see living, walking and working people in the daylight in it.
Great vids, mate. Cheers
I thought the same thing, seeing Ravenholm in daylight with no headcrabs and zombies was kinda weird and refreshing at the same time lol.
I enjoyed Black Mesa East and meeting with Eli, but everytime I played the game.. it's feels like the doorstep leading up to Ravenholm, like "here.. have short little cute family reunion and now it's time for one Hell of long Halloween Zombie night with Father Grigori 💀"
if only we had a Repeater or two…
Everytime I play Ravenholm I always think that Gordon probably says to himself "it's going to be a lllooonnngg night..."
"Go through Ravenholm," she said, "It'll be fun," she said. . .
@@Reaper_03-01
others : Don't go to Ravenholm..
the game : Yep, you're totally absolutely going there!
I can’t possibly heap enough praise upon you and your Half Life lore videos. Though lengthy, they go by so fast! Your research, narration, and editing are just superb. Thank you for these! 🖖😀
The head crab launchers from the Lost Coast building. That is an excellent reference and please consider Half-Life Lost Coast being your next half-life video.
11:12 BIG book BIG TEXT is also someone else's favorite book? Damn I never knew Eli had such fine book taste.
YES!! Just as I came home from getting a fat order at McDs Skyrionn uploaded another Half Life lore vid😂 I like the way you started the video with the depression field HL2 OST in the background, gave me goosebumps👀 Love your work man
This was insanely good. I'm a huge fan of the whole universum, but there were tons of facts in the video that I didn't know. Keep up the fantastic work.
I think it reasonable that, because of Mossman, the Combine were fully aware of all Resistance locations associated with Black Mesa East. They had a vested interest in the teleportation technology working, and knew that it was much easier to simply *allow* the resistance to undertake their work, than to try and force the scientists to do research on their behalf.
The idea that a single patrol officer in the Civil Protection could somehow cause the Combine to overlook an entire industrial facility, or that an AI operated paramilitary group wouldn't have the data analysis capabilities to cross reference his activities is... Practically impossible. Barney wasn't James Bond. He was most certainly permitted to 'spy' on them, to give the Resistance plausible deniability about their own cover.
We even have in-game proof that they knew, because mere minutes after a high value target was identified, in the form of Gordon Freeman, the Combine were able to hit every single railroad station along his path. The only way they could do that in advance of Gordon's arrival is if they already knew about them. So, clearly the railroad was under surveillance, but permitted to exist.
Considering that, the railroad offered the Combine a couple of benefits; It gave the resistance a reason to continue work on the teleporter, so long as the Combine kept up a moderate amount of pressure, and it presented a way for dissidents to self-select and remove themselves from the city. Only the ones who weren't willing to submit would even try to leave, so if they did, then either they would die along the way, or end up helping with the teleporter project that the Combine was leeching data from.
Either way it's a win for the Combine.
Ravenholm on the other hand, given it was clearly visible to Airwatch fly-overs and a substantial surface settlement, would have raised suspicion if they *hadn't* struck it eventually. There was also no reason to allow the resistance base to continue expanding if work on the teleporter was going well enough.
A headcrab bombardment would have been a good way to wash their hands of the situation, and also justify not going in to do a deeper exploration and "find" Black Mesa East, which they already knew about.
When we, as Gordon, enter the situation is when the cost benefit analysis shifts, and the destruction of Black Mesa East to capture us outweighs the benefits of information to be gained from the teleportation project. And besides, now that it works, and the final test data from Mossman has likely been received - the Combine just so happen to be ready to activate their own prototype in Nova Prospekt.
Black Mesa East was no longer required.
There's also the prototype in Kleiner's lab - which of the many thousands of buildings Combine striders and artillery flattened during the City 17 uprising, his workshop remained totally untouched weeks after the uprising began. A building which, on the second story catwalk, was the first place a City 17 scanner had detected Gordon Freeman after he had been identified... And yet the building was apparently never search?
There's no way they didn't know.
from lore perspective this might make sense and makes the situation bleaker
on the other hand: video game
@@datrtzhush3734 If it was as simple as 'video game' why would there have been a spy sub-plot at all? Or hours worth of lore to build a whole channel on.
Half-Life literally made multi-layered stories a thing in gaming.
@@DerpsWithWolves it was….just a joke….
@@datrtzhush3734 ohhhhhhhhhh. Cute.
you just blew my mind.. if not gordon, the resistance would never make it. Great 1+1
I just realised that i know nothing about the hl2 after the ending of hl 1 . My attention kinda shifted to the gman . I was curious , i wanted to know what chess game gman is playing and where is gordon in his chess game .
Thank you Skyrionn for all Half Life Lore videos it actually helped me understand more about half life's world and discover more Interesting character that abandoned in my first gameplay decade ago .
I guess i gotta check the game again
If he is playing chess at all, it's 4D-Chess. We might not get an answer in our lifetimes.
I still believe that Gordon is G-man and vice-versa.
@@JohnnymosznaClassic
First and foremost amazing video, second i love how you included the fact that the place was raided not by the transhumans but the civil protection. Comes back to the older video of yours I commented on before, way back before I joined the army for mandatory military service(reason why I rarely comment).
I'm trying my best to get those smaller details in there. Thanks for watching!
@readuth1488 Just doing what i can for my country i guess, but hey thanks, it won't be long before my service ends, after that what follows is the choice to enlist for career in the army or get in the police force to become a counter terrorist. Either way still gonna serve in times of peace and war.
In the game, it is also said that Eli knew that Judith was a Breen spy, because she also told him, but he kept secret, because she was also spying on combine from within. He most likely knew the costs when Gordon will show up eventually, thus sending him and Alyx to other part of base, where they wont be captured, but he will, thus making Breen look OK~ish to Combine, and not a complete failure.
Eli was playing 4d chess before it was even invented
When was that said?
@@silent_stalker3687 somewhere in ep1 or ep2, where alyx confronted eli that judith is combine agent, and he said he trusts her because she is double agent
You’ve really grown the channel dude. Been here since beginning when you first started with fable lore. Keep it up 👍🏻
The narrator makes me think of the game's story almost like real events. Thank you for what you do.
I would LOVE to see some HL lore fiction books. A ravenholm book series would be AWESOME.
I love listening to those videos, your voice over them is so soothing
Glad you like them!
I'm really proud that people like u exist, keep continuing, you're the best lore explaining person I've ever seen
Great content creator to eat lunch/dinner to.
Had myself some much needed ramen after neglecting my hunger needs for days and was able to actually commit to finishing it.
Ok. Thanks for the update?
"Eli Vance just reached out to the Vortigaunts"
That part almost sounds like he sent them an E-Mail or a Friend request lol xD
But great video don't get me wrong. Unbelievable how great and deep half life lore goes. Love to go to sleep hearing ur videos, just immensely immersive. Tyvm!
Your videos are amazing, my favorite is probably the half life and portal combined timeline. I can actually see that you are making this videos with passion
I wish there was more to explore in Black Mesa East. I always wanted to visit the kitchen section and other power generation sections to see what vorts were doing. and maybe have an interaction with them and the resistance members.
You can noclip and see for yourself, but even that isn't enough..
@@Omega-jg4oq No lol I mean it would bhave been much better if Valve had given us more room to explore with good interaction with people. Maybe we can talk and know some of their stories.
Also I would love to explore chess playing floor.
This is another amazing video!
I feel so comfortable with your videos and love the Half Life universe even more now!
It was amazing to play it back then but now understanding so much I feel like I am in the story of a great book everytime I go back to Half Life or Portal.
Also I feel at home in your videos they calm me down, all while learning something new most of the time!
Please never stop making Half Life content, you are by far the best Half Life creator on TH-cam and I want to discover every last little detail of Half Life together with you.
Thank you so much for the great work you do!
Oh btw. you're voice is so perfect for those videos! It's pleasant to listen to and very calming.
So I love watching your videos at night because you don't scream loudly like others or try to sound intential harsh.
No your voice is just comforting me :)
Awesme work. Doing chores while listening to you feel so much better. Thank you sir :)
Great to hear! Thanks for watching!
The history of BME always interested me; who helped raise Alyx, how many refugees lived there and where did they eat/sleep?
White Forest too.
19:53 I have that as a poster on my wall
mate makes the best lore videos
You're too kind. Thank you.
You deserve 1 million subs you are just the best keep doing half life videos👍
Another excellent video like always. Keep it up. I highly enjoy these.
Thank you!
My guy, keep it up!
i love a lot this place, how important it was for eli, for alyx, for any of the resistance members, as you said it was like home for eli and alyx, not only being a safe place for the player itself but for them too, not only eli and alyx but any of the humans and vortigaunts that get to the place, it must be a feeling of relief when they get there and feeling so safe, finally being able to socialize as they can, finally having a breath, and for the vortigaunts i love to think they get a long with eli very well since i believe, eli was the first one to ally with them, i imagine eli did many things there too, experimenting with many things with the resistance members, especially with the vortigaunts, i dont know something tells me vortigaunts would definitely be working on such things, also probably this was the place alyx grew up, if you give me time to talk about her and how eli raised her i will be talking hours about it, there is really a lot i wanna say about this, not much people realize how important black mesa east was for the humanity, it was probably bigger than we saw and i am kinda sad that we cannot see all Black Mesa East
17:50 The car's license plate struck me as funny.
It’s a good day when skyrionn posts another lore video about half life
I just found out about your channel, this is amazing i found my self skipping netflix to watch this video. Much love man.
Does any content explain how Gordon Freeman was able to successfully fight the Combine, but Earth's militaries could not? Also, how come we don't see wrecked military assets everywhere if there was such a desperate fight?
Well, the main reason for that is because the Combine is no longer really ON Earth. They're not the type to stick around long after obliterating a planet's infrastructure and stealing all it's reaources. What we see in the game is simply what the Combine left behind to ensure Earth quietly died. The 7 Hour War involved the Combine using weapons of godlike power, using laws of physics incomprehensible to us (god I really wish we knew more about this).
Now, even the Combine we see in the game would be pretty impossibly to topple so easily with mostly just a handful of people, but Gordon's whole thing is being "The right man in the wrong place." His success is mostly due in part to Gman's interference. He abducted Gordon at the end of Half-Life 1, saving him from certain annihilation. He then pulled Gordon 20 years into the future and dropped him EXACTLY where he needed to be to set the necessary events in motion. Gman is playing some kind of twisted chess game for unknown reasons, and Gordon is simply a pawn that he used as part of his master plan. Whether the Combine losing on Earth is Gman's main goal is unknown, but personally I think it's more likely that the Combine and Gordon are a relatively small blip on his radar.
@@devoutrelic1228 We take out the tripods and hover gunships with RPGs and small arms. What was the Combine wielding against actual military equipment?
@@biostemm That's something we don't know. There's a lot of mystery surrounding the 7 Hour War, all we know is that they were way more powerful during that time. You also have to keep in mind that it wasn't JUST the Combine. The resonance cascade tore a hole into *Xen,* allowing for creatures and species from many different universes to randomly appear on Earth.
Most of that has been contained by the Combine and isn't seen much in Half-Life 2, but Half-Life Alyx (which has you go into one of these "quarantine zones") paints a pretty clear picture of how devastating this event was. Many parts of Earth now...don't really look like Earth anymore, rather they're more like the nightmares I imagine Eldritch gods might have.
everyone in the first minute: great video wow best video ever omg
seconds actually watched: 2 seconds
literally me
the best people
as alwyas this was an amazing video :) thanks for this, because i really like resistance stuff in hl2
That endorphin rush when I see a new Skyrionn Half Life video
Thanks again for the wonderful content. Enjoyed re-visiting Black Mesa East while having dinner.
Well, just a five days ago I have played Black Mesa East Raid mod for Entropy Zero 2 where you play as Combine Elite
10:50 The black Mesa facility was on the ground and therefore since it was nuked at the most likely is a hidden under thousands of rubble so it’s probably impossible but maybe likely
Suggestion: Can you do Dr Kliener’s lab?
That would be interesting.
I could add it to the list and see if there is anything interesting I can find!
How did Barney become a civil protection unit without going through the same body conversion the rest of the people went through?
Civil protection (the black uniforms with white masks and Stunsticks) were ordinary people that signed up to monitor and police other citizens in return for benefits and “privileges.” The higher up combine soldiers are the modified ones.
Excellent video. Have you covered the suppression field instituted by the Combine to restrict human procreation?
I haven't yet but I could add it to the list. I may combine that with another video though.
Great video!!
love these hl videos. ty
Thanks for watching them!
I always forget to like your videos, I really love em, I just usually watch em as Im falling asleep
I felt that they could've done much more with Black Mesa East. In Half life 1, you could do so much exploring when you got off the tram. There were plenty of scientists in hl1 to talk to as well. Gordon went through so much trouble to arrive at Black Mesa East only for it to be discovered and destroyed immediately.
loved it, man
Another good one, thank you. ❤
The first time I got to Black Mesa East I thought "finally, a little bit of a respite.. oh no, next level is gonna be screwed up isn't it?"
I was not prepared for what Ravenholm had in store lol.
I would've loved Black Mesa East more if we got to go through more of it and then back track during the attack as a parallel to the New Mexico Black Mesa Facility.
I love your videos!
Eli: It's not Black Mesa, but it's served us well enough.
And here I am... Waiting roughly half my life already on HL3.
But I will keep on waiting and hoping Valve will learn to count to 3 at some point in my lifetime.
he don't miss
My question may be dumb, but I rememberwatching the video from a few months ago of about 3 hours explaining the whole Half life / portal lore. I didn't find the time to watch the new videos you uploaded since then until now ; Do you expand each subject even more than during the 3 hours video ?
Hey! The timeline was an overview of all of the events that happened. These dedicated lore videos dive deeper into each subject :D
Me: *Exists*
Skyrionn's voice being delivered directly into my hearing organs: 🙏😌
Goddamn, what a great game Half Life 2 is. Also, killer video as always. 👌
Hey Skyrionn, i dont know if this video is already out, but can you make a video talking about the BRIDGE POINT. From the chapter...I forgot the name but it would be cool to see a video about it.
Could you please cover White Forest? And maybe all the head scientists?
if you havent thought of it already, might be a cool idea to cover the latest half-life story adjacent mods like entropy zer0 2 and maybe even swelter
They're on the list! Hopefully soon I'll get around to them.
@@Skyrionn excellent news can’t wait any new upload is a good thing to see
Need to do a video about White Forest! =D
pretty good vid, everyone remember to like
I always thought it was a bad idea and a weird plot decision for them to leave the junkyard open like they did, given how obscured the rest of the base was. Even if it's tucked in between some cliffs and far from the main city, it just looked like any one of the various scouting drones or ships would've easily spotted it from above, especially with those giant spotlights running. The fact too that Ravenholm was a known area of resistance members and just over the hill, they would have shut down and closed off the junkyard after it was attacked... but no.
Maybe since it's so close to Ravenholm, as that place is decimated, the combine forces would think that Black Mesa East was also devoid of human life hence not worth checking, I dunno
Head and Sui Chefs Vortagaunt, whipping up the kitchen.
Two of my favorite books are The Big Book of Big Ideas and The Big Book of Big Text.
YAAYYY NEW HALF LIFE LORE
I never quite understood why the path to ravenholm was under the complex, but this makes complete sense.
omg man, you never let the quality of your videos down! I watch every video with joy and appreciation so much, that I got inspired to start my own videos project of the lore of my favorite games and series! (still working)
I knew it was hard, but not like that hard 💀 I respect you much more than before, knowing that you put so much work in your videos to being that good❤🩹
Thanks so much, I love your content skyrionn, do never stop!
ps: if my english is weird, I still learning lol🥲
Thank you❤
You're welcome 😊
Could you make a lore video about the Conscripts?
If you think about it gman probably lured Lamar to the vents causing the teleportation accident which inadvertently cause the destruction of the canal and several checkpoints and the destruction of Black mesa east and the capturing of eli and the derailing of a vital research into world changing teck goes to show that Lamar better turn into a gonarch one day or he would single handedly just be considered the worst pet in the universe for if wasn't for him half life 2 would have ended differently
Black Mesa East? I thought you said Black Mesa WEAST!
Oh I wish that one exists
Maybe in another universe
what is the music used in the underground railroad segment I've been hunting this down only to see the same results.
Can you remember the name of the map you were in when you heard it? That would help to pinpoint the music. The Underground Railroad spans many maps with pieces of music at regular intervals.
@@Craigevansagain I haven’t played hl2 yet but I heard this music in the xen files video and come up with the same results
Wait...
The Xenian wildlife wiped out so many of Earth's native animal forms -- if it is the case that cats were still common enough for Kleiner or Eli to grab a stray off the street, Gordon on all his travels would surely have seen a few. Never mind, Kleiner himself -- who not only sees the best in people but can even find good in vicious hideous alien monsters -- wouldn't hurt a fly, unless it was threatening his life or his resistance cell. If there had been an actual animal test gone wrong, it seems pretty obvious that the kindhearted scientist should be the one having nightmares, not the former gun-toting security guard who's singlehandedly slain several small infantry platoons.
So was there really a cat, in that failed test? Or was Barney the subject and the side-effects gave him strange dreams?
...or, come to think of it, was Barney just making it up to mess with Alyx? That definitely seems more like something he'd do.
wow headcrab droppings the literally chemtrail attack
Boris my beloved.
It's crazy all of this happened because of a burnt microwave casserole.
I admire ur passion 4 Half Life lore and lore in general
Thanks for watching them!
Good question
yeeeeeeeeeee more lore!!!! 🥰
Nobody:
Dr Breen: Y O U N E E D M E
please make subnautica/natural selection videos, theyd be interesting
I'll add it to the list :D
I was hoping this was a lore video on BME during the timeframe of the original game. 😒
Yeah, sure, it didn't really exist in 1998, but it would have still been interesting to learn more about it's background in-universe, prior to the Combine and even the Resonance Cascade. 🤷🏻♂️
Good video.
I would love to see a video from you on the lore of Horizon Zero Dawn!
After downing the hunter chopper and finally getting there my immediate thought was welp I lead the combine right to the doorstep 😂😂
(Gramar correction)
the editing looks very different, I believe, Nonetheless, great video!!
(Original Comment)
the editing looks very different, I believe, Nontheless, great video!!
"They were outsmarted, outgunned and outmanned".
So you are saying that Hamilton is Gman's boss?
Where did you find these informations? I'd like to know
I hope it's not just me trying to hop as fast as I can to the other side of the hallway right when the Black Mesa East raid starts and you're getting forced to go to Ravenholm, despite knowing theres no true continuation if Gordon does manage to get to the other side of the hallway on time right before everything collapses. I recently played HL2VR and I gotta say Ravenholm is twice as frightening than it is on a PC screen lol, I still try to rush my way through as fast as I can to avoid any confontration with the fast zombies.
Black Mesa East felt somewhat more safer than White Forest base to me. It's more concealed, maybe less remoted than White Forest but it seems easier to defend and hide there as it was right under the Combines' noses. I wish we could see more of Black Mesa East but that dream is definitely dead. Nontheless, good video Skyrionn!
I agree! I also wouldn't try Ravenholm in VR. You're a brave person!