Bridge Point
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The title of this article is unofficial. |  |
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As no official title was formally given for this subject matter, the name used here was created for the wiki. |
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| Bridge Point | |
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| General information | |
| Location | |
| Usage | |
| Era(s) | |
| Faction |
Combine, formerly Resistance |
| Game information | |
| Map(s) |
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| Designer(s) |
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- "Use extreme caution when approaching the Bridge. Radio silence from that outpost leads me to believe it has come under Combine control. Still, you're clearly the right man for the job!"
- ― Odessa Cubbage[src]
Bridge Point (see below for a note regarding the name) was once a Resistance outpost on the Coast near a large railroad bridge. Its occupants were eliminated by the Combine and Xen wildlife some time before Gordon Freeman's arrival.
Contents
Overview[edit]
The base consists of three houses, two small sheds and a windmill. The largest of the buildings is three stories tall, however it has no apparent means of reaching the third floor. All the larger buildings contain beds and other necessary items for living. In the way of New Little Odessa and other Resistance bases, the windmill was possibly used to generate electricity or pump up ground water; however there does not appear to be any infrastructure for either function.
Bridge Point is located right beside an old 2-track train bridge spanning a river which, at Gordon Freeman's time of arrival, is used by the Combine to connect Nova Prospekt and City 17. One track is blocked by a partially derailed train and the Combine has secured the bridge and the tunnels leading to it with Force Fields to prevent unauthorized traffic from crossing. The narrow catwalks and walkways under the bridge have fallen into serious disrepair, presumably from general disuse. The power supply for the Force Fields located on the far side being only seen to be accessible using these walkways, the Combine troops stationed there were probably brought by Dropship.
On the cliff face on which Bridge Point rests upon is a small path which leads to the lower levels of the bridge. It is evident that this pathway, and the catwalks under the bridge, are rarely used, as various Xen wildlife have taken up residence there.
It is evident that Resistance soldiers made use of the base at some point before Gordon Freeman's arrival. However, probably because of its location near an important supply railroad, the Combine Overwatch has eliminated the residents. Now the Combine seem to have no particular use for the base and simply left it abandoned. The other Resistance occupied bases and outposts (such as New Little Odessa and Shorepoint) apparently did not risk attempting to retake the base.
Appearances[edit]
Half-Life 2[edit]
During the events of Half-Life 2, Gordon Freeman visits the base in his journey along the Coast to Nova Prospekt. The Combine decided to reinforce the base when Freeman was detected heading that way and two squads are air-dropped in by Combine Dropship right before Freeman reaches the spot. As he must cross the bridge with his Scout Car to proceed, he has to deactivate both Force Fields barring its way. Crossing the bridge on foot by using the catwalks located under it, he succeeds in deactivating the Force Fields protecting the bridge, destroying the Combine Overwatch garrisons located there as well as a Gunship sent as reinforcements by the same occasion. After going back to the main site, he is now able to cross the bridge, but has to narrowly escape a Razor Train coming from the opposite direction.
The Combine probably did not retake the base after this, as their military presence in the area was significantly weakened after the destruction of Nova Prospekt.
Behind the scenes[edit]
Bridge Point is based on Deception Pass, a strait passed over by a double steel bridge located in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Washington.[2]
The name "Bridge Point" used on the wiki is not given in any official source; it was merely chosen for more convenience and to reflect the names of two of the Resistance bases located along the Coast, which feature the word "Point".
Some of Bridge Point's several stages of development are known thanks to the related maps found in the WC map pack. The oldest known map, wasteland_bridge05, last modified in March 2001, consists of a simple metal railway bridge over a dried riverbed filled with Bullsquids. Another version, wasteland_railbridge, last modified in September 2001, is similar to the final version. It includes a larger metal railway bridge above a canyon with Combine guardposts on each side, and a Razor Train comes once the player goes on the tracks. The map was to be played on foot, and the player was to leave from behind a storage building located on the other side of the canyon, near the tracks. Finally, seafloor_bridge, last edited in July 2003, consists of a roughly made prototype map including a road bridge.[1][3]
Furthermore, the area is complete in the Half-Life 2 leak. While it is close to the final version, it bears several differences: it has no railway, as the bridge is a road bridge through which the road continues, Smart Barriers are used instead of Force Fields to block the path, the Combine Dropship is shown holding a placeholder of its final container model, and the bridge command building stands above the bridge instead of next to it.[3] This explains why in the final game the highway terminates for no reason upon reaching Bridge Point, while the Coast map still shows that the road passes across the railway bridge, and is joined by another section afterward. In the final game, the other section is still present and is taken by Freeman after avoiding the train, resuming the journey on the road. When turning the leak version of the road bridge into a railway bridge, the developers created a design inconsistency by not extending the road into another direction, for instance beside or under the bridge.
Trivia[edit]
While it was originally intended for the player to avoid the Razor Train by outrunning it with the Scout Car's turbo function in a game of chicken, the 2010 Orange Box engine update has made it very difficult to achieve. However, the train can be avoided by other methods, such as reversing as soon as the horn sounds and pulling off onto the other track, or, while leaving the car in a safe place, walking down the track on foot to trigger the train and then standing aside while it passes.
Gallery[edit]
Pre-release[edit]
Concept art for an early Bridge Point, based on the map
wasteland_railbridge.
An early official screenshot of Gordon firing at the Combine Soldiers.
Dropship with container placeholder in the leak.
General view, in the leak (with the windmill propeller model not showing).
Ditto.
The kitchen in the leak.
Smart Barrier and Watchtower on the bridge in the leak.
Under the bridge in the leak.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Combine Soldier on a Watchtower at the other side of the bridge, in the leak.
Under the bridge in the leak.
General view of the bridge from the other side in the leak.
Combine Soldier and his OICW in the control room, in the leak.
Ditto.
The control room from the outside in the leak.
Retail[edit]
Bridge Point on the Coast map, at #9.
View of the site and the bridge.
Ditto.
Dropship leaving after offloading the troops.
Gordon being ambushed by a single Combine Soldier.
View of Bridge Point, facing the railway.
Combine Watchtowers at each side of the bridge, with an active Force Field in-between.
Combine Soldier running towards Gordon with his shotgun.
Combine Soldiers running towards Gordon with their MP7s.
Combine Soldier firing at Gordon with his Pulse Rifle.
Inside one of the buildings.
Kitchen in one of the buildings.
Combine Soldier hiding from Gordon with his Pulse Rifle.
Combine Watchtower attached to the bridge.
Combine Watchtower seen through the missing roof of one of the buildings.
Poison Zombie and Classic Headcrab on the cliff path.
Combine Watchtower attached to the bridge, seen from the first map.
Ditto, seen from the second map, where the top of the bridge is not featured.
View of the bridge in the fog.
Under the bridge.
Cabin under the bridge, with a dead Citizen and ammo, notably rockets to be used against the Gunship.
Cabin under the bridge.
The end of the bridge in the fog.
Combine Soldier aiming at Gordon with his Pulse Rifle.
Tank under the bridge.
The command building at the end of the bridge.
Combine Soldiers waiting to ambush Gordon in a storage room.
Combine forces inside the command building.
The Force Field inside the command building.
The interface controlling the Force Field located above, showing the field is active, with schematics of the bridge.
After killing the guards and deactivating the Force Field protecting the interface and blocking the bridge.
Gunship firing at Gordon after the Force Fields are deactivated.
The Razor Train about to destroy the Scout Car and kill Gordon.
Gordon narrowly escaping the Razor Train.
The Razor Train continuing its journey after being avoided by Gordon.
Ditto.
A derailed locomotive found at the end of the bridge, preventing any trains from using the same tracks.
Collapsed road bridge near the end of the railway bridge.
List of appearances[edit]
Main games[edit]
- Half-Life 2 (First appearance)
Other[edit]
References[edit]
| Preceded by Petroleum Station |
Half-Life 2 story arc journey | Succeeded by Lighthouse Point |
