Combine Smart Barrier
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| Combine Smart Barrier | |
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| General information | |
| Faction | |
| Type |
Mechanic wall |
| Game information | |
| Entity |
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| Designer(s) |
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The Combine Smart Barrier,[2] also known as the Combine Wall,[3][4] is a very large mechanical wall made up of metallic blocks and girders. The faces of these walls are mechanically hoisted up, sent down with tremendous force, then used to claw the entire mechanism forward in an often destructive display. Smart Barriers are seen surrounding the Citadel (where they make up the "City 17 Inner Wall"), certain areas of Nova Prospekt and City 17, notably on the Trainstation Plaza, around the Overwatch Nexus and surrounding the Quarantine Zone during the Combine occupation of Earth.
Contents
Overview[edit]
The standard way a Smart Barrier operates is to lift and send a set of blocks outward before making them drop, and then alternating with another set. During this procedure, a metallic groaning is heard, presumably from drive mechanisms or mechanical stress. Smart Barriers are often shown to destroy human buildings and infrastructure. Like other Combine architecture and technology, their operations pay no mind to pre-existing structures. They are used as blockades, blocking off alleyways and even entire streets as necessary. Between Gordon Freeman's arrival at City 17 at the beginning of Half-Life 2 and his return to the city from Nova Prospekt, Smart Barriers are shown to have advanced outward from the Citadel significantly in the intervening week, indicating that the tumult of the Uprising has caused the Combine to expedite the Barriers' advancement. Several times, they can be seen encroaching seemingly in response to the presence of Gordon or others, as if to attack. Gordon notably must avoid this hazard shortly before getting into the Nova Prospekt Depot.
Behind the scenes[edit]
- As seen in the WC map pack and suggested by the Half-Life 2 leak sound files, the City 17 Inner Wall was originally to be stationary, much higher, and made out of concrete. The Manhack Arcade was at some point to be located nearby, before being replaced by Captain Vance's Headquarters, where Gordon was to go look for Vance while Alyx was to be left hurt in the Skyscraper.[5][6]
- An early version, only existing as concept art, was made of cubes.[3]
- An early prototype version, featured in the WC map pack as a brush, was named "Sensor Gate". It can be found in the WC map pack maps
sensor_gate_004,combine_gallery_002ord1_garage_01. It is always accompanied by an early Combine Watchtower (Watchtowers are often seen near Smart Barriers, but also Barricades), often featuring a Metrocop inside. By default in an open state, it shuts itself when the player approaches it, also reacting to a nearby presence with its "sensors", much like the final version.
Gallery[edit]
Pre-release[edit]
Concept art for an early version.
Pencil sketch for the City 17 Inner Wall.
Ditto, full-colored concept art.
The Half-Life 2 leak menu, featuring the previous image.
Concept art for the retail version near destroyed buildings.
Smart Barriers in the cut Gunship Bays, at the foot of the Depot.
Sensor Gate with fixed textures in the map
combine_gallery_002.
Ditto, seen from behind.
Combine Sensor Gate at the start of the map
e3_industrial.
Early Combine Soldiers near a prototype City 17 Inner Wall.
Possible early Smart Barrier, mostly made of concrete in the map
d4_streetwar_01.
Ditto.
The Citadel beyond a prototype City 17 Inner Wall.
Ruined City 17 street along the prototype City 17 Inner Wall.
Smart Barrier on the Bridge Point bridge in the leak, instead of a Force Field gate in the retail game.
Ditto.
Ditto, behind a Combine Soldier.
Combine Smart Barrier, as seem on
e3_outpost_testmap.
Retail[edit]
Smart Barriers replacing C3 block in Nova Prospekt, seen from the cafeteria.
Smart Barriers in the destroyed C3 block of Nova Prospekt, seen from the block itself.
Smart Barrier on the Trainstation Plaza.
Ditto, with Rebels taking down the Breencast screen.
Smart Barrier parts around the Overwatch Nexus building.
Combine Smart Barriers near Kleiner's Lab.
Combine Smart Barriers blocking passage.
Behind a Combine checkpoint.
Dog lifting a Combine Smart Barrier.
Smart Barrier at a checkpoint above the railway leading out of City 17, near the Technical Trainstation.
Half-Life: Alyx artwork featuring Alyx at the foot of the Smart Barrier surrounding the Quarantine Zone, and the Vault above.
Smart Barrier wall at the entrance to the QZ.
A Smart Barrier wall installed around the Central Zoo.
Other[edit]
Combine Smart Barrier-inspired walls at Valve's new offices in 2017.
Ditto.
Ditto.
List of appearances[edit]
Main games[edit]
- Half-Life 2 (First appearance)
- Half-Life 2: Episode One
- Half-Life: Alyx
Other[edit]
- Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
- Half-Life 2: Deathmatch (Non-canonical appearance)
References[edit]
- ↑ Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, page 242
- ↑ Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, page 230
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, page 190
- ↑ Half-Life 2 Prima Guide
- ↑ WC map pack
- ↑ Half-Life 2 leak
