Talk:Borealis (Aperture Science ship)

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FSII

The wiki states that the Borealis was Aperture's proposal for the Fuel Systems Icing Inhibitor Defence contract, I believe that this is something which is only stated in the Portal 2 Collectors Edition Guide. This is significant because in Portal 1's "How To Beat Black Mesa" slideshow, we learn that Aperture's proposal for FSII was GLaDOS (somehow). If what the guide said about the Borealis is to be taken as canon, then it can be assumed that the Borealis is something very closely related to GLaDOS. I am not sure if the guide is correct however. I believe it may be an instance of wires getting crossed between "The Borealis being a project created to beat Black Mesa at funding" and "The How to Beat Black Mesa Slideshow was about FSII"

Episode Three

Please don't add redundant information about Episode Three here, it belongs on the episode's page. This page is only about the ship specifically. Klow 15:30, 25 December 2008 (UTC)

QSL card

The Borealis schematic image is a QSL card. Its a way of confirming an over the radio contact on paper for Amateur Radio Operators. It has the basic formatting and the phrases thank you for your contact and has a blacked out space for the frequency of the contact in Mhz. There are two radio call signs of US origin and blanks for the radio in use as well as the location of the ship at the time of contact. Its not unheard of for a shipboard radio station to have QSL cards. If it has any relevance is that the ship's radio was at some point operated for social/leisure purposes 216.176.241.1 15:18, 11 February 2009 (UTC) KW

I'm not sure I see what you're talking about. Klow 15:22, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Shoot me if its inappropriate to link to Wikipedia but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QSL is about QSL cards. I think the relevance of mentioning its resemblance to a QSL card is that ham radio is rather a social activity and would likely be forbidden on a secretive mission, showing either a blase attitude by Aperture Science towards security or that the Borealis wasn't secretive in its own right, accounting for the presence of black mesa personnel in a photo with the boat. I hope this helps clarify. As an interesting note these call signs on the card "KC4USF and KAIRPA are connected to a USGS icebreaker that served in the Antarctic.I believe KC4USF was the station call sign for the ship USCGC SOUTHWIND which was known to have served in the Antarctic. The ship operated from 1944-1976 passing through Russian hands for a while before being decommissioned and sold. Possibly some of the science crews it carried joined Aperture Science and thought it would be a useful asset? 132.170.7.252 20:27, 23 February 2009 (UTC) KW

They of course reused existing cards. Thanks for the info, I never thought about looking for KC4USF or KAIRPA. And it's not inappropriate to link to Wikipedia, since Wikia and Wikipedia are sister projects. I think you should write something about that in article (and create an account!). Klow 23:18, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Ok lemmie know what you want me to put together.--Esmedic694 20:28, 2 March 2009 (UTC) KW

Well, just try to create something summarizing your thoughts, and add it to the proper place in the article, then we'll see! Klow 22:17, 2 March 2009 (UTC)

Hyperborea

Does anyone know if that map is actually canon to the beta? I downloaded it a while ago and played it and it's full of things that didn't exist during the beta stage of the game. The only sources I see that say it's part of a leak is the uploader of the file but he has no source for where he got it from.--YabbaMyIcing 09:23, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

The source is the Beta, the WC mappack, to be more precise. The map is called demo_arctic.vmf and full path is demo/demo_arctic.vmf, to be even more precise. I hope you're talking about the map with the Borealis stranded in the ice! You should check Development of Half-Life 2#Leaked files. I could also fix that map and give it to you if you want. I'm fixing some Beta maps but I haven't done this one yet. Klow 17:07, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Yes, that is what I was talking about. I would be interested in getting any of the beta maps that you have fixed so far and any that you fix in the future, I can't find the WC Mappack anywhere for some reason.--YabbaMyIcing 19:23, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

The Beta is very hard to find (not at all, actually), and even if we cover "illegal content" here, we don't give direct link to the Beta original files. Even though we are an encyclopedia, we just can't encourage piracy, even for a "behind the scenes" purpose, period. --BUT-- I fixed the Manhack Arcade and the Consul prototype map based on the concept art seen on the Half-Life 2 original journey article (so see Manhack Arcade and Wallace Breen#External links), and a link to the Vertigo chapter is available on the Skyscraper page, as long with links on the AirEx and Kraken Base pages. More can come in the future, since I can do an "ok" Hammer job (because I suck in mapping, but I'm improving) without forcing myself to wait for a Beta mod that will never be released. The Beta is not fun, the Beta is buggy and incomplete, since it's a prototype. People want fixed and improved Beta maps, but fixed and improved Beta maps are simply the HL2 we know, it's as simple as that! I never had fun in Beta maps, since there's not much interesting to do, and since the gameplay sucks (well of course, it's work-in-progress!), I just love their behind-the-scenes interest, since for an HL universe fan, it's really really worth it. Perhaps you could give me your MSN address, I might give you fixed map that I'm not content of enough to put in on the public field, but enough to be viewed by someone who wouldn't insult me about the things I could'nt fix. I have a neat fixed map of the proto Black Mesa East that might be worth visiting (again, see the HL2 original journey for a concept art scripted with a 2001 videogame technology). Klow 23:40, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

I know that it's full of bugs and I do just want to see it for the behind the scenes stuff, and I didn't know that the full pack was illegal content. I don't use MSN but if it's an email address you want, I could give you one. And don't worry, I wouldn't insult you about the mapping, I'm a beginner in that field too.--YabbaMyIcing 00:10, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Ok, what's your address? Klow 20:59, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

Ok send it to xf8as1ov7yh7u18@jetable.com. I know it's a strange address but that's just because I don't want to post my real email out in the open where anyone can find it, and not that I don't trust you in particular. I have enough junk mail as is!--YabbaMyIcing 22:30, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

You're perfectly right. I wouldn't give my "real" address either. As for the maps, I'm still struggling with lightning issues on the proto Eli lab. I asked for help on the Steam forums and meanwhile I'll start that demo_arctic. There's not much to do apart from fixing the Borealis textures. Klow 22:35, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

Alright. I eagerly await seeing them!--YabbaMyIcing 23:16, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

Don't except your life to be changed forever, it's just the ugly Beta. ;-) Klow 00:17, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

Also, I didn't correctly read your post message. You say you played it? So you might be talking about Missing Information? In this mod the inside of the Borealis/Hyperborea is visited and it's in the sea. In the map I'm fixing the version is very older and it's stranded in the ice. The level seen in Missing Information is more or less faithful to the original (or rather what was completed at that time) and the things heard on the radio or Odell's speech are also authentic and can be found in the original game files. Klow 00:35, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

I've played the map where the Borealis is stuck in the ice and it's near this arctic base of sorts. Though I feel that the map was a port of a port as the Borealis looks as though someone tried to add their own stuff to it and in the process deleted things (and no I don't think it was because it's a beta. I have some knowledge of beta maps and the problems with this map look as though someone really didn't know what they were doing). So in other words, I have no idea if it's from Missing Information or not, though my guess is probably.

And I don't expect my life to be changed forever, but I just like to learn and see as much as I can about any Valve games. They are my favorite video game company after all.--YabbaMyIcing 00:43, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

Don't worry, I just wanted to warn you so that you wouldn't be too disappointed. ;-) But the Borealis stranded in the ice is not in Missing Information, they use the most recent version, which was to be included in HL2 before it was cut. I never found this fixed map on the web. The closest thing I saw was in Obsidian Conflict, where they reused some stuff, such as some buildings and the ice caves theme. Klow 01:09, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

confused

Where did the pictures in the gallery come from? I didn't see those in the transmission. Also, anyone care to explain what 2 black mesa scientists are doing in front of an aperture science resarch vessel?

Please sign your comments... Those are game files. We don't know why these Black Mesa scientists pose in front of the Borealis. They probably have something to do with Aperture Science, Ep 3 might tell us more. Klow 21:05, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

I would sign my posts, but I forgot my password and I never recieved the new password E-mail.--75.173.23.75 23:08, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

That's odd. You should ask again for the email. Klow 23:12, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

I did.--75.173.23.75 00:16, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

A couple edits

I'm new on this wiki, so I thought I'd propose a couple of edits before I make them, just to be sure I don't make a fool of myself. Specifically:

• Johansen (one s) is also the name of the seaman who survives coming face to face with Cthulhu in The Call of Cthulhu. It seems at least plausible that the name is an homage, in the same way that Barney and Freeman are.

• Arbeit has had some sinister connotations for most of recent history. Superluser 23:48, December 4, 2009 (UTC)

Ok for the first one, add it, but as a supposition. For the second, many people (like you and me) indeed often associate "Arbeit" with that sinister sentence, but I'm not sure about its relevance. Klow 00:58, December 5, 2009 (UTC)

It's vs Its

"It's dry dock" means "it is dry dock," which is in error. The correct phrase is "its dry dock". — Unsigned comment by Jcassara

Why can't you do this yourself? SiPlus 14:23, April 30, 2011 (UTC)

It vs Her

I'm sort of wondering when we decided it was cool for the Wiki to refer to a ship as being female, when doing so is frankly confusing and does nothing to facilitate the process of information. SteveZombie

Referring to ships as female isn't just a wiki thing. It is common for ships to be referred to as feminine. -Shorty1982 14:17, April 30, 2011 (UTC)

We're not sailors community, so, we'll use English grammar in the wiki. SiPlus 14:23, April 30, 2011 (UTC)

Referring to a ship as 'her' is proper English grammer. 56KPK (talk) 05:45, 26 December 2020 (MSK)