Talk:Kingpin
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Kingpin concept art dated 2000s[edit]
So, Raising the Bar includes the picture that's in the article,
But it is cropped in the book. We have a photo of it displayed at Valve HQ, and it is signed with Ted Backman's monogram.
I do not know if it exists in better quality. Even with that resolution, it is clearly signed as a 200x year, so after HL. To me it looks like most likely 2002, possibly 2001, and least likely 2003.
Is this concrete enough evidence to say that the image in the article is a piece of Half-Life 2 concept art, labeling and categorising it as such? Cvoxalury (talk) 13:46, 19 March 2024 (MSK)
- Based on the visual evidence, the article can conclusively state that this concept is dated 200- as that's objectively true. However, we cannot definitively state that this is HL2 concept art. There's obviously not many other conclusions that can be derived from such a later date, but it must be said that a direct connection to HL2 is still not outright stated. Just looking at the objective facts, we know all about Kingpin's appearance in HL1 and its associated concept art (which would be considered the first version), info which had been floating around even before the original game's release. Beyond that, some additional info about the Kingpin was revealed in Raising the Bar (a few bits only in the uncorrected proof), including this additional concept art. In both the uncorrected proof and the final edition, this "second version" concept is decidedly placed in the HL1 section of the book. That doesn't mean Raising the Bar isn't wrong, as it's proven to have been so plenty of times, but quite literally every other fact we know about the Kingpin identifies it with just HL1. This notion is exceptionally weighted in that regard.
- Ultimately, the distinction here is that we objectively have nothing that states this second concept was for HL2. However, we can objectively state that the concept is dated in the 2000s (citing that image with Ted's signature, of course), well after HL1. The wiki can't conclusively state something that isn't known for certain, but it's perfectly apt to identify the clear discrepancy in the dates here. The interpretation of these facts is left up to the reader as no exact answer is available to us. Marphy (talk) 19:45, 19 March 2024 (MSK)
