The Coast
This article is about the location. For the Half-Life 2 chapter, see Highway 17 (Chapter). |
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| The Coast | |
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| General information | |
| Location |
Coastal Wasteland |
| Usage | |
| Era(s) | |
| Game information | |
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The Coast is a Wasteland region, fronting the open ocean, located along Highway 17.
Contents
Overview[edit]
As of the events of Half-Life 2, parts of the Coast have recently come under Combine control forcing many of the Rebels stationing along Highway 17 into more condensed pockets of Resistance. This section is one of the longest in the game, and stretches for several in-game miles.
The Coast is largely seen as a barren wasteland being picked to the bone by Combine technology. This location showcases the darker side of the Combine's rule over Earth including the depletion of natural resources and brutal Combine raids on Resistance outposts. Much of the infrastructure along the Coastline, such as roads, bridges and tunnels, has decayed or been severely damaged over the course of the Combine's rule on Earth. Many areas have also been colonized by Antlions, and both the Resistance and Combine have had complications fending them off. Much of the Coast had been abandoned because of those swarming creatures. Thumpers are being used by both sides to restrict Antlion's movement and create safe zones. Some portions of this region have also become infested with Zombies and other Xen wildlife, due in part to their use by the Combine as biological weapons against Resistance outposts.
A prominent highway - Highway 17 - and several Resistance bases and Combine outposts are located along the Coast.
Depletion of resources[edit]
It is more apparent at the coast than anywhere else in City 17 that the Combine are indeed draining the natural resources of the planet. The ocean can be seen to be "dried up" and the sea level is much lower than it was. Much of the coastline can be seen littered with wrecked boats and ships resting on what was previously seabed; many of the docks and piers on the coast are no longer standing in water. Indications of the previous sea level can be judged by moss which had previously gathered on harbor structures at the edge of the water, but which now lie several feet above the water level.
Highway 17[edit]
Highway 17 is one of the many coastal highways that connect City 17 to neighboring regions. As of the events of Half-Life 2, the road is no longer maintained and is suffering from severe disrepair, with collapsed bridges, landslides, and scores of rusty, abandoned car bodies littered across the extent of the highway. Highway 17 runs nearly all the way to Nova Prospekt, and extends over several miles.
Many small coastal villages and facilities are located along the road, several of which are inhabited by Resistance members. By the time Gordon passes through the area, some of the former Resistance bases are under Combine control, who are using them as bases or checkpoints. Several road tunnels also exist along Highway 17 although most of them have been completely abandoned and some are infested with Zombies and other extraterrestrial Xen wildlife.
The Resistance[edit]
The Resistance held a relatively small but powerful position along the Coast, but they were continually harassed by Combine raids and airborne assaults, which were later stepped up as Gordon Freeman passed through the area. By the time Gordon arrived, many of the smaller Resistance bases and outposts located there had been destroyed or taken over by Combine forces and left abandoned. Because of this, the remaining human forces gradually condensed into larger but less frequently encountered pockets of Rebels at key bases such as New Little Odessa and Lighthouse Point.
Combine presence on the coast[edit]
Prior to Gordon's arrival in the region, the coast was one of the few areas where the Resistance could face Combine forces openly due to the region's isolation. Nevertheless, around the time Gordon arrived in City 17, the Combine were making significant inroads into the region, raiding some of the isolated outposts and executing the occupants, as well as setting up road checkpoints to restrict Rebel movement.
Locations/Resistance bases[edit]
Captioned map[edit]
| Map | Captions |
|---|---|
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In-game map of the Coast, rather close to the in-game layout, 0. Shorepoint dockside |
Shorepoint Base[edit]
Shorepoint Base, located at Pier 87, is the main Rebel settlement located along the coastal regions of City 17. Positioned at the very beginning of Highway 17 and the Coast itself, Shorepoint acts as a base of operations for all Resistance activities in this region. It is run by a veteran Resistance member named Leon. As seen in the Highway 17 chapter, Shorepoint has, in its possession, a one-seater Scout Car, also called the "Buggy", which Gordon Freeman uses to navigate around the increasingly harsh terrain, and escape the many Combine outposts and Antlions along the Coast. Shorepoint is connected to Ravenholm via a railway line and a mine shaft.
The Combine attempted a raid on Shorepoint shortly before Gordon Freeman's arrival, but were driven off
Gallery[edit]
The Shorepoint Base.
Wounded Rebels being looked after by Shorepoint's nurse.
Leon listening to Alyx.
New Little Odessa[edit]
New Little Odessa is one of two main Resistance bases situated on the Coast. Commanded by Colonel Odessa Cubbage
Gallery[edit]
A stream not far from New Little Odessa.
First floor of NLO's main building.
The gutted second floor of the same building.
The collapsed highway near New Little Odessa.
Dock 137[edit]
Dock 137 is a small warehouse district and pier situated where the ocean and a dried up inlet meet. This area was used as a Resistance base for a time, but was occupied by the Combine prior to Gordon's arrival.
Gallery[edit]
A riverbed close to the ocean, mostly dried up.
The Dock 137.
Dockyards by the highway.
Wrecked vehicles dot the highway at every turn.
Petroleum Station[edit]
The Petroleum Station is a former gas station used as bridge checkpoint by the Combine.
Gallery[edit]
Under the Petroleum Station bridge.
Wrecks before the Petroleum Station.
The Petroleum Station used by the Combine as a road checkpoint.
Bridge Point[edit]
Bridge Point is an outpost consisting of a three story house and several outbuildings situated next to a prominent rail bridge. Its occupants were eliminated by the Combine and Xen wildlife some time before Gordon Freeman's arrival.
Gallery[edit]
Bridge Point from afar.
Ditto.
Combine Soldier being killed with the Scout Car after throwing himself at it.
The Bridge Point.
The rail bridge near the Bridge Point.
The end of the bridge in the fog.
Collapsed road bridge near the end of the railway bridge.
Lighthouse Point[edit]
Lighthouse Point is one of the last Resistance bases located along Highway 17 that Gordon Freeman encounters on his way to Nova Prospekt. This settlement also came under heavy Combine attack, and was overwhelmed. The lighthouse itself offers anyone within the vicinity means of cover and advantages when it comes to protection, defense and offense. The top of this old and sizable building is suited for combat situations in which the Combine would raid the base using Synths including Dropships and Gunships.
Gallery[edit]
An overall view of the Lighthouse Point.
Ditto.
Vortigaunt Camp[edit]
The final Resistance base, located within canyons and caves, is situated a short distance from Lighthouse Point, being separated mainly by Antlion populated grounds. The base houses several Resistance fighters, as well as many Vortigaunts, and is protected by a single gunner at its entrance via the use of a mounted pulse gun.
Gallery[edit]
An Antlion Hill and a shipwreck near the Vortigaunt Camp.
A shipwreck near the Vortigaunt Camp.
Puzzle with Resistance tech near the Vortigaunt Camp.
The Vortigaunt Camp.
Nova Prospekt[edit]
The main perimeter of Nova Prospekt prison is also located along the Coast, although right at the edge of it. This portion of the Coast is littered with dozens of Combine Bunkers which act as defensive outposts in the event that someone should attempt to infiltrate the facility. Some of these bunkers are connected to older, pre-Combine fortifications, recognizable by their concrete construction. Large Thumpers are also situated along the edges to the ocean in the attempts to help fend off Antlions from breaking into the facility.
Gallery[edit]
Nova Prospekt's perimeter defenses.
Antlions about the get stopped by a Thumper.
The cliffs at the foot of Nova Prospekt.
Appearances[edit]
Half-Life 2[edit]
After leaving the Zombie-infested town of Ravenholm, Gordon Freeman enters the region and embarks on a long journey along the coastline to Nova Prospekt, where he meets Alyx Vance. During his quest, he comes across many, both Resistance and Combine-controlled, outposts.
In Shorepoint, the closest base to Ravenholm, Freeman is given the Scout Car, which he uses to safely travel along Highway 17 and the coastline. After a short time of driving, he reaches New Little Odessa, where he helps fend off a Gunship with a laser-guided RPG. Gordon then arrives at Dock 137, where he clears the facility of Combine Soldiers and continues down the highway, only to be attacked by a Combine Gunship that has been radioed in.
Overcoming the hazard, Freeman reaches Bridge Point, where, after disabling force fields, he crosses the rail bridge with his Scout Car, and then - the Lighthouse Point. While stationing in the latter, Gordon helps the Rebels hold off several squads of Combine Soldiers offloaded by Combine Dropships and taking down a Combine Gunship from the top of the lighthouse. Then, being led to a secret exit, he proceeds through a cliff path.
The next base Freeman comes across is the Vortigaunt Camp, where he faces an immense threat - an Antlion Guard. Once again coming out victorious, he is led by Vortigaunt Shepherd through the base and into a cave, in which he is taught how to use the Pheropods to tame and command Antlions. Upon completion of training, Gordon is led out onto a beach that connects to Nova Prospekt.
Despite the amount of defense located near Nova Prospekt, Gordon Freeman was able to infiltrate the facility, with the help of tamed Antlions. The Antlion swarm heading into the complex, goaded by Gordon Freeman and his sabotage of the beach defenses, seemed to trigger practically all the Antlions in the area surrounding the complex to help invade. Finally meeting Alyx, he eventually finds the Combine teleport located deep within the newer section in an attempt to flee the facility with Eli Vance and Judith Mossman. While the teleportation is successful, the teleport becomes unstable during the process and explodes just after the process completion.
Half-Life: Alyx[edit]
While the Coast is not visited during the course of Alyx, a billboard advertising it can be seen, with the words "Visit the Coast", and the picture of a church on a cliff resembling St. Olga.
Related Achievements[edit]
| Half-Life 2 | |
|---|---|
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OSHA Violation (5G) |
| Kill 3 enemies using the crane. | |
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Targetted Advertising (5G) |
| Pin a soldier to the billboard in the chapter Highway 17. | |
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Where Cubbage Fears to Tread (5G) |
| Defend Little Odessa from the Gunship attack. | |
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One Man Army (5G) |
| Destroy six Gunships in Half-Life 2. | |
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Keep Off the Sand! (20G) |
| Cross the Antlion beach in the chapter Sandtraps without touching the sand. | |
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Bug Hunt (10G) |
| Use the Antlions to kill 50 enemies. | |
Trivia[edit]
The Overwatch Voice designation for the Coast is outland. This can be heard during the attack on Nova Prospekt;[4] another instance, albeit unused, is in the radio chatter about downed Metropolice officers.[5] The latter cannot be heard in-game without the use of console commands, as it is programmed to happen on Coast maps, which don't feature the Metropolice. It is unknown if in-universe this designation encompasses The Outlands as well or not.
Behind the scenes[edit]
- The landscapes of the Coast and most of the original Wasteland designs are similar and the area was generally to be much more desolated than in the retail version. At one point, the Wasteland was to be a vast scrapland full of junked military machines. Another version was a completely dried seafloor, with the ocean draining away into a vast teleport "drain" and the seafloor full of beached ships and whale bones,[1] recalling the real world Aral Sea. While the oceans are still abnormally low in the retail version, the only explanation for it can be found in the book Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar.
- The Air Exchange was to be part of the Coast levels. It was to replace the air by noxious, murky gases. This is where the signal for the City 17 uprising was given from, after Gordon Freeman had destroyed its main reactor.[1][3]
- The Coast was originally to first appear at the start of the game, when Gordon was to start the game on the Borealis, en route to City 17. At the end of the journey, he was likely to first set foot on a dock and first see the Citadel, in a map similar to
proto_docks, a Coast-like map.[3]
Gallery[edit]
Pre-release[edit]
Crane concept art.
Wasteland props and several views of the Nova Prospekt cliff.
Ditto.
An idle port along the Coast.
Sank ship and garbage.
One of the first pre-release screenshots of Half-Life 2. Of note is the female child model on the left.
Variant of the same map.
A Gunship shooting at Gordon.
Highway and elevated tracks in the map
e3_seafloor.
Sunken ships in the prototype coastline map
coastline_prison. The Borealis is seen in the background.
Ships and tugboats in
jeep_beach01.
Ditto.
Road in the playable Half-Life 2 leak.
Retail[edit]
One of many abandoned, infested houses on the coast.
An Antlion-infested beach.
Shipwreck along the Coast.
A Citizen corpse near a boat.
An abandoned boathouse.
Shacks near the Vortigaunt Camp.
Highway 17 suffers from disrepair and has collapsed in some places.
Inside a shelled shack.
A pier near New Little Odessa.
Boats[edit]
Pre-release[edit]
A cut shipwreck.
A cut wrecked submarine model.
Lifeboat model from the Borealis.
Version of one of the four ships found in the Borealis-related model folder. This first variant is the simplest, a tugboat with a single level and an elongated smokestack. This is the beached version found in
jeep_beach01.
Second variant with two more levels and more detail (beached as well).
Third variant, mostly the second variant with a thick smokestack.
Fourth variant, a shrimp trawler.
Retail[edit]
An upclose look at one of the many beached ships seen on the Coast, from before the Combine's reign of Earth. Here a tugboat.
Ditto.
Fishing boat.
Ditto.
Lost Coast boat.
Ditto.
List of appearances[edit]
Main games[edit]
- Half-Life 2 (First appearance)
- Half-Life: Alyx (Picture only)
Other[edit]
- Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
- Half-Life 2: Lost Coast (Non-canonical appearance)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
- ↑ DamarcusWorks
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 WC map pack
- ↑ Overwatch Voice: "Outland stabilization force six Nova Prospekt" Half-Life 2 (Overwatch Voice Quotes)
- ↑ Overwatch Voice: "Outland zone" Half-Life 2 (Overwatch Voice Quotes)
External links[edit]
| Preceded by Ravenholm |
Half-Life 2 story arc journey | Succeeded by City 17 |
