Combine (Half-Life): Difference between revisions

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{{short description

The '''Combine''' is a powerful alien race and empire from [[Valve Software]]'s [[2004]] [[first-person shooter]] [[computer game]] ''[[Half-Life 2]]''. During the game, it is also referred to as the '''Universal Union''' and '''Our Benefactors''' in propaganda.

|Alien empire from the Half-Life video game series}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Combine (''Half-Life'')}}

{{Infobox fictional organisation

|name=The Combine

|series=[[Half-Life (series)|Half-Life]]

|first=[[Half-Life 2]]

|recent=[[Half-Life: Alyx]]

|creator=[[Marc Laidlaw]]

|type=Inter-dimensional alien conglomerate

|leader=Dr. Wallace Breen (puppet ruler)

|enemies=Human rebels, Vortigaunt rebels

|caption=The Combine "clamp" symbol, seen in propaganda throughout ''[[Half-Life 2]]'', its expansions and ''[[Half-Life: Alyx]]''

|alt_name=Our Benefactors, Our Malefactors (Dr. Kleiner), CMB (various in-game imagery/symbolism)

|technologies=Inter-dimensional [[teleportation]]

|employees=[[Transhuman]] soldiers

|purpose=Conquest

|image=Combine.svg

}}

The '''Combine''' are a fictional [[multiverse|multidimensional]] alien empire which serve as the primary [[antagonist]]ic force in the 2004 [[video game]] ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' and its subsequent episodes developed and published by [[Valve Corporation]]. The Combine consist of organic, synthetic, and heavily mechanized elements. They are encountered throughout ''Half-Life 2'', ''[[Half-Life 2: Episode One]]'', and ''[[Half-Life 2: Episode Two]]'', as well as ''[[Half-Life: Alyx]]'', as hostile [[non-player character]]s as the player progresses through the games in an effort to overthrow the Combine occupation of Earth.

[[Image:Combinesymbol.JPG|thumb|250px|right|A prominent symbol of the Combine. It can be seen throughout the game on Combine structures, propaganda posters, as well as insignia on various Combine forces. Note the symbols which resemble "CMB" in the Latin alphabet, perhaps the origin of the name ''Combine'']]

The Combine are depicted as cruel rulers, suppressing dissent with brutality, using excessive violence to police humanity, and forcibly performing surgery on some to transform them into slaves. Throughout the games, player character [[Gordon Freeman]] primarily battles transformed humans as well as synthetic and mechanical enemies that are the product of Combine technology. In addition to their role within the ''Half-Life'' series, the Combine have been adapted for [[machinima]] productions and other works.

{{spoiler}}

{{TOClimit|limit=3}}

==OverviewDesign==

[[File:Civil Protection (Half-Life).jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Depiction of the Combine's Civil Protection]]

===Introduction===

Certain elements of the Combine's appearance, such as that of the Advisors, are inspired by the works of [[Frank Herbert]].<ref name="raising the bar">{{cite book|title=[[Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar]]|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|first=David|last=Hodgson|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7615-4364-0}}</ref> The towering Striders seen throughout ''Half-Life 2'' and its subsequent episodes are based directly on the Martian [[Fighting machine (The War of the Worlds)|tripods]] of the [[H. G. Wells]] novel ''[[The War of the Worlds]]'', where Martians invade [[Victorian era|Victorian England]], using the tripods as their main "weapon". The name "Combine" itself is a tribute to [[Ken Kesey]]'s novel ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'', which features a collection of authorities which mechanistically manipulate and process individuals.<ref name="raising the bar"/>

[[Image:HL2-Combine.jpg|thumb|200px|left|A '''Combine Advisor'''. This is what the original Combine race now appears to look like.]]

During ''Half-Life 2''{{'}}s development, various concepts for Combine [[non-player character]]s were cut. Female Combine Assassins, similar to [[black operations|black ops]] Assassins featured in the first game, were planned but later abandoned, although they appear in the ''[[Half-Life 2: Survivor]]'' arcade game.<ref name="raising the bar"/> Another non-player character, the Cremator, was conceptualized as a Combine laborer who cleaned the streets of bodies after a battle with a [[flamethrower]]. Although removed from the game, its head was featured on a desk in [[Eli Vance]]'s laboratory in Black Mesa East. Other cuts included a variety of alien Combine soldiers that would have complemented the transhuman soldiers in the game and a number of synthetic combat machines.<ref name="raising the bar"/> Many of ''Half-Life 2''{{'}}s Combine characters went through repeated redesigns; the Combine Overwatch soldier was subjected to at least twelve before the final appearance was decided.<ref name="lithograph"/>

The Combine is a vast empire spanning multiple dimensions. The empire is inhabited by an unknown number of [[consciousness|sentient]], intelligent species, and appears to be governed by a race of bizarre, artificially-evolved Advisors (see below). The Combine expands its empire by invading worlds and enslaving the dominant species to be exploited as it sees fit. By manipulating these inhabitants, through methods including bioengineering and implantation, the Combine creates a race of [[supersoldier|super-soldier]]s uniquely adapted for the environment of that particular world. This process results in a highly mobile and adaptive military force which is able to respond to any threat and crush any opposition. The reasons behind the Combine's imperialism remain unknown throughout the game.

[[Ellen McLain]] provides the voice for the Combine Overwatch announcer and dispatcher in ''Half-Life 2'' and its episodic expansions<ref name="Hatfield">{{cite web|title=Glados Speaks|last=Hatfield|first=Daemon|url=http://au.ign.com/articles/2007/11/01/glados-speaks|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=June 8, 2015|date=31 October 2007}}</ref> and their virtual reality prequel ''[[Half-Life: Alyx]]''.<ref name="Macgregor">{{cite web|title=Alyx Vance will be voiced by a new actor in Half-Life: Alyx|last=Macgregor|first=Jody|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/half-life-alyx-cast/|website=[[PC Gamer]]|access-date=November 21, 2019|date=21 November 2019|archive-date=23 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123155508/https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/half-life-alyx-cast/|url-status=live}}</ref> Combine soldiers in ''Half-Life: Alyx'' are voiced by actors including [[Rich Sommer]], [[Isaac C. Singleton Jr.]], Jason Vande Brake, Michael Schwalbe, Rajia Baroudi, and Rick Zieff.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Half-Life-Alyx/ |title=Half-Life: Alyx |website=Behind The Voice Actors |access-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-date=November 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102024117/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Half-Life-Alyx/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

It is worth noting that vocal stress is placed on the first [[syllable]]. The name is pronounced as the [[noun]] ''COM-bine'', as in [[combine harvester|combine harvester]], as opposed to the [[verb]] form ''com-BINE'', as in "to join together or unite." Although [[Doctor Breen|Dr. Breen]] officially states the name of the empire is the ''Universal Union'' to the public, he later refers to the Combine Soldiers and Civil Protection as ''The Transhuman Arm of the Combine Overwatch'' in Nova Prospekt, verifying that "Combine" is the universally accepted name of the empire, even by the empire itself.

==Attributes==

Until recently, many players speculated that the Combine may have possibly controlled [[Xen (Half-Life)|Xen]]. However, new information [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/r/?page=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story.php(que)id=127079] (discussed here [http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=91660]), from ''Half-Life'''s creators reveals the truth. The Combine Empire was engaged in a war with the [[Nihilanth]]'s race, and, through means unknown, managed to force them out of their original homeland. The Nihilanth's race was then forced to seek refuge in Xen. The Combine could not follow them to Xen, as the Nihilanth was keeping the portal closed. However, scientists at the [[Black Mesa Research Facility]] on Earth accidentally opened a portal between Earth and Xen. After [[Gordon Freeman]] killed the Nihilanth, the portal opened, allowing the Combine to teleport its forces into Xen. Once there, the Combine became aware of the portal storm opening a gateway to Earth, and summarily used their forces stationed on Xen to invade and conquer Earth.

===Society===

Little is revealed of the Combine's activities outside of Earth, but dialogue in ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' states that they control worlds of various dimensions inhabited by a range of species.<ref>{{cite video game | title = [[Half-Life 2]] | developer = [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] | date = 2004| platform = [[Personal computer|PC]]| level = Dark Energy| quote='''Wallace Breen''': Carbon stars with ancient satellites, colonized by sentient fungi; gas giants, inhabited by vast meteorological intelligences; worlds stretched thin across the membranes where the dimensions intersect...impossible to describe with our limited vocabulary!}}</ref> The Combine occupation of Earth is shown to be a brutal [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] [[police state]]. In [[City 17]], an [[Eastern Europe]]an city, Civil Protection units routinely conduct searches of apartment blocks, interrogating human citizens, and engaging in wanton [[police brutality]]. The military Overwatch forces of the Combine attack human resistance bases in an effort to further solidify their authority in the urban centers. Human citizens are clad in blue uniforms, living in designated apartment blocks and move around to different cities or locales in passenger trains by the Combine's will.<ref>{{cite video game | title = [[Half-Life 2]] | developer = [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] | date = 2004| platform = [[Personal computer|PC]]| level = Point Insertion| quote='''Citizen''': No matter how many times I get relocated, I...never get used to it.}}</ref> [[Vortigaunt]]s, enemy alien creatures from ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'', have also been enslaved, and are observed in various professions such as janitors. According to ''[[Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar]]'', the Combine are draining Earth's oceans and resources to be used on other Combine worlds.<ref name="raising the bar"/>

The heart of the Combine's command over Earth in ''Half-Life 2'' is the Citadel, a large tower constructed by them which reaches both tens of thousands of feet into the sky<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.geekosystem.com/half-life-2-citadel-height/ |title=Half-Life 2 Citadel Height |date=6 March 2012 |access-date=2013-03-27 |archive-date=2013-05-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523013734/http://www.geekosystem.com/half-life-2-citadel-height/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and deep underground. Located within City 17, the Citadel serves as the Combine’s headquarters on Earth, housing Combine Advisors and the office of Earth's administrator, [[Wallace Breen|Dr. Wallace Breen]]. Breen, a [[puppet ruler]], is frequently seen on large screens around the city on which he spreads [[propaganda]] and makes announcements. The Citadel projects an energy field that is able to prevent human reproduction,<ref>{{cite video game | title = [[Half-Life 2: Episode One]] | developer = [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] | date = 2006| platform = [[Personal computer|PC]]| level = Urban Flight| quote='''Isaac Kleiner''': I feel obliged to point out that a more fortunate side effect of the reactor's destruction is the complete removal of the Combine's reproductive suppression field. Previously, certain protein chains important to the process of embryonic development were selectively prevented from forming; this is no longer the case. For those so inclined, now would be an excellent time for procreation, which is to say, in layman's terms, you should give serious consideration to doing your part for the revival of the species.}}</ref> as well as a field that keeps dangerous alien fauna out of the city.<ref>{{cite video game | title = [[Half-Life 2: Episode One]] | developer = [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] | date = 2006| platform = [[Personal computer|PC]]| level = Lowlife| quote='''Alyx Vance''': Antlions here? The Combine's defense field must have collapsed. Makes sense if it was powered by the Citadel.}}</ref> In addition, the Citadel contains a trans-dimensional teleporter which allows the Combine to travel between their native universe and Earth.<ref>{{cite video game | title = [[Half-Life 2]] | developer = [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] | date = 2004| platform = [[Personal computer|PC]]| level = Dark Energy| quote='''Alyx Vance''': This is the Citadel's dark fusion reactor. It powers their tunneling entanglement device.}}</ref>

[[Earth]] is one of the Combine's most recent annexations, acquired following Earth's surrender at the end of the [[Seven Hour War]]. Following the standard Combine process, members of Earth's dominant species have been modified to form a new arm of the Combine military. Whilst these soldiers are primarily used as a permanent Combine garrison on Earth, in-game dialogue suggests that units of the Transhuman Overwatch are used across the Combine Empire.

===Combine AdvisorsDepiction===

The Combine comprises various species and machines. The most commonly encountered enemies throughout ''Half-Life 2'' and its episodic sequels are the [[transhuman]] soldiers and human Civil Protection officers. In addition, a variety of combat machines appear, ranging from [[Armored personnel carrier|APCs]] and [[helicopter gunship]]s to a giant 'smart wall' enclosing occupied cities and gradually destroying anything in its path, as well as a number of weaponized alien 'synths'.<ref name="IGNHL2enemies">{{cite web|url=http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2GameInfo.Detail&id=3&game=3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061022155450/http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2GameInfo.Detail&id=3&game=3|archive-date=October 22, 2006 |title=''Half-Life 2'' Enemies|work=Planet Half-Life|publisher=[[IGN]]|access-date=2008-09-23}}</ref>

====Advisors====

[[Image:Combine Advisor.png|thumb|170px|right|Another screenshot of the Combine Advisor, taken with the [[Half-Life 2 Model Viewer]] for greater detail. Take note of the large amount of technology required to keep it alive.]]

[[File:Advisor (Half-Life).jpg|thumb|The Advisor's grub-like appearance was inspired by the works of science fiction author [[Frank Herbert]].]]

Advisors are large [[larva]]e-like aliens which are virtually featureless, with no visible eyes, ears or limbs, although they do possess an eye-like mechanical device attached to the left side of their heads, and detachable mechanical arms.<ref name="EP1enemies">{{cite web|url=http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2GameInfo.Detail&id=17&game=3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426045206/http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2GameInfo.Detail&id=17&game=3|archive-date=April 26, 2013 |title=''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' Enemies|work=Planet Half-Life|publisher=[[IGN]]|access-date=2008-09-23}}</ref> Their faces are covered by a [[respirator]], which is able to lift to reveal a mouth-like orifice from which they can extend a long and flexible [[proboscis]]. With this, they can examine objects, or attack and kill other creatures. Advisors appear to be feeding upon their victim during their attacks. It is implied that Advisors are the Combine's [[ruling class]], with Breen answering directly to them.<ref name="EP1enemies"/><ref>{{cite video game |title=[[Half-Life 2]]|developer=[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]|date= 2004 |platform=[[Personal computer|PC]] | level= Dark Energy| quote='''Dr. Wallace Breen''': (to an Advisor) It's me you should be worried about! I can still deliver Earth, but not without your help! [..] The portal destination is untenable, surely you can set the relay elsewhere. There's no way I can survive in that environment! A host body?! You must be joking, I can't possibly—oh, all right, dammit, if that's what it takes. Just hurry, he's right behind me!}}</ref> Although Advisors are usually seen in protective pods guarded by Combine soldiers, they also possess [[psychokinesis]] with which they are able to float through the air and immobilize other creatures so that their proboscis can examine victims without interference.<ref name="EP1enemies"/> Their appearance was based on the [[Spacing Guild|Guild Navigator]]s from the 1984 film ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]''.<ref>''[[Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar]]''</ref>

The Combine Advisors are the face of the Combine Empire, suggesting that they are probably the original master race behind the alien empire. They briefly appear in the game, in Doctor Breen's office, on giant monitors. Physically, they resemble large [[grub]]-like creatures, belonging to a species which most likely passed its [[technological singularity|singularity]] long ago. As a result of their expertise in developing advanced technology, the Advisors have evolved to an artificial state which is undoubtedly vastly different to their original physical state. They seem to be unable to manipulate objects or move around on their own, they are virtually blind, and they have a large number of other physical handicaps. As a result, the Advisors are totally dependent on their highly advanced technology in order to survive, and are probably unable to live without their mechanical aids. However, because of their life support, they have reached a technical [[immortality]].

====Civil Protection====

In terms of size, Advisors are about as large as a [[rhinoceros]]. They move using a form of advanced hover technology, possibly the large blue glowing devices on their backs. Despite their obvious intelligence and technological expertise, the Advisors are virtually featureless, with no visible eyes, ears, mouth, or limbs, explaining their many mechanical augmentations. As their natural eyesight is so poor, they rely on a vision enhancement device, and in order to help them breathe, their faces are covered by what appear to be respirators, from which a hose leads to a tank. Advisors rest inside a metal cradle which has two mechanical claw-like arms protruding from the upper section. Each Advisor wears a stitched olive-green body suit, leaving only the mostly featureless face and part of their tail fully visible. The suit also has a black collar adorned with golden [[hieroglyph]]ics on it, possibly the original race's form of writing. There is similarity in both the colour and texture of the Advisor's body to that of the Nihilanth, the original game's final boss. This may or may not have been intended.

The Civil Protection is the Combine's primary [[law enforcement]] agency on Earth, whose ranks are drawn from unmodified, volunteering humans. Commonly referred to as "metrocops" or "CPs", Civil Protection personnel wear light body armor and face masks which resemble a modified [[PMK gas mask]]. They also have voice modifiers, masking their normal voices. They typically carry [[Electroshock weapon|electroshock batons]] (named stun-sticks in the game) and pistols, and are occasionally equipped with submachine guns. The Civil Protection are frequently brutal in their methods, keeping the local populace in line via intimidation and violence. [[Interrogation]]s, [[inspection]]s, [[Police raid|raids]], [[Assault|random beatings]], [[summary execution]]s and acts of [[police brutality]] are all used as a means of policing their jurisdictions; the Civil Protection's methods are justified by their role as "protectors of the civilians{{'}} well-being". On the outskirts of [[Locations of Half-Life#City 17|City 17]], the Civil Protection carry out constant patrols for escapees from the city. Civil Protection personnel are in constant contact with the Combine's Overwatch headquarters, which issues them objectives and situation updates. Upon the death of Civil Protection personnel, their armor detects that its wearer is no longer alive and automatically informs the Overwatch of the fatality.<ref>{{Cite book|editor-first1=Farah|editor-last1=Mendlesohn|editor-first2=Michael M.|editor-last2=Levy|first=Carl|last=Wilson|title=Aliens in Popular Culture|publisher=[[ABC-Clio]]|year=2019|isbn=978-1-4408-3833-0|pages=142}}</ref>

Despite their crippled physical state, the Advisors have become highly evolved mentally, and are capable of [[telepathy]] and [[telekinesis]]. Slashing animations revealed by the ''[[Half-Life 2 Model Viewer]]'' suggest that the player may have been intended to fight one of these creatures, most likely as a final boss.

====Transhuman forces====

Using [[Garry's Mod]] it is possible to find the Advisor and "do battle" with it. It does not appear to make any sounds, and its attacks cause no health damage to the player. It also has no death animation; after emptying a considerable amount of ammunition into the creature (at least 18 .357 Magnum bullets, 3 RPG rockets, a few blasts from the normal gravity gun and some shotgun blasts) it simply stops moving.

The transhuman forces is the primary Combine [[military]] ground force on Earth. It consists of [[Biomechanical engineering|biomechanically]] [[Human enhancement|enhanced]] humans who wear heavy body armor and gas masks. They are armed variously with submachine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles, and [[Raygun|pulse rifles]]. The markings on their uniforms suggest a difference in specialization. Elite soldiers wear bright white armor with one-eyed helmets and can fire a ball of energy from their pulse rifle, while the rank-and-file wear blue, depending on their role as infantry or a shotgunner respectively. Soldiers wielding shotguns wear similar outfits to other transhuman soldiers but are equipped with uniforms coloured brown and helmets with orange (instead of blue) eyes. Overwatch soldiers typically operate in small groups of four to six using [[infantry tactics]] and [[grenade]]s to flush out and flank the player. They occasionally provide support to Combine synths, and often travel to areas by use of dropships and [[armoured personnel carrier]]s. Transhuman soldiers utilize [[two-way radio]]s to communicate with each other and with headquarters. The transhuman forces are usually encountered outside City 17, and only appear in the city near the end of the game. They are commanded by the Overwatch, an unencountered artificial female voice which issues orders such as, "Attention ground units. Mission failure will result in permanent off-world assignment. Code reminder: sacrifice, coagulate, clamp."<ref name="IGNHL2enemies"/>

In ''Half-Life 2: Raising The Bar'', designer Ted Backman mentions that the immense, worm-like form of the Combine Advisor was inspired by the work of [[Frank Herbert]], most likely the images of the [[Spacing Guild]] [[Guild Navigator|Navigators]] and [[Leto Atreides II]] from the ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'' novels.

====Combine teleportationtechnology====

The Combine use an arsenal of [[science fiction]] technologies. They have access to [[teleportation]] technology, which transports them between dimensions. However, their teleporter technology is restrictive in comparison to that developed by [[Eli Vance]], [[Isaac Kleiner]] and [[Judith Mossman (Half Life)|Judith Mossman]] in that it cannot be used to teleport to other locations within the same dimension.<ref>{{cite video game | title = [[Half-Life 2]] | developer = [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] | date = 2004 | platform = [[Personal computer|PC]]| level = Black Mesa East| quote='''Judith Mossman''': We're closing in on a reliable local teleport technology, something the Combine still hasn't mastered. Eli thinks their models are string-based, similar to our Calabi-Yau model, but they fail to factor in the dark energy equations. They can tunnel through from their universe, but once they're here, they're dependent on local transportation.}}</ref> Throughout the games, various futuristic computer consoles, doors, power sources and weapon emplacements are encountered. In addition, the Combine employ the use of robotic drones called city scanners, to observe the citizens of Earth. They monitor individuals and take photographs, while combat drones called shield scanners are used to drop mines.<ref name="IGNHL2enemies"/> Civil Protection makes use of smaller drones called manhacks, which are equipped with razor-sharp rotating blades to attack targets with [[laceration]] injuries. These are often deployed in closed-in areas. The Combine also use two types of [[land mine]]s; hopper mines throw themselves into the air and detonate when an enemy is detected nearby, while spherical rollermines roll towards vehicles or enemies, attach themselves and deliver electrical attacks.<ref name="IGNHL2enemies"/> Combine technology is also used to transform humans into Overwatch soldiers or Stalkers, deformed and mutilated humans with no memory of their past selves who act as slaves and maintenance workers in Combine facilities. Transformation into a Stalker is considered among the Combine's worst punishments for dissidents.<ref name="EP1enemies"/><ref>{{cite video game|title=[[Half-Life 2: Episode One]]|developer=[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]| date=2006|level=Direct Intervention|quote='''Alyx Vance''': Goddamn the Combine! This is what happens to you if you resist... or if you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time. [..] God, I hope you don't remember who you are...}}</ref>

Despite the advanced level of the Combine race, it seems to be lacking skill in [[teleportation]]. [[Dr. Mossman]] explains that the Combine can only teleport from one universe to another, but not to different locations in the same universe. The teleportation method used by [[Dr. Kleiner]] and [[Dr. Eli Vance]] (and indeed by the other Black Mesa scientists before and during the Black Mesa Incident) can do this, though, which is why the Combine wants the technology. Dr. Mossman was actually helping the Combine build a teleporter capable of doing this, in [[Nova Prospekt]], but as Nova Prospekt was destroyed during [[Alyx Vance|Alyx]] and [[Gordon Freeman|Gordon]]'s escape, it is most likely that the Combine actually gained nothing in the end.

Militarily, the Combine make use of both synthetics, creatures augmented with machinery, and traditional machines such as [[armored personnel carrier]]s and [[attack helicopters]].<ref name="IGNHL2enemies"/> The most prominent of the synthetic machines are the insect-like [[gunship]]s; and Striders, {{convert|50|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} armored creatures which walk on three legs and are armed with a high powered cannon and a head-mounted pulse turret.<ref name="IGNHL2enemies"/> In ''Episode Two'', the Hunter, a smaller equivalent to the Strider, is introduced. These tripodal assault machines fire explosive flechettes at targets and are small enough to maneuver indoors. Other synths are seen near the end of the ''Half-Life 2'', though their roles are not elaborated on. [[Sentry gun|Sentry turrets]] are also used by the Combine.<ref name="IGNHL2enemies"/> The Combine often uses [[headcrab]]s as a method of [[bioterrorism]] against dissidents and refugees, firing artillery shells loaded with the creatures into areas and allowing them to infest said area.<ref name="IGNHL2enemies"/>

The Combine's method of teleportation, as limited as it is, still requires a large amount of power and huge machinery to perform, as seen at the end of the game, where [[Doctor Breen]] was attempting to escape from the Citadel using a Combine teleporter. This teleporter required an entire reactor, called the "dark fusion reactor," to power it, while the teleporters designed by humans require only small amounts of power, and very little machinery. (It is also worth noting that the Xenian teleporters seem to require even less machinery - sometimes even none at all - and even less power. However, this could be to do with the nature of Xen rather than Xenian technology.) The reason for this is because they use [[Xen (Half-Life)|Xen]] as a "dimensional slingshot," bouncing off of one universe to another, while the Combine doesn't, instead having to "tunnel" straight through dimensions to the target universe.

==Appearances==

===Invasion of Earth===

According to the backstory presented during ''Half-Life 2'', the Combine appear on Earth after the death of the [[Nihilanth]], the [[Boss (video games)|boss character]] at the end of ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]''. The death of the Nihilanth, a powerful creature controlling the dimensional rip between [[Xen (Half-Life)|Xen]] and the [[Black Mesa Research Facility]] on Earth, causes the rip to worsen, resulting in "portal storms" which spread the hostile wildlife of Xen across Earth. The Combine manipulate this tear in the spacetime continuum, widening it to allow access to Earth from their dimension. When sufficiently wide enough, the Combine launched an invasion in force. Earth is rapidly defeated in a war lasting seven hours (the title is a reference to the Soviet military exercise [[:ru:Щит-82|Щит-82]]; "Seven-Hour Nuclear War"). Earth's surrender was negotiated by [[Wallace Breen|Dr. Wallace Breen]], administrator of the Black Mesa Research Facility at the time of the incident, who discovered a means of communicating with the Combine. Dr. Breen was subsequently made the Combine's puppet ruler of Earth, with [[City 17]] as his base of operations.<ref name="BME">{{cite web|url=http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.Detail&id=16&game=3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113112249/http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.Detail&id=16&game=3|archive-date=November 13, 2012 |title=''Half-Life 2'' Walkthrough—Chapter 5: Black Mesa East|work=Planet Half-Life|publisher=[[IGN]]|access-date=2008-05-26}}</ref>

The Combine's first appearance is in ''Half-Life 2''. Through the early stages of the game, Combine Civil Protection units pursue Gordon Freeman, the [[player character]], through City 17 after Gordon’s presence is mistakenly revealed to Dr. Breen. Due to Gordon’s actions in ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'' and his subsequent disappearance, which earned him a legendary reputation, Dr. Breen sees Gordon as a significant threat.<ref>{{cite video game | title = [[Half-Life 2]] | developer = [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] | date = 2004 | platform = [[Personal computer|PC]]| level = Water Hazard| quote='''Wallace Breen''': We now have direct confirmation of a disruptor in our midst, one who has acquired an almost messianic reputation in the minds of certain citizens. His figure is synonymous with the darkest urges of instinct, ignorance and decay; some of the worst excesses of the Black Mesa incident have been laid directly at his feet. And yet unsophisticated minds continue to embue him with romantic power, giving him such dangerous poetic labels as the "One Free Man", the "Opener of the Way".}}</ref> As Gordon flees the city, Civil Protection units raid the resistance base of [[Black Mesa East]] and capture resistance leader [[Eli Vance]], who is transferred to holding facilities at [[Nova Prospekt]].<ref name="BME"/> Gordon, along with Eli’s daughter [[Alyx Vance|Alyx]], breaks into the facility to rescue him, but Eli is teleported to the Combine Citadel by double agent [[Judith Mossman (Half Life)|Judith Mossman]]. The strike against Nova Prospekt prompts a revolution by the citizens of Earth and heavy street fighting takes place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.Detail&id=33&game=3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113112216/http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.Detail&id=33&game=3|archive-date=November 13, 2012 |title=''Half-Life 2'' Walkthrough—Chapter 10: Entanglement|work=Planet Half-Life|publisher=[[IGN]]|access-date=2008-05-26}}</ref>

[[Image:7hourswarHL2.jpg|left|thumb|251px|Newspaper clippings found in [[Eli Vance|Eli]]'s Lab in [[Black Mesa East]] depict scenes from the Seven Hour War.]]

In ''[[Half-Life 2: Episode One|Episode One]]'', the destruction of the teleporter has isolated Combine forces on Earth, and its primary reactor has begun to melt down. This forces Gordon and Alyx to journey back into the critically damaged Citadel to stabilize its reactor while the city's inhabitants are evacuated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.Detail&id=1&game=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010201128/http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.Detail&id=1&game=3 |archive-date=October 10, 2012 |title=''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' Walkthrough—Chapter 1: Undue Alarm |work=Planet Half-Life |publisher=[[IGN]] |access-date=2008-05-26}}</ref> The Combine forces, however, instead attempt to accelerate the meltdown in order to contact their native dimension for reinforcements. After Alyx acquires an encrypted copy of the message to be sent, Overwatch forces desperately attempt to stop the pair from escaping the city, spurred on by Combine Advisors. As the pair escape on a train at the end of the game, the Citadel detonates and destroys City 17.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.Detail&id=5&game=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010201318/http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.Detail&id=5&game=3 |archive-date=October 10, 2012 |title=''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' Walkthrough—Chapter 5: Exit 17| work=Planet Half-Life| publisher=[[IGN]]| access-date=2008-05-26}}</ref>

Following the [[Nihilanth]]'s demise, the Combine was able to use the portal storm that was occurring at the time to continue on to Earth, where it launched a massive invasion that culminated in the [[Seven Hour War]]. Statements made by the [[G-Man (Half-Life)|G-Man]] suggest that the human race was unable to mount any effective resistance to the Combine armies, and that Earth's military forces were almost instantly overwhelmed. Former administrator of the [[Black Mesa Research Facility]], [[Doctor Breen|Dr. Wallace Breen]], negotiated a surrender on Earth's behalf and was therefore appointed the administrator of the Combine's forces on Earth - the ''Overwatch''.

''[[Half-Life 2: Episode Two|Episode Two]]'' opens with Alyx and Gordon learning a superportal to the Combine dimension has formed in the Citadel's place, progressing to a stage where the Combine can send reinforcements.<ref>{{cite video game | title = [[Half-Life 2: Episode Two]] | developer = [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] | date = 2007| platform = [[Personal computer|PC]]| level = To The White Forest| quote='''Isaac Kleiner''': What you're seeing is the infancy of a superportal. If it retains full strength— / '''Eli Vance''': It will be the Seven Hour War, all over again! Except this time we won't last seven minutes!}}</ref> They also discover that Alyx's encrypted data from the Citadel can reverse the portal, and so traverse the countryside to deliver the packet to another resistance headquarters at [[White Forest]]. As they progress, Combine Advisors have escaped the Citadel's destruction, and remaining Combine forces are regrouping, albeit under attacks by [[Vortigaunt]]s.<ref>{{cite video game | title = [[Half-Life 2: Episode Two]] | developer = [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] | date = 2007| platform = [[Personal computer|PC]]| level = Freeman Pontifex| quote='''Vortigaunt''': They carry ''Shu'ulathoi'': Advisors still in incubation pods. They gather and unite the scattered Combine forces.}}</ref> Aware of the resistance's plans to close the superportal, the Combine attack White Forest in force, but are repelled.<ref>{{cite video game | title = [[Half-Life 2: Episode Two]] | developer = [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] | date = 2007| platform = [[Personal computer|PC]]| level = Our Mutual Fiend | quote='''Resistance fighter''': We've counted a dozen Striders just north of us. Our job is to keep them from reaching the base to the south. If they get close enough for one good shot at the silo, the whole launch is a bust. And in case Striders aren't bad enough, recon indicates that they're being escorted by packs of Hunters.}}</ref>

===Combine dominance on Earth===

The Combine are again the primary antagonist in the prequel ''[[Half-Life: Alyx]]'', taking place between ''Half-Life'' and ''Half-Life 2''. The game focuses on the efforts of Alyx Vance, her father Eli, and fellow resistance member Russell, as they attempt to infiltrate a massive Combine vault, believing it possesses a weapon that they could use to weaken the Combine occupation on Earth.<ref name="CitationA">{{cite web |last=Ingraham |first=Nathan |date=November 21, 2019 |title='Half-Life: Alyx' is a VR prequel set before the events of 'Half-Life 2' |publisher=[[engadget]] |url=https://www.engadget.com/2019/11/21/half-life-alyx-valve-VR-prequel/ |access-date=November 21, 2019 |archive-date=November 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122010110/https://www.engadget.com/2019/11/21/half-life-alyx-valve-VR-prequel/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After navigating through various quarantine zones of City 17 and rescuing Eli, they discover that the Vault is constructed not to hold a weapon, but as a prison, which they deduce to be holding Gordon Freeman. Alyx infiltrates the Vault and learns that it does not imprison Freeman, but is instead harboring the mysterious [[G-Man (Half-Life)|G-Man]], who shows Alyx a glimpse of Eli's death in the future and offers her a chance to prevent it, which she accepts, before placing her in stasis.<ref group="note">As depicted in the events of ''Half-Life 2: Episode 2''</ref>

The Combine rules Earth from a giant tower in [[City 17]], called the Citadel. According to unused scripts and backstory by Valve, there may be a Citadel in every city, although this has been disputed as existing in the official game story. At the end of the game, as Doctor Breen attempts to teleport off of Earth using the dark fusion reactor, a massive portal is created and several buildings that resemble Citadels are visible.

The related [[Portal (series)|''Portal'' series]] hints at the presence of the Combine, with malevolent AI [[GLaDOS]] claiming that she is the only thing standing between [[Chell (Portal)|Chell]] and "them".<ref name="portal-quote">{{cite video game|title=Portal|developer=Valve|publisher=Valve|date=October 9, 2007

Concept art from the game states the citadels assume semi-specialised roles suited to their particular sites. City 17 focused on population processing, while City 16 became a huge military/industrial complex. It also showed a citadel on Xen, and a vast factory creating citadels in a production line.

|level="Test Chamber 19", final boss|quote='''GLaDOS''': What's going on out there will make you wish you were back in here. I have an infinite capacity for knowledge, and even I'm not sure what's going on outside. All I know is I'm the only thing standing between us and ''them''. Well, I was.}}</ref>

==Promotion and reception==

At the start of the game, the Combine has almost complete dominance of Earth, and has no idea who [[Gordon Freeman]] is. However, [[Doctor Breen]] immediately informs a Combine Advisor of Gordon Freeman during the teleport accident, in which Gordon Freeman appeared in Doctor Breen's office for a brief amount of time. Only a few handfuls of rebels, loosely organized in a ragtag resistance, are secretly opposing the Combine. Gordon Freeman's actions after his return eventually inspire a massive insurrection against the Combine, which results in a full-scale street war between the citizens and the Combine forces.

The Combine have inspired the creation of several items of merchandise for the ''Half-Life'' series. A [[plush]] toy was created by Valve, based on the synthetic tripod Hunters introduced in ''Episode Two''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://store.valvesoftware.com/productshowcase/productshowcase_HunterPlush.html|title=Hunter Plush Toy|publisher=[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]|access-date=2008-09-19 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080319113143/http://store.valvesoftware.com/productshowcase/productshowcase_HunterPlush.html |archive-date = March 19, 2008}}</ref> Sold and distributed via Valve's online store, the toy was released in February 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/357473/hunter-plushies-now-available|title=Hunter Plushies Now Available|publisher=[[Kotaku]]|first=Luke|last=Plunkett|date=2008-02-18|access-date=2008-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302082752/http://kotaku.com/357473/hunter-plushies-now-available|archive-date=March 2, 2008 }}</ref> In addition, Valve has produced [[t-shirt]]s depicting the Combine's idea of humanity's [[evolution]], from ape to Combine Overwatch soldier mirroring [[The March of Progress]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://store.valvesoftware.com/productpages/apparel/product_HL2EvoShirt.html|title=''Half-Life 2'' "Evolution" Shirt|publisher=[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]|access-date=2008-09-19 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080313192443/http://store.valvesoftware.com/productpages/apparel/product_HL2EvoShirt.html |archive-date = March 13, 2008}}</ref> and a [[lithograph]] displaying twelve pieces of [[concept art]] for the Combine soldier.<ref name="lithograph">{{cite web|url=http://store.valvesoftware.com/productshowcase/productshowcase_HL2ComSldrLitho01.html|title=''Half-Life 2'' Combine Soldier Lithograph|publisher=[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]|access-date=2008-09-19 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080313192448/http://store.valvesoftware.com/productshowcase/productshowcase_HL2ComSldrLitho01.html |archive-date = March 13, 2008}}</ref>

The Combine have received a positive reaction from critics. ''[[1UP.com]]'' praised the "epic feel" built up by the Combine and their harsh rule of City 17 in ''Half-Life 2'', stating that this created "a world governed by [[newspeak]], decorated with [[urban decay]], and lacking any hope".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3138493&p=1&sec=REVIEWS|title=''Half-Life 2'' Review|website=[[1UP.com]]|first=Andrew|last=Pfister|date=2005-01-17|access-date=2008-10-03|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624121016/http://www.1up.com/reviews/half-life-2_4|archive-date=2012-06-24}}</ref> ''[[GameSpot]]'' echoed this praise, saying that the "vision of a dystopian police state is chillingly effective". ''[[PC Zone]]'' described the appearance of the Combine's soldiers as "[[Stormtrooper (Star Wars)|Stormtrooper]]-like". While stating that overall the [[game artificial intelligence|artificial intelligence]] for the game was "extremely competent", they expressed the opinion that Combine non-player characters "could have used better survival instincts", citing their reluctance to take cover and tendency to charge at the player and into a shotgun blast''.<ref name="PCZoneHL2">{{cite web |date=2004-11-16 |title=PC Review: ''Half-Life 2'' |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=111902 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208035503/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=111902 |archive-date=December 8, 2006 |access-date=2008-05-26 |work=[[PC Zone]] |publisher=[[Computer and Video Games]]}}</ref> GameSpot'' noted that their AI had been slightly improved in ''Episode One''.<ref name="GSpotEP1">{{cite web|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/halflife2aftermath/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabs&tag=tabs;reviews |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920020706/http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/halflife2aftermath/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabs&tag=tabs%3Breviews |archive-date=September 20, 2011 |title=''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' for PC Review |first=Jason |last=Ocampo |website=[[GameSpot]] |date=2008-06-02 |access-date=2008-05-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The addition of the Hunter in ''Episode Two'' was praised by critics; ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' stated that they were challenging to fight and were "a very welcome addition" to the series,<ref name="CVGEP2">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=173331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070624090605/http://computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=173331|archive-date=June 24, 2007 |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|title=Review: ''Half-Life 2: Episode Two''|first=Andy|last=Robinson|date=2007-10-10|access-date=2008-05-26}}</ref> while ''[[IGN]]'' stated that the Hunters were "impressively designed", "sleek and powerful all at once", and "reek of malicious alien intelligence".<ref name="IGNEP2">{{cite web|url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/826/826067p1.html|title=''Half-Life 2: Episode Two'' Review|first=Dan|last=Adams|website=[[IGN]]|date=2007-10-09|access-date=2008-05-26|archive-date=2012-07-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701144712/http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/826/826067p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The original Combine race do not seem to have a presence on Earth at any point in the game. The reasons behind the Combine's desire to control the Earth are unknown, other than the absorption of Earth's resources, and the enslavement and exploitation of its dominant species - the humans - for either menial work or (more likely) military service.

In ''Playing Dystopia'', the Combine are directly compared with the Party in [[George Orwell]]'s ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' as a totalitarian regime organized according to an ideology. The book notes that Dr. Breen represents an archetypal [[father figure]] who lies that the Combine have created a [[utopia]] in order to justify the invasion. His reference to the Combine as "our Benefactors" ties back to the novel [[We (novel)|''We'']] by Yevgeny Zamyatin, in which the term is used to describe the ruler of the One State. The Combine also create the image of a utopia through mind manipulation and propaganda, causing humanity to accept a false sense of safety and "womb-like security". The suppression field deployed by the Combine to prevent new births and destroy the concept of the [[family]] was also compared to [[P. D. James]]' ''[[The Children of Men]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Farca |first=Gerald |title=Playing Dystopia: Nightmarish Worlds in Video Games and the Player's Aesthetic Response |date=2018 |publisher=transcript |isbn=978-3-8394-4597-6 |series=Studies of digital media culture |___location=Bielefeld |pages=98–102}}</ref> ''Videogames and Education'' calls it a "terrible irony" that, having eliminated children, they positioned themselves as humanity's protector and nurturer.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Harry J. |title=Videogames and Education |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2014 |isbn=9781317452669 |pages=93}}</ref> ''Aliens in Popular Culture'' describes the Combine's uniforms and architecture as referencing [[communism]] and [[fascism]], comparing its overtones to ''[[Starship Troopers]]''. The Brain Bugs from that novel are specifically noted as being referenced by the appearance and abilities of the Combine Advisors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mendlesohn |first=Farah |title=Aliens in Popular Culture |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2019 |isbn=9781440838330}}</ref>

===Suppression field===

===Fan works===

The Combine, since gaining dominance on Earth, has imposed something known as a ''suppression field''. The suppression field's main effect is to bring the human birth rate down to zero, ensuring that the humans currently alive will be the last generation of them. Doctor Breen addresses this issue to the people via a broadcast during the early levels of ''Half-Life 2'', as the response to a letter written to him by a "concerned citizen," and claims that the field will be deactivated once the humans prove they no longer need it. During the game, resistance members occasionally make humorous remarks such as: "When this is all over, I'm gonna mate," about the suppression field.

The use of sandbox applications like ''[[Garry's Mod]]'' have allowed for Combine [[non-player character]]s to be used in a variety of [[webcomic]]s and [[machinima]] productions. In one webcomic, ''[[Concerned]]'', the Combine are portrayed as a highly bureaucratic and often inept organization. One issue shows a Civil Protection briefing for attempting to capture the comic's protagonist Gordon <!-- This is not a typo, don't change it -->Frohman<!-- This is not a typo, don't change it -->, in which officers are instructed to cluster around explosive barrels, seek cover on unstable structures and rappel down from bridges in front of fast moving vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hlcomic.com/index.php?date=2005-10-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512010607/http://hlcomic.com/index.php?date=2005-10-07|archive-date=May 12, 2012 |title=Issue #62|work=[[Concerned|Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Freeman]]|first=Christopher|last=Livingston|date=2005-10-07|url-status=usurped|access-date=2008-09-19}}</ref> In another example, the machinima series ''Combine Nation'' follows Civil Protection officers in a similar style to [[police procedural]] documentaries. The officers perform their duties with various twists, such as the team's medical officer having an obsession with [[adhesive bandage]]s and the legal consultant, an Overwatch soldier, favoring dramatic entries, such as throwing [[Stun grenade|flashbangs]], which often backfire on him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://litfusefilms.com/movies/combinenationepisode1/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011014206/http://litfusefilms.com/movies/combinenationepisode1/|archive-date=October 11, 2007 |title=''Combine Nation: Episode One''|publisher=Lit Fuse Films|access-date=2008-09-19}}</ref> Another web series, called ''The Combine'', parodies the TV show ''[[The Office]]''. This series attempts to portray the combine as an intergalactic corporation that suffers from everyday office issues and problems. One episode shows the soldiers attempting to bypass an [[Internet filter]] so they can watch videos online instead of working.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDwNK5JPl34&context=C3115975ADOEgsToPDskL5EZg4HBvKAuZ7ueAJI8Pc|title=''The Combine Episode 2: Workfilter''|publisher=Currentpie Productions|access-date=2011-01-05|archive-date=2016-08-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801085248/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDwNK5JPl34&context=C3115975ADOEgsToPDskL5EZg4HBvKAuZ7ueAJI8Pc|url-status=live}}</ref> Other media portray the Combine with more serious overtones, such as the [[live-action]] video ''The Combine Interview'', which parodies an interview with [[Tom Cruise]] discussing [[Scientology]]. The video, described by both ''[[Joystiq]]'' and ''[[Kotaku]]'' as "creepy", instead presents an interview with a Civil Protection officer discussing the Combine's rule of Earth, adapting Cruise's words to fit the Combine theme.<ref>{{cite web |last=McElroy |first=Justin |date=2008-09-03 |title=The Combine Interview puts Tom Cruise in new light |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/03/the-combine-interview-puts-tom-cruise-in-new-light/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010110543/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/03/the-combine-interview-puts-tom-cruise-in-new-light/ |archive-date=2012-10-10 |access-date=2008-10-03 |publisher=[[Joystiq]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Plunkett |first=Luke |date=2008-09-02 |title=Creepy Tom Cruise Interview Redone As Creepy ''Half-Life 2'' Interview |url=http://kotaku.com/5044676/creepy-tom-cruise-interview-redone-as-creepy-half-life-2-interview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108164035/http://kotaku.com/5044676/creepy-tom-cruise-interview-redone-as-creepy-half-life-2-interview |archive-date=2014-11-08 |access-date=2008-10-03 |publisher=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref> [[PC Gamer|''PC Gamer'' UK]] noted that "the suggestion, of course, is that Scientology's purpose or self-image in some way resembles that of the homogenizing intergalactic murderous alien collective".<ref>{{cite magazine|date=December 2008 |title=The Combine Tom Cruise |magazine=[[PC Gamer]]|___location=[[United Kingdom]]|publisher=[[Future plc]] |issue=194 |page=113}}</ref>

How the suppression field functions is currently unknown. It is not clear whether it restricts the act of sexual intercourse itself, stops fertilisation or simply destroys sex drive, and it is not mentioned outside of the first chapter of the game. It has been speculated that the purpose is (as in [[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]) to control the population by inhibiting sexual drive (although somewhat unsuccessfully, given the events of the game and comments above). It is currently unknown whether the Combine imposes a suppression field on other races they conquer.

===Mind control=References==

{{reflist}}

Comments at the train station at the start of the game suggest that the Combine have been drugging (if not outright poisoning) the populace through their water supply. One frantic citizen says "don't drink the water...they put something in it, t-to make you forget. I don't even remember how I got here." This is not mentioned outside this one piece of dialogue.

==Notes==

It has been speculated that the reason for this supposed mind control is so that humans forget why they hate the Combine so much, and will willingly accede to their (and Breen's) demands.

{{reflist|group=note}}

==External links==

In addition, a Combine radio transmission to Civil Protection officers states: "Reminder, memory replacement is the first step to rank privileges." This could explain why none of the Combine are able to join the resistance after the uprising; their memories may forbid them from harboring any negative thoughts toward their Combine overlords.

* [http://combineoverwiki.net/wiki/Combine The Combine] on Combine OverWiki, an external wiki

===Human genocide===

Some players theorise that all remaining children have been killed by the Combine. Evidence such as the ghostly laughs of children that can be heard in the playground outside one of the apartments in the first level, the crying couple that can be seen shortly thereafter, the fact that the player doesn't see any children in the most human-populated areas, remarks by resistance members such as "I'm glad there's no kids around to see this," and the presence of deserted toys such as baby dolls supports those theories.

Of course, there is the possibility that this could have been a design issue; a game where children could be shot could have become a contentious issue in the media. However, some who are in opposition to this theory may bring about the fact that no non-player character in the game who is meant to be an ally (such as members of the human resistance or Vortigaunts) are able to be harmed by the player in any way. Furthermore, laws exist in many European countries that expressly forbid children in computer games. Their absence can therefore be easily explained as a way to ease the adjustments needed for European release. Just as there are no children in the game there are no babies and adolescents present either.

A more likely explanation is that the Combine placed the suppression field immediately following their victory over Earth's forces, and given that the Combine have been occupying Earth for at least ten years and possibly longer, the humans that Gordon sees throughout the game are possibly the last humans born naturally. According to commentary from Viktor Antonov and Dhabih Eng in ''Half-Life 2: Raising The Bar'', a setpiece for Gordon's journey was a factory run by child labor and child citizens had been designed, but it became apparent to the design team that the Combine had suppressed human reproductive cycles for many years.

===Depletion of Earth's resources===

[[Image:HalfLife2 DryHarbour.jpg|thumb|250px|The most clear sign of the Combine's effect on the planet is the drop of the sea level after Combine rule. Pictured here is a dry harbor in the ''Highway 17'' chapter of ''Half-Life 2'', evidently depicting the sea much farther from port than usual, with large ships resting on what was previously seabed.]]

It is evident at several points in the game that the Combine are depleting Earth's [[natural resources]]. One of the official ''Half-Life 2'' descriptions details how [[Gordon Freeman]] must return to "an Earth infested with aliens and being picked to the bone." One of the most noticeable signs is that Earth's [[ocean]] levels have dropped dramatically. This can be seen during the coastal chapters ''Highway 17'' and ''Sandtraps'', and the waterways of [[City 17]] in ''Route Kanal''. The coastline is littered with boats and ships resting on what was previously the seabed, and there are various docks and piers which are no longer standing in water, but instead jut out of the old seabed. At the beginning of ''Highway 17'', Gordon arrives at a harbour which is now a considerable distance from the water's edge. Indications of the previous sea level can be judged by [[moss]] which had previously gathered on harbour structures at the edge of the water, but which now lie several metres higher than the ground level. It is mentioned in the book ''Raising the Bar'' that this massive, planet-wide water drainage is accomplished through the presence of a Combine portal in one of Earth's oceans.

More generally, parts of the game world are flooded with parasitic [[headcrab]]s and toxic waste, making them generally inhospitable to human life. Infrastructure is either decaying (as with ''Highway 17'', which is in a state of incredible disrepair and littered with old rusting cars) or rendered completely useless (as with [[Nova Prospekt]], the traditional prison area of which is mostly flooded and run down, if not outright destroyed by the explosion at the end of ''Entanglement''). Judging by the state of the wastelands outside of the city, agriculture and farming is somewhat unlikely to flourish again and is by the looks of things completely nonexistant; farm animals and implements are never seen in game, and the Fisherman in [[Half-Life 2: Lost Coast|Lost Coast]] comments that there's no fish left to eat, only leeches.

Additionally, [[City 17]] itself is being devoured, as Combine walls spread outward from the Citadel, consuming the city's buildings. It is unknown whether the Combine are purely using this method to destroy the city, or whether they're actually gathering raw materials from the city's structures. Because of all of the above factors, even if Combine rule ends, much rebuilding and cleanup would have to take place to make the planet inhabitable again.

During the development of the game, the Combine originally had a huge industrial facility which was referred to as the "Air Exchange," which gradually absorbed Earth's air and replaced it with chemicals and other substances which were harmful to humans, but most likely ideal for an environment that the Combine master race could inhabit. It was up to Gordon Freeman to travel to the Combine Air Exchange via a ship called ''The Borealis'', which was captained by a man named Odell. Gordon's actions at the Air Exchange were to trigger the human insurrection against the Combine in City 17, but as the level was dropped, this was instead made to happen due to Gordon's actions at [[Nova Prospekt]]. The Air Exchange concept was dropped during development, and it's uncertain whether or not it exists in the official storyline of the game, but as there are no in-game references to it, it is likely that it, in fact, does not exist.

==Humanoid Combine==

{{main|List of humanoid and synthetic Combine in Half-Life 2#Humanoid Combine}}

The primary military force of the Combine on Earth is the humanoid '''Combine Overwatch''' (referred to by [[Doctor Breen]] as the "Transhuman arm of the Combine Overwatch"): humans who have been modified into "[[transhuman]]" [[cyborg]]s. They are the most frequently-encountered foes throughout ''Half-Life 2''.

==Combine synth==

{{main|List of humanoid and synthetic Combine in Half-Life 2#Combine synth}}

Synths are creatures that, over a course of imposed evolution and adaptation by the Combine, have come to fit a particular niche in the Combine military. Once self-replicating, organic, but robot-like creatures spread across different worlds, they were enslaved and assimilated into the Combine to become the backbone of their military.

Various types of Synth have been brought over to Earth by the Combine, but other types of Synth are likely to exist. The total number of different Synth is unknown. It is likely that Synths were the primary forces used by the Combine during the [[Seven Hour War]], as the human-derived Combine units, as well as technology such as hunter-choppers and APCs, would have only started appearing after the Combine's rule on Earth had been established.

==Combine combat tech==

{{main|List of Combine combat technology in Half-Life 2}}

The Combine, since gaining dominance on Earth, has invented a large number of devices and machines, some of which are offensive, and others which are used in the day-to-day policing and surveillance of the general populace. A majority of the Combine's technology present on Earth is actually nothing more than human technology re-interpreted and re-made by the Combine, using its own materials. Technology such as helicopters, turrets, and wheeled vehicles are all human technology, re-engineered by the Combine.

==Static and non-combat Combine property==

{{main|List of Combine non-combat technology in Half-Life 2}}

A common trait of Combine structural engineering seems to be making most of their creations resemble imposing, fairly featureless monolithic constructs, save for the odd irregular patterns that dot their surface. On the other hand, some seem to be unnecessarily complex, while others exhibit properties that defy conventional physics.

==References==

*''Half-Life 2 (PC)'', Valve Software, 2004. [http://www.half-life2.com Official Website] <br>

*''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar'', David Hodgson, [http://www.primagames.com Prima Games]. ISBN 0761543643 <br>

*''Half-Life 2: Prima Official Game Guide'', David Hodgson, [http://www.primagames.com Prima Games]. ISBN 0761543627

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