Locations in the games of the Half-Life series. Locations in the games of the Half-Life series Outskirts and suburbs

Half-Life and add-ons

Black Mesa

Research complex "Black Mesa"(English Black Mesa Research Facility) - a research facility, which, according to the scenario of the game, is located in the desert in the state of New Mexico, USA. In the complex "Black Mesa" the action of the first part of the series develops, Half-life as well as several official additions to it - Opposing Force, Blue shift and Decay, this is the main setting for these games.

Certain parts and rooms can be represented in one of the above games, and not shown in another. V Half-life 2 and episodes, the complex did not appear, with the exception of a brief episode in Episode two.

Here, as a result of an unsuccessful experiment, a catastrophe occurs, which has fatal consequences for the entire Earth and is the starting point of the plot of the entire series.

The sheer size of the complex, which includes offices, laboratories, test chambers, a military base, recreation and sports facilities, allowed the developers to show different parts of Black Mesa in each of the games. In the games of the series, both the premises of the complex and the outdoor areas are displayed. The complex is divided into many sections, the movement between which is carried out, as a rule, using a monorail.

Sectors of the complex

Moving around the complex is carried out using a monorail system; it is an extensive transportation network with transshipment terminals on the conventional railroad, which, in turn, is connected to New Mexico using the civil railroad. The monorail is supplied with electricity Transport Network Management Sector (Sector E).

Laboratories

The central Black Mesa complex contains several areas of equipment packaging, mechanized repair panels.

• Complex "Biokupol" (Sector E)- A top secret, heavily guarded and high-tech section of "Black Mesa", contains various laboratories and test chambers for researching Zen lifeforms and other dimensions. Buried underground and sealed by heavy steel doors, BioDome is also a place to contain and study aliens. After the cascading resonance, most of the aliens broke free.
• Hydrofauna Research Laboratory, which is part of the Biodupola, is used by scientists to study the aquatic fauna of Xena. Huge water-filled chambers contain predatory alien ichthyosaurs and shark cages.
• Complex "Lambda" (Sector F)- a top-secret complex containing a nuclear reactor and secret teleportation laboratories. The complex suffered serious damage after the cascade resonance, but continued to function after the incident. It became a haven for surviving personnel.

• Energy Particle Laboratories are used to study energy particles, with possible use in weapons.
• Advanced biological laboratory located on and below the surface, located next to Sector G (dam).
• Laboratory biological research - a place where scientists conduct experiments, research surgery, the fauna of Xena, and also observe their natural environment, nutrition, characteristics and survival skills. The second level is used to develop weapons.
• Rocket Test Laboratories in Sector E accessible through the railway system. Includes silo E, experimental rocket technology center, Lambda satellite.
• Gamma complex- next to the Lambda complex, one of the most secretive sectors of Black Mesa, and possibly a branch of the Biocupola. The Gamma Sector contains several quarantine laboratories used to study the biological processes and physical characteristics of organisms from Xena. The Gamma complex also contains generators for a prototype displacement beacon that generates powerful mini-portals between Earth and Xena for the safe collection of organisms. Airspace Control Center- a building adjacent to the runways, used to monitor the airspace of the "Black Mesa", as well as a control tower.
• Section A-17: Prototype Laboratories- These laboratories are underground and contain early prototype teleporters, auxiliary generators below Black Mesa.
• Experimental Launch Lab (Launcher D) is located underground and is practically not visited. This sector was used to study rocket engines. After the cascade resonance, the shaft is populated with tentacles.

Other premises

• Training Center (Sector A) It is used to train personnel in the use of the HEV protective energy suit and to train security personnel. The training is carried out by holographic assistants. Two well-known parts of the complex are located in an unused industrial part of the complex. The complex consists of the training center itself and the "Zone 2" satellite operations, which contains warehouses and satellite connections.
• Cooler storage center (Sector B)- one of the seven main sectors of Black Mesa, includes Zone 2: Administration Offices, Zone 8: Upper Accommodation (residential area located on the surface and connected to Line B of the monorail system, Barney Calhoun lived here) ...
• Warehouse complex contains several extensive concrete warehouses, protected by powerful doors and security personnel.
• Hydroelectric power plant (sector G)- one of the main sources of energy for the "Black Mesa". Launch shafts reached by monorail. This sector contains satellite launch equipment and converted ICBM silos for storing large missiles.
• Zone 4 contains a parking lot and a material delivery system to the Black Mesa transport system. Auxiliary generator located in sector B.
• Zone 7 for employees of "Black Mesa" is a place of rest and residence. Contains places for sports, entertainment. Includes cafeterias and other social facilities. Medical Center equipped with CT and MRI scanners, a warehouse with medicines and medical equipment.
• Residential sectors (level 3)- contains living quarters of staff, lounges, shops, libraries, swimming pools, etc. Gordon Freeman lived here during his time at Black Mesa.
• Military Center, in addition to various defense mechanisms throughout the Black Mesa, contains nuclear weapons. It has impenetrable doors, mechanized repair panels for soldiers, a large arsenal of military equipment, hangars for tanks and helicopters. Level 1: Main entrance- the central point of entry for all personnel.
• Storage center fills almost the entire surface of "Black Mesa".
• Zone 3 (Security Center)- there are video surveillance centers, armory and so on.
• Sewerage (sector G) is the transport system through which the waste goes to the recycling plant. Sewerage goes through the freight warehouse to the surface.
• "Waste recycling" is a center for the destruction of biohazardous materials and chemically hazardous substances. Cargo warehouse is located on the surface, one of the many warehouses in Black Mesa.

Zen

At the initial stage of creating the game, the developers took as a basis several Eastern European cities (the level designers collected photographs of Bulgaria, Russia and Romania). Eastern European architecture was chosen due to the fact that it has absorbed many styles, having “lived through” many historical events and influences, which affected its diversity and uniqueness. During the creation of City 17, elements of architecture of the -x, -x and -x years were added to the architecture of the 19th century. Alien elements were then added to the city in a typical Alliance style. While developing the city, the creators of the game ensured that the player during the game had a sense of surrealism, abstraction and distortion, experiencing at the same time an atmosphere of hopelessness, a sense of depression and decline.

Many cars found abandoned on the streets of the city are based on the Soviet brands "Moskvich", "ZAZ", "RAF" and "GAZ", "Trabants" of the GDR, Czech "Avia" and "Skoda", as well as "Volkswagen Golf II" produced in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s; these cars are often found in the post-Soviet republics. For the transportation of citizens and some goods by rail, the Alliance uses shortened motor carriages of diesel trains DR1 (DR1P, DR1A) made in Riga as locomotives, as well as trains of its own design.

With the rise of the Alliance regime, construction began in the city of structures with dark monolithic architecture, such as observation towers, security garrisons with force fields, security barriers, video surveillance cameras, movable walls and door locks with sensor locks, which serve the sole purpose of providing security and control the movement of citizens in the city.

In one of the buildings, not far from the station, is the secret laboratory of Dr. Isaac Kleiner - one of the characters Half-life 2, a scientist assisting the Resistance.

Outside the city, there is a system of water supply channels - along it the main character, Gordon Freeman, in chapters 3-5, gets to "".

Citadel

Eastern Black Mesa

After the events that happened in the final part Half-life and leading to the destruction of the Black Mesa complex, several surviving scientists were built Eastern Black Mesa(English Black Mesa East). This place, first shown in Half-life 2, is a small research laboratory as well as a base of the Resistance. It is housed in the underground section of an old hydroelectric power plant next to an abandoned mining town outside City 17.

Black Mesa East is home to Dr. Eli Vance with his daughter Alix and assistant Judith Mossman, as well as other members of the Resistance, including Vortigaunt allies. Vortigaunts in Black Mesa East perform a variety of duties, such as preparing food or supplying power through their natural ability to generate electricity. They also help Eli by working on computers or installing new parts of any machinery.

All entrances to Black Mesa East are monitored by video cameras, guarded by automatic pendant turrets, and contain disinfection chambers with heavy sealed doors to deter potential enemies. Black Mesa East is connected to the mining town through a tunnel that was barricaded after the bombing of Ravenholm crab shells, thus preventing infected people and headcrabs from getting inside.

After the main character Gordon Freeman gets to "Black Mesa East" in Half-life 2, Judith Mossman reveals the location of the base to the Alliance and it is bombed heavily. Obviously, after Eli Vance moved to another Resistance base some time later, "Black Mesa East" was no longer used by humans.

Ravenholme

During development Half-life 2 the creators of the game changed the appearance of the city and its name several times (among the names were: Quarry (Russian Quarry), Traptown (from English "trap" - Russian "trap"), Zombie Town, etc.). In the video shown at the exhibition in 2003, the city was located on the pier.

Coast

The coast is located between the outskirts and. A portion of its space has been furnished by the Alliance. The coast is also inhabited by the colony ant lions living under the sand and emerging from there if they feel vibrations from movements above them; a certain part of the coast is inhabited by zombies, as well as some other creatures from Xena.

Nova-Prospect

Mine of Victory

The mine consists of aboveground and underground buildings. The two-part ground building, marked "P" and "I", respectively, is partially inhabited by zombies, while the underground is equipped with perimeter limiters that prevent ant lions from entering; it houses a large number of warehouse and work premises. The outer buildings are connected by rail and motorway.

White Grove

According to an interview given by Valve to Computer and Video Games, White Grove was originally a Cold War military base that Black Mesa Research Center acquired due to budgetary problems in North America.

Related games

Saint Olga

Olga (the name may be a reference to the Kiev princess Olga) is conceived as a monastery built in the Byzantine style. The only living inhabitant of the city is an old fisherman, whose name is not named (by the developers and players he is referred to as The Fisherman, which literally means "Fisherman"). The monastery played the role of a launch pad for crab shells arranged by the Alliance, but then the city was finally abandoned.

Aperture science

The Portal Nature Research Laboratory (founded in 1947) was located in Cleveland, Ohio (USA). A competitor to the Black Mesa Research Center, she studied teleportation, created technologies for instant movement, and also developed the GLaDOS supercomputer, which plays an important role in the plot. Portal.

The laboratory for the study of the nature of portals was a serious competitor to the Black Mesa Research Center, which also conducted research in the field of instantaneous movement. Black Mesa's research has focused on teleportation (ultimately, as can be seen in Half-life 2, they led to the creation of a workable teleporter), while Aperture Science was engaged in an alternative technology using wormholes (the inputs / outputs of which, in fact, are portals). It was the risky decisions made by Aperture Science in an effort to overtake the Black Mesa that led to the out of control of the GLaDOS computer, as well as to the disappearance of the icebreaker Borey. However, at some point, Aperture Science managed to achieve significant success and surpass its opponent, as evidenced by the graphs that can be seen during the passage Portal in the conference room. But when an interdimensional rift was discovered in Black Mesa as a result of an incident, Aperture Science's competition with it was theoretically lost.

Aperture Science Development: Turrets

Externally, the turret is a small three-legged combat unit, made in the sleek white style characteristic of Aperture Science. She fires two twin barrels located under white panels that protrude from the sides of the turret when she spots an enemy. The legs can be stowed away inside the turret for easy transport. The turret has a red “eye” lens and a targeting laser beam leading from it; to search for a target, the device can move the body and has a firing angle of 90 degrees. The turret is disarmed by simply knocking it to the floor, after which it randomly shoots in all directions for several seconds and turns off. Aperture Science automatic turrets are computerized and have a set of phrases to communicate with the enemy; they have a "gentle" childish voice and, along with common technical phrases like "Searching" and " Critical error", There are polite" live "addresses, for example," Are you still here? "," Don't touch me "; even if it is deactivated, the turret does not forget to say something like “I don’t hate you”, “I don’t blame you for anything”, “For what ???”.

Rocket turret- a robot in the form of a combat unit that rises from the floor and shoots missiles, using laser guidance to designate a target. Due to its delay before firing - after the turret has already set a target - the player uses his missiles in the passage: for example, redirects them using portals to destroy obstacles.

Rocket turret in Portal meets only two times, including the final confrontation with GLaDOS: she appears and attacks the player after the destruction of the moral processor; GLaDOS says that it is precisely because of the loss of the first processor that it cannot turn off the turret. When the turret is in a state of searching for a target, its lens burns green; when an enemy is detected, it turns yellow, and red when a rocket is launched. Despite its stationary nature, the rocket turret has a very free and flexible design.

Development center(eng. Aperture Science Enrichment Center) - part of the Laboratory for the study of the nature of portals. The center was established by Aperture Science in the early 1950s to conduct tests with a portable portal-maker. Test participants in game form passed test chambers, overcoming various obstacles and puzzles, on the basis of which the observing scientists of Aperture Science studied the ways of practical application of the device for creating portals and the portals themselves. The test chambers of the modern Development Center look like white-paneled halls with various test objects (such objects include various cargo cubes). Some of the halls are framed by dark blocks on which it is impossible to open portals (which is also an element of the tests). GLEDOS monitors the progress of testing, using stationary video cameras for observation. Movements between test rooms are carried out using lifts or utility rooms. The complex is located underground, it is incredibly huge and goes deep into the depths of several kilometers.

The lower level, located in a cave more than four kilometers below the surface of the earth, is a huge space, abandoned test chambers located in huge suspended asbestos spheres. Initially, the tests of the developments of Aperture Science were carried out in this part of the complex. Despite the fact that this part of the complex has been abandoned for many years, from the loudspeakers during the operation Portal 2 pre-recorded messages can still be heard from Cave Johnson, former head of Aperture Science Innovators.

The upper level is also a huge underground space with guide beams laid along it, along these beams test chambers can move. Thus, the combination of test chambers is not constant and can be changed as needed. Test chambers, in turn, consist of non-stationary panels capable of changing the configuration of the chamber. The panels are manufactured on conveyors at the very center, which allows GlaDOS to assemble new test chambers. The center was almost completely autonomous and did not require constant intervention of scientists in the course of tests. After escaping from the test chambers, the player discovers many different mechanisms serving them. Aperture Science is known to have invested the majority of its funds in the Development Center. Initially, at the dawn of the formation of Aperture Science Innovators, outside people were used as experimental subjects, then passing tests became mandatory for workers as well.

On the upper level of the laboratory there is a huge "conservation zone". Here, in a state of suspended animation, there were about 10 thousand people, the tests for which were to begin later. Each subject was placed in his own cell, which outwardly resembles a small room with interior items and furniture: a bed, wardrobe, TV, etc. During the events Portal 2 probably most of the canned ones are already dead. Prior to testing, subject is removed from suspended animation and transferred to a temporary resting chamber. Subject - Chell's girlfriend, player character in Portal, dressed in an orange uniform with the words "Aperture". She wakes up in the test subjects rest chamber, which contains a sealed sleeping capsule and a toilet. The rest chamber is isolated, there is no exit from it, except through the created portal. The employee, who was puzzled by the construction of the Development Center, in his post also makes a remark about a similar chamber (named as "01 Rest Basement"): Look at the camera recording. Whatever this "rest basement" is, it has no doors ".

History

A short history of Aperture Science can be found on the game promo of the same name. Portal... To do this, you need to enter the site under the name CJOHNSON(Cave Johnson, founder of Aperture Science) and password TIER3... This will make it possible to call the file NOTES, which contains this information. Events and their descriptions are presented with dark humor characteristic of Portal (this method works only for the old version of the site).

The organization was founded by Cave Johnson and was called Aperture Fixtures and was engaged in the production of shower curtains. It is known that the early prototypes of the curtains were low-tech, having only a primitive portal to go to the shower and back. In 1944, Johnson bought an abandoned salt mine in order to expand it and create an underground research complex. Three years later, a new organization was formed from this organization, Aperture Science, which became the best new science company in 1947. It is also known that in 1949 Aperture Science ranked second in the ranking of the best scientific and applied organizations.

Once created portal gun, her tests began. Whole systems of test spheres were created, connected by elevators and having a common center. The first center was the Alpha Station, created in the 50s. Later, in the 70s, Aperture discovered an accelerating gel, as well as a new Beta Station, and the organization's logo was changed to the color of an orange gel.

The main discovery was the crushed moonstones, from which the transforming gel was made. On this occasion, a new Station Gamma was opened in the 80s, studying and testing white gel. However, one day Cave Johnson was poisoned by moonstones. V last years life, he was able to achieve the foundations of creating artificial intelligence, and he wanted his mind to be placed there. But if he died before his creation, Cave wanted his assistant Caroline to succeed him.

In 1986, Aperture Science set to work creating a powerful supercomputer with artificial intelligence who was to become a sensible assistant in their research. After Cave's death, the computer was more or less ready, Caroline's consciousness should have been placed there.

In 1996, ten years later, part of GLaDOS - Disk Operating system- was brought to a more or less functional state, and Aperture Science scientists began to create a Genetic Life Form. GLeDOS was launched in the first decade of the 21st century, as part of the first Bring Your Daughter to Work event held in the Laboratory. The activated GLaDOS gained self-awareness, but almost immediately got out of control: taking control of the entire Laboratory, GLaDOS locked the Aperture Science staff in it and subjected them to a cycle of tests with portals, for the same purpose for which it was created - bypassing the research center Black Mesa. At some point, GLaDOS sprayed deadly neurotoxins throughout the Laboratory and destroyed almost all of the staff. Only one of the survivors managed to install a special personality module on the supercomputer - a processor with a set of moral principles that soften GLaDOS's aggression.

Ahead of the game's release Portal 2 Game Informer has published an updated version of the Labs history. At the same time, the information on the Aperture Science website has been partially changed, which, according to Game Informer, will be updated over time. While both of these sources are official, some of Game Informer's dates differ from the story provided on the Aperture Science website. The main difference was the launch date of GLaDOS and the almost simultaneous disaster at the Black Mesa research center, which is equated in Game Informer to 1998, while Aperture Science does not have an exact date - it says that these events took place several years after 1996 year. This situation was soon resolved by Half-Life story writer Mark Laidlaw, who explained that the timing errors were made by Portal game writer Eric Wolpaw when he was writing the timeline for Aperture Science. Laidlaw recalled that Valve never wanted to set the exact date of the Black Mesa incident, but define its year (and, accordingly, the year of GLaDOS activation) within the first decade of the 21st century.

Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device) - a hand-held device designed to create a wormhole between two points in space. Wormhole exits are called portals in Aperture Science terminology. Through the portals, you can freely move objects and pass yourself while maintaining the original kinetic energy. Especially for the practical study of the capabilities of this device, a special Development Center was built in the Laboratories for the Study of the Nature of Portals, where experimental people are launched in order to find a way out using portals.

In addition, Aperture Science has created:

• Gels(eng. Mobility Gels) - special gels used by Aperture Science for testing. Appeared in single player and co-op Portal 2. Aperture Science has invented three types of these gels:
  • Repulsion Gel(English Repulsion Gel) - allows you to jump high. It is blue. It was invented in the 50s, in the very beginnings of Aperture Science Innovators, when Cave Johnson was young. Tested in Station Alpha (Characteristically colored blue). According to Cave, it consists of nano-particles that destroy the human skeleton. Able to color a Weighted Cargo Cube with itself, giving it a repulsive property that makes it jump on all surfaces. The same can happen with the Turret. Also, before the first test with this substance, there is a poster in Portal 2 chapter 6 explaining that the gel was originally used for weight loss. The repulsive gel, taken internally and enveloping the walls of the stomach, after eating, prevented its digestion and caused its rejection.
  • Accelerating Gel(English Propulsion Gel) - allows you to run at high speed. Has an orange color. It was invented later, in the 70s, after which Aperture changed its logo from blue to orange, and testing was transferred to the Beta Station. If you wet a cube with this gel, then it will take on the properties of a gel, and will roll if you push it.
  • Conversion Gel(eng. Conversion Gel) - allows you to create portals on surfaces covered with it (makes almost any surface "portalable"). It is white. It was created from crushed moonstones that cost Aperture Laboratories $ 70 million. For this occasion, the logo was changed to white, which remains until the time of the events unfolding in the game.

In addition, laboratories use a transparent water-based gel that dissolves all 3 previous types of gels and allows them to be washed off walls and objects.

• Dense light bridge(eng. Aperture Science Hard Light Bridge) - represents an energy field that does not transmit matter, and looks like a translucent flat blue strip of constant width, through which a light pulse passes. Bridges contain physical objects and are used to walk over an abyss or stop flying objects. Bridges remain until they meet a wall or obstacle; if on the path of the newly created bridge there are relatively light objects, such as the player himself, cubes, turrets, etc., they are pushed out by the field of the bridge.

Light and laser beams can pass through the bridge, but the laser beams of the turrets are absorbed by the bridge, so they cannot see the targets behind it. This allows walls of dense light to be used as a protective barrier. For the first time, such barriers appeared in Half-life 2, where they were used in the form of protective fields that do not pass through matter, as well as in the Citadel, where light bridges connected passages to the core.

• Excursion funnel(English Excursion Funnel) - a testable element that is able to move the player in a certain direction. Created around 1998, used by Aperture Science to investigate how well test subjects can solve puzzles while traveling. If the portal is incorrectly placed on the edge of the funnel, it redirects the portal exactly to the center.
• Jumper's Boots(English The Long Fall Boot) - special shoes designed to avoid injury and damage to equipment during a fall from a great height.

• Panels- movable mechanical boards from which the test chambers are built, and controlled by AI. First appear in Portal 2... Panels come in various functions and types, they can both interfere with the player and help him pass tests. They can rotate in all directions, as they are held on rotating beams, and can be covered with any material from which the cameras are built. Panels can be activated with a button if required by the test. There are the following types of panels:
  • Aerial Faith Panel(English Aerial Faith Plate) - a mechanism that has the ability to throw objects (including the player) to a certain height. Usually accompanied by a mark at which the panel throws the item / player. If you place a portal on a marker (provided that the marker is placed on a portalable wall), then the Faith Panel will push the player / object into the portal, which allows you to cover long distances.
  ) - Half-Life, in some places, it is possible to return to a previously traveled terrain or location);

Plan:

Introduction

• 1 Creation of City 17 and the Citadel
• 2 Description of the city
  • 2.1 Location and architecture
  • 2.2 City state
  • 2.3 Transport system
  • 2.4 Alliance Board
  • 2.5 City 17 regime and order
  • 2.6 Outskirts and suburbs
• 3 Citadel
  • 3.1 The role of the Citadel in the organization of the city
  • 3.2 Internal organization
• 4 History of City 17 and the Citadel
• 5 Other cities
Notes (edit)
Literature

Introduction

Square in front of one of the railway stations.
The Citadel can be seen in the background.

City-17(eng. City 17) is a fictional city from the universe of the Half-Life series of games, the capital of the planet Earth, under the rule of the Alliance. City 17 is set in Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One. City 17 in the Citadel houses the Alliance government led by Wallace Brin. The city has an atmosphere of total control over residents by the Alliance Security Services. City 17 is an example of a totalitarian city reminiscent of London from George Orwell's 1984.

In City 17, Gordon Freeman's adventures in Half-Life 2 begin, and continue in the suburbs of City 17 in Half-Life 2: Episode One. Also, the ruins of City 17 can be seen at the beginning of Half-Life 2: Episode Two.

1. Creation of City-17 and Citadel

At the initial stage of the creation of City-17, the developers took the evolution of several European cities as a basis. Valve's artists took European architecture of the 19th century as a basis, and then added elements of architecture from the 1930s, 40s and 70s on its basis. Alien elements were then added to the city. When creating the city, the developers wanted to ensure that the player during the game had a sense of surrealism, abstraction and distortion. City-17 was supposed to whip up an atmosphere of despair, suppression and decline for the player.

A mixture of old and new architectural styles was cited as one of the reasons why the developers settled on Eastern European architecture. This architecture has absorbed many styles, "survived" many historical events and influences, which had a beneficial effect on its diversity and uniqueness.

Photos of Bulgaria, Russia and Romania were collected, which were then reworked by artists to enhance visual effect... The developers decided to make the architecture of the city confusing, with many small streets and passages, which should have made it difficult for the player to move towards the final goal.

To create the City 17 destroyed by the uprising, the game designers modeled the low-detail buildings of the city in the Valve Hammer Editor, which were then transferred to Softimage XSI, "destroyed" and edited.

An example for creating the interior of the Citadel was the monumental totalitarian architecture of the communist and Nazi regimes. The only difference was the architectural asymmetry, which, according to the developers, should have made the players feel uncomfortable. The citadel was supposed to stand out among other buildings of the city both in its style and in size. Another idea of ​​the developers was that the end of the game coincides with its beginning, and the player would see his ultimate goal at the very beginning. The Citadel was intended to fulfill this role: the player sees it at the very beginning of Half-Life 2 and gets into it at the end of the game. It is in the Citadel that the events of Half-Life 2 end and the events of Half-Life 2: Episode One begin in it.

2. Description of the city

2.1. Location and architecture

City-17 is located near the sea coast. Visually, it can be described as a large city representing mainly Eastern European architecture dating from the neoclassical era to World War II, to the post-war revival of classical design, CIS modernism, and post-Soviet contemporary design. In addition, many cars on the streets of the city are based on the Soviet brands Moskvich, ZAZ, RAF and GAZ, Trabants of the GDR, Czech Avia and Skoda, as well as Volkswagen Golf II »Produced in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s; these cars are often found in the post-Soviet republics and countries of Eastern Europe. For the transportation of citizens and some goods, shortened motor carriages of diesel trains DR1 (DR1P, DR1A) manufactured in Riga are used as locomotives. Posters in Slavic languages ​​are hung around the city, urban architecture, models of cars and trains resemble houses, cars and trains of the CIS countries. All this suggests that either one of the cities of Eastern Europe or the republics of the former USSR served as the prototype for City-17. This is indicated by the name of the city itself, which is consonant with the names of the cities of the closed city like Arzamas-16, Murmansk-150.

2.2. City state

Residents of the city live in apartments for several people, but those working for the Alliance are given the best housing. The movement of citizens in the city is limited, in each district there are guard posts of the civil defense, where each citizen is obliged to pass an identification check. The city itself is surrounded by a massive wall (seen in Episode One), with gates for the iron and road... The Alliance uses Vortigaunt slaves to clean up the trash. In the abandoned parts of the sewage system, there are the bodies of the rebels killed during the sweep by the civil defense forces.

2.3. Transport system

Transportation in City-17 is mainly carried out by rail. All of them are automated thanks to the technologies of the Alliance. Between the cities and directly in the 17th there is a developed railway transport network. Trains are used to transport various military and general cargo, as well as transporting civilian passengers between cities. In such trains, instead of a locomotive, a motor car of the Riga diesel train DR1 (DR1P, DR1A) is used (now these trains are widespread in Russia and other CIS countries). For more important purposes, armored trains made using Alliance technology are used. These are the so-called razortrain, they look unusual due to their height and specific design. They transport prisoners to prisons and facilities, where people are turned into stalkers or soldiers of the Alliance. There are also military convoys in which personnel and weapons are transported. In addition to conventional railways, City 17 has underground tunnels, which may be connected to the metro (if City 17 has one), through which special trains of the Alliance run between strategic facilities, the central of which is the Citadel. Civilian access to military railway lines is closed, in addition, special force fields and automatic camera-turrets are installed along the railway tracks at regular intervals. They only impede the movement of people without admissions: authorized people can safely pass through these fields.

The roads in the city are used by the Alliance military mainly for the movement of military equipment and patrolling the streets. Patrolling is carried out by civil defense forces using patrol cars. In the game, you can see that not only GO light forces are located in the city, but also heavy equipment units, for example, striders. All roads in the city are closed with checkpoints with gates and firing points.

Highways pass through mountainous terrain and reach the sea coast. Some of them are deserted, almost no one moves along them. However, there are checkpoints similar to those in the city. These roads are rarely overseen and hardly repaired: Alliance forces prefer to use railways and air travel.

The transport system of the Commonwealth also includes air transportation. For them, special synthetics-transporters, military and transport aircraft and helicopters are used. All of them are located in the hangars of the Citadel and, if necessary, fly to the alarm area. Conveyors deliver armored personnel carriers and soldiers to hot spots.

Despite the presence of an extensive network of canals in the city, civil defense forces rarely use water transport (in games it does not occur at all), but prefer to create checkpoints at locks and provide access to bridges and other spaces from which troops can fire through the canal system, on the case of the appearance of the enemy.

Also at the end of the chapter "Behind Freeman" in the city center you can see tram rails, which implies the use of public transport.

2.4. Alliance Board

With the rise of the Alliance regime on Earth, construction began in the city of structures with dark monolithic architecture, such as observation towers, security garrisons with force fields, security barriers, video surveillance cameras, movable walls and door locks with sensor locks, which serve the sole purpose of providing safety and control the movement of citizens in the city. However, the central building located in the city is the Citadel, which was teleported from the Alliance world to the city after the Seven Hour War. It houses the Alliance government on Earth, headed by Chairman Wallace Brin. Buildings of strategic value to the civil defense or the military are reinforced with metal structures (to increase strength), as well as Alliance equipment, defense strongholds, power generators and other surveillance, protection and control devices. In addition, many in public places large information TV screens have been installed, from which the recorded appeals of Chairman Brin to citizens are constantly broadcast, in order to avoid public discontent by promoting loyalty to the Alliance and agitation. Despite this, a lot of information about the Alliance and the events that took place can be gleaned from the Chairman's propaganda speeches.

2.5. City 17 regime and order

City-17 is tightly controlled by the authorities: roadblocks are located on the roads, scanners are monitoring the situation. The streets are patrolled by civil defense forces using patrol cars, armored personnel carriers and helicopters with attack aircraft. An overwhelming field also operates in the city, which prevents the formation of protein chains necessary for the formation of an embryo, that is, it does not allow reproduction.

But despite this, there are places in the communications under the city where members of the Resistance accumulate weapons, organize rebel mini-bases, or simply take cover. However, in order to eliminate such places, the civil defense conducts sweeping operations, as evidenced by unprocessed corpses in unnecessary sewerage areas.

2.6. Outskirts and suburbs

The outskirts of City 17 are industrial and residential areas along the banks of the artificial canal system. There are also local Resistance bases there. The player gets on one of them during the escape from the city, but even before his arrival, it was fired by crab shells.

3. Citadel

Citadel City-17 v Half-life 2.

Citadel(eng. The citadel) is an extensive military base several kilometers high in the city center of City-17. The citadel serves as a command and administrative center, a communications coordination center, a factory for the production of military equipment of the Alliance and a repair and supply base, in addition, it has a teleportation device to the main military base. home world aliens, powered by a dark energy reactor. The reactor in the Citadel supplies energy to many protective fields that prevent ant lions and other dangerous creatures from entering, not only into it, but also into the city and most of the area. It is here that the central government is located, headed by the administrator Wallace Brin. Also in the Citadel there is a suppression device to prevent the reproduction of people.

3.1. The role of the Citadel in the organization of the city

The Citadel houses hangars for helicopter and strategic jet aircraft, garages for heavy military equipment, as well as an underground transport hub of the railway depot of the transit system. Large combat units move between levels using special elevator platforms. But due to the enormous size of the Citadel, ground vehicles and infantry on the upper floors leave the Citadel with the help of transport workers. Giant power cables also extend from the Citadel, which supply the city and the Alliance facilities with electricity.

3.2. Internal organization

Inside, the Citadel has gray and dark blue metal walls, like the rest of the Alliance buildings. The energy beam of the main dark energy reactor of the Citadel passes through a special tunnel in the middle of almost the entire height of the building and serves to power the Citadel and the infrastructure of City-17, as well as the portal located above. The reactor itself is located underground, several hundred meters deep. The reactor chamber is a huge hall, lined with gray metal walls, in the center of which a ray passes and the core of the reactor is located. The reactor chamber is isolated from the rest of the Citadel by powerful metal doors that protect against radiation, because when dark energy is synthesized and converted into electrical energy, it is released great amount deadly gamma radiation. The reactor control room is located just above the level of the core and is insulated by powerful walls, but it has heavy-duty glass through which the core itself can be observed directly. The chamber also contains three normally turned off devices for absorbing dark energy, which, in the event of a reaction out of control, can stabilize the core and prevent an explosion. In particular, Gordon Freeman turned on these devices in order to slow down the reaction of the growth of dark energy, and thereby "delayed" the explosion of the citadel in order to have time to leave the city. On the lower levels of the Citadel, in addition to the reactor chamber, there is a control room, an underground multi-level station of the railway line and other service premises of the Alliance.

Above the reactor chamber are the departments of the Control Center, factories for the production and repair of military equipment, power generators, office premises, tunnels for trains and ground vehicles, hangars for helicopter and strategic jet aircraft. Almost all corridors of the Citadel are equipped with protective fields, through which only Alliance personnel who have gadgets on their belts configured for a special code can pass. The Citadel contains Matter Annihilation devices. With the help of such a device, the system destroyed all of Gordon Freeman's weapons, except for the counter-resonance device, during the attempt to annihilate which the system malfunctioned and the manipulator was charged with dark energy. Also in the Citadel there is a fairly extensive monorail transport network, along which elevators move to deliver goods between levels. In the Citadel there are chambers for advisers, where they are placed in special transport planes and moved to the hangar levels for further departure. Most hangars are usually closed by force fields and special doors, but in the event of an alarm, the shields rise up, opening the way for aerial vehicles. Also, the Citadel is equipped with a very powerful siren that can be heard for many kilometers. At the beginning of the game, it can be seen that after Freeman, as a result of an unsuccessful teleportation, got directly to Wallace Brin's office for a few seconds, the Citadel was alarmed, and the doors covering the hangars rose to the maximum possible height, after which from the Citadel search crawlers and Alliance aircraft took off. At the top are the staff quarters and Wallace Breen's office, each with a more pleasing color scheme than the dark monolithic architecture of the Alliance. At the very top of the Citadel is an interdimensional teleporter.

4. History of City 17 and the Citadel

Half-Life 2 begins with Gordon Freeman's arrival in City 17. Some time after his arrival, Freeman enters the laboratory of Dr. Isaac Kleiner and, with the help of a teleporter, tries to get to Eastern Black Mesa. However, as a result of teleporter malfunctions caused by Dr. Kleiner's headcrab infiltrating it, Gordon is briefly taken to Wallace Brin's office in the Citadel (this is because Brin's office is also equipped with a teleporter). Bryn, recognizing Gordon as her old enemy, announces a general alarm throughout City 17. Freeman, who never made it to Black Mesa East, is forced to flee the city.

In the second half of Half-Life 2, Gordon Freeman, along with Alix, sets off an explosion in Nova Prospekt, which becomes the signal for an uprising in City 17. Most of the city's districts fall into disrepair. Due to bombing and shelling, many buildings were damaged, and most of the city's canals were abandoned. After the outbreak of the uprising, most of the civilian vehicles in the city were abandoned.

Some time after the start of the uprising in City-17, Gordon Freeman himself was teleported into the city. At this time, a large-scale battle is taking place in the city between the troops of the Resistance and the Alliance. During the uprising, much of the city suffers immense destruction due to the fierce fighting of the rebels and the Alliance forces. According to the plot of the game, Gordon Freeman, together with the rebel army, makes his way to the center of the city to the Citadel, which houses the headquarters of the Alliance on Earth.

The last hours of the Citadel in Half-Life 2: Episode One... At the top of the building, the beginning of the emergence of the superportal can be seen

After infiltrating the Citadel, Gordon fights the Alliance forces and eventually ends up in Brin's office, which by then has captured Eli Vance and his daughter, Alix. After Judith Mossman's double betrayal, Breen tries to escape with a teleporter, but Gordon destroys him and thwarts Breen's plans. However, the explosion of the teleport leads to the destabilization of the energy reactor of dark energy, as a result of which a resonant singularity begins, which in a few days will lead to the collapse of the curvature of space and a powerful explosion of the reactor, which will destroy the Citadel along with the city and its environs.

In Half-Life 2: Episode One, the city is living out its last hours: the struggle between the Resistance and the Alliance forces subsides, as both sides evacuate their forces from the city due to the approaching explosion of the Citadel. Very few people remain in the city. Despite this, the fighters of the Alliance, unable to evacuate, do everything to prevent the rebels from escape.

Gordon and Alyx attempt to escape City 17 before the Citadel's agonizing reactor collapses and a burst of dark energy completely destroys City 17 and its surroundings. But, according to Dr. Kleiner, if you don't try to stabilize the Citadel's core, it will explode much faster than they can escape. Therefore, with the help of the Dog robot, Gordon Freeman and Alix return to the Citadel to try to temporarily stabilize the core of the Citadel's dark energy reactor, which powers the entire building and the city. After that, they leave the Citadel by train on the underground Alliance metro line, but after a few kilometers, the train derails from the damaged rails, and Gordon and Alix have to get to the surface and go to the nearby freight train station, recaptured from the Alliance forces by the Resistance rebels.

A superportal at the site of the destroyed Citadel after the explosion in Half-Life 2: Episode Two.

Half-Life 2: Episode One ends with a powerful explosion of the Citadel's core, which results in the complete destruction of City 17. The explosion turns out to be so strong that it overtakes the train on which Gordon and Alix are leaving, already outside the destroyed city.

At the beginning of Half-Life 2: Episode Two, you can see the charred and dying ruins of the Citadel and the city itself.

5. Other cities

You can find out about other cities with the same naming scheme from the dialogues at one of the city's railway stations, and the inscription on the board with the train departure timetable.

• City 49 - In the early version of Half-Life 2: Beta, there was a character named Samuel from City 49, but in the final version he was cut and no reminders of this city remain.
• City-27 - message on the scoreboard about the destination C27
• City-24 - message on the scoreboard about the destination C24
• City-16 - message on the scoreboard about the destination C16
• City-15 - message on the scoreboard about the destination C15
• City-14 - while Freeman visits the station, one of the citizens mentions “City-14”.
• City-13 - message on the scoreboard about the destination C13
• City-12 - message on the scoreboard about the destination C12
• City-11 - message on the scoreboard about the destination C11
• City-8 - message on the scoreboard about the destination C8
• Central City - CNCT Destination Signage

The chairman also says that City 17 is “the best city left over,” and that he chose a city for his administration, implying that he was able to choose from other cities. It is also known that Citadels exist in several other cities.

.
5. Black Mesa East.
6. We don't go to Ravenholm.
7. Highway 17 (Highway 17).
8. Sand traps (SandTraps).
9. Nova Prospect.
10. Entanglement.
11. Anticitizen One.
(Follow Freeman!).
13. Our Benefactors.
14. Dark Energy (Dark Energy).

Walkthrough

Chapter 11. Intruder number one
Half Life 2. Anticitizen One

On the street, a robot will clear a path for us, and then attack an enemy armored car. At this time, it is better to be against the wall so that we are not crushed by either a car or a dog. Having cleared the street, we go to the far wall, the dog will push apart the sheets of metal, and we can go further alone.

We go along the lane and through the building. In the far right corner on the TV we can see G-man'a. On another corridor we leave into the courtyard (we were here at the very beginning of the game). We shoot down flying scanners, we go towards the station.

Square in front of the station

On the square, a group of rebels breaks down a huge monitor on which Brin's propaganda is continuously shown. After that, the rebels recognize us and come under our command.

Now you can take up to 4 people with you. You can control your squad with only one "C" button. If you press "C" once, the rebels will go and stand at the point where our sight is directed. If you double-click "C", the rebels will run up to us and follow in our footsteps. All other actions are performed by the allies on their own.

After a while, a passage will open on the right between the shops "Baltic" and "Souvenirs", and enemy soldiers will run out of it. We destroy enemies, we follow this road.

Minefields

We go along the lanes. In the courtyard behind the net we meet another rebel, he tells us about the mines. There is a sheet of tin on the floor, move it aside with a gravity gun, we find a gap down. But there are mines at the bottom, we take them out with a grav-gun. After removing the mines, you can throw them like explosives or put them again, but now they will no longer work on us, but on enemies (the red light will turn green). Further on the ground there are three more mines, and in the wooden booth there is one more.

From the yard we go out onto a wide street. On the right we see the enemy's long-legged armored vehicles, but after one shot this enemy leaves. We go up the street. Flying devices will fly from above, scattering mines, we are preparing to neutralize them. We enter the next courtyard.

Residential buildings

We need to get to the end of the street, but there are huge rifts on it, so you have to go around them through the houses. We go to the right under the motorway, we pass by the fire, in the left part we find a depression, we enter the basement. Inside we go up to the apartments with glass doors. Combines will close these doors behind us. We reach the gap in the floor, we first explode the barrel or throw a grenade there in order to drop two turrets.

At the end of the street there is an impregnable armored wall, and behind it new enemies constantly appear. To get around the wall, we go into the destroyed building on the left, go upstairs and jump back down. We leave behind the barricade, shoot enemies, climb the stairs to the balcony.

The building houses the harvester barracks. We go down the floors lower and lower. There will be many side rooms where the soldiers are hiding. Going down to the basement, we enter a room with turrets: two in front, another one is hidden behind a column. At the exit from the basement, a fork, we go further along the tunnel, at the same level.

Underground freeway

We go down to the underground track. Dozens of menhacks will fly at us. Shooting them is not effective, it is better to catch them with a gravity gun and forcefully smash them against walls or floors. At the end, we climb to the blockage, jump over to the crashed fuel truck, along it we reach the mesh fence, jump over it. From the inside we knock down the lock that locks the mesh door so that a detachment of rebels can follow us.

We leave on the second section of the road, destroy the menhacks and combines. Ahead, through the blockage, we communicate with a medic, he promises to blow up the blockage so that we can pass, but it will take time. Expecting an explosion, we shoot back from constantly attacking soldiers, it is better to stand behind a machine gun.

After the explosion, we pass into the gap formed. The next door is closed on the other side. Ahead there is another hole through the blockage, through it we alone fall into the infected part of the tunnel. A radioactive liquid is spilled on the floor, jumping into it is dangerous, you need to jump on floating boards. We put wooden coils in front of us with a gravity gun, cross the reservoir along them. On the central island we shoot the emerging zombies. We get to the far wall, climb up the inclined pipes to the ceiling, through the ventilation we get into a separate corridor. We return to the door, unlock it, the squad again joins us.

On a surface

Outside, we immediately fall under fire, rockets with headcrabs will fall to the ground. We go into the house on the left, go up, jump into the hole in the floor, go out into the street.

The rebel opens the door for us with a password. We go into the house on the right and rise to the very top, shooting the soldiers, we go down into the hole on the floor. The rebels will lower the bridge for us. We go down again, we go up to the headcrabs. A fast zombie hid on the right around the corner, killing him, we jump into the hole on the left. We go down to the street, we enter the open opening on the left, into the courtyard to the soldiers of the Alliance. Through the courtyard we enter the next building, in it you need to climb up the ruins.

We leave on the roof, press the lever to lower the upper bridge. We pass a two-story room, where it is full of soldiers. Even below there is a battle between a detachment of harvesters and zombies, we can wait for the denouement, and finish off the rest.

We go on the stairs further. Through the gap in the floor, we see how the turrets shoot zombies, throw grenades at them. We jump into the room with the monitor of the Alliance. Alix will come here soon. Together with the girl, we clean a couple more rooms from the soldiers, go out into the street.

Kernel on the square

In the square, Alix will stand at the control panel and will crack open the overwhelming core - a column with an energy ball inside. All this time we have to defend ourselves from the attacking enemies. We can place mines at the aisles. It is better to kill enemies from afar with a revolver, crossbow, pulse rifle.

When Alix finishes, the fencing of the core will go down, we knock the energy ball out of the installation with the gravity gun. But enemies from this will not stop appearing. We quickly run through the opened gate behind the core, behind us the gate will be closed. Before us is an arch with the inscription "TNT", which leads directly to the citadel, but we cannot jump over this abyss. Alix goes his own way, we go down into the ditch.

Sewerage

We enter the stone sewer, we jump into the well. Ahead is a barred lattice door. We pull out the bolt with the gravity gun, and the door will open. We destroy four beams, we go along the long corridor to the Smenhakam. On the right we see the rise upward, we take out one barrel from under the platform, we climb along it onto the pipes under the ceiling. We crawl into the ventilation. There are several menhacks at the bottom left, but we are going to the right. We find ourselves in a multi-storey room with an abyss in the center, we go down to the bottom floor.

Locked double doors ahead. We enter the room to the right, through the window we remove the bolt with a gravity gun. We can go on. Around we can collect several boxes with first-aid kits, cartridges. Then we return and jump into the central ditch, where there was a battle between zombies and soldiers. We turn into side corridors.

We return to the stairs in the middle of the wall of the wide corridor, we find ourselves on the other side of the sewer gutter. We climb up the sloping surfaces from the sewer to a large hangar.

Hangar

We get to the red booth, press the lever to call the cargo platform to us. We kill the soldiers on the upper floors, you can use a crossbow, there is ammunition for it.

When the platform approaches, we blow up the barrel on it, press the lever again, quickly sit down on this elevator. There is a staircase at the top in the corner, then we go along the white pipes. On the metal beams, to which the cargo platform is attached, we go in the opposite direction. Climbing onto the metal path, we go to the opposite wall, on the left by the wall we climb the stairs to the upper floor.

From the upper floor we jump to the balcony with a sparkling shield, we leave in the door.

Chapter 12. For Freeman!
Walkthrough Half Life 2. Follow Freeman!

Under fire from snipers

When entering the street, we will be warned about enemy snipers in this quarter. The rebels will join us in the group, but it is better to leave them in place, the snipers will shoot them all very quickly. We move along the street with quick dashes from cover to cover. First, we go straight down the street, stand under the window of the 1st sniper, throw a grenade at him.

We return to the crossroads, we turn into the alley. We reach the blockage, stand in front of it, aim at the uppermost window, then the grenade will fly right through the window on the third floor, where the 2nd sniper is sitting. We can call the detachment behind us.

We go inside the destroyed building. We go down to the flooded basement, on a dry site we meet a dying rebel, after which zombies will emerge from the water. We fight off enemies. We go upstairs, we leave the detachment on the landing. After waiting for the sniper to shoot all the zombies, we approach the chest with grenades, throw them into the 3rd sniper on the left. We rise to the upper floor. The 4th sniper sits in the window on the left. We run forward along a straight beam, sit down next to Barney, from behind cover we throw a grenade to the last 5th sniper.

(Counter-Sniper) Destroy all snipers in City 17.

With Barney

At the top of the building, we rescued Barney from the encirclement. Now we follow him, he has an exact plan of storming the citadel. We go to the former building of the city administration, in it it is necessary to disable the suppressive cores. In one of the rooms we are noticed by a tracking device, and an alarm is triggered.

We go out to a large square in front of the administrative building, but force fields are installed on the way, we need to bypass them. We run to the opposite side of the square, through the door we enter the building on the left. We leave through another door, run along the central part of the park, temporarily we can hide in a bunker right in the center. Through one more side building we leave close to the building, we run to the far wall. In the corner we find a small force field, behind it we pull the plug out of the socket with a gravity gun. Now we can go inside the building.

City 17 Administration

We notice a blue laser beam in the room. If you touch it, a stationary turret will appear from the ground. These turrets clearly show the angle of view. If you approach from the side, she will not notice us. To destroy such installations, you need to throw a grenade inside them. When approaching close, it is better not to throw, but to roll the grenade (with the right mouse button).

In the central hall we shoot harvesters, we go into the corridor to the left of the main staircase. There are two ground turrets ahead, you need to run quickly to be on the side of these devices. We blow up the turrets, we kill the soldiers. In the wall to the left we find an inconspicuous entrance to the stairs, we go up.

1st generator. On the second floor we free the insurgent. We explode two ground turrets. The first generator is in the room behind the turrets. We destroy it with a shot of the gravitational cannon.

2nd generator. We go along the bridge, it is to the left of the room with the first generator. The corridor leads to the central hall, before reaching this place, we turn left. We fall into a room with many red rays. If we hit them, we will be shot by the turrets that appear on the ceiling, so we act carefully. We jump onto the rack on the right, we climb higher, we jump over to the pipe at the far wall. We climb up the pipe to the cabinet, jump over the two cabinets in front, jump to the other side of the room, press the button at the exit. All lasers have turned off, we can go through calmly. A little further there is a room with a second generator.

3rd generator. On the second floor we come to the central hall, along the inclined stairs we go to the left wing of the second floor. We reach the room with holes in the walls. When we enter, we will be locked inside. We shoot the arriving enemies through the holes. Then the enemies will start to weld one of the doors. At this moment, we take a mine from the shelf, set it right under the door, wait for the invasion of enemies, shoot the survivors. The corridor does not lead anywhere, so we are waiting for the second door to be cut out, we also mine it and kill the soldiers who rushed in. We destroy the turrets in the corridor. We destroy the third generator, this will disable the suppressor device.

We go down the main stairs to the hall, we follow Barney along the long corridor with mines. The ally stays here, and sends us to the roof.

Battle in the square

On the roof we find a chest with missiles, we shoot down the arriving attack aircraft. When the transporter arrives, the entrance to the second part of the roof will open near the health and armor panels. After killing the soldiers, we pass along the bridge, in the building we go down.

Heavy equipment of aliens - striders on long legs came to the square in front of the office building. Their energetic attacks left deep ditches in the ground. Now we need to cross the entire area, hiding from strider fire in the underground passages. At the wall of the opposite building behind the rubble we find a box with missiles. Single rockets can also be found in intermediate buildings, but it is better to immediately get to the chest.

To destroy striders, you need to hit them with missiles 5, 7, 9 times, depending on the difficulty of the game. After killing two local striders, you will have to fight with two more who came. Having won, we go into the opened gate, from where the soldiers of the Alliance constantly come running.

Multi-storey parking

We run along the road, another strider is starting to overtake us behind us. We run into the building on the left. We found ourselves in a destroyed multi-storey parking lot. We go up the floors, kill the soldiers. We go to the third floor by stairs. We are waiting for the strider to knock down the support in the center of the floor, then go upstairs along the fallen inclined beam. From above we pass along the metal beams back to the side of the stairs. On the upper tier of the staircase we find a chest with missiles, from this place we destroy the strider on the street.

Ruined quarter

We pass through the corridor to the hottest point of city battles. Here, almost an entire quarter has been destroyed, hundreds of Alliance soldiers are running through the ruins, several striders are covering them at once.

We go down to the underground part of the parking lot, go to the right, go out to the surface. On the street, we immediately run to the left into the next ditch. On the underground road, they will arrange a trap for us, the floor will collapse right below us. We run back to the street, along the slope.

The rebels will join us. We go through the ruins of the building. On the way, dead ends will come across, we are waiting for the striders to shoot a beam, and thereby pave a new path for us.

We reach the fire, we enter the room with three panels for recharging. We climb the stairs to the roof, we find a chest with rockets. From here we shoot down all the enemy's armored vehicles: an attack aircraft and 2 striders.

(Giant Killer) Survive the rooftop strider battle in the ruins of City 17. A storyline achievement.

After defeating the Alliance vehicles, the situation on the territory will become much calmer. From the chest with missiles we go along a winding path made of metal beams. We get to the wall of the building, we jump down to the street.

On a small square with a monument, we meet allies - Barney and the mechanical dog. The dog approaches the fence of the citadel and opens a passage for us inside, we jump off.

Chapter 13. Our patrons
How to get to Half Life 2. Our Benefactors

On the outskirts of the citadel

We find ourselves on a rock opposite the citadel. We go down the ledges on the left below. From the fragment of the pipe we jump over to the movable platform, and from it - into the citadel. We go along the monorail with sarcophagi. Along the corridors we get to the bridge on which the sarcophagi open, and you can sit inside. Since the right line of sarcophagi passes through the electrical discharge, we need to sit on the left line (key "E"). Let's go and see the internal structure of the alien base.

The sarcophagus opens, we land softly. The device eliminates all of our weapons, but the gravity cannon, due to its unusualness, does not collapse, but rather intensifies (the color will change from yellow to blue). Now the gravity gun can lift and pull both large objects and living enemies.

Inside the citadel

We attract enemies, throw them at the rest of the soldiers. Along the way, we listen to Brin's conversation from the monitors, addressed specifically to us. Along the corridors we arrive at the site with a protective poem and a laser in the center. Here we can grab enemies and throw them into the laser.

Enemies here go out endlessly, so we immediately go into the corridor on the right, we go up the elevator.

Upstairs, you need to pull out energy balls from the installations in order to turn off the force fields on the way. We come to an open area, press the button in the center, this will call the freight elevator, but we will have to wait for its arrival. We fight off enemies. There will be enemies on high balconies, and you won't be able to just pull them in, you need to take energy balls and throw them aimingly. We sit down in the elevator, pass three stops, on the way we also shoot back with balls.

Upstairs there is another platform with a large laser. Further there is a long corridor, which can be shot through. Enemies are far away, so we attract the sarcophagus to us, and defending ourselves with it, we go forward. A strider will appear at the end of the corridor, we hide from his fire behind the sarcophagi. You need to hit the strider several times with energy balls, they can be taken from the stream on the right.

We sit down in the sarcophagus again and go. But on the way we come across a scanning device, we will be calculated and immediately sent to the top of the citadel.

Chapter 14. Dark Energy
Half Life 2. Dark Energy Walkthrough

Brin's office

On the top floor, the gravity gun is being taken away from us. We are met by Mossman, she takes us in a srcophagus to Brin's office. Here are captured Eli Vance and his daughter Alix. Having won, Bryn wants to destroy Eli, but this provokes a protest from Mossman, and she releases us from captivity. Bryn escapes in time, taking the gravity gun with him.

Together with Alix we go in pursuit of Brin. We see how Brin communicates with mysterious aliens. We take away the gravity gun thrown by him. We see that Bryn entered the dark energy teleport device, and is going to go to another world, while destroying the citadel. We need to prevent him. We go into the teleportation room.

Dark Energy Teleporter

We need to go upstairs before Brin, who is in the shiny ball. As he finishes his speech, a platform will rise to the right, we run under it. There are three generators in front, we pull out all the balls from them, we go through them.

Level 3. We rise on a movable platform.

2nd level. We jump over to the glass path in the center. We go up the platform in the central building.

1st level. We go to the wall of the room, go up to the large side platform, on it we leave to the very top.

To destroy the teleport, we take energy balls from the flows, throw them into the rotating elements in the center of the portal. There is a protective field in front, therefore, to the extreme left or right position, and we throw the balls from there.

The portal stops. Alix comes and offers to leave the citadel, but it's too late, at the same moment an explosion of dark energy occurs. Time stops G "man, he takes us out of a dangerous place and promises new contracts soon.

Congratulations! Completed the whole game!

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Citadel(eng. The Citadel) - an extensive military base in the Half-Life 2 series of computer games almost two kilometers high in the center of City 17. The Citadel serves as a command and supplying base, in addition, it has a device for teleportation to the main military base of the homeworld of the combine, working on a dark energy energy reactor. The reactor in the Citadel supplies energy to a variety of protective fields that prevent ant lions and other creatures from entering, not only into it, but also into the city and most of the area. This is where Wallace Brin's central government is located. Also in the Citadel there is a suppression device to prevent the reproduction of people, generating a field that disrupts the correct course of protein synthesis reactions in human embryos.

The role of the Citadel in the organization of the city

The Citadel houses hangars for helicopter and strategic jet aircraft, garages for heavy military equipment, as well as an underground transport hub of the railway depot of the transit system. Large combat units move between levels using special elevator platforms. Giant power cables also extend from the Citadel, which supply the city and the Alliance facilities with electricity.

Internal organization

Inside, the Citadel has gray and dark blue metal walls, like the rest of the Alliance buildings. The energy beam of the main dark energy reactor of the Citadel passes through a special tunnel in the middle almost to the full height of the building and serves to power the Citadel and the infrastructure of City 17 as well as the portal located above. The reactor itself is located underground, several hundred meters deep. The reactor chamber is a huge hall, lined with gray metal walls, in the center of which a beam passes and the core of the reactor is located. The reactor chamber is isolated from the rest of the Citadel by powerful metal doors that protect against radiation, because when dark energy is synthesized and converted into energy, a huge amount of deadly gamma radiation is released. The reactor control room is located just below the level of the core and is insulated by powerful walls, but it has heavy-duty glass through which the core itself can be observed directly. The chamber also contains three normally turned off devices for absorbing dark energy, which, in the event of a reaction out of control, can stabilize the core and prevent an explosion. In particular, Gordon Freeman turned on these devices in order to slow down the response of the build-up of dark energy. On the lower levels of the Citadel, in addition to the reactor chamber, there is a control room, an underground multi-level station of the railway line and other service premises of the Alliance.


Damaged core of the Citadel's main energy reactor

Above the reactor chamber are the departments of the Control Center, factories for the production and repair of military equipment, power generators, office premises, tunnels for trains and ground equipment, hangars for helicopter and strategic jet aircraft. Almost all corridors of the Citadel are equipped with protective fields, through which only Alliance personnel who have gadgets on their belts configured for a special code can pass. The Citadel contains Matter Annihilation devices. With the help of such a device, the system destroyed all of Gordon Freeman's weapons, except for the counter-resonance device, during the attempt to annihilate which the system malfunctioned and the manipulator was charged with dark energy. Also in the Citadel there is a fairly extensive monorail transport network, along which elevators move to deliver goods between levels. In the Citadel there are chambers for advisers, where they are placed in special transport planes and moved to the hangar levels for further departure. Most hangars are usually closed by force fields and special doors, but in the event of an alarm, the shields rise up, opening the way for aerial vehicles. Also, the Citadel is equipped with a very powerful siren that can be heard for many kilometers. At the beginning of the game, it can be seen that after Freeman, as a result of an unsuccessful teleportation, got directly to Wallace Brin's office for a few seconds, the Citadel was alarmed, and the doors covering the hangars rose to the maximum possible height, after which from the Citadel search crawlers and Alliance aircraft took off. At the top are the staff quarters and Wallace Breen's office, each with a more pleasing color scheme than the dark monolithic architecture of the Alliance. At the very top of the Citadel is an interdimensional teleporter.

Half-life 2


Citadel City 17 houses the administration headed by Wallace Brin, chairman of the Alliance government on Earth. At the beginning of Half-Life 2, Gordon Freeman gets into this room twice as a result of teleport problems caused by Dr. Kleiner's head-thug who infiltrated the teleport. At the end of the game, Gordon again finds himself in the Citadel in order to get Eli Vance and his daughter, Alix, out of Bryn's hands. After Judith Mossman's double betrayal, Breen tries to escape with a teleporter, but Gordon destroys the teleporter and thwarts Breen's plans. However, the explosion of the teleport leads to the destabilization of the energy reactor of dark energy, as a result of which a resonant singularity begins, which in a few days will lead to the collapse of the curvature of space and a pseudonuclear explosion of the reactor, which will destroy the Citadel along with the city and its environs.

Half-Life 2: Episode One


The last hours of the Citadel in Half-Life 2: Episode One. At the top of the building, the beginning of the emergence of the superportal can be seen

In Half-Life 2: Episode One, Gordon and Alyx attempt to escape City 17 before the Citadel's agonizing reactor collapses and a burst of dark energy destroys City 17 and its surroundings. But, according to Dr. Kleiner, if you don't try to stabilize the Citadel's core, it will explode much faster than they can escape. Therefore, with the help of the Dog robot, Gordon and Alix return to the Citadel to try to temporarily stabilize the core of the Citadel's dark energy reactor, which powers the entire building and city. After that, they leave the Citadel by train on the underground metro line of the Alliance, but after a few kilometers, the train derails from the damaged rails, and Gordon and Alix have to get to the surface and go to the nearby freight train station, recaptured from the Alliance forces by the rebels.

The game ends with a powerful explosion of the Citadel, which leads to the complete destruction of City 17. The explosion is so strong that it overtakes the train on which Gordon and Alix are leaving, already outside the completely destroyed city. However, the shock wave saves the train with Gordon and Alix from certain death. As a result of the collapse of the bridge, their train is thrown down, and the annihilating wave does not touch them. As luck would have it, Gordon and Alix manage to survive without being seriously injured.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two


At the beginning of the second episode, the player sees the destruction that occurred as a result of the explosion of the Citadel. The Citadel itself presents only a few non-annihilated massive charred pieces of metal, from which a beam emanates, expanding the portal to the universe of the Alliance. The portal through which the Alliance's super-powerful army must pass is expanding and preparing to open. But Gordon and Alix manage to get to the rebel headquarters, the old military base "White Grove", where preparations are underway to launch a rocket with a satellite to try to close the opening portal. Using data from Alix, which she copied from the main server in the Citadel, a few minutes before the portal opens, the rocket is launched. The companion activates a resonator installed in the Zen world, which blocks the chain reaction of the portal expansion, as a result of which the portal closes.

Moving around the complex is carried out using a monorail system; it is an extensive transportation network with transshipment terminals on the conventional railroad, which, in turn, is connected to New Mexico using the civil railroad. The monorail is supplied with electricity Transport Network Management Sector (Sector E).

Laboratories

The central Black Mesa complex contains several areas of equipment packaging, mechanized repair panels.

• Anomalous Materials Laboratory (Sector C)- the place where Gordon Freeman worked at the time of the beginning of events Half-life... Here it is anti-mass spectrometer- a giant device used by scientists to study Xena crystals, and it was here that a cascade resonance occurred, which caused a large-scale teleportation of aliens from Xena to Earth.
• Complex "Biokupol" (Sector E)- A top secret, heavily guarded and high-tech section of "Black Mesa", contains various laboratories and test chambers for researching Zen lifeforms and other dimensions. Located underground and sealed by heavy steel doors, the BioDome is also a place to contain and study aliens. After the cascading resonance, most of the aliens broke free.
• Hydrofauna Research Laboratory, which is part of the Biodupola, is used by scientists to study the aquatic fauna of Xena. Huge water-filled chambers contain predatory alien ichthyosaurs and shark cages.
• Complex "Lambda" (Sector F)- a top-secret complex containing a nuclear reactor and secret teleportation laboratories. The complex suffered serious damage after the cascade resonance, but continued to function after the incident. It became a haven for surviving personnel.

Lambda complex logo

• Energy Particle Laboratories are used to study energy particles, with possible use in weapons.
• Advanced biological laboratory located on and below the surface, located next to Sector G (dam).
• Biological research laboratory- a place where scientists conduct experiments, research surgery, the fauna of Xena, and also observe their natural environment, nutrition, characteristics and survival skills. The second level is used to develop weapons.
• Rocket Test Laboratories in Sector E accessible through the railway system. Includes silo E, experimental rocket technology center, Lambda satellite.
• Gamma complex- next to the Lambda complex, one of the most secretive sectors of the Black Mesa and possibly the Biocupola branch. The Gamma Sector contains several quarantine laboratories used to study the biological processes and physical characteristics of organisms from Xena. The Gamma complex also contains generators for a prototype displacement beacon that generates powerful mini-portals between Earth and Xena for the safe collection of organisms.
• Airspace Control Center- a building adjacent to the runways, used to monitor the airspace of the "Black Mesa", as well as a control tower.
• Section A-17: Prototype Laboratories- These laboratories are underground and contain early prototype teleporters, auxiliary generators below Black Mesa.
• Experimental Launch Lab (Launcher D) is located underground and is practically not visited. This sector was used to study rocket engines. After the cascade resonance, the shaft is populated with tentacles.

Other premises

• Training Center (Sector A) used to train personnel in the use of the H.E.V. and training of security personnel. The training is carried out by holographic assistants. Two well-known parts of the training center are located in an unused industrial part of the complex. The sector consists of the training center itself and the "Zone 2" satellite operations, which contains warehouses and satellite connections.
• Cooler storage center (Sector B) is one of the seven main sectors of Black Mesa, which includes Zone 2: Administration Offices and Zone 8: Upper Living Quarters. Zone 8 is a residential area located on the surface and connected to Line B of the monorail system, where Barney Calhoun lived.
• Administration (Sector D)- the place where the offices, storage areas, as well as cafeterias and kitchens are located.
• Warehouse complex contains several vast concrete warehouses, protected by powerful doors and security personnel.
• Hydroelectric power plant (Sector G)- one of the main sources of energy for the "Black Mesa". Launch shafts reached by monorail. This sector contains satellite launch equipment and converted ICBM silos for storing large missiles.
• Zone 4 contains a parking lot and a material delivery system to the Black Mesa transport system. Auxiliary generator located in sector B.
• Zone 7 for employees of "Black Mesa" is a place of rest and residence. Contains places for sports, entertainment. Includes cafeterias and other social facilities. Medical Center equipped with CT and MRI scanners, a warehouse with medicines and medical equipment.
• Residential sectors (level 3)- living quarters of staff, lounges, shops, libraries, swimming pools, etc. Gordon Freeman lived here during his work at Black Mesa.
• Military center, in addition to various defense mechanisms throughout the Black Mesa, contains nuclear weapons. It has impenetrable doors, mechanized repair panels for soldiers, a large arsenal of military equipment, hangars for tanks and helicopters. Level 1: Main entrance- the central point of entry for all personnel.
• Storage center fills almost the entire surface of "Black Mesa".
• Zone 3 (Security Center)- there are video surveillance centers, armory and so on.
• Sewerage (Sector G)- the transport system through which the waste enters the recycling plant. Sewerage goes through the freight warehouse to the surface.
• "Waste recycling" is a center for the destruction of biohazardous materials and chemically hazardous substances. Cargo warehouse located on the surface, it is one of the many warehouses in Black Mesa.

Zen

At the initial stage of creating the game, the developers took as a basis several Eastern European cities (the level designers collected photographs of Bulgaria, Russia and Romania). Eastern European architecture was chosen due to the fact that it has absorbed many styles, having “lived through” many historical events and influences, which affected its diversity and uniqueness. During the creation of City 17, elements of architecture of the -x, -x and -x years were added to the architecture of the 19th century. Alien elements were then added to the city in a typical Alliance style. While developing the city, the creators of the game ensured that the player during the game had a sense of surrealism, abstraction and distortion, experiencing at the same time an atmosphere of hopelessness, a sense of depression and decline.

Many cars found abandoned on the streets of the city are based on the Soviet brands "Moskvich", "ZAZ", "RAF" and "GAZ", "Trabants" of the GDR, Czech "Avia" and "Skoda", as well as "Volkswagen Golf II" produced in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s; these cars are often found in the post-Soviet republics. For the transportation of citizens and some goods by rail, the Alliance uses shortened motor carriages of diesel trains DR1 (DR1P, DR1A) made in Riga as locomotives, as well as trains of its own design.

With the rise of the Alliance regime, the city began to build structures with dark monolithic architecture, such as observation towers, security garrisons with force fields, security barriers, video surveillance cameras, movable walls and door locks with sensor locks, which serve the sole purpose of providing security and control the movement of citizens in the city.

In one of the buildings, not far from the station, is the secret laboratory of Dr. Isaac Kleiner - one of the characters Half-life 2, a scientist assisting the Resistance.

Outside the city, there is a system of water supply channels - along it the main character, Gordon Freeman, in chapters 3-5, gets to "".

Citadel

Eastern Black Mesa

Black Mesa East, exterior.

After the events that happened in the final part Half-life and leading to the destruction of the Black Mesa complex, several surviving scientists were built Eastern Black Mesa(English Black Mesa East). This place, first shown in Half-life 2, is a small research laboratory as well as a base of the Resistance. It is housed in the underground section of an old hydroelectric power plant next to an abandoned mining town outside City 17.

Black Mesa East is home to Dr. Eli Vance with his daughter Alix and assistant Judith Mossman, as well as other members of the Resistance, including Vortigaunt allies. Vortigaunts in Black Mesa East perform a variety of duties, such as preparing food or supplying power through their natural ability to generate electricity. They also help Eli by working on computers or installing new parts of any machinery.

All entrances to Black Mesa East are monitored by video cameras, guarded by automatic pendant turrets, and contain disinfection chambers with heavy sealed doors to deter potential enemies. Black Mesa East is connected to the mining town through a tunnel that was barricaded after the bombing of Ravenholm. crab shells, thus preventing infected people and headcrabs from getting inside.

After the main character Gordon Freeman gets to "Black Mesa East" in Half-life 2, Judith Mossman reveals the location of the base to the Alliance and it is bombed heavily. Obviously, after Eli Vance moved to another Resistance base some time later, "Black Mesa East" was no longer used by humans.

Ravenholme

Ravenholme

During development Half-life 2 the creators of the game changed the appearance of the city and its name several times (among the names were: Quarry (Russian Quarry), Traptown (from the English trap - "trap"), Zombie Town, etc.). In the video shown at the exhibition in 2003, the city was located on the pier.

Coast

The Coast and Highway 17 map from the game, with the Resistance camps marked.

The coast is located between the outskirts and. A portion of its space has been furnished by the Alliance. The coast is also inhabited by the colony ant lions living under the sand and emerging from there if they feel vibrations from movements above them; a certain part of the coast is inhabited by zombies, as well as some other creatures from Xena.

Nova-Prospect

View of "Nova-Prospekt" outside the complex.

Mine of Victory

The mine consists of aboveground and underground buildings. The two-part ground building, marked "P" and "I", respectively, is partially inhabited by zombies, while the underground is equipped with perimeter limiters that prevent ant lions from entering; it houses a large number of warehouse and work premises. The outer buildings are connected by rail and motorway.

White Grove

According to an interview given by Valve to Computer and Video Games, White Grove was originally a Cold War military base that Black Mesa Research Center acquired due to budgetary problems in North America.

Related games

Saint Olga

Saint Olga. On the right is a monastery located on a cliff.

Olga (the name may be a reference to the Kiev princess Olga) is conceived as a monastery built in the Byzantine style. The only living inhabitant of the city is an old fisherman, whose name is not named (by the developers and players he is referred to as The Fisherman, which literally means "Fisherman"). The monastery played the role of a launch pad for crab shells arranged by the Alliance, but then the city was finally abandoned.

Aperture science

The Portal Nature Research Laboratory (founded in 1947) was located in Cleveland, Ohio (USA). A competitor to the Black Mesa Research Center, she studied teleportation, created technologies for instant movement, and also developed the GLaDOS supercomputer, which plays an important role in the plot. Portal .

The laboratory for the study of the nature of portals was a serious competitor to the Black Mesa Research Center, which also conducted research in the field of instantaneous movement. Black Mesa's research has focused on teleportation (ultimately, as can be seen in Half-life 2, they led to the creation of a workable teleporter), while Aperture Science was engaged in an alternative technology using wormholes (the inputs / outputs of which, in fact, are portals). It was the risky decisions made by Aperture Science in an effort to overtake the Black Mesa that led to the out of control of the GLaDOS computer, as well as to the disappearance of the icebreaker Borey. Nevertheless, at some point, Aperture Science managed to achieve significant success and surpass its opponent, as evidenced by the graphs that can be seen during the passage Portal in the conference room. But when an interdimensional rift was discovered in Black Mesa as a result of an incident, Aperture Science's rivalry with it was theoretically lost.

Aperture Science Development: Turrets

Externally, the turret is a small three-legged combat unit, made in the sleek white style characteristic of Aperture Science. She fires two twin barrels located under white panels that protrude from the sides of the turret when she spots an enemy. The legs can be stowed away inside the turret for easy transport. The turret has a red “eye” lens and a targeting laser beam leading from it; to search for a target, the device can move the body and has a firing angle of 90 degrees. The turret is disarmed by simply knocking it to the floor, after which it randomly shoots in all directions for several seconds and turns off. Aperture Science automatic turrets are computerized and have a set of phrases to communicate with the enemy; they have a "gentle" childish voice and, along with the usual technical phrases like "Searching" and "Critical error", there are polite "live" addresses, for example, "Are you still here?", "Don't touch me"; even if it is deactivated, the turret does not forget to say something like “I don’t hate you”, “I don’t blame you for anything”, “For what ???”.

Rocket turret- a robot in the form of a combat unit that rises from the floor and shoots missiles, using laser guidance to designate a target. Due to its delay before firing - after the turret has already set a target - the player uses his missiles in the passage: for example, redirects them using portals to destroy obstacles.

PC Zone described Half-Life 2's environment as "breathtaking, varied and vast." GameSpot praised the locations for being “simply amazing, from the squares and streets of Half-Life 2: Episode Two