Half-Life 2 original storyline



This article describes the Half-Life 2 original journey taken by Gordon in the very first versions of Half-Life 2 and includes every concepts and ideas cut before 2003 (the year Half-Life 2 was leaked and was already quite similar to the final product).

At this point, Breen was only known as the "Consul", Alyx was the daughter of Captain Vance, and Eli was Eli Maxwell and was not related to Alyx, among other things.

Style


While the playable Beta leaked in 2003 is quite similar to the retail product and already heavily trimmed, this earlier period of development of the game shows a quite different style. At this point, City 17 was more like an American East Coast city, with a lot of skyscrapers, and had a very basic fps design. It was more faithful to the concept art seen in Raising the Bar: darker, gothic, sinister, rainy, foggy, gritty, with a lot of brick, metal and glass, getting along well with the cut concept of the Combine replacing the air with poisonous gas and draining the oceans. It was therefore a much more Orwellian universe (even though the final product is still quite Orwellian) even with touches of Cyberpunk style, in the vein of the book/film 1984 or other films such as Dark City or City of Lost Children.

The Combine was rather using and recycling the existent human materials and buildings, instead of adding their own technology to them. This is why, for instance, the early Citadel had its walls covered with tiles.

During the timespan leading to the 2003 leak, the team added more periods, such as the 30's, the 40's and the 70's, to finally get to a more Eastern post-Communist style we see in the retail version of the game, with older and smaller buildings. The Ravenholm levels are a reminiscence to the original style, even though the American East Coast-style skyscrapers were all removed.

Note that not all the concepts were not present in the development process at the same time, since the game had still a very rough, work-in-progress state.

The original journey of Gordon Freeman
This is the original path taken by Gordon, based on information taken from the book Raising the Bar, the leaked Beta and the leaked WC mappack, which contains maps from the early stages of development (c. 2000) to 2003.



Train Ride
Gordon is waken by the G-Man who shows him bits of what happened during the last 10 years, but without telling much. Gordon then finds himself on the Wasteland Train and encounters Samuel, a citizen who tells him some things about his life and gives him some hints about what is going on. He also gives him a spare gas mask, as the air is not always very breathable.

The train ride allows the player to view the wastelands outside City 17, with ruins, wrecks, Houndeyes, Bullsquids, and other unknown fauna. Another train is seen being attacked by a Gargantua, but the monster is destroyed by the heavy engine.

The Wasteland Train then proceeds inside the city, first through Old City, ruined, and New City, more hi-tech and heavily isolated from the wasteland. Creatures can be seen killing themselves on the barricades. The train arrives at the station, and Cremators can be seen cleaning around the train Bullsquids or Headcrabs that managed to get inside the perimeter.

Notable info about its use in retail

Heavily trimmed. Samuel has been removed but its face was recycled as a simple Citizen and for Counter Strike: Source.



Trainstation
Arrived at the train station, Gordon meets Barney, who works undercover as a Metrocop. Gordon must join Kleiner's lab on foot.

Notable info about its use in retail

Overall the same.



Terminal - Trainstation Plaza
Gordon starts his journey on foot to Kleiner's Lab. He gets to see the overall atmosphere of the inner city.

Notable info about its use in retail

Overall the same.

Residential
Gordon proceeds through apartment buildings.

Notable info about its use in retail

Overall the same.



Entertainment- Commercial / Manhack Arcade
In a entertainment/commercial area where City 17's civilian life was to be shown, Gordon discovers the Manhack Arcade, an entertainment place where citizens play video games consisting in controlling Manhacks into the streets and killing fugitive citizens, ignoring that the Manhacks they are controlling are real and are actually killing on the streets.

Notable info about its use in retail

Completely removed, as the developers didn't find it very fun, even if it sounded good on paper.



Combine Factories
Gordon is in an industrial part of the city, with noisy factories filled with citizens working and passing through in all directions, watched by Metrocops and Combots. Workers consist of adults but also children. Gordon discovers the Child Factory, where children are building Cremators. He also discovers the Vorti-Cells, used as stations siphoning power from trapped Vortigaunts (although it is likely that they could be found everywhere in the city). Gordon then proceeds through sewers to finally reach Kleiner's lab.

According to Raising the Bar, a "stenographer's chasm" was an attempt to create a nightmarish environment, but gameplay was again an issue.

Notable info about its use in retail

Completely removed. As the concept of human reproduction being disabled by a Combine suppressor field evolving, children finally got cut with the whole area, as long with the Cremator, also very close to this early universe style. It was also easier to avoid censorship issues in many countries and not restrain the game to an older audience by removing all children.

Although some ideas sounded good on paper, the developers found themselves unable to find a satisfying gameplay for this area. Like the Manhack Arcade, this area didn't have a purpose strong enough to be kept.



Kleiner's Lab
Gordon reaches at last Kleiner's lab where he is introduced to [Kleiner]]'s teleport. Not much is known about what happens. Probably like in the retail version of the game, the teleportation fails and Gordon must flee on foot. Kleiner is also much older.

Notable info about its use in retail

Almost similar to the retail, except that the latter is a reduced version of the original WC mappack map, which contains the original teleport in another, bigger room. The developers might have thought that everything could perfectly fit in one single, smaller room.



Consul Plaza
Gordon arrives at the Consul Plaza, where stands a huge white statue of the Consul. He leaves City 17 through the sewers.

Notable info about its use in retail

Completely removed.



Sewers / Canals
Gordon leaves City 17 on foot with a jetski or an airboat, according to the original concepts. He encounters Hydras on his way. The place is also filled with Barnacles, Headcrabs and Bullsquids. Alyx probably shows up at some point.

Notable info about its use in retail

It was supposed to be much bigger and longer and was heavily trimmed, even though a lot was kept.



Scrapyard / Eli's Lab
Gordon reaches the end of the canals, and is finally outside the city. He encounters Eli Maxwell and Dog in Eli's lab, inside a cave located near a quarry. Eli shows Gordon a slideshow of what happened during the last 10 years, including the loss of his leg. He also gives him the physics manipulator.

Notable info about its use in retail

Eli's lab was transformed into a real underground building, the scrapyard being kept only for playing fetch with Dog and the Gravity Gun. Then Eli Maxwell was merged with Captain Vance to become Eli Vance.



Quarry - Quarrytown - Traptown - Phystown - Zombie Town
If Eli's lab was supposed to be attacked like in retail, Gordon might flee to the yet unnamed industrial town filled with zombies and traps set by the mad monk. At some point he would use a vehicle called the "digger" to proceed through mines and destroy a Combine Big Momma Pod laying headcrabs to clear the way.

Then he is given the buggy somehow and proceeds through the wasteland.

Notable info about its use in retail

Was of course kept as the Ravenholm levels, although it is unknown if the zombie town was already called that way at this stage of development. Merged with the cut Antlion caves, the mines were more explored in Episode Two.

Highway
Gordon proceeds through the wasteland with the buggy and follows the railway on a highway (and we don't really know why). He is attacked by Antlions, Combine Soldiers, Rollermines and Gunships on his way. He is supposed to meet Alyx somewhere around there, most likely in the Depot, like in the retail.

He might get to tame the Antlions, or not, but we know for sure Gordon visits their caves.

An early concept had Gordon taking the train that crashes at some point of the journey. He is then met by Alyx and her pet alien Skitch. There they are attacked by Combine Elite soldiers and Striders.

Notable info about its use in retail

Was originally much bigger, more desolate, and with more shipwrecks. Merged with the unexploited mines from Quarrytown, the Antlions caves were taken back for Episode Two (the Antlion Grub model was also made very early).



Depot / Prison - Gulag
After a battle with a Gunship from the top of a nearby lighthouse, Gordon gets into a Combine train depot, simply called the Depot, through the basement of the lighthouse. The Depot is built on an unnamed old prison where Gordon fights Combine soldiers, with the aid of Antlions (it is unknown if they were already supposed to be friendly to Gordon - but likely). He then discovers the Gunship Bays, where Gunships are built. Antlions attack, fuel tanks explode and the whole place is engulfed in flames. Then Gordon goes into the Depot itself through the cargo conveyor and proceeds to the Air Exchange on foot (we don't know why he has to go into the Depot itself - probably not for the same reason as in retail).

Gordon meets Alyx in this chapter, probably not before the end (so probably in the Depot itself). She might leave at some point after that, since it's likely that Gordon is alone with Odell on the Borealis.

Notable info about its use in retail

This chapter grew and grew from a stopping-off point along the way to the longest level of the game. Most of the area and the depot model was kept, except for the lighthouse (recycled earlier in the coast levels) and the Gunship Bays (recycled in the Citadel levels). Also, the finished maps were set during daytime, while at sunset and then overnight in retail. The sun was originally supposed to set in the next chapter, the Air Exchange.



Air Exchange - AirEx - Air Conditioner
Arrived at the Air Exchange, a Combine facility replacing the air by noxious, murky gases with its main reactor, Gordon must reach the top of the highest tower, battle a Gunship and then jump into a pool of industrial solvents at its base. He then must go inside the main reactor of the facility, protected and operated by Stalkers, and sabotage its core, making the Air Exchange completely nonoperational and triggering the human uprising in City 17. Gordon then reaches the shore on foot.

Notable info about its use in retail

Completely removed. Blowing up the AirEx to trigger the uprising was merged with the Depot levels to make the Nova Prospekt levels; reaching the top of the highest tower and blowing up the core of the whole facility was recycled in the Citadel levels, as long with the factory-like themes.



Arctic Regions
Arrived at the shore, Gordon meets with Odell, former engineer of the Borealis, and proceeds to the Arctic regions on a tugboat.



The Borealis - Hyperborea
Arrived on the site of the Borealis, stranded in the ice, Gordon and Odell visit the ship filled with the corpses of the original crew members, Stalkers, zombies, tanks containing Combine Assassins (probably in stasis) and Combine soldiers. Odell and Gordon leave the ship with a small submarine and proceed to the nearby Kraken Base.

Notable info about its use in retail

Completely removed, but taken back for Episode Two and most likely Episode Three.



Kraken Base
Gordon and Odell reach Kraken Base and encounter Doctor Elaine Mossman. Kraken Base is an underground rebel scientific base located beneath the ice. It is unknown what happens there and what happens to Odell and Mossman. It is likely that some battle takes place, according to the overheard distress call sent from Kraken Base to the Borealis. Gordon leaves, on foot, and reaches the Combine Weather Control.

Notable info about its use in retail

Completely removed, but most likely taken back for Episode Three, still with Mossman to be met there.



Weather Control
This section of the game involves a massive scale attack on the Weather Control, a massive dome that drained Earth of its oxygen.

Gordon meets there Captain Vance, Alyx's father and one of the few surviving military leaders. A assault is led there by Vance and his Conscripts, Gordon and Alyx joining the fight. They are attacked by Combine Soldiers and "mechs" (probably the early term for the Synth). Alyx whereabouts before this chapter are unknown.

Notable info about its use in retail

Completely removed. A similar battle might take place at the end of Episode Three, but it is unknown if the Weather Control will be brought back.

Flight of the C-130
Gordon and Alyx go back to City 17 with a C-130 that crashes into a skyscraper. It is likely that the plane consisted in a static model seen before and after the journey. Some parts of the journey might have been seen with inside views of the plane.

Notable info about its use in retail

Completely removed.

Skyscraper - Vertigo - Palace
So the C-130 craches into the skyscraper housing a museum and probably a hotel/palace. Alyx is hurt and Gordon must find her father, Captain Vance. Therefore he joins the Conscripts through the rooftops in the fight of the ongoing uprising.

Notable info about its use in retail

Completely removed. The high tower concept became redundant with the Air Exchange and was therefore also recycled in the Citadel levels. Its outdoor destroyed concrete levels were re-used in the City 17 underground in Episode One, where Gordon and Alyx are fighting Antlions and Gordon must find cars to block the Antlion holes.



Rooftops
Gordon fights with the Conscripts on the rooftops at the foot of the skyscraper.

Notable info about its use in retail

Completely removed. Most of the retail battle occurs on the ground.



Street Wars
Gordon is now on ground level and continues the fight with the Conscripts. At some point, Gordon manages to join Vance's headquarters. Among others, they fight Striders with tanks.

Notable info about its use in retail

The overall concept was kept, except for Vance's headquarters.

Consul Plaza
The battle continues. Gordon is back at the Consul Plaza and proceeds to the Citadel.

Notable info about its use in retail

Completely removed.



The Citadel
Gordon proceeds through the Citadel to finally confront the Consul in his office at the top of the Citadel. The outcome might be the Consul being defeated and Gordon surviving somehow. The original fate of Alyx, Eli Maxwell and Captain Vance are unknown.

Notable info about its use in retail

The design was heavily changed and has a much more alien look, the concept of the Combine recycling human material having been dropped.