Why are combine soldiers and civil protection never seen together?

[Alcoholic]

I know this is a stupid question, but look at this. In anticitizen one, when you protect alyx while she opens the gates, the CP unit will come above the balcony. This is the last metrocop in half life 2 and the dropships and combine soldiers wont come until you kill him. Even in episode 1 at the end, if you dont kill an entire CP team which are trying to board on one of the trains, combine soldiers wont come.
I know they both units have separate jobs, but this doesnt make any sence.
If you take a look at leaked 2003 build, you can see on some maps that combine soldiers and metrocops have joined forces and together attack citizens and gordon.
So is this an oversight by valve, or there is something else?

[Sovereign]

Originally posted by ☢︎Zorga:

I know this is a stupid question, but look at this. In anticitizen one, when you protect alyx while she opens the gates, the CP unit will come above the balcony. This is the last metrocop in half life 2 and the dropships and combine soldiers wont come until you kill him. Even in episode 1 at the end, if you dont kill an entire CP team which are trying to board on one of the trains, combine soldiers wont come.
I know they both units have separate jobs, but this doesnt make any sence.
If you take a look at leaked 2003 build, you can see on some maps that combine soldiers and metrocops have joined forces and together attack citizens and gordon.
So is this an oversight by valve, or there is something else?

There is no given reason, they just tend to operate separately since they are under different commands, one law enforcement, the other military.

[Alcoholic]

Originally posted by Sovereign:

Originally posted by ☢︎Zorga:

I know this is a stupid question, but look at this. In anticitizen one, when you protect alyx while she opens the gates, the CP unit will come above the balcony. This is the last metrocop in half life 2 and the dropships and combine soldiers wont come until you kill him. Even in episode 1 at the end, if you dont kill an entire CP team which are trying to board on one of the trains, combine soldiers wont come.
I know they both units have separate jobs, but this doesnt make any sence.
If you take a look at leaked 2003 build, you can see on some maps that combine soldiers and metrocops have joined forces and together attack citizens and gordon.
So is this an oversight by valve, or there is something else?

There is no given reason, they just tend to operate separately since they are under different commands, one law enforcement, the other military.

I see...

[coolman552]

maybe
just
maybe


just
just

maybe


you know just a possibility





















like a tiny bit of possibility in the bottom



















maybe not everything you judge in the game needs to have some 9 layer tie to some plot or gameplay point

[Ghidrah1]

Maybe it has something to do with distance from the city

[Alcoholic]

Originally posted by GAMER WORD:

maybe
just
maybe


just
just

maybe


you know just a possibility





















like a tiny bit of possibility in the bottom



















maybe not everything you judge in the game needs to have some 9 layer tie to some plot or gameplay point

Well hell, how do I know...

[Robbie738]

I imagine they simply have different jurisdictions. Civil protection units are partly made up of civilian volunteers; in exchange for service they get better living conditions.

I imagine they wouldn't want to risk dissent by sending free-thinking humans up against their own kind.

Also you're much less likely to believe you're living in a utopian society if you know that places like Ravenholme exist.

[Alcoholic]

Originally posted by Robbie Hall:

I imagine they simply have different jurisdictions. Civil protection units are partly made up of civilian volunteers; in exchange for service they get better living conditions.

I imagine they wouldn't want to risk dissent by sending free-thinking humans up against their own kind.

Also you're much less likely to believe you're living in a utopian society if you know that places like Ravenholme exist.

You are right. Not even CP zombies are encountered

[Ghidrah1]

hence my statement on distance from the city

[Robbie738]

Originally posted by Ghidrah1:

hence my statement on distance from the city

The whole area you are in during hl2 is City 17. CP units are located in urban landscapes; populated by civilians. Hence, in hl2 ep 1 (minor spoilers) you are trying to escape City 17.

[Ghidrah1]

Absolutely 1st time I recall seeing combine troopers is on the tracks outside of Ravenholm a smidge before Highway 17. If that ain’t outside the city what is?

[Alcoholic]

Originally posted by Ghidrah1:

Absolutely 1st time I recall seeing combine troopers is on the tracks outside of Ravenholm a smidge before Highway 17. If that ain’t outside the city what is?

Alright but how do you explain the end of anticitizen one chapter and the end of ep1?

[Ghidrah1]

Well for starters, "Total Chaos" has erupted around City 17; a human revolt is beginning and closing in on the Citadel. If you were combine and in this situation what would you do?

1. Well they’re only stupid crushed humanity what can they do? Pass me a nirken of Gloggenthroid I’m thirsty.
2. Hey Moe release the mechs, Snerlingnerlaourous grab the big eyes I wanna watch this from the rails.

Or

3. Aw crap call the larva things, send an alert all hands on deck kill everything!

[Robbie738]

Originally posted by Ghidrah1:

Absolutely 1st time I recall seeing combine troopers is on the tracks outside of Ravenholm a smidge before Highway 17. If that ain’t outside the city what is?

White Forest.

[Robbie738]

Originally posted by Ghidrah1:

Well for starters, "Total Chaos" has erupted around City 17; a human revolt is beginning and closing in on the Citadel. If you were combine and in this situation what would you do?

1. Well they’re only stupid crushed humanity what can they do? Pass me a nirken of Gloggenthroid I’m thirsty.
2. Hey Moe release the mechs, Snerlingnerlaourous grab the big eyes I wanna watch this from the rails.

Or

3. Aw crap call the larva things, send an alert all hands on deck kill everything!

The Combine's militia is, as you would expect, severely overstated. A (if not the) key to running a fascist system is overstating your own power, especially as the Combine arrived from Xen with only a fraction of their forces.

No government has the means to stay in power if its people stand up for themselves. A government is, by definition, a fraction of the populace.

Hence in ep 2 they destroy the Citadel as a last-ditch effort to bring in reinforcements so they can quell the rebellion and restore 'order'.

That also explains why they built the Citadel as their main and sole base of operations.

They lacked the resources to construct multiple functioning bases, so they picked a good spot and made it look as imposing as possible. (To their credit, they did a pretty good job)

[Sovereign]

Originally posted by Robbie Hall:

Originally posted by Ghidrah1:

Well for starters, "Total Chaos" has erupted around City 17; a human revolt is beginning and closing in on the Citadel. If you were combine and in this situation what would you do?

1. Well they’re only stupid crushed humanity what can they do? Pass me a nirken of Gloggenthroid I’m thirsty.
2. Hey Moe release the mechs, Snerlingnerlaourous grab the big eyes I wanna watch this from the rails.

Or

3. Aw crap call the larva things, send an alert all hands on deck kill everything!

The Combine's militia is, as you would expect, severely overstated. A key to running a fascist system is overstating your own power; no government has the means to stay in power if it's people stand up for themselves. A government is, by definition, a fraction of the populus. The Combine arrived from Xen with only a small fraction of their forces.

Hence in ep 2 they destroy the Citadel as a last-ditch effort to bring in reinforcements so they can quell the rebellion and restore 'order'.

That also explains why they built the Citadel as their main and sole base of operations.

They lacked the resources to construct multiple functioning bases, so they picked a good spot and made it look as imposing as possible.

The Combine didn’t come from Xen (nothing “comes” from Xen) they come from universes beyond and there isn’t only one citadel but dozens all over Earth, they were teleported here during the invasion where they acted both as bases and invasion transports.

The reason the Combine Earth garrison isn’t very strong (relatively) is because it’s just a small occupying force left behind by the main force to maintain order and oversee Earth assimilation.