Can Someone please clarify the ending to me?

[Epictet]

Hey.
So Alyx travels in the futur to save her father.
And the G-MAN captures her at that moment , during the even of HL2 ep 2.

But he still showed her the futur. She saw her father getting killed.
So, why does she behave like nothing happened during HL2 and its episodes?

And what happened after she met the G-MAN?
Did he make her forget their encounter or something?

[E3kHatena]

I consider this as if the GMan operates on our time, not the in-game time, so HLA would take place *after* HL2Ep2 with that in mind. He's created a new branch of the Half-Life Timeline, where Eli lives and Alyx is gone, and the end of HLA is set in that, which is separate from the timeline where the opposite happens in HL2Ep2.

[Daddy Shark]

It's pretty open-ended as of now. I assume they have some sort of master plan for the franchise. There's a few ways it could go.

If the same timeline was altered by Gman (maybe why he was reluctant to do so, that's a big ask of anyone), then that means Alyx already knew all of this beforehand, and the whole time we knew her in HL2 she kept this knowledge a secret for some reason or another.

It could be that Gman has spawned an entirely new timeline. That would go with Half-Life's overarching theme of string theory playing prominently through the series. In this case there's now two realities - the one we know from HL2E2 and the new one we now know from Alyx.

[IanL]

I rationalised it in pretty much the same way.

The G-Man disappointed with how the existing HL2 timeline plays out places himself back before the events of HL2 allowing himself to be captured (creating the bait) and subsequently rescued by Alyx who he is now focused on using to aid his agenda (whatever that may be), as he no longer sees Gordon as reliable. This does indeed create a new timeline culminating in the Alyx ending rather than the HL2Ep2 one. Both remarkably similar but subtly changed.

[Epictet]

Me brains hurts

[Daddy Shark]

My theory is that the Borealis holds more than just a portal gun. . . it holds a device capable of portaling through to other alternate realities. Such a device would put humans on equal footing as the Combine.

[SiEgE]

Originally posted by Epictet:

Hey.
So Alyx travels in the futur to save her father.
And the G-MAN captures her at that moment , during the even of HL2 ep 2.

But he still showed her the futur. She saw her father getting killed.
So, why does she behave like nothing happened during HL2 and its episodes?

And what happened after she met the G-MAN?
Did he make her forget their encounter or something?

There are 2 timelines. The HL2:EP2 one, and the HL:A one. G-MAN "cut into" the HL2:EP2 timeline, making it end at the moment of Eli's supposed death, and leaving it as a lingering matter, that, from now on, haunts the HL:A timeline.
From now on, HL:A timeline is the core timeline, with certain "consequences" from HL2:EP2 timeline, practically making Alyx duo-exist(being with Gordon throughout HL2 and episodes), and at the same time, another, younger Alyx being stuck in G-MANs stasis(As we know from HL1-HL2 transition, stasis also prevents aging).

The Alyx at the hangar that killed the Advisor was that young Alyx, fresh out of stasis. She is not aware who Gordon is, and was not part of the anti-combine rebellion(HL2), didn't have her father stolen by Doctor Breen(HL2), wasn't at the citadel(HL2:EP1) and didn't help Gordon to find his way back to White Forest(HL2:EP2).

Whatever we're getting in HL3/HL:A2 - will tell a story of Gordon going around without Alyx/with the YOUNG Alyx, who don't know much about him and having no memory of what happened in the other timeline. Or, it'll be a story of Alyx now suddenly being "in the future", where she will be helping Gordon to "drive combines off Earth", still having not much clues who he is.

[EFS3]

They put something in the water to make you forget....

[Sham!]

hl:a doesnt have the same writer as the first games, simple as
the new crew probably didnt pay much attention to the original plot and timeline and simply went with whatever they felt like, or at least that's what they did for the first draft

then some senior members had to be called back to fix an underwhelming story and this ambiguous unconclusive ending is what you get

[IanL]

Originally posted by Sham!:

hl:a doesnt have the same writer as the first games, simple as
the new crew probably didnt pay much attention to the original plot and timeline and simply went with whatever they felt like, or at least that's what they did for the first draft

then some senior members had to be called back to fix an underwhelming story and this ambiguous unconclusive ending is what you get

What, the ambiguous inconclusive ending that most players loved

[Epictet]

So, the Alyx from HLA freed the G-Man, then he made her travel to HL2's timeline to save her father then he captured her, so we can say now that HL2 Alyx and HLA Alyx are pretty much the same person, they "fused" together, right?


Please tell me I'm right because that's the only way I manage to grasp that ending.

[IanL]

It's all open to debate and conjecture but in my belief a new timeline is created when the G-Man unhappy with how the HL2 timeline has played out travels back in time to have himself imprisoned in order to lure Alyx. This new timeline runs in parallel with the original HL2 timeline which still exists and in that timeline Eli is still killed. So in my understanding the two Alyx characters are not fused as such and exist separately in each timeline.

The problem with using multiple or infinite parallel timelines and the G-Man's ability to create or move between them is that it begs the question is there not a timeline he can therefore access or create that simply achieves the G-Man's employer's goal ... making the whole exercise to date somewhat academic. But then he does state that there are limits to how much he can 'nudge' things.

[Sham!]

Originally posted by IanL:

Originally posted by Sham!:

hl:a doesnt have the same writer as the first games, simple as
the new crew probably didnt pay much attention to the original plot and timeline and simply went with whatever they felt like, or at least that's what they did for the first draft

then some senior members had to be called back to fix an underwhelming story and this ambiguous unconclusive ending is what you get

What, the ambiguous inconclusive ending that most players loved

not arguing that, it's all about preference afterall

but it's just the way it is, hl:a ending doesnt really offer any closure and the writing team had some issues tying up the story to the existing hl universe
at the end of the day hl:a simply adds another layer of speculation to the hl universe, which was already very uncertain

[IanL]

Quite, it's Science Fantasy, always has been. HLA changes nothing in that respect.

[Random_Leaf]

i'm not good at english.

here what i'm understand about how HL2, EP1, EP2 continue after Alyx been "stasis" in HL:A ending.

Note: i'm will call there are "Alyx Past" ( in ending HL:A ) and "Alyx Future" ( in ending HL2 EP2 ). There is no "G-Man Past" or "G-Man Future" only 1 G-Man.

1: "Alyx Past" come to future in HL2 EP2 ending, to save her father from die.

2: "Alyx Past" has been erase memories what she did in HL2 EP2 ending by G-Man, and send back to her time HL:A ending, to continue HL2, EP1, EP2 with Gordon Freeman.

3: "Alyx Future" been taken by G-Man, G-Man restore memories what she did in ending HL:A, to reiterate the agreementand, but also erase all memories she, what she did been through with Gordon Freeman in HL2, EP1, EP2. ( Why ?, it's could be a G-Man plan for future not already exist, starting after ending HL2 EP2 ).

*Gordon Freeman seen all both HL2 EP2 ending then HL:A ending.First Alyx crying and holding her father after his die. After that in minutes, or few second ( 10 or 20 ? ), Gordon been "fainting", because in that moment G-Man do "some thing" like ( reverse time to the moment when advisor holding Eli Vance ) to "have time" with "Alyx Past". And then when Gordon wake up Eli Vance give Gordon a crow bar, but Alyx gone.

*Why Gordon didn't said about what his seen to Eli Vance ?.

1: Maybe "Gordon Freeman memories has been did some thing by G-Man too".

2: Or in the momment Eli Vance dying, and G-Man "do some thing" to "have time" with "Alyx Past", Eli still can hearing G-Man and "Alyx Past" talking about they "deal".That explain why, when conscious back Eli Vance been upset and keep talking about G-Man and even want to kill G-Man. In this situation Gordon know his don't need to talk about G-Man anymore.

*For me G-Man is only 1 person, so his can't make a new time line because his can't change the future ( No G-Man Past and no G-Man Future ), the only power his can is did some thing to other memories, that why his take "Alyx in ending HL2 EP2", but keep "Alyx in ending HL:A" continue HL2, EP1, EP2, because when the future is already exist then it's must to be continue. If changing future already exist, it's mean there are 2 G-Man, but like i'm said it's only 1 G-Man.

*Another way G-Man know not much about changing the future already exist, it's could be danger to him and "employer". That why he chose did some thing to memories, rather than remove a person or event in past can affect to the future already exist. But by impact on the present, G-Man can still make everything going back in the way his want in future. Even when the person or event in the past, not "moving" in the way G-Man want for now.

*G-Man will do this, when everything not going what the way "them" want.

*for example for G-Man power:

1: Eli Vance die ( HL2 EP2 ending ) => human resistaint continue ( 1 year ) => Combine take over all, G-Man see all these event.

2: Eli Vance live ( HL2 EP ending ) => human resistaint continue ( 1 year ) => Combine losing, G-Man see all these event.

*Depenth on which consequence G-Man want, his must act, when Eli die or live. If G-Man see all the event but try to changing it to the way his want, by acted in the past when Eli died or lived. => 1: There are will be at least 2 G-Man, 2: danger inconsequence come for G-Man and "employer".

Short: G-Man let "Alyx Past" changing her future, but erase her memorise, send her back to time G-Man take her. To keep every thing going to future already exist ( it's HL2, EP1, EP2 ). In the "future" ( HL2 EP2 ending ) it's actually "Now" of G-Man "Alyx Future" having memorise of "Alyx Past" G-Man restore those memorise, to reiterate the agreementand, and take her because that is what G-Man want everything "going on" in his way from "Now" in HL2 EP2 ending.

P/s: For me HL:A ending, is a actually HL2 EP2 ending. it's still a straight time line.

[Cat]

You guys are taking this way too seriously.