City 17 Trainstation

From Combine OverWiki, the Half-Life Wiki

This article is about the Half-Life 2 trainstation. For the Episode One trainstation, see Technical Trainstation.

The City 17 Trainstation^[1] is the first City 17 location visited by Gordon Freeman in Half-Life 2. A passenger train station used by the Combine to link with other cities and Nova Prospekt, it appears in the chapters Point Insertion, "A Red Letter Day" and Anticitizen One.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Behind the scenes 2.1 Facade evolution 2.1.1 Gallery 2.2 Miscellaneous 3 Gallery 3.1 Concept art 3.2 Screenshots 3.2.1 Pre-release 3.2.2 Retail 4 List of appearances 5 Notes and references 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] Overview

This trainstation is not the only one in City 17, and probably not the most important. It is not very crowded and the tracks appear obstructed when Gordon goes back in its vicinity at the start of its escape from Kleiner's Lab.

Under the main glass roof, several platforms receive Citizens from other cities coming in recycled human trains, while Wallace Breen welcomes them in one of his numerous Breencasts. There Citizens are instructed by Metrocops to leave their luggage. City Scanners are flying around. After a turnstile follows a corridor leading to the waiting room where the schedules are displayed (suggesting other similar cities exist, such as City 16, 15, 13, etc.). After that follows a security checkpoint, with Metrocops. From there, three paths are possible: one leads to the Trainstation Plaza, the second leads to interrogation rooms where Gordon Freeman reunited with Barney Calhoun and Isaac Kleiner, and the third leads to the platform where Razor Trains leave to Nova Prospekt. The Plaza path leads to a corridor that then leads to the former main hall of the station, transformed into a food hall, where Citizens queue for their food packages at a ration dispenser. There, another Breencast is also broadcast. Another corridor leads to the Trainstation Plaza, where the same Breencast is broadcast on a screen attached to an obelisk, facing the trainstation main facade. By the time of the City 17 uprising, the main trainstation entrance was sealed by Combine technology^[3] and the whole area was heavily damaged, with Combine Smart Barriers having destroyed most of the surrounding buildings.^[4]

[edit] Behind the scenes

[edit] Facade evolution

The WC mappack contains several maps showing the evolution of the trainstation facade and the plaza, most of them last edited in 2002, after which the trainstation was remade almost from scratch. The trainstation main entrance was never to be used since the player was to access the plaza from a tunnel coming from the Combine Factories area, the first City 17 area visited right after the trainstation. It is unknown what were the plans for the trainstation itself at this point of development, since the only known WC mappack maps of the trainstation inside are the maps from the playable Beta, which are almost identical to the final version, and that the concept art made by Viktor Antonov was made on a modified version of the stenographer's chasm building.^[5][6][7] The old City 17 originally contained several plazas (the trainstation one, the Breen/Consul statue one, the Breen/Consulcast one, etc.) which were finally merged into a single plaza.

1. This first known version shows the trainstation located along a road near the Combine Factories area. The facade is made of bricks and features three pediments and three arches on the main building. Tracks are located behind, under a glass roof. The place is filled with Metrocops and Scanners. A brush APC is parked nearby while Citizens are queuing.^[8]
2. The road is enlarged to become a plaza, the building is opened, some prototype Combine technology is added inside (not shown). The brick textures are replaced by stone textures and the building is emptied. The glass-roofed building is completely remade and features more stone ornaments. Two stone columns are added on the plaza.^[9] The nearby Combine Factories are cut off from the area, while the improved glass-roofed building can be found in some subsequent versions.^[10]
3. The building with pediments is replaced by another smaller stone building, also with three arches on the main building. The plaza gets even more larger.^[11]
4. The new stone building is modified, more columns are added, and it features a lift and a cable car that crosses the plaza. The stone columns are replaced by actual models, each one flanked with a horse (one exemplar of the column appears at the end of the Half-Life 2 chapter "Follow Freeman!". The APC is also replaced by the first APC model. The Citizens queueing, the Metrocops and the Scanners are still there. The Combine Factories is now completely cut, though its buildings are still suggested. This is the E3 map "Terminal", which is a demonstration map and not a storyline one, having no connection with other maps.^[12][13] The next version, remade almost from scratch, is the current seen in Half-Life 2.

[edit] Gallery

1.

2.

3.

4.

[edit] Miscellaneous

• The City 17 Trainstation was designed by Viktor Antonov. The first version was much more fantasist and very close to a Budapest trainstation designed by Gustave Eiffel, designer of the Eiffel Tower. The final version was more closely based on a trainstation near where Antonov lived in Paris (probably the Gare d'Austerlitz or the Gare du Nord).^[1]
• The player's path through trainstation was meant to play a role similar to that of the train ride in Half-Life, i.e. reveal the story setting to the player. In Half-Life 2, the story would unfold at the player's own speed, rather than on a fixed rail, and come about through interaction with the characters naturally found in that setting.^[1]
• The Trainstation Plaza was originally called "Terminal Square", then "Terminal Plaza", which constitutes most of the E3 map "Terminal". The "Terminal Hotel" seen on the plaza in the retail version is a reminiscence of this old name.
• The scene where Barney calls Kleiner in his lab to tell him Gordon has returned is a bit longer in the playable Half-Life 2 Beta. Most of the sentences were kept but rerecorded, while others, revealing more plot and setting information to the player, have been cut.^[14]
• Strangely enough, Kleiner's Lab is extremely close to the City 17 Trainstation. Obvious security precautions would have rather placed the lab very far from a very crowded and security-enforced place like a train station. An explanation for this choice is that several levels originally set between the train station and the lab were cut from the final version, such as the Manhack Arcade and the Combine Factories. Therefore the original lab was originally much farther from the train station than it is now.

[edit] Gallery

[edit] Concept art

Concept art of the inside, made on a modified version of the stenographer's chasm building.	Ditto, seen through the broken glass roof.	Ditto.	Ditto.
Another inside view.	Shelter on the Trainstation Plaza.	City 17 panoramic view, including the trainstation on the far right.

[edit] Screenshots

[edit] Pre-release

Other view of the first facade version.	In front of the first version.	The Terminal Plaza, known today as the Trainstation Plaza, in one of the earliest Half-Life 2 screenshots, in the map "e3_terminal", showing the Metrocops and Citizens old skins. This image is still on the Half-Life 2 cover art as of today, even if that map and the NPCs' skins were cut from the retail version. The first Half-Life 2 trailer features other signs on the building on the left.	The Terminal Plaza in the same map.
Rebels near the Terminal Plaza, in the same map.	Temporary American textures and Combot in an earlier version of the same map, as seen in the first Half-Life 2 trailer.[15]	Combots in an earlier version of the same map, as seen in the first Half-Life 2 trailer.[15]	The first known APC model and Metrocops beating Citizens in the same map, as seen in the first Half-Life 2 trailer.[15]
Very basic brush train bringing Gordon to the trainstation in the playable Beta.

[edit] Retail

Railway opposite the trainstation.	Main platforms from far.	Ditto.	Citizens on a train on its way to the trainstation. This is the first real world thing Gordon sees when he wakes up.
City Scanner welcoming Gordon to a brand new dystopian world.	The first Breencast seen by Freeman.	Stationed locomotives in the trainstation.	The waiting hall.
Metrocops at the checkpoint between the waiting hall, the Trainstation Plaza, the Nova Prospekt platforms and the interrogation rooms.	Razor Trains on the Nova Prospekt platforms.	Refugee having his relocation questioned in an interrogation room.	Interrogation chair in an interrogation room.
Barney reveals himself.	Old friends reunite.	A Combine ration dispenser in the trainstation food hall.	The main facade columns on the Trainstation Plaza.
City Scanner following a Citizen.	A Citizen passing by on the Trainstation Plaza.	The main facade as seen from the Trainstation Plaza.	Ditto.
Ditto.	The Trainstation Plaza before the uprising.	The back of the trainstation as seen at the start of Gordon's escape.	Metrocops shooting at Gordon Freeman at the back of the trainstation at the start of his escape.
Rebels taking down the Trainstation Plaza Breencast device during the Uprising.	Combine Smart Barriers on the Trainstation Plaza.	The sealed trainstation entrance on Trainstation Plaza during the uprising.

[edit] List of appearances

• Half-Life 2 (First appearance)
• Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] See also

• Half-Life 2 original storyline#Trainstation
• Rail-based transportation

[edit] External links

• "Trains In Games - Half Life 2" on TrainInGames.com

Preceded by N/A

Half-Life 2 story arc journey

Succeeded by Kleiner's Lab

Preceded by N/A

Half-Life 2 original storyline (City 17 Trainstation)

Succeeded by Combine Factories

Locations of the Half-Life universe
General		Earth
Half-Life		Black Mesa Transit System · Black Mesa Research Facility · Xen
Half-Life: Opposing Force		Santego Military Base
Half-Life 2		Black Mesa East · Bridge Point · Citadel · City 14 · City 17 · City 17 Trainstation · Canals · The Coast · Combine Overworld · Depot · Dock 137 · Kleiner's Lab · Lighthouse Point · New Little Odessa · Nova Prospekt · Overwatch Nexus · Petroleum Station · Ravenholm · Shorepoint Base · Station 6 · Station 7 · Station 8 · Station 9 · Station 12 · Underground Railroad · Vortigaunt Camp · The Wasteland
Half-Life 2: Episode One		Citadel Core · City 17 Underground · Hospital · Technical Trainstation
Portal		Aperture Laboratories
Half-Life 2: Episode Two		Borealis · The Outlands · Victory Mine · White Forest · The White Forest Inn
Half-Life 2 (cut)		Air Exchange · Alyx's Home · Antlion Caves · Borealis · City 40 · City 49 · Combine Factories · Kraken Base · Manhack Arcade · St. Olga · Skyscraper · Vance Headquarters · Weather Control

Vehicles, vessels and transportation
Black Mesa transportation		Black Mesa SUV · Black Mesa Transit System · Black Mesa Truck
HECU vehicles		AH-64 Apache · F-16 Fighting Falcon · M1A1 Abrams · M2A3 Bradley · M35 Cargo Truck · V-22 Osprey
Combine vehicles		Advisor Platform · Armored Personnel Carrier · Hunter-Chopper · Razor Train
Resistance vehicles		Airboat · Mil Mi-8 · Muscle Car · Scout Car
Trainstations		City 17 Trainstation · Depot · Technical Trainstation
Other		Borealis · Rail-based transportation
Combine (cut)		AirEx Truck · C-130 · Combine SWAT Truck · M2A3 Bradley · Merkava · School Bus · V-22 Osprey
Resistance (cut)		Borealis · C-130 · Jalopy · Jet Ski · Submarine · V-22 Osprey
Other (cut)		F-117 Nighthawk · Digger

The Combine
Leaders / key figures		Advisors · 314 URB-LOC 0017 Advisor · Barn Advisor · Wallace Breen
Minor members		Barney Calhoun
Humanoid units		Civil Protection · Overwatch Soldier · Overwatch Sniper · Overwatch Elite · Stalker
Synth units		Synth · Advisor Pod · Crab Synth · Combine Dropship · Combine Gunship · Hunter · Mortar Synth · Shield Scanner · Strider
Mechanical units		City Scanner
Weapons		Autogun · Headcrab Shell · Hopper Mine · Hunter-Chopper Bomb · Manhack · MK3A2 Grenade · MP7 · Overwatch Sniper Rifle · Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle · Rollermine · Sentry Turret · SPAS-12 · Stun Baton · Suppression Device · USP Match
Vehicles		Advisor Platform · Armored Personnel Carrier · Hunter-Chopper · Razor Train
Technology		Battery · Breencast · Charger · Citadel Core · Citadel · Barricade · Binoculars · Bunker · Camera · Cell · Confiscation Field · Door Lock · Elevator · Emitter · Interface · Dark Energy · Depot · Dr. Breen's Private Reserve · Energy Orb · Field Bridge · Force Field · Heavy Door · Light · Medkit · Memory Replacement · Monitor · Overwatch Voice · Power Generator · Ration Dispenser · Restrictor · Smart Barrier · Supply Crate · Suppression Field · Teleportation · Television · Vehicles · Watchtower
Locations		Citadel · Citadel Core · City 14 · City 17 · City 17 Trainstation · Combine Overworld · Depot · Nova Prospekt · Technical Trainstation
Other		Anticitizen · Citizen · Overwatch
Leaders / key figures (cut)		The Consul · Vance
Minor members (cut)		Animal · Mambridge · Peters
Humanoid units (cut)		Alien Assassin · Alien Combine Soldier · Combine Assassin · Conscripts · Cremator
Synth units (cut)		Combine Guard · Combine Super Soldier · Combine Synth Elite Soldier · Sacktick · Unidentified Synth · Wasteland Scanner
Weapons (cut)		Combine Guard Gun · Combine Launcher · Desert Launcher · FIM-92 Stinger · GR9 · HK-707 · Hopwire Grenade · Immolator · Incendiary Rifle · Laser Tripmine · MP5K · MP7 · Sniper Rifle · XM29 OICW
Vehicles (cut)		AirEx Truck · C-130 · Combine SWAT Truck · M2A3 Bradley · Merkava · School Bus · V-22 Osprey
Technology (cut)		Binoculars · Combine Big Momma Pod · Combine Assassin Tank · Door Tower · Heel Springs · Sensor Gate · Vorti-Cell
Locations (cut)		Air Exchange · City 40 · City 49 · Combine Factories · Manhack Arcade · Skyscraper · Vance Headquarters · Weather Control