Half Life 2 Beta: The Wasteland - Trains In The Wilderness

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Something I missed mentioning in the video: Around 3:56 (wasteland_railbridge) - this is actually an early version of the Bridge Point section of the Highway 17 chapter. Kinda neat! :) half-life.fandom.com/wiki/Bridge_Point

[@Gulliblepikmin]

(Okay, I'll try this one more time, but if my comment gets deleted I'm not trying again) The fandom wiki is old and inaccurate, the wiki that is actually worth using is the combine overwiki.

[@unoriginalperson72]

The wasteland is such a cool concept and I'm sad it turned into a 3 second scene in the final game.

[@KinerfV4]

Tons of concepts were amazing, the wasteland is definitely one that should’ve remained instead of highway 17. Seeing what it looks like in the final game, the 3-4 seconds we see, is amazing, it looks more like the HL2 beta, than the HL2 beta. As you then get teleported away and never see it again. Disappointed

[@Ben31337l]

@@KinerfV4 What 3 seconds are you talking about?

[@KinerfV4]

@@Ben31337l the teleportation scene, I believe it’s the first spot where you teleport and Lamar jumps out to some birbs. I still don’t know how Lamar got back to Kleiner

[@Ben31337l]

@@KinerfV4 Ah yess, such a shame really.

[@CalebHaslett]

Just a thing I thought I’d mention, the concept of the Combine draining all of the water off of Earth does make it into the final version of the game, as evidenced by the enormous beached fishing boats, implying that the water level on Earth has gone down. The big difference between the beta and retail versions of the concept is how far along the Combine were in the process of draining all the water, as in retail there’s still a lot more water left than there was in the beta. It’s possible those trees that make an appearance in the later versions of the map suggest that it was at that time that Valve started making the decision to have Earth be less barren than they had originally planned. It’s also interesting to note that the wasteland environment does still exist somewhere on Earth in the canon of the retail version, as it appears, albeit briefly, in the teleportation sequence. Considering the big red X Alyx put over North America on the globe in HL:A, it’s possible that this wasteland area Gordon teleports to is in North America, which would explain why that continent is crossed out, as well as give a story reason for why the wasteland only shows up this one time in all of HL2 and it’s episodes. Sorry for the paragraph, I’m just a huge sucker for this stuff.

[@Matthew-di4lv]

original ideas for half life 2 aftermath (beta episodes) was that you were going to visit the wasteland after the events of episode 1 no white forrest existed

[@-Zakhiel-]

6:39 It's weird to see trees or other foliages in Half-Life 2. *Episode 2 start to sweat profusely*

[@numericalman]

You're a shining definition of a underrated creator, been looking through your videos and ideas you've posted here, I'm so happy whenever you make a video, good editing, good narration etc. I hope you continue doing these videos, there isn't much known about the beta advisors and for the longest time all I've discovered is that it had other prototype skins and that's all I've found, but there surely has to been a bigger idea for the advisor role, if I'm not mistaken there are maps called advisor which shows a big tube and a lot of tiny tubes leading into it, really reminded me of the Citadel maps you've covered before, anyways, loved what you made and what you do. Have a good one mate :)

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Thanks so much! :) I think I saw some maps called "advisor" in the Beta folders. I'll definitely note this down and see what I can find. If it's enough for a video, I'll make one :) Thanks again!!

[@Unsupervised649]

Song is Surface Tension Uncut if anyone is wondering what the background track is.

[@llynxe]

it honestly would've been amazing to see more of the wastelands in the retail version of the game. more than just 5 seconds in the first teleport scene :( anyways, great video, as always.

[@Cocc0nuttt0]

Little known fact: the beta chapter title for the underwater base level was " Let's Get Kraken".

[@Jws20]

Amazing

[@Sneakyrat_Gaming]

I just imagine this guy's intro is what the gman forced gordon to do in stasis.

[@josiahgoodman8875]

It feels like the wasteland area evolved into Highway 17, a lot of the setpieces and layouts are very similar (the lighthouse as you mentioned, the train bridge, the area at 6:07 is similar in appearance to the crane area, the valley with plateaus on either side looks a lot like 'Sandtraps')

[@josiahgoodman8875]

Hwy 17 also leads directly to Nova Prospect, which is clearly being prototyped in the later depot levels as well (in addition to the trainstation interior that you mentioned, the area to the left of the trainnstation looks very similar to the outside area with all the gunships)

[@eternal7912]

Some clarification. The Depot was in the wasteland which eventually became the Coastal levels and Nova Prospekt. However, the Depot actually didn't have the same importance as Nova Prospekt. Rather it was just a place for Gordon to hitch a ride to the place that did, the Air Exchange; a massive facility built by the Combine to replace the Earth's atmosphere with toxic fumes (basically a terraforming facility).

[@Theonetrueerenyeager]

This is a great video! And I love the use of black mesa music! How and why does this not have more views?

[@alexlokanin3312]

I love the concept of the wasteland and the long train rides

[@nickie115]

I haven't seen much of the wasteland beyond the depot entrance when the started doing stuff with vehicles and the airex entrance so to see anything that isn't that, even the OLD old depot and even the inside of it is pretty damn interesting to me.

[@ElephantsDoingCrack]

Interesting stuff. I like your editing too

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Thank you! :) Tried to make it a bit fancy in this video.

[@Matthew-di4lv]

the depot is fully in the final game. so many people think that the depot it was cut but wasnt its the main location in chapter 9a with alyx and saving eli just at the start look up

[@gamingfun8265]

yea you meet alyx in the depot

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Oh yeah... crap... I forgot about that... I should probably improve my researching a bit more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I rely too much on memory.

[@Matthew-di4lv]

@@RadiationHazardYT you are still doing a great job

[@havoc3-243]

One of the Wasteland sky boxes, sky_wasteland02 is used for two SDK test maps (sdk_3d_skybox and sdk_vehicles). It's also used in A LOT of Half-Life: Source maps

[@dalesheen1816]

this is my most loved cut enviroment from the Beta, wish we could have seen more of what was once the ocean and land outside the cities.

[@Kylev2]

Fun fact: EP2 had the wasteland setting instead of the white forest setting very early in it's development.

[@sampthiago]

Great and inspiring content man, keep it up.

[@NexusLore]

I love the beta content! You deserve way more subscribers :) Keep it up, dude!

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Thank you :) It's a steady climb, but we'll get there.

[@AdarinMonk]

I'm thinking that the depot exterior (the Combine structure) was higher off the ground for immersion purposes: if you're making an elevator that carries train cars, wouldn't it make sense to be able to raise them from the base level too? You could use the extra space to swap around train cars (if you're carrying valuable cargo, imagine how useful it could be to be able to hide the armored car's location), add more cars, isolate prisoner cars so they can't escape as easily, and more. I like the idea of a mission taking place early on where the train stops at a Combine checkpoint a couple times, and you have to exit the train for a couple minutes through a hatch under the carriage while the Combine sweeps the train. After getting used to it, you have to try the same thing at the depot and end up accidentally dropping down onto the top of another carriage with no clear way back up, so you have to keep dropping down, down, down, and deeper into the depot complex in order to escape by going up through a stairway into the prison. Just an idea. Closest Half Life could've gotten to Wolfenstein-style stealth, I think.

[@adam187ful]

If you just imagine the visuals of mad max over the maps then I totally see the picture.

[@lordofthebeltsthereturnoft1127]

I think retail is the best, I think it's easy to imagine these as good, but it's most imagination and not real implementation. Also air exchange feels too much like some 80's or 90's action movie ending, where they always kill the bad guy in some industrial area.

[@fruitylerlups530]

Heya! Just letting you know u might be able to find more wasteland stuff if u go through the e3 files the ones displaying the coast and the files showing develipment of the buggy. HL2 Project Beta has some videos showing the buggy.

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Hey there. Thanks! Yes, the 2002-2003 Coast maps right? I've put the Beta vids on hold for now, and will cover them sometime later this year.

[@mbnnn3447]

The true citizen subscribes , shares and likes a radiation hazard video

[@armitx9]

desert areas are highly underrated in horror video games. if you are stuck with monsters chasing you there is truly nowhere to go

[@arthurpietrogarcia1057]

Acording to some developers the reason they putted water in Highway 17 was so that players knew how much they could walk before dying, back when there was no water if you walked after the limit a nuke would explode and kill you instantely without warning.

[@kiokkiok4590]

Have you considered setting up some kind of discord server? Or would you rather wait until it's a more popular request?

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Hmm, not sure yet. I do plan to set up one, but not so soon. Maybe after 500, or 1k subscribers.

[@kiokkiok4590]

@@RadiationHazardYT Yea i think that'd be a good point for a server

[@burgahboy456]

I'm sorry to ask but where are you from? you have a really interesting accent. Love the vid as always

[@RadiationHazardYT]

**In G-Man's Voice** : That, Mr. Freeman, is a mystery for another day... Srsly tho - I hope you don't mind but I'd like to keep that a secret, for now :) But thanks for your support!

[@burgahboy456]

@@RadiationHazardYT Alright dude, no problem

[@Shizuka965]

The fact theres no more wter in the oceans of Earth in hl2 beta would mean rhat even if we happen to win, Earth is doomed to die

[@sibelon8592]

You deserve more subscribers

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Thank you my dude :)

[@vanyaimportant669]

I´ve considered subscribing.

[@SomeGrunt_On_Youtube]

Probably removed cuz HOOMANS need water to live unless i missed something and the combine removed the abilitt to be hungry or thirsty

[@Bestgamer3]

What is the music In this video not the intro but trough the entire video also great video chu made keep it up you just got sub

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Thank you! I'm sorry but I forgot the track's names. All I remember that it was from the Black Mesa OST.

[@nrjedmradiostation3830]

always it's a good review when a russian narrates it, Chernobyl vibes.

[@IMugMuggers]

This is one of the things I’m most sore about them cutting

[@Liam-rf1ey]

What about the unfinished version of depot with the destroyed soviet submarine?

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Covered a bit of that section in the E3 2002 vid. Will do a proper vid next month.

[@Liam-rf1ey]

@@RadiationHazardYT ok. Love the videos by the way.

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Thank you!

[@zodiac8636]

There has to be a mod out there that completes half-life beta

[@RadiationHazardYT]

So far there aren't :( But mods like Dark Interval and Raising The Bar Redux are looking promising, but they are a long way from completion.

[@havoc3-243]

@@RadiationHazardYT Well beta minimalist mod exists and it's better than Dark Interval and RTB Redux combined

[@eternal7912]

I'd love a spin off game taking us to the U.S. around the time of HLA/HL2. In HLA you can see North America crossed off on the globe in the beginning, so I imagine its probably a nigh uninhabitable alien infested wasteland akin to the original concepts of the wasteland (and what we see during the teleportation scene in HL2). Heck, it could make for a cool survival game set in the Half-Life universe.

[@orbitaloutcast9878]

Whats the intro song?

[@whyimhere5895]

You sound like you talking in slow motion

[@DanielTejnicky]

Oh yeah this is it

[@kedi6041]

the more i go through hl2 beta the more i hate valve for what a great game hl2 could be

[@VexsPlayPen]

Truthfully, the darker aesthetic works better than retail.

[@chocolate_maned_wolf]

model railroad idea

[@Blizzique]

It’s me flippy

[@dabogabo]

Very informative video. I often wonder if we got this version of the game and the beta was the retail. Will people be just as fascinated of the cut "retail" content as we are with the beta version ?

[@RadiationHazardYT]

Thank you! Yeah. I think so. Then the "retail beta" would have been amazing/intriguing to look at. But again, there's an element of "polish" on the final product. Maybe then, the Beta HL2 as retail would have looked more better than it it does in this video.

[@dabogabo]

@@RadiationHazardYT Yeah, well, when I said "retail" as beta I also mean it should've also been in an unpolished state and the real Beta, should've been in a polished state as was the Retail.

[@RadiationHazardYT]

@@dabogabo Ah gotcha :)