Just HOW Important was Lost Coast? | Lost Coast | FULL Half-Life Lore

The Half-Life series had a lot of content that did not make it into the retail game. Valve do however have a habit of reusing content in later games and tech demos. Lost Coast was used to show off the HDR capablities of the Source Engine. There may have been some lost lore there in the forgotten fishing village of St. Olga.
Where was this location? What was the story there, and where was it originally meant to be featured in Half-Life 2? In this video, we explore the lore and story behind The Lost Coast in Half-Life and what it meant for Valve and Half-Life fans.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
01:16 Before
02:55 20 Years Later
10:22 The Lost Coast
16:24 Legacy
17:24 Closing Thoughts
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Half-Life & Portal Lore Playlist: • The Borealis | Half-Li...
Standard Sources
Game Manuals
Half-Life Series Playthrough Research
Portal Series Playthrough Research
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar (Uncorrected Proof)
Half-Life: Alyx Playthrough
Portal/ Half-Life Fandom
Old Valve Forums
Marc Laidlaw's Twitter
Marc Laidlaw Website
Breengrub Twitter
Reddit AMA (w/ HL: Alyx Developers)
Portal 2
Aperture Desk Job
AUDIO USED
Half-life 2 OST: Broken Symmetry
Half-Life 2 OST: Escape Array
Black Mesa OST: Catalyst
Half-Life 2 OST: Lab Practicum
Half-Life: Alyx OST: Severed from the Vortessence
Black Mesa OST: Xen
Half-Life 2 OST: Triage At Dawn
#HalfLife #Lore #LostCoast

[@Skyrionn]

What is your favourite Half-Life quote? Also like, share and subscribe for a beer.

[@RoCodingYT]

Ok I need my beer by the way I am already subbed

[@natalialuca]

I am german i NEED that beer

[@lucasstock1907]

I’ve played half life for a long time but every time I hear “wake up and smell the ashes” it gives me goosebumps

[@denis2381]

​@@natalialucao'zapft is, prost!

[@codymcgrath2.3bviews3secon7]

“Oh, and Freeman! If you pull this off, I might just forgive you for that debacle at Black Mesa. You know the one I mean - involving a certain microwave casserole.”

[@mariuszbitny2832]

That freeman quote hits so deep

[@Lavthefox]

I'm still trying to unpack it all.

[@mattfox2716]

Enough said really…..we I see that quote I just wanna grab a crowbar and get to work ya know?

[@secondghost]

I like it. Freeman fires from the hip and tells you exactly what you need to hear.

[@CalorieCrusader24]

@@G.Freeman92At the beginning.

[@tneal89]

What hit me harder was realizing the release date was nearly 20 years ago and that I'd just started in high school when I first booted up HL2.

[@fib900]

I’ve always loved the idea that Lost Coast is canon with it happening between HL2 and Episode 1. During G-Man’s and the Vortigaunts tug of war struggle over Freeman, they accidentally flung him to the area of St. Olga. They found him soon after though which explains why he was only there for a short amount of time.

[@samuelantoniocastillomeza5034]

I wish we got to see Lost Coast as a full chapter but for it's demonstration purposes it is extremely good.

[@Skyrionn]

I agree 100%

[@Mr_Stephanko]

The opening quote spoken by Dr. Gordon Freeman at the start is truly one of, if not the most, dark and gritty moments from Half-Life 2

[@gezazimics4156]

What quote?

[@gezazimics4156]

@@xSARGEx117x thank you

[@chaoli5679]

Gordon Freeman doesn't speak, ever. What quote have you ever heard him say? I didn't hear anything in this video.

[@gezazimics4156]

@@chaoli5679 That's why I asked, because he doesn't talk

[@reynalanda2093]

​@@gezazimics4156Because he never talks, that's the joke.

[@InMaTeofDeath]

Makes video about Lost Coast longer than Lost Coast 10/10.

[@Skyrionn]

😂

[@nnnnnnnnnnchang8900]

Oh I remember playing this demo repeatedly, best free game at the time

[@nouns7504]

Oh man free to play games turned great right as i started being able to buy them

[@Skyrionn]

Another great thing for Valve. It was free

[@900McNuggets]

0:00 Dr. Gordon Freeman's quote truly changed me

[@Skyrionn]

Truly an icon

[@loco4loco]

I love how all the Half life demos use areas that were cut (Half-life: Uplink = Communion Centre)

[@TexasADV]

I would LOVE to see a book series which explored different areas of the HL story. A horror book based on ravenholm would be just *chefs kiss* perfect

[@Skyrionn]

Same

[@ungabunga7879]

Ive always wanted something from the perspective of just the average citizen, from the events of hl1-to hl2-ep2, life under the combine regime is facinating to me, and id love to see the story of not a hero, but the average grunt soldier, possibly surviving the inital 7 hour war, up to escaping city 17 from the explosion

[@JLReanimated1991]

Maaaan, valve needs to come back and FINISH THIS STORY😭😭😭

[@saschaberger3212]

I remember using the HDR settings for the first time. Blowing my mind. Crazy how time flies

[@Skyrionn]

I can imagine it was literally game changing

[@Loner_Ken]

I played Lost Coast a few weeks ago, I originally thought that it was Ravenholm before the Headcrab shell bombardment until I heard the fisherman call it "St Olga".

[@acantime]

I barely comment on videos on KZbin, but I recently discovered your channel. I have to leave a comment saying that your videos on Half-Life lore are amazing; thanks for all the hard work put into them. Really enjoying it!

[@themodernfrontiersmen]

Lost Coast is really cool. It's a fun little level to play. St. Olga of Kiev is also one of my favorite Saints.

[@mitri5389]

But the geography and architecture has nothing to do with Kiev, Russia or Ukraine. It's purely south eastern Slavic. Olga is such a strange name for the setting and can be considered an oversight.

[@swh77]

* Kyiv (named after Kyi), not Kiev

[@mitri5389]

@@swh77 Kiev. Киев. Not kyiv like how idiots and virtue signaling dullards like to say like the western media lmao

[@Eastcyning]

@@swh77 Who is also named Kievŭ in Old East Slavic, making Kiev historically and grammatically correct (Киевъ/kyjь relates to Russian кий)

[@swh77]

@@Eastcyning Is it gramatically correct to write a name Kyi /Kyj/Kij as Kie? Even by russian logic, it should be written as Kiyev/Kijev/Kiiev. Also, why should Ukrainian city name should follow a weird russian spelling?

[@kazzyyt.]

you're one of my favorite youtubers i watch you before i go to sleep alot, your long form videos are the best thank you for still doing this man we love it

[@Crustle1]

Yeah same it's like a good audiobook

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks for watching them!

[@patrlim]

that scaffolding is crazy well made considering the wood didnt rot

[@davis90a97]

Absolutely love your content and narration. Keep it coming!

[@NiiRubra]

This was an excellent dive into the implied history of St. Olga! I love your approach to the topic.

[@marleymae24]

I'm loving your deep Half-life lore analysis videos. I had no fucking idea these games were so deep and had so much hidden story and lore behind them. I recently have subscribed and been watching all of your videos after I get home. Thank u for all your hard work on these videos :)

[@emild9406]

I did not play Lost Coast for more than 5 minutes. But I have always wanted to connect it to a place in the hl2 timeline. When you where explaining Gordons disappearance after the level is complete, I jumped to the conclusion that Lost Coast could have happened during that week him and Alyx where gone and ended up in Dr Kliners lab where Kliner greats them with a shootgun. Maybe Gman thought he had an extra chance to put the right man in the right place for a short time..

[@paradoxesS]

considering that Half Life 2 Lost Coast is completable very quickly, the only thing we can see is what the city looks like from afar. good to see a coverup video of it considering how mysterious it looks

[@Skyrionn]

It's been on the list for a while. Thanks for watching it

[@tank2749]

You are the best at giving lore on HL2. Been a big fan of Half Life my whole life. Great work

[@deathmaster38]

Amazing video as always, the lore behind these games is amazing, and i wish there was more for u to make more and more videos on it

[@Skyrionn]

More to come! I still have a whole list of content to make

[@deathmaster38]

@@Skyrionn damn thats nice to hear man

[@RaschhoferConsumer]

i´literally watching for new vids every day :D keep on dude, rly! thank you!

[@Skyrionn]

Glad you like them!

[@juliusmalcovsky4092]

Great vid again. Didnt even know about this town so thanks for sharing :)

[@Maxy772]

hey bro nice vids man! your videos make great background audio

[@buttbuttwhat1]

I would love so much if he read audiobooks. He’s definitely well spoken and articulates well.

[@Maxy772]

@@buttbuttwhat1 serious man I agree!

[@Skyrionn]

Glad you like them!

[@VaciliNikoMavich]

Excellent video. Just wished this tech-demo mini level was longer 😊

[@Skyrionn]

Same!

[@XanderNiles]

Lost Coast is truly an underrated piece of the Half-Life franchise and it's way overlooked. Plus, the beta versions of the map are quite interesting and fun to play as they are available for download as an external addon for it.

[@wearecoterminous]

it's a five minute walk up a hill where like nothing happens

[@buttbuttwhat1]

Broooo. I love lost coast so much. It’s just such a fun quick shot game to run through whenever I just want some simple fun. Thank you for this video!!

[@Skyrionn]

It's so great to play through. Probably one of the best looking locations in HL too

[@ChrisMathers3501]

I like to think that both Half-Life: Uplink and The Lost Coast ARE canon, and there's a perfectly good spot to stick both of them. Uplink is set between Lambda Core and Xen. Lost Coast is set between Nova Prospekts and the return to Kleiner's lab. It's the only way it fits - at both times he's sort of in teleportation limbo, what Doctor Rosenberg referred to as a "harmonic reflux." One point I was glad that you picked up on was how the Combine doesn't care about the historic, religious, cultural significance of the place, but they took it a step even further than you mentioned. I mean, sure, they installed a parasitic launcher and wrecked up the place, but it's more than that. You see all those religious paintings of all those saints and shit? Take a good look at them. ALL THEIR FACES have been painted over and washed out. Similarly, there's a statue in Half-Life: Alyx that's been beheaded, I think it was a statue of Lenin.

[@vaulthunter7777]

Yay a video on Lost Coast I loved playing that as short as it was, it was an interesting lil bit of Half-Life fun.

[@codymcgrath2.3bviews3secon7]

Had a really hard day Today, this couldn’t have come at a better time

[@buttbuttwhat1]

God bless dude. I hope it gets better. If you need a stranger to vent to I’m here.

[@codymcgrath2.3bviews3secon7]

@@buttbuttwhat1Cheers brother, just problems with work and general worries getting on top. We’ll always have Skyrion at least!

[@codymcgrath2.3bviews3secon7]

@@buttbuttwhat1I hope you don’t have any hard days in future but if you do I’m here to vent to also mate

[@Azmina_the_warlock]

I hope things get better. 💜 Take care & hang in there

[@codymcgrath2.3bviews3secon7]

@@Azmina_the_warlockThanks a lot I know it will and love this community

[@XProductions117]

I LOVE Your videos!

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks for watching them!

[@Peeveswozere]

1.25x Playback speed counters the pathos excess and now I can enjoy a deep dive in a childhood favourite of mine, thanks for putting it together!

[@brotherloops]

Lost coast was the first half life “game” I ever got to play. Nostalgia tripping here

[@SSD_Penumbra]

So, fun fact; St Olga is a figure from the eastern europe past. Basically, the story goes that her husband was killed by an invading army, so in retaliation, she asked all the invaders to a church, which she burned down with them inside it. She also used lit matches tied to bats to fly into the invaded town and set that on fire too. With how the combine deal with the town, its an unfortunate and ironic name.

[@profess_re]

as someone who has always been interested in game design, I absolutely love Lost Coast. It's such an interesting idea to explain to the player what you thought while creating each element of the game while they're playing it at the same time. It's impressive how much thought goes into designing levels like this without most players even actively noticing it. we just play through such a level in about 10 minutes and think: “Yeah, it was fun” and that's all, but if you think about how entire months went into its creation and how well every single detail is thought out, it's just a mindblow

[@lost4468yt]

Good video. Just to mention though it's not HDR. It's just an eye adjustment system. True HDR requires a higher bit count - this is some weird eye simulation thing (it should be noted the range of the human eye without adjustment already FAR exceeds any monitor).

[@CrabGamingTF2]

"..." had me crying. What an emotional quote from Gordon Freeman

[@Skyrionn]

The best quote from the entire timeline. So much emotion.

[@jefftaylor1186]

It makes sense that after all of that hard work on the lost Coast tech demo, that they forgot how to count to three.

[@robertbeckman2054]

Half Life 2, and its appendages, lore, etc is my favorite complete (almost) story of any video game. Id Software’s Return to Castle Wolfenstein is my favorite video game of all time.

[@BenieTheDragon]

Hard to believe it was 15+ years ago. How technology has moved.

[@Skyrionn]

Jeez. Time goes so fast.

[@locust76]

The only thing HDR did in Lost Coast was make it so that the screen was constantly getting brighter and darker as you moved looked around. Because they didn't have graphics cards or monitors capable of HDR, they had to take the narrow window of brightness allowed by SDR and slide it up and down in order to keep up with the much wider range of changes in brightness provided by the HDR rendering pipeline

[@operator_alpha644]

7:38 I used a bucket tbh but for the narrative purpose it's the same idea.

[@djKIR]

I do believe Valve had a story about it - cause they do always act so and see it all strings fitt together to develop fourther or keep it simple! Nothing bad actualy! 😀 And as Greek i can positive confirm & support your documentation that they did a freaking awesome work with the map as game design and the HDR lighting system, How? The reference monastery on "Meteora" is one and half hour away from my parents home! Also shown in a older James Bond 007 movie with Roger Moore - It is so dynamic if all lights are turned off in a monastery before evening and with the sun those windows do throw exactly the same warm light inside as in game! The cage system that brings people up is actualy since 100 years the same! There is a room up there that operates as elevator engine room! Even my grandmother told me before many years how she saw as kid how the monks use it per hand.

[@MatthewBester]

What is your background music playlist please? I love these pieces you use for your videos.

[@Skyrionn]

Hey - the audio is listed in the description ☺

[@BungieStudios]

I never understood the lore of this tech demo so this video helped a lot.

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks for watching

[@Oboy1999]

Valve and the Source Engine really put out some of the best games in the mid 00’s. I miss those days…

[@nickster5207]

As someone who has a degree in cultural history and theology, it hurt my soul to watch on as the combine forces tore into the cathedral to get to me when I first played Lost Coast.

[@orwellmicrowavegaming4132]

6:16 "The Fishman asked the Freeman to destroy the gun in the monastery above with no dawdling" BAD ENDING: Gordon has paranoid schizophrenia.

[@mrchannel3760]

i love how in every other frame gordons model changes 🤣

[@Skyrionn]

Whoops

[@Zenlore6499]

I’ve been meaning to check on when/where during HL2 this takes place, and it turns out it’s not really canon at all! I’m safe to do a marathon of the games and expansions without having to worry about Lost Coast!

[@Bouitto9167]

When the Scientist said “It’s Gordonin’ time.” And Gordonend all over the place, I got instant chills.

[@NestroSento]

God, i love your videos!

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks for watching them!

[@williamfairs519]

If you get down to the bay where the high water line meets the cliff, then hug as close to cliff as you can and hop or jump along the high water line to the other side you can investigate the fishing village. Very amusing sights will present themselves.

[@sammowastaken]

It's goofy, but I like the fan theory that Lost Coast was where Gordon got TP'd to or maybe hallucinated or something during the week-long teleport.

[@georgibg]

I could listen to your voice all day.

[@Skyrionn]

Feel free to do so!

[@ripsaebri8082]

That's the question of life really, is there a story here or not? Up to u and me I suppose ,and I appreciate u sharing tbh . A weird place I never fully explored

[@maciejrozanski154]

I remember finishing series as a kid with this giant cliffhanger and Eli dying, i thought last coast is going to be another full chapter, after finishing it i tried to unlock rest of the game assuming i just did something wrong and it just doesnt load as it should.

[@Zenlore6499]

Freeman has such a way with words

[@MarioCosta86]

For those who didnt experienced this small game around 2004/2005, this was truly amazing and somehow magical: a never-seen-before graphics with awesome light details (HDR). Good times, thank you Valve for the game ❤

[@RoCodingYT]

Hey skyrionn i love your vids, i was the first one and probably not the first one to say this to you, i know it is a good day when you post a video.

[@Skyrionn]

Best comment

[@RoCodingYT]

Thanks

[@Azmina_the_warlock]

Perfect timing. Lunch time 🤓

[@Skyrionn]

Perfect!

[@WakoJacKooo]

Was ace seeing HDR for the first time on this i felt my radeon x800 pro did well at the time despite its fan screaming in pain 😢🎉

[@MrBiznizCat]

I can’t stop laughing at the thumbnail for some reason.

[@VO7194]

they now have 2 foods, leaches and headcrabs

[@starwarsgamer388]

When gordon said I really felt that

[@sangokudbz79]

This video is longer than my playthough of Lost Coast lol

[@Catsfor5]

I love watching Skyrionn. I just play half life 2 all over and Lisen to the vid.

[@user-vo3un5mv3p]

1:43 in the poster the name "Riga" is a actual city in a country called Latvia

[@sockpuppermcgee7920]

Once I booted this up, my first intention was to abuse the gravity gun and punt the fisherman's harpoon at the combine. Didn't work, it's perfect for catching leeches I'm sure, but it's made out of hopes and prayers.

[@high0nfire]

They should have made the fishermen figure out how to catch and boil the head crabs

[@BobTomato.]

"..." -FREEMAN, Gordon, October 27, 2005

[@StefanMArndt]

A video explaining a section of the game that is as long as it takes to play the section of the game.

[@-aepo-]

Half life is rich with potential side quests and plots. I thought I would fight my way across the landscape in that "demo" and rid the town of the zombies and headcrabs to save some villagers. This would make a perfect mod with extended story- have Gordon use a floatboat to get to some shipwrecks at low tide, fight antlions in a seaside cave system, climb a cavernous mine and resistance tunnel network with antlion traps and travel dense woodlands with canyons and rock cliffs, This setting has enormous potential. There's a warehouse on the other side of the canyon that has an old nato armored transport, take that up the road and into the nearest village, raid a mountain combine weather station and free some vortagaunts and save some humans too.

[@Quick-Silver206]

It's funny how they went on about HDR but man that Bloom effect (the super bright white surfaces) is so annoying.

[@KING-lw8nv]

Man I lost a bet with my friend if your gonna mention the resonance cascade again for like a hundredth time

[@AceDrgn]

This video is longer than the actual gameplay of lost coast

[@gman424]

This could've been Ravenholm 2...

[@natalialuca]

Fun fact i just played lost coast the first time

[@Skyrionn]

Hope you enjoyed it

[@natalialuca]

@@Skyrionn yes i did

[@justinlee3812]

@Skyrionn Did you know that both of the Combine helicopters have the sound of the gunship?

[@Skyrionn]

I learned that during the making of this video!

[@justavian]

Did Gordon actually save the town, or did he condemn everyone there? As soon as he leaves, the combine probably swoop in and completely annihilate everyone and everything in a ten mile radius.

[@mahmodtaha684]

i love this guy and his vids ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@tutchando1840]

When I played this I didn't even understand what was going on.

[@u83rj1]

". . ." Gordon is so profound.

[@legogeneralgreivous8651]

That was a good quote at the opening, but in my opinion a better Gordon quote is “…”

[@Jaska124]

Well well I just played Lost Coast yesterday

[@Skyrionn]

Perfect timing

[@RetiredMemeLord]

one day St Olga will apear in the next game

[@Skyrionn]

Hopefully!

[@jefftaylor1186]

M. NIGHT TWIST: the washed up ship is the Borealis

[@frozarburst6350]

Gordon had one of the quotes of all time.

[@Skyrionn]

The most iconic quotes

[@C.A._Old]

*Right man. Wrong Place. can make will different in the World. -GMAN.*

[@PRIMUSxPRIME]

I'm still thinking lost coast is after ending of the Episode 3

[@bobthestinky7369]

Appears from nowhere. Defeats a small army and 2 attack helicopters all by himself. Fades out of existence. Refuses to elaborate.

[@Skyrionn]

Classic Gordon

[@whoknows7513]

Has anyone else ever been able to get out of bounds and enter St Olga village?

[@TerryKitts]

Have you ever considered doing an Atomic Heart lore video ? That game has a seriously messed up divergent history timeline, set during and after WW2.

[@Skyrionn]

I did just get figured that on Steam. I may see if it'd worth a video!

[@battlefieldkille]

Sky do you own css?

[@Skyrionn]

I do

[@kingelite1102]

“…” -Dr Gordon Maxwell Freeman (1999-2019)

[@kingelite1102]

“About that beer I owed you” -Barney (♾)

[@kingelite1102]

“Sometimes a dream about cheese” -war hero badass super star Bobby (2016-2017)

[@righty5890]

kinda sad seeing how you get some little subscribers and likes, seeing how much work you put in your videos

[@Skyrionn]

It depends on the mood of the algorithm. I'm hoping it starts to favour the channel again soon

[@ravick007]

It was a mistake to cut such a beatiful map from the game. But also was the bullsquid.

[@Skyrionn]

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