PROTECTORS - A Half-Life: Alyx Short [S2FM]

Civil Protection picks up a 647-e signal coming from a restricted zone in City 17, and an Overwatch Stabilization Team is dispatched to investigate.
The idea for this project has been sitting and morphing in my head since about 2011 when I first got the taste for video editing, stitching together clips from Garry’s Mod in glorious 360p. It’s extremely fulfilling to finally be able to translate those old ideas to video, and I hope you’ll enjoy this short.
Also, I wanted to clarify that about 75% of the character animations you see are presets created by VALVE. I only modify and stitch these together to form a coherent narrative.
Songs:
The Only Thing They Fear is V - Jupiter
Cauterizer - Mike Morasky
Additional assets:
Black Mesa Glock 17 - Johnathan
Walther PPK Pistol Replacer - McMessenger
SMG Energy Ball Launcher Remover - Mettle Meek
Half-Life 2: Remade Assets part 1,2,3 - Half-Life 2: Remade Assets Team
Half-Life 2 Beta inspired Combine Units Pack - Evil Garlic, Alex Portman, Carpethop, RED_EYE, half5life
Software:
Source 2 Filmmaker
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Photoshop
Audacity
Twitter:
/ theparrygod
Screenshots/Wallpapers:
www.flickr.com...
Support my work:
/ theparrygod
www.buymeacoff...

[@rustroute3229]

Hey hope you enjoyed the video. Had a good time putting on the finishing touches on the sounds (unlike my cpu) with this nitpicky bastard. Great video, share it, spread the word!

[@TheParryGod]

eyyy

[@romanovnemez7262]

@@TheParryGod need more god like SFM movie!

[@MikeRoch-m4r]

Keep up the good work!

[@1IteleportedBread]

It definitely paid off.

[@shadowteam9943]

Will do! Please make more!

[@taskforceboi8977]

Ordinal definetly wasnt happy about his guys dying, look at the way he mercilessly pursues the dude

[@jasonx1174]

Not sure if it's acting on emotion, more so pushing and finishing the job. Higher Ranking Combine Soldiers like the Ordinal seem more robotic and devoid of any emotion outside of being a augmented killing machine.

[@taskforceboi8977]

@@jasonx1174 likely true, but still cool

[@SomeKindaSpy]

@@jasonx1174 Very true. Ordinals and higher have had most of their humanity removed, and regular mind-wipes and reprogrammings become standard.

[@ZugzugZugzugson]

there's also the motivation provided due to the off-world relocation should they fail their mission.

[@agentoranj5858]

@@jasonx1174 It may be that camaraderie is one of the few things they're allowed to feel as it benefits unit cohesion.

[@matthewk.mitchell-miyashir3168]

The minute The Ordinal's voice deepens at "Target is compromised". He done playing games

[@MarcoAdventures]

Unlike the Grunts, he doesn't hesitate, not anymore.

[@galmax2000]

@@MarcoAdventures full combine machine

[@agusanto162]

when? what minute?

[@FurryWrecker911]

@@agusanto162 5:00. He sends in the Viscerator, the rebel steps out to shoot it, the camera rotates back the Ordinal who steps out and says "Target compromised" and he shoots the rebel in the head.

[@LondonsFrost]

Also at 5:23 when the Ordinal picks up intensity and charges the final remaining (anti-citizen) while calling out to overwatch "escalating force"... the psychological tactics aligned with the control/fear and sheer power the combine posess is dope lol

[@LondonsFrost]

4:46 the APF calling out "Forcing Compliance" seconds before mag dumping the rebel/anti-citizen with a combine saw was sick asf

[@Dsyncronized]

Bro said you gonna comply before you die

[@DogeickBateman]

@@Dsyncronizedremember, a dead anti citizen is a compliant anti citizen!

[@tuneingfish678]

i mean it def was pretty forceful

[@blacktemplar1139]

Nothing says _"GET ON THE F---ING GROUND!"_ like a stream of combustion

[@bishalgurung4356]

forcing anticitizen to die

[@dagger4967]

I liked how the first combine that died could have prevented his death by immediately shooting, but his instincts kicked in and told him to put his hands up instead. Shows how their still human.

[@knuckle1493]

The MPF, yes. The Ordinal/Overwatch dude that went running after the last guy? He's transhuman, literally more machine than man and completely integrated into the Combine collective.

[@fainyance11]

@@knuckle1493 That's definitely why his aim is unbelievably quick and accurate too. Pay attention to how effectively he snaps to target on the three rebels he kills.

[@tonycallme3667]

I think it's just their protocol of Subduing and extracting for information, if they failed, they shoot. If they succeed, they don't shoot but to torture and deform the prisoner, eventually turning them into mindless worst than zombie.

[@knuckle1493]

@@fainyance11 for sure, also another thing to note is that one MPF unit that says "hands up" actually does shoot first if you pay close attention, he misses and a millisecond later he gets hit. Again, really shows how badass overwatch is given that the ordinal doesn't miss a shot.

[@PTSDDDEVIL]

I think suppressors and chargers are completely modified. In the game, suppressors has a lot of damage and the chargers have the personality of a robot.

[@hideous_taco_michael_zacki]

Have you noticed how Ordinal always kills his target just with one accurate shot? This guy is not fooling around and wasting ammo like his subordinates. Truly a killing machine.

[@jasonx1174]

That scared me in addition to the ruthless pursuit of that last rebel. Just because of how... just plain inhuman it is.

[@halojoe21]

"Wasting ammo" ?? Bullets can be used to suppress too, and infact that's usually the biggest consumption of it IRL in a given firefight.

[@flowee9452]

@@halojoe21 True most of the bullets in a fight will go into the ground or into the nearby walls haha

[@nightxday]

Oh I sure wonder why one of the combine units here are called Suppressors.

[@feralhawg867]

@@halojoe21 The Grunts are definitely wasting ammo by missing. The Suppressor, on the other hand, is just doing his job (as you said).

[@generic__]

Imagine a crossover with a game like “ready or not” where you’re a team of combine preparing to clear a sector full of rebels

[@coffeatus3393]

There is combine mod for RoN. With Half Life props this mod will look awesome. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJ3He39mlsR_r6c

[@iaminyourwalls.]

That would be AWESOME.

[@PurposeLess81]

There are a bunch of mods for that in Ready or Not's Nexus page. They're just as awesome as you think they are.

[@anobody410]

Fuck you. This comment just gave me depression knowing that this will never happen, yet its one of the coolest gaming ideas Ive heard so far.

[@mechmastergaming6304]

Ready.or.not has two different voice mods using combine voice lines however one of them is custom-made but doesn't work very well because many of the voice lines are from an early build

[@Man-ok8tj]

The movements of the combine worker, and the small tremors of the citizen when seeing the combine gives a touch of realism to this animation good video bro

[@KorianHUN]

The hallway shootout has insanely good camerawork. This scene would pass for the start of a feature length movie, so well made.

[@arandomuser6935]

I like how the combine communicated to each other, including their tactical formation when getting out of the drop ship and on the move. I love it so freaking much!

[@calamari3772]

It was motion capture so although that detail was included it still wasn't specifically added by the dude who made it. Still very good short though

[@idkwhattoputhere.9891]

The thing that takes away a huge part of the realism is that almost everyone in the ota squad died, expect the ordinal and supressor.

[@ZorgonKiloEchoLima]

@@idkwhattoputhere.9891 how does that take away from it? The grunts are literal recruits.

[@anomalyxd825]

What’s best about this is you never actually see what the ordinal can do in half life alyx and why they are so dangerous. This film captures why ordinals are high ranking combine units and what they are actually capable of. Excellent work!

[@TheParryGod]

Best vocoder, best design, hands down. And yeah, I was just a tiny bit bummed that they take damage from a 1911 when shot in their plate carrier (I assume it's not just very thick kevlar. Also, not a gun expert) and that also applies to the APF and Wallhammer. But, oh well. Enjoyable gameplay comes before realism.

[@SomeKindaSpy]

There's a reason Ordinals phased out Grunts.

[@jasonx1174]

For me this is how I picture them. The way they Command, how they are in combat, and just how relentless they are is just scary and almost inhuman.

[@anomalyxd825]

@@TheParryGod based off of how guns and bulletproof vests work in real life ( I study some of this stuff) and judging by technological combine enhancements, yes that plate carrier should definitely be able to take shots from a bare 1911. But yes gameplay before realism always. Also side note I really like how source 2 overwatch soldiers look especially when in a squad with an ordinal. It’s too bad they were cut from the actual game.

[@me67galaxylife]

@@anomalyxd825 What was cut ?

[@MarcoAdventures]

To basically explain the beginning dialogue, there was a downed city scanner in a Rebel base. The city scanner was barely alive and used the remaining energy it had to give out a 674e reading which is basically a "Hey bad guys here" signal, and a Civil Protection unit detected it and reported it. The CPs commanding officer then reported it to Overwatch, who responded by sending a stabilization team to investigate the area.

[@waffler-yz3gw]

ah, thanks

[@aricordjimsu3226]

a rebel couple: *trying to get by* A city scanner: *A-Train*

[@hansonkerman7286]

how do you know that ?? just curious

[@hatti...]

​@Hanson Kerman "Got a possible 647-E reading here, request stabilization team for tag." You can hear the combine soldier making the request for the investigation

[@gront5172]

@@hansonkerman7286 that City scanner lit up which indicated it was active, and yeah like the guy above me said the the Civil protection in the later scenes said it got a “distress call” from the city scanner

[@ETIL_]

This is objectively the best S2FM animation made so far.

[@asterlofts1565]

All S2FM is so good.

[@alexberkowitz5897]

Easily

[@Neo2266.]

@@asterlofts1565 not this good, don't devalue the better animations like that

[@asterlofts1565]

@@Neo2266. It is true that each one is worse/better than another if we start to compare in detail... what I mean by that they are all very good is in the fluidity and smoothness of the animations. In SFM you couldn't do that or at least not at that level in a relatively short period of time and even more so considering that Source 2 barely came out to the general public incompletely in 2020...

[@Neo2266.]

@@asterlofts1565 Oh yeah compared to Source, Source 2 stuff generally does look more fluid

[@CoreyLaddo]

Fantastic work

[@iyanaz]

Yes indeed

Hey my idol.

[@TheParryGod]

Thank you!

[@Larmama]

Ahhhh yes... LET THE DAY GO BY

[@noodle3151]

@@Larmama AND THE WATER HOLD ME DOWN

[@2A_ROCKS_]

2:19 this scene must be the most under appreciated part of this short, seeing the headcrabs interact with each other is fascinating

[@JudgeOfHell188]

I always liked headcrabs as a species, I wish there was another, smaller type game where you could see more headcrab content, like seeing a headcrab nest or something like that, but that's probably because I think that headcrabs are just bigger and better ants. I also like how the headcrabs interacted, like two different ant species encountering.

[@aquatic4760]

It honestly looked like they were sorta trying to intimidate each other. And it makes sense really. Neither headcrab has seen their type of species before, due to the fact that the poison headcrab is basically lab-made.

[@cyrusdimalaluan0517]

rascism lore bad ending

[@Erinthegato99]

LMAO

[@AMBATUKAMceo]

Headcrab: wtf are you why are you black? Poison headcrab: shut up man why are you white?

[@SuperWiiBros08]

This is the most cinematic Valve could get

[@Dude69767]

402 likes and no comment? Impossible

[@KRAGH5]

@@Dude69767 1 like, no comment? Impossible

[@burakkaya9149]

@@KRAGH5 1 like, no comment? Impossible

[@theradio.9135]

@Qagmez 7668 *2 likes no comment?*

[@pawprint1]

@@theradio.9135 956 likes, no comment? Impossible

[@KrissFliss]

This makes me want a coop shooter where you play as the combine.

[@peterparleecarr4516]

Same here, BUT, with a twist, you play as a grunt, not a augmented or any high ranking soldier, just a regular grunt to start with.

[@MrRourk]

Valve definitely needs to make this

[@jasonx1174]

Either something like Left 4 Dead or Republic Commando is my dream.

[@flowee9452]

There is a game with a full story where you play as a Civil Protection but it's only in singleplayer and the devs have been working on a second game for a year or two now. It's called Entropy Zero.

[@Utogonist]

@@flowee9452 nice, Ima try it out

[@drax1152]

The formation that the troops are walking in at 3:18 is interesting. A grunt is directly in front of the squad leader to protect the team leader from direct fire The Supressor is offset to his left, this gives him the benefit to supress any enemy contact from the front, while at the same time covering the squad leaders left side The grunt behind is rear guard, notice how he constantly looks behind himself, also capable of shielding the squad leader from enemy fire from the rear Another thing to point out is that with this formation, there are 2 guns ready to return fire from whatever direction they may be ambushed in, at the same time preventing crossfire

[@blacktemplar1139]

That's why the combine soldiers have the edge over most rebel infantry; teamwork

[@FungusUSMC]

Textbook fireteam staggered column formation the Marine Corps uses: Ready-Team-Fire-Assist. Ready (pointman), Team (team lead), Fire (automatic gunner), Assist (assistant-gunner).

[@drax1152]

@FungusUSMC this is actually exactly what I was looking for but I couldn't find where it existed, thank you good sir

[@evergreenroboticsentertain2007]

Both grunts were on the sides facing forward, and if only they had a wallhammer

[@CASA-dy4vs]

@@evergreenroboticsentertain2007charger units are walking walls lol

[@SpillyWilly_]

3:45 love how the Grunt says "back to sleep" because they still retain some of their human personality

[@SurviveOrDiePlayLikeMako]

They no human

[@SpillyWilly_]

@@SurviveOrDiePlayLikeMako grunts are still humans

[@granzon7396]

only blue eyes are not humans

[@maxmurovargas9435]

@@granzon7396 explain?

[@granzon7396]

@@maxmurovargas9435 Those orange ones are half synth and human body with consciousness while the blue ones are full synths they're like androids, those are captured humans that combines re-engineered their bodies and remove their human consciousness long time ago before they go in full hunting mode on survivors of earth. If u play the hl2 inside the citadel u can see how combine synths created.

[@charlieburnham39]

The animation is top notch but the voice acting is what really sells this as part of the half life universe. I don't know if it's all taken from the half life games or if it's an original recording, but either way it's amazing. The subtitles are really helpful too!

[@TheParryGod]

Thank you. The Combine dialogue is all from HL:A and the citizens' dialoge were recorded in post.

[@CBaggers]

@@TheParryGod absolutely stunning work

[@FormaldeHyena]

Honestly, what really elevated this to the next level for me was the blood that was clearly streaming down the wall from the guy that was lying through the window sill when he died.

[@chaoticcar6231]

"APF forcing compliance." Is such a banger line.

[@דוידגורכוהל]

אין כמו אימא בעולם!!!!!!!

[@Bindleton]

Being dead is compliant in the eyes of the combine

[@meer5361]

"Failure to treat identified local outbreak will force team recall and recycle" How overwatch deals with skill issue

[@tommyfortress7515]

i wonder what they mean with recycle

[@KeksimusMaximus]

@@tommyfortress7515 stalkers

[@thedoruk6324]

@@tommyfortress7515 either outright extermination ie ending or total memory wiping anything is on table even total devolution into stalkers

[@I_am_a_human_not_a_commodity]

There is no "git gud" lmao

[@gnat6216]

@@thedoruk6324 combines are bots already. So memory reset doesn't play here. It's either stalker or recycle for materials since you are unit which "failed his task due error"

[@abnormality3345]

For the first time a SFM/S2FM finally made the citizens and rebels seem human. They react to their friends' deaths appropriately and the fact they damaged the supressor and killed the grunt shows that they know how to use guns. Love this short, keep doing what you're doing

[@greasy_breads]

Clearly you know your stuff. The lesser armor of the grunts, the combine terminology placement, the way each unit carries themselves, the actual supersoldiers having no hesitation and having godlike aim vs the typical more-human grunt, etc. the fact that after the APF gets injured they substitute the suppression with a man hack frontline to push. exactly how I always imagined they operated.

[@jasonx1174]

The animation really does make my imagination of how Combine Soldiers operate come to life. They're tightly coordinated, in formation, know the callouts, and make quick decisive decisions for the appropriate scenario.

[@scott-gaming.8834]

Tell me more?

[@greasy_breads]

@@scott-gaming.8834 What more could you ask for

[@furiousfinch1587]

Notice as well that the Ordinal relentlessy pushed once the manhack went down. The shotgunner who damaged the APF has two shots per reload, and the APF and Ordinal can tank the pistols long enough, but the shotgun is a threat. He waited until he heard both barrels get spent before specifically targeting her. You can see the last guy land a hit or two on the Ordinal's armour to no effect, whereas the shotgun could've probably wounded him through the armour. Once he knew the threats posed, and knew he'd taken down the only one that could reliably damage him, it was a steamroll.

[@pesticeed8168]

And yet Gordon still fucks these guys up easily

[@lohiboi6331]

I do love seeing more from the combine side.

[@JustNORMALhuman-i4r]

me too

[@jasonx1174]

Gives me the dream of a Republic Commando style game for the Half Life Series.

[@grineer6967]

@@jasonx1174 holy shit you may be on to something

[@vit968]

I know they're the bad guys but I just love seeing them in action like this. They're my favorite Masked Mooks.

[@cat-nl4sv]

I found it interesting when the first combine got killed he gave the rebels a chance to surrender, the others didn't open fire until the rebels shot first.

[@rarehydra1179]

I notice this too, they always give humans a chance to surrender but instead of it being out of a sense of decency it's just because in the combines pursuit of maximum productivity and efficiency they allow every rebal the opportunity to go back to being a slave.

[@wll1500]

Surrender would mean a worse fate than death for them anyway, and they know it. They'd be made into soldiers, or worse- stalkers.

[@ItsMeBS114]

Didn’t you see the grunt shoot first?

[@rarehydra1179]

@@ItsMeBS114 probably a fear response after seeing the reblal draw and take aim because he immediately got shot after.

[@ItsMeBS114]

@@rarehydra1179 that makes sense

[@Spockitans]

Amazing work, and fantastic cinematography! Incredible use of blending the model's pre-loaded animations, too!

[@Loopy1330]

I've been a Half-Life fan for over a decade now, this is hands down the best Half-Life animation I've ever seen. Everything is so professionally done and well paced, almost everything is assets from official Half-Life games and the little audio that is new doesn't sound out of place. This feels like something official that Valve could have made themselves.

[@TheParryGod]

Really appreciate it :) Glad you enjoyed it.

[@riezki4086]

@@TheParryGod Dude, you really need apply job to Valve corp. You've talents don't wasted it

[@Dalek22comments]

@@riezki4086 - Funny you mention that, look up: 'Half Life Trailer by James Benson', he tried making videos like this to get into Valve. He never got in - until the company he was working at (Camp Santo) was acquired by Valve.

[@cjwharton1]

@@Dalek22comments It goes back even further than that. Counter-Strike and Day of Defeat. Valve hired everyone involved in both of those mods to the original Half-Life.

[@kingofworms831]

It took me ten rewatches for me to realize that the ordinal actually got shot at 5:25

[@wafflecopter9296]

And just before the first combine gets shot you can see the rebel's hand shaking when holding up the gun.

[@MrServerUP]

At 5:39 you can see the two dark spots on his armour, from the bullet damage.

[@ryz_vik]

The power of ceramic plating, baby!!

[@gront5172]

@@ryz_vik though im not sure how close transhuman forces armor materials are to normal modern armor. The combine might have used a diffrent mix of material since they’re alien and stuff.

[@Nogaret_]

unlike grunts he has armor and don't die in one shot

[@Crylyte]

Incredible. You did an specifically good job in capturing the world building of Half-Life.

[@dustypaint]

3:52 I don't know if this was intentional, but during my military training, we are taught to walk exactly like this in urban settlement conflicts. This gives you a chance to quick dash and leap on contact.

[@deborrahcarandang7039]

What about the other realisim instead of 3:52?

[@dustypaint]

@@deborrahcarandang7039 Squad/Platoon leader always gets out(of vehicle) last and gets in(to building) first. If a platoon gets neutralized by 20-30%, that platoon is considered "destroyed" because it loses it's effective fire power completely. So the leader in the video realizes this and keeps on pressure, and persues the Resistance members. I would expect Resistance to perform more of guerilla warfare, like booby traps in the entrances, handmade explosives(as antipersonnel mines) vehicle traps, tracers and such. A guerilla never confronts or gets ambushed face to face, they always have several exits in a cavern, building and such.

[@dustypaint]

@@deborrahcarandang7039 I think supressors are made for much bigger investation threat, like nasty creatures like Jeff, Antlion Guards or Tentacles offscene, somewhere under the City 17 or outer parts. But they are being deployed into quarantine zone, unknowing the threat, because Overwatch keep reporting massive soldier deaths(by Alyx), and they assume some huge infestation.

[@deborrahcarandang7039]

@@dustypaint also suppresors are called antibody protection force since they are good at infestations

[@deborrahcarandang7039]

@@dustypaint i think combine ota are using real human tactics but the grunts are still half baked since u can see the grunt standing infront of ordinal just to get shot at 5:10

[@BrunoBluthgeld]

Professionally made and masterfully conveying the dark ambience of the Half Life universe. One thing I find particularly good is the initial, seemingly peaceful sequence and then the arrival of the dropship with its unmistakable hum - a true portent of the imminent 'neutralisation'. Now that I think about why this sound doesn't really move you so much in HL2, I guess it's because the overwatch soldiers are very easy to kill. If they were more like the ones in this video, well, it'd be a different story. Anyway, hats off.

[@TheParryGod]

Thank you! Very glad you enjoyed it. The dropship sounds are a mix of HL2 and HLA, so it is way more aggressive here.

[@theregalproletariat]

They just need more health. As I understand it, Hunters have the exact same AI - but I think we all agree they're way scarier.

[@annoyingkraken]

Nah bro, a nerd in an orange suit with a crowbar is just a downright savage warrior.

[@RetroCube]

If you play HL2 on hardest difficulty, no armor and like 50-80 health max, you still overpower them but Combine Soldiers feel like a massive threat

[@AParticularlyConcernedCitizen]

In all fairness, Gordon already defeated a good chunk of an alien army and a company of marines by himself. A squad of soldiers isn't going to do much more than annoy the guy.

[@oberonia7264]

"apf forcing compliance" *proceeds to kill everything* god i love the combine

[@rarehydra1179]

It's hard yo be incomplient without brains in your skull.

[@kathiecraig2803]

* Insert "Exit light" *

[@absolutezerochill2700]

5:17 the music combined with the Ordinal's complete efficiency is really terrifying

[@MrServerUP]

I watched all your HL videos and my top 5 videos are: PROTECTORS PATIENT ZERO Stabilization Team INFESTATION ANTI-CITIZENS I rewatch these videos almost every day and I always get goosebumps. I truly love your work. You have a good eye for little details and your cinematography, animation and sound desing is top tier. Nothing on youtube gets even close to your level. That being said, please please please please PLEASE make a movie or even better a full series about: How the Combines took over Earth and show how combine soldiers are created... or have the main character become an Ordinal. Maybe Valve can also support you on this one. This is a big story gap in the Half-life universe that you could fill with any scenario you can imagine, and I guarantee all the HL fans will love it. There were other games that had a movie made on Netflix or Prime Video, so it's definitely worth a try. I wish you good luck and hope to see a movie soon .

[@beattheovenludwigvan]

holy cow! 500pound

[@Akrmdz444]

We should pin you fr

[@apecks]

@@Akrmdz444 kinda sus bro

[@BLACKOMAMBO]

Why did you spent your parents money on this...

[@MrServerUP]

​@@BLACKOMAMBO I wanted to answer honestly, but then I saw your username.

[@toe_stealer6930]

This dude's shorts need more recognition, Super underrated channel.

[@warden821]

I love this, it's kind of like Astartes but without a copyright trigger happy Corporation around to kill it off. You actually managed to make the Civil protection team look really badass

[@theoverpreparerlamenters3r436]

@@imbreadth11r5 yeah, Gordon just has a nigh bulletproof suit, complete with a helmet (according to some Half-Life¹ art and common sense)

[@BenefactorsBlade]

*stabilization team Civil Protection and Overwatch are two entirely separate branches

[@zircron45]

I agree with this take, I watched this with my brother and the first thing i thought was "serious astartes vibes" So incredibly disappointed by games workshop restricting astartes.

[@SomeKindaSpy]

@@zircron45 Restricting and replacing the Bolter sounds and music with their own watered down version. :/

[@zircron45]

@@SomeKindaSpy Yeah they replaced rok nardins track near the end which is so unfortunate.

[@hdanimatesorsomething]

I love how the combine convey emotion and humanity still, they can’t show facial expressions or really do much but they still show emotion or whatever else they have.

[@ultmateragnarok8376]

Big part of it is body language. You can feel the weight behind the movements of the Suppressor, you can see the casual or nervous movements of the Grunts in these situations, and you can see the practiced, almost robotic actions of the Ordinal.

[@dutsonator]

The amount of DETAIL dude. Firstly, on all corpses you can see that they left multiple gunshot wounds: The Zombie, both the body and the headcrab had visible gunshot wounds when the camera panned past them, for Sam, through the front and out through the back of the head, Jackie, in the torso, and Jake double tapped in the head, and the jaw, as well as the other two rebels. Not only that, but if you noticed, Jake was able to pop off three shots onto the Ordinal, and during the final closeup you can see 2 of the 3 bullet impact marks on his plate carrier (The other on his shoulder which the camera has no visible range to see). Rewind it back to the beginning you'll notice the Ordinal's armor was completely unscathed with no visible damage apart from a few dents and folds, and by the end you will see the insane level of detail and realism this man put into this majestic film. Oh and, I do need to say the overall cinematic feel from lowering the resolution gives it that action movie like appearance, same goes for the camera angles. Hats off to you man, this is great. [Edit: Reformatted the layout so it's easier on the eyes for people to read]

[@tatacain8792]

Who is your favorite combine soldier units in half life alyx

[@jackdaniels5071]

@@tatacain8792 grunts. Overwatch said "stop kicking it"

[@shaggy7087]

​@@tatacain8792 i enjoy wallhammer and spikewall

[@MrJonifishpt]

Near the end i found myself rooting for the Combine instead of the rebels. This is so well done that i forgot that the combine are the bad guys and started rooting for them because of how badass they look and how much more human they feel in this short. Great work, probably one of the best sfm shorts i've seen (including sfm and s2fm)

[@saphojuiced]

The bad guys look bad-ass? Huh... how about that?

[@OXY187]

I never root for the rebels. they are silly.

[@theant2266]

@@OXY187 goofy ahh mf's trying to win over earth

[@4T3hM4kr0n]

probably because the rebels aren't in the uniforms you see in half life 2, and instead look like a bunch of street kids with guns.

[@mannhouse8014]

@@4T3hM4kr0n More realistic honestly

[@elmartinos175]

I have to say that I have seen a lot of animation but you and Half Peeps are the best of the best. Your work deserves support and therefore I send it. Continue your work and don't give up. You will reach a million subscribers once. I have already written this comment, but youtube deleted it for some reason. It does not matter. You deserve money for this masterpiece anyway.

[@TheParryGod]

Thank you so much for the kind words and your support! I hope to continue making these for as long as I'm able.

[@daweihe2142]

I know everyone has already said it, but this is top tier animation. The Combine feel like Space Marines here, and the composition is maybe on par with Astartes.

[@iluxius8216]

Honestly yeah

[@BarrieStirling2353]

My eyes cant get enough of this, these animations are amazing. the detail and touch of the way the combine and citizens behave is stunning for example in 4:00 "jackie, jackie. cmon!" it sounds so real, while jackie is literally shitting his pants in a corner knowing he probably will die. The voice actors where absolutely phenomenal. You're work is amazing.

[@dmfcopple9531]

Man 1:24 Was so cool! I mean the movement and the sound was just right on! Especially when the grunt just checks behind himself and when the suppressor kicks the door open! Plus the plot makes it even more better!

[@dmfcopple9531]

Wow, he is very active on bis comments! Another good thing to add!

[@dmfcopple9531]

Update: I meant when the Grunt was looking behind him I meant that he was doing it in suspicion

[@CrysisYaDig]

I love how this goes into detail of how tough and effective the APF/Combine Suppressor is they gotta bring em back for Half Life 3

[@the_furry_inside_your_walls639]

They need to bring back all of the combine units from HLA, as well as update the combine units from HL2 to be up to snuff with the ones from HLA.

[@fatboyinasandpit3434]

Y'all still really believe HL3 is coming out...?

[@granolanumberonefan]

@@fatboyinasandpit3434 Yeah it is, the ending of Half Life Alyx pretty much confirmed it

[@fatboyinasandpit3434]

@@granolanumberonefan Like the ending of HL2 confirmed a HL3? We just got a VR prequel literally no one asked for. As good as HL:A is/was, nobody asked for it. As amazing of a title it was, the community has been asking for a SEQUEL to the ending of HL2 for 10 years, and instead we got a prequel. Valve is either so out of touch, or doesn't care about what the community wants, hence why they mainly produce hardware now, despite the demand for HL3.

[@granolanumberonefan]

@@fatboyinasandpit3434 Eli said that they had work to do, its confirmed literally

[@felipeandresfuentes9295]

It takes even more than being a good animator to make this. This is talent holy shit

[@sharky1583]

Dude, your videos are amazing. Even small detail like 2:07 soldier is keeping his finger out of the trigger. The natural character's movement and dialogues. It looks like real in-game scene or theatre movie. Keep it up and better coz you're doing awesome job, man.

[@quicke5486]

I like how one side didn't completely dominate with no losses, kind of perfectly sums up close quarters fighting, and especially room clearing. Doesn't matter how trained you are, if you are caught by surprise and they have a superior position someone as trained as an OTA soldier could die.

[@evilboy3521]

I stopped all I was doing as soon as I got the notification. And then on another note, this has to be the best god damn video I have ever seen, the cinematic shots, the animation, the scenes, the layout, the custom maps, the detail, everything about it. SOMETHING PEOPLE MIGHT NOT HAVE REALIZED IS; In Stabilization Team you see two dead Grunts at the beginning, dumped on some rails, most likely this is a prequel to that video. Most of this segment is edited, so the creator won't be looking at this part anymore, most likely, but this video put a long lasting smile on myself - something rarely anything can do nowadays.

[@TheParryGod]

Really glad you enjoyed it ;)

[@evilboy3521]

@@TheParryGod It was real great!

[@cnlbenmc]

The last two standing are what Mike and Dave from Civil Protection wishes they were like.

[@jasonx1174]

What makes this for me is how greatly stringed the dialogue is here. The Half Life 2 and Aylx dialogue is just so perfectly synced. Always found it weird how Overwatch doesn't always respond to regular Combine Soldiers like it does CP so I love the stuff at the drop ship immensely.

[@airliner7478]

This captures the harsh reality of the Half-Life universe too well. The combine have always been portrayed as ruthless and merciless throughout HL2 and I bet confrontations like the one seen in the video happen pretty much regularly. Most citizens get massacred, and those who survive will likely get massacred later. If I lived in such a world where death can come to anyone at anytime, I'd tell everyone I met the following words: "Do not attach yourself to anyone."

[@riveth9176]

and that would be your worst mistake

[@airliner7478]

@@riveth9176 How so? In a hopeless reality (prior to the return of Gordon Freeman), it would seem futile to expect people you connect with to survive very long. When you bond with someone, it makes loosing them more painful. The only reason I'd abandon this way of thought is if I had reason to believe their was hope again; like if The FREEMAN returns and repeats his epicness from Black Mesa, but with the Combine.

[@riveth9176]

@@airliner7478 You probably Haven't live under regime. Atomization of society is all occupant ever hope for. No bonds. No reaction, no uprising. Without bonds URE alone against machine of terror. No one gonna back U up. You wont stand for noone. Authority can take U and make U, and still U wold sit and wait for a knight in shining hev suit 🙂

[@Charlieandp]

Thats literally what the combine want though?

[@airliner7478]

@@Charlieandp Yes, I was just pointing out how good this video is.

[@NeonPumpkin]

I dunno why. But the sound design and the impact that the pulse rifle makes me feel happy. I'd have to give this a 20 out of 10!

[@AccountHolder007]

The kind of content to really spark a light in the hearts of Half-Life fans. I'd be willing to pay money to see more of this kind of quality more often.

[@ChaplainIdaeus]

Giving me some Jin-Roh vibes. I need more of this. Fuckin' phenomenal work.

[@waitholdonwhat28]

We need a Half Life Combine movie honestly

[@jasonx1174]

I love that movie. Now you're making me imagine a bunch of APFs shooting at rebels like at the beginning of the movie.

[@ezequielredigonda9179]

Magnificent work, I liked the detail that the grunts perished quickly when they were shot in the torso, while the ordinal combine resisted up to 2 shots, because he was wearing a kind of bulletproof vest, something that was not very seen in the animations with the S1FM, in which this detail was simply often ignored and made bulletproof vests bleed when shot, is not such an important detail, but in my opinion it makes the animations with war conflicts much more realistic by adding the element of armor .

[@TheNairOG]

When Ordinal going in for a charge after the lone runner is so cool gah!

[@TheNairOG]

Saw that cremator!

[@TheParryGod]

@@TheNairOG Keep it clean.

[@tricksterzyro3230]

@@TheNairOG where?

[@TheNairOG]

@@tricksterzyro3230 When the train closes and starts to move, in the gap between two trains Cremator walks past. You can see it's feet under the train as well

[@tricksterzyro3230]

@@TheNairOG i see.

[@KorhaWB]

The smoke/fire/steme all those effects during the firefights is just so impressive. Not looking like a game at all, and the way you animated the death animations when they get shot are so believable, way better than people simply falling over

[@unitysquared9369]

4:59 the camera work here and the guy getting blasted through the door is absolutley atrocious and wonderful

[@OlbedSyanKnight]

I can't stop watching it. The tension, the motion, the suspense and action... Is all so polished and realistic it makes me smile each time I re-watch it.

[@AbsolutelyNothing]

As an animator myself, even if 75% of the animations you used are presets, you stringed them together masterfully to create a wonderful narrative while keeping the pace smooth. The cinematography is also AMAZING. And the sound design; the fucking sound design! Great job man! The only critique I have is that there could be a lot more ambient sound in the beginning, especially during the shot from the sewer. Also the Ordinal at 4:49 is doing big arm movements, but his torso is too still, making his arm look very disconnected. He also has a stiff torso at 5:00. These are all minor nitpicks though, and doesn't take away from the experience! Looking forward to see more!

[@TheParryGod]

Thank you. Really appreciate it! With the ambient sounds in the begining I wanted to convey that this is a restricted zone in City 17 and therefore not much is happening in the surroundings. Maybe I went a little too soft on those parts but to me they feel just right. 4:49 is actually a VALVE preset the whole way through. So that is word of god, how it should be, haha. 5:00 Yeah, that is fair. His torso stays pretty stiff the whole way through. That's one of the few scratch made animations. I'm just happy I managed to cobble it together the way I did.

[@aslightlystablefootsoldier9838]

I find it so creepy that the Ordinal never purposely misses, he only misses to put the pressure on suppressive fire. He just waits on that moment the enemy is out of position and goes for the head or heart for a quick one tap. These animations are nuts bro and they give the combine the justice they need in animation

[@theporkiestpie8416]

The best part for me was how he just instantly nails that rebel immediately after the manhack gets destroyed.

[@17DiamondMan]

@@theporkiestpie8416 They Destroyed his Pet Manhack.

[@theporkiestpie8416]

@@17DiamondMan Yes, and they still died.

[@rayfields7749]

Absolutely stellar. Not only the animations, camera work and sounds, that goes without saying. But the story: combine come in and clean shit up. No drama, no good guys win/love beats all crap. Refreshing. 10/10.

[@Rangerchips]

I can't stop replaying on how good this animation is, and how badass the Ordinal too. My favorite is when the combat action commences

[@KILLRAIN42]

God I can't help but keep coming back to this. Like others have said, the animation and choreography is just so damn clean and allows for such awesome minute differences in the behaviors of all the different combine soldiers. Fantastic ass kicking in the quality of work department.

[@TheHawkeye12]

Bro that captain just didn't give up like he charged the rebels and killed every single one.

[@bryanjimenez8971]

Knowing the combine it's far from the worst thing to happen to them.

[@benb.8550]

You're a legend dude, this is Valve quality!

[@bananakinflyswatter904]

That splash of a bit of the Cyberpunk OST was a stroke of brilliance.

[@VernCarson]

can't believe I had to scroll this far to find someone talking about it

[@soadfan1022]

This channel is severely underrated. This is easily some of the best animation I've seen come out of SFM. It's unfortunate that the algorithm favors low effort spam over content like this.

[@NattyDread011]

Stunning work as always. Can't even imagine how much effort this took.

[@holydoggo4822]

its already been two years since this game came out yet it still feels so fresh in my mind like it was only just released. Crazy

[@dawson-parker]

You drunk the combine water too i see. Sucks time flies like this.

[@synthomite405]

you can really feel the weight of each movement the combine make, contrasts well with the less punchier resistance, makes them very scary, reminds me of the astartes short film

[@thebluesavior]

Holy shit dude, you knocked this one out of the park! Absolutely amazing work, and I really hope a lot more people get to see this! Loving the Combine POVs you do.

[@drvurruct2274]

Maybe its sadistic, but I love that the bad guys just get shit done in these animations. Like, in most other stories, the bad guys faff about and twiddle their thumbs while the good guys prepare for like an hour and then the bad guys are made to look like idiots on purpose, but in these animations they just fuckin' merk your loved ones and then you with swift action. Even when the rebels win most of them are just slaughtered; I love it!

[@TheParryGod]

So long as you got a healthy mind and can separate real from fiction there's nothing sadistic about it. And yup, this trend of comedically dumbass antagonists drives me up the wall as well, especially when they're supposed to be highly trained soldiers.

[@Rilkir]

I haven't felt this immersed in the Half-Life world since the days when I used to listen to Overwatch and Civil Protection radio chatter on repeat, over a decade ago. Impeccable work.

[@jasonx1174]

Those are some of the best aspects of Half Lifes sound design

[@googleygareth]

This is seriously brilliant work, a great example of what releasing an in-house animation software can concieve for a game's world. Well done.

[@DroneBoi.]

My dad was combine ordinal, and fighted in multiple battles before he retired, i showed him this video and he said it was very accurate to what he did, thank you for making this.

[@DroneBoi.]

@Clownfish bro did not understand the joke 💀

[@gunterthekaiser6190]

​@Clownfish big oof.

[@Kmicic023]

XD

[@rarehydra1179]

They let hom keep his balls? Usually they remove those during augmentation.

[@notshane792]

@@rarehydra1179 A reward for excellent service

[@locusgaudi]

It's pretty amazing what you can do with Source 2. Short, tense, brutal, vicious. Also top notch directing and operator work. Source cinematography has just reached a new peak.

[@A_niter]

Another masterpiece made by the god himself. Your SFM’s are beyond perfect. You deserve more recognition, even recognition by VALVE themselves.

[@PimpNamedLemon]

4:45 This scene is one of many reasons why the Suppressor is the coolest combine.

[@SOMETHINGBENEATHUS]

Oh my GOD! This Animation is Absolutely Phenomenal!! The Atmosphere, The Action, Everything about this is AMAZING!, Hoping to see more from you

[@911IceMike]

This is nothing short of amazing. A literal work of art. I like the build up, the suspense, and the sudden switch from slow and steady suspense building, to all out chaos. The dynamic real-time firefight that evolves as you watch it instead of the usual Player A takes shot. Player B takes cover. Player b takes shot player A takes cover drivel that's become the norm. Your depiction of the combine in action is really refreshing, and I genuinly hope you'll continue making these, hoping someday valve will actually make a half-life spin off where you play as the combine.

[@oofooflemon]

props to the camera man for risking his life for our entertainment

[@darkodoesstuff]

This is in my opinion one of the best animations that has ever come out of SF2M & SFM. The cinematography is incredible so many beautiful shots in this. The story is fucking awesome, it’s simple, but the emotion the rebels / citizens are terrified of the combine is so cool. This isn’t even mentioning the audio, the mixing is amazing, using sounds from both HLA & HL2 on things like the dropship works so well. That’s not even mentioning the work you did on the pulse shot sounds, they sound so cool and powerful! *chefs kiss* masterpiece. Keep up the good work!

[@TheParryGod]

Thank you. Really appreciate it. We had a really hard time getting the gunshots to sound intimidating but yeah, I'd say we managed in some cpacity, haha.

[@UUCCACPCProtectionTeamUnit]

@@TheParryGod No one mess with the UU.

[@stray2748]

I've been on Steam for 15 years and seen a ton of SFM/S2FM films and these two minutes toppled everything else. Fantastic work. Valve should hire you to do cinematics. This quality is akin to the Astartes series.

[@SpookmeisterGhosty]

I think "Forcing Compliance" is the best call-out I've heard for a heavy weapons operator.

[@tehswordninja4915]

The doors closing behind the Combine soldiers really reinforce the "infection" oriented language and mindset of the Combine. They allow "agents" to go in to deal with the "infection", but make sure that until the infestation is dealt with that those agents cannot leave.

[@KeksimusMaximus]

Well, they don't wanna too. As you've heard, they would be "recalled and recycled". Made into stalkers probably. So it's in their interest to finish this as best as they can

[@CombineWatermelon]

2:18 lmfao the headcrabs fighting like cats

[@grahamshaw9873]

This is super well done. The combine feel so genuinely terrifying in this, which is something I find a lot of other animators often don't do. Anyways, great job!

[@utkuc.2115]

This is fantastic, the camera movement when the action kicks in and the stable shots all beautiful. I really liked how the combine sound, act and move the sound desing game them weight. It was inspiring and delightful to watch this.

[@EuropaTelesBTR]

Very interessing stuff in the video... 5:05 - Good detail for the dudes reaction when his woman gets her head blown off by the Ordinal. Also, great detail showing how Human the Grunts still are, at 4:37 he hesitates a bit before shooting and at 5:08 the second Grunt hesitates again, and gets killed too - This captures the "weakness" of the human will in contrast of the augmentated one, being that the only Combines that get killed are are the "Human" ones. To add up, respect how you made the Ordinal look like, all his kills are headshots and he doesn't hesitate, 3/4 of the rebells killed are by it, like a true machine. Shows the difference between the Augmentated combine (Ordinal) and the non-augmentated (Grunt).

[@phoenixr5587]

I've already watched this several times over and I love how beautiful and polished it is. So many minor details that don't need to be there but just make the short all the better with their inclusion. Like how when the APF pushes up to fire and one of the bullets fired on his hits a pipe that immediately begins to gush water. Lovely detail that makes it clear just how much effort was put into this.

[@sebjep]

You really nailed the squad leaders push after his mate died, it looked really impressive in a aggressive realistic way. Well fucking done mate.

[@DagothUr_HAL]

This what the Combine should have been like. Not just mfs who just shuffle around and stand there. I know they try to do some tricks but this gives me Fear A.I vibes. They keep moving, they try to flank, distract, and push when you're not looking. Great Video man, like ever other video.

[@redbone9068]

bro that heavy just turned that dude into orange juice 100% pulp 4:48

[@Diver-778]

"A.P.F, forcing compliance." *Proceeds to juice a rebel*

[@kentbenedict2005]

This has got to be without the doubt the best SFM animation ever. I am not joking it's so good the animation and everything. Well done man.

[@hotdogmeat]

I WAS SO GIDDY IN MY SEAT, THIS WAS PHENOMENAL

[@TheParryGod]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@scottrosalejos8202]

Just notice this after a year and i find it funny At 4:45 subtitles on the APF says this line: "APF FORCING COMPLIANCE" Then proceeds to gun them down I really like how the combine uses those words.

[@ERROR-yl3un]

antiseptic delivered

[@J-RodTheGoblinOverlord]

It's always nice to see more animations of the combine, especially ones so well made.

[@harvestercommander3250]

This is by far one of the best S2FM animations out there. It’s definitely up there with Stabilization Team and the Cinematic Elevator Scene.

[@Der-Untermensch]

3:47 ah good ol grunts

[@trenchcoats4life891]

This is the best source film I have ever seen in my life. It is so dark, and gritty and just WOW! I hate the combine but I was cheering them on in this. You did a fine job, sir, probably the best.