Image credits In order: Consul Breen from Dark Interval(MOD) Ka-27 from Raising The Bar Redux (MOD) Wasteland Scanners in Coterminous (MOD), Footage from Radiation Hazard's Video Suppressor with Cremator elements (HL:ALYX CONCEPT ART) Now, the Discussion: With the new upcoming mod "Parallels", and well known ones like Dark Interval and RTB:R, or some elements of Entropy Zero: 2. Does anyone else think "BEtail" (Beta+Retail) is really really cool? Ive been thinking about it for quite some time, and I think mixing and blending Retail with Beta concepts opens up new possibilities for enriching Half Life Combine lore. As Breen stated, the Combine are "Impossible to describe with our limited vocabulary", so the potential is huge. For example, It's unlikely that only Synths Striders, Dropships, Mortar, Crab, and Gunships are used in the 7 Hour War, there's got to be more and "eldritch-like" abominations and tech used. For another example, using BETA concepts such as some Synths, OTA camo/insignias, and equipment, mixing them with Retail, then interpreting them as older, discontinued, early-occupation-period stuff, sent off world, or just unseen due to the nature of their orders/purpose is really really cool stuff. Perhaps, how the Cremator or Cremator-like units may be in Wasteland duty or sent off world. Perhaps some of the cut Combine Camos and Insignias are given for off world, other special units, or was once given earlier in the Occupation Perhaps the OICW was used as a "Transition Period" or Placeholders as the OSIPR is being developed. (Such as how I liked the MP5 being old/early-occupation-period equipment in EZ:2) Perhaps the unused or cut Synths are sent off world as the 7 Hour war ended or total Earth stabilization and order has been established, or just used for very very special occasions on Earth, thus Gordon never saw or fought them, as we seen with the "Crab Synth" and "Mortar Synths" that are seen in the Citadel, which we never got to fight.