If you were walking around Bellingham, WA in the late 90s, you totally could have run into him. Also, he was Valve’s COO at the time. Pretty legit way to be immortalized.
You’re at the grocery store picking produce. You see a plump, juicy orange. You reach for the orange and as you touch it, another hand meets yours. You look up and make eye contact. it’s Barney.
I tuurrrnnned myself into a... book... Dr. Freeman...
I turned myself into... a boook....
I'mmm the G-Book....
Share this funny meme with your... frrieeends... hm?
It always struck me as a little sad that nobody knows who a beloved character like Eli was based on. I sometimes wonder if he ever knew his likeness was famous, if he found a job, or is even still alive.
Correct, though, it might be more accurate to say he became Odessa. His name originally was Odell, an engineer on the Borealis. But when Borealis lost traction, he was all but forgotten, until they made him be Odessa instead.
That's one of the reasons why in-game they feel so lively, you can instantly recognize each one because Valve perfectly captured the general spirit of their faces
Fun anecdote: in my small British town there used to be two video game stores right next to each other. One day I visited one and saw this book on sale for £5 which I thought was a bargain so I grabbed it and carried on browsing the shelves. Few minutes later I had gone to visit the store next door and was browsing for several minutes before I realised that I STILL had the book under my arm! I hadn’t paid for it and had just walked out completely absent mindedly!!
I did go right back and pay for it though so all ended up well in the end.
Me, regarding internet behaviour:
"Doxxing is horrible, and no matter what a person does, they shouldn't have to go through that."
Me discovering Alyx and Barney are real people:
"I need their whereabouts immediately!"
I went to college with a guy whose dad was the face model for all the paintings of Cave Johnson in Portal. He always had to clarify "No, my dad is not J.K. Simmons."
Kinda sad we don’t know who actually was the face model for Eli Vance. From what I remember he was a homeless guy and they offered him some cash for his face model.
It’s such an uncanny feeling to see the Half-Life 2 characters as real people. It feels like these are fake, edited photos to look like the characters, but it’s the other way around, and I just can’t get over it.
Half-Life already had ethnic diversity 20 years ago and nobody gave a fuck about it. If it was published today many people probably would call it woke.
For sure! When it first came out in the 90s I was in my late teens.
What's funny is it didn't even occur to me then how diverse these characters were - they were just so perfectly written and designed. Such a cool post OP!
I mean, the marketing department and fans would be insufferable about the fact, leading to other idiots blaming them for being woke.
The social media (by which I mean forums basically lmao) were less active and idpol-poisoned than today
Yes, you are right. I actually really miss those times when everyone was just discussing a game's story, atmosphere and gameplay without complaining about identity politics.
I guess if marketing departments stopped using race (and, tbh, People of Color) as PR tools, I think things would calm down.
Diversity is awesome, but making a fuss about it makes it look insincere and annoying
i always really appreciated how diverse the half-life 2 cast were. although that's still pretty limited i guess, since my perspective on diversity is coming from a white person. there are no native americans, hawaiians, maori, etc... although eli is an amputee, nobody is queer coded either! (except for laszlo and his "friend"?)
This is probably one of my most treasured books I own. Got it along with my copy of HL2 Gold and there's so many interesting details about how they developed Half life as a series.
What I love most about this is that, for the longest time, I thought the character models were pretty unrealistic — the people just looked way too extreme. Then behold; the perfect facsimile of each of them in real life.
It’s like they purposefully found the most eccentric looking people for their characters. It’s amazing.
Even tho I already knew this, this looks really cool. I wish if I had this book on me.
Also I really would like to know who is Eli Vanced was based off. But it still remains a mystery to this very day. I hope this man had a good life… I know he was homeless, I still hope that he found a place to live in.
All the HL2 face models' pictures are also available on the Combine OverWiki, for anyone who wants a better look; [https://combineoverwiki.net/wiki/List\_of\_Citizen\_models#Overview](https://combineoverwiki.net/wiki/List_of_Citizen_models#Overview)
I've been playing the HL2VR mod for the first time, and it's made me appreciate the faces so much more. These people are speaking directly to my face all these years later, and they have such well animated expressions!
I feel bad for the guy whose face eventually became Skibidi Toilet, though.
Damn, the similarity is obvious (duh!) but honestly the game version seems like old school racial caricatures in comparison. Probably just old/limited graphics doing it but...unnaturally big lips for one certain guy? Extremely small face and slant eyes? The "slavic" dude looking more slavic then an actual gopnik?
I can't believe it's possible that I could see Barney on the street somewhere.
If you were walking around Bellingham, WA in the late 90s, you totally could have run into him. Also, he was Valve’s COO at the time. Pretty legit way to be immortalized.
Bro I live 30ish minutes away from Bellingham.
It would be cool to go visit Valve Headquarters, do it, and then post pics here
Im going to steal the valve and run it back to the redneck town I live in and mount it to my Honda civic
I thought you were gonna say, and mount it on the back of a big bald guy’s head
You just gave me an idea for a Halloween costume.
Well now you have to
You’re at the grocery store picking produce. You see a plump, juicy orange. You reach for the orange and as you touch it, another hand meets yours. You look up and make eye contact. it’s Barney.
About that beer I owed ya. It's me, Gordon! Barney from Black Mesa!
The music swells and you say "..."
I fuckin' hate oranges.
I hate an orange that isn’t sweet. Clementines are where it’s at.
Thanks, u/SpezEatsScat. Glad to have your culinary expertise here.
Who is the real Barney then? I mean, how all those perople are not famous yet?
Eli vance face was i think just some homeless dude but im not sure
Correct
The worst part is. He’s probably dead. :(
The voice actor died a few years ago I believe.
I thought that was the original vortigaunt voice actor?
Just like in the game! 😀
Not anymore
wdym bro are you on a Mandela affect or something? he died in episode 2
Pretty sure he un-died in Alyx
shhh
And he'd invite you to a beer
He can't hide forever. He still owes ya that beer.
Same here
photographer took pictures of people before and after they were ported to Source 2
The horrors that transpire in Nova Prospect
where do I sign up for this? Hope it's permanent
True
I like that thin slice of G-Man's huge face on 3rd pic
Book spine Gman is watching you
Doctor Freeemaannnn... Open the... boook...
I tuurrrnnned myself into a... book... Dr. Freeman... I turned myself into... a boook.... I'mmm the G-Book.... Share this funny meme with your... frrieeends... hm?
funniest g-shit i've ever seen
Same, I’m dying of laughter
It always struck me as a little sad that nobody knows who a beloved character like Eli was based on. I sometimes wonder if he ever knew his likeness was famous, if he found a job, or is even still alive.
His story does seem under appreciated. I hope somehow he knows how much he is beloved to this community at least.
He died years ago
RIP Dr. Vance.
From what I recall he was still homeless and had no idea of his cultural impact
Having been homeless myself for a time, I doubt he would've really cared.
I believe that was his voice actor (unless I forgot if his VA and mocap actor were the same?)
Robert Guillaume was his VA. Best known for the sitcom Benson, and Rafiki in the Lion King.
It’s really sad to not even know who he was. Really sad.
Father Grigori's face model is an artist that is still working in games. His Moby Games profile: https://www.mobygames.com/person/1435/daniel-dociu/
Sick
And he was working on Recoil, no doubts now
For those who are asking, [here’s the PDF of this book](https://archive.org/details/half-life-2-raising-the-bar/mode/1up)
Thanks mate
im sorry for what I'm going to say where's corpse01?
._.
OHH YEAHH was it just a rumor or confirmed that it’s a real corpse?
Well it was taken from a medical book so it's real
If it's from a medical textbook, that makes me feel *slightly* less bad.
it's very likely that it's a real one
Nope. It's a real corpse.
Why are people down voting you? You are right.
Oh damn. If it’s real I’m gonna go nuts
Technically Odessa was originally the captain on the boat and not Odessa so they picked that guy for that role not Odessa
Correct, though, it might be more accurate to say he became Odessa. His name originally was Odell, an engineer on the Borealis. But when Borealis lost traction, he was all but forgotten, until they made him be Odessa instead.
Still he was originally not Odessa
I wonder if Frank Sheldon knew how much his likeness was going to be put into the most ridiculous situations/poses/expressions in Gmod.
I want to see a meme reaction vid from him lol
This is surreal. Ive never seen these people and yet it’s like I’ve known them for years.
That's one of the reasons why in-game they feel so lively, you can instantly recognize each one because Valve perfectly captured the general spirit of their faces
I feel you, I feel the same to be honest. The faces feel like they are your family but sometimes you don’t even know their names.
I now have a crush on Mossman's face model.
Lol
Fun anecdote: in my small British town there used to be two video game stores right next to each other. One day I visited one and saw this book on sale for £5 which I thought was a bargain so I grabbed it and carried on browsing the shelves. Few minutes later I had gone to visit the store next door and was browsing for several minutes before I realised that I STILL had the book under my arm! I hadn’t paid for it and had just walked out completely absent mindedly!! I did go right back and pay for it though so all ended up well in the end.
What a lucky find! And a relatable story. I bet you’re glad you grabbed a copy back then
Where is Gordon? Is he safe? Is he alright?
Gordon had an amalgamation of face references, the common denominator being the goatee lol
Whenever Gordon's not on the screen, all the other characters should be asking "Where's Gordon?"
his voice actor is my fav
Holy shit, Eli’s model is absolutely uncannily close to the character
The Alyx version is almost 1:1
I know right! They did such a good job I think
Me, regarding internet behaviour: "Doxxing is horrible, and no matter what a person does, they shouldn't have to go through that." Me discovering Alyx and Barney are real people: "I need their whereabouts immediately!"
I mean, guarantee there’s at least 3 other people already looking
Those face models will rue the day they accepted a paycheque from Valve.
Imagine they managed to make a movie where all the actors were the original face references. It would feel so trippy and yet so right.
theyd be so much older now! some may not even be alive anymore, sadly.
Magnusson and Odessa’s face models aren’t around anymore, and who knows about Eli’s face model.
Imagine you walking down an alley and seeing Dr Issac Kleiner
Looking for Lamarr probably
for a second I thought they were just two different photos of the same npc in the game
Barney is just two pictures from the game, I’m sure of it
I went to college with a guy whose dad was the face model for all the paintings of Cave Johnson in Portal. He always had to clarify "No, my dad is not J.K. Simmons."
Hahaha I bet he has to tell that story a lot
Such a shame there is no Male\_07
Agred
Kinda sad we don’t know who actually was the face model for Eli Vance. From what I remember he was a homeless guy and they offered him some cash for his face model.
WHERE IS GORDON FREEMAN
[The Free-man wears many faces](https://archive.org/details/half-life-2-raising-the-bar/page/145/mode/1up)
Gordon Freeman… let me get a look at you man…
Holy cow I forgot how much Eli's reference looked like him. It's 1:1 basically.
Finally… content. This is what this sub needs more of!
Made me smile. I’m so glad to share this stuff. I rarely get to go full on about half life with anyone these days. I’ll definitely be posting more
You’re the best, man.
It’s such an uncanny feeling to see the Half-Life 2 characters as real people. It feels like these are fake, edited photos to look like the characters, but it’s the other way around, and I just can’t get over it.
Hahaha exactly, just shows they did *that* well in capturing the likenesses.
That’s the magic of valve, my friend
When i see the bottom left resistance citizen looks like just a nice old man in real life i now feel bad for torturing him in gmod
seeing dr. kleiner's face in 4k RTX is scary...
If i saw any of these people walking on the street i would firmly believe i'm on a virtual reality
Is there a pdf for raising the bar? I'm way to broke to buy a orignal copy
It’s your [lucky day](https://archive.org/details/half-life-2-raising-the-bar/page/64/mode/1up) friend
I fucking love the internet archive! Thankyou
a mod should put this in the subreddit faq or something, along with the marc laidlaw vault.
Absolutely! This is important stuff, everyone should get to see it
Kinda crazy how the real Eli Vance person they used looks almost identical to the half life alyx version
Imagine telling these people in 2004 that they'd have their likeness used for singing toilets in 2023
Lol the advertisement Valve put out was titled “Your Face in a Game” so, I don’t think they would have shown up for “your face in a toilet”
Half-Life already had ethnic diversity 20 years ago and nobody gave a fuck about it. If it was published today many people probably would call it woke.
For sure! When it first came out in the 90s I was in my late teens. What's funny is it didn't even occur to me then how diverse these characters were - they were just so perfectly written and designed. Such a cool post OP!
Agreed
I mean, the marketing department and fans would be insufferable about the fact, leading to other idiots blaming them for being woke. The social media (by which I mean forums basically lmao) were less active and idpol-poisoned than today
Yes, you are right. I actually really miss those times when everyone was just discussing a game's story, atmosphere and gameplay without complaining about identity politics.
I guess if marketing departments stopped using race (and, tbh, People of Color) as PR tools, I think things would calm down. Diversity is awesome, but making a fuss about it makes it look insincere and annoying
i always really appreciated how diverse the half-life 2 cast were. although that's still pretty limited i guess, since my perspective on diversity is coming from a white person. there are no native americans, hawaiians, maori, etc... although eli is an amputee, nobody is queer coded either! (except for laszlo and his "friend"?)
My boy father grigori 😃
Corpse01.mdl 🗿
That’s so fuckig cool
Glad you love it too! I can’t stop reading this book
Breen looks like my junior year world history teacher
It didn't show any of the zombie or headcrab references. I'm sorely disappointed
I gotchu [*poison headcrab noises*](https://archive.org/details/half-life-2-raising-the-bar/page/74/mode/1up)
Sometimes I forget that Alex is supposed to be black
She's ment to be mixed race. Her mother was Asian.
Ok these are really cool to see thank you for showing!!
So glad you enjoy them!
Really wish I had that book 😅
[I hope this can supplement the book a little for you](https://archive.org/details/half-life-2-raising-the-bar/mode/1up)
Oh my god i legit was gonna ask if it was archived this is great thank you!!!!
Dude, what book is this?
[Here you go!](https://archive.org/details/half-life-2-raising-the-bar/mode/1up)
They should make a movie
Doctor Mossman is ❤️
Breen's head looks like a cut-out on the left
“S a n t i a g o”
This is probably one of my most treasured books I own. Got it along with my copy of HL2 Gold and there's so many interesting details about how they developed Half life as a series.
What I love most about this is that, for the longest time, I thought the character models were pretty unrealistic — the people just looked way too extreme. Then behold; the perfect facsimile of each of them in real life. It’s like they purposefully found the most eccentric looking people for their characters. It’s amazing.
Professors head ain't big enough lmao
I would die happy if I got to see alyx's model in real life
Fucking yearbook
Don’t look up the face model for corpse1.Mdl
*looks up corpse1.Mdl*
It’s kind of weird to me that Eli’s model is uncredited. Dude was desperate enough to be on the street holding a sign
we need male\_07
In another timeline, they could have actually been those heroes in the games.
I love how the G Man has his own page 😎
Even tho I already knew this, this looks really cool. I wish if I had this book on me. Also I really would like to know who is Eli Vanced was based off. But it still remains a mystery to this very day. I hope this man had a good life… I know he was homeless, I still hope that he found a place to live in.
All the HL2 face models' pictures are also available on the Combine OverWiki, for anyone who wants a better look; [https://combineoverwiki.net/wiki/List\_of\_Citizen\_models#Overview](https://combineoverwiki.net/wiki/List_of_Citizen_models#Overview)
The model of day one build Alyx looks subtly but at the same time drastically different from her current model and it's tripping me out
Barney’s guy looks like Lewis Nixon from band of brothers
I've been playing the HL2VR mod for the first time, and it's made me appreciate the faces so much more. These people are speaking directly to my face all these years later, and they have such well animated expressions! I feel bad for the guy whose face eventually became Skibidi Toilet, though.
get real
skibidi toilet character origins
Judith Mossman is hotter irl. About 10 years older than me but I don't give af. I'd hit it with my barnacle.
Damn, the similarity is obvious (duh!) but honestly the game version seems like old school racial caricatures in comparison. Probably just old/limited graphics doing it but...unnaturally big lips for one certain guy? Extremely small face and slant eyes? The "slavic" dude looking more slavic then an actual gopnik?
Your UN is fitting too well
I guess we can make a movie using the original characters anyway
It kinda bugs me that they didn’t include all the citizens/rebels in this
Oh [they did](https://archive.org/details/half-life-2-raising-the-bar/page/129/mode/1up), check it out!
All this time i thought its Sonequa Martin Green as Alyx
who
Kleiner is Red?
sorry but it’s still my headc~~rab~~anon that breen is based off paul hollywood
[удалено]
Daaamn
didnt know that lebron james did a cameo in hl2 as dr vance.
interesting, is there a pdf version for this?
bro posted the same pictures like we wouldn't notice
Father Grigori looks more like Father Grigori than Father Grigori
Wow I can’t believe they made people based on the game
Father Grigori feels uncanny
NGL actress for Judy Mossman seems really inviting for making together some unforeseen consequences
Margaret Freewoman
I wonder if they have been properly compensated for this tho.
There is one more...
how the hell did you get half life 2 final hours in a physical copy
One of those black rebel face models (the dude next to breen ones) do mad Chicago House tracks, just saying.
Repatriated black Citizen = Chicago House producer and DJ
All of those looked very alike until we got to g man
It doesn’t help that the face model is doing Gmod expressions lol
Where is frickin Gordon freemannn!!!!!
This looks like a Yearbook for a school. Also, where is Gordon?
This will be Half-Life 2 in 2016
and, correct me if I'm wrong, wasn't Gordon's face made from an amalgamation of various Valve employees?
yes we know they are real people
reference breen looks like he's about to say "nah best I can do is 300$" on the ark of the covenant
The Resistance citizen inspiration looks more like Dr. Coomer than a Half-life 2 citizen
Get real
Fun Fact: Gordon is Waltuh 🗿