Combine Soldier (Evolution)

The Combine Soldier is a semi-human enemy fought in Half-Life 2, and its episodes. It went through a long and diverse revision history, a lot of which we have pictures of.

Concepts

There is a large amount of art of the Combine Soldier, radically different from any versions we see in-game.

Early Suit Designs

A few early concepts show different ideas for the Combine Soldier's design. In particular, the "flames" soldiers have some noticeable similarities to the early Metrocop.

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Early Color Schemes

This was when the final shape of the Combine Soldier had been picked, but the color scheme has not yet been finalized.

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Version 1: Pre-2002

This is the earliest version of the Combine Soldier that there are screenshots of. What makes this one distinct from the others is the white helmet, and visible red eyes. It has the red arm-patch in common with Versions 2-3.

Screenshots

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Version 2: E3_Hydra

This version is unique in a number of ways. First, it seems to be a mishmash of Combine Soldier and early Counter-Strike assets, as mentioned by Pelpix It has a number of unique aspects, mainly including the sole texture, hands, and boots.

Version 3: 2002

The earliest version of the Combine Soldier we have the texture for. Unlike the earlier versions, this one now has a navy blue helmet, and yellow eyes.

The Soldier_stripped from the Leak has some higher-resolution pants textures from this version, and an entirely different boot texture.

Screenshots

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Textures

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Version 4: Leak

The first (and last) early combine soldier we have the full model of. The helmet color has been changed to black, the emblem has changed to a blue-and-brown 314, and the eyes are now a darker, reddish brown.

Screenshots

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Textures

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Version 5: Early 2004

Far further along, this version of the Combine Soldier is much closer to the final one than any others. The only difference between the two is in the armor plates being the same color as the rest of the suit, and (texture-wise) there being less shading than in the final model.

Screenshots

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Textures

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