Nova Prospekt

In the Series of video game Half-Life , Nova Prospekt is a prison of high security in edge of Mer. Nova Prospekt is used by the Cartel as place of detention of political prisoners where they are transformed into Esclave.

Etymology

The name of the prison is in the continuity of the landscape of Eastern Europe in which the play bathes. There exist several possible translations like “new prospect” or “new hope”. There is a blur on the language in which the name of Nova Prospekt is supposed to be, knowing that “nova” means “new” in all the languages Slave S and other European languages and that “Prospekt”. Nova Prospekt is not grammatically correct in the majority of the Slavic languages, because “prospekt” is a male name whereas “nova” means “new” (new would rather say novi, novy, novij, etc). That can be a thoughtlessness of the developers, even if the voluntary error remains probable because that sounds better.

If it is admitted that Nova Prospekt means “new hope well”, theory on the name of Nova Prospekt would be that the prisoners are strongly subjected to propaganda, torture and handling on behalf of the Trust in order to force them to accept the domination of the Trust and to join their cause. The means used with Nova Prospekt would be then close to that of the book 1984, taking the role of the Ministry for the Love (the two organizations have a sardonic and fallacious name besides). However, although there are obviously tortures in the prison (a dead vortigaunt is seen on a chair with a beam of energy returning to him in the neck), it is probable that mechanical implants are used to turn over the prisoners to the cause of the Trust. Visible metal inclusions on the head of one, and the obvious lobotomy of the known skeletal beings under the name of stalkers suggests a method much surgical and more effective of manufacture of slave by the Trust.

In any Nova Prospekt, the player sees with far the stalkers, met later by Gordon at the time of his raid through the Citadel. Moreover, the player can see a human being changed into one, its skin is pale and it seems to have several implants bionics. This recalls the speeches of propaganda heard to the beginning of the play in which Wallace Breen greets the Trust for his assistance in the evolution of the mankind.

Presentation

Nova Prospekt is an old prison located on the coast and transform by the Cartel in place of detention of high security. This prison is now one of the general headquarters of the Trust, it is here that it carries out experiments on living beings, such as the Resistant ones of City 17, or of course Vortigaunt S. Most of the time, the resistant ones finish killed or transformed into Stalker S.

This place is protected by a field from thumpers , kinds of giant hammers striking the ground strongly, pushing back all the Fourmilion S of the zone. This field of Thumpers is fed by the Citadel, it is besides for that, in Half-Life 2: Episode One , Cité 17 is infested ant-lions, following the explosion top of the Citadel, which cuts off the supply of all the thumpers .

Geographical location

Nova Prospekt east locates between ten and twenty kilometers of City 17, on the coast, close to infested an in the past beach of Fourmilion S. the only access road is the beach, supervised by several fixed machine-guns and of the troops of the Trust. A railway going of the Citadel or the station of City 17 takes along all the prisoners of Civile.On Protection there can see there a similarity with the provision of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The way of the airs is it also controlled by the Trust and its vessels of combat.

The complex

Nova Prospekt is made up of two part, one old and the other recent one, which is respectively illustrated in the two levels of the play “Nova Prospekt” and “Quantum Correlation”.

Old man Nova Prospekt

The first level, the old prison of high security, is completely dilapidated and points out that of Alcatraz with its cells, its rooms of insulation (without utility for the Trust), its offices, its showers and its equipment of maintenance. The Trust seems not much not to exploit this part of the prison, technologies of the Trust all having been installed in the new section. The Trust questions there the vortigaunts or the resistant ones with kinds of rays making it possible to read in the brain of their victim. After the interrogation, the prisoner is carried out most of the time.

This part of the prison fallen in disuse and is dilapidated, as its ceilings which are émiettent or large holes dug in the ground by the Fourmilions. The least visited corners this section also contain vermin like the Barnacles, the Crâbes of head and the Zombi S, confirming that the Trust occupies little of this old district. This part of Nova Prospekt is absorbed little by little by new Nova Prospekt by means of technology of the Trust.

New Nova Prospekt

The second level was built by the Trust. This part is underground, and places the equipment to transform the prisoners of war into and stalkers. It is in this part of Nova Prospekt that the doctor Eli Vance is retained. It is as on the second level as the teleportor of the Trust is placed.

Cellular districts

Nova Prospekt is divided into twelve cellular districts. All the visited districts seem abandoned or in ruin.

Old Nova Prospekt:

A3 - District high security.
A5 - District vaster but where the patrols are less frequent.
A6 - flooded District.
A7 - regularly patrolled District vast. Larger very commonly patrolled concealment block.
B2 - secondary Control room of the prison.
B4 - principal Control room (central) - apart from New Nova Prospekt)
B7 - very reduced District, annexed to the B2 block.

New Nova Prospekt:

C1 - District including the station, the other sectors containing the kitchens and the laundry.
C2 - abandoned District.
C3 - entirely by the mobile walls of the Trust and the station.
D7 - District more used, in which of the Trust are installed.
D8 - District in and under the station. Traces of human architecture remains still visible.

In the play

Nova Prospekt is one key moment of the history. Until this moment, the Trust seems to have the control of the situation. Its soldiers continue Gordon, who must flee constantly. But after this chapter of the play, the situation takes another form. Gordon stops running and tackles the Trust with its source.

Half-Life 2

It is in the chapters “Nova Prospekt” and “Quantum Correlation” that Gordon Freeman attacks Nova Prospekt helped by a swarm of Let us swarm. The progression of Swarmed in the prison, urged on by the Phéromone S which Gordon Freeman disperses, apparently attracted all them Fourmilions with the surroundings to surround the complex to invade it. That is seen by the forces of the Trust exceeded by the hordes of Swarmed invading the building by underground galleries. Even some of unite with the battle, demolishing the walls and attacking all that moves, Gordon included/understood. Although tried them to defend the old districts, they were submerged by the number of Swarm and the opening with Gordon Freeman. It seems that this part of the prison was invaded and destroyed by the hordes of Swarm since at the end of the chapter “Nova Prospekt”, the player can hear an alarm ordering to the soldiers to beat a retreat of the old section.

Although background noises suggest that them Fourmilions is present in certain sectors, the recent part of the Prison occupied by the Trust resisted Fourmilions as one sees it in the chapter “Quantum Correlation”. This part of Nova Prospekt thus underwent little damage in its structure. That remains true until Gordons and Alyx use the principal teleportor of the Trust located in the depths of the prison in the hope to flee of the complex after Eli Vance and Judith Mossman were téléportés to them-even outwards. If teleportation is successful, the teleportor becomes unstable during the process and explodes just after the end of teleportation. It is supposed that the explosion destroyed all or partly new districts. The destruction of Nova Prospekt was the event release of the rebellion of City 17 and the beginning of the long week of urban combat which was completed by the fall of the Citadel and the destruction of its engine with black energy.

Half-Life 2: Episode One

In Episode One , if Nova Prospekt never is not mentioned or is seen, a quay of station being marked “Nova Prospekt” can be seen in second half of the chapter “Exit 17” in a way very similar to that seen in the first chapter of Half-Life 2 . However, the player can observe that the quay is sealed and strewn with waste by cases and other remains which suggests that the Trust ceased using Nova Prospekt after the explosion of the teleportor (and probably of the remainder of the complex).

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