Dr. Eli Vance

Dr. Eli Vance is a fictional character from the computer games Half-Life (1998) and Half-Life 2 (2004) by Valve Software. Vance, a brilliant physicist and researcher, is an African American apparently in his late fifties or early sixties with short grey hair, a beard and mustache. He wears a high-end prosthetic to replace his left leg beneath the knee, which was lost in an attack by a bullsquid. He is presumably a graduate of Harvard University; his shirt has "Harvard" partially obscured on it but clearly shows the university's shield. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (272x694, 128 KB)Dr. Eli Vance, a character from the computer game Half-Life 2. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (272x694, 128 KB)Dr. Eli Vance, a character from the computer game Half-Life 2. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... Half-Life For a quantity subject to exponential decay, the half-life is the time required for the quantity to fall to half of its initial value. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Half-Life 2 is a first-person shooter computer game and the highly anticipated sequel to Half-Life, developed by Valve Corporation. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Valve Software is a Bellevue, Washington-based video game developer made famous by its first product, Half-Life, which was released in November 1998. ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... A United States soldier demonstrates Foosball with two prosthetic limbs In medicine, a prosthesis is an artificial extension that replaces a missing part of the body. ... A bullsquid from Half-Life Bullsquids are a fictional alien species in the science fiction computer game Half-Life (Valve Software, 1998). ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ...

He is the father of Alyx Vance. His late wife, Azian, was also a researcher in Black Mesa but died in the aftermath of the resonance cascade. Alyx Vance. ... The Black Mesa Research Facility is a fictional complex located in the desert of New Mexico, and is the setting for most of the events of the computer game Half-Life and its expansions. ...

According to in-game dialogue from Half-Life 2, Dr. Vance was the first human being to make peaceful contact with the Vortigaunt species, quickly persuading the alien race to ally with humanity against the Combine invasion of Earth. Half-Life 2 is a first-person shooter computer game and the highly anticipated sequel to Half-Life, developed by Valve Corporation. ... A group of Vortigaunts in Half-Life. ... The Combine is a powerful alien race and empire from Valve Softwares 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2. ...

Appearances in Half-Life

At the time of Half-Life, Vance was employed at the Black Mesa Research Facility, working in the Sector C Anomalous Materials laboratories, and possibly also in the Lambda Complex teleportation labs. As a full-time employee of Black Mesa, he lived in the facility itself with his wife Azian, also a research scientist, and their young daughter Alyx. Although he was never named during the game or featured as a full character, he is seen on two occasions in the game. He is first seen when Gordon is making his way into the test chamber - Dr Vance and another scientist voice their concerns that their computer equipment is being damaged due to the heightened strains of the morning's experiment. When the experiment goes wrong, a resonance cascade rips through Black Mesa, causing heavy structural damage and opening cross-dimensional seams, filling the facility with bizarre creatures from Xen. When player character Gordon Freeman retraces his steps through Sector C, he encounters Vance and the scientist he had been with earlier, who is now badly injured. Vance informs Gordon that the telephone network has broken, and sends Gordon up to the surface to seek help. Vance is seen one other time, shortly after finishing off many Aliens attempting to break through a barrier to reach Eli. Once they are all destroyed, Eli opens the door to greet Gordon, and allow access to more of Black Mesa through a giant freezer. Ultimately, Vance escapes from Black Mesa, carrying his young daughter Alyx with him. According to the book Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, Eli lost part of his left leg to a bullsquid while fleeing Black Mesa. The Black Mesa Research Facility is a fictional complex located in the desert of New Mexico, and is the setting for most of the events of the computer game Half-Life and its expansions. ... Alyx Vance. ... Islands in Xen A larger island Colourful manta creatures glide gracefully through the skies of Xen Tree-like organisms can be found throughout Xen Xen is the origin of the alien species that appear in the science fiction computer game Half-Life (Valve Software, 1998). ... A player character or playable character (PC for short) is a fictional character in a game, that is controlled by the player. ... Half-Life 2 concept art of Gordon Freeman holding his signature weapon, the crowbar. ... The telephone or phone (Greek: tele = far away and phone = voice) is a telecommunications device which is used to transmit and receive sound (most commonly voice and speech) across distance. ... Alyx Vance. ... A bullsquid from Half-Life Bullsquids are a fictional alien species in the science fiction computer game Half-Life (Valve Software, 1998). ...

Appearances in Half-Life 2

"Black Mesa incident" survivors Eli, Alyx (now a young woman), Dr. Isaac Kleiner and Barney Calhoun form the core of a resistance movement against the Combine who have taken over Earth in a conflict called the Seven Hour War. The Vances have established a makeshift laboratory, dubbed "Black Mesa East," on the outskirts of City 17. There, Dr. Judith Mossman assists them in their continuing research in the field of teleportation. Kleiner and Vance briefly establish a working teleport system between their two labs; the system fails on its second attempt, however, forcing Gordon to travel over land to reach Black Mesa East. Alyx Vance. ... Dr. Isaac Kleiner Dr. Isaac Kleiner is a fictional character from the computer games Half-Life and Half-Life 2. ... Barney, as seen in (l-r) Half-Life, HL with the Hi-Definition Pack, and Half-Life 2 Barney Calhoun is a fictional character in the Half-Life series of first-person shooter computer games by Valve Software. ... The Combine is a powerful alien race and empire from Valve Softwares 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2. ... Newspaper clippings in Elis lab, the complex seen in the centerpiece is the damaged United Nations headquarters located in New York City. ... Eli Vances lab in Black Mesa East Black Mesa East is a fictional location from Valve Softwares 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2. ... Dr. Mossman (right) at Elis lab. ...

When Freeman does arrive at Vance's lab, his arrival triggers an invasion by Combine troops. The soldiers capture Vance and take him to Nova Prospekt, a Combine-run prison near City 17. A view of Nova Prospekt. ...

Gordon and Alyx storm Nova Prospekt, fighting off hordes of Combine forces to locate Eli and Mossman. During a particularly brutal offensive, however, Mossman teleports herself and Eli into the Citadel, a monolithic structure that serves as the Combine's base.

While infiltrating the Citadel, Gordon and Alyx are captured; Dr. Breen addresses both Vances and Freeman in his office with Dr. Mossman at his side. The game does not make it clear if Mossman was a double agent the entire time, or turned on Breen when he stated that he would teleport Eli to a hostile dimension. Mossman, apparently having feelings for Eli, would have then realized her mistake. This is one theory though, as the game does not make it clear. Mossman stays with Eli to protect him while Alyx and Gordon pursue the fleeing Breen; from the couple's attitudes towards each other, it appears that Eli and Judith may start a relationship. Dr. Wallace Breen Doctor Wallace Breen is a fictional character from the Half-Life series of first-person shooter computer games produced by Valve Software. ...

Eli is not seen again in Half-Life 2; it is currently unknown whether he (or Judith) were harmed by the dark energy explosion at the game's end. In cosmology, dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy which permeates all of space and has strong negative pressure. ...

Notes

Eli's voice is provided by actor Robert Guillaume. While it's believed that that Eli's face and body were modeled after Bill Cobbs (tv tome bio), this is coincidential: Eli was based off a local homeless man that Valve found on the street and hired as a model. ([1]) Robert Guillaume, circa 1979 Robert Guillaume (born November 30, 1927) is an American stage and television actor. ... Bill Cobbs (born June 16, 1935) is an African-American film actor. ...

Reference

Hodgson, David (2004). Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, Prima Games. ISBN 0761543643.