{{Article|hl2}}
{{Needsimages}}
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{{Character Infobox
|name=Citizens
|image=Citizens infobox.jpg
|homeworld=Earth
|species=Human
|weapons=*MP7
*Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle|AR2
*Combine SPAS-12|Shotgun
*Resistance RPG|RPG
|era=The Uprising
|affiliation=*Combine
*Resistance
|voice=*Mary Kae Irvin (females)
*John Patrick Lowrie
*Adam Baldwin (males)
|designer=*Dhabih Eng (early gas mask version)
*Moby Francke (blue/Rebel outfit)
*Ted Backman (Rebel outfit)
''Half-Life 2 Raising the Bar''
|entity=npc_citizen
}}
{{Quote|I can't remember the last time I had, well, anything.|Rebel|Half-Life 2}}
'''Citizens''' are humans living under Combine rule, after the Seven Hour War and subsequent Combine occupation. The term Citizen refers to a human living under Combine rule in a city, as opposed to a Resistance|rebel or refugee.
==Background==
After a successful invasion, the Combine began to establish their dictatorship over the Earth, creating Overwatch Soldiers from human soldiers captured during the Seven Hour War. The remaining population was rounded up into the still-standing cities, which were re-designated with numbers instead of names (City 14|14, City 17|17, etc.). These new "Citizens" of the Combine's empire are provided with accommodation, rations and protection from the Xen aliens that infest much of the world. The Combine also erected a Suppression Field, to prevent procreation.
The Combine also established the Civil Protection force. Staffed by unmodified humans, as opposed to the transhuman Overwatch, Civil Protection acts as the Combine's police force and handles the affairs of policing and monitoring the populace in the cities. Civil Protection officers are feared for their brutality, as they often bully Citizens and administer beatings at the slightest provocation. As seen in ''Half-Life 2'''s first chapter, Point Insertion, Civil Protection officers sometimes stage raids on residential buildings to arrest and imprison alleged rebels and sympathizers. Comments made by Citizen onlookers seem to suggest this is a regular occurrence. Citizens are encouraged to join Civil Protection by promises of better rations. Civil Protection officers themselves are encouraged to undergo transhuman surgery to join the ranks of the Overwatch.
In an attempt to prevent tightly knit communities and organizations of any kind from forming, the Civil Protection authorities transfer Citizens from one city to another as many as three times a year.''"This is my third transfer this year"'' -Citizen remark, ''Point Insertion'', ''Half-Life 2'' Citizens are also apparently forced to wear identical blue denim boiler suits, and women have their hair cut short.
The penalty for Citizens who choose to disobey the Combine (or are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time) is summary execution, forced conscription into the Overwatch or Stalker transformation, conducted at Nova Prospekt.
==Oppression==
Citizens are granted the minimum of what they need to survive, such as a standardized diet and home. They are also transferred from city to city frequently.
Citizens constantly complain about the quality of their meals,''"You have to be damn hungry to wait in line for this crap"'' -Citizen remark, ''Point Insertion'', ''Half-Life 2'' which they get in packages dispensed by machines found in public places, such as the City 17 train station. For drinking, Citizens have access to free water, dispensed through vending machines, among other ways. Some Citizens believe, however, that the Combine put something in the water that wipes memories, suggesting that the Combine use the water itself as yet another method to brainwash Citizens.''"Don't drink the water. They put something in it... to make you forget. I don't even remember how I got here"'' -Citizen remark, ''Point Insertion'', ''Half-Life 2''Civil Protection officers are given far better meals, which becomes yet another incentive for the Citizens to become one.
Citizens are assigned to simple flats in apartment buildings which are all categorized into blocks. They are kept under constant surveillance by Civil Protection officers through the medium of City Scanners and Combine Security Camera|Security Cameras. Raids and arrests are frequent occurrences throughout the apartments.
Most Citizens live in rather poor living conditions. In the apartment block in ''Point Insertion'' it can be observed that most apartments lack doors (from the constant CP raids), are littered with old furniture and debris, and are just generally dirty and cramped living quarters. Most homes have a small TV, which is always shown displaying Wallace Breen's Breencasts.
Citizens are able to apply to be part of Civil Protection. Those who do have generally better lives, and work on shifts patrolling areas all around the city where they then take place in raids and crackdowns or just beat up and arrest other Citizens for many different reasons, or even without any reason at all. These Citizens are generally hated by non-civil officers, because these Citizens choose to be a part of the Combine, beating and arresting Citizens at their own discretion, rather than their Combine Overwatch counterparts, who have had their memories wiped.
==The Resistance==
{{main|Resistance}}
Among the oppressed inhabitants of City 17 there is a significant underground movement; even Citizens who are not actively involved in the resistance are usually sympathetic. As survivors' accounts of Gordon Freeman's heroic feats during the Black Mesa Incident reached a wider audience, Freeman came to be considered a legendary figure in the minds of many people, being one of the few that fought both the Xen aliens and the military and survived.
In the cities, the Resistance operates underground networks (such as the Underground Railroad in City 17) to escape the attention of the Civil Protection. Citizens seeking to escape the oppressive atmosphere in the cities use these networks to escape and join the Resistance forces.
After Gordon Freeman's return and subsequent feats against the Combine, which eventually culminated in his leading a swarm of Antlions into Nova Prospekt and destroying it, an Combine_War|all-out rebellion sparked in City 17 in which many Citizens joined the Resistance and formed armed militias, dramatically boosting the Resistance numbers.
==Behind the scenes==
*Originally, Citizens were to be dressed in green with an apron and gas masks, since the Air Exchange was replacing the air with toxic gases at this point of the game development. An early "Consulcast" also refers to this by "The true Citizen conserves valuable oxygen."Playable Half-Life 2 Beta|''Half-Life 2'' Beta files In the end, the gas mask concept was only kept for the Combine Combine|Combine humanoid units.
{{Quote|We designed the Citizens of Half-Life 2 to look oppressed and downtrodden. Their costumes reflected the location and environment they lived in using standard issued clothing to give it a prison-like atmosphere. Half-Life 2 spans three days, and we wanted the Citizens to correspond with the time and location of events throughout the game. Citizens appear in almost every map of the game, but couldn’t overpower the player visually. We wanted them to compliment the world and not stand out.|Moby Francke|Half-Life 2 Raising the Bar}}
*The Citizens were originally to include children, to be seen working in the Cremator Factory in the Combine Factories areaWC mappack and as corpses in Ravenholm.FileRavenholm overview1.jpg Indeed, children are not present in ''Half-Life 2'' and its episodes, which was canonically explained with the Suppression Field.
*Friendly fire was also originally to be authorized on Citizens and Vortigaunts, like the Black Mesa Personnel in ''Half-Life''.Playable Half-Life 2 Beta|''Half-Life 2'' Beta The feature can be experienced in the playable ''Half-Life 2'' Beta; upon being hit, Citizens will answer things like "Freeman! We're on your side!", "Watch what you're doing!", "We trusted you!". These sound files can still be found in the ''Half-Life 2'' files.
===Citizen list===
Technically, the Citizens are a mix between the ''Half-Life'' scientists and security guards, to which they succeed. While the body models and textures are the same (one female and one male), only the heads change (although the model build can change from one model to another, making a Citizen slimmer or fatter). Also, most Citizen face textures bear the first names of the people who gave their likeness to them. Nine male models exist, while the females count only six. There were originally nine women, although a tenth man also existed. The face textures for these cut Citizens can be found in the playable ''Half-Life 2'' Beta files. Most people used as models come from the Seattle area. While all Citizens all use the same brown eyes, several models actually have blue (such as Ted Backman or Erdin Grcic) or green (such as Joey Paresa) eyes.
The NPCs come in three types "downtrodden", which is the normal blue outfit; "refugee", the same blue outfit, but in lesser condition and sometimes with a beige shirt instead of blue (the one featured in the Standard Zombie); and "rebel", classic or medic, appearing during the Uprising, although some still use the two previous types. Through these types, their faces tend to change a bit different hair color, shaving, beard, goatee and moustache variations (for the men), different skin details on the face, different mouths or eyebrows, etc. Of note is that Gordon Freeman arrived in City 17 dressed in Citizen attire, "downtrodden" or "refugee".
All reference model images featured in ''Raising the Bar'' are the actual pictures used for the face textures.
In the playable ''Half-Life 2'' Beta files, the file "halflife2.fgd" contains several alternate nicknames, accompanied with the warning that they should not be included in the final version (''"don't ship with these names"''). The available ones are listed near their related Citizen.
{| class="wikitable" style="background ; width 100%; font-size 85%;"
!Game models !! Reference models !! Models !! Names !! Comments
|-
| valign=top| FileMale01.1.jpg|150pxFileMale01.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top width=100px| FileVanref.jpg|100px
| valign=top width=80px| male 01
| valign=top width=100px| Van (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157042/ Van Drowder)
| valign=top| An African American man, with two variants. The first version is the very first Citizen seen in ''Half-Life 2'', on the train, with a full beard, and appears as a medic during the Uprising. The other, more faithful to Drowder's face, is used for Matt and Leon and most of the Citizens seen in the playable ''Half-Life 2'' Beta, with only a moustache and a goatee. During the Uprising, he comes as a standard Rebel, but without moustache. Like Drowder, he originally had dreadlocks.
His alternate nickname was "Morgan", a possible reference to actor Morgan Freeman.
|-
| valign=top| FileMale02.jpg|150pxFileMale02.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top| FileTedBackman.jpg|100px
| valign=top| male 02
| valign=top| Ted (Valve's Ted Backman)
| valign=top| Originally used for the Conscripts, notably Animal. Used for instance for the Citizen seen in an interrogation room at the start of ''Half-Life 2'' or the AR3 guy in ''Episode Two''. The refugee variant has brighter hair with fuller stubble, while the rebel variant has much less facial hair and minor changes in skin color. Was originally without a moustache, with a brighter face and balding.
His alternate nickname was "Backmantis", probably a pun between "Backman" and "black mantis".
|-
| valign=top| FileMale03.jpg|150pxFileMale03.2.jpg|150px
|
| valign=top| male 03
| valign=top| Joe (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157047/ Joe Cairo)
| valign=top| An African American man. He can be seen as one of the two Citizens looking through the windows before the Civil Protection raid at the start of ''Half-Life 2''. He was originally browner, and with only a moustache.
His alternate nickname was "Shaft", a possible reference to actor Richard Roundtree, famous for his character John Shaft.
|-
| valign=top| FileMale04.jpg|150pxFileMale04.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top| FileEric kirchmer.jpg|100px
| valign=top| male 04
| valign=top| Eric (Valve's Eric Kirchmer)
| valign=top| Bald Citizen. The top of his head is based on that of Father Grigori's face texture. The original reference picture, featured in ''Raising the Bar'', was also one of the bases for Gordon Freeman's face and used for the stripped Overwatch Soldier. In both models, the reference picture is more recognizable in the older textures from the playable Beta. He originally had a brighter face.
|-
| valign=top| FileMale05.jpg|150pxFileMale05.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top| FileArtMin.jpg|100px
| valign=top| male 05
| valign=top| Art (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,4971/ Art Min)
| valign=top| Of Asian background, he can be seen as Laszlo in-game. Originally used for Samuel. Rebel and Medic variants have brighter skin color. The very first face texture and the retail one are very different. It is also used for a ''wccounter-strikeCounter-Strike Source|Counter-Strike Source'' hostage.
Art Min is a video game developer who also worked for Looking Glass Studios and Ion Storm.
|-
| valign=top| FileMale06.jpg|150pxFileMale06.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top|
| valign=top| male 06
| valign=top| Sandro (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157049/ Sandro Consi)
| valign=top| Used for Winston and Griggs. The rebel variant has a younger-looking face, while the medic variant sports a moustache. It is also used for a ''Counter-Strike Source'' hostage with a more brighter face.
|-
| valign=top| FileMale07.jpg|150pxFileMale07.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top| FileMikeref.jpg|100px
| valign=top| male 07
| valign=top| Mike (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157179/ Michael S. Smith)
| valign=top| Used for Joe, Jacob, Sandy or the other Citizen on the train at the start of ''Half-Life 2''. He is also famous for being used for Gordon Frohman, the main protagonist of the fan-made webcomic ''Concerned'', and as "John Freeman" of Icton Entertainment's "Full Life Consequences" videos. Was originally used for the City 17 and Borealis (cut location)|Borealis workers with different hair, better-shaved and with a brighter face, more faithful to the original reference model.
His alternate nickname was "Climber Mike".
|-
| valign=top| FileMale08.jpg|150pxFileMale08.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top| FileVanceref.jpg|100px
| valign=top| male 08
| valign=top| Vance (uncredited)
| valign=top| Originally used for Captain Vance, from whom he kept the name. Used for instance for the Citizen telling Gordon not to drink the water at the start of ''Half-Life 2'', Sheckley, the Citizen giving instructions near the Autogun, and the Citizen arguing with the AR3 guy. Rebel variant sports a beard while the medic variant has a moustache. Also used for a ''Counter-Strike Source'' hostage. Was originally brighter and better-shaved, which seems partially revived in the ''Counter-Strike Source'' hostage model.
His alternate nickname was "Mr. Rourke", a possible reference to actor Mickey Rourke.
|-
| valign=top| FileMale09.jpg|150pxFileMale09.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top| FileErdin Grcic.jpg|100px
| valign=top| male 09
| valign=top| Erdin (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157051/ Erdin Grcic)
| valign=top| One half of the Consoling Couple, the Citizen sitting in the kitchen, pondering, when Gordon goes through the apartment buildings at the start of ''Half-Life'', Daniel and MIRT. He is also the protagonist of the comic ''Worse Than Life''. He originally had a brighter face, and the reference model's original eyes were still present.
His alternate nickname was "Lucifer".
|-
| valign=top| FileTrav facemap.png|150px
| valign=top|
| valign=top| male 10
| valign=top| Trav (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157041/ Travis Dunlop)
| valign=top| Cut man model. It is unknown what exact number he was to have.
|-
| valign=top| FileMalecheaple.jpg|150px
| valign=top|
| valign=top| male cheaple
| valign=top| Andrew (uncredited)
| valign=top| The low resolution Citizen model, used when Citizens are seen from afar. Each time he is seen walking from a point to another, re-spawning each time in a loop. He appears for instance in the screens at Kleiner's Lab, where the G-Man can be seen, and at Black Mesa East, right before getting into the elevator with Mossman. His name can be found in the playable ''Half-Life 2'' Beta files.
His alternate nickname was "Cheaple Vanessa's Brother".
|-
| valign=top| FileFemale01.jpg|150pxFileFemale01.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top| FileJoeyParesa.jpg|100px
| valign=top| female 01
| valign=top| Joey (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157043/ Joey Paresa)
| valign=top| The other half of the Consoling Couple, as well as Arlene. Refugee and Medic variants have more brighter hair, while the rebel variant has a dirtier face.
|-
| valign=top| FileFemale02.jpg|150pxFileFemale02.2.jpg|150pxFileKanisha cylmap beta.png|150px
| valign=top| FileKanisha.jpg|67px
| valign=top| female 02
| valign=top| Kanisha (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157052/ Kanisha Patel Speyrer)
| valign=top| Brunette used for instance as one of the two Citizens looking through the windows before the CP raid at the start of ''Half-Life 2''. The current face is not that of Kanisha Speyrer's. It can be found in the playable Half-Life 2 Beta|''Half-Life 2'' Beta files, showing only her ears and part of her hair were kept. Kanisha is the wife of Valve's David Speyrer.
|-
| valign=top| FileFemale03.jpg|150pxFileFemale03.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top|
| valign=top| female 03
| valign=top| Kim (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157045/ Kim Harris-Jones)
| valign=top| An African American woman, sometimes seen with a headscarf in her hair (Red in the refugee variant, blue in the medic variant.) Was originally brighter.
|-
| valign=top| FileFemale04.jpg|150pxFileFemale04.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top| FileChauref.jpg|100pxFileChauheadshot.jpg|100px
| valign=top| female 04
| valign=top| Chau (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157044/ Chau Luu)
| valign=top| A woman of Asian background, used for instance for Noriko or Mary. She originally had a brighter face.
Chau Luu is an actress (in theater, film and commercial), a voice actress, a model, and a television host of Vietnamese ascent and living in Los Angeles. (http//www.chauluu.com/ Official website)
|-
| valign=top| FileFemale05.jpg|150pxFileFemale05.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top| FileNaomiCotton crop.jpg|100px
| valign=top| female 05
| valign=top| Naomi (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157048/ Naomi Cotton)
| valign=top| Used for instance for the woman asking Gordon if he and the other Citizens were the only ones on the train, near the turnstile at the start of ''Half-Life 2'' (named "chainlinkgirl" in the map). Her model is "Female_06.mdl", although she is the fifth in Hammer.
|-
| valign=top| FileFemale06.jpg|150pxFileFemale06.2.jpg|150px
| valign=top|
| valign=top| female 06
| valign=top| Lakeetra (http//www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,157050/ Lakeetra Gilbert)
| valign=top| Another African American woman. Used for instance for the Shorepoint medic. Her model is "Female_07.mdl", although she is the sixth in Hammer.
|-
| valign=top| FileLaura facemap.png|150px
| valign=top| FileLaura dubuk.jpg|96px
| valign=top| female 07
| valign=top| Laura (Valve's Laura Dubuk)
| valign=top| Cut woman model. It is unknown what exact number she was to have.
|-
| valign=top| FileLinda facemap.png|150px
| valign=top|
| valign=top| female 08
| valign=top| Linda
| valign=top| Cut woman model. It is unknown what exact number she was to have.
|-
| valign=top| FileTamm facemap.png|150px
| valign=top|
| valign=top| female 09
| valign=top| Tamm
| valign=top| Cut woman model. It is unknown what exact number she was to have.
|-
| FileChild female model.jpg|80px
|
| valign=top| child worker f1
| valign=top| N/A
| valign=top| Cut female child model, holding a Cremator head.
|-
| FileChild male model.jpg|80px
|
| valign=top| child worker m1
| valign=top| N/A
| valign=top| Cut male child model, holding a Cremator head.
|-
|}
==Trivia==
*The blue boiler suits worn by all citizens may be a reference to the blue overalls worn by the Outer Party in the George Orwell novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''.
*There is a glitch caused if the player pushes or pulls citizens with the supercharged Gravity Gun, multiple dead bodies will spawn on the ground, if you do this too much it will result in a friendly kill.
*In ''Half-Life 2'', from the chapter ''Anticitizen One'' to ''Follow Freeman'', spawning a citizen via the console will spawn a Resistance member.
*In ''Episode One'', spawning citizen from the chapter ''Lowlife'' to ''Exit 17'' will spawn a Resistance member
*The Resistance soldier in Episode Two cannot be spawned through a console command, if a player spawns one, only a citizen in a blue suit will be spawned, but it has the same behavior.
*If a citizen is spawned in Portal and he joins player's Squad Following|squad, the HUD icon will appear a letter "C" as standard citizen and "M" as medic rather than a human logo.
==Gallery==
===Pre-release===
FileCitizen blue concept1.jpg|Final version of the Citizen.
FileCitizen blue concept2.jpg|Final version of the Citizen, with tied legs.
FileCitizen modelsheet2.jpg|Male and female Citizen outfits.
FileModelsheet Rebels.jpg|Male and female Rebel outfits.
FileRebel skins.jpg|Different Rebel outfits.
FileStenographer's Chasm.jpg
FileKids working.jpg
FileFactory kids.jpg
FileChildren cremators.jpg|The Cremator Factory.
FileFactory children cop.jpg|The Cremator Factory in the WC mappack.
FileManhack arcade 2.jpg
FileCombine door Citizen.jpg
FileGasmask citizen concept.jpg|Gas mask Citizen concept art.
FileEarly city 17.jpg
FileGet your free tvs.jpg|Gas mask Citizen in ''Get Your Free TVs!''.
FileE3 Strider.jpg|Fleeing gas mask Citizens in the map e3_strider.
FileCitizen 17 face.png|Gas mask face texture for the missing "Citizen 17" model featured in the two previous screenshots.
FileCitizen 17 hood.png|Gas mask texture for the missing "Citizen 17" model featured in the two previous screenshots.
FileCitizen gasmask.jpg|Fan-made gas mask Citizen model, based on textures of the missing model "Citizen 17".
FileE3 terminal.jpg
FileArcade full fixed002.jpg|Citizens standing in line for a chance to play in the Manhack Arcade.
FileCombines_arresting_a_citizen.jpg|Combines arresting a citizen.
===Retail===
FileCitizen corpse front.jpg|Citizen corpse (front), featuring an old Citizen outfit, with an orange logo and straps in the back, featured in ''Half-Life 2'''s E3 2004 trailer.
FileCitizen corpse back.jpg|Ditto (back).
FileTrainstation hall 2.jpg
FileDispenser.jpg|A Citizen receiving a Combine provided standard ration.
FileScanner package.jpg|A Citizen carrying a standard ration in the Plaza under observation of a City Scanner.
FileTrainstation plaza citizen.jpg
FileCitizens talking.jpg|Two Citizens talking about Metrocops showing up in their apartment block.
FileCitizen pondering.jpg
FileCitizens watching.jpg|Citizens watching as Metrocops prepare for the block raid.
FileBeating1.jpg|Citizens fleeing and cowering during the Civil Protection block raid.
FileBeating 2.jpg|Ditto.
==List of appearances==
*''Half-Life 2'' {{1st}}
*''Half-Life 2 Raising the Bar''
*''Half-Life 2 Deathmatch'' {{Nc}}
*''Half-Life 2 Episode One''
*''Half-Life 2 Episode Two''
==References==
{{Imagecat|Citizen images}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Combine}}
CategoryPages containing wikitablesCategoryFactionsCategoryAlliesCategoryCombineCategoryTed Backman designsCategoryMoby Francke designsCategoryDhabih Eng designs
CategoryReferences to Nineteen Eighty-Four
