GLaDOS' True Intentions

[IIIIjujube]

I have been thinking about this for a while, and I have come to the conclusion that, prior to the removal of her morality core (and even after, in a way), GLaDOS was truly trying to aid you. She was on our side the whole time. Let me provide some evidence: First off, the song. Everyone who has beaten Portal knows that in the final bossfight, with the gradual destruction of her modules, GLaDOS was barely functional, if at all. Then who is singing the song with her voice so very clearly? A backup of her AI, who still has here morality core intact. A supercomputer as intelligent as GLaDOS would definitely NOT be stupid enough to let you get to the final confrontation without a backup. She even says that she has a backup of your brainwaves, so she is definitely able to backup herself.
Now what I believe her true intentions are: She was trying to train you to be ready to fight the Half-Life world's aliens outside of the secure facility. She has been trying and trying for years to train someone with the proper skills needed to survive out there. She says in the game: "Things have changed since you last left the building", and: "When I look out there, it makes me GLaD I'm not you." This proves that she is training you for the harsh world outside. Even her general tone throughout the song, along with the line, "Go ahead and leave me. I think I'd prefer to stay inside." shows that she even misses you once you are out, and that she cannot venture outside and is possibly sending you instead. The whole song is even an apology for the harsh training and showing that there are no hard feelings for destroying one of her. Also, her lines: "I've experiments to run. There is research to be done. On the people who are still alive." Shows that she is not finished training people for the outside world. You may not even be the first to pass, although you probably are, as evidenced by the line, "For the good of all of us. Except the ones who are dead. But there's no sense crying over every mistake." This line shows that she has made mistakes in her past training of subjects.
Once on the outside of the facility, maybe she even has an agenda for you. You still have the portal gun, who can we think of that is saving the world right now that could use one of those? Good ol' Freeman, of course. So, you see, GLaDOS isn't the big bad evil compute that we all think her to be. She is trying to help you escape. Don't you feel bad for killing her body now? Don't worry, though, because her uncorrupted backup is "Still Alive."

[Sieziggy]

Nah, I don't think so.

[Zekiran]

I was going to say, "yeah pretty much that" but it's been discussed at length in other threads too Welcome to the forums IIIIjujube.

[nrnoble]

Boy, was I way off base. I just thought it was a cool song that Valve through in at the end.

What about the cake with only one candle? Man, that is pretty suspicious now that I start thinking about it. Why just one candle, why not two or even three?

[nrnoble]

Golly... Sieziggy must have been on to something pretty big to have been jettison from forum for such a seemly innocent statement. The CIA is always watching.

[Solarmech]

Originally Posted by nrnoble

Golly... Sieziggy must have been on to something pretty big to have been jettison from forum for such a seemly innocent statement. The CIA is always watching.

He probably shot his mouth off in another thread and earned a ban. sm

[nrnoble]

What does "sm" mean? Thx

[Ninto55]

I've wondered that too. What does it mean?
And even though this topic went off it I always liked looking into this. What I was wondering was, if GLaDOS was training other people after you left, it dosen't seem that easy. You didn't jsut walk out of there the place blew up -_- I don't think her backps surrvived that. Unless there are other scientists who are hiding and there are multiple GLaDOS chambers. IDK its all confusing.

EDIT: 100th post =D

[Solarmech]

Originally Posted by nrnoble

What does "sm" mean? Thx

Look at my name. Solarmech. Has no meaning other than that. Although it DOES make it handy to find my own posts at times. sm

[Solarmech]

Originally Posted by Ninto55

I've wondered that too. What does it mean?
And even though this topic went off it I always liked looking into this. What I was wondering was, if GLaDOS was training other people after you left, it dosen't seem that easy. You didn't jsut walk out of there the place blew up -_- I don't think her backps surrvived that. Unless there are other scientists who are hiding and there are multiple GLaDOS chambers. IDK its all confusing.

Only the chamber GLaDOs was in was destroyed. The Enrichment Center was a huge and the rest of it would have be undamaged. The chamber with all the GLaDOS backups is in one of the areas Chell never saw. The arm comeing down and putting out the candle is a solid proof that GLaDOS is in control of the Enrichment Center and she can use those resources to build herself a new body(s). sm

[Some_weirdGuy]

I swear i already posted my reply to this, but i can't see it anywhere. Oh well.
-----

I don't really think glados had your best interests at heart at all. And your idea that she was preparing you for the outside world... no, i disagree. Firstly i think the main points we need to establish are:
-Its a game. It doesn't always have to make sense, or have some deeper hidden meanings
-She is an insane AI. Meaning she does not think straight.
-The song is just that, a song. With lyrics that fit a song, and it is used to provide a nice little conclusion to the game, and even end it on a more cheery note then it would otherwise end at.

Let me provide some evidence: First off, the song. Everyone who has beaten Portal knows that in the final bossfight, with the gradual destruction of her modules, GLaDOS was barely functional, if at all. Then who is singing the song with her voice so very clearly? A backup of her AI, who still has here morality core intact. A supercomputer as intelligent as GLaDOS would definitely NOT be stupid enough to let you get to the final confrontation without a backup.

Ok, here's where points one and three come in. Its a game, it is made to be a game. In games you get to the end beat the last boss and win. 99% of games follow this formula. But yes, you quite clearly see that she has many backup cores, and that she has not been destroyed. The song is made to further hint at the fact she is 'still alive'. Leaving the game nice and open for a sequel should it become popular and such an option proves profitable. The entire game has been set out with a large element of mystery and alot of it seems to hint that Glados masterminded everything and that although you seemed to be going against her plans you actually were not.

She even says that she has a backup of your brainwaves, so she is definitely able to backup herself.

The bigger clue was actually all the backup cores that turned on in the final sequence, and then the fact that she starts singing a big song about being still alive.

Now what I believe her true intentions are: She was trying to train you to be ready to fight the Half-Life world's aliens outside of the secure facility. She has been trying and trying for years to train someone with the proper skills needed to survive out there. She says in the game: "Things have changed since you last left the building", and: "When I look out there, it makes me GLaD I'm not you." This proves that she is training you for the harsh world outside.

Think about this... what possible reason could glados have for wanting to train someone 'to survive the outside world'. All the hints point to the fact that she is using you as a test subject, not that she is trying to train you to live in the outside world.

Her talk about how things have changed outside and that part of the song are to hint at the link between Portal and Halflife. It is also an attempt to make chell not want to leave. They are not to say:
'things have changed so you'd better do your training so you can survive the outside world'
they are her saying:
'things have changed, so you should just stay here and not try to escape'

Even her general tone throughout the song, along with the line, "Go ahead and leave me. I think I'd prefer to stay inside." shows that she even misses you once you are out, and that she cannot venture outside and is possibly sending you instead.

Again remember it is a game. and glados is crazy. She was actually trying to kill you. But she is then also sad that you are going but also happy. Her activities and emotions are quite erratic. Shes saying she'd prefer to stay inside both because of how terrible things have become in the world (the combine are pretty bad) but also because she can't really leave. But why would she be sending you then? its not like you are going out and going to report back to her, there is no benefit in sending you out there. You are the one that escaped and so she is going 'oh well, you go ahead, not like i really need you anymore anyway'

The whole song is even an apology for the harsh training and showing that there are no hard feelings for destroying one of her. Also, her lines: "I've experiments to run. There is research to be done. On the people who are still alive." Shows that she is not finished training people for the outside world. You may not even be the first to pass, although you probably are, as evidenced by the line, "For the good of all of us. Except the ones who are dead. But there's no sense crying over every mistake." This line shows that she has made mistakes in her past training of subjects.

again, its a game, she is crazy, and its a song. She is doing science, experiments on the test subjects. Not training them, experimenting on them to learn. It is indicated that you are the first to actually make it out though. Perhaps she was trying to get someone who could actually make it. But i certainly don't think it was so that you are trained up for the outside world. Maybe she just did it for the satisfaction of one of her subjects actually succeeding.

Once on the outside of the facility, maybe she even has an agenda for you. You still have the portal gun, who can we think of that is saving the world right now that could use one of those? Good ol' Freeman, of course. So, you see, GLaDOS isn't the big bad evil compute that we all think her to be. She is trying to help you escape. Don't you feel bad for killing her body now? Don't worry, though, because her uncorrupted backup is "Still Alive."

No, the portal gun is not for gordon freeman...
Who says you actually survived your exit of the facility? all it showed was the pieces all falling to the ground then it blacking out. If they was from your view that might well have meant that you died. You did kinda get sucked up into a huge electrical flash and fall with explosions and stuff all around. She makes no indication of knowing about gordon, so she wouldn't be sending you out to give him a portal gun... that doesn't even make sense. Added to witch gordon is in Europe, chell/glados/aperture labs is in America.

The whole point of the song was to make you not feel as bad about killing her. It certainly lightened the modd when she started singing about how happy she was you did all that what would otherwise seem quite terrible stuff.


(long post is long)

[darkrai88]

While we're talking about the back-up cores, I should point out the possibility that GLaDOS may utilize ALL of the orbs that lit up in her new body. That would be hard to kill in 6 minutes.

[Zekiran]

Well, unless all the cores are "angry". Then she'd just spend all her time screaming, she'd eventually run out of ammo. Right?

[gorpie]

But can she make more ammo???

[Solarmech]

Originally Posted by gorpie

But can she make more ammo???

She should. GLaDOS almost certainly finished the Portal Gun by herself. To do that she would need access the AS's lab facilities which would include fabricators. Actually GLaDOS was also supposed to be a lab assistant and so would have lab access that way as well. So she has construction facilities (or she can make them). Her real problem would be getting the raw resources for production. sm