My understanding of the setting is that everything is canon to some degree, in some universe, place or timeline. Even strange things like the TF2 characters being in the Dungeon of the Endless. Now whether they follow in sequence at all is another thing entirely.  But Amplitude's position I believe is that there is no experience you can have with these games that isn't valid. It's vast and... well, endless.

Indeed, Jeff answered this in a different thread I think about Vaulters being canon from EL, that they wanna try avoid having something being properly canon and that there's multiple directions you can take in the Endless games that all lead to your own story, while the universe is still rich with lore and mysteries to explore.

It's canon with ES1.

Regarding the TF2 characters... Here is a theory, a game theory...

The Gman was interested in the Success ship event in order to aquire new possible recruits for future contracts, since he lost his Gordon Freeman agent. He also was interested in testing the Heavy, Demo, Medic and Piro on a different environment so he basically teleported them there.

In the end he decided to settle with the Heavy team and brought them back to Earth. 

Numinumi wrote:

Indeed, Jeff answered this in a different thread I think about Vaulters being canon from EL, that they wanna try avoid having something being properly canon and that there's multiple directions you can take in the Endless games that all lead to your own story, while the universe is still rich with lore and mysteries to explore.

I thought the Vaulters getting off Auriga was always the "cannon" timeline, seeing how they were in ES1 and are now in ES2.

UndeadPuppy wrote:

Numinumi wrote:

Indeed, Jeff answered this in a different thread I think about Vaulters being canon from EL, that they wanna try avoid having something being properly canon and that there's multiple directions you can take in the Endless games that all lead to your own story, while the universe is still rich with lore and mysteries to explore.

I thought the Vaulters getting off Auriga was always the "cannon" timeline, seeing how they were in ES1 and are now in ES2.

Hi all,

The idea is that we want to minimize anything that would prevent a player's game from being canon (if that makes sense). So rather than say that there is an official timeline where X then Y then Z happened, we like to think that there is a realm of possibilities, with certain things being more or less likely.

Of course, given that the Vaulter faction appears in ES2, it is certainly canon that they left Auriga. But that doesn't mean that other events did not occur, it only means that this one event did occur.

-Slow

Slowhands wrote:

UndeadPuppy wrote:

Numinumi wrote:

Indeed, Jeff answered this in a different thread I think about Vaulters being canon from EL, that they wanna try avoid having something being properly canon and that there's multiple directions you can take in the Endless games that all lead to your own story, while the universe is still rich with lore and mysteries to explore.

I thought the Vaulters getting off Auriga was always the "cannon" timeline, seeing how they were in ES1 and are now in ES2.

Hi all,

The idea is that we want to minimize anything that would prevent a player's game from being canon (if that makes sense). So rather than say that there is an official timeline where X then Y then Z happened, we like to think that there is a realm of possibilities, with certain things being more or less likely.

Of course, given that the Vaulter faction appears in ES2, it is certainly canon that they left Auriga. But that doesn't mean that other events did not occur, it only means that this one event did occur.

-Slow

So its like a situation where someone is telling a story yet some parts are vague as to what could have happened where as others are crystal clear.

Thanks Slow