Gluon Gun

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Gluon Gun
Production information
Affiliation	Black Mesa
Type	Experimental weapon
Technical specifications
Damage	14
Magazine size	100
Maximum ammunition	100
Fire mode	Continuous beam
Ammunition type	Depleted Uranium-235
Accuracy	Excellent
Range	Long
Usage
Used by	Gordon Freeman
Game information
Entity / spawn codes	weapon_egon
Designer(s)	Stephen Bahl (HD version)

 

 

"I built the Gluon Gun, but I just can't bring myself to use it on a living creature. You don't look as if you have any trouble killing things."

―Black Mesa Scientist

 

The Gluon Gun, also known as the Egon Gun, is an experimental weapon which fires a glowing beam of energy capable of vaporizing most anything it hits. It consists of a hand-held beam emitter attached by a thick cable to a backpack-mounted unit.

Overview

The weapon's creator introducing it to Gordon.

The Gluon Gun was developed in the Weapons Section of the Lambda Reactor Complex in Black Mesa's Sector F and first discovered by Gordon Freeman in a Test Firing Chamber right before the Lambda Reactor Coolant System. Upon entering the Test Firing Chamber, Gordon is met by the weapon's designer himself, who is unwilling to use it on living creatures. He then deems Gordon less hesitant to kill things and gives the gun to him.

Gluons are particles that mediate the strong nuclear force that holds atomic nuclei together; whether the gluon gun actually fires streams of gluons or instead interferes with the gluons already present in an object is unclear, but in either case the weapon interferes with the fundamental interactions of matter. In the game, the stresses caused by this reaction is showcased as a double stream, one more or less straight, the other spiraling around it, and it can blast almost any living creature to pieces (i.e. gibbing).

Tactics

It is useful against Xen creatures that cannot be hurt with bullets (such as the Gargantua), as the beam fires continually, scoring multiple hits while striking through armor.

Multiplayer

• In multiplayer, the Gluon Gun is generally a poor weapon of choice. Latency issues cause the beam to lag behind the players being pursued; players may also have to hold down the attack button for a time before the beam actually fires. However, this generally only applies to old versions of Half-Life, as the Steam version uses lag compensation.

• At long ranges it is more useful as the beam doesn't bend as sharply as it does at closer ranges, therefore improving its overall maneuverability.

• The Gluon Gun can penetrate walls, ceilings, and floors. However, doing so will only lightly damage the suit power of the targeted player.

• Some servers enhance the damage done per ammo point when fired to make it more useful. Players with low ping will likely benefit most using this weapon on these servers.

• Compared to single-player, the Gluon Gun drains ammo slower, and damage is also dealt to everything near the beam's target.

Behind the scenes

Early viewmodel, from the Half-Life SDK files.

• The Gluon Gun more than likely draws some inspiration from the Proton Packs used by the characters in the Ghostbusters franchise, which are very similar in appearance and use, as well as one of the main characters, Egon Spengler, whose first name is used for an alternate name for the weapon, "Egon" or "Egon Gun", often used in the game files or the Half-Life SDK files (for instance the entity, "weapon_egon"). "Egon" is also the early name for the scientist model "Slick", who originally had a similar appearance to that of Egon Spengler in the animated series The Real Ghostbusters.

• The Gluon Gun was originally to have two fire modes: a wide beam and a thin beam. These would be toggled between by turning the handle 90 degrees. While this feature was cut, the model still possesses the animations for moving the handle, which sometimes occurs when attempting to use the secondary attack, though to no results, and with glitches. There are also damage settings for both beams in the game configuration files.

• An early viewmodel of the Gluon Gun can be found in early versions of the SDK.

• The Flamethrower in Team Fortress Classic uses a modified version of the Gluon Gun's model.

Trivia

The design of the Gluon Gun has a slight resemblance to the design of the prototype ASHPD seen on a poster in the 1950s section of Test Shaft 09 in Portal 2.

Gallery

• 

  Early worldmodel prototype, from the Half-Life SDK files.

• 

  Early worldmodel, from the Half-Life 2 leak files.

• 

  HUD icon.

• 

  Worldmodel.

• 

  HD version.

• 

  Half-Life viewmodel.

• 

  HD version, also used for Decay (console only).

• 

  Opposing Force viewmodel (multiplayer only).

• 

  HD version.

• 

  Blue Shift viewmodel (console only).

• 

  HD version.

• 

  Depleted Uranium-235 box.

• 

  HD version.

• 

  Using the Gluon Gun on Vortigaunts in Sector F.

• 

  Ditto, after gibbing, with the spiraling stream clearly visible.

• 

  Using the Gluon Gun on an Alien Grunt in Sector F.

• 

  Ditto, after gibbing, with the spiraling stream clearly visible.

List of appearances

• Half-Life (First appearance)
• Half-Life: Opposing Force (Multiplayer only)
• Half-Life: Blue Shift (Game files only)
• Half-Life: Source
• Half-Life Deathmatch: Source (Non-canonical appearance)

References