Magnusson Device
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Launch with the Gravity Gun, detonate by shooting after bomb lands on Strider |
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- "We call it the Magnusson Device. Not my chosen label you understand, but it seemed to please the personnel."
- ― Arne Magnusson[src]
The Magnusson Device, also known as the Strider Buster, is a Resistance weapon developed by Arne Magnusson specifically to combat Striders.
Contents
Overview[edit]
Magnusson designed his namesake device with the specific aim of neutralizing Striders, whose deadly armaments had confronted the Resistance with a near-insurmountable opponent. In City 17, Striders slaughtered large numbers of Resistance fighters and Citizens, despite the Resistance's use of RPGs, the most powerful weapon at their disposal. Doctor Magnusson struggled to develop a successful launching system for the rugby-ball shaped device, as the weapon needed to be attached to the towering Striders' body to be effective; however, this problem was immediately solved with the arrival of Gordon Freeman and his Gravity Gun to White Forest.
Due to the limited available resources during the Combine's rulership over the Earth, the device had to use simple and conventional materials and technology found in the wreckage of pre-Resonance Cascade society. Unsurprisingly, the most effective way of ensuring that the Buster can stay attached onto a Strider is by the two rings of nails welded onto the metal frame.
The Magnusson Device can be taken from small portable teleports found around White Forest, which are connected to deployment units within White Forest's missile base. The Buster arrives at a receiver unit suspended in midair, held within the magnetic field emitted by the teleport until it is removed manually.
Tactics[edit]
The Magnusson Device is very effective at destroying Striders; however, the user must have good aim with the Gravity Gun in order to attach it. The Device exhibits limited homing ability, allowing a little leeway when throwing it. Once attached to a Strider, the Device starts emitting a siren-like signal to attract the player's attention.
During the large assault on White Forest, Striders are always accompanied by Hunters, who will fire upon a readied Magnusson Device as soon as possible. Therefore, it's advised to destroy all nearby Hunters before attempting to launch the Magnusson Device at a Strider. As a last resort, Busters can also be used to damage Hunters; the impact from the Device will always deliver 150 points of damage and make them stagger.
As soon as a Device is attached to a Strider, the Synth will usually turn to immediately attack the person who launched it. Any weapon can be used to hit the Buster, exploding it violently and completely shredding the Strider.
The player must be the one to detonate the Strider Buster attached to a Strider. Even though the Rebels defending the base will fire at approaching Striders, the game code only allows the player to detonate the Device.
Despite damaging Striders themselves, the AR2 energy ball cannot be used to detonate Magnusson Devices, not even with a direct hit.
Behind the scenes[edit]
- As stated by Valve's Joshua Weier, the Magnusson Device "started life as a Half-Life 2 weapon called the Hopwire".[2]
- A cut Rebel line shows that the personnel of White Forest calls them "Magnussons" because "it doesn't take much to set em off".[3]
- A smaller, hand-held version of the weapon existed at one point during development. The game files contain the unused viewmodel for it,[4] while the source code mentions the entity name, "weapon_magnade".[5] According to the 2023 repository leak, the viewmodel was worked on in September of 2006.
- A pumpkin was used as a placeholder model for the Magnusson Device in development.[2]
- The original entity name of the bomb was prop_stickybomb. An early version of it, which uses the pumpkin model, is included in Source SDK 2006.[6] It is also used on some prototype Episode Two maps discovered in the 2016-2017 assets leak. While the entity name still works for spawning in retail Episode Two, it is now tied to the modern version of the entity.
- According to Richard Lord, the diagram explaining how to use the Magnusson Device against Striders went through several iterations, from highly stylized, to absurd, to something the team believed they could ship.[2]
Trivia[edit]
A cut weapon, the Sticky Launcher, bears similarities to the Magnusson Device.
The Magnusson Device does not have its own gib models after destruction, and instead uses the Manhack's gibs.
Gallery[edit]
Pre-release[edit]
A placeholder version from October 2006.[7]
Ditto.
Ditto, next to a signal beacon.
Retail[edit]
Unused viewmodel for the hand-held version.
Worldmodel.
Rebel working on a Magnusson Device teleport.
Magnusson Devices in their storage room.
Ditto.
Magnusson explaining to Gordon how the Magnusson Device works in its training area.
Uriah and Magnusson in the Magnusson Device training area.
The dead Strider in the Magnusson Device training area.
Magnusson Device teleports near White Forest's north entrance.
A Magnusson Device held in a rack on the Muscle Car.
A Magnusson Device being held with the Gravity Gun.
A Magnusson Device destroying a Strider.
Magnusson Device teleports displayed on the Muscle Car's onboard radar.
List of appearances[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ Half-Life 2: Episode Two source code,
weapon_striderbuster.cpp - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Half-Life 2: Episode Two commentary
- ↑ Half-Life 2: Episode Two's subtitles,
ep_02.reb_complaint02 - ↑ Half-Life 2: Episode Two game files,
models/weapons/v_magnade.mdl - ↑ Half-Life 2: Episode Two source code,
player.cpp - ↑ Half-Life 2: Episode One source code,
prop_stickybomb.cpp - ↑ Half-Life 2: Episode Two (2016-2017 assets leaks), internal dating tag (
editorbuild) ofhunters.vmf
