Comments on: Poll Question 128 – Why do you think modders haven’t used the Magnusson Device?

By: Ultrapurple

Ultrapurple — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 14:19:53 +0000

Heaven forbid.

By: Grey Acumen

Grey Acumen — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:14:47 +0000

I think I’m going to attempt to implement it in the first mod i do.

the scenario will be that Gordon freeman has ONLY the gravity gun and Magnussons, only the rebels will have weapons, and no explosives. They will be in areas that can’t be reached by gordon, so there’s no way he can get any weapons from them to kill the strider’s himself. All he can do is attach the magnussons so that the rebels have a fighting chance of taking them down with just their pistols.

By: Ultrapurple

Ultrapurple — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:09:48 +0000

I’m glad that modders don’t use the Magnusson Device. I hated it, never got the hang of it and had to cheat my way through Ep 2 – not proud of that, but it was the only way without the hopeless and hateful MD. Please Valve, don’t ever come up with a crummy thing like that ever again.

By: Hoyy

Hoyy — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:58:33 +0000

The Magnusson device in a open gameplay and use in mod simply sucks ass.

By: civanT

civanT — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:12:10 +0000

It’s still lame. I don’t want to understand that we have to shoot it to make it explode. Valve really pushed their luck there, and if you ask me they sacrificed the story for the sake of gameplay. I can’t accept that. Story is the most important thing.

By: Jasper

Jasper — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:20:39 +0000

Hi, n00bie51. You are not alone.
For those who missed PP’s not so blatantly obvious link to the Magnusson Device AKA The Strider Buster Wiki:
Episode Two features no new additions to Gordon Freeman’s inventory, but introduces a new form of Gravity Gun ‘ammunition’, the “Magnusson Device”, named after the egotistical head of the White Forest base rocket project, Dr. Magnusson. Prior to the game’s release, this weapon had been referred to as the ‘Strider Buster’. The item is useless on its own—it must be deployed via the gravity gun. Level designer Dario Casali describes it as a “sticky bomb that you fire at a Strider’s underbelly that will draw power from the Strider’s internal power source.” In-game, the device will stick so long as it contacts the Strider’s body, and will instantly destroy it when fired upon with any other of the player’s weapons. However, Hunter escorts will prioritize them as targets, either destroying them in the player’s grasp or shooting already-attached ones off.
Soi there is a bit more to it then!
But I have to agree that it has to have the right scenario.
Great result when it goes off though

By: Wesp5

Wesp5 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:47:13 +0000

I disliked the MD as well, because while it could be argued that it must be thrown at a Strider with the gravgun and not fired with a rocket launcher to get there intact, it made no sense at all that it would sense it’s target and stick to it but not explode by itself, needing an external trigger instead. I really suspect that this stupid feature was added later to EP2 when Valve noticed that with the MD itself the Striders were to easily defeated!

By: planetphillip

planetphillip — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:47:17 +0000

I can’t confirm the part about drawing its power from the Strider, but Striders are definitely not resistant to rockets.

By: n00bie51

n00bie51 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:29:50 +0000

Y’all seemed to ignore my response to civanT’s post. (:

By: marnamai

marnamai — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:16:39 +0000

I might actually try to adding a battle with magnussons in my upcomming mod click here to visit moddb profile

By: n00bie51

n00bie51 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:16:42 +0000

Actually, it’s quite logical. The Magnusson Device is not just a bomb. If I’m right, I remember hearing something about the MD that said it drew power from the Strider it was attached to in order to destroy it. Striders are resistant to rockets, but MDs are more powerful and effective because they use a Strider’s own energy against it.

By: Naked-Headcrab

Naked-Headcrab — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:06:42 +0000

Magnusson device is boring (like Magnusson himself).

By: lumpi

lumpi — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:21:09 +0000

It’s the lamest excuse for a “new weapon” in the history of expansion packs, that’s why. Seriously, I loved Episode 2, but calling the “Magnusson Device” a weapon is an insult to the creativity in weapon design that has always been a trademark of HL. It’s useful, but mechanically boring.

By: Poison_Berrie

Poison_Berrie — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:13:14 +0000

The Magnusson Device (hereafter reffered to as MD) is kind of event weapon.
As people said it fits in the assault but at other times it probably makes a battle against a single or perhaps even two striders too simple.

A moment in which I can think of it being usefull and engaging, if you have to make for a chace of them somewhere while being hunted by a strider. This way you keep the element of excitement and still find a use for the weapon.

That said it’s still more of a gimmick than a weapon.

By: Ol' Scratch

Ol' Scratch — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:29:44 +0000

I’m with a couple of posters here, I hated the MD because it was just a really silly way to destroy something, given that the future we’re playing in has some really advanced devices–I mean, come on, why hasn’t anyone figured out how to rip the particle cannon out of a strider and use it?? Of course, I think Mangusson was a prick, and I hoped he’d take a round to the head, and I’m sure that was part of my dislike; but I think it’s just too kludgey to be a worthy weapon.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:09:59 +0000

Yes… aside from it being comically impractical, its also very closely tied to a particular event. If a Magnusson device exploded on contact, it might be a good replacement for a mounted gun battle: more destruction, longer time between shots. I’m not sure if that’s possible to script, however….

By: Shkaa887

Shkaa887 — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:13:40 +0000

Now what I absolutely adored about the Magnusson device was the beautiful cinematic type explosion at the end of all of it, that made me happy. And it’s essentially just a one hit kill; so I reckon they should use it more often, but only if it’s appropriate. Eg, you can’t stick it in a pirate mod

By: Denizen T

Denizen T — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:52:04 +0000

LOVED this weapon in Offshore!

By: Gypsy Jim

Gypsy Jim — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:58:22 +0000

I’m with Crowbarska & CivanT on this. The whole concept was rubbish, though I accept that they needed one. The RPGs were definitely weaker, and the ammo was thinner on the ground in any event.

Any modder trying to put together something new & original wouldn’t have looked twice at this particular idea….

For what it’s worth, it was the one thing that has stopped me replaying Ep2 more than a couple of times, and I replayed Ep1 dozens & dozens……..That last scene? I hated it.

By: Da Fat Cat

Da Fat Cat — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:51:49 +0000

It was kinda cool in Ep2, but it just wouldn’t work in any mod without copying Ep2 or seeming extremely gimmicky.

By: Kyouryuu

Kyouryuu — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:44:39 +0000

I didn’t care much for the Magnusson Device in Ep. 2. I thought it was a rather picky weapon, since there were many parts of the Strider that they refused to stick to. It’s a welcome diversion from the contrived “find the lone box of rockets” gag, but it’s not as entertaining, in my opinion. You need a lot of Striders for it to work, and given that a single Strider normally constitutes a whole boss battle, you need special circumstances for it. On top of that, you need a scenario where the Striders are largely preoccupied with some other task – i.e. blowing up White Forest – so that you have the ability to get behind them to throw the device.

By: CrowbarSka

CrowbarSka — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:15:34 +0000

The Magnusson Device is quite limited in its usage. I think the finale of Episode 2 may have been hurt by the fact that you HAD to use it to defeat the striders, you didn’t have any other options. Or did you? I thought rockets were weakened but I might be wrong.

Anyway, it is also a bit tricky to create the resupplying device so inexperienced mappers might find it too tough. There’s no reason they can’t just have a few lying around though (not an infinite supply).

By: Senator33

Senator33 — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:01:14 +0000

Actually, the Strider Gun in SMOD does a more efficient job of killing Striders, but is less challenging to use than the Magnusson device. The result with the Magnusson is also far more spectacular.

Suppose you have to dismiss logic and enjoy the fun.

Pretty tough to outdo the final battle in EP2, though….

By: Jasper

Jasper — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:54:21 +0000

As anonymous says PP, large multiple strider area in Offshore and brilliantly done. Just to see if it could be done, I carried one through to the striders on the coastline – very tedious mind. The device and the gameplay to use it are great.
The same applies to Hunters which, in EP2, had loads of room but in very small areas in Offshore. All of which goes to show how a few unjustly denigrated Offshore.
Cannot vote anything than other

By: LoneWolf65

LoneWolf65 — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:44:33 +0000

I’m glad to hear that, will play Offshore again just for fun and i’m also very curious!

By: civanT

civanT — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:43:05 +0000

I say because it’s useless. Come on now, sticking a bomb on a strider than shooting at it? That’s stupid. You know what made it more stupid? Dr. Magnusson. He was so repulsive that I hated that device also. I’m not mentioning the name of the device. It doesn’t fit any HL2 related mod because it’s Magnusson’s device! It’s just natural that nearly no mods used it.

Also it is not logical. They can make a rocket that can go to space and shut down a portal in matter of minutes, but can’t make a weapon that blows up Strider’s without Dr. Freeman’s efforts. What happened to rocket launcher all of a sudden? They could simply make its rockets stronger.

You got my point. I hated it when it was in Episode 2 and I’d hate it if it was in a mod with a good story.

On the other hand, there is another point about it. It is really fun to use if you look it that way. If it was only an arcade game I’d like it. I’d like to see a mod just focuses on Magnusson Device. But that’s the only way it can be used, other than that it’s just useless.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:43:26 +0000

Offshore has that magnusson device. You just had to look around.

By: Sortie

Sortie — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:01:49 +0000

Personally, I wouldn’t use it because of silly story reasons. But again, it’s also related to the fact that it needs plenty of striders and a Ep2 style area. Such a battle was already done in Ep2, so the modders would need some reimagination to make it more interesting, which I don’t doubt it can be.