Gravity gun

Agravity gunis a type of device invideo games,particularlyfirst-person shootersusingphysics engines,whereby players can directly manipulate objects in the world, often allowing them to be used as projectiles against hostile characters. The concept was popularized by the gravity gun found inValve'sHalf-Life 2,as well as the Temporal Uplink found inFree Radical Design'sTimeSplitters: Future Perfect;although a similar concept was used byid Softwareduring the production of the earlier gameDoom 3,eventually leading to the introduction of a physics-based weapon in the expansion packResurrection of Evil.Later games, such asPortal,BioShock,Crysis,Dead Space,andGarry's Modhave been influenced by the success of these physics-based weapons, adopting their own styles of comparable abilities or weapons.

A gravity gun as featured inHalf-Life 2and its Episodes

Half-Life 2

See also:Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2's gravity gun (depicted here in artwork forHalf-Life 2: Deathmatch) is capable of turning innocuous objects into weapons, as well as assisting in physics-based puzzles.

Valve'sHalf-Life 2made significant use of physics, powered by theSource engine.The physics engine within Source is derived fromHavok,which opens up a wealth of possibilities for object interaction – particularly when later in the game,Freemanreceives an energy-beam weapon that lets him move huge objects. Although the player can pick up and throw objects early in the game, this ability is somewhat limited in scope. Around a quarter of the way through the game, the player acquires the gravity gun, properly named as the "Zero-point EnergyField Manipulator ".Alyx Vanceexplains that the gravity gun is designed for handling hazardous materials, but is mostly used for heavy lifting.She explains to Gordon that she once found it useful "for clearingminefields".The gravity gun significantly increases the player's ability to manipulate objects in the game. Like most other weapons in the game, the gravity gun has two trigger functions. The primary trigger causes the gun to emit a small discharge which emits energy to the targeted object. The distance which the object is forced is dependent on its weight and distance from the gun. The secondary trigger attracts the targeted object to the gun and holds it in midair a few inches away, negating its weight and allowing the player to carry it with them. Using the secondary trigger again will drop the item, while the primary trigger will launch it with considerable force.

By combining these functions, players can use the gravity gun to scale barriers and obstacles, create cover against enemy characters, or launch the objects at enemy characters, causing them considerable damage. Certain types of objects, such as saw blades, fuel barrels and hydrogen tanks are intentionally designed by Valve to be used as "gravity gun ammunition". The gravity gun, however, cannot manipulate heavier objects and enemy characters until the late stages of the game, when the device becomes temporarily infused withdark energymeant to destroy it.

The gravity gun was very well received by critics, who considered it one of the defining features ofHalf-Life 2's entertainment value.Planet Half-Life called the gravity gun "the next level in interactive gaming."Electronic Gaming MonthlydescribedHalf-Life 2's gravity gun as the "thinking man's death tool," which lets players "toy with gravity to kill foes with everyday objects."Call of Dutyseriesmilitary adviserHank Keirseystated that "the weapon is not very practical". He did, however, discuss its historical precedents, further stating that "The ancients learned very early how to use gravity to their advantage — but this usually involved rolling rocks down hills or pouring boiling oil down the castle walls. Those that failed to respect gravity suffered."

Influence on later games

Half-Life: Alyx

Valve's 2020virtual realitygameHalf-Life: Alyxis set as a prequel toHalf-Life 2.The player controlsAlyx Vancewho during the events of the game gains a pair of "gravity gloves", which provide function similar to the gravity gun with the ability to lift and throw objects, though tailored to work as standard VR in-game hand controls.

TimeSplitters: Future PerfectTemporal Uplink

It was not until the third installment of theTimeSplitters franchise,TimeSplitters: Future Perfect,that the Temporal Uplink was given the ability to manipulate the physics in the game. InFuture Perfect,the Temporal Uplink played a much larger role than that of its previous, map and mini-game oriented functionality, which the device was originally used for inTimeSplitters 2.Worn on the wrist of the main player character Sergeant Cortez, the uplink provides a map and the ability to pick up and throw objects, as well as the capability to activate switches remotely. Its grabbing abilities range from picking up weapons and ammo for use by the player in addition to launching objects from a distance at foes. This makes it an especially useful weapon for dispatching larger groups of enemies in the event that the player comes across one of the many explosive barrels placed throughout maps in the campaign mode of the game.

Doom 3grabber

See also:Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil

TheDoom 3grabber enables the player to return enemy projectiles to their origin.

AlthoughHalf-Life 2andTimeSplitters: Future Perfectwere the first games released to feature a gravity gun (the former released on November 16, 2004, and the latter released on March 21, 2005),id Softwarehad previously conceived a similar idea during the development of the earlier titleDoom 3.id Software designer Matt Hooper noted that "we actually used it as a tool throughout development where we'd grab physics objects and place them around the world".The tool was used to create "damaged" rooms inDoom 3;instead of constructing a ruined room, the designers would code a pristine room and use the device to "damage" it realistically. Although used to assist the development ofDoom 3,the gravity gun was not implemented in the final game. Hooper explained that "we talked about that quite a few times, but we had such a big arsenal of weapons, and so many other cool things going on, that it was just one of those things that never made it in".However,Nerve Softwarerevived the code for the weapon five months after the release ofHalf-Life 2inDoom 3'sexpansion pack,Resurrection of Evil.

The device is noted in theDoom 3storyline as an "ionized plasma levitator", created by the Union Aerospace Corporation for moving hazardous materials and a forerunner totractor beams.Usually referred to as the "grabber", the player obtains the device early on in the course ofResurrection of Evil.The grabber operates differently fromHalf-Life 2's gravity gun, using only a single trigger function. Once the grabber is aimed at an appropriate object, it locks on, allowing the player to lift the object with the trigger.When the player releases the trigger, the object will be propelled forward with force, turning it into an impromptu weapon. One key ability of the grabber is its capacity to lock on to the fireball projectiles cast by some hostile non-player characters, allowing players to turn the attack against their foe. However, unlike the gravity gun inHalf-Life 2,the grabber cannot hold objects for as long as the player wishes; if they wait too long to launch the object, the grabber will start to overload and disengage, dropping the object gently on the ground.Critics often compared the grabber directly withHalf-Life 2's gravity gun,some noting that the device was far more combat-focused in operation than the gravity gun; in particular, the ability to turn projectiles cast by enemies against them was praised.However, the grabber was considered somewhat "awkward" to use, requiring a "finesse" that "is rarely something the player has time for in a close-quarters situation".

Others

Various other video games have included gameplay features that allow players to use the game's physics to their advantage in combat. In some cases, these are manifested as weapons or devices. For instance,Portal(also created by Valve) features theAperture ScienceHandheld Portal Device which displays a limited capacity to move objects around the game world, whileCrytek'sCrysisallows the player to throw objects and enemy characters considerable distances through the use of an experimentalnanosuit.

In other games, however, it can be represented in a different manner:

• InArkane Studios'Dark Messiah of Might and Magicapsychokinesisspell allows for similar functions asHalf-Life 2's gravity gun.
• Destroy All Humans!portrayed a similar gravity usage, known as PK.
• 2K Games'sBioShockdisplays the concept as a telekinesisplasmid.
• In EA's third-person horror shooterDead Space,the player character acquires a 'Kinesis' module, which allows the player to grab and throw objects.
• in theOpen Arenamod Powerball, there is a weapon called gravity mine launcher, a modified version of thegrenade launcherthat release gravity mines, that attract to them any too close player.
• InGarry's Mod,one of the items is a gravity gun directly imported fromHalf-Life 2.It also includes a Physics Gun, a modified gravity gun which can position items and rag doll limbs as well as freeze them for constructing scenes or objects.
• InSubnautica,there is a weapon called the Propulsion Cannon that the developers jokingly called the Gravity Gun, allowing people to drag things closer and throw them great distances.
• InSpace Station 13,crew members can research and then build the One-point Bluespace-Gravitational Manipulator, which has three modes, repulse, which throws everything in an area away, attract, which does the opposite, and chaos, which does both settings, randomly.
• InWild 9,the main character Wex Major can manipulate obstacles, objects and enemies through his main weapon called the "Rig", which is an electrical beam coming from Wex's back.
• In thefirst person shooterVRgameBoneworksand its sequel,Bonelab,the player character can manipulate and move any physics object with a gadget called the "Developer Manipulator."

Reception

Cosplay of Gordon Freeman wielding a Gravity Gun at Montreal Comiccon 2014

OnIGN's list of top 100 weapons which originated in video games, the gravity gun was ranked #5.OnGamesRadar's list of top 100 weapons in video games, the gravity gun was ranked #2 just behind theCerebral Bore fromTurok 2.

TheHalf-Life 2gravity gun is one of several weapons used alongside ones from other game and film franchises in a climactic fight for the 2021 filmFree Guy,which takes place within a video game.

See also

• Anti-gravity
• Tractor beam