Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle
Production information
Affiliation	Combine
Manufacturer	Combine
Type	Assault rifle
Technical specifications
Damage	8 per pulse shot 100 per Energy Ball (instant death to human-sized enemies)
Magazine/reload type	30 pulse plugs, automatic reload 1 Energy Ball, no reload
Maximum Ammunition	90 pulses 3 Energy Balls
Fire Mode	Automatic
Ammunition Type	Pulse clips/Energy Balls
Rate of Fire	High
Recoil	Low, increases with sustained fire
Spread	Low-medium
Projectile Speed	Hitscan
Accuracy	Bad-Moderate
Range	Short to medium
Usage
Used by	Overwatch Soldiers Overwatch Elites Gordon Freeman Barney Calhoun Rebels
Game information
Entity / spawn codes	weapon_ar2 (weapon entity) item_ammo_ar2 (ammo entity) item_ammo_ar2_large (ammo entity) item_ammo_ar2_altfire (ball ammo entity)

 

The Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle (OSIPR),^[1] also known as Pulse Rifle or AR2, is a Dark Energy / pulse-powered assault rifle manufactured by the Combine.

OverviewEdit

The OSIPR is essentially a Combine variant of current assault rifles, commonly issued by Overwatch Soldiers and Overwatch Elites. It has a 30-round magazine, which is reloaded with an automatic mechanism built into the weapon. A Dark Energy Energy Ball shooter is built into it; the orb is capable of disintegrating almost anything it touches. On the body can be seen the alphanumerics "V952", also featured on other Combine devices.

The player first acquires the weapon at the end of Half-Life 2's sixth chapter, "We Don't Go To Ravenholm...", scavenged off of a dead soldier previously fighting stray Zombies coming out of Ravenholm. In Episode One, it can be found in a Combine supply room in the chapter Urban Flight. In Episode Two, it is found in a doorway in the chapter Freeman Pontifex, near a small overrun Combine outpost. (NOTE: It's supposedly a Resistance base overrun by the Combine, then overrun by zombie infestation.) While the OSIPR is common amongst the Overwatch forces, only Overwatch Elite are allowed to fire the Energy Balls.

Rebels often capture OSIPRs for their needs. Notably, a Rebel at White Forest informs his comrades that the weapon's secondary attack can be useful against Hunters, leading to the AR3 dispute. (The AR3 dispute can be found/heard after you enter the base entrance from racing dog to the base.) While similar, the mounted variant, the Emplacement Gun, is a different pulse gun.

The player first acquires the Energy Ball at the end of chapter "We Don't Go To Ravenholm...", in the warehouse where Rebels fight Overwatch soldiers. In Episode One can be obtained by killing an Overwatch Elite in the Hospital, if not, it can be obtained in an Supply Crate in the computer room with Elite Soldier. In Episode Two can be obtained in an Supply Crate appeared on the Car Radar Before White Forest Inn, If not, it can be acquired in the room with Charger

TacticsEdit

• The OSIPR's recoil is extremely strong. The weapon's spread is much worse when firing the weapon in automatic mode, so firing it in short bursts is highly recommended (this also conserves ammo). Furthermore, the player can only hold three full magazines (that is, one in the gun, two spare), which are easy to go through if firing in automatic mode.

• Since the amount of ammo the player can carry for the OSIPR is relatively low and it burns through ammo very quickly if not carefully managed, it is best used in situations where nearby ammo is plentiful - that is, when fighting Combine Soldiers.

• In most situations, the OSIPR is better than the MP7, and is a good all-around automatic weapon. While the MP7 has a higher rate of fire, the OSIPR deals much more damage, and is much more accurate (when used correctly).

• The cores powering the weapon's alternate fire are rather hard to come by and should be preserved for special cases. They are efficient on lined up enemies, since it goes through them all before it hits a wall. Using it in small rooms is also efficient, since it bounces on the walls, floor and ceiling.

• The cores are also a one-hit-kill against even a Hunter (note that the Energy Ball is destroyed when it hits the Hunter).

• OSIPR-fired Energy Balls can be deflected by a blast made with the Gravity Gun, by capturing it. This happens whether or not the Gravity Gun is infused with the Citadel's Dark Energy.

• Energy Balls can be used to kill Striders but they only do around a third of the damage of the RPG rockets.

Behind the scenesEdit

• At one point in Half-Life 2's development, there were three assault rifles: added to the OSIPR, there was the AK-47 (or AR1) and the Incendiary Rifle that used a slightly different OSIPR model and functioned as a Flare Gun with a five-round magazine. The OSIPR was originally slated to be an OICW and would be the Combine's weapon of choice. All three weapons were finally scrapped. Instead, the Incendiary Rifle's model was turned into the OSIPR's, which became the only assault rifle in the final game. The OSIPR's model still uses the name of the original model ("v_irifle").

TriviaEdit

• Gordon holds the OSIPR with only one hand. This is merely a design oversight.

• Originally, the Energy Ball could disintegrate Barnacles only in Episode Two. In the other episodes, it would merely pass through the creature without harming it. It has now been updated so that it disintegrates Barnacles in every game.

• The reload animation used by NPCs for this weapon was recycled from that of the OICW. Therefore, though in the viewmodel it is reloaded internally using an automatic system, when used by NPCs it appears to reload manually and externally. The reload for the NPCs is a manual reload, where the NPC pulls a magazine out and pushes it into the gun, like a MP7.

• When fired by enemies, the OSIPR uses sounds recycled from that of the OICW.

• Similarly, the APC's pulse gun sounds just like the player's OSIPR.

• While the reload animation is featured in the NPCs, it is not in the viewmodel.

• The recoil of the OSIPR will reset abruptly if firing a large amount of rounds on full-auto. This is most easily seen by modifying the clip size to 40 or higher.

• The Combine and the Rebels hold the weapon like the MP7. It could be an oversight.

• The worldmodel is much different than the viewmodel

• Rebels holding an MP7 (Smg1) Always replace there weapon with the OSIPR.

• When Rebels pick up an OSIPR they say words like "Nice, Awesome and Fantastic!".

GalleryEdit

HUD icon, a vector glyph used in-game through the font "HalfLife2.ttf", originally the IRifle HUD icon.

OSIPR worldmodel.

Viewmodel.

Reloading the OSIPR.

Ammo magazine.

Early energy core model, used as the model's preview .jpg file.

Energy core currently used in the Xbox version and used in the PC version before the May 26, 2010 update.

Energy core introduced in Episode Two. It replaced the previous versions in Half-Life 2 and Episode One in the May 26, 2010 update.

Ammo crate model.

The ammo crate model in Episode Two.

Overwatch Elite with an OSIPR.

Nova Prospekt Prison Guard holding an OSIPR.

Overwatch Soldier firing at Freeman with his OSIPR at Bridge Point.

Overwatch Soldier hiding from Freeman with his OSIPR at Bridge Point.

Overwatch Soldier aiming at Freeman with his OSIPR at Bridge Point.

The results of the OSIPR secondary attack.

Rebels armed with several weapons in a City 17 tunnel, among them the OSIPR.

Another set of rebels in a City 17 tunnel.

Barney pinned down by Overwatch Snipers, with an OSIPR.

Barney and an OSIPR.

Gordon's weapons being taken away and destroyed in the Citadel, among them the OSIPR.

List of appearancesEdit

Sector W has more images related to Category:Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle images.

• Half-Life 2 (First appearance)
• Half-Life 2: Deathmatch (Non-canonical appearance)
• Half-Life 2: Lost Coast (Non-canonical appearance)
• Half-Life 2: Episode One
• Source Particle Benchmark (Game files only) (Non-canonical appearance)
• Half-Life 2: Episode Two

ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

• Retextured model image on deviantART