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How to be a Rocket God  by Dr.Gibbs November 10, 2000

There's only one type of player more annoying than a rail god. This, my friends, is the person we lovingly refer to as the rocket god. Years of modem playing and a high ping forced me to use a weapon with wide explosive power. This is how I came to love the rocket launcher. Even with my recent switch to cable access, the rocket launcher is still a weapon I hold dear.

Too corny? Thought so. Time to get down and dirty. First, why the heck would you want to be a rocket god when there is a railgun to be had? There are a lot of reasons that make this a better weapon:

1. Always in stock. It is available on just about every map in Quake 3, including custom maps. The railgun is popular, but is not nearly as easy to run across. You will rarely find more than one. And, have you ever noticed how consistant railers are? When there's no railgun available, it's really fun to watch them try to use other weapons.
2. No electricity. Let's start by saying it is an outrage that the railgun can be used under water. For the benefit of those of you who do not actually know how a railgun works, I'll tell you. A small uranium slug balances between two rails, hence the name. A powerful electric charge, usually thousands of amps, is applied to the rails and it forces the slug forward at near the speed of light. There is no way one could fire such a weapon under water without the use of one-way force fields. Of course, what do you expect in a game that allows you to launch a giant bolt of electricity under water without a scratch? Let's get back to the point. The rocket launcher doesn't need thousands of amps to do its thing, so there is no charging time, which saves your time. It requires only a short loading time. This means more damage for your time, which also means more frags, you guessed it, in the same time. Got that?
3. Blast radius. Compare the railgun's ability to push a slab or uranium through more than one player to the rocket launcher's ability to kill multiple players at one time with one shot. It also allows you to not actually have to hit the players directly, making more hits count. The rail gun is easy to avoid because once you miss, your enemy will go spastic to make sure you never even come close to hitting him. Nothing shouts "Run!" like seeing the trail of a slug fly between your legs. With a rocket launcher, by the time your enemies know the rocket is there it's too late. Okay, I admit, right now that blast radius is a disadvantage to you. That's what I'm here to fix.

So, I hear you cry, when do I learn to become a god? The answer to this question is one you are not going to like: you're not. At least, not for a long time. Being a rocket god takes a lot more skill, thinking, and basic common sense than the railgun. You actually have to think while you are using the rocket launcher. You can only practice and learn, but here are some tips to help you along.

Never aim at players.

This is the fatal mistake of most newbies. Rockets should be fired at walls, floors, and in some cases even ceilings. A mid-air hit is an almost impossible feat, something I can't even do without a stroke of luck.

Learn the rocket speed.

Rockets travel at a certain speed and this is critical for you to learn. You need to be able to predict exactly when your rocket is going to hit a certain place, even if it is across the room.

Learn the player speed.

All the characters in Quake 3 move at the same speed. Once you have learned to utilize this speed, you can start hitting people from across a room with stunning accuracy. No matter how much they jump or strafe, they won't be able to completely avoid the blast.

Always jump when you fire.

If you are close to a person, jump when you shoot a rocket at them. This will decrease the amount of damage you take. It won't do much the first time, but the damage really add up after awhile and it could very easily save your life. Walking backwards is also a good idea if you can do it without the player following you.

Use other weapons.

If your health or ammo is very low, and you have hit a player with one or two rockets, you should bring out a less dangerous weapon to finish them off with. This is similar to the skill that players use with the railgun, after they hit a player with a slug they whip out the machine gun to finish the job faster.

Always walk over the rocket launcher.

If you have more than 10 rockets, pick up another rocket launcher anyway. Unlike other weapons, one or two rockets can make a big difference. It usually takes a few to finish a player and rockets are not easy to come by. Take every single one you can.

Learn to think like the enemy.

Judging where a player running in a straight line will be in three seconds is easy after awhile, but if you have played on servers very much you know real players don't make a habit of running in a straight line, especially with rockets flying at them. Once you join a server, learn and keep in mind the player's common defensive techniques. For example, if JoE_bLoW joins a server and every time you see him defending himself he strafes left, then right, and repeats the process, you know what to do next time you see him. Shoot left, then right, and repeat the process. JoE_bLoW ends up all over the walls and you end up with another frag.

Practice, practice practice.

The rocket launcher probably takes more thought, precision, and skill than any other weapon. The railgun is a close second, but it becomes natural after you play a lot. The rocket launcher, on the other hand, will always demand your attention no matter how much you use it. You need to carefully monitor your health and ammo the entire time you are using this weapon, or it could prove fatal. The only way to become good with this weapon is to practice a lot. Start a bot game with I Can Win bots. They won't hurt you very much, but they move a lot and make excellent targets. Once you have learned how to aim, start playing harder bots and actually learn how to defend yourself. Remember, bots don't think like people, so once you are worthy enough you need to play online to become a true god. Little "g".

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