Rocket Launcher- Aim and Dodging

[kaetor_]

I have a massive problem where I can't aim the rockets for crap and I always freaking jump during rocket fights. Just can't hlep it :/

[Natespank]

Just had some decent 1v1 practice at handicap 50. All you need is one good rocket, then you can start bouncing them around like crazy. My dodging still sucks though. Don't jump!

[Lorfa]

Just had some decent 1v1 practice at handicap 50. All you need is one good rocket, then you can start bouncing them around like crazy. My dodging still sucks though. Don't jump!

I actually find myself watching the player's movement carefully to see if he prefers to go right or left, which is the main dodging mechanism.

Of course they could mix it up, but this is rare. If you've ever played liner who has the best dodging I have ever encountered, he certainly mixes it up. In fact he dodges so fast that once I decided to try just shooting 'at him' instead of where he was going which would not work against any other player, and because he was back into place by the time the rocket traveled to him it was hitting quite well. I guess you have to be ready to adapt.

Also I find that you have to at least make an attempt at direct hits, that is putting the crosshair a bit higher than would be needed for shooting at the feet on occasion.

For the ambitious player watching the demos in timescale 0.25 is the probably the best way to study the problem directly.

[Natespank]

to play a demo at timescale .25 i type "timescale .25" in the console while watching a demo?

[Lorfa]

to play a demo at timescale .25 i type "timescale .25" in the console while watching a demo?

Yep.

Or do what I do and bind keys for stuff to use during demo playback:

bind F6 "+acc"
bind F5 "+scores"
bind pgdn "timescale 1"
bind pgup "timescale 10"
bind ins "timescale 0.5"
bind del "timescale 0.25"

[*beane]

jumping at the wrong moment is a really good way to get popped 20 feet in the air where you're a sitting duck.

Truth. And offensive vs defensive varies on the situation. Some corners there's just not a lot of places you can go and you can hear where he's moving as well to a degree. A well timed rocket around the corner is huge and if you get the direct you can usually land another and come out ahead.

You also know where they're going to end up if they jump. And that's usually bad news... people who jump in rocket fights often lose in my experience. A well timed jump can sometimes be advantageous, but overall it's not a great practice IMO.

How you adjust your rocket strategy - it depends on the opponent. Defensive rockets take practice, people often end up shooting behind their opponent which presents a clear path and some players have great defensive rockets, others have very poor (and how you react to them and play against them will depend a lot on this). You have to learn the timing/distances for good defensive rockets and know that you really want to land it front and not behind because you want to keep the distance usually when you're being defensive and you can really help to close it if you screw up. It takes practice.

[Salamatiqus]

Well, I have played couple of Quakeworld games on such maps like Shubb-Nigurrath's Pit, Aerowalk, The Bad Place (dm4) and I really can say that my rocket skill got increased a lot.

[Natespank]

The best prediction advice I got from my training partner was worded like this (Cred Lt):

"Try and think of where he wants to go."

The way he worded it helped a lot. It made me think of intentions and plans.

[Lolzy]

Rules of a Rocket

-Air is bad, Ground is good. While in the air your movement (or lack of thereof) causes you to receive rockets without mercy.
-Jumping is Good, But Only a Fraction After the Shot - this is true especially on medium distances. If you've got enough reflex, you can catch that moment where the guy has already locked on your pattern and begins to fire the projectile. Dodge then.
-Rockets Hurt in Close Quarters. Always steer clear of confined spaces, as cumulative splash damage HURTS.
-Know Thine Enemy. If you know that a guy can rocket you dead-on in any case, steer away. Coz if someone,s proficient with the good ol RL, he'll trap you well enough for you to get seriously hurt or dead. If you know he can't time and aim, you can even cause him to kill himself via the Holy Blast Damage.
-Timing is All. No thing is truer about rocket fest than timing. Rockets travel at a steady pace (in Holy Q it was like 1000 UPS, in Q]|[A it was like 650 UPS, heard that it was slowed down in QL, care to tell how much?) And if you know the speed and can time the rockets, they'll arrive riht where you want them. Or you'll dodge them right when they come at you.
-Noob Weapon Of Choice. Although being a staple of Q series and used often by many veterans, the great RL is abused by the noobzorz and newbz because they want POWAH TO THA PPL This gives you a hint - theres a huge chance that a dude you fight against might be not-so-skilled with the rockets.

[risen]

heard that it was slowed down in QL, care to tell how much?)

Actually i'm pretty sure it was sped up, don't quote me but it might be 1100UPS.