Talk:Rocket Launcher

Wouldn't you be able to get two snap shots off in one turn if you dual-wield rocket launchers? NightChime 22:43, 23 October 2008 (CDT)

Yes, however your base accuracy with both attacks would be 44%, multiplied by the soldiers Firing Accuracy and then accounting for any Fatal Wounds. So yes, from a game mechanics standpoint, it's possible. But in practice it's not a particularly hot idea given how much damage a misfire can do, the fact that with such a low accuracy, you WILL misfire, how heavy two loaded RLs are(32-36, depending on loadout), and the fact that this burns through rather limited ammo even faster. In fact, the Rocket Launcher's Snap accuracy is so low that it's widely opined that only the Aimed is worth anything. And if you've managed to build up a soldier to the point that he can accurately use two snap-fired Rocket Launchers, as well as tote them, there are far better weapons for such a soldier. Arrow Quivershaft 23:34, 23 October 2008 (CDT)

Aimed is of course the most effective means of using it, but snaps have their uses when you've got good chances at landing near if not spot-on hits.

As for using dual rockets, I suppose dual rockets could be handy when you're firing down at the ground or right into something solid like the side of a UFO and need to do it twice in quick succession. But unless you planned for that to happen from the get-go, you're generally better off with two soldiers and two rocket launchers. The reload time on the next turn could slow you down a bit too if one soldier had to reload both. It's better to spread the re-load expense over several soldiers.

Just had a thought on accuracy. Would a high TU soldier be able to carry a loaded launcher in the hand and one in the backpack, fire the one in the hand, drop it, get out the other one and fire it as well? That has the potential to eliminate the firing penalty if it can be done. Alternately, fire one at the -20% penalty, drop it the fire the other without a penalty.

Dual Small Launchers could be useful. With them, you can happily fire them at almost close range as long as you're wearing power suits. -NKF 00:05, 24 October 2008 (CDT)

A soldier with 80 TUs needs 36 TUs to snap-fire a Rocket Launcher. So snap-firing 2 of them is 72 TUs. This gives him 8 TUs to play with, and according to the Inventory TU Table, it takes EXACTLY 8 TUs to move an item out of the backpack and into an empty hand. So such a soldier could snap fire one Rocket Launcher, flip the other one out of his backpack, and then fire a second, albeit at a -20% penalty(though if he's got that many TUs he can probably take the hit with little trouble). So yes, you could do that, but the soldier would need to be pre-positioned, because no (game-legal, barring the uncapped versions) soldier will have enough TUs to move. And he's completely defenseless during the Alien turn. Arrow Quivershaft 00:28, 24 October 2008 (CDT)

Then perhaps the opposite method would be much more efficient. Have both launchers out, fire one at the -20% penalty and discard it. Then fire the other without the penalty. Since dropping only costs 2 TUs, then you'd still have 6 TUs left to play with. Not much to work with, but if you exposed yourself to danger on the previous turn and ended up standing right next to a wall at the start of the new turn, then perhaps it's just enough to flee to safety.

You have to admit that's really stretching things to the limit! -NKF 03:40, 24 October 2008 (CDT)

The most efficient way is to just carry a sidearm like the Laser Pistol on your belt. After the rocket is launched (using a snap shot), move the laser pistol from the belt to the hand and you should still have enough time to fire 2 auto shots. Nice thing about using it after the rocket is you don't have to drop anything because pistols are single handed weapons and don't suffer accuracy penalties if there is something in the opposite hand. --Zombie 08:54, 24 October 2008 (CDT)

Neutral stance on Small Rocket

It might be better to revise the article to take a more neutral stance on the Small Rocket rather than discount it over the generally more efficient Large Rocket. Weaker though it may be, it does offer some good benefits.

Despite the big gap in damage, it still packs reasonable power (more than various light explosives like the grenade and proxy) and the lighter weight does offer your average strength rookie the chance of carrying extra goods without having to split the load. -NKF 01:23, 17 January 2011 (EST)

I started out with the same thinking, but the the more I studied it, the worse they looked. One advantage, for instance, is that they're slightly less dangerous, but they're still not actually safe -- you have to use general safety practices with both types of rockets.

The biggest advantage is the lighter weight, but the answer to that is give the RL to anyone who has Strength 34 or better. You're likely to get several soldiers that strong in your first batch, and losing a couple of TUs to overburden is also an option. You can also drop one rocket: launcher + 1 free LR + 2 LR reloads weighs 26, versus launcher +1 free + 3 SR reloads = 28.

Small rockets are not useless -- 75 HE is indeed very good -- but I'd say there are almost no cases where large rockets aren't better.--Ethereal Cereal 04:35, 17 January 2011 (EST)