Star Wars Battlefront: A few words about Rocket Trooper mechanics.

[Anonymous]

I looked at the Battlefront Guide, and figured I could add some things that aren't there, but could be useful to know about the Rocket Troopers, since that is the only class I ever play. Please keep in mind that any time i talk about trajectory in this post, it is assumed that there is NOT a vehicle lock-on in effect.

so here goes:


Republic - ARC Trooper:

Primary Weapon: Merr-Sonn PLX Missile Launcher

The Arc Trooper's Merr-Sonn PLX Missile Launcher fires a single round per shot, but can fire 2 shots before having to reload. The Launcher rounds, when fired, begin tailing to the right when they reach a certain distance(I'm not sure about the exact distance this starts, but it is roughly about 1 1/2 seconds after the shot is fired), making long shots a bit tricky due to having to account for the extreme fall off. The Merr-Sonn PLX seems(I am not too sure, but I'd be happy to test this if anyone wants to) to have a weaker-than-normal damage-per-shot but the shortest reload time, and average projectile speed.

ARC Trooper's Merr-Sonn PLX Missile Launcher:

Projectile Speed: 2nd
Projectile Damage: 3rd
Reload Time: 1st
Trajectory: Tails to the Right

CIS - Assault Droid:

Primary Weapon: BAW E-6OR Missile Launcher

The BAW E-60R Missile Launcher packs a pretty heavy punch per shot, and has an average reload time. You have to reload after every shot. It has been my experience, that the E-60R rounds begin to rise after a certain distance. The rounds travel slower than normal as well.

Assault Droid's BAW E-60R Missile Launcher:

Projectile Speed: 3rd
Projectile Damage 2nd
Reload: 3rd
Trajectory: Rises

Empire - Shock Trooper:

Primary Weapon: MiniMag PTL Missile Launcher

The MiniMag PTL Missile Launcher touts devastating damage, at the expense of Reload time, and projectile speed. The PTL Launcher has a straight trajectory, with little to no tailing or rising at all. It does the highest damage per shot of all the missile launchers, but has a painfully slow reload time after each shot.

Shock Trooper's MiniMag PTL Missile Launcher:

Projectile Speed: 4th
Projectile Damage: 1st
Reload Time: 4th
Trajectory: Straight, no tailing, rising, or fall off.

Rebel Alliance - Rebel Vanguard

Primary Weapon: Golan Arms HH-15 Missile Launcher

The HH-15 is unique in the fact that it fires two rounds at once. it has the fastest projectile speed by far, but also carries the weakest damage per shot, which is why the Vanguard carries more rounds than anyone else. The HH-15 requires a reload after every firing, and it fires both of its rounds in rapid succession. The trajectory of the first round is normally straight, but the second round will ALWAYS fire WIDE of the first one. This makes the HH-15 a bit more dependant on its Lock-On ability than the other missile launchers, and makes it a bit weaker against Infantry than the other Launchers.


Rebel Vanguard's Golan Arms HH-15 Missile Launcher:

Projectile Speed: 1st
Projectile Damage: 4th
Reload Time: 2nd
Trajectory: 1st Round fires straight, 2nd round fires wide

in closing, here are 3 general tips for being a skilled Rocket Trooper.

1. If you are forced to shoot at Infantry, aim your Launcher at your opponent's FEET, or an object nearby like a wall. Try to land the shot in front of him, making the Missile hit the ground(or wall), and allowing the splash damage to do the rest.

2. USE THOSE MINES! There's no reason you should die with mines in your possesion, unless someone blows up the ammo droid next to you *grin*. Those mines are VERY effective, and hardly anyone ever checks for them. With smart placement, they ca

[Anonymous]

I also play Rebel Rocket Dude on quite a few of the maps. One thing I do notice is that alot of people when firing on vehicles just aim and shoot and missing half the time. If you wait to hear the lock on tone you will him almost every time. As for mines they are outstanding secondary weapons. They really work well on maps that force your opponent to run down a tight hallway or walkway. Another interesting thing you can do is instead of laying them on the ground, try putting them about mid-height on a wall inside a door way. Can't see'em until they go boom. f.

[Anonymous]

Great tips here and a very nice outlay, Madison!
Do friendly troops detonate your mines when Friendly Fire is on?

When firing missiles, you need to take the angle of your target's movement into account. I've found targets are hardest to hit when they're coming diagonally at and past you, even when you've got a full lock-on.

[grumpyshrapnel]

Thanks for tips Madison. I see about getting the FAQ/Guide updated.

[Anonymous]

Good stuff. I don't use the Rocket Troops very much, so this is quite helpful to me. Thanks :smt002

[Anonymous]

I'm also curious about the mines tripping for your team mates?

Also, to get the rocket to lock on, do you just have to aim? or do you need to aim and zoom? I've never been very successful with it, so I haven't tried very much. Sounds like I should experiment in single mode instant action a bit.

[Anonymous]

Mines never affect friendlies, as far as I know.

and you can only lay 4 mines at a time. If you reload and start dropping more mines, the previous 4 that you drop dissappear one at a time.

as for Locking On, you have to keep your reticule on a Vehicle for approx. 3 seconds. meaning the reticule must be red, you must be in range of the vehicle(meaning you can't lock on from all the way across the map).

once you are in range, and have a red reticule over the vehicle, your Ammo Counter, in the top left of your screen, will start filling up green. once it completely fills, wait a half-second, then fire.

oh, and don't bother trying to shoot rockets at Starfighter-Class vehicles(the Air Transport Ships, like the Republic Gunship don't count as Starfighter-Class). I noticed that even if you get a perfect lock-on with them, if they are moving, the round will never hit them. ever.

[StrongBad11]

From what I've notcied, there is a slider bar in the top left of your screen that will fill up when you locked on. I usually watch this as I'm aiming (not easy) because i dont always here the tone. As long as you hold the cross hairson the target, it will fill quickly.

[Anonymous]

Next time the Hoth map comes up, give the rocket dude a chance. Spawn at the bunker point. There are two side entrances and a tunnel that goes through the hill from the back. Plant your mines in the entrances and tunnel. There is also a bot that gives out ammunition, so you have a ready supply of rockets without exposing yourself to fire. Great place to take on all the big and small ATs. Also at each side entrance is a gun tower, so when there are no ATs around, I'll jump into a tower and start sniping at the enemy troops. f.

[Anonymous]

Hey thanks for the info Madison, that tailing that the rockets do drives me nuts, thanks for the crouching tip. I usually play as a rocket trooper, so I love the mines, but be advised that the mines will not go off if your troops step on them no matter if friendly fire is turned off or on. BUT, if friendly fire is turned on they can be damaged by splash damage.

When I first started playing around with mines I thought I would mine the door in the Cantina... I watched in horror as 3 teammates stood on one while exchanging fire with a guy outside the door. The guy finally rushed them... and all 4 of them died... I had 3 very pissed off teammates asking me why I just TKed them... took about 5 minutes to calm them down ... I tried to explain that I had warned them that I was mining the Cantina and I told them they were on top of my mine.

So just be warned, if friendly fire is turned on make sure you don't mine too close to your spawn... The best thing to do is mine choke points on the way to your base. On some maps one rocket trooper can hold a base against 3 or 4 enemies by placing mines in creative spots and being patient.

A rocket trooper mining the rear bases can really help prevent the stealth player from sneaking in behind lines and capturing bases behind you.

[Anonymous]

Oh one last thing.... I was wondering about this... and I think its true.. just want to know if anyone has tested this. I know when you lay 4 mines down, then reload and lay down another mine, the oldest mine disappears, so you can only have 4 net mines deployed.

But, something I'm wondering is if you lay down 4 mines, die, then respawn, can you lay down 4 more mines and the original mines will stay?

The only thing I know for sure, is that mines will not disappear upon the player's death.

[Anonymous]

I haven't tried it personally, but somebody said that even if you respawn, your limit is STILL 4 mines. So, if you lay another mine after respawning, your oldest mine before respawning will disappear.

[Anonymous]

I haven't tried it personally, but somebody said that even if you respawn, your limit is STILL 4 mines. So, if you lay another mine after respawning, your oldest mine before respawning will disappear.


quoted for truth

[Anonymous]

Hey, as some of you noticed last night, I was playing around with the rocket trooper last night. I must first apologize for killing so many of my team-mates with the splash damage. I guess the rocket doesn't lend itself well to Mos Eisley. /AGE/DesktopModules/YetAnotherForumDotNet/images/emoticons/eusa_doh.gif</a>

However, I found that the mines worked extremely well there. Once I switched to the hand blaster and used the mines, the self-induced mayhem curtailed.

[Anonymous]

:goatlove1

This maybe considered 'glitching' but if friendly fire is turned off, shooting a team mate in the back with a rocket and the resulting explosion tends to send them quite a distance by throwing them. On the Kamino map, where the foot bridges between platforms are often the battlegrounds, I accidentally hit a teammate who stepped in my line of fire, it threw him all the way over to the other end of the footbridge. Perhaps is a tactic you can use to rush platforms with out using the footbridge, and by not being a jet trooper?

Anyone else try/see/use this?

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the tips JVMadison!



I agree with the mines, they are a very effective weapon that I think alot of people forget about. I love laying a bunch around a CP, dying, and then seeing your "kill count" increase as you're waiting to repsawn! :smt003

[Anonymous]

Mines are one way to combat the spawn campers.

[Anonymous]

Mines are easy to get rid of but most people dont have or take the time to do so. :smt003

Crixx

[Anonymous]

How many shots does it take to destroy a mine? Regardless of whether your opponent steps on it or not, it still slows them down. It's like being in two places at once.

Is there any way of knowing how many mines are currently deployed? I know the counter goes down to zero, but is there any way of know how many have been destroyed?

[Anonymous]

It takes 4 or 5 shots from a blaster rifle. Less in a tank of some kind. You are right that somone has to take the time to take them out so it is still something very under used.

1 person can only ever deploy 4 mines. If you go to a weapon droid and restock every new mine over 4 causes your first mines to dissapear.I do not think there is anything outside of watching over your mines to know if somone has destroyed them.

Crixx