Review [Special] Flash Flood: The Rocket Launcher

[Blackdrakon30 2,943]

 

 

Hello, readers! 'Flash Flood' brings you a new series of articles aimed at very fast reporting on the latest events. This time, we bring you brand new coverage on the Rocket Launcher turret! There are a lot of aspects of it that are veiled in darkness, so this is all merely theory. However, as information is sparse as of right now, this article is somewhat small. I'll update this article as soon as I provide coverage relating to newer information about the Rocket Launcher turret. Enjoy!

 

 

The most important thing to note before we get started is that the Rocket Launcher turret is currently a demo. As with Hammer and Vulcan when they were initially tested, the finished product will probably look much better. The statistics/functioning of the weapon are liable to change, too - the development could tweak anything including the damage, fire rate, projectile speed and reload of the turret.

 

That having been said, it's still a great chance to look at the first signs of what the turret might be like, keeping in mind that the finished product will almost certainly be improved.

 

The original video which has revealed the first signs of how the turret will work is below, If you like, you can also check the profile of the developer (Opex-Rah, aka Hazel-Rah) who has the Rocket Launcher here. Credit for the video goes to "StreamTO", the official RU community broadcasting channel, and I by no means take credit for it.

 

 

 
Turret Information:

 

As of right now, the main information we know of are appearance and some key aspects of the turret. The turret looks like a classic rocket launcher system, with two launcher sections on the side of a central swiveling turret section. The only known user (that I could find) who currently has the Rocket Launcher turret is "Opex-Rah". The opening footage of the tank in action is pictured below. 

 

The opening footage of the video, where use of the Arcade Mode and Scope Shot can be seen.
If GIF is not loading, click here.

 

Despite having a hugely unique appearance, the turret seems to have several meshed-together battle aspects of several other turrets. Even in the same moment it is an incredibly unique feeling. In a video, it is shown to deal approximately 840 damage per rocket. The reason for this estimate is that the Rocket Launcher is shown as destroying a Hornet M3 with one arcade shot when using an Double Damage, while also destroying around a third of the health of a Viking without boosts.

 

Equation:

(Health of Viking)/3 * 2 = Damage with a Double Power equipped. This is enough to destroy a Hornet M3 that has very few micro-upgrades with one shot.

 

Additionally, the Rocket Launcher is shown as having a scope. This scope shot, when launched, appears to fire four rockets in rapid succession at the opponent. The most interesting aspect is that unlike Shaft in Scope Mode, the Rocket Launcher can still move. This suggests that perhaps the scope doesn't zoom in; maybe it has a charge-up that you can load. On the downside, it's not easy to keep the laser pointed at an opponent due to both you and your target moving, having your aim knocked off by other players, and so on.

 

After a certain amount of reload, it seems the turret can fire one, two, three, or four rockets in rapid succession using Scope Mode. Who knows - a potential Alteration in the future could include a larger ammoclip for the turret, perhaps the ability to fire more rockets in the mode. 

 

The Rocket Launcher using a Scope Shot and firing off four rockets in rapid succession.
If GIF is not loading, click here.

 

(Take an optional break here and look around. Rest your eyes; you've probably been staring at your screen too long. ;) )

 

Speaking of reload, it is hard to tell from the video because the user fires at very inconsistent rates, but the Rocket Launcher seems to have a fairly long reload time when using the Scope mode and moderately long reload when using the arcade shots. A more exact estimate would be that the Arcade reload seems to be around two seconds, although that is a very rough estimate on the time range.

 

You can see the arcade shot reload time below. The auto-adjust is not seen to be particularly good, and will most likely require some hull shifting in order to hit higher opponents. Turning speed was fairly fast, both in acceleration and maximum speed. The range may or may not be infinite; as all the combat in the source video was fairly up close. However, I believe we can safely assume that the rockets probably have infinite range on account of the scope - though they may not be very effective at hitting their targets at longer ranges. 

 

The Rocket Launcher using Arcade Mode to try to take out an opponent.
If GIF is not loading, click here.

 

 

Role Speculation:

 

This turret seems like an excellent choice for a defender in medium to large maps. The turret rotation speed combined with large damage output and long range makes the turret a deadly weapon for tearing apart individual attackers. The movement speed of the rockets renders the turret not particularly useful in long-range battles, such as in the map Highways, as the opponent can easily see and evade the oncoming attacks. This turret will be quite good in both the midfield and defensive support, where it can pick off specific threats to the team.

 

However, I have doubts of its effectiveness as an offensive turret. The reload is slow, making Smoky or other turrets more likely to be far more effective. As mentioned before, the auto-adjust isn't great which can make it difficult to hit opponents at very close range, and there's also splash damage which can self-damage the user. The roles of the Rocket Launcher in the future are uncertain, and only time will prove how it shall operate in battle and what positions it shall take on the team.

 

 

Conclusion:

 

The Rocket Launcher is quite surprising. I, for one, was anticipating the addition of the Artillery turret more, as it seemed like it would be a bigger game-changer. However, it would be foolish to underestimate the relevance of the Rocket Launcher turret in battle. It allows for mixed range combat, in addition to a new niche as being a high-powered turret that has fast rotation speed if need be. Perhaps the Rocket Launcher uses a clip, similar to Hammer. Overall, it seems like it will be a very interesting addition to the battlefield.

 

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I hope you enjoyed reading this article, and I'll update this topic once more information relating to the Rocket Launcher is released. See you all later!

 

17/12/2016 - More videos of Opex-Rah's Rocket Launcher gameplay have come to light:

 

 

 

Other pieces by Blackdrakon30:

 A Review of Deck-9, Magadan, and Canyon: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=343624

Burnt Seconds: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=342093 

The Silver Clock: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=336984

Twisted Night (A Halloween Poem): http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=339502

[short Story] Hurricane: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=330775&hl=%2Bhurricane&do=findComment&comment=5800624

Tanki Talk Time: Interview with AWC Snipe3000: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=319918

Warrant Offcier Hideouts (WOH) Parts 1 & 2: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=318073

Edited June 20, 2017 by Hexed

[GoldRock 6,165]

Special review of the new Rocket Launcher turret, hot off the press. Initially posted by Blackdrakon in the Amateur Writing section, but we decided to work with him to edit the article, add GIFs and publish it in the main Newspaper section for a wider audience of readers to enjoy!

[r_I_already_won0 2,339]

Nice job! :)

[Ninja 10,468]

Nicely done!

[Anonono 1,233]

Awesome work! Should be interesting to see how it develops.

[r_I_already_won0 2,339]

^Yes, this article will have to be revised constantly as the Rocket Launcher is changed to fit in more with the game.

[The_Hand 5]

This means newer protection modules.

[LIMITFULL 1,793]

Nice stuff [member=Blackdrakon30]!!!  On the ball, bruh!!

[ashesrcs 0]

when will test server be open for everyone to test it?

[Tofu 6,773]

Drakon is F4M0U$ :P

[basenji7 1,199]

Ahh congrats Drak! (and great review, can't wait to see the new turret!)  :D

[Hex 11,520]

Good work mate!

[I3.R.0 1,700]

Nice work mult

Edit: +1 :)

Edited December 17, 2016 by I3.R.0

[I3.R.0 1,700]

Special review of the new Rocket Launcher turret, hot off the press. Initially posted by Blackdrakon in the Amateur Writing section, but we decided to work with him to edit the article, add GIFs and publish it in the main Newspaper section for a wider audience of readers to enjoy!

Why are my articles not here? :3

[Mr.Ace 1,116]

Ugggllyyyyyy

 

Nice article tho

[sre123 595]

Nice work ! xD

[Ninja 10,468]

Special review of the new Rocket Launcher turret, hot off the press. Initially posted by Blackdrakon in the Amateur Writing section, but we decided to work with him to edit the article, add GIFs and publish it in the main Newspaper section for a wider audience of readers to enjoy!

Gratz on this! :p

[Hate 5,582]

Well done, this amazing work needed the promotion it got!

[Guest Maserati]

Well done, this amazing work needed the promotion it got!

^^^

[TTK_229 1,080]

Nice stuff @Blackdrakon30!!!  On the ball, bruh!!

yeah, Flimsy's right. his name is now flimsy k mult

Drakon is F4M0U$ :P

yup ToFu

[GoldRock 6,165]

More videos have come to light (also added to main article post):

 

 

 

[TTK_229 1,080]

What do you think the name is? I think Tornado is appropriate...

[Blackdrakon30 2,943]

What do you think the name is? I think Tornado is appropriate...

I personally don't think they'll be using any Kit names as the Turret name; it seems more likely that they will call it something along the lines of "Lightning" or "Rocket".

[Thekillerpenguin 1,731]

when will test server be open for everyone to test it?

Unknown at the moment. I think the developers are planning on releasing it for the holidays, so hopefully it will enter testing soon. I'd keep an eye on the test servers if I were you. :)

 

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Nice article! This officialization (yes, I know that's not a word) of an Amateur Writing article is a first, I think, and I'm glad it turned out well. I look forwards to seeing more of these in the future to cover events where we are multing too much too busy to write an article on.

[TTK_229 1,080]

I personally don't think they'll be using any Kit names as the Turret name; it seems more likely that they will call it something along the lines of "Lightning" or "Rocket".

well, keep in mind that this exists. A multi-porpuse MRLS. I think that the developers don't really care about names. After all, there was a Raccoon kit and at the same time there is a Raccoon paint. Edited December 17, 2016 by TTK_229