Difference between revisions of "Triple rocket launcher"

Revision as of 10:55, 6 October 2022

The triple rocket launcher is a single use rocket launcher that fires 3 rockets, one after the other in short succession and will not stop until all three rockets are fired, even if the target is dead.

Acquisition

Triple rocket launchers cannot be crafted, and must be either acquired through trade, as a quest reward, found in ancient shrines or looted from Raiders, specifically from Heavy Mercenaries in Outlander and Pirate raids. In the last case, care must be taken to kill or down the raider before they can fire the single use weapon.

Raider Kind	Chance	Average Quality	Health
Heavy mercenary	?%	-	70-230%

Summary

The triple rocket launcher is a single-use consumable, unlike most weapons. Once fired once, the launcher disappears completely. It cannot be reloaded, nor can any resources be salvaged from it. When fired, the cooldown time of the weapon is still observed. It is similar to the doomsday rocket launcher in this respect.

As its name implies, the triple rocket launcher fires a burst of three rockets with a 20 ticks (0.33 secs) delay between rockets. Each rocket lands within a 2.9 of the target tile and explodes in 3.9 tile radius explosion doing 50 bomb damage.

If it is damaged in item form, i.e. not held by a pawn, by Flame damage, it may explode^{[Detail needed]}. The launcher will spark and emit a hissing sound shortly before exploding some time later. The explosion deals 50 Bomb damage in a 3.9 tile radius around itself.

Analysis

The triple rocket launcher is less effective against large raids, but the 3 shots, just as strong as a doomsday launcher's main shot, are effective at harming bulky targets like centipedes. Regardless, the large explosion and very large range (36 tiles, only beaten by the sniper rifle) make it an effective crowd control weapon.

Bomb type damage is effective against buildings, dealing 2x damage against passible structures, a 4x multiplier against impassible targets, and an 8x multiplier against walls. This is especially useful against mechanoid clusters. While it is out ranged by most mech weapons, the raw damage is an effective (but not perfectly safe or reliable) way to destroy clusters from a distance. This is most useful against objects that are urgent to destroy such as auto mortars and EMI dynamos, where your own mortars are too slow for the job.

Compared to doomsday rocket launchers

Doomsday rocket launchers fire a single rocket with a very large radius, then 3 secondary explosions which deal fire damage. The large AOE and secondary flame explosions make it much more effective at disabling organic raiders; a triple rocket launcher won't end a raid like a doomsday would. Doomsday launchers are less effective against mechanoids, who are immune to fire, but they can still kill weaker ones like lancers.

The similar cost of the doomsday and the triple places the triple on the backfoot, as it is less effective in its niche than the doomsday is in its niche. There also exists opportunity cost - you may only have triple or doomsday rocket launchers available, so don't be picky about either one. You may want to "save" doomsday launchers against particularly devastating raids.

Fighting against

As expected, doomsday rocket launchers in the hands of raiders are incredibly dangerous, and should be made priority targets. either by focus firing on them, or by getting them to waste their single shot on an inconsequential or difficult to hit target.

Psychic shock lances and psychic insanity lances have a comparable range (1 tile shorter) and fire much faster (0.5s warmup vs 4.5s warmup). Psycasts can also berserk the pawn in question.

Wealth management

Rocket launchers are very effective form of wealth management. Wealth controls raid strength. Items are almost always bought at a market loss, so 1000 is a fair decrease in market value. And, you get a strong last ditch weapon against a tough raid - using the rocket will completely expend the wealth. Therefore, converting some excess wealth into rocket launchers is a good idea.

Version history

0.8.657 - Added

Original sprite of the Doomsday and Triple rocket launchers
Triple rocket launcher used by chasing pirates, two rockets out of three being fired at a manhunter revenge Thrumbo.

Weapons

Melee | Neolithic: Breach axe • Club • Ikwa • Knife (Jade) • Spear

Medieval: Gladius • Longsword • Mace • Axe • Warhammer

Ultra: Eltex staff • Monosword (Persona) • Plasmasword (Persona) • Zeushammer (Persona)

Improvised: Beer • Elephant tusk • Thrumbo horn • Wood

Ranged | Neolithic: Greatbow • Pila • Recurve bow • Short bow • Flamebow

Medieval: Nerve spiker

Industrial: Assault rifle • Autopistol • Bolt-action rifle • Chain shotgun • Heavy SMG • Launcher (EMP, Incendiary, Smoke, Toxbomb ) • LMG • Machine pistol • Minigun • Pump shotgun • Revolver • Sniper rifle • Hellcat rifle • Incinerator

Spacer: Charge lance • Charge rifle

Consumables: Doomsday rocket launcher • Triple rocket launcher

Throwables: EMP grenades • Frag grenades • Molotov cocktails • Tox grenades

Mechanoid: Heavy charge blaster • Inferno cannon • Needle gun • Thump cannon • Beam graser • Charge blaster turret • Hellsphere cannon • Mini-flameblaster • Mini-shotgun • Slugthrower • Spiner • Toxic needle gun

Structures: Autocannon • Mini-turret gun • Mortar (Weapon) • Uranium slug cannon • Auto-mortar • Inferno cannon (Turret) • Light charge blaster • Mini-slugger • Tactical turret gun

Related | Body part weapons: Prosthetic arm • Bionic arm • Archotech arm • Power claw • Field hand • Drill arm • Venom talon • Venom fangs • Knee spike • Elbow blade • Hand talon • Flesh whip

Integrated weapons: Grenadier armor • Phoenix armor

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 == Summary ==
+The triple rocket launcher is a single-use consumable, unlike most weapons. Once fired once, the launcher disappears completely. It cannot be reloaded, nor can any resources be salvaged from it. When fired, the cooldown time of the weapon is still observed. It is similar to the [[doomsday rocket launcher]] in this respect.
 As its name implies, the triple rocket launcher fires a burst of three rockets with a {{Ticks|{{P|Burst Ticks}}}} delay between rockets. Each rocket lands within a {{P|Miss Radius}} of the target tile and explodes in {{P|Blast Radius}} tile radius explosion doing 50 [[Damage Type#Bomb|bomb damage]].
-Once it has been fired its burst, the launcher disappears completely. It cannot be reloaded, nor can any resources be salvaged from it. Note however, that the cooldown time of the weapon is still observed.
 If it is damaged in item form, i.e. not held by a pawn, by [[Damage Type#Flame|Flame damage]], it may explode<sup>[Detail needed]</sup>. The launcher will spark and emit a hissing sound shortly before exploding some time later. The explosion deals 50 Bomb damage in a 3.9 tile radius around itself.
 == Analysis ==
-Compared to its bigger brother, the [[Doomsday rocket launcher]], it has a significantly smaller blast radius, worse accuracy, and lacks the incendiary secondary explosions but makes up for this by firing three shots, each inflicting the same amount of bomb damage as the single doomsday rocket. This makes them less effective at countering large raids but makes them more effective at killing hard targets by hitting them with up to three overlapping explosions. For the same reasons, triple rocket launchers in the hands of raiders are incredibly dangerous and should be made priority targets, either by focus firing on them, or by getting them to waste their single burst on an inconsequential or difficult to hit target.
+The triple rocket launcher is less effective against large raids, but the 3 shots, just as strong as a doomsday launcher's main shot, are effective at harming bulky targets like [[centipede]]s. Regardless, the large explosion and very large range (36 tiles, only beaten by the [[sniper rifle]]) make it an effective crowd control weapon.
+Bomb type damage is effective against buildings, dealing 2x damage against passible structures, a 4x multiplier against impassible targets, and an 8x multiplier against [[wall]]s. This is especially useful against [[mechanoid cluster]]s{{RoyaltyIcon}}. While it is out ranged by most mech weapons, the raw damage is an effective (but not perfectly safe or reliable) way to destroy clusters from a distance. This is most useful against objects that are urgent to destroy such as [[auto mortar]]s{{RoyaltyIcon}} and [[EMI dynamo]]s{{RoyaltyIcon}}, where your own [[mortar]]s are too slow for the job.
-The similar cost of the doomsday and the triple places the triple on the backfoot, as it is less effective in its niche than the doomsday is in its niche. That said, while acquisition of the doomsday should be prioritized over the triple, both should be acquired if possible.
+===Compared to doomsday rocket launchers===
+Doomsday rocket launchers fire a single rocket with a very large radius, then 3 secondary explosions which deal fire damage. The large AOE and secondary flame explosions make it ''much'' more effective at disabling organic raiders; a triple rocket launcher won't end a raid like a doomsday would. Doomsday launchers are less effective against [[mechanoid]]s, who are immune to fire, but they can still kill weaker ones like [[lancer]]s.
-=== Mechanoids ===
+The similar cost of the doomsday and the triple places the triple on the backfoot, as it is less effective in its niche than the doomsday is in its niche.  There also exists opportunity cost - you may only have triple or doomsday rocket launchers available, so don't be picky about either one. You may want to "save" doomsday launchers against particularly devastating raids.
-[[Mechanoids]] are immune to both [[Damage Type#Flame|flame damage]] and to being ignited. This significantly reduces the effectiveness of Doomsdays against them, and combined with the high health scale of [[centipede]]s, and to a lesser extent, [[termite]]s, means that while a doomsday might do respectable damage, it is far from the raid-ending weapon it is against humans and places the now-unarmed user of the launcher at significant risk. In this regard, the triple rocket launcher can actually be superior, as its three rockets can overlap in explosive radius can hit targets multiple times.
-Thus, the choice between the two launchers against mechanoids depends on three factors:
+===Fighting against===
-# Whether the raid is predominantly populated with weaker mechanoids that the doomsday could feasibly kill, such as [[lancer]]s.
+As expected, doomsday rocket launchers in the hands of raiders are incredibly dangerous, and should be made priority targets. either by focus firing on them, or by getting them to waste their single shot on an inconsequential or difficult to hit target.
-# Whether the larger AoE of the doomsday would be a significant benefit
-# Whether there is a significant opportunity cost for using the doomsday against a mech raid, as opposed to retaining it for its much more effective use against human raids.
-=== Counter-structure attacks ===
+[[Psychic shock lance]]s and [[psychic insanity lance]]s have a comparable range (1 tile shorter) and fire much faster (0.5s warmup vs 4.5s warmup). [[Psycast]]s{{RoyaltyIcon}} can also [[berserk]] the pawn in question.
-Triples also shine against buildings, where the bomb damage it deals has a 2x multiplier against passable targets, a 4x multiplier against impassible targets, and an 8x multiplier against [[wall]]s, stacking with the high base damage of the weapon and the three shots for a total damage of between a respectable 150 and a massive 1200 points depending on the multiplier in question.
-This is especially useful against [[mechanoid cluster]]s{{RoyaltyIcon}}. Although it will be out ranged by most mech weapon, it provides a  moderately, though not perfectly, safe and reliable way to destroy cluster structures from a distance. This is most useful against objects that are urgent to destroy such as [[auto mortar]]s{{RoyaltyIcon}} and [[EMI dynamo]]s{{RoyaltyIcon}} where the time need to overcome [[mortar]] fire's inherent inaccuracy through weight of fire cannot be afforded. A single triple is sufficient to destroy an automortar, while as many as three may be required to destroy a [[condition causer]]{{RoyaltyIcon}}.
+===Wealth management===
+Rocket launchers are very effective form of [[wealth management]]. Wealth controls [[Raider#Raid_strength|raid strength]]. Items are almost always bought at a market loss, so {{icon Small|silver||1000}} is a fair decrease in market value. ''And'', you get a strong last ditch weapon against a tough raid - using the rocket will completely expend the wealth. Therefore, converting some excess wealth into rocket launchers is a good idea.
-== Version history ==
+==Version history==
 *[[Version/0.8.657|0.8.657]] - Added