Which kind of Rocket Launcher you like more - Doom's or Duke Nukem 3D's?

[Hisymak]

Doom and Duke Nukem 3D have their typical weapon arsenal. Some weapons are unique for each game, while some basic types of weapons are shared between both, however, their behavior and usability can significally differ between those two games.

The very notable example is Rocket Launcher (which is actually called RPG in Duke3D), which feels very different in Doom and Duke. In Doom it's more like a balanced weapon among the others, and has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is more appropriate for specific cases, while not much for others. It takes a single shot to kill low-tier monsters, but mostly two to five shots to kill higher-tier monsters. Also it has a good splash damage which hurts monsters near impact, so it's a great weapon for killing tight groups of monsters, as well as for sniping monsters in longer distance (where SSG is unusable).

The Duke3D RPG feels like an overwhelming superweapon, which can outclass most of other weapons. It can instantly gib most of non-boss monsters with just a single shot. If you would have infinite ammo for RPG, you would become unstoppable terminator who devastates everything around you and the game would become a piece of cake (however you would need to become very careful not to use RPG for short distances as it can significantly hurt you as well). In the hardest difficulty (similar to Nightmare in Doom) in can gib corpses, so it actually completely erases monsters from map, which would respawn after a time if killed regularly.

Lastly I would mention Quake's RL. It feels like something in-between. It feels more powerful than Doom's (it can gib every monster so it's satisfying to use), but it's not that overwhelming like Duke's one.

[idbeholdME]

In Duke, even the shotgun feels like an overwhelming superweapon. Everything has so low hitpoints it can 1 to 2 shot the majority of enemies. It is my one major gripe with the game. The complete lack of variety in monster toughness. Also always full on ammo for the weapons except for the one I'm currently using. When I play duke these days, I have to give the monsters 60% damage reduction in EDuke to have fun anymore. That way, Pig Cops occasionally survive a single rocket. It still one shots most everything else. Octabrains are programmed to insta-die when directly hit by an explosive so it doesn't matter.

 

Doom still has the best enemy roster I've seen in an FPS game and the Rocket Launcher is balanced perfectly.

[spineapple tea]

Doom's rocket launcher is just so fun to use sometimes, easily beats out Duke 3D's rocket launcher.

[seed]

Doom, because explosion damage here is not an inconsistent mess like it is in Build.

[Thermal Lance]

I prefer Duke's Rocket launcher. 

[Gez]

Regardless of balance issues, the one thing that makes me prefer Duke's rocket launcher is that the rockets can actually be fired through tiny spaces or when you're next to a wall; instead of blowing up in your face like Doom projectiles tend to do.

[[McD] James]

Doom's rocket launcher feels beefier and more impactful. I like Shadow Warrior's more than both of them though.

Edited December 2, 2020 by Ajora

[Captain Toenail]

Duke's is more satisying by far. Build games like Duke and Blood just do explosions better imho.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

Duke's looks more satisfying, Doom's feels more satisfying. Out of all the Boomer shooter explosive weapons, Blood's dynamite is the best though ;)

[seed]

27 minutes ago, Gez said:

Regardless of balance issues, the one thing that makes me prefer Duke's rocket launcher is that the rockets can actually be fired through tiny spaces or when you're next to a wall; instead of blowing up in your face like Doom projectiles tend to do.

 

Indeed, a lot riskier in Doom since you also have to time them properly too, or they easily get hung up on walls.

 

13 minutes ago, Ajora said:

Doom's rocket launcher feels beefier and more impactful. I like Shadow Warrior's more than both of them though.

 

"I like nuclear weapon."

[GraphicBleeder]

Duke 3D's Rocket Launcher.

 

It's design is really cool, and it feels way more satisfying.

 

In terms of balancing Doom's RL is better, but overall I prefer Duke 3D's. 

[AinuTheTaken]

Id Games does what 3D Realms don't. :P

[leodoom85]

Doom RL is more versatile and you can do different things with it, like rocket jumps. Duke RPG is literally a weapon of mass destruction and more precise, as Gez said

 

I like both depending of which use that you want to have with the weapon.

[wheresthebeef]

If I factored in the fact the rocket launcher blows up certain walls and stuff in Duke3D, then that one wins out. Otherwise I like Doom's.

 

The inconsistencies do ruin some of the enjoyment of the Duke RPG. The Devestator has also NEVER felt fun to use for me.

 

Both games will have times where the auto aim can fuck you up and the rocket hits a single pixel and kills you.

 

Overall though, Blood's explosives, any of them, beat out both games.

Edited December 4, 2020 by wheresthebeef

[VGA]

2 hours ago, wheresthebeef said:

Overall though, Blood's explosives, any of them, beat out both games.

I agree, the Napalm Launcher is devastating against most enemies (and the map itself usually). And the dynamite with its controllable throwing and the ability to light it and toss it around, it is just amazing.

 

Doom's RL is extremely simple and works best with arcadey gameplay and stafing around enemies, like most Doom weapons. In the Build games you often use the RL to instantly clear a room or get rid of an annoying enemy. Most enemies die immediately with 1-2 rockets, it is not an arcadey continuous battle against a Cacodemon swarm for example that may last 30 seconds. Or a couple of Barons where you really shove rockets down their throats.

[ChopBlock223]

I like both a lot, but Duke's is just overall more satisfying, the echoing KABOOM as it impacts (even from long distancse), the big erupting fireball like straight out of a Hollywood movie, the ground shaking, the way you can obliterate walls, windows, and nearby clutter, the way enemies scatter all over, limbs and globs of gore going flying.

 

It's probably overpowered, but that also means it never feels unsatisfying to use. Doom's rocket launcher is no slouch though, you can carry lots and lots of rockets, and they usually do short work of most monsters, even most of the tough ones, so it's a really satisfying weapon to use just as well, because results are pretty rapid.

[Gifty]

There's a weird floatyness to all the Duke weaponry that always bothered me, particularly with the rocket launcher. Always felt like Doom's RL had a nice tactile weighty feel.

[DynamiteKaitorn]

Personally I'm siding with Duke. It's true DooM's got a really meaty sounding rocket launcher and the blast has a proper "BOOM" sound to it but I've always had a soft spot for Duke's RPG.

 

 

 

(The laser tripmine however wins).