| Weapon Description
The Chainsaw
If you have a chainsaw, you can switch to it by pressing 1. If you press 1 again, the Berserk will be turn on, if you have it, of course. Unlike the berserk, the chainsaw is an ordinary, not exotic weapon in single player and cooperative mode. It is used to get through with demons, spectres and lost souls, i.e. monsters that cannot frag you at a distance. When you run out of ammo, some experts recommend that it should also be used with cacodemons since they stop shooting as you saw them, but it’s rather dangerous unless you are quite dexterous: the cacodemons get off the saw easily and frag you.
Many people consider the wide use of the chainsaw to be a sign of particular virtuosity. I don’t know but I personally don’t share this opinion. Probably, the chainsaw usage in situations when it’s quite natural to shoot requires special training and is not easy but I personally consider it to be useless as I like the deathmatch and it’s hardly the right place for the chainsaw.
In deathmatch the chainsaw is more often harmful unless you corner the enemy and he has nothing to shoot with. It’s a pity to pick up the chainsaw occasionally in the middle of a fight…
The Pistol
“Hey, Moska! It’s really strong
As it barks at the elephant!”
By Krylov
It’s an absolutely useless weapon, it’s even worse than the chainsaw which you can enjoy holding at least. It shoots off several health per cents. In general, it’s an absolute junk. Hide in corners and look for the Shotgun at least.
The Shotgun (SG)
Ammo: Shells
Shots per time: 1
It’s used (unlike the previous) in all DOOMs. It’s almost the mostly generally used weapon against the majority of monsters: it’s sharp, heavy, it uses only one shell per time, its recharge time is not very high, its killing power is rather low and is reducing in the distance. It sends seven instant shells, which flight paths are distributed over a small area.
In the single player I use it instead of the supershotgun everywhere if possible: you should save shells, and weak zombies with pistols and guns and imps still prevails in DOOM. One sharp shot is quite enough for them, and to shoot at them with the Supershotgun means just to waste shells (unless you are shooting up the crowd).
In deathmatch the shotgun is also rather useful, though its importance is less significant as there is the supershotgun.
The Supershotgun (SSG)
Ammo: Shells
Shots per time: 2
It appears in DOOM II and it doesn’t exist in DOOM I. It is 3, also as the shotgun. You can switch between them by pressing the same 3. Its recharge time is very high, its killing power reduces rapidly with a distance, but it’s basic at a short distance shooting: it shoots off demons, spectres and lost souls by one shot. As according to their health level the demon is almost equal to the 100%-health armored man, it can frag even a man, so in a game without altdeath (i.e. old deathmatch) where there is almost no health items and armor, it is a favorite kind of weapon for most doomers, especially the mouse users: it kills and it’s safe for a shooter (unlike RL ;-) ).
It shoots 14 shells.
As my experiment shows, direct hit at the enemy with 200/200 (Health/Armor) reduces him to 70/70 – almost as the direct hit with the RL (see 4.5). The sharp shot at the 100%-health armorless player is always fatal for the latter, but very often a victim is killed with 2or 3 shots, hitting out 30-60% each.
Chaingun (CG)
Ammo: Bullets
Shots per time: 1 (burst)
Some fellows like the CG, though its operating is not an easy one. With ordinary, not very sharp shooting it takes quite a time to kill an armored man, i.e. to kill taking up your time, giving the victim an opportunity to shoot back a SSG charge at the shooter himself. Though I should say there are some aces and it’s hard to say who’ll win with CG vs SSG.
It’s quite good a weapon for the single and cooperative player, and it requires sharpness in deathmatch. It’s good for altdeath-off.
Rocket Launcher (RL)
Ammo: Rockets
Shots per time: 1
Excellent weapon. It launches a couple of rockets in a second with the shooting button being pressed. Rockets are rather slow, but the direct hit takes a 200/200 man down to 60/60, so its explosion power is very high. If you hit the wall close enough to the victim, its explosion effect can be just the same. So the conclusion is if you are struggling with a rocket-launcher make sure that there are no walls behind you. Don’t fight there! Otherwise even the fact that you’ve got away of a rocket won’t help. The rocket-launcher should whereas drive the target to the wall where the victim will be knocked out by the explosion as it’s quite difficult to hit the advanced strafer directly.
The main RL feature is that the rocket explosion is dangerous for everybody. That’s why the point-blank wall hit makes the shooter feel a bit unwell and in close combat you can injure the enemy as well as yourself. Of course if you have an enemy right before you, probably, it’s better to shoot than to let them kill you easily, but still if possible avoid using the RL in face-to-face combat. (see also chapter “The RL features” in the second volume).
It’s typical for DOOM that with the rocket explosion its killing power for man or a monster doesn’t depend on the vertical distance between the target and the explosion spot, what matters here is the distance in horizontal direction. Of course, there is no damage through walls, but the rocket explosion near the wall above you is equal to the explosion nearby - so that’s bad. That’s why when the enemy is going down on an elevator, you can shoot at the elevator wall above him.
Plasma gun (PG)
Ammo: Cells
Shots per time: 1 (ñòðåëÿåò î÷åðåäüþ)
Very specific kind of weapon. Usually it fascinates the beginners as the continuous stream of flying (rather strong) charges looks quite threatening. Actually, it’s fatal to catch the one-sec PG burst right into the face. The beginners like to use the PG into the open air. And that holds true, if the enemy is not very strong, then the PG is very serious a weapon. If the right PG-stream crossing can take off 30-40% at most or even none at all, then its blundering crossing can be fatal. NEVER cross the plasma stream while going towards it!!! Even 200/200 might not help. The screen will turn red, and you’ll loose your way… Cross it by strafes or by stepping back a little, or (at the worst) by just NOT GOING FORTH. Why? The PG doesn’t shoot the whole burst out. Actually, this burst is a stream of single shells, and you can catch more or less shells while crossing this burst. Less – if you are going with them or just standing, and more if you are trying to move against them. In the last case you’ll be fragged for sure.
A remark to the PG shooter. Don’t spin around too much trying to shoot a large sector through. Usually it’s useless. Accurate and precise PG shooting is much more effective. With the PG it’s very good to use the technique described in the previous chapter: simultaneous strafing and aiming, which gives the effect of spinning around the target.
In slaughter games, in corridors when the level is rather small and there are three or four players who kill each other mercilessly, there is a point in the PG usage according to the principle “hold Fire until they kill you” or while there is any ammo left. When you don’t have many shells left (skill 4, see next chapter), well, it’s better to use ordinary sharp and accurate way of shooting.
Generally the PG shooting is none the easier, and sometimes even more difficult, than the Supershotgun one. Though the skilled PG usage is rather effective way of fighting, an excellent weapon for protection, that prevents the approach of the enemy and calling to account a cheeky fellow attacking you heavily. Some fellows suppose wrongly that the PG is a lamer’s weapon. Of course, beginners do like the PG very much. But IMHO, the PG is the right weapon for the advanced player as well and not the worst one.
BFG 9000
Ammo: Cells
Shots per time: 40
The coolest weapon. Being used properly it can be really terrible. Though it can easily become useless if you don’t know how it works.
A. How the BFG works
1. The BFG heats up when you shoot.
2. Having heated up it lets out a big green ball flying forth.
3. If you are still pressing the shoot button, the process starts from the very beginning but the BFG will be heating up quicker.
B. The BFG damage effects
1 The direct effect
With the direct hit of a ball on a target (man or a monster) the damage is enormous, it exceeds considerably even the damage of the direct hit of a rocket. With 200/200 one can survive but just with several per cents. It’s fair to say that one shouldn’t try to blow a direct hit as the BFG charge is slow and it takes time for the BFG to heat up, so usually everybody hears this process (for experts, the muffled “uhhhh” is still a sound and it makes people think over. For the rest: you can read about muffling in the DOOM Guide second volume!!!!) It’s a rare chance to knock somebody off right in his mug with the BFG… Though it’s a good way to kill monsters. ;-)
2. Damage by lights (Area effect)
It’s for the BFG area effect that it’s so popular in the deathmatch. Though not so many people have the idea of why the area effect is so dangerous, when and to whom. Usually the players are afraid of finding themselves close to the green charge explosion spot. They shouldn’t. The charge itself is absolutely harmless unless you catch it right in the mug. The center of the area effect is the BFG itself, i.e. the shooter himself.
So then, having hit a wall, a man or a monster, the charge is exploding with a bright light-green flash. The flash begins to fade away, shrinking vertically and expanding horizontally, thus gathering in a thin horizontal line, after that it disappears.
The damage area is formed when the flash shrinking ends. The center of the area is the shooter position WHEN THE AREA FORMATION STARTS (NOT AT THE SHOOTING MOMENT). The area is a sector, the apex is a shooter, the angle is 90 degrees, and the bisector is directed along the flight path of the exploded charge (i.e. aiming line AT SHOOTING)
At area formation time IT DOESNT MATTER what the shooter is looking at, the direction of the damage area mean line is determined at the moment when the ball is taking off the BFG. This damage area sector is filled up with rays, it is said that they are 20 in number. Each ray can injure everyone who crosses it. I repeat one more time: the damage area direction is determined at the moment when the ball is taking off the BFG, i.e at the moment of shooting. The location of the area initial point is determined at the moment of explosion.
 |
Summarizing the aforesaid we can infer the classical way of BFG shooting. You hears up the BFG beforehand, just before shooting you approach the corner of the corridor (see the picture below, you are above, the target is below, you sight line is at the angle to the supposed target). At shooting you launch the ball at the wall (green ball) and at the same time, usually strafing (in this case it’ll be a left strafe, according to the picture you’ll go to the right) you get out of the corner. [W] is you position at the moment of explosion shrinking an d area formation. This will be the initial point for the bunch of rays. The closer to you is the target, the greater is the ray amount he’ll get. If the target will be so stupid as to be too close to you, nothing will save him…. But if he outflank you or hide behind something or somebody …?
If somebody is shooting the BFG at you, then you are to hide behind the wall or to get out of the shooter to ghave greater chances to pass between the rays or to try to outflank him. It’s also a good idea to shoot the BFG-man out with a SSG while he is heating his BFG up. Shooting BFG it’s quite reasonable to take care that your enemy won’t succeed on the methods listed above – to pursue him if is retreating or trying to hide, to retreat, if he is outflanking you, trying to keep the same direction as when he was. (At picture - BbI means you, }I{ePTBa means evemy).
By Goblin and Littleb |
