Rocket Launcher.

Who can deny the thrill of explosion?
Sudden flash giving way to earth-shaking force:
an ignition of primal sense.
The gods gave us fire - but blowing stuff up?
That was our idea.
The rocket launcher.
Ranged explosive device - and archetypal video game weapon.
So, where did the rocket launcher first enter pop culture?
How did they saturate a broad swathe of video games?
And why do some people insist on calling them bazookas?
'Every action has an equal and opposite reaction'.
Newton's Third Law: and a major limitation of conventional kinetic weapons - recoil.
One way to mitigate recoil is to allow the propellant to exert a counterforce: instead
of absorbing energy into the weapon, venting propellant gases to the rear of the shooter
balances the forward momentum of the projectile.
So-called 'recoilless rifles' operate on this principle: open tube weapons that fire large
artillery-like shells from the shoulder.
Such weapons remain in use today, and while similar to rocket launchers, they are technically
distinct.
The difference lies in the propulsion of the projectile: recoilless rifles impart all their
energy at launch, whereas rocket launchers incorporate the propellant means within the
projectile, hence accelerating once fired.
In any case, launching is only the means to an end: that being the delivery of a payload
onto a target.
When it comes to penetrating armour, relying on kinetic energy will only get you so far:
Explosives deliver far more bang per gram.
Even so, an uncontained detonation isn't particularly effective - instead of dispersing in all directions,
to effectively tackle armour requires focus.
One of the ways you can do this is by forming a concave void in an explosive charge: upon
detonation the shockwave converges, concentrating its force - much like a lens might focus light.
A conical hollow proves most effective in focusing on a single point - even able to
punch holes in steel plate - but for maximum effect, a final element was needed: a conical
copper liner in front of the explosive charge.
The immense force generated by the concentrated shockwave forms a copper lance: a jet of molten
metal travelling at hypersonic speed, capable of piercing an alarming thickness of steel.
Suddenly, armoured vehicles were no longer invulnerable.
Since World War 2, the rocket launcher has been an essential tool in warfare - and an
instantly recognisable weapon seen in movies, television and games.
However, in the early 1980s this wasn't the case - until then the only place you'd see
them would be in war films, comics - or in the hands of toy soldiers.
Invariably it was the American M1 'Bazooka' seen in the hands of the heroes: so-named
for its resemblance to a tubular musical instrument.
The nickname stuck - to to the point that 'bazooka' became a catch-all term for any
rocket launcher, old or new - a generic term that still remains in use.
And so it was stories of war that first introduced rocket launchers to popular culture - but
as a new era of action films came of age, their influence would spread.
Car chases and shootouts were a staple of 1970s crime films, but as audiences' appetite
for destruction increased, filmmakers looked for new ways to raise the stakes.
Something visually distinctive - and touching on primal instinct: a new form of explosive
justice.
One of the key catalysts for this was Rambo: First Blood - fusing police action with military
themes, and fully embracing the potential of a chaotic hero on a rampage.
It resonated with the era - and while it was no E.T., its success triggered a sequence
of explosive hits that would go on to shape the decade.
Films like Terminator; Red Dawn; Commando; Death Wish III; Rambo II: by the mid-80s,
explosions were a currency of cool - and the best way to deliver them was by bazooka.
A flurry of military themed video games followed cinema's lead - and about time too, as the
shooter genre had long been stuck in stale imitation of Space Invaders.
Capcom's Commando was the among the first to ride this trend, followed in short order
by Ikari Warriors; Operation Wolf; and Contra.
The shoulder-launched weapon was not always seen in the hands of the player (grenades
were another popular explosive choice); but the second a tube-toting sprite appeared on
screen - you knew what the score was.
By the end of the decade, rocket launchers were firmly entrenched as a part of video
games - bleeding from military-themed shoot 'em ups and finding a place in newly flourishing
genres.
The early 90s placed cutesy platformers centre stage - but earlier arcade action would still
prove a major influence on gaming's future direction.
The first person shooter was emerging: and Id's Doom took the lead on what would become
an incredibly popular formula.
With a diet of action movies and shoot-em-ups, the rocket launcher's reappearance should
be no real surprise.
Its power and ability to reduce enemies to gibs meant it was always going to be popular
- but beyond that, it became a prototype for future games to follow.
Doom clones were judged on their weapon selection and gore: and with so many wannabe's vying
for Id's glory; the rocket launcher quickly became an FPS institution.
However - Quake elevated it to an artform.
It remained a core weapon - a perfect tool for fragging, with the potential to kill with
a single hit, or injure within its blast radius: but beyond that, explosives became an important
part of mobility.
'Rocket jumping' is a largely self-explanatory term - making use of the repulsive power of
rocket or grenade explosions to propel oneself across huge gaps, or to reach high ledges.
Executed well, you can outmanouever an opponent - or snare a vital power-up.
Just one of many facets that made Quake's skill ceiling exceptional.
These foundations laid for competitive shooters remain in place - but the fast-paced formula
isn't for everyone: and besides, how do you improve on perfection?
So in order to stay relevant, the FPS genre had to evolve: and while PC gaming was thriving,
the scale of the console market was starting to outpace it.
Like the action films that inspired them, early FPS games placed their weapons in a
hierachy: with the weakest at the bottom, culminating in power until a climax of wanton
destruction.
This was a formula that would persist until Halo trimmed its ready arsenal to a console-centric
two slots instead.
Of course, the rocket launcher was still there - it was an essential inclusion: with the
SPNKR continuing the lineage started in Marathon.
Powerful, naturally - but now the player was faced with a dilemma: do you pick up the rocket
launcher, or take a more versatile weapon instead?
With Halo's slower pace and simplified twin-stick controls, the console FPS had finally matured
- and while not as fluid as their PC equivalent, the broader platform would help the genre
find mainstream success.
Shooters are fantastically action-oriented - but it's fair to say that in the mid 90s
they were a little lacking in narrative.
Some sought to correct this: for instance, Half-Life was a wonderful marriage of experiential
storytelling with the usual dose of shooting action.
However, when it comes to a fusion of stories with combat, it's war films that pull it off
most convincingly - and, with a little help from Steven Spielberg, FPS games were taken
in a more cinematic direction.
The Medal of Honor series led a new obsession with World War 2, taking the rocket launcher
on a trip back to its roots - the Doom clone's fictional launchers replaced with the more
realistic Bazooka, Panzerfaust and Panzershreck.
By the time Call of Duty first emerged, Halo's rule of two had become law - so now the most
powerful options were only dispensed at the time of requirement - a panicked rush as a
tank emerges to find an explosive resolution.
These tank climaxes could be thrilling - but the scripted moments lacked a certain freedom.
In any case, once the world war well ran dry, games sought another source - with some banking
on Vietnam as 'the next big thing'.
Of course it wasn't - it was Modern Warfare instead.
The contemporary setting brought with it a host of cool gadgets: both high tech, and
high explosive.
The RPG-7, shot to prominence in the Rambo films, was once again relevant - along with
later western equivalents such as the AT-4 and SMAW.
There's also the more intelligent munitions with lock-on capability: guided anti-air options
such as the FIM-92 Stinger, and the terrifying top-attack mode of the Javelin.
The only trouble is, the realistic setting robs most of the fun.
Sure, blowing stuff up is cool - but in an attempt to replicate the cumbersome nature
of most launchers, they're sluggish (painfully so) - and worst of all, boring!
It's worse in multiplayer, too - where balance must be preserved at all costs, their explosive
damage is reigned in: and you're lucky if you get more than one or two shots.
Cinematic realism isn't without its downsides, then: but while modern military games were
consistently topping the charts, not many games veered into riskier territory.
However, times change - and the classic FPS has had a resurgence of late.
A rejection of the baggage tacked on to modern games in favour of the pure lack of restraint
that made original FPS games so much fun.
Faster paced, more room to manoeuvre - and a return to the rapid-firing rocket launcher
rampages that first defined the genre.
Beyond the superficial improvements to graphics and sound, there have been lessons learned:
modern controls, better pacing and game flow - amenities which we forgive the classics
for, but expect of any modern game.
The recent critical success of the rebooted Wolfenstein and Doom franchises might herald
a new direction - one less concerned with dramatic demonstration and one far more focussed
on fun.
But no matter where the first-person formula treads, the rocket launcher always seems to
be present.
It's woven into its DNA - from its founding, throughout its life:
The settings might change, the virtual weapon on-screen might look different - but somehow,
it always comes back to explosions.
A weapon that truly belongs to video games:
Its tubuluar form transcends the status of any specific launcher.
Far removed from its armor-piercing origin -
now a champion of frantic FPS mayhem.
The rocket launcher.
Classic frag.
Ludicrous gibs.
Monster kill.
Thank you for watching - and until next time, farewell.

Rocket Launcher.

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