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Rocket Classes

Understanding TFDB Rocket Types

Overview

In TF2 Dodgeball, rockets are defined by classes in the server configuration. Each class specifies how a rocket behaves—its speed, turn rate, damage, appearance, sounds, and special effects. Server operators can create custom rocket types with unique characteristics.

The two most common rocket classes are:

  • Common (Homing Rocket) - The standard rocket used in most gameplay
  • Nuke - A special rocket with devastating effects

Rocket Class Parameters

Each rocket class can configure numerous parameters:

Basic Parameters

Parameter Description Example
name Display name of the rocket "Homing Rocket"
behaviour Tracking type: homing (smooth) or legacy homing (classic) "homing"
model Custom model path (optional) "models/custom/nuke.mdl"
is animated Whether the model has animations 0 or 1

Sound Parameters

Parameter Description Default
play spawn sound Emit sound when spawning Sentry rocket sound
play beep sound Emit beeping while flying Sentry search sound
play alert sound Alert target player Sentry spotted sound
beep interval Time between beeps 0.5 seconds

Movement Parameters

Parameter Description
speed Base speed (HU/s)
speed increment Speed added per deflection
speed limit Maximum speed cap (0 = no limit)
turn rate Base turning rate per tick
turn rate increment Turn rate added per deflection
turn rate limit Maximum turn rate cap
elevation rate Vertical elevation rate on deflect
elevation limit Maximum elevation angle
control delay Delay before rocket starts homing after deflect
drag pause duration How long rocket flies straight before reading aim

Damage Parameters

Parameter Description
damage Base damage dealt
damage increment Damage added per deflection
critical chance Percentage chance for critical hit (3x damage)

Behaviour Modifiers

Parameter Description
elevate on deflect Rocket gains elevation after each deflect
neutral rocket No team-based targeting
keep direction Maintains direction after surface bounce
teamless deflects Any player can deflect (not just enemies)
reset bounces Reset bounce counter on deflect
no bounce drags Disable dragging after surface contact
can be stolen Allow stealing rocket from current target
max bounces Maximum surface bounces allowed
bounce scale Bounce force multiplier

Target Selection

Parameter Description
direction to target weight Weight modifier for target selection algorithm
no. players modifier Speed modifier based on player count
no. rockets modifier Speed modifier based on rockets fired this round

Common Rocket (Default)

The standard homing rocket used in most Dodgeball gameplay.

"common"
{
    "name"                        "Homing Rocket"
    "behaviour"                   "homing"
    "play spawn sound"            "1"
    "play beep sound"             "1"
    "play alert sound"            "1"

    "damage"                      "50"
    "damage increment"            "25"
    "speed"                       "875"
    "speed increment"             "160"
    "turn rate"                   "0.260"
    "turn rate increment"         "0.0180"
    "max bounces"                 "1000"
    "drag pause duration"         "0.1"
    "critical chance"             "100"
    "direction to target weight"  "100"
}

Key Characteristics

  • Base Speed: 875 HU/s
  • Speed per Deflect: +160 HU/s
  • Turn Rate: 0.260 (increases by 0.018 per deflect)
  • Drag Window: 0.1 seconds (100ms)
  • Bounces: Up to 1000 surface bounces

Nuke Rocket

A special rocket with devastating explosion effects.

"nuke"
{
    "name"                        "Nuke!"
    "behaviour"                   "homing"
    "model"                       "models/custom/dodgeball/nuke/nuke.mdl"
    "is animated"                 "1"
    "beep interval"               "0.2"

    "damage"                      "200"
    "damage increment"            "200"
    "speed"                       "550"
    "speed increment"             "100"
    "turn rate"                   "0.233"
    "turn rate increment"         "0.0275"
    "elevation rate"              "0.1237"
    "elevation limit"             "0.1237"
    "max bounces"                 "0"
    "direction to target weight"  "25"

    "on explode"                  "tf_dodgeball_explosion @dead ; tf_dodgeball_shockwave @dead 200 1000 1000 600"
}

Key Characteristics

  • Base Speed: 550 HU/s (slower than common)
  • Damage: 200 base (+200 per deflect)
  • Turn Rate: 0.233 (tighter turning)
  • No Bounces: Cannot bounce off surfaces
  • Explosion Effects: Creates shockwave on kill
  • Lower Target Weight: 25 (more random target selection)

Wave Rockets

Custom Rocket Type

Wave rockets are a custom rocket class that creates oscillating trajectories. Not all servers have wave rockets configured.

Wave rockets modify the standard homing behaviour to create unpredictable, wavelike flight paths. This is achieved through special configuration values, not through player technique.

If a server has wave rockets enabled, they will appear in the spawn rotation alongside common and nuke rockets.

Spawner Configuration

Rockets spawn from team-specific spawners with configurable chances:

"spawners"
{
    "red"
    {
        "max rockets"    "1"
        "interval"       "2.0"
        "common%"        "90"
        "nuke%"          "10"
    }
}

This means: - Maximum 1 rocket at a time - 2 second spawn interval - 90% chance of common rocket - 10% chance of nuke rocket

Event System

Rockets can trigger commands on specific events:

Event When It Fires
on spawn Rocket spawns
on deflect Player deflects rocket
on kill Rocket kills a player
on explode Same as kill (triggers once)
on no target Rocket has no valid target
on destroyed Rocket expires without killing

Event Parameters

Events can use these parameters in commands:

Parameter Type Description
@name String Rocket type name
@rocket Integer Rocket entity index
@owner Integer Deflector's client index
@target Integer Target's client index
@dead Integer Dead player's client index
@deflections Integer Total deflection count
@speed Float Current speed (with limit)
@mphspeed Integer Speed in MPH (no limit)

Server Commands

TFDB provides special commands for events:

tf_dodgeball_explosion <client>
Shows a large explosion at the client's location.

tf_dodgeball_shockwave <client> <damage> <force> <radius> <falloff>
Applies a shockwave from the client's location.

See Also