Gunner
| Nigel "Gunner" Grant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Character | |
| Faction |
 Global Defense Initiative |
| Role | Anti-armor/building infantry |
| Health | 100 |
| Armor |
|
| Armor type | Flak |
| Speed | 95 |
| Cost | $400 |
| Requires | Barracks |
| Loadout | |
| Primary weapon | Rocket Launcher |
| Sidearm | Carbine |
| Explosives |
|
| Grenades | EMP Grenade x1 |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Internal name | Rx_FamilyInfo_GDI_Gunner |
Gunner is the heavy demolition specialist of the Global Defense Initiative, able to bring down vehicles and buildings from long ranges.
Biography
Sharp-tongued and tough-minded Nigel Grant was a former Special Boat Service operative for the British. This Afro-English lad's formative years were spent toughing it out on the streets and in the pubs of London's south side. After service as an elite solider in the U.K.'s SBS, Gunner joined up with the GDI and the legendary Dead-6 Commando Detachment as a rocket soldier. At 6'6" and 274 lbs., Gunner doesn't complain about the heavy lifting. In fact, he doesn't complain about anything; the often caustic Brit gets the job done with a steady hand and a cool head and saves the shop talk for the pub.
Appearance
Gunner wears military boots and trousers, bandage wraps and gloves, kneepads, and a metal breastplate with an additional shoulder pad on the right. Gunner has a bald head and wears a eye patch on his right eye.
Function
Gunner is an improved version of a Rocket Soldier, capable of firing six rockets from his Rocket Launcher before needing to reload; he also carries Anti Tank Mines and an EMP Grenade to hamper opponent vehicles.
Strategy
Usage
Gunner's Rocket Launcher has an immense range allowing him to hit anything he can see(with few exceptions). He is generally employed to attack vehicles from safe spots without risk of retaliation or assisting a tank force in fighting other vehicles or destroying a building.
Contrary to the Rocket Soldier's Missile Launcher, Gunner's Rocket Launcher does neither have an alternate fire option nor have lock-on capabilities, while also dealing less damage and splash area than the former; however, this is compensated by faster travelling rockets, faster rate of fire, and possessing six rockets in a single clip.
When dealing with enemy buildings, Gunner rushes are viable, especially due to their capacity to hit the building for afar, which also gives the Gunners an option to stay on high ground and avoid vehicle paths while firing. A variation of this tactic is the Chinook paradrop, where Gunners will drop down with chutes and fire at the building while slowly falling down; advantages of such are that the Gunners are protected from being crushed by vehicles and they are harder to hit when moving in both horizontal and vertical axis.
Gunner is more effective than the Rocket Soldier in dealing against infantry in close proximity, having better rate of fire with both his primary weapon and side weapon; still, he is not well suited in infantry clashes due to his short clips and mediocre speed rockets that the opponent may avoid.
Gunners have both Anti Tank Mines and EMP Grenades, which will prove useful against enemy vehicle rushes.
Counters
Anything that counters Rocket Soldiers will work on Gunner, due to their similarities; however, they have better anti-infantry capability than the former, so basic infantry such as Soldiers and Engineers may struggle against him. You might not be able to avoid his rockets as they are faster, but you can still reduce the damage by strafing around. Once you catch up to him, he might fire towards your feet to hit you via splash damage, but he will usually damage himself in doing so.
Since Gunner's rockets do not have homing capabilities, vehicles can evade them by driving out from their trajectory.
