The overall purpose of Market Gardening is to deal damage to enemies upon becoming airborn, which grants you 195 hit points of critical damage. It doesn't matter whether you've jumped high or low, you will not deal 195 damage if you haven't become airborn in any way. Market Gardening is often refered as a meme due to many players using it in the "Trolldier" loadout, which includes The Rocket Jumper, The Manntreads and as mentioned, The Market Gardener.

Where and when can it be used?
Market Gardening is mostly used in maps where you have a big environment to rocket jump around, if the map has many buildings, obstacles, etc. that stand in way it will most likely get in the way. Fortunetly this can also become a great way to do big rocket jumps if you can figure out how to do them. Altough there are no specific maps made for market gardening (made by valve), you can market garden anytime and everywhere, including valve official maps and community maps.


How hard is it to pull off?
The market gardener can be very difficult to control and handling it's mechanics and techniques at first may make you dismiss it as a proper weapon. It can be quite difficult pull it off when beginning if you do not know how it works, but even then it's not so easy.

Recommended map to market garden on

Map Name: plr_hightower

Market Gardening can't be mastered immediately.





If you're struggling to get a successful market garden, do not take it as failure. It is totally normal and expected to fail at the beginning, it depends on if you're willing to make it either a passion or just a "once-in-a-while" strategy to kill players.

Movement&Techniques that you can apply to your market gardening.



The basic movement of market gardening consists of the basic knowledge of rocket jumping.
Just like when you're rocket jumping around, you're strafing around, but strafing is the most valued thing when it comes to market gardening.

Function:

For accurate market gardens, you also need consistent rocket jumps, which you're able to perform by crouch jumping, which basically conists of you tapping the crouch key before you're jumping off a wall/obstacle, which in result benefits the jump greatly and decreases the chance of getting suffered from lowered speed. Crouch jumping is necessary, no matter where, it is the essential to gain more speed in jumping.


CTRL (Crouch) - SPACE (Jump) - M1 (shoot) - A and D (strafing)

Using the keys "A" and "D" are obviously the 'keys' for strafing sideways and makes your strafing fluent and consistent, it is advised not to move your mouse too quickly, otherwise when moving too quickly your speed will suffer greatly, resulting in a failed attempt.

Never aim for their head. Your opponents must always be hit from the side, otherwise you will not hit them, thus landing on them. Though it is not impossible, you can actually hit somebody from directly above.

Here's a tutorial performed by "Muselk" which explains as to why you are not advised to hit an opponent direclty from above

https://youtu.be/Uk98ei7NMTM?t=15









The Advanced movement consists of the same techniques as in basic movement of the basic knowledge of rocket jumping. Altough in advanced market gardening, you can use much more complex and unpredictable moves that can quickly confuse players.


Function:
As mentioned above "your opponents must always be hit from the side", in most cases, yes, but as mentioned before, there are many moves that grant you the possibility of hitting someone even when being directly above them, which is called an undergarden, unlike on higher obstacles where you jump off from, you will have to kill your opponent sideways because the speed is too great, making it next to impossible, but in this method you're not jumping from higher walls/surfaces, you're doing small-jumps which blast you a minor distance above, depending on your performance which blasts you so close to the opponent that there's still space between you and your opponent that opens the possiblity to gain a critical hit, it may seem as if you're standing on him, but you're actually just a minor distance above him, which makes you airborn.

Market gardening also relies on prediction. It can't always work properly, that's why you need to gain the sense of prediction, for example swinging the market gardener and hitting an opponent earlier.


If you were to swing the market gardener too late, you would deal the general 65 damage or completely miss and do no damage at all. But on the other hand if you were to swing the market gardener too early it would be a guaranteed miss and you would not get a hit at all. It is also very important to predict the movement of your opponents, relying on luck and sight won't get you anywhere.

Here's an Tutorial of "NateFox" explaining as to why you shall predict(includes more tipps)

https://youtu.be/FrVx3ljK4eY?t=106

As you can recall, a market gardener deals 195 damage when airborn, thus killing you instantly when you're below 195 hp. You're most likely rocket jumping off cliffs, rocks or any other objects to reach your destination faster. This can be risky for you, because jumping off any surface above ground level obviously grants you either a big loss or a small loss of health (depending on height).


The Technique isn't simple and is pretty complex at first


Technique:
To achieve a successful prevention of fall damage, your timing will be involved the most.
Whether you've rocket jumped from a higher wall/surface or jumped, you will need to counter jump just like in "syncronized jumping" with the difference that you need to be extremely precise. Whilst you're about to hit the ground, a rocket must be shot before so that it can travel in the perfect time to reach the ground just before your impact, thus reducing a certain amount of speed you had whilst falling, resulting in no fall damage.


To Do:

• Timing the shot rocket that is supposed to hit the ground before you land, thus preventing fall damage.
  
  

Beware for others





In market gardening it is very important to be aware of your surroundings. You do not want to end up in uncertainty. Giving the fact that a market gardener deals 195 crit-damage, it's important to be aware of other market gardeners trying to aim for you whilst you're being at or below 195 health. Anything from 195-1 health grants you the risk of being killed instantly from another market gardener. Therefore always be a step ahead and think with certainty of your surroundings.



Extra advice

• Search for the nearest health pack point
  
• Try to change where you think your opponent is predicting you are moving to ruin his/her attempt to kill you by moving around.
  
  
  

Important.


When it comes to market gardening, choosing the right combinations is another high priority to take care of.



People who have never market gardener before most likely just equip it with their current equiped rocket launcher and/or other weapons, without knowing that it doesn't fit for market gardening




People with a bit more knowledge can relate that choosing the rocket jumper and the mantreads is a good combination with market gardening, due to advantages for each weapon, the "Rocket Jumper" dealing zero damage when jumping and the mantreads having more air consistency:

• The Mantreads
  
• The Rocket Jumper
  
  
  
  
  These are the typical items being used when first market gardening, altough the concept of it is simple
  
  
  
  
  Diversive Combinations
  
  The Rocket Jumper and the Mantreads aren't the only option, sure they're benefitial for specific market gardening, but for those who are struggling, there are combinations to try that you can use for fun and a diversive gameplay, but not without knowing how to equip it in the right order, here's an example:
  
  
  
• The Base Jumper
  
  
  
  What is the Base Jumper?
  
  This item grants you an easier way of market gardening, by deploying the parachute, you're not falling right down at high speeds when rocket jumping, like in normal market gardening, instead you're slowly flying down to the ground.
  
  
  Advantages
  
• A more orientated way to market garden, thus being able to hit target more easier.
  
• Instead of using timing like in normal market gardening to hit your opponents, you have enough time to decide who you want to hit and when you want to hit
  
  
  Disadvantages
  
• Due to you being slow whilst deployed, enemies have enough time to take you down, even market gardeners.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Beggar's Bazooka
  
  
  
  What is the Beggar's Bazooka?
  This weapon's rockets deal the same damage as the default Rocket Launcher's do.Holding the fire button down will make the player load up to three rockets, letting go of the fire button will releash a barage of the 3 or less rockets that rapid-fire (one after another), thus being able to jump significantly higher, altough over-loading rockets might kill you, it is still a fun way to try a market garden.
  
  
  
  
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  Example of sets
  These sets of weapons show how a proper loadout shall look like if not known how to make one.
  Creating your own sets with knowledge is no problem aslong as you know what you're doing.
  
  
  
  
• Rocket Jumper
  
• Mantreads
  
• Market Gardener
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Second set
  
  
  
• Beggar's Bazooka
  
• Base Jumper
  
• Market Gardener
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

There isn't really something called competitive market gardening, but it counts as competetive due to players playing against others to achieve a higher rank, whether it's server based or group based. In this section people focus to beat one another and achieve the top position.






For those who have superior knowledge in market gardening, do not hesitate to visit our server, we're willing to create events in which you're able to compete against each other. There'll be an ranking list of players.



128.65.222.146:27015

http://sp.zhabite.com/groups/ROCKETSLEGACY

The thermal thruster is a newly added weapon from the Jungle Inferno Update that works like a jetpack by firing a short duration blast and boosting the player whereever he/she is looking at, thus enabling them to fly.



Many people seem to be worried that this might cause market gardeners trouble due to the pyro being able to fly. Fear not, for pyros to change their weapon from the thruster you have enough time to kill them, the only thing that might eventually make your shot a miss is by thrusting and aiming directly at you.

Important notes.

• Have decent amount of knowledge about rocket jumping
  
  
• Being aware of your surroundings
  
  
• When strafing, being careful not to press the keys W and S
  
  
• For a successful and consistent market garden, always jump with the crouch key "ctrl".
  
  
• Dodge your opponent.
  
  
• Use a logical set and order of weapons
  
  
  
  
  
  Pro's of Rocket Jumping
  
  
• Unique mobility throughout gameplays
  
• Most fun you can have (depending)
  
• Offering endless amounts of techniques
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Contra's of Rocket Jumping
  
  
• Takes time to learn.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Weapon Advice
  
  For the gameplay style of your market gardening, we're not responsible, everyone can try different sets of weapons, after all it's just fun, but these particural ones are for those who primarily want to learn market gardening in the efficent and true way:
  
  
  
• Gunboats
  
  These boots are helpful for avoiding damage and staying above 195HP (if you are using a rocket launcher possible of inflicting self-damage. Yes, it won't reduce a big amount damage, but in some circumstances it can help you to stay above 195HP.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Mantreads
  
  The Mantreads are boots that deal damage to opponents upon falling on them, an efficient hit can "stomp" them and kill them if they're at low health. Doing this also cancels any fall-damage that was going to happen to the player. The Mantreads also reduce any knockback by 75% excluding your own weapons and other items (so now you can be more effective against pyros).
  
  

We'd like to thank you for the great feedback on our previous guide "Guide to Rocket Jumping 2 and all our other guides, we've been inactive for a long time in terms of guide making, after all we're back and motivated to present to you our newest piece.



Guide To Rocket Jumping® Series:
http://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=846240364


http://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=864002028






RuFFle (Writer and Producer)
_V15_ (Co-Writer)