With accuracy the Direct Hit allows you to do so much more, simple as that. Extra blast radius is too situational when you are giving up extra damage and speed.
I DISAGREE!
Having decided that sentry guns have rockets, and therefore I wouldn't be completely abandoning my favorite class by trying out Soldier, I've come to love the regular rocket launcher.
The Direct Hit is very, very situational... to a normal player. This is the type of weapon which isn't a game strategy changer, but IS a player strategy changer.
The thing is, you've gotta have a sniper's eye and a flux capacitor in your brain to be truly scary with the Direct Hit. Rockets aren't hitscan bullets; even with the speed boost they still have to fly. And with almost no discernable blast radius, you've gotta be able to make... direct hits. I've played against some truly devastating direct hitters, and it encouraged me to give it a try.
I can't play with the Direct Hit. My whole theory of Quantum Giblets breaks down when I have to be a precision shooter. When I play Soldier, I live for three things:
- Explosive Knockback
- Splash Damage
- Sparklerockets
1) Explosive Knockback is a function of explosive power, not damage. While a well placed direct hit will do more DIRECT damage to the player being hit, it does much less in the "completely screw with their plans" department. A well placed regular rocket can knock somebody completely off course. This is always a good thing.
2) Splash Damage is a function of being a hit and run jerkbag. When I'm playing Solider, I like to liberally spread damage about. I might not get a lot of primary kills, but that scout that "avoided" my rocket is now at half health, making it easier for my team to kill him. Against non-wrangled sentries while you are in lock range, the ability to peek out, send a rocket in the general direction, and peek back before you completely die is always a good thing. It might take more rockets, but it takes less dying.
3) Sparklerockets. Sparkle rockets are pretty. I like the blue ones. Sparklesplash damage is the best, though. You can turn multiple people into sparkly gibs. The splash reduction of the DH removes this.
The solider is called the "Shock and Awe" class for a reason. Your job is to go out there and blow people to bits, or at least convince them that they are about to become vaporized. You blow apart teams and buildings. And the best tool for THAT job is the regular Rocket Launcher.
AGAIN WITH THIS CAVEAT: If you have the eye of the Sniper and don't use rocketjumps like you have something against your feet, if you have the skills to plant a rocket on a pixel at 300 ft range, then the DH will do wonders for you. I just believe it's much more situational than most other sidegrades. The Scottish Resistance makes you more effective at multi-pronged defense while reducing your sheer firepower. The Huntsman allows you to move forward and enter the fray, but makes you pull back the bow and prepare to give your best shot while adding physics, turning the sniper from a point and click adventure emulator to a very powerful forward class, while losing the long distance "shield". The Direct Hit turns you into a sniper with a bit more health and slower bullets... it takes the strengths of the Soldier and reduces them for situational advantage.
That said, you'll see me with the DH if I'm rocket-sniping engineer nests, wrangled sentries, or dumb snipers who stand perfectly still. In all other cases, I'd rather have my Shock and Awe.