Quake II/Big Gun

The Planetary Defense unit has only one level — the Big Gun.

Armament
By this point in the game, you should have collected all the available weapons and have plenty of ammunition for them.

Unit and Level objective
The objective of this unit and level is to destroy the Big Gun, the linchpin of the Stroggos planetary defense system, and make it out before you get killed in the ensuing explosion. To do this, you need to fight your way to a button, press it and then run like hell to a waiting shuttle.

Strategy / Walkthrough
It's a good idea to arrive at this level well-armed and in good health. Pick up what you can in the first room upon arrival and quick-save the game. As soon as you pass through the first set of automatic sliding doors, they close behind you and lock, so there's no turning back.

In the second room with the blue crystal and vertical red laser beam you encounter a monster like none you've seen before. It looks like an ugly cybernetic hybrid of turbine helicopter, hornet and humanoid. A volley of explosions announces its emergence from a trap door at one end of the room. It hovers in the air, and attacks almost immediately with a hail of rockets and bullets. The Hornet Boss is tough to kill, but you can do it with a sustained assault of rockets, rail gun slugs or HyperBlaster fire. If you have a Quad Damage and are otherwise short of ammo, now might be good time to use it. Try to use what little cover is available and stay out of its line of fire. Note that there is an elevator immediately to the left as you walk into the room and this will take you to an upper section that overlooks the room. If you use rockets then you can fire a rocket and then run to the middle column to hide, then duck out, fire a rocket and run to the other end. Repeat this duck out, fire rocket and run to the next column for cover until the Hornet Boss is killed.

After the monster is destroyed, a door can be opened, opposite the one through which you entered the room. First, take careful note of the other door with the black and yellow diagonal stripes, still locked — it will be your escape route later. The rest of the opposition consists of guards armed with blasters and machine guns, and are easy to eliminate. Make your way to the extreme eastern end of the facility where you'll find just a couple of guards at the Defense Monitor screens.

Quick-save the game just before you trigger the self-destruct sequence, as the final run is difficult to accomplish, even if you know the exact route to take. The Big Gun explosion is not survivable, regardless of your health level and armor strength. Now, push the flashing green button in the pedestal by the window overlooking the laser. Immediately turn and run to your right (north) and follow the passageways to the room where you defeated the Hornet Boss. The automatic double door to the right is now open. Run through it and down the stairs as the mechanical voice counts down toward zero. Dash into the waiting underground tube shuttle car as fast as you can and get it moving by pushing the green bar near the front end.

Secrets
The Planetary Defense unit / Big Gun level has no secrets.