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Little Rocket Man achievement in The Orange Box

Little Rocket Man

Send the garden gnome into space.

Little Rocket Man0
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How to unlock the Little Rocket Man achievement

  • Blue RadiumBlue Radium
    06 Aug 2008 06 Aug 2008
    This is, in my opinion, the most fun achievement in the game. The gnome is discovered in the communications shack that you and Alyx enter at the very beginning of the game, just look on the ground and under everything on the floor, you will easily spot it. You must take this little gnome through the entire game with you, all the way to the White Forest rocket Silo (pre-fighting.) Once you reach the Silo, watch the talking, and wait for the part where Lamarr jumps into a little hatch in the rocket. You must place the gnome in this same opening. YOU MUST CLOSE THE HATCH'S DOOR . No closed door = no achievement. As soon as you close the door, the achievement will unlock.

    Once you know that, it is pretty strait forward. Don't lose the little guy, make sure that he is safe at all times.

    When you and the vortigaunt go to get the Extract, you can leave him sitting by Alyx, as to not have to carry him around with you through the Antlion Den. I have tested this, and can assure you that he will not disappear.

    To get him through the driving scenes, you must shove him into the back window of your car. Set him in position, then gravity gun him about 20 times to get him really stuck. I assure you, he will still fall out, so be sure to check constantly for the little guy in the back of the car.

    During fighting scenes, be sure that he is in an out of the way location. If he is in the middle of the encounter, he can be sent flying, making it very hard to find him.

    Guide not helping? View 4 more guides for this achievement.

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    TheTraderGuyYou, sir or madam, have a warped sense of fun.

    But the guide was aces. +1
    Posted by TheTraderGuy on 26 May 21 at 21:22
    ZukapeSmall tip, you can jump from infront of the vehicle and put the gnome on back of it. It will be on the backseat floating. It is easier to carry that way than putting it from driver seat.
    Posted by Zukape on 22 Jun 22 at 22:00
    Tozi TiberiusA 2023 retrospective: having unlocked this waaaay back in 2009, I agree with you still. This is one of the most enjoyable achievements I've ever unlocked. Props Valve when they still made games.
    Posted by Tozi Tiberius on 09 Dec 23 at 00:28
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  • TheLiveDunnTheLiveDunn
    26 Aug 2008 02 Apr 2009 05 Mar 2011
    This was the most challenging achievement i have had to do, but also the most fun. I extremely suggest anyone with this game to try.

    The beginning is pretty easy, just bring him with you, and make sure he's not forgotten. When you get to the vort chamber, just place him in a corner (not right up against the elevator, he can fall in and you'll never get him back) and when you get back, same thing.

    Before big battles, find a safe place where he won't be touched and pick him up afterward. In the area where you have to get to the car, before you go in the first room, shoot the gnome over the wall you're trying to get around. Don't worry, he'll still be there.

    When you're driving, put him at your or Alyx's feet, that way you can see him if he falls out and quickly get him back and continue. Just make sure not to drive fast. When you go into the house with the big floating green worm-thing (i forgot what it was called), make sure you don't place gnome in the car, cause the car gets teleported and you'll be wasting time searching for him on the ground.

    When you get to the part with the hunter-chopper following you, place the gnome at the beginning of the train yard. Continue until you get the first load, then go back and you can safely bring the gnome forward with no chopper. Once you get back past the load, I kept shooting him forward, going to where he went, picking him up, and repeating. Once you kill the chopper, it's pretty easy, just keep him with you.

    Just have fun and name the gnome if you want.
    Showing most recent comments. View all comments.
    TheLiveDunnIn response to Quarantane, at the end of the third paragraph of the solution, i talk about that exact shortcut, but shooting it over the wall instead of on the bridge. It is basically the same concept. (sorry i took so long to answer. i didn;t realize i had a message in my inbox until today. XD )
    Posted by TheLiveDunn on 04 Aug 10 at 15:51
    TheLiveDunnSomeone recently reported this solution for unnecessary spoilers. Although I believe that this entire solution is a spoiler and that you should not attempt it until you've finished episode 2 at least once, I removed a part of the last sentence, which I believe was the "unnecessary spoiler". If anyone has any problems in the future, I would appreciate it if they posted a comment before reporting this solution. Thanks.
    Posted by TheLiveDunn on 05 Mar 11 at 16:55
    Muskrat MorrisI named mine Kevin.
    Posted by Muskrat Morris on 26 Aug 11 at 05:54
  • BlastingDr XBlastingDr X
    03 Mar 2010 03 Mar 2010 25 Jan 2012
    I found this video. I did the Achievement whit this video it and I think it good. Kaisonic made this video for RoosterTeeth. Good luck
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