Rocket Town

Rocket Town is a town north of Nibelheim in Final Fantasy VII built around the launch site of the Shinra No. 26 rocket, part of Shinra Electric Power Company's space program. Cid Highwind lives and works here. The town also features in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- prequel.

Story
Several years before the beginning of Final Fantasy VII the place was bustling with scientists due to the world's first rocket launch to outer space on the rocket Shinra No. 26; however, after Shera noticed a leak in one of the oxygen tanks, she stayed behind to fix it, while the rocket was about to launch. This forced Cid to abort the launch, crashing and damaging the rocket. Shinra abandoned the space project and Cid would blame the failure of his dreams on Shera and so treats her poorly.

Episode 15 of Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- claims AVALANCHE sabotaged the rocket's engines and reveals Rufus Shinra was the one who recommended the Space Program's cancellation, with the support of the entire Shinra Executive Staff.

Years later, Cloud Strife and his party come to Rocket Town in search of Sephiroth. They meet with Cid and learn President Rufus Shinra has come to Rocket Town. This fills Cid with hope the space program will be restarted, but Rufus only wants Cid's airplane, the Tiny Bronco. Cid betrays Shinra and fights his boss Palmer along with Cloud and the party. They use the Tiny Bronco to escape, but it is damaged, and after crashing down in the sea can only be used as a crude boat.

Once Sephiroth has unleashed the Meteor onto the Planet the party fights with Shinra over the Huge Materia Shinra plans to launch with Cid's rocket into space, right into the Meteor, in hopes of destroying it. Cloud and his party, meanwhile, want the Huge Materia to fight against Sephiroth. They fight through the Turk Rude and enter the rocket's control room. Palmer gleefully tells them over radio the rocket is sent to automatic launch, and goes on to launch the party into outer space with the rocket.

The party uses an escape pod to flee. Disaster strikes, however. The oxygen tank that failed Shera's inspection all those years ago, explodes, trapping Cid in its debris. The party and Shera, who was on board at the time, rescues Cid and escape from the rocket just in time. Before the party leaves, the Huge Materia upon the rocket can be rescued. To get it, a code must be punched in. During this part Cid will give hints Cloud to help decipher the code.

The right combination is:

Whether or not the Materia is rescued, the rocket crashes into Meteor and creates a blinding explosion but the Meteor is unaffected.

Location
Rocket Town is located to the North-West on Gaia's Western continent.

Items Found
First Visit:
 * Yoshiyuki (from the old man)
 * Power Source
 * Drill Arm

Second Visit:
 * Huge Materia (from the rocket)
 * Venus Gospel (from the old man after talking to him three times after the rocket has taken off)
 * Fourth Bracelet (weapon shop)
 * Guard Source (item shop)

Disc 1
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Item Shop

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Weapon Shop

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Discs 2/3
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Item Shop

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Weapon Shop

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Outside Rocket

 * Rude, Attack Squad x2 (Boss)

Inside Rocket

 * Senior Grunt (Boss)

Grass

 * Nibel Wolf x3
 * Velcher Task x2
 * Nibel Wolf x2, Velcher Task
 * Nibel Wolf x2, Velcher Task (Ambush)

Chocobo tracks

 * Chocobo (L22), Valron x2
 * Chocobo (L22), Kyuvilduns x2
 * Chocobo (L22), Velcher Task, Kyuvilduns
 * Chocobo (L22), Velcher Task x2

Forest

 * Kyuvilduns x4
 * Valron x3
 * Velcher Task x2
 * Velcher Task x2 (Back attack)

Beach

 * Crown Lance x2
 * Crown Lance x3
 * Crown Lance
 * Crown Lance x2 (Ambush)

Musical Themes
The background music that plays in Rocket Town is "The Oppressed".

When visited on Disc 2 after Meteor is summoned, "On The Edge of Despair" plays.

Trivia

 * There is a Thompson Sub-machine Gun and a lot of AK-47/Kalashnikov in the Weapon Shop. Another AK-47 is found in Cid's House.
 * When first speaking to Cid he will tell the party that the Shinra No. 26 tilts a little more every day. However, in the flashback, during the transition between the rocket tilting and present day, the rocket does not appear to have moved at all.
 * If Cid is not in the party when approaching the Shinra No. 26, he will forcibly enter it.
 * If the player enters the rocket code correctly on the first try, Cid will remark they probably cheated.

Rocket Town