Rocket League is a game full of modes where you need to think quickly on your feet – er, Wheels. Maybe you’ve taken to the air only to see your teammate’s “Need boost!” in the chat a split second too late. You lose the fifty, your teammate can’t make it back in time, and it’s game over.
Starting in tomorrow’s update, though, the nameplates over your teammates will show how much boost they have left! Their remaining boost will be displayed in a small circle gauge next to their display name.
Read more about these upgraded nameplates, plus changes to item rarity names also in the update.
Nameplates: Now with Teammate Boost Indicators
The core of this change is that we feel visible boost levels will lessen confusion between teammates. For example, let’s say you have a teammate dribbling up the field. You may ask yourself, “Are they being slow and methodical on purpose… or are they just short on boost?” With the upgraded nameplates, you’ll have a better idea of what your teammates are doing.
Knowing teammates’ boost levels is important for high-skill players, but also Rocket League players as a whole. Many players may not fully understand the significance of boost management, so we feel that showing players how their teammates are handling boost will help them make better decisions for themselves and their team.
The reason we went with nameplates to display this information—instead of a HUD addition—is because we believe an always-on boost indicator for all your teammates would be difficult to follow and would distract from gameplay. (Additionally, we believe knowing your teammates’ boost levels at all times isn’t necessary.) It's a careful balance between providing useful information to players without adding too much visual noise.
As a reminder, these boost indicators only apply to your teammates, not anyone on the opposing team! We’d love to hear what you think of this feature, so head over to the Rocket League subreddit or Discord and be heard.
Rarity Name Changes
Starting in tomorrow’s update, the names of these item rarities will change:
- Common → Base
- Uncommon → Sport
- Rare → Special
- Very Rare → Deluxe
- Limited → Luxury
Stay tuned for the patch notes for this update, being published after the update goes live tomorrow, April 16 at 4 PM PT / 11 PM UTC.