is an incredible example of how to take a weird and wonderful concept and then turn it into a global phenomenon loved by the masses. It’s easy to forget that this existed many years before ‘s release in the form of SARPBC or Super Acrobatic Rocket Propelled Battle Cars for those not in the know.
The was initially a modest success, but the new and improved 2015 release that we know and love today has continued to grow and thrive, offering worldwide competitions, offering consistent updates with brand new content, and thanks to the acquisition by Epic Games, the seems to have more years in the tank following this upward trajectory.
So if you have been disillusioned by the flawed notion that this is on the decline or simply has been around for so long that it couldn’t possibly still have a base, you are deeply wrong, and it couldn’t be a better time to hop-in, or hop back in if you are a lapsed . However, we will warn you the players that play this take it pretty seriously, and to rise through the ranks; you’ll need to do anything you can to get ahead.
This obviously means getting your tactics right, learning to play as part of a team, and mastering the mechanics of this chaotic battle car experience. However, getting your settings right before you hop into games is just as important.
One of the most important settings to have in check is the . These settings keep your car in the frame, allow you to keep your eye on the ball and those around you at all times, and facilitate advanced movements.
However, you may be wondering what settings work best, what are the most common settings among the , and what settings do what. Well, we aim to shed some light on this. So without further delay, here is our guide.
What are the Best
There are a lot of games where the are perfectly fine and don’t require players to pay them any mind. However, in , if you don’t adapt your settings and push for those tiny, incremental improvements, you may find yourself stuck in the Gold ranks with no hope of breaking through.
Well, the first step is understanding what all of these settings are so that you can change them accordingly, so here is a quick rundown below:
Field of View
Firstly we have the field of view . This is one of the most vital settings on this list, and if you are smart, you’ll want to max this one out. FOV essentially determines how much of the field is rendered and how far the can see. The lower the , the blurrier your surroundings, and therefore, the less of the action you see.
This can be to your detriment, as you need to be able to plan ahead and read the . So if you max this out, you will have a clear and fully rendered view of the entire arena, and you can stay engaged with the , even when you are on the other side of the pitch and out of the fray.
The only consideration against maxing out this would be that if your system isn’t up to the challenge of rendering the entire pitch at all times, you may lose frames, and this can be worse than a low FOV. However, in an ideal setup, you should always max out FOV.
Next up, we have . This is essentially how close the is to the rear of your Battle-Car. This may seem quite arbitrary, but in truth, it’s very important.
If you place the too close, you lose view of the periphery around your car and key information that you need to make key decisions. However, if you place the too far away, then you don’t have a comfortable view of the car, which can make accurate contact with the ball a challenge, especially if you are trying to complete very technical aerial dribbles and shots.
The general consensus on the ideal varies from to . The most common is 270, but some players will put this slightly higher or lower depending on preference.
As you might have guessed, this is how high the sits above your car. Unlike the above, this one doesn’t really matter too much in the grand scale of things. This one should be purely governed by what feels right for you and lends itself to consistent and results.
The general consensus is that players will often set this at 110, but some will go higher or lower as they feel this gives them a better view over the top of their car, or if set lower, a more grounded view of the action.
Then lastly, in terms of position, we have the , which is hands down the least important of the bunch. Unless you set this at a very extreme , this won’t have too much of an effect on your view and your performance.
The general range for this is somewhere between -3 and -4; however, some set this as low as -10. We imagine that if you start playing at a certain , you will find little benefit in changing this. Be sure to experiment and find what works for you, but don’t obsess about this one too much.
Now we have , a that the doesn’t do a great job of explaining, but fear not, as we do a much better job. Basically, this controls how your behaves when you speed up.
If you have the set very stiff, then it will follow behind very rigidly in the exact position that you have decided is best when the , , and . However, if the has this set looser, the will pan back slightly when you speed up, offering you a wider view of your surroundings.
There are some differing opinions on what works best here, as some players prefer to keep things tight when moving at speed. However, the majority of players acknowledge that most of a match is spent moving at high speeds, so it’s usually best to pan the back when boosting and keep an eye on your surroundings.
Now we have a that can really improve your ability to react in the heat of the moment, the . This is a that controls how fast the will follow your car when performing tight swivels and turns.
If you need to turn and do a quick 180, the last thing that you want is for your to be lacking behind and not offer you a clear view of the action. is one of the fastest-paced online games you will likely come across, and milliseconds often matter.
So, if you have to react and your leaves you blind, you risk making mistakes, and that usually means you’ll ship goals match after match. So the general consensus amongst players is to max out the and improve your reactions as a result.
Try maxing this one out, and of all the settings mentioned, you will probably see the immediate and positive changes to your most here.
Next, we have the , which governs the amount of time that it takes for the to swap between the and the regular Cam that follows behind the car. This may seem like a no-brainer as players would probably want this transition to be as fast as possible.
However, if you have this too high, it can be very hard to keep track of what you are following, the snap can be too fast, and it can be really disorientating. However, if you set this too low, the chances are that by the time the cameras swap, the chance to react may have been and gone, and the next phase of play will be passing you by.
So the happy medium is a quick but not breakneck . The general consensus amongst players is a of 1.2 for this transition.
Toggle
Then lastly, we have the Invert toggle . Now, I’m not going to alienate those that like inverted controls; after all, this is included for a reason. However, is a fast-paced and intense .
So do you really want to complicate things more than they have to be by making controls ask for a downward motion to point up and vice versa?
If this comes naturally for you and you played lots of flight simulator games back in the day, then sure, invert the swivel motion, but if not. We would suggest that you leave this off.
What Settings do the Players Use?
So, now that you know what all of these settings govern, it’s about time that we took some inspiration from those that know the better than anyone else. The best way to set up your controls and settings is by mirroring those playing the at the highest level.
So, we have done a little bit of digging and found some setups that may inspire you to set up their way. We have also tried to only include any with quite diverse setups so that you can see some unique and play around to find something that suits you. So let’s check them out below:
Rizzo (G2 Esports) *Recommended*
- FOV: 105
- : 270
- : 110
- : -4.00
- : 0.20
- Swivel: 4.00
- : 1.2
- : No
Express (Ground Zero)
- FOV: 110
- : 230
- : 110
- : –10.00
- : 0.00
- Swivel: 3.00
- : 1.2
- : No
Turbopalosa (Team Envy)
- FOV: 104
- : 270
- : 130
- : -4.00
- : 0.35
- Swivel: 7.00
- : 1.2
- : No
JZR (NRG Esports)
- FOV: 110
- : 270
- : 80
- : -6.00
- : 0.00
- Swivel: 5.00
- : 1.2
- : No
FAQ Section
Question: Is Rocket League Free?
Answer: Yes, when Epic Games acquired this property they immediately transitioned and moved this game over to an FTP format. This is the same structure that their leading IP Fortnite uses and has done since the battle royale mode for that title launched. Up until then, Rocket League players would have had to part with about 25$ for the luxury of playing this game. However, thanks to this move, the player base of this car-based sports game has shot up, and this game has had a new lease of life under the Epic umbrella.Â
Question: Does Rocket League Have Real Cars?
Answer: Yes, Rocket League has been part of several partnerships with real car brands and manufacturers, which has seen them add true-to-life models of real cars to the game. One of the most notable examples was the inclusion of the Nissan Skyline to the lineup or the Ford F150 truck more recently. Aside from that, the game has also seen other third parties add to the car roster, with entities like the Delorean from Back to the Future, the Batmobile from the popular DC comic, or the Battle Bus from Fortnite all featuring in this game at one time or another.Â
Question: What is RLCS?
Answer: This stands for the Rocket League Championship Series, and this is the professional esports tournament and league for this game. Players from all around the world compete in their various Esports teams to determine who are the best of the best and compete for very lucrative prize pots too.
When this event is being broadcast, you can often pop in and watch live through the Rocket League main menu, and even as recently as last year, the RLCS was picked up and broadcast by the BBC, so Guild Esports fans could watch their team live.Â
Prepare For Success!
As you can see from the information above, Rocket League is a simple game to understand and play casually, but a tough game to master. This is because there are so many control settings like your camera, custom bindings, and other considerations that you have to take just to remain on a level playing field with the best of the best.
However, climbing this steep ladder to the top is part of the fun and we hope that these camera setting options give you a boost and allow you to climb a few rungs in quick succession. As always, thank you for reading Indie Game Culture.
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