Rocket League guide to car differences: Hitbox Comparison

It's the latest competitive game, but there's still basic gameplay quirks that aren't known. I try and give you tips on some info that will help you win if you're playing competitively or in 1v1. If the interest is there part 2 will be a comparison test for the E-brake turning circle.
Inspired by the constant debate about car differences on / rocketleague
Music is track 1 & 2 from the Rocket League Soundtrack which was cut from the game.
play.spotify.c....
(Used under fair use policy)
Pitch diagram made by / rjr49
Edit: This video was featured by PCGamer.com in their article of the same topic, thanks guys. www.pcgamer.com...

[@ControlledPairsGaming]

Thanks for taking the time to do this! Great content, keep it up.

[@lol_iyoutube]

there is also collisions between cars. they feel very different. for example low profile cars can sometimes "scoop" other high profile cars when colliding. however when they try to reach a ball in a straight jump they fall short. higher profile cars feel "heavier" when colliding with other cars, to the point that at times, in a straight collision, the "lighter" cars goes flying off.

[@LocalContentShow]

Everyone seems to agree that car speed and acceleration are all the same. I *could* do a test about it just to double check but I don't think it would make a very interesting watch.

[@Matt-kh6te]

***** Thanks for the test. If there was a way to so this for aerials and ball control that's where this would matter most though.

[@PureLemons7]

Hezekiah Pewtersmith I think that would be very hard to do, as it is hard to set up the same Ariel twice in a row.

[@Matt-kh6te]

Training mode.

[@NiceCrewGaming]

***** I was considering doing one with end-to-end speed with and without boost, jump distance, jump height, etc., but all the measurements came out so close together that at the end I couldn't decide whether there were any actual differences or just inherent user margin of error (I was hand-timing with my phone's stopwatch with one hand, driving with the other). Speed is about 7.9 seconds from goal line to goal line with no boost, 5.1 seconds with unlimited boost, and of course there must be a continuum in there. Once I realized how futile my measurement attempts were going to be, I didn't bother to measure forward-dash or backward-dash from goal line to goal line (I believe, however, that no-boost backward drive was the same speed as forward). The cars can perform about a 405-degree rotation on a single jump from a standstill, but that's not really a competition-appropriate metric anyway because people seldom jump without any momentum. I really like how you diagrammed in this video. I assume you saved replays and used them to carefully plot each location. It's definitely good to know that the Merc has that objective advantage from straight-on. Very good video, got my thumbs up and sub for Part 2! - Eric

[@bluemoon539]

***** Well, to me it seems off. With cars like the paladin, and hotshot (my main ones) i almost always get first hit.. i dont with the merc etc. Also the paladin has a tighter turn radious and is more responsive. I feel the differences.. and its not just placebo , i didnt even know there was talk of car differences at first so i just played and noticed it. I have 150 games and 400 first hits.. but when i switch to merc or another one i cant remember the name of, it just doesnt seem like i get them as much.. and yes, nothing in my technique changes.

[@papasmokeng4183]

How the fuck do you forget octane

[@pleitedieb9290]

not only octane

[@jawohl3547]

Please do test other aspects of cars! That would be very helpful for the community! gj

[@proballa27]

for the first test, since the car speed and acceleration are basically the same, every car is hitting the ball with the same velocity. Maybe the more important information here is the angle that each car sends the ball at, which would give a good idea of what the front face of each hitbox looks like.

[@jeffmetal5]

Thanks for the video. Sadly there are two problems with this test. 1. Your sample size is far too small to be a meaningful test (each car should go for a number of times for a reliable test -- this accounts for error in angle, speed, timing, physics errors, calculations based on 'ticks' that you can't control for and so on). 2. The front hitbox is most likely a flat surface (box collider) meaning that each impact should generally be the same given the same weight and speed. This test would only be useful for measuring other statistics (weight, acceleration [or force if you prefer]) or alternatively if those are all the same, then the length of the hitbox (shorter hitboxes give the car slightly more time to accelerate). I think it's most likely that all the cars have the same statistics and hit boxes for balance purposes.

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

It is a deterministic program. There is no nead to apply statistical significance as the same conditions produce the exact same results.

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

It is a deterministic program. There is no nead to apply statistical significance as the same conditions produce the exact same results.

[@TheRandyNinja]

I noticed the same with the sweettooth the bigger cars seem to have a bigger advantage with the larger hitboxes making it easier to hit the ball at the correct angle.

[@BarretViker]

dont really care about the front of the car, lots of speculation about the top of the car hitboxes and "corners" of the car. flat cars seem to be better for experienced players because they can use them as paddles without the pesky corners of the car influencing the angle of the shot.. dont know if that is true

[@woodman94]

+Leon - Qeycon then why is it when I hit the ball with Breakout, it goes higher up to set myself up for a second hit in the air, the octane, takumi and gizmo all share the same hitboxes where the ball will go farther horizontally and not as vertical.

[@stoopidhaters]

The ball spins at a different RPM per car. The low rider cars Paladin and Breakout induce more spin to the ball resulting in a higher arch trajectory where as Merc induces the lowest spin therefore lower arch trajectory (sorry if I'm not wording anything correctly). That means that each has a different hit box. Here are the results! Backfire R=1.3275sec 45.197 RPM Road Hog R=1.4225sec 42.179 RPM Paladin R=1.045sec 57.416 RPM Breakout R=0.9975sec 60.150 RPM Gizmo R=1.99sec 30.150 RPM Merc R=2.87sec 20.905 RPM

[@stoopidhaters]

You are right there man, I mean Woodman. Each car induces different revolution speeds effecting the trajectory arch of the ball. Why bother making a game with different shaped cars if the hit boxes are the same. The idea is that each car is unique. Does the AK-47 behave the same as a M4A1-S in Counter Strike? Absolutely not, but these unique traits in the guns make the game what it is. One gun has more recoil, damage and ammo, the other has a less recoil, less damage, less ammo but a suppressor. I don't know about reload times but I'm sure one of them is quicker. (My bets on the M4A1-S) Backfire R=1.3275sec 45.197 RPM Road Hog R=1.4225sec 42.179 RPM Paladin R=1.045sec 57.416 RPM Breakout R=0.9975sec 60.150 RPM Gizmo R=1.99sec 30.150 RPM Merc R=2.87sec 20.905 RPM

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

Why dont people just datamine it?

[@MrIzzy5466]

The easiest way to figureout if the hitboxes, acceleration and handling are different is to check the actual game coding

[@blnt4ce]

Sweet tooth is awesome. Good handling, but I can't see the ball when I aerial XD

[@davidtoth7897]

thank you man, anybody makes videos for hitbox, nice video👍

[@parlantheprussian8352]

difficult topic. until now, i played without thinking about hitboxes. I supposed that there is a little difference between the cars, but it didnt metter in ranked games from bronze 1 to silver 2 or 3. But now im gold 1 and the most players are able to hit the ball highly in the air. Sure, i can do that too, but this discussion raises the question, weather it is easier to hit the ball better in the air with another car. Actually i use the backfire and im happy with it, but compared with the most players, its not the most used car...maybe on 4th or 5th postion

[@LocalContentShow]

+The Last Prussian I've always preferred the Backfire, no good competitive reason, it just looks so damn cool compared to the others and now I'm used to it. I can't wait for some sort of ratrod pickup truck type to be introduced.

[@parlantheprussian8352]

+Local Content yes me too. The only reason I've chosen the car was it's cool looking surface. And additionally I am a fan of the 50s and hotrods, so it was clear for me to choose the backfire. I'm also looking forward to some special "equipment" for the backfire.

[@nat17380]

Ive been rocking the paladin the most

[@NICKFOXTV]

Great video, like where your content is going.

[@JD-fy2cf]

Would love for you to test car speed.

[@JD2504]

One thing everyone seem to ignore is the height of the car hit box, making easier/harder to get the ball on top of your car (dribbling). Also while not a hitbox thing, some cars feel more floaty than others.

[@JustSeanTbh]

Fantastic vid, like your type of video creation ;) I play this game alot and love it! So happy that i find other YTers that makes content i enjoy :) Keep it up and i'll be checking in again!

[@crazytrain111]

I called the ball going in goal when you used Merc with boost... His front just looks the flattest, doesn't get under the ball as much.

[@macrodic1898]

Denny Kaleal huh at u asumming it’s gender I’m triigggggggiiiiiies

[@PhillipAllenShio]

I would be curious to see more testing with the newer cars. I use the Takumi because I feel like it kinda hits the ball at a better angle. It honestly might just be in my head, I don't know. Could you do a more up-to-date video?

[@FinalVortex]

BTW the mass of each car is different. where the Merc is the heaviest thus is the strongest when attacking other cars. I tested it myself, and u can do it too

[@gelobeans]

awesome vid man keep up the good work!!!

[@cimerians]

I feel the cars handle differently too. I'm not imagining it. The merc and the bigger cars are slower to make turns etc.

[@matvendou129]

what about the hotshot? its the only car i use

[@saucejohnson9862]

Is there a difference in aerial maneuverability? It sure feels like it. Takumi vs Octane, it feels waaaaay different. Also I see a lot of the guys who think they're MLG use the Octane.

[@korologosmichael0]

How many times did you test this? Seems like the spread group could be in the margin of error. You should test at least 10 times a piece to be sure.

[@LocalContentShow]

Only 3 times a piece because I planned to do every car at first. I've since done 10 more with the paladin and merc, in reply to people's comments, but every time gave the exact same results - I think because there's no human error or ball motion.

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

Why would there be any spread? Its not like this is a real ball, and the algorithm calculating it should produce the same result every time unless there is hardware faliour.

[@mrstoneybrew]

how the fuck does this test represent hit boxes. This is pretty much a power by speed test, as the faster you are hitting the ball the farther it goes.

[@mrstoneybrew]

+Jae Im Yes but either way speed is what creates the difference in distance. Hit box or area of hit has nothing to do with how far the ball goes in this test. If it did then he could vary speeds and it would still go the same distance.

[@LocalContentShow]

+stoneybrew This is a graph further showing the launch angle - range relationship with an object hit with the same force. i.imgur.com/4DBofuT.jpg . Coincidentally this was the first question in a job application the other day and I saved it knowing it would come in handy at some point. As Jae Im says all RL cars have the same speed/acceleration for balance purposes.

[@proballa27]

+stoneybrew but it does. the angle of the hit changes the distance, and you can get useful information about the front face of each hitbox given the angle of the ball trajectory and the distance travelled.

[@mrstoneybrew]

+N8 yes but speed is a unknown variable here, so without a consistent standard, nothing is really being tested evenly.

[@proballa27]

+stoneybrew v=d/t, so it's not impossible to figure out speed. in any case it's pretty much agreed upon that all the speeds are the same, so knowing the speed is actually irrelevant in this case

[@rammix1]

And not a word about flight.

[@ZemzyOseris]

Hitboxes areant the only difference, handelibg is another. The Takumi has one of the best, while the backfire has one of the worst.

[@simonknight166]

thanks

[@stoopidhaters]

I'm no mathlete but here are the ball spin speeds per Car WITHOUT BOOST! All I did was slow the video to 0.25 speed, used my phones stopwatch. Then I times the results by 0.25 giving me the true Revolutions Per Second and finally, did 60 divided by the RPS giving me the RPM. These results are not 100% accurate in fact I would have gotten better results from the replay editor on Rocket League but couldn't be fucked. Backfire R=1.3275sec 45.197 RPM Road Hog R=1.4225sec 42.179 RPM Paladin R=1.045sec 57.416 RPM Breakout R=0.9975sec 60.150 RPM Gizmo R=1.99sec 30.150 RPM Merc R=2.87sec 20.905 RPM So what have we learned here and does it really matter? Yes the low rider cars like the Paladin and Breakout add a lot of spin to the ball which affects the way it bounces on the ground, walls, it also adds a higher arch trajectory to the ball which is a very important thing to consider for scoring goals. Now the guy in this video mentioned that the Merc is a good beginner car which it is, it's also a psychological thing too as big car means bigger hit box, easier to to hit and control the ball. But the trajectory arch is pretty low which can make or break the game, eventually people will get used to your playstyle, so why not use a different car, change your play style. And of course, the speed of each vehicle. Yeah I know, with the copious amounts of boost on the field, you don't really notice the speed difference do ya. But what about kick offs or chasing after that lonely ball before the other player/s kick it, pretty sure that Breakout will reach the ball before your sluggish Merc. Anyway, if you read this all, cheers.

[@constructivecapers]

There seems to be a clear difference in turning circle with gizmo being the sharpest

[@RuubiThaRodger]

Hey, this is kind of wrong because if you play at normal servers you dont have unlimited boost so if you keep on pressing boost with Paladin the ball will also go in the goal because there are gaps in between the boost spots where you have no boost. Just saying :) Great job on the video though.

[@LocalContentShow]

I was playing in normal servers where boost runs out, maybe I should have put the map on the other side to make it clear. Thanks though!

[@RuubiThaRodger]

Oh really? When I play normal servers and I use the Paladin car and I full boost the ball doesn`t hit the top of the goal *****

[@LocalContentShow]

RuubiThaRodger Does it go straight in? I'm beginning to think 3 goes on each test wasn't enough to be fair Edit: I just did 10 more tests and it was crossbar every time, I think you must be waiting until Go to press boost or something?

[@RuubiThaRodger]

Hmm, I don`t know about that maybe I just did something weird idk. I could do tests with you the next time if you would like? Send me a PM with your steam profile (:

[@LocalContentShow]

Sure thing! It's the same as my name on here

[@xsparik]

Good Work.

[@jameswest9388]

So this is completely inconclusive as the turning circles are different and can be very significant

[@LocalContentShow]

and also there have been at least 4 updates since mentioning "hit box rebalancing"

[@Burneri]

3:00 actually its not that great because if you have the straight run to the ball so does the opponent and if he is bit slow but jumps that will lead the ball going straight at your own goal.If the enemy is so slow(noobish) that you can do this to them, then you will win against them anyway...

[@TheOpeeGamer]

NICE

[@joeybgaming]

you just did front hit box you need to test them all

[@Logjambam]

I feel the turn speeds are different. its always weird for me to use a car other than octane.

[@myzabgamer1840]

no octane

[@crazii6611]

Ike

[@AlecTsengSkateboarding]

Most used car

[@ClashRoyale-rh5he]

Im All Star And My Most Used Car Is The RoadHog XL xD

[@addlolone]

Nice Thx

[@XenyaINC]

but otherwise, the merc is difficult to control, it really doesen't matter which car you use

[@okkon8106]

+Alice oh no dude, the cars are all identical in speed and stuff, its only hitboxes that are different

[@CrabManification]

+OkkonPlays They are different psyonix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=13078

[@crazytrain111]

No they aren't... Some cars can turn more tightly... There's another website that lists hit boxes and turning..

[@Jun-py9hy]

The Hotshot?

[@Blag_Cog]

this was not a hitbox comparison but it was a comparison of each cars power so to speak. I would love to know if the backfire or whatever its called acts differently than a paladin when the windshield gets hit. Are the hitboxes just the car model?

[@flamegrylls8965]

Jeff Quartz No, you can google a discussion where one of the developers piped in and said the hit box was just a rectangle on the outside of the model and that otherwise there is no spec difference between cars. So if there is no spec difference this video can only show hitbox comparison ie. how low on the ball each car hits.

[@Blag_Cog]

Flame Grylls but that just confirms my point. There is a different hitbox for each car because all the other specs are identical.The paladin is low and wide while there are other cars that are taller and thinner.

[@Joshuaposada]

+Jeff Quartz what he is saying is that the windshield wouldn't matter. it is a 3d rectangle. Also the way this video shows the hitboxs is at the angle the ball is being hit. This changes the trajectory of the ball.

[@Blag_Cog]

Joshua Posada so you agree that its not a hitbox display its more a display of what effect the different cars have on the ball when hit from the same angle. Hitbox would imply that you got a demonstration that would show exactly how the hitbox is mapped out

[@Joshuaposada]

+Jeff Quartz Put it this way. To gain an understanding of gravity we need not know its form, but its effect on nature. This is analogous to how the important defining feature is not the size of the hitboxs, but the shape and how it effects the ball. He shows us the shape of one car albeit the size may be different and he even shows us how the size/shape can translate to game play. Here we need to read between the lines. Hope this was clear. :)

[@MechanicallyMusical]

eh i think best car is dominus

[@tempous7564]

is ur antennae topper chroma from warframe?

[@LocalContentShow]

+gian martin carlos Yep, I don't play warframe but it's by far the coolest topper.

[@tempous7564]

Oh ok then :D

[@derfelcadarn3317]

And Octane?

[@steftendijck8700]

y u no use octane?

[@lemonfan2570]

Nope. It doesn't go into goal with merc either. Crossbar.

[@crazytrain111]

Seems he only did 1 test for each car sadly... Should have done 10-20 tests of each shot with each car... Seen what happened the majority of the time.

[@irmb8876]

Where's the hotshot

[@christopherelwell4392]

This test doesn't prove anything. The only time you would ever chip is in a far shot or a clear. The merc chiping low is a DISAVANTIGE. You also aren't accounting for side hits, roof hits, Areals and many other thing.

[@LocalContentShow]

considering the only thing I set out to prove is that there's *a* difference between hitboxes I'd say it went well. You can draw your own conclusions from the footage.

[@Vidiogamer106]

Where is octane

[@emircangorgu8788]

Like bose

[@Dahstin]

Oi thanks

[@ghostmasterzzgaming2909]

How the fuck did you get this on XB1 when this was uploaded in 2015 and it only came out yesterday in Feb 2016????

[@LocalContentShow]

+GhostMasterZzGaming I've got mad connections.

[@XxNiNgAxSnIpEr]

+Local Content lol pc with a controller

[@ghostmasterzzgaming2909]

+Local Content aha

[@TheTechBite]

+Gavin Conner or he has mad connections ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@alextheshrimp.]

a freaking Xbox controller was connected to his PC/laptop

[@p.m5397]

350+wins with Xdevil.

[@naydernn4725]

I used to use it because it looks the coolest imo, but the turning is a$$

[@p.m5397]

+Naydernn nearly a yesr ago:p currenrly on 1.5k wins with that shitty little car xD

[@naydernn4725]

Lol, add me on steam: Naydernn (if you have it)

[@Chrisey525i]

bowl or ball?

[@LocalContentShow]

Brawl. I meant to make this video about Smash Bros but I accidentally did some car thing instead.

[@shardprime]

+Local Content A common mistake.

[@its_r0ss_24]

what's a hitbox?

[@Beujah]

-.-' wtf?

[@rizzkyfadilah3200]

oei

[@prodigy2373]

This was a joke, you didn't even use the Octane or Dominus; SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR CARS IN THE GAME. The hitboxes vary a lot more than that. Try dribbling with a Octane and Dominus, obvious differences. Try doing power-shots with ANY of the cars, a nice difference. You can't test a hitbox by hitting a ball that is setup where u hit it at the bottom most part. Cause every car is going to hit it in the same area. Only reason the Merc was different is cause its hitbox is flat on the front and its a lot taller. I know this video is old, but it really annoys me when I see these kinds of videos.

[@LocalContentShow]

Make your own then, we can never have too much info on the game. You're wrong if you think it's easy to test any other types of hitbox though, you'd have to program macros to run precisely the same movements over and over or human error makes your results worse than shit. With the *tiny* differences we're looking for you can't hit the ball close to as reliably as you'd need, even if you were as good as you think. That's why you get a test like this: no human error. In fact make your own video anyway and link me to it because there've been at least 5 car handling updates since I made this and it might have changed completely over time.

[@prodigy2373]

***** Thanks for the reply, sorry for the over the top comment. When I can afford something to record off my xbox (since pc broke) I will try it. Sorry for being so intense, I see so many similar videos where they try to calculate this or that... Its humbling to actually get a reply. :) So hopefully soon, since its been rough lately I can try setting one up.

[@dili8811]

+VxRenagadesXv xbox doesn't have a built in video recording feature like the ps4?

[@PirategamingClan]

Road hog team

[@sleepykermitthehermit6109]

Lol This doesn’t apply anymore don’t know if thats a good thing or not