Correcting Licensed Car Models

The launch of Season 21 includes targeted technical fixes for two prominent licensed vehicles: the Porsche 911 Turbo and the RAM 1500 RHO. Since their introduction, both car bodies suffered from specific graphical glitches involving their rear lighting systems. The Porsche 911 Turbo had issues where the iconic rear light bar would appear dim or flicker under certain arena lighting conditions. The RAM 1500 RHO suffered from asymmetrical taillight textures, where one side would fail to glow properly when braking or reversing.

Patch v2.63 updates the shader assets for these specific models. The fix ensures that the “emissive” textures—the parts of the car that light up—behave consistently across all maps, including the new Parc de Paris. For the Porsche, this means the light bar now maintains its brightness regardless of the shadows cast by stadium architecture. For the RAM, the textures have been realigned to ensure both taillights activate simultaneously with the correct intensity.

Impact on Night Maps and Competitive Clarity

While these changes appear purely cosmetic, they affect visual feedback during high-level play. In Rocket League, brake lights provide a subtle cue to opponents and teammates about a player’s momentum. A broken or dim light on a large vehicle like the RAM 1500 RHO can lead to minor misjudgments during close-quarters challenges. By restoring these lights, the developers have brought these licensed cars back to the standard of visual clarity expected from the default Octane or Dominus models.

The fix is especially noticeable on darker arenas like Mannfield (Night) or Neo Tokyo. In these environments, the glow from car exhausts and lights helps players track vehicle orientation in their peripheral vision. The restoration of the Porsche’s rear light bar restores the car’s silhouette, making it easier to read the car’s angle during aerial rotations.

Community Reaction: Relief for Car Enthusiasts

The community response on Reddit and the official forums shows that these bugs were a persistent source of annoyance for “car mains” who paid for these premium bundles. Players who purchased the Porsche 911 during its initial Rocket Pass release have been vocal about the light bar glitch for several months.

Key points from the player base:

  • The “Premium” Standard: Many players argue that licensed, paid content should be the most polished items in the game. The fact that these bugs persisted through several updates was a common point of criticism.
  • Consistency: Users have praised the developers for finally addressing “legacy” bugs rather than just adding new items.
  • Remaining Issues: Some players noted that while the Porsche and RAM are fixed, other licensed cars like the Lamborghini Countach still have minor clipping issues with certain wheels. The consensus is that while this patch is a good start, more “visual cleaning” is needed for the entire library of licensed vehicles.

Overall, the fix provides a necessary level of polish to the game’s premium roster. It ensures that players can use their favorite real-world cars without feeling that the models are technically inferior to standard car bodies.