Booster

The booster gives the ball speed your own shot can't. Any ball travelling over it is pushed in the direction you drew the line. It can launch even a slowly rolling ball.

How the booster behaves

A booster is a line that bounces as little as a ramp (restitution 0.12). The difference: as the ball runs along it, every metre adds about 6 metres per second of speed. A one-metre booster adds roughly +6 m/s, half a metre about +3 m/s. There's a ceiling: a booster can't take the ball above 26 m/s, which is about twice a full-power shot.

A very slow, almost stopped ball still reacts: the engine treats it as if it were moving at least 0.8 m/s and pushes it along. So a booster can get a stalled ball moving again.

Why direction matters

A booster pushes from where you started drawing towards where you finished. Draw left to right and it pushes the ball right. Draw the same line right to left and the ball slows down, stops and comes back.

That second use is called a reverse booster, and the first stage of Level 2 introduces it. It isn't a separate tool: you draw the booster against the ball's direction of travel. The ball brakes on it, stops and gets thrown back the way it came. When the target is behind the ball, this is far more controllable than a spring.

Where it helps

• Long distances: if the wall is far and even a full-power shot falls short, put a short booster at the start of the path.
• Uphill: drawn at an angle, a booster both speeds the ball up and turns it upwards. It handles steep climbs a ramp can't.
• Obstacles that need speed: Magnetic floors and sand dunes slow the ball down; a booster right before them gets it through.
• Making up for a weak shot: when you can't draw in front of the ball, roll it gently and launch it with a booster further along.

Common mistakes

• Drawing it the wrong way round. By far the most frequent mistake.
• Curling the end upward. The ball leaves fast and hits the ceiling or the wall above the hole. A separate short ramp for the lift is usually easier to control.
• Too much speed. If the hole is narrow, or there's something like Pipes that needs a slow entry, a fast ball ruins it.

More in this section

• RampThe easiest way to lift the ball. Balancing angle, length and power.
• SpringChanges direction by bouncing. The angle is everything.
• WindAn invisible strip that pushes the ball in flight. Steering without touching.