Nitrogen in Shanghai Roadster: Boost, Land and Stick
Nitrogen is the cold gas in your car's tank. One button fires it, and the button does a different job depending on where you are: BOOST on the track, LAND in the air, and STICK in a loop or corkscrew. The gauge at the top right always shows which job is next. The tank is small, so using it at the right moment is how you win medals.
The three jobs of the Nitrogen button
| Job (on the gauge) | Where | What it does | Tip on screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOOST | On the track | Pushes the car forward for more speed | Save nitrogen for the straight. |
| LAND | In the air | Turns the car level and wheels-down, and slows the fall so you land softly | In the air? Wait for the ring, then hold Nitrogen. |
| STICK | In a loop or a corkscrew | Presses the car onto the track if it is too slow, and boosts it too | Too slow for the loop? Hold Nitrogen to stick. |
You never choose the job yourself. The game picks it from where the car is. While the jets are firing, the job word on the gauge is underlined.
BOOST: speed on the track
Hold Nitrogen on the track and the jets push you forward. Boost works everywhere on the track: on straights, in turns, and even in loops and corkscrews. It works best for getting up to speed. The motor alone takes the car to about 270 km/h. Boost takes you much faster, but above about 320 km/h it gets weaker, and the car tops out near 390 km/h. So Boost is worth most on a long straight when you are not yet at top speed, for example right after a turn.
Boost does not work while you brake. If you hold both, the tip says Nitrogen waits while you brake.
LAND: soft landings
As soon as the wheels leave the track, the gauge says LAND. Hold Nitrogen and the side jets turn the car level and wheels-down, then the jets slow the fall just before you touch down. You see Soft landing!
Firing too early wastes gas: the jets only idle until they are needed, but the gas is still going. On a rocket jump, a glowing ring shows you when to fire. The stunts page explains the ring and the Bullseye.
STICK: getting round loops
In a loop or a corkscrew the gauge says STICK. If you are fast enough, the track holds you by itself. If you are too slow, hold Nitrogen: the top jets press the car onto the track. The same press also boosts you, just like on a straight, so you speed up and make it round. The pressing only uses as much gas as it needs. When you are already fast enough, holding Nitrogen only boosts, and the gauge shows BOOST.
Rocket start
At the start, three lamps light up: red, orange, then green. Nitrogen gives no boost while they count down, but good timing wins you a flying start.
| When you press Nitrogen | What happens | Message |
|---|---|---|
| From 0.3 seconds before green to 0.2 seconds after | The car shoots off the line at about 58 km/h | Rocket start! |
| From 1.2 to 0.3 seconds before green | The wheels spin and the motor gives nothing for 0.7 seconds | Too early! Wait for green. |
| Earlier than that | Nothing happens | – |
It must be a fresh press: holding the button down from long before does not count. The pause screen reminds you too: Press Nitrogen just as the lamps turn green for a rocket start.
How much nitrogen do you have?
Every track gives you a full tank at the start. Bigger tracks give you a bigger tank. The gauge shows what is left as a percentage of what you started with.
These are the tank sizes from the game's track files. The game does not show the units, only the percentage. Boost uses 10 units every second, so the third column is how long you could Boost if you used the whole tank for it. The last column counts the Nitrogen crystals on each lap (see below).
| Track | Tank (units) | Seconds of Boost | Refill gates | Crystals per lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Nights | 100 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| Rocket Test | 100 | 10 | 2 | 4 |
| Los Angeles | 150 | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| Paris | 210 | 21 | 1 | 6 |
| New York | 190 | 19 | 1 | 12 |
| Tokyo | 190 | 19 | 1 | 11 |
| Dubai | 260 | 26 | 1 | 10 |
| Rio de Janeiro | 210 | 21 | 1 | 14 |
| Shanghai Sunrise | 280 | 28 | 2 | 11 |
Stick uses up to 8 units a second, and a landing burn up to 20 a second, but only for a moment.
Nitrogen crystals
Glowing ice-blue Nitrogen crystals spin just above the track on flat, plain straights. Drive through one and you see Nitrogen crystal! +10: it puts 10 units in your tank. That is one more second of Boost.
- They hang near the edge, first on one side and then on the other, so you steer out to grab one.
- On an open stretch they hang closer together and right by the red edge. Grabbing them there takes a steady hand!
- You must drive through a crystal on the track. Flying over it in a jump does not count.
- They come back every lap.
- A crystal never fills your tank above what you started with.
Refill gates
Some tracks have a refill gate: a frosty hoop round the track, a little before a rocket jump. Drive through it and:
- if your tank is low, it is filled up to 40 units, and you see Tank filled. Save it for the landing!
- if you already have 40 units or more, your tank stays as it is. A gate never takes gas away.
- either way, 25 units are kept back for the landing of the rocket jump ahead. Boost and Stick can't use them. If you try, the tip says Saved for the landing! After you land, the gas is yours again.
You pass each gate once per lap. Shanghai Nights and Los Angeles have no refill gates. On those tracks, crystals are the only way to get more gas.
Low thrust and an empty tank
When the tank gets low (under 25 units), every job gets weaker. The gauge turns orange and the tip says Low thrust. On a small tank like Shanghai Nights, that is the last quarter. On Shanghai Sunrise, it is only the last tenth.
When the tank is empty, the gauge says EMPTY and the tip says The tank is empty. You can still drive. You can, but you have no help for landings or loops, so drive carefully.
When should you save and when should you spend?
- Spend on long straights, after turns, when you are slow.
- Grab crystals on straights where it is safe. Each one pays for a second of Boost.
- Save enough to land a rocket jump and to get round a loop if you come in slow.
- Don't hold Boost into a turn. You will reach the rails too fast and lose the speed anyway.
- Look at Nitrogen left on the result card. If you finish with a lot left, you could have been faster. The card even says Clean driving. Try to save more nitrogen for the last straight.
More ideas are on tips for new drivers and advanced tips.
See also
- Loops, jumps and stunts for Stick and Land in action.
- All the tracks for where the straights and gates are.
- Controls for the Nitrogen button on every device.
- Play Shanghai Roadster and try all three jobs.
