Surprisingly few games, when you think about it, dedicate their loading screens to an image of actual in-game action. For me, Rocket League‘s loading screen has been an opportunity to grab another sip of my beer, lament the previous game’s failures, and think about a few things.
What’s going on here? Well it looks like the ball’s just inside the Blue half, to the right of the posts. Red’s looking to meet the ball head on and power a shot on goal. Blue wants to time the second, more powerful, hit of the double jump to smash the ball clear.
What’s going to happen? Difficult to say which direction the ball’s moving in, but it’s important. If it’s dropping in from high up I reckon Blue’s going to hit it first, seeing it away. If it’s bounced and heading upwards and away from Blue, Red’s going to get there first.
What would I do in this situation? If I’m Blue I’m clearly about to panic, hit the double jump early and fly frustratingly close to Red as he clips a delicious shot past me into the goal. I will then, as so often, audibly curse ‘Those pricks who can fly.’
But if I’m Red it’s a different matter! Hark at the momentum on him. With the tables turned I’m definitely getting to that ball first, smashing it way over the goal to bounce back into my own half as I plummet, bounce, and gradually come to a halt spinning gently upside down in the Blue goal. Over on the other end, they’ve scored.
Up yours, Rocket League.
Sunday Frames is a series of short pieces where the author muses on one or a small number of stills, frames, pictures, screenshots, or illustrations.