How to Learn Every Mechanic (Begin With Directional Air Rolls)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eZAbWPrSGT1qq7hcyeuUKee8XOcb8S0K/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105319463969498769846&rtpof=true&sd=true

This version will include gifs, images, and videos which will aid your understanding of the instructions.

GOALS:

1. Mastery of all three air rolls (manual, left, and right)
2. Application of analog inputs and chains to all complex mechanics

After 3000 hours of gameplay, and a deep fascination with air mechanics, I came to a daunting realization that something was missing. I had never learned to use directional air rolls.

I realized that certain motions, such as a tornado spin, literally are not possible with only a manual air roll. As someone who is a freestyler at heart, this didn't sit well with me.

So, I changed my entire controller setup and learned directional air rolls.

This sucked. But after many more hours, I started to notice patterns in the how the air rolls function and came to the stunning conclusion that nearly EVERY advanced air mechanic can be broken down into a chain of simple analog movements and air rolls. Let me show you how!

Before we Start

Before we dive into practice, we must ask ourselves a very important question:

- Why should I use directional air roll? How would it help me?

Directional air roll is a very helpful tool which is often overlooked by many beginning and intermediate players. I firmly believe that learning to play for the first time with at least one directional air roll (and manual) is greatly beneficial to the player.

Here are three major reasons why:

• Directional Enables Control Over Two Separate Axes (Axis)
  
  • Unlike manual air roll - which is only capable of turning in one direction at a time, directional air roll allows players to assume control of two axes simultaneously.
    
  • Because of this enhanced control, one can execute quicker rotations which are impossible to execute with manual air roll.
    
  • As one moves up the ranks, speed and precision become increasingly essential and may just determine who wins and who loses.
  
  
• Directional is Much Simpler (Requires Less Analog Input)
  
  • Manual air roll requires one to constantly use the analog stick. This means that you must focus more and take more time to accomplish certain tasks. This is not the case with directional air roll.
    
  • With directional air roll, you need only use the analog stick when adjustments are needed. That is, one who is adept with directional air roll may only briefly pull the analog stick and let go, causing the car to smoothly change directions even after the analog stick is no longer being used (See pg. 6, “Advanced Analog Input”)
  
  
• Directional and Manual Used Together
  
  • While directional air roll certainly has its benefits, manual air roll tends to be more intuitive for aerials.
    
  • Using both types of air rolls interchangeably is the most beneficial to players. There will always be situations where one type of air roll will be better than the other. So, the best option is to learn to use both manual and directional air roll.

Okay, okay… But WHY? Imagine THIS:
- My main car is the Breakout. It takes 2 seconds to complete an entire air roll rotation, start to finish. Because we split this rotation into two parts, we time our analog movement during 1 second intervals. This means that with cleverly placed analog input, we can perfectly align our car for ANY aerial shot in only 1 second or less. Following this guide WILL enable you to do this!

First of all, know that left air roll is a clockwise rotation, and right air roll is a counter-clockwise rotation:

• Left Air Roll = Clockwise Rotation

• Right Air Roll = Counter-Clockwise Rotation

Before we define rotations and analog movements, we absolutely must understand how the analog should be used for the sake of the tutorial:

When performing a basic analog movement (or input), it should be noted that one must hold the analog in position throughout the entire half of the rotation. That is, one should strive to initiate the analog movement at the very beginning of the rotation (starting position) and let the analog stick return to resting position ONLY at the very end of the rotation (ending position). Eventually, one might stray from this rule.

It is equally as important not to hold the analog stick for too long; otherwise, it will affect the beginning of the secondary rotation, offsetting the position of your car.

Standard and Secondary Rotation are terms I coined with the purpose of breaking down a single air roll rotation into two separate parts. Knowing when either section of the rotation starts and ends will aid people with timing analog inputs correctly.

• Standard rotation begins when the bottom of the car is facing left and ends when the bottom of the car is facing right.

• Secondary rotation begins when the bottom of the car is facing right and ends when the bottom of the car is facing left.

Practice using air roll in freeplay like in the examples provided, starting in the starting position and stopping in the ending position. Then, air roll continuously and try to notice and pick out when the rotation starts and ends mentally. If you find this to be difficult, I recommend you try the continuous air roll but say out loud, “start,” when the rotation begins, and “end,” when it ends.
The objective with this exercise is to train your eyes and brain to know what rotation you are in and where in the rotation you are at all times. This is possibly the most difficult hurdle to overcome, so practice this until you feel comfortable.

Air Roll Left – Standard Rotation (see sec. 4, fig. 1 & 2)

Remember what was written in section 3:

“initiate the analog movement at the very beginning of the rotation and let the analog stick return to resting position ONLY at the very end of the rotation.”

Here is an example of why one should adhere to this rule:

Suppose Rocket League player SquishyMuffinz is learning to use directional air roll for the first time. In an online match, his teammate passes the ball into the air. Upon jumping into the air, SquishyMuffinz holds left directional air roll without using his analog stick and realizes that he must turn left to reach the ball (SquishyMuffinz is holding down left directional air roll throughout this entire example). Once his car is in the Standard Rotation Starting Position, SquishyMuffinz pulls and holds his analog stick in the SOUTH-WEST position. This pulled the nose of his car LEFT and UP. HOWEVER, SquishyMuffinz fails to bring his analog stick back to the resting position by the end of the standard rotation. Instead, he holds it in the SOUTH-WEST position until the end of the Secondary Rotation! In the Secondary Rotation, the South-West analog position pulls the nose of the car RIGHT and DOWN. This is the opposite of Standard Rotation where the SOUTH-WEST position pulls the nose of the car LEFT and UP. As such, the car returned to the Standard Rotation Starting Position, and he missed the pass!

Air Roll Left – Secondary Rotation (see sec. 4, fig. 3 & 4)

I am adding more to this guide every day! Check out the google doc version for more info:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eZAbWPrSGT1qq7hcyeuUKee8XOcb8S0K/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105319463969498769846&rtpof=true&sd=true