Are all cars created equal?

[HercDaMerc]

I was playing 2's and I got caught in the infamous "gake-out lock" with one of my opponents inside their goal (you know, the one where you run into each other head on and end up "stuck" because neither one wants to be the one to break it off....you know you've done it...it's a matter of chivalry and honor). Anyways he ended up pushing me back little by little even though neither of us was using boost.

I had never seen that happen before as each one would usually stay in the same spot because...I thought all cars were created equal.

Is there something I'm missing?

[EagleWalrus]

TLDR; Yes, all cars have the same power and are created equal.

Rocket league physics are very similar to real life. Newton's First Law of motion states that "Every object in a state of uniform motion will remain in that state of motion unless an external force acts on it." So if two cars are head on with no boost, and the pair gets pushed together by an external force, they will continue to move in that pushed direction together.

Think of it like two magnets floating in space. Although there is a force pushing them together, if you push the pair of magnets they will continue to float away from you eternally even though they are still being drawn together.

So the reason he ended up pushing you back little by little simply means that an external force was created at the start of the "gake-out lock" or whatever you called it. This external force could have been created by:
1) Him having more speed than you
2) Him reaching maximum throttle a few milliseconds before you
3) You hitting him at an angle so your power wasn't the strongest at the start
4) Another car / the ball slightly bumping into you
5) Either of you bumping into a wall
6) etc. etc.

However, I'm not sure how much ground friction is programmed into rocket league. If there's a lot of friction then the pair of you should slow down eventually. Chem's explanation might also be more possible/better