Side Slip and Barrel Roll

It sounds like you are referring to the drift mechanic, but I’m not sure exactly what maneuver you’re referring to. The drift feature lets you do some interesting things if you get the timing right. Could you describe what you mean in more detail?

If you are infact referring to drifting, I agree. There is a problem putting drifting into this game just for only certain craft. I cant get my head around how drifting is not a thing for all craft. I believe its because the way the speed limits are in place, as Heavier craft with higher weights and payload disadvantages in accelerations and deceleration should have an ability to drift at high speeds, especially with those with higher maneuverability. As drifting should should be a offensive plus with lighter craft with better acceleration and maneuverability as it offers the craft to thrust into different projected run directions better, while more of a disadvantage for heavier craft to drift, as they dont have the power or advantage over payload weight to gain the offensiveness trajectory over more advanced lighter craft of better maneuverability.

I should add that braking  to make sharper turns should be a component, which is why i I cant understand the handling dynamics since braking should increase your maneuvering and boos your turn as well as the max thrust boost does in selected class ships, like the a wind does now.. for example the awing should have a longer drift, unless you use the thrust boost  which is limited to boost charge, while all ties especially the interceptor ties should be able to have a more aggressive maneuvering drift, as it would be shorter and more faster to thrust against the opposing direction, which they sort of do at this point.

Also max engines should only give you increased thrust agility and im not sold on giving boost thrust out of the box for all classes. I believe its a really bad feature for this game and should be craft engine add on for all ships which will take an engine modification slot feature with drawbacks like recharge and over heating, while less impacting for some ships. 

I guess to correct this would be to decrease the turning ability to all fighters and introduce drifting by class payload, thrust power and maneuverability but only thrust power define your max speed and drifting which seems to be too low across all classes. 

I mean if its a constant braking system that keeps us from drifting as loosing power obviously   puts us into a drifting spin  that means there is a braking system that keeps us from reaching a higher max speed that the game desperately needs. Interesting set of rules. Like lucas would get his dynamics from air craft which should be in play if we are trying to hold up the film dynamics. I believe its better to hold up the fundamentalistic dynamics of unrestricted danger by using the . 

Drifting is already for all ships....

Not drifting.  A drift is like a cop slide.  

A sidesslip is lateral movement while the aircraft is facing and moving forward, similar to a crab walk.  The longitudinal axis remains parallel to the flight path.  Commonly used by atmospheric craft while landing (to align with the runway) or strafing targets.  It involves rudder input opposite of aileron. The maneuver is used in the movies by TIE fighters in cinematic dogfight scenes.   

I’ve been testing In practice mode and it doesn’t look possible.  I can’t get a ship to barrel roll either which requires similar coordinated input.  I’m not very far into the game, still figuring the mechanics  out, maybe it will reveal itself.

Yep, you don't have control over your laterals and vertical thrusters in this game, you can't do that. Squadron is not 6Dof (degrees of freedom) but only 3,5 dof (3rotations, and half a translation : forward only)

@Gornosaurus

1. Boost perpendicular to intended direction you’ll be facing when laterally strafing

2. Engage drift mode

3. Add rudder until you are facing 90deg to the direction of travel - lateral skidding

4. Done.

as for an aerodynamic side slip, 

a) you’re in space

b) there’s no up so no gravity pulling down

c) there’s no wings to change aerodynamic flow

d) such a manoeuvre is utter redundant and pointless in space, especially this kind of fakery Star Wars ‘flying’

e) you sideslip to stay in a direction whilst losing lift to descend faster => utterly redundant here & in space.

so you have no ventral or dorsal thrusters, so no up/down sliding, and no lateral thrusters so no strafing per se, but the EFFECT of strafing sideways is achievable as I outlined above.

if what you’re wanting is a sideslip like you’d do in a light aircraft on high finals, then it’s utterly nonsensical in space, even with the George Lucas Star Wars flying. 

Thanks for the insight, but all that boost setup seems pretty contrived and more closely represents a Talon Roll 

 Barrel Roll  & Barrel Roll pt 2  (in a 2d plane it's a sideslip) 

 It's a tactically significant maneuver and it's canon.