It's not a real signifigant slide, more of a lean. You should be able to notice it.

You should be able to see it from the trails that come off your wing. Try doing it in Cruise mode, should be more noticable.

Actually, you seem to be asking two questions. "How does the "A" and "D" key work?" and "How do I use the keys to strafe?" The first question requires a bit of lengthy explanation, so please bear with me.

First off, I'm just going to assume that you're talking about the keys on a computer keyboard, and not a typewriter's. Given the fading role of typewriters, it seems unlikely that's what you're after. If it is, let me know, and I can cover that as well. Now then, at its essence, a keyboard is a series of switches connected to a microprocessor that monitors the state of each switch and initiates a specific response to a change in that state. The processor in a keyboard has to understand several things that are important to the utility of the keyboard, such as the position of the key in the key matrix, the amount of bounce and how to filter it, and the speed at which to transmit the typematics.

The key matrix is the grid of circuits underneath the keys. In all keyboards except for capacitive ones, each circuit is broken at the point below a specific key. Pressing the key bridges the gap in the circuit, allowing a tiny amount of current to flow through. The processor monitors the key matrix for signs of continuity at any point on the grid. When it finds a circuit that is closed, it compares the location of that circuit on the key matrix to the character map in its ROM. The character map is basically a comparison chart for the processor that tells it what the key at x,y coordinates in the key matrix represents. If more than one key is pressed at the same time, the processor checks to see if that combination of keys has a designation in the character map. Thus, pressing the "a" key you're after by itself would result in a small letter "a" being sent to the computer. If you press and hold down the Shift key while pressing the "a" key, the processor compares that combination with the character map and produces a capital letter "A." You can do the same thing with the "d" key.

Keyboards rely on switches that cause a change in the current flowing through the circuits in the keyboard. When the key presses the keyswitch against the circuit, there is usually a small amount of vibration between the surfaces, known as bounce. The processor in a keyboard recognizes that this very rapid switching on and off is not caused by you pressing the key repeatedly. Therefore, it filters all of the tiny fluctuations out of the signal and treats it as a single keypress.

If you continue to hold down a key, the processor determines that you wish to send that character repeatedly to the computer. This is known as typematics. In this process, the delay between each instance of a character can normally be set in software, typically ranging from 30 characters per second (cps) to as few as two cps.

I hope this explanation answers your first question. Again, if you require any further details, I'd be happy to answer any follow-up questions you have. It's all very exciting, isn't it?

As for the second part of your question, simply use one of your fingers (whichever is the most comfortable) to apply a small amount downward pressure on the "a" or "d" key. Continue to apply this pressure for as long as you wish to strafe. When you no longer wish to strafe, remove your finger from the key in question.

*bows to the crowd*

Dammit, Ether Dragon... you beat me to the smartass reply.

Ether Dragon must be writer for technical manuals... very detailed response, I can continue on with living now that I understand. ...and I look at the keyboard with much more respect

Im curious about why they're used for 'straffing' as opposed to having them controll 'roll'?

BTW, Nice reply Ether Dragon, lol

Hehe. I admit I might have "borrowed" a "line or two" in creating the response.

There is no roll because it doesn't matter for hitting moving objects, if you have matched speed weapons the you have the circle on the +, you hit. For stationary stuff without a lead indicator, it would be nice. I like to strafe around these targets, and sometimes my ship just isn't oriented right to allow me to strafe across them effectively. Basically Freelancer is a pseudo 3d game. The map is 2d. There is some 3d localization, such as docking ports spread around a large asteroid base, but overall the simple aiming/flying doesn't really require roll. Your guns are just as effective no matter how you're oriented as long as you're pointing at their lead indicator.

hmmm yeah has anyone who played Starlancer been missing the match speed control (default key bidning z) which would be so much easier for dogfighting, no worrying about random speed increases and decreases... sometimes i have tried to use formation in combat, to supplement my want for a matched speed, but it doesnt always work.

Did somebody say my name?
-Gamma Wing
It's the dreaded G-Man[![![![!
-Moose

its basically like yaw left and right. you should be able to notice it

k.

Why does everybody keep focusing on the 2D nature of the systems? IRL, they're pretty much on one plane anyway, it's just what occurs naturally. Of course when you look at the galaxy, it's dense and has "height", but it's still disk-shaped...about as planar as you can get without being totally flat.

The game's scale is already reduced, so having the planets all on different Z levels would just look weird...either they'd be too far apart vertically, or they'd be close enough that it wouldn't really matter anyway.