Side spin Effectiveness

I've been a member for a year or two, but haven't been playing exhaustively in that time.

I've also in the past played a LOT of snooker, though not for a couple of years.  I was never amazingly good, though I wasn't too bad (used to play in a local league, my highest break in the league was 37, but highest in playing with friends was 46), so I have a very good understanding of the physics and how the cue ball behaves in the real world.

I know this is only a game, and doesn't re-create the physics perfectly, but the issue I have is simply one of balance - backspin and topspin have a very pronounced effect, but side spin seems to have a very negligible effect.  If I aim directly at a cushion and apply maximum sidespin, the angle the cue ball takes when it comes off the cushion is only just off straight - maybe 15 degrees or something... whereas I know it's not difficult to get a very pronounced angle by doing this - closer to 45 degrees depending on pace, distance and how well you cue it of course.

I'm not asking for the physics to be updated to properly replicate everything (though being able to swerve would be nice), just wondering why side seems to be so 'gently' implemented when top and screw are very effective....

Not a rant, just something that has bugged me for a while..

clever git

Yeah you are right the side does not add as much effect as in real life. 

There is also no slice effect (or does not seem to be, and I would welcome comments from players about this), by slice effect I mean that if you hit the cue ball on one side it will slice and run off on to the opposite side. 

This is how in real life you can do swerve shots, you slice the ball out and the spin brings it back. 

This is (I think) the most complicated part of the physics of the game in real life, and I don't think they could exactly replicate it here on fly or die.

I agree with you and it's a good chat topic.

liquid_lizzard

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ehhhh !!!!!

liquid_lizzard

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why use swerve !!!,it's a hit and hope shot surely,why not use the angles of the table !! swerve is a very dangerous shot to play,you might get lucky,but if you lose control of the cue ball,you lose control of the game.perhaps i'm wrong..and i stand to be corrected :) .

clever git

Swerve is very useful in some situations, I can swerve a little quite accurately in real life. But I only mentioned swerve to explain what I meant by slice.

p dash

You can swerve the cueball ever so slightly (not much) if you use elevate and sidespin towards the object ball you are trying to avoid. All depends on pace as well.