MMORPGs moving to 1-10 MS server side polling

[Fornix]

In the slow paced MMO that FFXIV is, increasing server-side polling will have a very minimal impact. The only real change it would have are the split second decisions for players with solid connections to hit off faster. Such as using hallowed ground whilst the animation of an incoming attack would already have started. And still have the hallowed ground cast hit off prior to the incoming damage.

However, for those with crappy connections, those who currently fail to get out of the AoE ground effects and such, absolutely nothing is going to change. Better yet, by ensuring that players with a good connection get to play even more solid increasing server-side polling may even bite you back. As in comparison you'll end up playing even worse. After all, increased server-side polling is going to do absolutely nothing about delay and packet loss on the route between your PC and the FFXIV servers.

[Alukah]

However, for those with crappy connections, those who currently fail to get out of the AoE ground effects and such, absolutely nothing is going to change. Better yet, by ensuring that players with a good connection get to play even more solid increasing server-side polling may even bite you back. As in comparison you'll end up playing even worse. After all, increased server-side polling is going to do absolutely nothing about delay and packet loss on the route between your PC and the FFXIV servers.

You are assuming all net issues are on the players side, that is not true.

Currently the issue is not as bad as in that gif, but it's not 100% fixed either.

[Fornix]

You are assuming all net issues are on the players side, that is not true.

Currently the issue is not as bad as in that gif, but it's not 100% fixed either.

Nowhere did I say all net issues are player side. However, as is very apparent for those of us with solid connections to the servers. There's minimal issues with the servers itself. Dodging AoE can be done without flaw for example. So gain there is going to be very minimal to non-existing by increasing server-side polling.

Net issues at player homes, within player ISP's networks or en route to the servers however will not be impacted by increased server-side polling.

The only thing increased server-side polling is truly good for is making a competitive environment more rely on player reflexes than sever-side delay. On skills with 2 - 3 seconds cast timings that is irrelevant. Nor is it of importance for improving a player-versus-player environment as that is next to non-existent in FFXIV.

[Alukah]

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Either I'm blind or your previous post says "those who currently fail to get out of the AoE ground effects and such, absolutely nothing is going to change", that sounds pretty generic.

Sure dodging AoEs can be done without flaw once you learn the fight and know what's coming, since everything is scripted, but still many times people get hit even if they leave in time.

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How do you explain someone with a stable latency, leaving an aoe circle before the casting bar finishes, still getting hit? Not on PS3 btw.

[Sadana]

How do you explain someone with a stable latency, leaving an aoe circle before the casting bar finishes, still getting hit? Not on PS3 btw.

Don't get me wrong, I think SE should do something more on their end to fix this. I'm just pointing out what many don't realize. I get smacked around by stuff I was out of before the casting bar ended as well. (Just not as often anymore.) ><

[Fornix]

Either I'm blind or your previous post says "those who currently fail to get out of the AoE ground effects and such, absolutely nothing is going to change", that sounds pretty generic.

Nowhere does that say all net issues are player side. There can be multiple things at play:

A - There are no net issues, they're simply slow.
B - There are net issues, within the player's own network.
C - There are net issues, within the player's ISP network.
D - There are net issues, somewhere along the route between the player's ISP and the last node prior to the FFXIV's data center.

And less likely, as it'd involve many more players:
E - There are net issues, within the FFXIV data center's ISP.
F - There are net issues, within the FFXIV data center.
G - There are net issues, within the player's specific server clust / server / however hardware wise SE has hooked their systems up.

Sure dodging AoEs can be done without flaw once you learn the fight and know what's coming, since everything is scripted, but still many times people get hit even if they leave in time.

How do you explain someone with a stable latency, leaving an aoe circle before the casting bar finishes, still getting hit? Not on PS3 btw.

There is indeed a minor window in which you may get hit with a solid connection. And in that window increased server-side polling can be beneficial. However, keep in mind that player's getting hit by that occasionally (anything of roughly 2% and above) would quickly fall in category A. They're quite simply put, slow. And because they're slow, they may be unfortunate enough to barely make it out and not yet picked up as being out by the server.

It can often also clearly be seen in how people's characters moved when they shout there was "no way" they got hit by something. They tend to be the double distance behind of the other players. Most likely they're moving based on other player's movement rather than their own decision to do so. Either that, or their connection may be stable, but they're playing from Australia (read their latency is simply well above 200 ms).

[Alukah]

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Have you ran Hullbreaker recently? Try playing around with the traps set before the first boss.

Though I'm sure I wont change your opinion, whenever this topic arises there's always people like you who rush to put the blame on the player while having zero knowledge about the servers. If it makes you feel any better then yeah, SE servers are perfect and flawless, those like us who are used to action games where constant dodging is needed are a bunch of liars, conspiring to defame SE.

[Tupsi]

Have you ran Hullbreaker recently? Try playing around with the traps set before the first boss.

Traps are finicky on a design level, not latency level or else everything else would have the same latency problem (slabs for the tablets, the sasquash realizing you've killed all monkeys etc.)

Though I'm sure I wont change your opinion, whenever this topic arises there's always people like you who rush to put the blame on the player

Because it's been proven and even confirmed by numerous ISPs time and time again - Level3.net/Sky and so on are the main culprits. There's zero, absolutely zero way to state that it's purely the game's fault when if I can get out of AoE's and you can't..that's not the game. If it was the game, no one would be able to dodge anything, ever. Game's don't selectively work for people like that, especially latency wise without there being user input error of some kind. You have a terrible net card on your mobo? You'll have issues - that's not the game. Your ISP routes through Level3.net and it's terrible? That's not the game. Your PS3 is old and breaking down? You'll have more issues than just on a latency level. The only factor in this is not: "It's SE's fault" or "It's SE's servers."

Look up Level3.net and MMORPGs, you're guaranteed to find even the companies who go through them complaining.

while having zero knowledge about the servers.

This is why people blame the players, because they have zero knowledge and thus blame SE. SE can make the perfect MMORPG with the perfect polling but if your ISP routes through a backbone that is absolutely trash, it's not going to matter one bit.

[Fornix]

Though I'm sure I wont change your opinion, whenever this topic arises there's always people like you who rush to put the blame on the player while having zero knowledge about the servers. If it makes you feel any better then yeah, SE servers are perfect and flawless, those like us who are used to action games where constant dodging is needed are a bunch of liars, conspiring to defame SE.

I'm starting to doubt your reading comprehension, so let me just bold it out for you this time:

A - There are no net issues, they're simply slow.
B - There are net issues, within the player's own network.
C - There are net issues, within the player's ISP network.
D - There are net issues, somewhere along the route between the player's ISP and the last node prior to the FFXIV's data center.

And less likely, as it'd involve many more players:
E - There are net issues, within the FFXIV data center's ISP.
F - There are net issues, within the FFXIV data center.
G - There are net issues, within the player's specific server clust / server / however hardware wise SE has hooked their systems up.

Bolded is out of player's control.

E/F/G would also be out of player's control, but are very unlikely to be the cause considering as to how whenever issues there would occur, (close to) all players would be affected.

[Drako]

Have you ran Hullbreaker recently? Try playing around with the traps set before the first boss.

Though I'm sure I wont change your opinion, whenever this topic arises there's always people like you who rush to put the blame on the player while having zero knowledge about the servers. If it makes you feel any better then yeah, SE servers are perfect and flawless, those like us who are used to action games where constant dodging is needed are a bunch of liars, conspiring to defame SE.

There is also the final sting. If you let it hit you, it seems to take like 1-2 seconds for it to proc. I believe its only related to the design of the monster though Kinda like what Tupsi said.