Server Tick Rate Is Holding the Game Back

[Jeeqbit]

It may seem like a small thing, but in a game with so many redundant menus, it adds up to the bad feeling of navigating through screens. I feel it can only be explained by the server tick, unless somebody proves me wrong.

Menus are clientside, which means they happen on your machine. Most of the information in those menus is stored in the files on your computer. The speed of those menus increases as you increase your FPS. Loading files from your computer can be increased a lot by having the game on an SSD.

There are a few elements that are probably slow due to the server. For example, loading the friends list and it only loading in 10 at a time. Either the server only sends you 10 names at a time, or the client only processes 10 at a time. Either way, this is an arbitrary limit set by SE that could simply be increased.

Most likely if you ask them why, they will claim it will crash the server or the client if it's increased - like how they said having more than 1 FATE in Occult Crescent would crash the server. Which is obviously not true considering the open world has lots of FATEs and we engage with more than 2 battles due to gold farming and pots anyway. Arguably, we have had 400 people fighting hunts and loads of others fighting big FATE bosses in the open world as well, without issue.

Another aspect that involves the server is handling inventory, so discarding or moving an item will require interacting with the server and seeking confirmation that it succeeded.

[Kohashi]

FFXIV has had a fixed server tick every 0.3s (~3.3 Hz) since its inception. While that may have worked well with the originally slow-paced content, it’s become a major issue as the pace of fights has increased. For comparison, WoW has a server tick every ~0.05s (~20 Hz). The game would play and feel much better if SE gave serious consideration to increasing the rate, at least halving it to every 0.15s.

I began seeing it as a serious issue in Savage fights during Pandaemonium with my static. We’d do the stack to spread mechanics. The stack works fine, then when the spread happens everyone just dies. We’re all in our correct spread spots, clearly reflected on my screen, so nobody made any last movements. The problem is the game is very slow to update positions. Ironically, stacks work more reliably since they’re client-side driven, unlike the spreads. Since FFXIV uses a zero-client trust model, the server only considers your last reported position, which may be up to 0.3s old. And don't even get me started on the healing lag.

I mean, random snapshots can happen due to random lags; however, the fact that your entire party got wiped tells me you guys don't understand how snapshots work in this game.

There are generally 2 major snapshot mechanics in this game.

1. That happens at the end of the cast bar
2. That happens at around 75% of the cast bar.

The one that happens at the end of the cast bar can be used with the AOE disappearing from the ground. You can use that to shimmy into the safe spot before the actual damage/ additional effect of the mechanic is applied to you. Very useful, for example, during the Landslide mechanic done by Titan.

Anyway, with that being said, I wouldn't mind them lowering the server tick as well.

[MayuAmakura]

They will never change it, that's the thing. This caters probably to consoles and their era. Sometimes you go out from snapshot immediately and it doesn't count. Sometimes you go 2 seconds earlier and it still counts. Buggers me but that's how the game works eh.

Another reason why everyone has GCD of 2.5 seconds which is mind boggling and slow compared to other mmos that use 1 seconds of GCD and it becomes even faster at proper haste gear,etc. But people with gamepads probably couldn't play with 1 second fast combat.

In PvP this is even worse. Play Crystaline Conflict, stand on a potion and some other guy that uses sprint and runs through it will take it over you who were standing on potion point. Sometimes you run ahead of that person like 1 second ahead, yet the person from behind you will take your potion and you lose a game because of netcode. Enemy monk kicks you in potion direction, you don't take it which is fine. You now play as Monk and do the same move, enemy takes the potion even though they got kicked. Yeah absolutely disgusting.

[PercibelTheren]

I don't know which issues are snapshotting and which are a server tick problem, but some mechanics just boggle my mind. I did Suzaku Unreal with friends and the platform explosions were wildly inconsistent somehow. I would be a good 2 or 3 steps away from the dividing line, clearly on the safe side and still ate the damage and the vuln sometimes.

[Jeeqbit]

I don't know which issues are snapshotting and which are a server tick problem, but some mechanics just boggle my mind. I did Suzaku Unreal with friends and the platform explosions were wildly inconsistent somehow. I would be a good 2 or 3 steps away from the dividing line, clearly on the safe side and still ate the damage and the vuln sometimes.

For those, you effectively had to begin moving as the other explosion was actually going on. Moving after is too late due to its speed, especially at my ping. In any case, I don't think that's how they intended the mechanic to be solved. What you can do is just sprint around in a circle and follow the explosions around, or for the other pattern identify the section that will be hit twice, wait for the one before it to explode, then wait for it to explode twice, then move onto it.

[PercibelTheren]

For those, you effectively had to begin moving as the other explosion was actually going on. Moving after is too late due to its speed, especially at my ping. In any case, I don't think that's how they intended the mechanic to be solved. What you can do is just sprint around in a circle and follow the explosions around, or for the other pattern identify the section that will be hit twice, wait for the one before it to explode, then wait for it to explode twice, then move onto it.

I understand how the mechanic works, I have cleared the Unreal quite a few times. The snapshotting on it is just absolute bs, I guess because 90% of the time, I was just fine and then a bunch of times I just got hit despite the fact that I was VERY CLEARLY IN THE SAFE ZONE. Either actually apply the knockup quickly enough that it's clear that I dodged too late and don't let me walk to the safe side at all, or match the damn animations to the snapshot. This way it's just incredibly frustrating.

[Kohashi]

For those, you effectively had to begin moving as the other explosion was actually going on. Moving after is too late due to its speed, especially at my ping. In any case, I don't think that's how they intended the mechanic to be solved. What you can do is just sprint around in a circle and follow the explosions around, or for the other pattern identify the section that will be hit twice, wait for the one before it to explode, then wait for it to explode twice, then move onto it.

This. There are some of the older fight designs that are really weird to figure out when the snapshot happens because the actual castbar does not appear or is telegraphed anywhere.

They will never change it, that's the thing. This caters probably to consoles and their era. Sometimes you go out from snapshot immediately and it doesn't count. Sometimes you go 2 seconds earlier and it still counts.

If you see the mechanic on the ground, you are already too late. The snapshot is done based on the boss's castbar most of the time and not the actual visual. It's counterintuitive but it is what it is.

[Daralii]

I understand how the mechanic works, I have cleared the Unreal quite a few times. The snapshotting on it is just absolute bs, I guess because 90% of the time, I was just fine and then a bunch of times I just got hit despite the fact that I was VERY CLEARLY IN THE SAFE ZONE. Either actually apply the knockup quickly enough that it's clear that I dodged too late and don't let me walk to the safe side at all, or match the damn animations to the snapshot. This way it's just incredibly frustrating.

Just live in Tokyo like the devs intended.

[Raikai]

Menus are clientside, which means they happen on your machine. Most of the information in those menus is stored in the files on your computer. The speed of those menus increases as you increase your FPS. Loading files from your computer can be increased a lot by having the game on an SSD.

Interesting... I upgraded my computer to a high end setting and while the combat with tons of people improved drastically, I didn't notice any difference in the menus not being snappy, especially the Retainer windows, turn-ins, etc.

[Umbrasin]

Apologies for any formatting issues, this is my first post here.

I don't know what goes in to alleviating something like this. Would this need new servers or is it something that can be retrofitted?

This would not require new servers. SE already upgraded all the North American hardware prior to Endwalker. The server tick rate is a configuration that SE can adjust. Increasing the tick rate would increase server load, but the upgraded servers should be able to handle the additional processing.

I mean, random snapshots can happen due to random lags; however, the fact that your entire party got wiped tells me you guys don't understand how snapshots work in this game.

My static and I understand how snapshots work. The issue isn’t misunderstanding the mechanic, it’s the inconsistency caused by the slow tick rate failing to track positions accurately. Combine that with global player latency, faster encounters, and the fact that one death often means a wipe, and it's a recipe for frustration. My group has been very successful, but there have been some real head-scratching wipes in the new encounters where it's obvious that the servers couldn't keep up.

The issue that I'm raising is that success or failure in high-end fights can entirely depend on whether a server tick happens towards the beginning or end of a mechanic. Status quo shouldn't be defended simply because it's the norm - encounters should be fun and intuitive. It's a game.

While my initial post focused on raiding, this affects new players as well. Most of the people I’ve introduced to FFXIV quit early, calling the game clunky and unresponsive. The combination of animation lock and slow server response drain the fun. Personally, I wish that SE would build in their own AlexanderXIV animation smoothing into the game itself. There's no good reason for animations to extend based on your ping on top of the already high server latency.