Why the netcode issue exists, and why it cannot be fixed.

[Billie21]

This is going to be off-topic, but I feel it's too important not to react:

No offense, but your take on this seems more "deduced" and less "informed" by technical background in operating MMOG datacenters. I do respect your opinion but it doesn't seem as "definitive" as Sinth's —which was less discussing an opinion than a fact, at least in the way he worded it. Seems the man is quite positive on his analysis. That being said, I can't really comment on its validity, so I'll let others do that.

Please don't let how knowledgable someone appears lead you to (at least partially) blind trust. AsAPilgrim replied:

No offense taken, I didn't mention my technical background because it's the internet where anyone can be anything they want and I thought actual examples that everyone could observe would be more convincing and less argument prone. But I have a CCNA (routing and switching) background [and a misspent youth hacking games, if that means anything to anyone]. I'm by no means an MMO game developer - but fortunately no one needs to be to discuss this topic as it effects players. And we are all deducing here unfortunately since SE hasn't responded with any facts...

Anyone can say anything, it's true IRL, it's even more true on the Net. Besides, even someone really knowledgable, if good in communication, can twist truth to make it appear as they want. I speak from first hand experience (as a witness) on previous mmorpg, where I once saw a guy who was intelligent and very good at communication abuse the position he was in (and the additional information he had access to, which I had access to, too) to give away half-truths and gain enough respect from the community to manipulate it as a whole (or the majority of it anyway).

We are far from this case for now, and I am not saying APilgrim is lying or has malicious intent, but this is where the slope starts: when you start taking for granted what someone throws at you just because you respect (mistakenly or not) them. Let's keep to facts, please. Just because one has 50 years of experience desinging and programming MMORPGs as well as a PhD in netcode and thought of the Internet before it was even created and they even managed to hacked the CIA doesn't mean they'll never say BS (the fact that we are discussion the shortcommings of SE on a videogame here is proof enough that professionnal experience =/= always being right).
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Back on topic, I concur with whoever said that this was the most interesting discution on this forum, and thank all participants for their contribution.

As for the client-side theory:

snip

I was wondering the exact same thing.
If the game truly was working the client-side way, then why would the client let us commit impossible actions? There should be no need to check with the server to know that our character is currently moving, and cannot cast a spell or summon a chocobo.
I have a harder time believing that SE would make a shitty client than believing that they are having issues with handling the "online" aspect of their game (in the case of esuna and chocobo, this doesn't even require to go online if the game is based on the client rather than the server), considering SE's experience and usualy quality of video games. That being said, it might still be the case.