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

[Steeled]

I have a question for the OP.

I'm not nearly as knowledgeable on this subject as the OP, but I do understand it.

Here's my question: If the server is dictating live-state, why do buffs sometimes go off but have no effect? I don't mean like HG/Bene deaths. I mean like sometimes Rampart, Foresight, Bloodbath, and even HG are consumed but the buff never registers (the user still lives) and the buff has no effect, yet the ability goes on cooldown.

In a server live-state, the thing I would expect to see is perhaps that you don't appear to get the buff (no status icon) but you actually do. Packet corruption of the client saying "I get Bloodbath, the server saying "You can has bloodbath, we agree it should be off cooldown", and the client not properly rec'ing/handling the recognition packet.

This is easiest to see when it happens to Bloodbath, because scrolling combat text shows us all the minimal heals. It's harder with rampart to say "Oh, well is he hitting me 20% weaker or not?", but Bloodbath or HG are pretty easy to see. (HG is not immune to all damage though, so some people may falsely observe this)

Hmm.. Perhaps it could be the sending packet that is corrupted/failing? Maybe the server tracks whats on cooldown just to prevent hacking, but the client has some basic protection. Maybe the client throws it on cooldown, notifies the server, and here's where the break happens?

[kukurumei]

Not everything is jumbled up into the server, and should not be. There is a polling list, and several key factors. Some of it is slow down by anti-hack checks, but not all of it.
Some of it is very low risk, and "even if a hacker tries, he won't be able to do much", successive checks that can flag a maligned code.

for instance position checks (the part that is the center of attention). You can actually have a predictive analysis going on based on the ping time of a player. Say you have:

player A, he has a poll of 35ms on his flag, the server does a rough mathematical equation, that predicatively gives him 2% "fail safe" zone for the AoE circle.
player B, he is polling of 180ms on his flag, the fail safe is expanded to 10%.

To prevent "lag hacking" that's common in some games, you resolve it with successive checks on other factors that "time out" or "impossible limits" making a high risk into a low risk problem.

It basically all boils down to the brain power of the programer(s) ability to make mathematical equations that can predict player data, and then have a proper "fail safe" for situations that are clearly outside the norm.

It's elevator theory, where if you find someone to stare at the lobby elevator for long enough time, you can program a sequence that can do the exact same thing using if/or/and

[Sinth]

I have a question for the OP.

I'm not nearly as knowledgeable on this subject as the OP, but I do understand it.

Here's my question: If the server is dictating live-state, why do buffs sometimes go off but have no effect? I don't mean like HG/Bene deaths. I mean like sometimes Rampart, Foresight, Bloodbath, and even HG are consumed but the buff never registers (the user still lives) and the buff has no effect, yet the ability goes on cooldown.

In a server live-state, the thing I would expect to see is perhaps that you don't appear to get the buff (no status icon) but you actually do. Packet corruption of the client saying "I get Bloodbath, the server saying "You can has bloodbath, we agree it should be off cooldown", and the client not properly rec'ing/handling the recognition packet.

This is easiest to see when it happens to Bloodbath, because scrolling combat text shows us all the minimal heals. It's harder with rampart to say "Oh, well is he hitting me 20% weaker or not?", but Bloodbath or HG are pretty easy to see. (HG is not immune to all damage though, so some people may falsely observe this)

Hmm.. Perhaps it could be the sending packet that is corrupted/failing? Maybe the server tracks whats on cooldown just to prevent hacking, but the client has some basic protection. Maybe the client throws it on cooldown, notifies the server, and here's where the break happens?

On that specific issue its impossible to say without inside knowledge of the source code. It could possibly be a result of packet loss in addition to a server/client error checking issue. It could possibly be a bug in the client. It could possibly be a bug on the server.