European servers

[Shioban]

Not with the way they designed how this game handles data, even with a steady 80ms I have problems dealing with aoes, yet I can play any Action MMO or FPS with 200~300ms and have no issues, only here, a tab-target game.

I understand why they made the game this way, it prevents any kind of hacking, but I feel like the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.

You should have absolutely no issue dodging AOEs with a steady 80ms.

You have half the ping I do and actually even a 1/4 of the ping that my friend in Australia has, and we've both been able to clear all of the content in the game we've come across with ease thus-far. Even when I had personally a connection in London of 200ms due to a low-quality line and high traffic area I was still able to complete the content without issue.

Packet transfers in FFXIV do not prevent hacking, not even remotely I have no idea where you're pulling that information from, the packet transfers are extremely easy to manipulate.


A lot of the time that players encountered this issue, we found they were moving too slowly, either due to their reaction times and or they weren't looking at the cast bar.
For example in Titan HM, "Weight of the Land" is extremley easy to dodge when you know it's coming up, using "Shift+F" for focus target on Titan also helps you notice the cast-bar.

If you're still in the way as the CAST BAR ends then you'll get hit, the graphic you see in-game means nothing.

Understanding what's coming up next and moving preemptively or moving the SPLIT second the cast starts is important.

[Toranja]

If you'd actually read over my post you would see that I elaborated on this.

Don't be so quick to jump the gun.

Let me translate your first paragraph for you. It begins with "IF ONLY YOU KNEW..." and then it goes with "I DON'T KNOW EITHER, BUT IT MUST BE BAZILLIONS!"

If you're still in the way as the CAST BAR ends then you'll get hit, the graphic you see in-game means nothing.

Ballistic Missile. There are also a few others.

[Shioban]

Let me translate your first paragraph for you. It begins with "IF ONLY YOU KNEW..." and then it goes with "I DON'T KNOW EITHER, BUT IT MUST BE BAZILLIONS!"

I know the rough cost, yes. But as I don't know the exact to the letter hardware set-up Square Enix themselves are using it would be inappropriate to post a random figure without actually knowing to the letter what they have.

I can sit an work it out for you in a new reply if it's really that big an issue, it won't take too long, but the cost is still going to be at the very least $100,000 minimum for a hardware set-up even close to producing the 0.3 delay they currently have.

Ballistic Missile. There are also a few others.

Yup! There are a few that work as intended and for the most part reflect the cast bar correctly.

But there is a HUGE amount of AOEs where people place their reliance on the in-game graphic that they see and therefore react to slowly, then complaining "I got hit, whyyyyy SE!"


My point still stands, the cast-bar for those rule supreme, even if the graphic in certain cases matches the timing perfectly.

[Alukah]

You should have absolutely no issue dodging AOEs with a steady 80ms.

But I do, and it's not only with dodging, things like using bane or fester right after using a DoT will cause the last DoT to not be spread/not be used for fester, or getting a skill cast interrupted for no reason (actually there is a reason: in the server side you're still casting the skill)

You have half the ping I do and actually even a 1/4 of the ping that my friend in Australia has, and we've both been able to clear all of the content in the game we've come across with ease thus-far. Even when I had personally a connection in London of 200ms due to a low-quality line and high traffic area I was still able to complete the content without issue.

I am glad you are not having any issues, many of us still do.

Packet transfers in FFXIV do not prevent hacking, not even remotely I have no idea where you're pulling that information from, the packet transfers are extremely easy to manipulate.

No, I am talking about the server being fully proprietary, in order to lower the impact of latency is common for a lot of game to let the client predict some movements (with the downside of opening a door to exploits, but this is usually controlled with anti-cheat programs) this game is more strict with how data is handled, what you see on the screen doesn't matter, only what is happening in the server matters. The issue is a bit more complex and it was detailed in another thread, but I can't seem to find it now.

A lot of the time that players encountered this issue, we found they were moving too slowly, either due to their reaction times and or they weren't looking at the cast bar.
For example in Titan HM, "Weight of the Land" is extremley easy to dodge when you know it's coming up, using "Shift+F" for focus target on Titan also helps you notice the cast-bar.

If you're still in the way as the CAST BAR ends then you'll get hit, the graphic you see in-game means nothing.

Understanding what's coming up next and moving preemptively or moving the SPLIT second the cast starts is important.

That has been said every single time this topic is brought up, I know about that and it has nothing to do with cast bars.

You have a third of my ping from Hong Kong, yet I don't struggle? The same was true of many of my Japanese friends during beta, when I was playing from the UK on the Japanese data centre. Almost certainly the quality of your ISP. I gained 130ms moving from the UK to HK, yet the game feels much more responsive and reliable now. I bet if you traceroute, you'll find it's little more than a case of a few dodgy hops.

Friend from Canada, with the lowest ping i have ever seen (less than 30ms) quit this due to lag issues and went back to play BF4, where he has no issues.

I know it's hard to believe how people with lower latency than you are having so many problems, but it happens and it only happens in this game, why only this game?

Mechanics in this game are a no-brainer, under no lag issues this game is way way way too easy unless you have slow reflexes, but add lag issues and it becomes a predict or die, not react or die.

EDIT: this is the thread http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...annot-be-fixed

[Mcshiggs]

But I do, and it's not only with dodging, things like using bane or fester right after using a DoT will cause the last DoT to not be spread/not be used for fester, or getting a skill cast interrupted for no reason (actually there is a reason: in the server side you're still casting the skill)

This happens to everyone, if you play summoner any at all, you know to wait a half second after your last dot to Bane or Fester, your dots are on the GCD, aetherflow abilities aren't, so if you hit with one before the GCD of your last dot is finished, that dot won't be applied.

[Kiara1]

This happens to everyone, if you play summoner any at all, you know to wait a half second after your last dot to Bane or Fester, your dots are on the GCD, aetherflow abilities aren't, so if you hit with one before the GCD of your last dot is finished, that dot won't be applied.

Someone said it was my ISP's fault that I had that delay.
What's wrong if it happens to everyone then? I think they should fix stuff like that before giving us new content. I'd rather play a game that isn't broken. And my sister acutally quit the game cause of the 0.5-1 sec delay after every animation.
Is it really supposed to be like that?

[Mcshiggs]

Someone said it was my ISP's fault that I had that delay.
What's wrong if it happens to everyone then? I think they should fix stuff like that before giving us new content. I'd rather play a game that isn't broken. And my sister acutally quit the game cause of the 0.5-1 sec delay after every animation.
Is it really supposed to be like that?

It's sort of the same thing when black mages miss firestarter procs, you can actually hit to cast your next spell before your first is completely finished casting, and the spell still has to hit before it will proc, so your next fire spell can be halfway cast before the you get the proc. Not sure if that is how it's meant to be, but it's like that for everyone, so nothing about it makes it unfair.

[Billie21]

Does the ocean part matter?
No, as we've already proven that's not the issue here, there's clearly an issue between specific players connections taking routes that either hit a bad node, or somewhere with heavy congestion or instability causing the jump or delay. If the entirety of EU/AU players were unable to play the game, THEN cause for an EU datacentre would be considered.

Let me first thank you for a thoughtfull, moderate and constructive reply to this topic (even though it's not mine).
I agree with many points you make (notably I hold no illusion about the way features/fix/etc work in a MMORPG, like everything else, it is a business, as you say, and cost and benefits are always balanced and dictate what gets done or not).


I wanted to add something to this specific point you bring (the one I cited):

The ocean indeed doesn't seem to be the issue for everybody as far as latency is concerned (my own ping from France is 45-ish until the last hop in Montreal, and most tracert posted on these forums showed that most spikes occurred in Canada or at least out of Europe).

While this may not be a problem with the general location of the servers (being in Europe or America doesn't seem to change that much), it looks to me like a problem with the specific location of the servers (being deserved by bad 3rd party).

Then again, I have seen the same discrepancy between client info and server decision as in my signature's videos with a ping under 200.
Don't tell me about the cast bar, I know about it, but you can get out before the cast bar ends and still get hit. Even if you didn't, the discrepancy between cast bar and ground markers itself isn't acceptable at all imho.
Oh, and the delay isn't just noticeable for dodging btw. Do people really consider this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3leMnErroL0 and this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sND93HHDlQ8 normal?
I, too, find it strange so see such problems when the ping isn't very high, but I have no idea why it is like that.
Nervermind, moving on.


On another note, as many before me pointed out, the game's design itself is very far from optimal for handling lag/latency.
But of course, there's no hope *that* will be fixed, since it would mean a redesign of the game's battles and mechanics. Though one can hope future content will not rely on the same gimmicks. I personally doubt it.

Connexion issues might vary from player to player, independently from SE, SE *is* responsible for the design of their own game.


When people have no trouble playing any other MMO (even some FtP) but struggle with FFXIV, they have a choice between A) searching for an unlikely solution while paying their sub to not-play or B) go play something else that works fine without being a pro tech or having to harrass your ISP, bully indifferent support and struggle to convince people who don't care, phone calls after phone calls. Especially considering it is likely to have no effect in the end.

I understand why they made the game this way, it prevents any kind of hacking, but I feel like the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.

I don't, considering the amount of hacking this game has seen.

[Mcshiggs]

[/B] go play something else that works fine without being a pro tech or having to harrass your ISP, bully indifferent support and struggle to convince people who don't care, phone calls after phone calls.

It makes no sense that you would come to the forums to complain but won't contact your ISP. SE never said they would put servers in Europe, but you expect them too, but you won't call your ISP and complain when they aren't providing the service you are paying for. It seems to me you have this bass ackwards, you expect one company to change because they provide you with the service you agree upon every time you pay, but you don't hold your ISP to giving you the reliable service you pay for. Do you call your cell phone provider to complain when your electricity goes out?

[Shioban]

No, I am talking about the server being fully proprietary, in order to lower the impact of latency is common for a lot of game to let the client predict some movements (with the downside of opening a door to exploits, but this is usually controlled with anti-cheat programs) this game is more strict with how data is handled, what you see on the screen doesn't matter, only what is happening in the server matters. The issue is a bit more complex and it was detailed in another thread, but I can't seem to find it now.

I haven't heard of that in FFXIV before, so I can't comment on it.


There must be another underlying issue with your connection if you simply cannot dodge anything with 80ms, that's extremely bizarre.


The cast bar suggestion was worth a shot seeing as plenty have found it helped in the past, always worth a shot!


As for the Summoner DOT's as the above person said, everyone has that issue, even those living next to the data-centre.