MMORPGs moving to 1-10 MS server side polling

[Dwill]

Which is talking about how often their servers process actions and says absolutely nothing about movement/position updates, which is what FFXIV's 300ms (100ms in instances) is all about. Edit: Not directed at you, Dwill, you just provided the source. Directed at the general idea presented in the topic.

As far as I'm aware, what Blizzard's doing will also help slightly on the positioning. I might be wrong though as networking isn't my forte and there are more qualified people than I that can explain the whole networking process of movement and positioning updates.

[Bixby]

As far as I'm aware, what Blizzard's doing will also help slightly on the positioning. I might be wrong though as networking isn't my forte and there are more qualified people than I that can explain the whole networking process of movement and positioning updates.

If so, good, but it's not really addressed in that thread. And if it only slightly helps, I'd say it's more of a beneficial side effect than anything.

This thread is largely comparing two unrelated things. If FFXIV is doing that kind of action batch-processing, and making this change would smooth things out or improve responsiveness, great, let's do it. But it won't necessarily do anything for movement/positioning lag, and it won't necessarily help with animation vs. activation.

FFXIV could definitely use help in both departments, but I don't think asking for 1-10ms movement updates (especially when using WoW as justification while that's not what WoW is doing) is the way to go. That'd be an enormous increase in positioning traffic and processing, and would likely screw just as many people as it helps.

And if FFXIV does have batch action processing (which we don't know), sure, that change might help some, but if that's the only change they make, I doubt it'd end up all that much better. Moving away from the whole animation-first paradigm would make a bigger impact, IMO.

[polyhedral]

Lag kills in endgame. People get called "bad" for having the only option for broadband in their area. Something needs to be done, besides using 3rd party tools.

[Judge_Xero]

Lag kills in endgame. People get called "bad" for having the only option for broadband in their area. Something needs to be done, besides using 3rd party tools.

If you're using the only Broadband available to you, and it's causing lag, then your only option may be 3rd party tools.

I have a 60ms delay in FFXIV - 300ms has not been an issue so far for me luckily.

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You could take a stop-watch and click it as fast as you can. See how close you can get to 0.1s. Most people can click it in 0.6s (600ms). See how fast that is?

[Grotesque]

If your ISP or backbone provider is the bottle neck, then polling increase won't help you much. Increasing the polling rate will also increase the traffic beween you and the server, so it won't get better for you if your route is already faulty. Think of a polluted limited highway and now you put even more cars on this highway. On the other side, people with good connection will profit from this.

[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.

[SarcasmMisser]

Unless you all are pinging 1-10ms to the servers this would do literally nothing for your connection or (in)ability to dodge.