Request for Native High-Ping Compensation Feature

[Iselion]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the forums, and I apologize if this isn't the perfect spot for this discussion—I couldn't find a specific "in-game suggestions" section.

I'm facing a persistent issue that I believe many others are experiencing as well: the detrimental impact of high latency in gameplay, particularly for those of us connecting from a different continent. Since relocating, I've struggled significantly with both high and mid-level content. Although problems like lag-induced hits and laggy snapshotting—that is, when you're struck by an attack you've visibly avoided—are frustrating, they're not the focus of this post.

The real challenge here is ability weaving. Players with high ping can attest that it's virtually impossible to weave multiple abilities between Global Cool Downs (GCDs) without experiencing clipping. This limitation effectively bars anyone with a less-than-ideal connection from participating in high-end content. What exacerbates this issue is that there is a viable solution, yet it's currently outside the bounds of the game's policies.

It's a poorly kept secret that many players resort to third-party tools to circumvent latency issues. These tools, while against FFXIV's End User License Agreement (EULA) and thus risking bans, appear to correct these latency problems seamlessly, making high-level content accessible once again for players with ping over 100ms.

The question then arises: if this is a front-end issue, and if external software can detect high ping and adjust to restore the gameplay experience to the level the developers intended, why hasn't a similar feature been implemented natively in the game client?

Players striving for high-level content are left at a crossroads: either risk violating the EULA to enjoy the game fully or settle for a compromised experience due to high latency. It's an unfair decision no one should have to make. Console players are left without a choice at all.

Therefore, I propose an appeal to the developers: please consider incorporating a mechanism within the game client to automatically compensate for high latency, akin to what these third-party tools achieve. Implementing this feature would not only keep players compliant with the EULA but also promote fairness and inclusivity—core tenets of any esteemed MMO.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this suggestion. I believe it’s a crucial step toward improving the game for all players, regardless of geographic location.

[Iselion]

Apologies for the double post, I would like to add that I have also posted this same suggestion to the Japanese forums (as a tertiary speaker of Japanese, going through the honorifics of it the best I could) which you can find here: https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...A1%98%E3%81%84

I would like to see discussion and possibly community consensus regarding this issue so if you have an opinion either way, I'd welcome you to reply to this thread.

Thank you.

[Jeeqbit]

They could try to replicate that, but the easiest way for them to do it would be to simply not have delays on abilities. It just makes them feel bad to use, especially at higher pings.

I think a delay makes sense when using the same ability twice, because I often had an issue with two gap closers being used at once in the past after they got charges added.

Another issue is swiftcast. The time it takes to communicate with the server and back just to prevent your client from beginning a cast is too long, but if the effect was clientside I could see it being a problem. Nevertheless, it's probably the other main problem that happens at high pings and ways to improve it should be looked at.

[Iselion]

It's not even just the delays, it's that jobs that are extremely heavy on weaving such as Ninja, Machinist and Gunbreaker completely fail to function at higher pings. From what I've seen, somehow, third party tools seem to be able to ameliorate this without altering the client detectably. I cannot explain why it does so, nor do I want to break the rules in using one, so I'm left to speculate that it is some front-end problem where the client pings the server after clicking a button and waits for a response before allowing you to use another one. I can't for the life of me understand why it would be this way.

[ForsakenRoe]

While I've got no idea what the code for it would look like (or how it currently looks and therefore actual feasibility), I would look at making some kind of formula that decreases the 'backswing' animation lock of OGCDS (the 0.7s lockout before you can use another) by an amount proportional to the average ping of the player. So, my ping is usually around 35-40, meaning it'd take 35-40 MS off of the 700 MS 'backswing' animation. Someone on 150 ping would have even lower animation lock, etc. So that the player, regardless of ping (up to 700ms at which point, oof) would be able to doubleweave just as effectively as one another. Also, some actions could do with having their 'frontswing' for lack of a better term (sorry, used to play DOTA) shortened, like Hallowed Ground and Benediction (and tbh most healing actions)

The main issue is that those third party tools, with a bit of editing, can very easily allow for wacky things like 'you can Quadweave no problem', which falls into actual cheating. So ideally, the solution is something that scales based on the user's ping, so that you can always doubleweave regardless of ping, but you can only doubleweave, and not have it enabling tripleweaving or such

[Iselion]

The main issue is that those third party tools, with a bit of editing, can very easily allow for wacky things like 'you can Quadweave no problem', which falls into actual cheating. So ideally, the solution is something that scales based on the user's ping, so that you can always doubleweave regardless of ping, but you can only doubleweave, and not have it enabling tripleweaving or such

I recall PVP drama a while back where people spoofed their pings into the negative or something and were doing their entire burst in 3 GCDs or something crazy like that. This then conflates people who are using it to combat high ping and people who are trying to cheat. Not a good look so I was really hoping for an SE sanctioned solution for this. It's been 7 years since I've moved countries and it's been bad ever since.

[Jeeqbit]

I cannot explain why it does so, nor do I want to break the rules in using one, so I'm left to speculate that it is some front-end problem where the client pings the server after clicking a button and waits for a response before allowing you to use another one. I can't for the life of me understand why it would be this way.

My understanding is that's still the animation delays. The way the delays are implemented, they apparently don't account for ping, so high ping makes the delays longer. That's why the delays should just go. Then they wouldn't need to account for high-ping because there wouldn't be a delay in the first place.

Might that allow for quadruple weaving? Sure, but there are two ways they could handle that. They could either accept that as a thing or they could implement a hardcoded limit on the number that can be pressed in a given 2.5 seconds or make each GCD usage allow the usage of 2 OGCDs.

The reason they feel bad to use is because of the delays and removing them would solve one of the main things that causes people to feel the gameplay isn't smooth compared to other MMORPGs.

[Absimiliard]

Might that allow for quadruple weaving? Sure, but there are two ways they could handle that. They could either accept that as a thing or they could implement a hardcoded limit on the number that can be pressed in a given 2.5 seconds or make each GCD usage allow the usage of 2 OGCDs.

I don't believe quadruple weaving is something they would even need to account for. Those ogcd abilities will still be kept in check by their cooldowns.

[Jeeqbit]

I don't believe quadruple weaving is something they would even need to account for. Those ogcd abilities will still be kept in check by their cooldowns.

That's my thinking as well. Does it actually matter if someone quadruple weaves and then doesn't weave at all the next GCD? As long as they get pressed then they get pressed and go on cooldown.

We could argue that it then becomes suboptimal to not quadruple weave but the same argument could be made now for when people don't double weave and they still clear everything.

[Shurrikhan]

It's not even just the delays, it's that jobs that are extremely heavy on weaving such as Ninja, Machinist and Gunbreaker completely fail to function at higher pings. From what I've seen, somehow, third party tools seem to be able to ameliorate this without altering the client detectably.

Yep. They track your ping and then subtract the time added by the confirmation message resetting your animation lock timer, making it seem as if it didn't add to your animation lock timer.

As such, rather than a 250 ms player having a 750 lock-out and a 50 ms player having a 550 ms lock-out, they just all have the set 500 ms of lock-out.

Which just brings us back to the heart of the matter: You can have ping compensation, just like those plugins provide, to keep things fair and smooth for everyone... or just not arbitrarily sabotage the experience in the first place, by not having the confirmation reset the animation-lock timer. Either way works.

For my part, I like that there's the consistent minimum, at least, so our animations aren't all being garbled.

I wouldn't even mind it being slightly higher (up from .5s to .65s at most) or GCD-scaled (from three-tenths to a third of a GCD, allowing for almost exactly double-weaves [three animations per GCD] each time), assuming we allowed any and every action to queue correctly and maybe including a tiny bit of QoL whereby buff durations fading don't start until their animations (or animation lock timers) complete.

I just don't like latency impacting what one can and cannot do when that latency is smaller than the queuing period anyways.