Post by test777777 on Dec 17, 2018 7:16:20 GMT
A bit of a long winded ramble regarding latency and how I think it relates to my ability to be more precise and technical with my tanking.
I have been aware that I'm more latent than most, being so far away and I used to think my latency was reasonably consistent but it probably varies by 25% or more.
After watching some videos of high achievers recently, the one thing which I find consistent between them is some very effective tactics they use and the ability to pop out and fire accurately, pen and disappear again and do so consistently.
This is something, I just can't seem to get right and after scratching my head about it for some time, I believe it is high and variable Latency which is primarily to blame combined with a bit of inconsistency on my part too I daresay. Root cause though, lag.
I really find it difficult to time popping out, shooting and escaping back to cover again. I've even attempted to use physical timing of the controls to determine how long I need to engage them to get me to a particular point rather than rely on purely what I see. Each attempt, oddly results in different variable outcomes of positioning. - same tank, same position, same battle and same amount of stick. That shouldn't happen.
I've dabbled and tried testing this during several proving ground battles on various days. I'd start out on relatively flat ground, just going back and forth by pressing forward for exact amount of time and then back for an exact amount of time from a common starting point and I would do this 6 or 7 times. Every time, my tank ends up moving different amounts, despite exactly the same amount of time spent pressing each control. Even with Lag that shouldn't happen. One would think, the same amount of touch on the controller, would produce a delayed but consistent result when it came to where my tank ends up. I suspect WGs is modifying the curve of my analogue controller input and messing with it.
Anyway, when it comes to ridge sniping or popping out and shooting things before popping back in again, it's near impossible. Even if the input was consistent, i'm then faced with other forms of lag. Even though my reticle is essentially pre-aimed and I should only need to push the forward for a moment, pause, fire and retreat by pulling back for a moment. I cannot do it consistently without taking too much time. If I try and be quick and precise, input lag and network lag gets in the way and my timing is off.
What happens is, I'll continue to move for a short and variable period after I physically stop pushing forward on my controller so I may have stopped telling my tank to move but my tank still moves and on top of that my shot will fire a short and variable period after I press the fire button. The amount of input lag ranges from about a half a second up to over a second but it's quite noticeable what can and does happen during that period or when the shot fires a second after the eye has target lined up and trigger finger kicks in only to have everything unalign prior to shot going off. On occasion, shot dispersion helps me out but it may just be splash damage.
I know i'm repeating myself a bit here. I don't tend to rubber band but the game registers movement of turret, and movement of tracks input for a half a second or more after I've physically stopped and only registers input half a second or more after I initiate it and it's enormously frustrating being so close, yet so far on so many occasions. I respond to the moment in what seems like perfect time at my end but when what I see and respond to is out of sync with the server by such a variable margin and my tanks response to what I do is out of sync. It makes the timing of repairing, driving, shooting and aiming really inconsistent, it also means I am deliberately exposing my tank more and for longer than I would otherwise need to in order to compensate. I become aware of a need to repair later and despite responding to a need to repair, the repair actually taking affect half a second or more after I press the button(most noticeable with fire).
While I never thought in theory that variable latency of half a second or so would be much of an issue and it's not really when performing general movement or that noticeable in some other games. In practice, with a need for precise timing with so many situations in the battles where there's often only half a second or so between success and failure, highish and inconsistent latency is surprisingly high impacting.
Such tactics like leading a target, wiggling/rocking, ridge sniping, popping out from behind cover and peakabooming, driving/dodging and repairing, and even coordinated team firing at choke points(you know the bunch of guys move up and first guy fires, then retreats, second guy fires and retreats, third guy fires and retreats, rinse and repeat, type tactic). Anything requiring quick positional change, coordination and precision. It's the inconsistency thing moreso than anything else. If it was consistent, I could just adapt my timing.
I don't think I'll ever be able to perform precisely enough for successful outcomes for those strategies and I don't think any amount of practice will change that. With many of the videos I watch on peoples tactics, I'm reminded of how limited I am at being able to employ these fantastically useful tactics.
In my case - it is my ISP, the challenge of distance and a little bit of half blind old fart thrown in. I suppose it's also limitations with WGs netcode or XBOX Live or whatever it is that brokers the connections and exaggerates the latent input curve.
There are other skills which aren't so critical as precise timing mind you such as general situational awareness, side scraping, map knowledge, understanding of where the reds typically travel to, knowing tank capabilities, when to engage and from where and when and how to reposition and how to support ones team.
I have been aware that I'm more latent than most, being so far away and I used to think my latency was reasonably consistent but it probably varies by 25% or more.
After watching some videos of high achievers recently, the one thing which I find consistent between them is some very effective tactics they use and the ability to pop out and fire accurately, pen and disappear again and do so consistently.
This is something, I just can't seem to get right and after scratching my head about it for some time, I believe it is high and variable Latency which is primarily to blame combined with a bit of inconsistency on my part too I daresay. Root cause though, lag.
I really find it difficult to time popping out, shooting and escaping back to cover again. I've even attempted to use physical timing of the controls to determine how long I need to engage them to get me to a particular point rather than rely on purely what I see. Each attempt, oddly results in different variable outcomes of positioning. - same tank, same position, same battle and same amount of stick. That shouldn't happen.
I've dabbled and tried testing this during several proving ground battles on various days. I'd start out on relatively flat ground, just going back and forth by pressing forward for exact amount of time and then back for an exact amount of time from a common starting point and I would do this 6 or 7 times. Every time, my tank ends up moving different amounts, despite exactly the same amount of time spent pressing each control. Even with Lag that shouldn't happen. One would think, the same amount of touch on the controller, would produce a delayed but consistent result when it came to where my tank ends up. I suspect WGs is modifying the curve of my analogue controller input and messing with it.
Anyway, when it comes to ridge sniping or popping out and shooting things before popping back in again, it's near impossible. Even if the input was consistent, i'm then faced with other forms of lag. Even though my reticle is essentially pre-aimed and I should only need to push the forward for a moment, pause, fire and retreat by pulling back for a moment. I cannot do it consistently without taking too much time. If I try and be quick and precise, input lag and network lag gets in the way and my timing is off.
What happens is, I'll continue to move for a short and variable period after I physically stop pushing forward on my controller so I may have stopped telling my tank to move but my tank still moves and on top of that my shot will fire a short and variable period after I press the fire button. The amount of input lag ranges from about a half a second up to over a second but it's quite noticeable what can and does happen during that period or when the shot fires a second after the eye has target lined up and trigger finger kicks in only to have everything unalign prior to shot going off. On occasion, shot dispersion helps me out but it may just be splash damage.
I know i'm repeating myself a bit here. I don't tend to rubber band but the game registers movement of turret, and movement of tracks input for a half a second or more after I've physically stopped and only registers input half a second or more after I initiate it and it's enormously frustrating being so close, yet so far on so many occasions. I respond to the moment in what seems like perfect time at my end but when what I see and respond to is out of sync with the server by such a variable margin and my tanks response to what I do is out of sync. It makes the timing of repairing, driving, shooting and aiming really inconsistent, it also means I am deliberately exposing my tank more and for longer than I would otherwise need to in order to compensate. I become aware of a need to repair later and despite responding to a need to repair, the repair actually taking affect half a second or more after I press the button(most noticeable with fire).
While I never thought in theory that variable latency of half a second or so would be much of an issue and it's not really when performing general movement or that noticeable in some other games. In practice, with a need for precise timing with so many situations in the battles where there's often only half a second or so between success and failure, highish and inconsistent latency is surprisingly high impacting.
Such tactics like leading a target, wiggling/rocking, ridge sniping, popping out from behind cover and peakabooming, driving/dodging and repairing, and even coordinated team firing at choke points(you know the bunch of guys move up and first guy fires, then retreats, second guy fires and retreats, third guy fires and retreats, rinse and repeat, type tactic). Anything requiring quick positional change, coordination and precision. It's the inconsistency thing moreso than anything else. If it was consistent, I could just adapt my timing.
I don't think I'll ever be able to perform precisely enough for successful outcomes for those strategies and I don't think any amount of practice will change that. With many of the videos I watch on peoples tactics, I'm reminded of how limited I am at being able to employ these fantastically useful tactics.
In my case - it is my ISP, the challenge of distance and a little bit of half blind old fart thrown in. I suppose it's also limitations with WGs netcode or XBOX Live or whatever it is that brokers the connections and exaggerates the latent input curve.
There are other skills which aren't so critical as precise timing mind you such as general situational awareness, side scraping, map knowledge, understanding of where the reds typically travel to, knowing tank capabilities, when to engage and from where and when and how to reposition and how to support ones team.
