@E9ine_AChow do you know if the player in that video has a high ping instead of an unstable connection? The performance display says 34-60ms there and that's not yours, as you get the data feed of that player when spectating.
Check this one out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftC1Rpi8mtg&t=524s&ab_channel=Battle%28non%29sense
I made some further changes/additions to the OP and provided some links from Kovaak about ping/lag compensation and Battle(non)sense regarding the servers, tickrate, network and netcode that while old are still probably relevant with the issues we have until new information is provided showing otherwise.
When i find something more informative then i'll post it up.
@DoYaSeeMe They don't like misery but do appear to be suckers for punishment.
Battle(non)sense also said they can make improvements but either the developers don't get the resources or don't feel the need to make these changes. I would say they've had plenty of revenue to reinvest and with all the complaints about performance, also advertising Apex in e sports which is such a fast growing market that would be to their benefit, i don't think either excuse holds much weight.
This could very likely lead to improvements for the vast majority of players.
@E9ine_AC I have said before the problem isn't just the servers or even likely the main issue with problems mainly occurring after updates although i do think they can probably be improved upon or optimisations are needed.
@ILostT0Loba I have updated the thread as to why high ping is not only unwelcome in matches but also some the reasons you'll likely have higher ping than normal and the suggestion of having a ping limit. Most FPS games have a limit and having a restriction here would be a welcome change, even if it's just in ranked.
@OldTreeCreeper If this was a bought/sold title then their strategy of milking it hard and fast with minor improvements would make more sense to me but for a live service they can invest and evolve over time doesn't, to me at least.
If we go off the numbers from steam (as far as i know the only accurate way of seeing concurrent players) then we have a reasonable amount when you consider all the other places you can log into Apex like Origin or consoles or Switch. Unless this is artificially inflated somehow, i think it shows they have a healthy base to grow from but i agree the approach they're taking is as if the game is in decline or that's at least the way it comes across.
Hopefully they take that opportunity but knowing EA/Respawn.. Carpe diem.
@DYSPROssium Thank you for providing that tweet. Like you i won't get hopes up from previous experience but it'll be interesting to see what they announce about footsteps and servers. We're also meant to be having a relevant person in the next QA on reddit discussing servers too apparently.
@apostolateofDOOM some actual numbers for you.
These are from the hq badges, which while not actual player stats can maby give some indictation.
Last year (sometime?) I remember there being roughly 19 million newbie badges. Today there are over 25 million. Roughly a 30% increase.
Of that only 2.6 million logged in 5 times.
Now the important ones imo, the season launch badge participated numbers in first month:
Season 3 - 7,940
Season 4 - 10,770
Season 5 - 9,902
Season 6 - 6,398
Season 7 - 9,504
Season 8 - 10,235
I'm not sure what exactly can be gleaned from these figures in relation to the actual game, but they indicate a hq drop off starting in season 5 with a return to stasis in Season 8, comparable with season 4
This could indicate an initial decline leading to no net increase over the last year in actual players. Perhaps no net increase in paying players or a decline. Thus the smash and grab.
@apostolateofDOOMI think the problem at its core, is that EA wants the game to generate money, more than having bugs fixed. Its honestly a sad thing seeing awesome titles like Titanfall (when that was very popular) die off, because of how things are marketed and managed.
A game like Apex needs better servers, yet EA defaults to "check your connection". People can have the fastest internet connection and the best PC ever, and still lag and have issues in Apex Legends, mainly because the rate at which packets are sent isn't the best.
In games like Fortnite, Destiny 2, Rainbow Six Siege, Warzone, Valorant, etc. they have little to no lag. When you take cover, no one is "shooting" you through the wall. The only time when these games showed poor connection like Apex, is when the user's Wi-Fi connection is poor.
Everytime I had issues with Apex's server connections, I check my ping to the data servers, which there's 5 very close to me. The closest 4 usually have 50-83 ping, while the 5th one has 43-74 ping. There's usually 0-12% packet loss as well. I was told that the packet loss was because "I didn't have the right ports open". Opening up these ports made no difference, as the required ones were already opened. When I get to the game's lobby, the low ping I saw, (yes I consider 43-50 to be "low" for Apex), it spikes up to 67-103 instantly.
I can boot up other games like Sea of Thieves, Neverwinter, and even VRChat, and I only have connection issues when my Wi-Fi gets a poor connection. The point is, Apex is the only online multiplayer game I have that has bad server connection, which makes me feel like its no fault of my own. Apparently EA/Respawn is renting the servers, so its not like they can fix it themselves, but still.
I just hope they can get things together, and keep bugs fixed and not reintroducing it in another way. Like those ring sounds was a nightmare, happy those got fixed.
