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I rewatched the Overwatch Game Developers Conference video on how lag compensation works. Overwatch isn't Battlefield but they both use lag compensation and I do remember a Battlefield developer saying when players first join the game server, clock synchronization occurs.
At timestamp -39:47 Overwatch's developer talks about each player having a game clock running locally on their PC/console which is synchronized to the game server's clock. If there's 128 players connected to the game server, then the server is trying to synchronize 128 different clocks.
https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1024001/-Overwatch-Gameplay-Architecture-and
Battlefield's lag compensation sometimes doesn't sync the game clocks correctly and you'll know it because it'll feel like players see you before you see them and you have no time to react to anything.
I've never had Battlefield's game clock fix itself once it put me behind in reaction time. You would think it would fix itself throughout the match but that hasn't been my experience. Once the game clock puts me behind in reaction time it stays that way throughout the whole match. Or until I close and relaunch the game. Then rejoin the game server again.
I always completely close the game to make sure whatever is messed up gets reset. Turning the PC/console off and then back on is even better. That way everything gets reset.
- RaginSam11 days agoSeasoned Ace
This is EXACTLY what I've been experiencing! It's been driving me nuts for years at this point. You can tell something is off, but I didn't know how else to explain other than it felt like I was being put a tick or two behind other players, which is now what you're saying. It's nice to have a bit of validation. People were trying to make it out like I was being conspiratorial or something. This is why it's important for Developers to jump in and clear the air sometimes. Even though I disagree with Respawn's mentality regarding networking, they at least had an article explaining how it worked to a reasonable extent. So, even if it pisses off the community, at least you're being transparent and people can understand what's happening. It's also good for mental health. Anyone that gets a bit competitive with shooters knows what I'm talking about.
I still standby that Console players are being favored by the lag compensation, because it's literally every Console player I encounter kills me instantly. It rarely feels fair when I die to them. It happens with PC players too, but not nearly as consistent as it is with Console players. I've said this before, but I've played against cheaters that felt more legit in other games that eventually got banned than the majority of Console players in 2042.
It's great to see that Blizzard is trying to improve on this issue. Perceived fairness is almost as important as things being fair as possible. I'll have to watch more of that video when I get a chance, really interesting stuff. Thanks again for sharing.
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