How does BF4 determine ping and latency compensation?

First of all: REAT GAME! I love BF4! The campaign is fun.

I have satellite internet on the West Coast, US. I have adequate upload and download volume.

My ping is around 700.

How does BF4 determine compensation for latency and ping?

I'm wondering if maybe I excede the level of adjustment offered and this is what I can expect, or if there is something you can tweak to help me out. I don't expect eveyone to be slowed to my rate during the game or comparison calcs on the server, but maybe my target could be smaller or damage level adjusted - you know - passive methods of compensation.

Thanks

WarWraith69

battlefield 4

rizzoid
13 years ago
Collect ping values: They probably do on an infrequent basis.
More on client-side hit detection: Here's some information from one of my favorite PlanetSide 2 video producers which will give you a very basic idea of what is happening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3fUok2AoaU
60 ms: That was my example number based on some of the engines I've worked with. I'm not sure what Frostbite 3 uses.
Steady high ping compensation: It could be done but there are variances in that range just as there are for people with lower latency. While I get shot behind corners by someone with a 100 ms ping (with my typical 10-30 ms), you will experience the same with someon that has a noticably higher ping. Also, with the hybrid system some use (modem outbound, sattelite inbound), it complicates the issue even further.
Marketing: As a whole, the useage for sattelite-based connections in FPSes has been in a decline for some time now. It is unlikely that many companies will target that area for this very reason.

4 Replies

rizzoid
13 years ago
Indeed, you are well outside the range that most game engines would design around. Many modern game engines base their latency compensation around the 60 ms mark. And DICE will likely never state what it is or people would game the system to reach the magic point where they are able to out-perform other players simply based on their ping.
As for changes, those won't happen for the same reason: players would abuse the system. DICE, however, did give more benefit to players like yourself that have higher latency by going with the client-side hit detection system which is much more forgiving.
Anonymous
13 years ago
Do the developers collect any data on ping values actually occuring in the games? Is there any way they would know if 1000 people were playing with ping over 500 (you cannot get below this with satellite as it has to go up and back down no matter what)?
Can you elaborate on the "client-side hit detection"? I've had some wierd momments where I shot or even knifed someone and it looked like I missed, but the game scored a kill. Is this because the numbers added up, but the video couldn't keep up?
How are trigger pulls determined? If another user with low ping and latency pulls ate the same time, or even slightly after I pull, Doesn't my latency slow me down so that his shot is counted before mine?
Here's an interesting look at this:
There are millions of satellite internet users, and microwave internet users (I haven't found numbers for MW)
https://itunews.itu.int/en/2727-Satellite-broadband-comes-of-age.note.aspx
As, you pointed out in your reply, developers compensate latency in the 60 ms range.
It appears there is marketing opportunity, to reach out to these millions on satellite or microwave. If you can devise a way to more or less "passively " compensate for steady high ping (not for lag switching! If your ping drops several hundred ms = cheater) you can level the playing field for millions more. You'd be the first as far as I know.
I see your point about people abusing the system. Sounds like the key is to be able to actively monitor the ping, which may not be practical.
I see here how people get around compensation without a switch:
http://pastebin.com/BtfACUXn
rizzoid
13 years ago
Collect ping values: They probably do on an infrequent basis.
More on client-side hit detection: Here's some information from one of my favorite PlanetSide 2 video producers which will give you a very basic idea of what is happening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3fUok2AoaU
60 ms: That was my example number based on some of the engines I've worked with. I'm not sure what Frostbite 3 uses.
Steady high ping compensation: It could be done but there are variances in that range just as there are for people with lower latency. While I get shot behind corners by someone with a 100 ms ping (with my typical 10-30 ms), you will experience the same with someon that has a noticably higher ping. Also, with the hybrid system some use (modem outbound, sattelite inbound), it complicates the issue even further.
Marketing: As a whole, the useage for sattelite-based connections in FPSes has been in a decline for some time now. It is unlikely that many companies will target that area for this very reason.
Anonymous
13 years ago
Thanks. That video explains it very well.