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DocHolliday

Why does the client FPS drop due to server latency?

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Why do some games suffer from this and some do not? 

In the past I was told this is due to the network code using a "prediction engine" that essentially filled in the gaps due to latency/packetloss so that the client could display a smooth framerate.  Sure you might get the occasional skip/warp/stutter, etc but overall it provided a much better experience to the user instead of a complete tank in FPS. 

I was wondering if there was anyone here that knew some of the inner workings of the engine in use that could explain this or even better yet one of the developers team members could pipe in to give us a high level breakdown of this technology, how its applied in this game and if/what efforts are being made to improve it.

Maxing out server side performance should be a VERY high priority if they ever wish to reach or even come close to what was said in the marketing material.  Improving client side performance however can have a very positive impact to user perception and overall experience with the game. 

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This game engine has always done that even in ARK, i believe they fixed it. Also Conan has the same issue too. So i think its an unreal engine issue. Sucks for us, and mainly when the AIs are too heavy in your area it goes downhill. The ships do not help either but structures seem to be fine.

 

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16 hours ago, DocHolliday said:

Why do some games suffer from this and some do not?

As far as sandbox games go everything can change at any time, people and NPC's are one thing but when you are creating your own custom buildings, ships, even the waves have to be replicated so everyone knows exactly where everything is. You cant be shooting at me on the top of a wave when I am actually at the bottom, and if you blow up a wall and I am lagging out, does that mean you can shoot me through it or is the wall still there?

Other games have this information static and prebuilt and actually part of the map, so it does not have to be replicated to everyone multiple times a second.

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But why does a clients FPS drop?  Why does the client stop rendering at the rate it was a millisecond prior?  I know its not a major change being worked on due to the cpu usage and gpu usage dropping very low.  The client is practically idle in these situations.  Seems to be a major weakness in the client. 

In my case it drops to 1fps many times.  My CPU usage and GPU usage tank indicating the client is not doing anything at that time as it waits for the server to update it.  If proper prediction code was in use the client would continue to draw what it knew was there and provide a smooth experience frame rate wise.  Sure you and/or the things around you might warp as the server updates the client with fresh coordinates and statuses, but at least the frame rate was constant.  When done properly small spikes in latency or packet-loss can result in a near transparent experience for the user as movement from the server and the clients prediction match up so when the next update in locations comes in not much changes. 

I was just hoping to get people talking about it and noticed.  I feel this could greatly improve the user experience.  I've seen how well it can work when done right and how it can destroy a promising game when the effort was not made.

Edited by DocHolliday

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