View Full Version : How can synchronization be improved?
When you move your character into a new zone, your client sends the server this information. The server then immediately updates the zone with your presence. All mobs within range are aware of you. The server also immediately updates any other clients in the zone of your presence.
In the meantime, your client is attempting to complete the synchronization process. This includes loading the map for the new zone from your local disk and then populating it with mob and other player info from the server. Clearly this process takes longer than it does for the other clients in the zone to receive a single piece of updated info, i.e. your presence. This synchronization process is also prone to failure and often does. The result is that other players can see and kill you before you are done synchronizing.
So…can this process be improved? I can’t say for sure but let’s consider this…
How about if when you cross into a new zone the client does not inform the server until after the map has loaded? Let’s say you cross from Plaza 3 into PP1, your client loads the new map and the black Synchronizing… screen gives way to the map of PP1. You can see the walls, the floor, etc. but nothing else. There are no guards or other players. Now, after the map has fully loaded, your client sends the server the info that you have entered the zone. The server then sends out the info of NPC, mob, and other player locations simultaneously to all clients.
Might this work?
When you move your character into a new zone, your client sends the server this information. The server then immediately updates the zone with your presence. All mobs within range are aware of you. The server also immediately updates any other clients in the zone of your presence.
In the meantime, your client is attempting to complete the synchronization process. This includes loading the map for the new zone from your local disk and then populating it with mob and other player info from the server. Clearly this process takes longer than it does for the other clients in the zone to receive a single piece of updated info, i.e. your presence. This synchronization process is also prone to failure and often does. The result is that other players can see and kill you before you are done synchronizing.
So…can this process be improved? I can’t say for sure but let’s consider this…
How about if when you cross into a new zone the client does not inform the server until after the map has loaded? Let’s say you cross from Plaza 3 into PP1, your client loads the new map and the black Synchronizing… screen gives way to the map of PP1. You can see the walls, the floor, etc. but nothing else. There are no guards or other players. Now, after the map has fully loaded, your client sends the server the info that you have entered the zone. The server then sends out the info of NPC, mob, and other player locations simultaneously to all clients.
Might this work?I think I'd like to see this, but slightly differently, e.g. - the player enters the aggie cellars, then enters a "limbo" state (black screen) while the zone and all it's info is loaded. During this time, the person is technically "in" the zone, but he/she does not show up. When the client has all the info loaded and is synched up with the zone, it would then send the server an "I'm ready" packet, then the server would make you appear, and at the same time your client would lift the black screen. That way, hopefully, you'd get the least amount of lag inbetween zoning.
--Stryfe
enigma_b17
25-06-04, 00:56
remove it or put a wall around it?
maybe they should add a feature that when you zone you are invulnerable and but cannot use any weapons for 5 sec.
or somethin
I think it was discussed before . what happens if you're chasing someone and they zone and right as they zone hit alt+F4
The I'm ready thing may never happen. And how would the server know exactly that you're still not just syncing up.
I think it was discussed before . what happens if you're chasing someone and they zone and right as they zone hit alt+F4
The I'm ready thing may never happen. And how would the server know exactly that you're still not just syncing up.Maybe a max timeout of 15 seconds?
--Stryfe
{MD}GeistDamnit
25-06-04, 02:00
Something NEEDS to be done, I dont care what it is, but dying upon sync just sucks. Look at op war's and when people barrel and aoe the underground.
All the community should rally behind a new idea to fix syncronizing ;)
I refuse to read posts that are in a colour that makes it harder to read...
How about GETTING RID OF SYNC ZONES.
Quite possible.
slaughteruall
25-06-04, 16:28
Remove most zones. Just a few big zones. Like MB is one zone, NC is one zone, maybe 3 or 4 zones for the waste, and one zone for DOY.
Just take the small zones we have now and merge them. Sorta like what SW:G does you only "zone" when you change to a new planet.
Slaughter
As said it should be done in seconds, more like 10 seconds though where your invisable the other player and can't attack other untill the seconds are up so no one complains but it also could be a bad thing because people like to just get streight in there and kill ;) so they should make an on and off switch for it :). Problem solved!
All they have to do is wait for confirmation from the client to say the player is sync'd (but still blackscreen), then inform the server that at x time the client will open up the player, so the server does it at the same time. I have done similar on another system (not a game though).
x would depend on client ping so a player with a high ping doesn't come out of symc before the server reveals them to mobs/players.
Can't have a max time of 15 sec; I ran a partial install for a while, took me 35 seconds to load and finish syncing in the waists. The city maps load as fast as a full install though.
As said it should be done in seconds, more like 10 seconds though where your invisable the other player and can't attack other untill the seconds are up so no one complains but it also could be a bad thing because people like to just get streight in there and kill ;) so they should make an on and off switch for it :). Problem solved!
You want to sync as fast as you possibly can, so I don't think time would be a good idea.
Whatever was done, you should stay on sync screen until it is complete, so you can't identify targets/see people until they can see you
It is sploitable; one could hold his "I'm ready" packet. So he has all information about zone, but he's still invisible.
Of course there is an obvious solution : hold of all zoneinfo packets until he is ready, but hey - that's how it is now.....
greendonkeyuk
25-06-04, 20:05
shujin said it best. make the person zoning totally invulnerable and total unable to use their own items/guns until theyve fully zoned in. Id love to go so far as to say do this for Genrepping too as one thing that really fucks me off is gr camping but i think that might be pushing the boat out a lil too far. Other than that yeah 5 stars.
The best improvement would be to remove the syncronizing screen and add a solitaire. So you dont get bored, while waiting for the sync to finish :lol:
Xaru
Richard Slade
26-06-04, 02:58
Do as SW:G, remove zones :p
Great stuff and works damn good IMO
cept for entering cities but that's not a big issue at the moment here now is it
maybe they should add a feature that when you zone you are invulnerable and but cannot use any weapons for 5 sec.
or somethin
As if zonehoppers didn't have it good enough already? How would you kill someone who for example zones continually between Cycrow zone and the CRP cave?
While you got so many small zones i can't see how you can change this, sync's are annoying as hell and most often people fatal too, its a very bad code writen for this, (no offense KK)
If merging zones could be done then certainly do that, with safe zones being removed for DOY then i see no reason at all we need single zones anymore, games these days don't use zones on this scale anymore, SWG is massive with its zones for planets, each planet is a lot bigger than the entire NC game, and its one zone per planet.
Even if you had the server holding you in blackscreen and not putting you in the zone while you sync, it still won't work, people have different connections and servers may lag so putting a time limit on the loading can't be done, and tbh who wants to sit there at each zone we have waiting 15 seconds to load in ?
What needs to be done is the game code updating and the servers being upgraded to handle better sync times.
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