d3v
Well-Known Member
As @CyberEvil as pointed out, you obviously have no idea about how netcod works.If that were the case, only visible lag would be during the match, then the replays wouldn't show the complete lack of reaction, no? Moreover, if you used either method, the input lag wouldn't be noticeable, only the frame issues would be. That would allow people to hold as normal (actually more easily because the game would inevitably pause when "fair state" rollback is waiting to occur), yet the inability to do things like that is the greatest criticism of DoA's online. Juggles that do not rely on delay also should never drop.
Whether or not the system is using variable delay/slowdown or fixed delay/rollback netcode, there will still be input lag. This is due to the need to make sure that both games are in sync. The amount of delay that's needed can easily be measured using ping times in milliseconds. If we take that every 17 ms added to ping time results in 1 frame of delay, then even a decent connection with 80 to 100 ms ping results in 5 to 7 frames of delay. Now consider that most variable delay/slowdown netcodes (like DOA) usually require a confirmation from the other peer, resulting in double the delay, meaning that for 80 to 100 ms, you get 10 to 14 frames of delay in total. Then there's having to deal with changes in the connection quality, which forces the system to increase the delay. Juggles are still affected because the game is waiting for confirmation from the other peer and compensating by adding delay as necessary.
Fixed delay/rollback style code, which only a few games so far use (Skullgirls, KI, Darkstalkers Ressurection) fares better since there's no need for confirmation from the other peer, so for the same 80 to 100 ms, you only get the 5 to 7 frames of delay since lag spikes and desyncs are handled by rolling back to the last fair state. That said, 5 to 7 frames of delay is still quite noticeable.
For more on this, you really need to read:
http://mauve.mizuumi.net/2012/07/05/understanding-fighting-game-networking/