Explanation of lag... - By a good helper...

[SSJKarma]

What is lag ?
the answer isn't easy, but i will try my best to make you understand it !

i will use this image as a visual effect, to help you understand what i will say.



i will also use computer TERMs, so i will put the definition of each WORD !
NETWORK = multiple computers connected to each others
PACKETS = data that is send over the internet
SYNCHRONIZATION = when 2 or more machines have the exact same thing at the exact same time.
ISP = internet service provider (your internet company)

Time to tell you the big secret of the LAG and how it is created !

lets say there is 4 players that connect to the game (see IMG1). P1 challenge P2, the game synchronize and the game start. now P1 gives a jab. the KEY input is transformed into data, then sended over to the server, who send it to the P2 computer. now this would be the best route, but it isn't that easy. the best route is determined by the packet. he checks to see what route he can take to reach the destination. but believe it or not, it will never be the straight line ! once he finds the best course of action, he follows it, hoping there will not be any problems on the way. the packet, who started at new-york, will go to Hong-Kong then continues to Japan, then to paris, followed by moncton in canada, then goes back to hongkong, to finally arrives at new-jersey. where the server will receive the packet and read it, then send it back to P1. what caused the route to literaly make a world tour, is the fact that he isn't the only packet traveling in that network. lots of thing can make the path less and less accurate. Phone line interferences, lots of people on the internet, ISP modem over loaded with data, old cables, all those can diminish the speed of the packet, causing him to take more time to find the best way around. once the packet has reach his destination, he is read and destroyed then another packet his send as an answer.

LAG = time the packet takes to reach his final destination

What happen in this game ?
the packet goes like this...
P1 ---> server ---> P2
then it comes back like this...
P2 ---> server ---> P1
now, if we put the LAG that has over internet on this, you get this...
P1 ---> .5 seconds lag ---> server ---> .5 seconds lag ---> P2
so P2 see what P1 did about 1 second later. the .5 second LAG is The packet trying to reach his destination. the result of this lag are seen as a lifebar not going down, super bar getting up real fast or super getting chained together. but there is actually no way to reduce that LAG, cause it is all based on INTERNET and there is nothing we can actually do to diminish that LAG.

now that explained why you see your opponent getting pummeled to oblivion and the next second he is pummeling you like mad !

other things that enter into play, are the machines we are using to play the game. the best example of this would be this one... P1 is using an AMD 500mhz processor with 64mb of ram combined with a 56k phone modem. P2 has a P4 1.6ghz with 256mb of ram combined with a modem cable. P1 have a really less powerfull computer, so the computer has a hard time to follow with packet sending process !

now this LAG we can do something about it !
reducing the screen sizes make the computer needing less power to keep up with the images and that power is saved for more important things. same goes with the sound, having no sound in the game cause your computer to saved more power for later. there is lots of thing in your computer that you don't need to have to play the game.

conclusion:
there is 2 LAG that affect the game we are all playing.
- INTERNET based
- MACHINE based

this is the end of my thread and i do hope you will all take the time to read it !
hope it helped some of you to understand the LAG that we have in the game. if you don't
understand certain things in my text, you are welcome to tell me and i will clarify it
for you. don't flame about this thing cause i putted it only for understanding purpose !

now i hope to have reply to that text !