What is the acceptable time difference between shots, in milliseconds, to achieve a double knockout in games?
What is the acceptable time difference between shots, in milliseconds, to achieve a double knockout in games?
When coordinating deaths occur simultaneously in competitive shooter games—where one player is fatally wounded by the other’s bullet—what's the minimum time difference, measured in milliseconds, required between their shots for this outcome to manifest? Would utilizing a high-frequency mouse with a 1000/2000 Hertz polling rate enhance my ability to secure the victory and avoid being eliminated?
Numerous elements contribute to this situation, and mouse polling represents a minor influence. Initially, video games employ either “hitscan” or “projectile” targeting, often combining both approaches based on the weapon type. Certain titles like Overwatch incorporate “beam”—continuous damage—weapons, which can be implemented with varying programming. These beams possess a persistent targeting area designed to assist players in tracking, yet it also results in damage continuing to be applied for a brief period even after a player's demise. When both combatants utilize projectile weaponry, the inherent delay in their projectiles can easily enable simultaneous hits between them. Furthermore, a scenario arises where one participant with a projectile weapon initiates the firing sequence, and the…
The impact of your mouse is minimal, contingent upon the game's design.
Can I discover details about games such as Apex Legends or Battlefield, or even Soul Calibur 6? Learning information regarding lesser-known titles like Counter Strike and Call of Duty would be beneficial in developing a better understanding. Thank you.
To truly grasp how the game engine functions, you’d need to carefully examine and comprehend its underlying programming. However, without the game developers releasing the source code and you possessing the ability to read and interpret it, that’s simply not feasible.
Has anyone attempted this kind of experiment? Specifically, could you create an application that allows two computers to engage in simultaneous shooting, gradually adjusting the timing differences between their shots in milliseconds until only one remains?
Numerous elements contribute to this issue, and mouse polling represents a minor factor.
Initially, games utilize either "hitscan" or "projectile" for aiming accuracy, often combining both approaches depending on the weapon type. Many titles like Overwatch incorporate "beam" weapons—continuous damage sources—which can be implemented with varying methods. These beams possess a persistent impact zone, intended to aid player tracking, yet simultaneously enables damage to continue occurring for a brief period after a player’s death. When both players wield projectile weapons, the inherent delay in travel distance can result in simultaneous hits between them. Furthermore, a scenario exists where one player using a projectile weapon fires before the other, equipped with a hitscan weapon, eliminating the initial target while their shot is in transit.
If two hitscan weapons are involved, it’s primarily determined by the game's network code. Most contemporary games employ a “shooter’s advantage” hit registration system, meaning that when you target an enemy moving to conceal themselves behind a wall, your shot will still connect despite the enemy already being beyond that point on their own view. This can also manifest as “lagger’s advantage,” where shots are possible at targets that have moved a significant distance from their apparent location on your screen due to high latency.
The shooter’s advantage creates a situation where, if both game clients send a “shoot and hit” signal to the server nearly simultaneously, there’s a delay in transmission due to ping. For instance, with a 40ms ping, if you shoot and eliminate an enemy, it’s still feasible for them to fire a shot within that same 40ms, irrespective of their individual ping.
Mouse polling contributes to the delay at the client level when a hit is registered, but most input lag stems from the processing of frames by the CPU and GPU. Consequently, competitive players typically play at 144 or 240 frames per second.
Ultimately, there isn’t a single, conclusive explanation because it varies depending on the game, equipment, and internet connection.
That initial section was clearly intended as a provocation. Naturally, I am discussing weapons that fire multiple times per shot. It clarifies why I often died while concealing myself previously – now I comprehend the reason! It’s incredibly frustrating.
However, does this imply that a greater ping is beneficial? That seems counterintuitive.
I’m struggling with the preceding passage; could you provide further clarification?
“The shooter's advantage creates a situation where, if both game clients simultaneously transmit a “shoot and hit” signal to the server, there’s delay in that event reaching the server due to latency. Consequently, if a player with 40ms ping shoots and eliminates an opponent, it remains possible for that opponent to fire a shot within those 40ms, irrespective of their own ping.”
My new monitor has an input lag of just 2 ms and my mouse with a 2000 Hz polling rate will effectively reduce lag to .5 ms. Therefore, it appears that this significantly diminishes overall input lag – without factoring in processing delays (which could be considered frame rate, with faster graphics cards producing higher frame rates).
Certainly, but most games incorporate safeguards to avoid this issue. For instance, a game’s programming might restrict a player from gaining an advantage unless the server receives their input within 100 milliseconds of it being sent by the client.
Within a system designed to provide shooter’s advantage, the player's game application primarily handles registering hits on targets. Consequently, it transmits a “shoot” event alongside a “hit/miss” event. However, due to network delays, it’s possible for both players to send a “hit” event within a short timeframe, with the second player’s “hit” arriving before the first one reaches the server. In such instances, both players are typically declared dead.
The processing of inputs is usually handled across two frames – one using the CPU, and another utilizing the GPU. This inherently introduces at least 33.3 milliseconds of input delay at a frame rate of 60fps, and 13.9ms at 144fps. Furthermore, factors such as monitor response times and device latency (which are independent of the “double kill” problem) add to this delay. Reducing monitor response time from 5ms to 2ms only marginally decreases visual input lag at 60fps, while increasing the frame rate to 144fps offers a substantial reduction in visual lag, and also provides minor improvements to the time it takes for input to be received by the server. This doesn’t consider that monitor manufacturers often overstate their response times, with a 2ms advertised VA panel potentially exhibiting up to 50ms of delay in dark scenes, resulting in noticeable blurring at higher refresh rates.
For input management, games typically use an internal sampling rate linked either directly to the frame rate or a separate internal timer. Each polling window gathers the most recent input from the mouse and keyboard. While high frame rates can have a significant impact, higher polling rates do not provide the same level of improvement. A 500Hz mouse is only marginally slower than a 2000Hz mouse in the worst-case scenario, and nearly instantaneous with respect to input lag when both are operating optimally.