INTERNET
PLAY
Many
people have already noticed this themselves, but
it has come to my attention that many people DON'T know
it. The host of Jedi Knight games has distinct advantages
over the people who join his/her game (hereafter called
"joiners").
The
reason for this ignorance is less complicated than I
figured it was at first. The main reason people don't
know is because they don't have faith in the ability of
their connection to the internet, or the ability of their
computer to host a game. Because of this, they never host
a game, and thus, don't know how much easier the game is
when you host.
All
information herein about Internet games are reported here
by experience of game play by Essobie in the game of Jedi
Knight. Some understanding of these phenomena are also
derived from other games playable on the Internet such as
Descent 1 and 2, Quake, Interstate '76, Netmech, Virtual
Pool, Duke 3D (I know... I know...), and other games I
don't even remember trying on the internet (read that as:
they weren't that great)
I have
heard a lot about how the host is at a DISadvantage due
to the joiners "warping" around the level and
whatnot. This may SEEM like a disadvantage but it isn't.
You see, when you see someone while you are host, they
are REALLY THERE. When you join a game, and you are
aiming at someone, what you see is your computer's
rendering of where it THINKS that player is.
Advantages
of Hosting/Joining:
The
host's system keeps track of ALL the objects on the
map. These include weapons, powerups, doors, fans,
switches, etc. This means that when a host runs to
pick something up, or pulls it to him, or push a
button on a wall, they get use of it right away. The
Joiners, on the other hand, have to wait for the
host's computer to update an event on the HOST
computer and so send the "event" packet to
the join computer. With a solid 33.6 connection to
the host over the Internet, Joiners usually have to
wait at least 200ms to get something to work, or pick
up. Two tenths of a second don't mean much, right?
Wrong. The reaction speed needed to do well in this
game relies on being able to change what you are
doing in LESS than .2 seconds based on what is going
on around you.
Not
only that, but most of the time 200ms is a TERRIFIC
connection. It looks like is more between 300 and 500
on average.
Playing
for fun:
Probably
the worst thing you can do is get really mad because you
are losing... regardless of the reason. This carries over
to who hosts an internet game. True, it might be just the
fact that the guy winning is winning because he gets to
open doors faster than you, but hey... you could have
hosted too, you know.
Just
play the game, and try to have fun. If you really don't
like getting beat by a host, then don't tell him that he
is only winning because he is hosting... just tell him
"good game" and go find a game elsewhere. You
don't need people hating you because you make excuses for
losing.
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