Latency, Your PVP Score, and You

Edelkin
Edelkin Posts: 46 Just Dropped In
in MPQ General Discussion
Funny thing happened to me during the High Stakes event.  Climbing way too late, but you know, life.  Get to thirty minutes from the end of the event and shield up 40-50 points shy of 900.  Just trying to get the four star cover like I have been doing reliably since I champed GladiaThor.  Fifteen minutes to go.  I unshield to do two easy fights that don't even have 5 stars in them and both together worth more than enough to eclipse 900.  Take out the first fight easily.  Take out the second fight easily.  Unshielded for probably 3-4 minutes.  Get the points for the second fight and no cover.  Look up at my score for the event in the upper left hand corner and it says 930.  Go to the rewards tab to see if the Drax cover is checked green.  NOPE.  Come back out of rewards and score still says 930.  Went to do another fight (which of course the game decided I should LOSE).  And ended up shielding with 10 minutes left and a score of 830 showing and no Drax cover.

Sent a message to CS and waited.  Just got the response tonight that it was deemed that latency between my device (ipad pro on a 200 MPS wifi connection) caused the problem and my score according to them was never higher than 897.  EIGHT HUNDRED NINETY SEVEN.  Three magical points that are as nebulous as anything.  How could I know that my score was EIGHT HUNDRED NINETY SEVEN when my screen said 930?  How can the latency be so bad between my machine and the server but be so unbelievably awesome between the servers and every other device on the planet to let them know that within that 3 minute window I was unshielded and ready to be descended upon?  If I never had a score of 930 why did my screen think I did?  And if my score was only 3 little tiny points shy (though it took two days plus to find out I was only 3 points shy - now that's latency folks).  Don't you think there would be a little "latitude" and "understanding"?  NOPE.  The closing of the CS message I received was basically telling me the problem is on my end and if they could help me with anything else, let them know.

I am at the point where one four star cover is not a big deal (4.5 years and all but two or three of the latest four starts champed with a level 355 Devil Dino), but they have now turned it into a principle thing.  Call me whiny and tell me I don't know how the PVP system works, but this is HOGWASH.

Comments

  • HoundofShadow
    HoundofShadow Posts: 8,004 Chairperson of the Boards
    I understand how you feel because it happens to me as well. I don't think they can do much to solve clients' end devices problems because networking is a complex issue. This latency problem has been going on for years. 

    The only workaround is hit 900 early instead of doing it in the last few minutes.
  • LifeofAgony
    LifeofAgony Posts: 690 Critical Contributor
    You need to actually click on the score leaderboard to update to show your current score - trusting the score in left corner without clicking is a long known issue in latency.  Same way that once you shield, you should immediately go click on the score leaderboard to sync to the server to ensure you’re actually shielded.  Stinks, but part for the course af this point.
  • tchipley
    tchipley Posts: 70 Match Maker
    Wow. I would have hoped that CS would give the benefit of the doubt and award the cover.
    That or quit being so stingy with them.
  • irwando
    irwando Posts: 263 Mover and Shaker
    This is the "intended design" of the system and has worked this way for years.  It is one of the reasons I personally do not continue to spend money on the game.  When a few points can have a big impact on prizes/position this design is awful.
  • HoundofShadow
    HoundofShadow Posts: 8,004 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited November 2018
    Since new PvP runs every 3 days, can you imagine the number of requests they are going to get? We are talking about every tier of rewards, not just 4* cover. If they limit it to only 4* covers, they end up pissing off a huge group of players.

    Ditto LifeofAgony's suggestion. That's what I do before and after I've shielded. 
  • turbomoose
    turbomoose Posts: 872 Critical Contributor
    I would suggest taking a screen shot of the total and then latency or not you have proof your total was over 900 

    I’ve got over 900 before and not got the reward but that’s only ever been because I’ve been attacked and it hasn’t caught up yet 

    bad form from CS really one measly Drax cover , it’s not like you wanted a 5* off of them 

    I rarely play last 30 tbh because of the amount I get hit now post gambit nerf

    I love this game but things like this spoil it for us
  • Quebbster
    Quebbster Posts: 8,070 Chairperson of the Boards

    This has happened to me too. A long time ago admittedly, but it was no fun. I can only repeat what others have said: Check the leaderboard to get your true score.

    Late climbs are very dangerous though, so it's not that strange you got hit. You were probably one of the few decent targets around for others who where hunting progression rewards at the last minute.

  • Huntah86
    Huntah86 Posts: 221 Tile Toppler
    Yeah I can echo what others have said, its not just your device it happens to everyone. I climb to 650 with a day and a half left since Im usually antsy to open the token and get the CP. Wait till about 10 hours left and get back to around a 600 float point then with 8.5 hours left I go after the 1200 point CP and shield out. Waiting till the end when chasing a specific reward is too risky. Yes it was only 3 points but then what would the cut off be? 5 points? 10 points? CS would be flooded with requests to get all sorts of JUST missed rewards so I think they were right here.
  • broll
    broll Posts: 4,732 Chairperson of the Boards
    shardwick said:
    This thread sponsored by win-based. 
    ROFL I opened this intending to respond that I'd never seen any latency with my wins scores!  :p
    I definitely have seen the issue the user described with points.  Another reason that system is so broken and I no longer rely on it.
  • Nick441234
    Nick441234 Posts: 1,496 Chairperson of the Boards
    This whole float point people talk of, where is this exactly and what does it mean? Do you literally get hit less or something while within a points total? 
  • Phumade
    Phumade Posts: 2,663 Chairperson of the Boards
    Latency is just the practical reality of how the game was designed and built.  It’s been present from the very beginning of the game and just something players have to account for.
    its the consequence of having simulataneous matches among many players vrs playing in isolation.

    in any case, you have wins based progression or use coordination chats to avoid and time the hits
  • Huntah86
    Huntah86 Posts: 221 Tile Toppler
    Nick441234 said:
    This whole float point people talk of, where is this exactly and what does it mean? Do you literally get hit less or something while within a points total? 

    It's basically a certain amount of points that you can stay unshielded and still keep relatively the same amount of points.  For example, my float point tends to be around 650 give or take.  If I take my score up to 650 with 10 - 14 hours left, when I come back with about 8.5 hours left to do my final push I'm typically still sitting around 575 - 650ish.
  • crackninja
    crackninja Posts: 444 Mover and Shaker
    broll said:
    shardwick said:
    This thread sponsored by win-based. 
    ROFL I opened this intending to respond that I'd never seen any latency with my wins scores!  :p
    I definitely have seen the issue the user described with points.  Another reason that system is so broken and I no longer rely on it.

    Funny thing is, I actually do have latency issues with the wins posting properly.  Under a minute,  but still confusing the first couple times I noticed it.
  • MoosePrime
    MoosePrime Posts: 969 Critical Contributor
    crackninja said:
    broll said:
    shardwick said:
    This thread sponsored by win-based. 
    ROFL I opened this intending to respond that I'd never seen any latency with my wins scores!  :p
    I definitely have seen the issue the user described with points.  Another reason that system is so broken and I no longer rely on it.

    Funny thing is, I actually do have latency issues with the wins posting properly.  Under a minute,  but still confusing the first couple times I noticed it.
    But it doesn't show you as having more wins than you actually have, just a delay in showing the one you just got.
  • Nick441234
    Nick441234 Posts: 1,496 Chairperson of the Boards
    Huntah86 said:
    Nick441234 said:
    This whole float point people talk of, where is this exactly and what does it mean? Do you literally get hit less or something while within a points total? 

    It's basically a certain amount of points that you can stay unshielded and still keep relatively the same amount of points.  For example, my float point tends to be around 650 give or take.  If I take my score up to 650 with 10 - 14 hours left, when I come back with about 8.5 hours left to do my final push I'm typically still sitting around 575 - 650ish.
    Thats interesting. I definitely haven't found mine as of yet then. 
  • crackninja
    crackninja Posts: 444 Mover and Shaker
    MoosePrime said:
    crackninja said:

    Funny thing is, I actually do have latency issues with the wins posting properly.  Under a minute,  but still confusing the first couple times I noticed it.
    But it doesn't show you as having more wins than you actually have, just a delay in showing the one you just got.
    Never said it did... it's still latency and it still confuses me when I shield thinking I am at say 40 wins and then glance over and see 39.  I do get the prize for hitting 40, because I did in fact win 40 matches, unlike this scenario where they never actually hit 900 points and the system is misleading.  It would be a horrific decision to award the cover, what a Pandora's box that would be. 
  • Phumade
    Phumade Posts: 2,663 Chairperson of the Boards
    crackninja said:
    MoosePrime said:
    crackninja said:

    Funny thing is, I actually do have latency issues with the wins posting properly.  Under a minute,  but still confusing the first couple times I noticed it.
    But it doesn't show you as having more wins than you actually have, just a delay in showing the one you just got.
    Never said it did... it's still latency and it still confuses me when I shield thinking I am at say 40 wins and then glance over and see 39.  I do get the prize for hitting 40, because I did in fact win 40 matches, unlike this scenario where they never actually hit 900 points and the system is misleading.  It would be a horrific decision to award the cover, what a Pandora's box that would be. 
    Latency will always exist because it’s the physical manifestation of technical compromises made in developing the game.  The only difference is the scoring rule set for awarding progression covers and how it accounts for latency from the win client side to registering that win server side.


  • broll
    broll Posts: 4,732 Chairperson of the Boards
    Nick441234 said:
    Huntah86 said:
    Nick441234 said:
    This whole float point people talk of, where is this exactly and what does it mean? Do you literally get hit less or something while within a points total? 

    It's basically a certain amount of points that you can stay unshielded and still keep relatively the same amount of points.  For example, my float point tends to be around 650 give or take.  If I take my score up to 650 with 10 - 14 hours left, when I come back with about 8.5 hours left to do my final push I'm typically still sitting around 575 - 650ish.
    Thats interesting. I definitely haven't found mine as of yet then. 
    It's basically whatever you land on after 1-2 hours unsheilded.  Some people pay attention to it and choose to float their early at diferent times.  If you play wins based like me, you do a bunch of wins in a sitting and shoot up, then after an hour or two you hit your float point, rinse and repeat until 75 wins.

    It's also worth noting that I've found that float points aren't static.  Your float point in the first 8 hours of the event will be very different than the last 8 hours (after the tide comes in lol)

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