Thoughts On P2P Host Lag.

[83457]

So, every player that I've talked to agrees with me. But there are smart folk on this forum, so maybe i can get different input.

So, hosts, which is better:

Scenario 1. The host has an advantage. He will have the best connection. He will stay for several games because he is happily unkillable. One team has an amazing player, the other team has a 1 in 6 chance of coming up against the host and losing that battle most likely.

Scenario 2: the host has ridiculous disadvantage. He will lose every battle. This will result in multiple host migrations per game, often followed by 'lost connection to host' when the latest host dashboards or turns off their xbox. Both teams are unhappy, and especially the several that had to leave due to host screw.

I'm my opinion, and everyone that I've asked, it is better to have 'God mode host' in each game, rather than 'shit mode host' and constant host migrations.

Do you agree with me or is there a good reason to keep host screw and constant migrations?

Note that if you are on the dedicated servers that you will not see host migrations and are not effected.

[Hells Warrrior]

The problem with IW and COD in general is you don't know who the host is going to be - the simple fact that in the pregame lobby pings and connection status is not displayed is poor. Yes, I know, that for P2P connections it doesn't make much difference but you could at least VOTE for the player with the best pings, the best connection status - rather than rely on match making (because lets face it, it's s**t and has been for years.

[83457]

And why 5 seconds? I used to leave games in mw2 if the ping went to 80-100ms ping. It was bad. So 5-5.5 second is 5000-5500ms, which is retarded. But that seems to be the dedicated amount of 'lag comp' that you get if host.

I have read that it is some algorithmic formulae to get everyone on about the same page, but obviously that is not true. Nobody in my lobby could possibly have a 5000ms ping. So why add 5 full seconds onto the host?

Tested on my 2 xbox360s (after first died) on Cablevision, and friends 360 on Fios (fiber optic network). I pull host fairly commonly, he gets it often. So we are acutely aware of how awful host is in bo2/ghosts.

Method used to determine length of lag; real life example, feel free to duplicate. Take a bo2 example, one of the first i caught on film. I was playing tdm on Bo2 Rush and it made no sense, so i assumed that i was host. Turned camera on screen, not a capture card or anything tied to xbox; a real objective view.

So i respawn after another confusing death, I'm in the end of the map opposite the parking lot. I run along the edge of the map to the colorful 'fun bag' arena section. I go into the little back room with the lockers and camo roof, i squat in the corner next to the large door into the arena. Several seconds later, an enemy runs through, i pour bullets uselessly into his back, he fires out the door that i came in, i die. The killcam shows him shoot me outside as i am about 4 feet before the door into the locker room. After seeing that killcam, i back out: migrating host (obviously).

So i watch the video. I watch the killcam, note where exactly i was killed.

Back up, watch my view before i died, as soon as i get to where the kc says that i died, i start my stopwatch, i watch that view until i died in the corner behind the enemy. Stop watch at that moment.

The discrepancy is roughly 5-5.5 seconds off.

After using the scientific method on a few more bo2 and ghost host-migrations, it became clear that this huge discrepancy is a constant. Thereby explaining why the host ALWAYS leaves unless they were going 2-17 anyway.

Do this experiment yourselves if you don't believe me as it is repeatable (as long as you pull host).

So why 5+ seconds? I assumed it was just Trollarch's fondness for shitty programming, but it is exactly the same in ghosts...

Happy not-hosting (hopefully yous get on the dedis)!

Extra: Now you're host! And recognizing dedis.

Host leaves (ghosts 360) as usual, screen says 'setting up game' (i think) and counts to 3, you're not host. If it gets to 1 and stops, you are probably now host. This usually turns my screen black for about 1 second. Occasionally, it says sending blocks, but doesn't show it count all the way to 100%, this will also indicate that i just became host. These prompt me to immediately leave, followed again by 'host migration'. You can not play this game if host.

Dedicated servers: sometimes, the lobby fades away as the map loads, but then immediately comes back, says 'launching' on the upper right, then goes into the map load. As far as i can tell, this means that you are on a dedicated server. The game plays much better and isn't plagued by constant host migration.

This is to the best of my reckoning, I'm not a programmer nor affiliated with the game other than a patron being tortured by their programming issues.