Marine movements and netcode - Why do marines jump like Shaq?

EzRemakeEzRemake Join Date: 2012-11-20 Member: 172532Members
edited September 2016 in NS2 General Discussion
Pretty straightforwards question I suppose. Looking at a battle between skulks and marines looks... Silly.. With the marines jumping circles around the Skulks. Between that and the 3s interp delays from this ancient netcode, the gameplay feels a lot more floaty than I remember it previously.

In the view of the aliens, you have to deal with Shaq marines, while also getting delay killed around corners, before even seeing the marine etc.

In the view of marines, you have to deal with things biting you from 5 meters away, and hits not seeming to register.

It's not a case of one side being stronger than the other, it's the base game play mechanics that feel... de-synchronized at best.

Now that we have moved to 64 bit, are there any chances of being able to improve the netcode?

Comments

  • BeigeAlertBeigeAlert Texas Join Date: 2013-08-08 Member: 186657Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow, Subnautica Playtester, Pistachionauts
    EzRemake wrote: »
    Now that we have moved to 64 bit

    I must have missed something... ;)

    We've upgraded our version of LuaJIT, but 64-bit is still in the works.
  • SantaClawsSantaClaws Denmark Join Date: 2012-07-31 Member: 154491Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited September 2016
    BeigeAlert wrote: »
    EzRemake wrote: »
    Now that we have moved to 64 bit

    I must have missed something... ;)

    We've upgraded our version of LuaJIT, but 64-bit is still in the works.

    Would 64-bit have an impact on the netcode even if it was the case?
  • RysskRyssk Join Date: 2012-12-18 Member: 175441Members
    It would be great if the servers could handle 60 tickrate, but... not everyone can afford their whole life-savings and their pensions :)
  • .trixX..trixX. Budapest Join Date: 2007-10-11 Member: 62605Members
    edited September 2016
    guys... 64bit is not a magic wand that will fix every performance issue. it only allows for a larger chunk of memory to be addressed directly (2 times to be exact).
    if we ever get 64bit, the most obvious improvement will be more skins/models/props.

    also, whats wrong with the netcode? imo its better than that of CS:GO... not perfect, but still more than adequate. just because its "old" doesnt mean its flawed
  • EzRemakeEzRemake Join Date: 2012-11-20 Member: 172532Members
    Oh mannnnnn, things make so much more sense now.

    Magpies.
  • BeigeAlertBeigeAlert Texas Join Date: 2013-08-08 Member: 186657Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow, Subnautica Playtester, Pistachionauts
    64 bit gets us 2^32 times more memory... not 2. :)

    It could also lead to slightly better performance, as it means it no longer has to go through the emulation layer.
  • .trixX..trixX. Budapest Join Date: 2007-10-11 Member: 62605Members
    BeigeAlert wrote: »
    64 bit gets us 2^32 times more memory... not 2. :)

    It could also lead to slightly better performance, as it means it no longer has to go through the emulation layer.

    ffs. thats what i wrote first, then edited to 2.... and thats how i usually fail my exams xD
  • 1dominator11dominator1 Join Date: 2010-11-19 Member: 75011Members
    I never liked the marine jump spam. I got used to it eventually, but its still bizarre. Especially when you combine it with the dubious collision. Not only is everyone hopping around like rabbits in mating season but you also glitch through each other. Terrible.
  • HandschuhHandschuh Join Date: 2005-03-08 Member: 44338Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Community Developer
    You should have seen what marines could jump in ns1 ... faster than any walkerskulk :)
  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    .trixX. wrote: »
    BeigeAlert wrote: »
    64 bit gets us 2^32 times more memory... not 2. :)

    It could also lead to slightly better performance, as it means it no longer has to go through the emulation layer.

    ffs. thats what i wrote first, then edited to 2.... and thats how i usually fail my exams xD

    In that case, how bout imma give you two cookies and I'll keep the ^32 okidoki?
  • Soylent_greenSoylent_green Join Date: 2002-12-20 Member: 11220Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited October 2016
    The problem with marine jumping is twofold:

    Marines jumped even higher in NS and it was never a problem. In NS2 marines tuck their legs up extremely quickly, and their upper body does not move downwards in response as it should. Effectively the center of mass does not move in a smooth parabola, but "skips" upward. As a result they just vanish out of your field of view unless you're looking upward in anticipation of this.

    Widescreen monitors are really shortscreen monitors. You might think that theoretically if you just made the monitor wider, it wouldn't affect vertical field of view at all and you'd just gain some horizontal field of view, but that's not the case; people don't use monitors that way. There is an ideal viewing distance at any FOV up to <180 degrees where there is no "fisheye" distortion. E.g. for a 50 cm wide monitor and 110 degree horizontal field of view, this is 25/tan(55 deg) = 17.5 cm.

    People don't sit that close to monitors, and as a result you get "fish eye" distortion. This type of distortion pinches toghether the center of the screen, so that what you are really wanting to look at occupies fewer pixels, and the less important stuff at the edges of the screen is stretched out and occupies far more pixels. Even if you could sit that close without eye strain or convergence issues (you have two eyes and they can't both be at the center in front of the screen); you effectively get a lower resolution where it matters at high fields of view. You can't really increase the horizontal field of view as you'd like and end up with slightly more horizontal field of view and slightly less vertical.

    When people get a wider monitor and important HUD elements are still placed at the corners of the screen they tend to put it further away so they can still see HUD elements without having too look over as far (the resolution of the human eye is ~60 pixels per degree at the fovea and drastically drops to only a few pixels per degree further out). When you do that, your horizontal field of view does not increase much at all, but the vertical field of view drops significantly.

    (I strongly recommend trying games that will allow it in portrait mode; it is a very interesting experience. 9:16 aspect ratio feels more immersive; you almost expect to see your own feet and chest ingame. I'm pretty sure CS:Go and TF2 supports it).
  • NovoReiNovoRei US Join Date: 2014-11-18 Member: 199718Members
    As a result they just vanish out of your field of view unless you're looking upward in anticipation of this.

    Always wondered why marines vanish after I kill them, like obiwan and vader. Thanks for explaining. Do they jump so they can go to heaven?

  • ArchieArchie Antarctica Join Date: 2006-09-19 Member: 58028Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Supporter, WC 2013 - Supporter
    edited October 2016
    pfft its just the flawed FOV people play on, NS2 fov stretches the screen rather then expands, which is why if you lower it to about 4-5 you won't get this issue and you'll more accurately be able to tell your general speed relative to other players perspective including your models visual representation. Hence why you think they jump so high or are furthur away then they are. I'll post a video for a better explaination later on my channel

    in the meantime go here
Sign In or Register to comment.