Timeline for How is the internet able to transmit data so fast?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
8 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2014 at 5:00 | comment | added | Kevin Krumwiede | Not to mention that when the information does finally reach your screen, it will be another 150-200 ms before you're conscious of it. | |
| Jul 19, 2014 at 8:28 | comment | added | Criticizing Israel not allowed | Some games also deliberately show you other players' positions from ~200ms ago. Your client might know their position from only 50ms ago, but if there's an interruption of less than 150ms, then they will still appear to move smoothly. (Source Engine games do this, although I don't know the exact delay) | |
| Jul 19, 2014 at 0:45 | comment | added | Braiam | This is more information about the difference between a internet ping and a the display one written by John Carmack. | |
| Jul 19, 2014 at 0:40 | comment | added | Cam Jones | If I could choose 2 answers I would, but seeing as this answer doesn't mention the electrical part of it I must choose the other. | |
| Jul 18, 2014 at 14:30 | comment | added | Brian S | +1, as some who has worked on several multiplayer game development projects, dealing with latency issues (so that the connection to your opponents appears instantaneous) is probably at least 70% of the work in the connection code. Similar things occur in rhythm games to combat latency with your controller. In short: game developers cheat to give you a (usually) better experience. | |
| Jul 18, 2014 at 12:37 | comment | added | Luaan | This is the real point. It's not that the information goes "instantly", it's just that as long as the scenario plays out consistently on all the connected computers, you will perceive them as instanteneous. A great example of this are RTS games - while user input simply cannot be faster than the latency of the connection (in fact, it's even slower than that), the players can't notice, because the inputs are applied at the same relative time for all of them. So if an input results in a death of a unit on my computer, it will also show the same way on my friend's computer. | |
| Jul 18, 2014 at 1:37 | comment | added | Cam Jones | This definitely helps me think of it in a different way now thanks, I guess I was asking two questions in one. | |
| Jul 18, 2014 at 1:11 | history | answered | Ponkadoodle | CC BY-SA 3.0 |