Lag, Ping, Lead Shot etc [Compilation]

[Yuna]

Table of Contents

(i) -What is lag?
(ii) -What are some causes of lag?
(iii) -How does lag affect your aim?
(iv) -What is ping?
(v) -How does ping affect you in-game?
(vi) -Leading.
(vii) -Aiming against ping.
(viii) -What is the definition of "spiking"?
(ix) -What are some ways to prevent spiking?
(x) -Types of Lag.
(xi) -FPS Lag aka "Screen Lag".
(xii) -How do you reduce FPS lag?
(xiii) -Famous settings for reducing FPS lag.
(xiv) -Speed and distance of a dash.
(xv) -Lazy weapons.
(xvi) -F.A.Q
(xvii) -Lead Shot Replays I
(xviii) -Lead Shot Replays II (NEW!)


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(i) What is lag?
---------------------------------------
written by 7thSerapHim

Lag is the experience in delay caused by packets of
information which are delayed it its delivery, a slang
term for latency issues.

In Gunz, users with pings around 100-250+ are called
laggers, but usually caused by geographical distances,
rather than network connection problems.


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(ii) What are some causes of lag?
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna

Lag can simply be related to three main causes.


Inefficient Computer Processing Power

Even though your network may be fast, your computer
could still have a difficult time trying to process the outgoing
and especially incoming data packets or rather computer
information. This is worsened when other online applications
are running such as Messenger programs and Internet Browsers.


Inefficient Server Processing Power

Lag can be experienced too when the user's network
submits a request which is not yet cached in the computer
or network. Another reason would be when the incoming
or outgoing data requires a large amount of processing
before it can be transferred. The bandwidth of an area where
packets can pass through smoothly may be disturbed when
there are too many people accessing it at the same time. This
especially affects online gaming and multiplayer enabled games.


Inefficient Network Performance

This affects lag when for example, the network is unable
to handle the amount of incoming/outgoing packets. Routers
too play a part in this cause since faulty routers would interupt
the smooth transfer of packets. Packets too will take longer to
transfer when there is a large number of routers inbetween the
host and the destination.


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(iii) How does lag affect your aim?
---------------------------------------
written by 7thSerapHim


picture by 7thSerapHim

Looking at the above picture, the enemy has a
ping of 100 to you. 100 ping = 0.1 sec of delay.

You hit him dead on. Hit Counter activates, but
NO damage, why?

You were actually aiming his image 0.1 sec ago, and
his actual position is at the red box now.

Over at his side, he receives your damage packet, and
it misses, because your damage packet took 0.1 sec to
reach his side, by then he would be at the blue box.

So, 100 ping is in fact effectively 0.2 sec of delay.
Damage packets may be dropped due to the high ping,
and causes a phenomenon to what is known as
'lag shield' or 'lag armor' and can be seen teleporting.
Some players may mistake this as a Godmode hack.

However, there is a way to fight with people who have
high latency relative to you, and that method is called
'lead shot'.


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(iv) What is Ping?
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna

Short for Packet Inter-Networking Groper, Ping is a
basic Internet program that allows a user to verify
that a particular IP address exists and can accept
requests. The verb ping means the act of using the
ping utility or command. Ping is used diagnostically to
ensure that a host computer you are trying to reach
is actually operating.

If, for example, a user can't ping
a host, then the user will be unable to use the
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to send files to that host.
Ping can also be used with a host that is operating to
see how long it takes to get a response back.

Ping is a computer network tool used to test whether
a particular host is reachable across an IP network.
Ping works by sending ICMP “echo request” packets
to the target host and listening for ICMP “echo response”
replies.

Using interval timing and response rate, ping
estimates the round-trip time (generally in milliseconds
although the unit is often omitted) and packet loss
(if any) rate between hosts.


---------------------------------------
(v) How does Ping affect you in-game?
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna

In many multiplayer online video games, players
often use the term "ping" to refer to the network
latency seen between their computer and the other
player or to the server depending on the game itself.

Low amounts of ping are usually desirable since they
allow smoother gameplay with more updates of game
data in the averaged milliseconds. In Gunz, "lag" is
often based on "high ping" or "low ping" which actually
depicts the speed of transfer for packets of game-data.

Simply put, a higher "ping" results in a longer transfer
duration for data packets.


---------------------------------------
(vi) Leading.
---------------------------------------
written by 7thSerapHim


picture by 7thSerapHim

The picture above pretty sums up where you should
aim when the opponent is dashing. Of course, prediction
of enemy movement is also a must in leading.

Note: 200+ ping = effective 0.4 sec of delay and should
be much harder to predict unless the enemy is doing
side HS, in which the enemy might return almost to the
original position.


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(vii) Aiming against ping.
---------------------------------------
submitted by Museboy

10-30 Ping: With this ping your shots will hit almost exactly
where you aim. Try to aim at the centre of the chest or feet.

30-50 Ping: With this ping try to aim at the outline of
the enemy's body. (Example: If your enemy is dashing left,
shoot the left side of their body)

50-80 Ping: With this ping aim about a body's length
ahead of the enemy. (Example: If your enemy is dashing left,
pretend there is a clone of the enemy on the left of the enemy,
aim for the clone.)

80-100 Ping: With this ping aim about two body's length
of the enemy. (Example: If your enemy is dashing left, pretend
there is two clones of the enemy standing side by side on the
left of the enemy, shoot the clone on the far left)

100-150 Ping: With this ping aim about three and a half's
body length of your enemy. (Example: If you enemy is dashing
left, pretend there is three and a half clones of the enemy standing
side by side to the left of the enemy, shoot the far left clone.)

[Yuna]

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(viii) What is the definition of Spiking?
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna

Many of you Gunz players would definitely encountered
the term "Spiking" before while you were playing in-game.
Spiking tends to be the general term used when there is
a sudden increase in Ping. There have been players who
have constantly encountered problems where their own
ping constantly spikes so here are some helpful tips and
ways to reduce the chances of spiking cases.


---------------------------------------
(ix) What are some ways to prevent Spiking?
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna

There are many ways to prevent your ping from spiking.
Here are some simple but effective ways to do it.

1) Turn off your firewall. Using a firewall can cause the
ping to spike more since the packet is being filtered leading
to the longer duration for the packet to travel.

2) Turn off all other un-necessary internet programs such as MSN,
browsers and most importantly, turn off all current downloads.

3) Make sure your computer is connected via Local-Area-Network
(LAN) and then disconnect the router from the modem.

4) Turn off the Wireless Zero Configuration service which
searches for alternate networks every few mintues by going to
"Start -> Run -> type Services.msc -> Scroll down
to Wireless Zero Configuration -> right click and select Properties->
click Stop -> wait for the service to stop -> click OK".

5) Start> Run> type "cmd" > type "ipconfig /flushdns" (submitted by Ominous)


---------------------------------------
(x) Types of Lag.
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna

Many of you wonder whether lag is basically the cause of
only problem or rather whether there is only one type of lag.

However, in reality, there are three types of lag that are
commonly seen. They are:


Client Lag

Client lag is seen as a momentary freeze of everything
on the client's screen, leading to an inconsistent frame rate.
In this state, the entire screen appears to be frozen; no
animation will occur and the UI will be completely unusable
(except for your mouse cursor).

Client lag is caused by poor performance of the game client.
The most common client lag is caused when the game is loading
new data and/or is low on free (physical) memory. Client lag
may be momentary (less than a half second) or long (several
seconds or more).


Network Lag

Network lag is perceived as unresponsiveness to your actions
and/or jerky movement of other players/monsters. Unlike client
lag which completely stops all actions, when there is network
lag, the user can still do certain minor actions.

While network lag can affect a large number of users at the same
time, most often, it only affects a handful.


Server Lag

Server lag appears much like network lag, and often the user
cannot tell the difference between the two. All of the examples
of network lag apply to server lag as well.

The primary difference is that server lag tends to affect many
users all at the same time. Server lag is caused by poor performance
on the servers. This can happen when there are too many players
on a single server machine or due to problems in the code.


---------------------------------------
(xi) FPS Lag aka "Screen Lag"
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna

In addition to the common encounter of the term "Spiking"
while playing in-game, most of you Gunz players would
also have encountered this problem while playing.

It's commonly referred to as FPS (Frames-Per-Second) lag,
screen lag or rather frame lag. The amount of frame lag
you encounter depends on your FPS which is affected by
the quality of your computer and graphics card.

When you suffer from FPS lag, there are mostly some common
things which will happen to your gameplay and the amount of
control you have over your character's movements. Here are
some of the common problems.

1) Inability to aim (moving the crosshair) smoothly.

2) Inability to play smoothly in maps with lots of action or
players in your gameplay screen.

3) Fast movements will be restricted due to FPS lag.

4) Gun delay would seem like it was more then specified.

5) Slower Reaction time to key presses and mouse clicks.

6) Overall decrease in playing ability.


---------------------------------------
(xii) How do you reduce FPS lag?
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna

Since you now know more about the problems when you
suffer from FPS lag, let's now look at ways and means to
reduce it to ensure a better and smoother gameplay
environment. Here are some simple yet effective ways to
reduce FPS lag.

1) Ensure that your pc is kept cool and not overheated.

2) If your pc has been on for a long time, restart it before
loading Gunz.

3) Keep all drivers up to date especially video drivers.

4) Set your pagefile to a fixed size like 1024min/1024max,
and put it on your fastest harddrive.

5) Defragment your harddrive(s).

6) Disable unnessesary drivers and windows services.

7) Close background applications/processes.

8) Lower your resolution.

9) Lower texture resolution.

10) Get a better cooler and overclock your system.


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(xiii) Famous settings for reducing FPS lag
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna

Instructions:
Open the config.xml file in your gunz folder (edit in notepad),
find where it says VIDEO, replace what needs to be replaced
and save the file.

Sol/TaeYang/Archetype's famous settings

<VIDEO>
<WIDTH>640</WIDTH>
<HEIGHT>480</HEIGHT>
<COLORBITS>8</COLORBITS>
<GAMMA>255</GAMMA>
<FULLSCREEN>TRUE</FULLSCREEN>
<REFLECTION>false</REFLECTION>
<LIGHTMAP>false</LIGHTMAP>
<DYNAMICLIGHT>false</DYNAMICLIGHT>
<SHADER>false</SHADER>
<CHARACTORTEXTURELEVEL>2</CHARACTORTEXTURELEVEL>
<MAPTEXTURELEVEL>8</MAPTEXTURELEVEL>
<EFFECTLEVEL>0</EFFECTLEVEL>
<TEXTUREFORMAT>8</TEXTUREFORMAT>
<NHARDWARETNL>false</NHARDWARETNL>
</VIDEO>


---------------------------------------
(xiv) Speed and Distance of a dash
---------------------------------------
written by 7thSerapHim


picture by 7thSerapHim

A dash last an estimated time of 0.3 seconds and
distance traveled is about 3 body lengths.

[Yuna]

---------------------------------------
(xv) Lazy Weapons
---------------------------------------
written by 7thSerapHim

If you don't like to aim too off, use either an MG
(Machine Gun) or a RL (Rocket Launcher) to kill
the enemy.

Use the MG to spray a small circle slightly around the
opponent. With 120 rounds in a clip, don't worry about
wasting ammo.

With the RL, splash damage will be dealt to the opponent,
ensuring that you'll at least injure him somehow.

If everything else fails and you're left with a 400 ping
lagger who's immune to everything, usually butterflying
or even just plain ground slashes will kill the guy.


---------------------------------------
(xvi) F.A.Q.
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna


Q: I saw a similar guide with the exact same pictures a
long time ago. Yet this guide was posted yesterday.

A: The guide was actually originally written by 7thSerapHim
a long time ago. This is an add-on version of that guide
which includes more data, information research in addition
to the actual guide. Adding information to this guide will be
a constant practice.


Q: How do I lead Half step/Reload half step?

A: Lead shotting a person who is in the midst of Half-Stepping
is easier compared to a person who is Full-Stepping aka
Slashshotting or something similar. All you have to do is
fire your shot roughly in the middle of the Half-Step.


Q: Can Ping really be predicted?

A: This is just the basics of the concept. Ping isnt something
which can be predictable and mastered. With practice and
understanding, you can fight better though.


Q: Does slowing down incoming packets enable you to suffer
less damage?

A: I wouldn't put it that way. In some cases, it does work but
it isn't fool-proof.


Q: If I intentionally on Firewall and my character spikes,
wouldn't it give me an unfair advantage?

A: If you spike yes, it would definitely give you an unfair
advantage over the other players you're playing with. But don't
forget that spike usually works both ways. It's a win-lose gamble.


Q: There are some seriously nice pictures done in the
guide. You're good.

A: Before jumping to conclusions that I'm the picture maker,
please do check out the credits stated. Credit should be
given to the correct people. Don't credit me for 7th's work.
Thank you.

written by 7thSerapHim and Yuna
pictures done by 7thSerapHim

Original guide: The Guide to Lag, Ping and Lead Shot.

[Yuna]

---------------------------------------
(xvii) Lead Shot Replays I
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna

After much questions and prompting from many Gunzfactorians
and Gunz players about this, I've finally decided to take the
time to get some lead shot replays for people who have not
been exposed to lead shot before.

The replays here consist of "leadshotter" replays and
replays of the "victim's view". The "leadshotter" replays display
the lead shot in regards to the relevant ping while the "victim's
view" replays display the damage taken by the lead shots.

I hope they're useful.

p.s Thanks to [Aplus]Minus for being the test dummy in the replays. ^_^

[Yuna]

---------------------------------------
(xviii) Lead Shot Replays II
---------------------------------------
written by Yuna

This is a continuation of (xvii) Lead Shot Replays I, with special thanks to Style¡¡ and [Aplus]Minus for helping out to make the replays. ^_^

Attached are replays for 250-280 ping leadshot.

[Yuna]

UPDATES AND CHANGES

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
[2/12/06- 11:31am GMT+8]
Added in "What is Ping" and "How does Ping affect you"
[2/12/06- 7:32pm GMT+8]
Added in "What is Spiking" and "What are ways to prevent Spiking"
[3/12/06- 1:38pm GMT+8]
Removed pictures temorarily.
[3/12/06- 2:52pm GMT+8]
Changed format of guide credits.
[3/12/06- 3:05pm GMT+8]
Added #5 in "What are ways to prevent Spiking"
[3/12/06- 9:08pm GMT+8]
Added back the pictures.
[3/12/06- 9:40pm GMT+8]
Added in first draft of "F.A.Q"
[3/12/06- 10:58pm GMT+8]
Added in "FPS Lag aka "Screen Lag"]
[4/12/06- 11:58am GMT+8]
Added in "How do you reduce FPS lag?"
[4/12/06- 1:08pm GMT+8]
Added "Table of Contents"
[4/12/06- 2:02pm GMT+8]
Added "What are some causes for lag?"
[4/12/06- 2:25pm GMT+8]
Updated F.A.Q
[5/12/06- 12:22am GMT+8]
Added "Aiming against ping"
Changed credits.
[5/12/06- 12:36pm GMT+8]
Updated F.A.Q
[5/12/06- 10:25am GMT+8]
Added in link to Original Guide
Changed credits.
[17/7/07- 5.21pm GMT+8]
Fixed minor errors.
[18/7/07- 11.57pm GMT+8]
Added in a question to the FAQ.
[25/7/07- 4.27pm GMT+8]
Added in "Famous settings for reducing FPS lag"
[1/8/07- 5.58pm GMT+8]
Added in Quick Ref tabs.
[2/8/07- 5.22pm GMT+8]
Updated "How do you reduce FPS lag?"
Edited "FPS Lag aka "Screen Lag"
[2/8/07- 5.38pm GMT+8]
Added in "Types of Lag"
[22/11/07- 9.02pm GMT+8]
Added in "Lead Shot Replays"
[11/08/08- 8.29pm GMT+8]
Updated content page & usernames.
[13/09/08- 8.58pm GMT+8]
Added in contributed Lead Shot replays.
Updated content page.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

[Eos]

Am i loosing my mind(again)...because i could swear i saw you make another thread with this guide before

[ChaosSushi]

Excellent guide. I've known what lag is, but this gives me a better understanding of it, and it's more accurate in describing where to shoot.

[Jackolope]

Very nice guide and good pics that explain this with comprehension.

[Yuna]

Originally Posted by Fallen Angel

Am i loosing my mind(again)...because i could swear i saw you make another thread with this guide before

I asked Becci to delete that guide and let me remake it.
I needed more space for updates and stuff.
So I remade the guide and added reservations for future updates.

Be sure to check back and enjoy the updates frequently.
Over and out.
~Yuna

[Scuba]

nice guide and great pics, i hope you do well in the future too bro ^.^

[Esprite]

Very nice guide, it'll help a lot of people. Interested in seeing what else you'll be adding to it ^_^

[Miya]

Woah man, those ss are good. and GJ. =]