Faceless Void
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Our most recent news post regarding online mode: http://forums.mcleodgaming.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=39521. The three most important things to do are:
- Do not host using high latency mode unless low latency fails several times in a row.
- Do not move in the waiting room after hosting/joining a room.
- Reboot the game if you ever return to the main menu from Online Mode, or get stuck at a screen while playing Online Mode.
You will avoid almost all issues by following these three steps, and you won't need to follow these instructions anymore once we release a new patch update to correct these issues. Q. Where can I sign up for online mode? Q: I keep getting stuck in the Waiting Room! A: This means that RTMFP (the technology that SSF2 uses to connect you to opponents) doesn't work with your network's current settings. We suspect that with the release of SSF2 Beta we will be able to work around some of these issues. This is probably going to be super annoying, but if this network is yours, you have to do some router tweaking to get it working for now. We're pretty new in the field, so we'll let the dev of the popular RTMFP game "Haxball" explain it best and offer some solutions for you. Just as a warning; this is some advanced stuff we're dealing with here, so if you're not computer savvy, you might want to have someone else that you trust do this for you. Check out the "I can't connect to any rooms! It gets stuck at the "Connecting to host" phase." question in their FAQ. Q. When I try to log in, I get an error that says "Can't connect to server!" A. You most likely do not have the newest patch release. Please redownload the game here. ...Or, if you're playing at around 11 PM EST, give or take a couple of hours, we may be performing server upgrades. Or... the server may have crashed somehow. It's self recovering though, so give it like 5 minutes and it'll be back up. Q. I get an error telling me that SSF2 isn't in my game library... How do I play SSF2 online? A. Easy! Head over to http://mgn.mcleodgaming.com, log in, hit "Manage Games", then hit "Browse Available Games", and add SSF2, then you're good to go. Q. The MGN website is so slow/won't load! How do I get in? A. Make sure you are accessing it from http://mgn.mcleodgaming.com - some early emails sent out a https link instead. Q. When I create a game, which latency setting should I use? A. Low latency (P2P) is highly recommended. Only use high latency if low will not work - it will be slower in almost every situation otherwise since it's using a server in the middle of you and your opponent. Q. I registered a long time ago. Why did I never get the account activation email? A. You may have missed it, but don't fret; over at http://mgn.mcleodgaming.com you can hit the "Resend Activation Email" button to get it again. Q. I keep desyncing (my match ends early/doesn't match what my foe sees/foe KO's themselves a bunch)! How do I avoid this? A. There is a bug found in the current patch causing some desyncs and strange behavior (such as the camera not following correctly and players dying multiple times at once, etc) - it's simple to avoid but having one player affected by it will mess the room up for everyone else. To avoid being affected by this bug personally, just stay still in the waiting room. If a match starts while you're attacking, it will bug out, so standing still eliminates this possibility. Also, if the host quits a game and you get kicked to the main menu, I would suggest reopening SSF2 just to be safe. An update will be coming to address this soon. Q. My connection is timing out and I can't log in! A. The server is either under maintenance or over capacity. This will improve over time; MGN is still in beta so we're making improvements constantly. As stated above, updates usually occur around 11PM - 2AM EST nightly. Alternatively, you could be getting this error consistently if your connection is too slow to play Online Mode. Q: How does Online Mode work? A: Online mode uses something called Adobe's RTMFP. Basically, to put it simply, Flash connects you to our servers when you log in, then connects you directly to your opponent the best way possible if possible. SSF2 has a backup plan if this fails, but it might be a little slower in practice. You will want 'P2PMode', meaning a direct connection, any time possible. Q: Why aren't you using "Rollback" technology? A: Rollback just does not work very well in a fighting game, let alone one with as much movement control as SSF2. With recovering, edge tactics and the like requiring a strict, reliable, and accurate perception of your location and your opponent...there just isn't room for characters garbling around the screen as rollback attempts to make sense of the input delay on your end and update your foe's position. Imagine going for a meteor smash and then suddenly your foe appears on-stage!
Thus, as the official Smash titles have done, we're using traditional netcode offset by a slight input lag. But, our backend is much more optimized than Brawl's. This should mean no more than a few frames of input delay for a good connection. Q: How can I speed my gameplay up/reduce lag? A: Here's a couple of ways: - Plug your computer directly into the internet instead of using WiFi.
I know this sounds crazy, but in this day and age, WiFi is not perfect. P2P connections rely on speedy sending and speedy receiving and has little room for error. If you press A and your WiFi signal loses that button press from interference or some other cause, the game will stall. You are sending 30 of these per second, and you can't afford to lose any. Let's take wireless out of the picture to leave less room for error, if possible.
- Make sure this person isn't TOO far away.
This is a given, but some people don't know this - the internet isn't all that efficient. It's a bunch of tangled webs and it sometimes doesn't know which way is fastest. The farther your opponent is, the more twists and turns that the internet has to figure out. It may not be possible to play someone from extremely far away if you don't get a good connection to them, unfortunately, so choose your friends wisely.
- Upgrade your internet/complain to your internet provider about possible high latency/packet loss.
If all else fails, it may be time to think about contacting your internet service provider (or ISP). Certain types of connections have higher latency than others; SSF2 online will never run well on Satellite internet, mobile connections (4G, 3G, etc.), or Dial-Up. However, if you don't have any of those types of connections and you still have high latency (AKA ping), calling your ISP and setting up an appointment with a technician is important. It could mean that your hardware is installed incorrectly, or may need to be updated.
- Make sure both computers are fast enough to run SSF2.
Naturally, if SSF2 is slowing down on either of the computers, it will slow both down. Make sure your opponent and you are both running SSF2 at a solid speed.
Q: I can't play any matches with anyone using low latency mode, and high latency mode is too slow/doesn't work! A: Unfortunately, Online Mode is limited in this initial release. You may have to wait until a later patch to enjoy it using high latency mode - you have a special kind of connection that will need to rely on a that mode, which is not 100% working in this release. You may be able to get better speeds if you play with other people that have this special kind of connection, as that will allow you to use low latency mode - but they are extremely rare. In the future, we will be able to speed up the solution we're using, but for now you are, unfortunately, out of luck. Q: I can't see my friend's/anyone's rooms! A: Have you tried changing the filters? After you log in, hit the filter button at the top. Make sure your filters match your friend's room's settings, or, if you want to play with strangers, most play with time on, stock on, and items off. If you still can't see a friend's rooms, and you're sure your filter is set to their settings, you may have to wait for next patch. Q: I keep getting "Your account is logged in elsewhere... Please wait 5 minutes" errors.
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