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There's one thing I can't stand about console games...

N

Negotiator

Member
I've watched some Titanfall videos and I noticed that PC players can see ping milliseconds, while XBOX ONE players see some "vague" bars.

So, why is this considered "normal" in console games? Do they treat us like illiterate/ignorant console peasants, while they consider PC gamers the enlightened master race?

Why can't they offer a bars/milliseconds toggle or even both at the same time? This has been bugging me on every online console game that I've played.
 
V

Venfayth

Member
It's been a while since I've played console shooters, but I recall being able to see ping numbers in halo 2 and 3. I don't know if this is standard for "console games".
 
K

KJRS_1993

Member
I can't say it registers with me as a particularly huge problem.
You can tell if it's bad, or if it's working fine.
The exact numbers don't really make any difference either, as it (or is meant to) automatically connect you to the session with the best ping anyway.

With that being said, I thought Titanfall did tell you when you picked which server you were closest to.
 
K

KojiKnight

Member
It should be a toggleable option in both versions... but let's be clear, console gamers in general are NOT tech orientated while PC gamers are. Of course there is overlap. Of course there are top tech gear heads who don't PC game and play consoles. But in general that is how it is.
 
F

FriedConsole

Banned
Does it matter? Knowing your ping is 223 vs 264 going to make a difference? I am just going to hit Quick Match. I don't miss server browsers. Just get me in a game.
 
S

Savantcore

Unconfirmed Member
If that's the only thing you can't stand about console games, then you're a bigger fan of consoles than I am.
 
C

Captain Tuttle

Member
I don't really even know what ping is but I'd imagine the PC gamer gets more info because he/she has the option of moving to a better server?

I don't know
 
T

TomShoe

Banned
It's because not every console gamer knows what ping is, and what can be considered a "good" ping.

PC gamers have more of an aptitude for the technical, hence the numbers.
 
B

belmonkey

Member
I might rather have bars showing my connection than a number. Plenty of times having 10 ping feels terrible to me, while having 100 ping feels great. I feel like the numbers are just messing with me half the time.

aa0cd87ab2408c205e12e35fcf81f440f50296114a80c0813f15cdd1bb3f93bd.jpg
 
J

Jack_AG

Banned
Playing BF4 on PS4 I had full bars up on the server I picked via the Battlelog in my browser on my 2nd monitor. Had my router tab open and was watching packets back and forth from the server (Dark Knight, custom firmware). Ping was 200+ with full bars and packets was just (if I remember, dont crucify me) about 10x per second.

I hate bars.
 
N

Negotiator

Member
FriedConsole said:
Do you want us to just say "PC gamers are smarter and you are smarter for being a PC gamer"?
Click to expand...
I'm a console gamer, so you're wrong.

I understand that most console gamers don't even know what vsync means, but that doesn't stop some developers from offering a vsync toggle (i.e. KZ:SF), right? So, what's so hard about offering a ms/bars toggle? Technical difficulties on consoles that have 8GB of RAM?
 
ReBurn

ReBurn

Gold Member
KojiKnight said:
It should be a toggleable option in both versions... but let's be clear, console gamers in general are NOT tech orientated while PC gamers are. Of course there is overlap. Of course there are top tech gear heads who don't PC game and play consoles. But in general that is how it is.
Click to expand...

Well, since we're already making shit up, did you hear about that website that lets you download faster ping times?
 
N

Negotiator

Member
besada said:
When you log onto Titanfall one the XB1, it tells you the ping in ms to your data center.
Click to expand...
Fair enough, but I merely used TF as an example.

CoD/BF/Uncharted/The Last of Us show bars.

If it's a minor problem, then that means it can fixed easily by offering a toggle and thus catering to both audiences.
 
L

LX_Theo

Banned
Console games take extra steps to make the systems accessible to everyone, basically. And no, it has nothing to do with "PC Master Race" or "PC gamers are more intelligent". That is just some of you insisting on making yourself feel better.
 
G

GravityMan

Member
peace in palestine said:
I don't think the majority of console users even know of the word or concept of "ping"
Click to expand...

This. And no, console gamers aren't any dumber than PC gamers. Many console gamers just want to boot up the game and get to playing it and having fun ASAP without having to worry about a bunch of technical jargon. It's just a different perspective. Nothing wrong with that.
 
T

topplehat

Member
Do you think it might be because of readability? Numbers are easier to read when your close to a computer monitor, but "bars" might be easier when you are further away on the couch.
 
G

-griffy-

Banned
Venfayth said:
It's been a while since I've played console shooters, but I recall being able to see ping numbers in halo 2 and 3. I don't know if this is standard for "console games".
Click to expand...

BF4 on console shows bars, and actual ping on PC too.

topplehat said:
Do you think it might be because of readability? Numbers are easier to read when your close to a computer monitor, but "bars" might be easier when you are further away on the couch.
Click to expand...

It probably is something like that, the only problem with that is, as someone who understands ping, I have no sense really what the bars represent. Is 5 bars equivalent to 10ms ping? Is it 50ms, or even 100ms? What do they consider "perfect" latency? Because I have a fiber connection, so on PC I can select servers with as low as 9 ping.
 
N

Negotiator

Member
topplehat said:
Do you think it might be because of readability? Numbers are easier to read when your close to a computer monitor, but "bars" might be easier when you are further away on the couch.
Click to expand...
Not really, unless you're playing on a SDTV (next-gen consoles require an HDTV).
 
R

REDRZA

Banned
tapantaola said:
I've watched some Titanfall videos and I noticed that PC players can see ping milliseconds, while XBOX ONE players see some "vague" bars.

So, why is this considered "normal" in console games? Do they treat us like illiterate/ignorant console peasants, while they consider PC gamers the enlightened master race?

Why can't they offer a bars/milliseconds toggle or even both at the same time? This has been bugging me on every online console game that I've played.
Click to expand...

You get the ping numbers to each server. You get bars in lobby. No matter though, j havent had any lag at all in Titanfall on XB1.
 
R

RedRooster

Member
FriedConsole said:
Does it matter? Knowing your ping is 223 vs 264 going to make a difference? I am just going to hit Quick Match. I don't miss server browsers. Just get me in a game.
Click to expand...

Agreed. And really, in all these peer to peer games now, the ping you get at a particular second in time when its pinging all the servers isn't going to be consistent even 5 minutes later as more people join and host migration happens. I trust quick match won't be stupid.
 
N

Negotiator

Member
-griffy- said:
It probably is something like that, the only problem with that is, as someone who understands ping, I have no sense really what the bars represent. Is 5 bars equivalent to 10ms ping? Is it 50ms, or even 100ms? What do they consider "perfect" latency? Because I have a fiber connection, so on PC I can select servers with as low as 9 ping.
Click to expand...
That's my problem, too.

Saying that vague bars don't matter is like saying that integers don't matter compared to floating point numbers. Of course it matters, because they offer less precision!

I don't understand why someone would be against a toggleable option.
 
K

Kumubou

Member
If I remember correctly, there's a much simpler explanation: the connection bars are part of a technical requirement for both Xbox Live and Playstation Network, and having ping numbers instead of bars would be a certification-failing violation. (Although, like most other technical requirements for certification, can be waived on a case-by-case basis). I can't empirically say that this is the case, but I've asked a couple of developers about this in the past and that's roughly the explanation that I have gotten.
 
N

Negotiator

Member
Kumubou said:
If I remember correctly, there's a much simpler explanation: the connection bars are part of a technical requirement for both Xbox Live and Playstation Network, and having ping numbers instead of bars would be a certification-failing violation. I can't empirically say that this is the case, but I've asked a couple of developers about this in the past and that's roughly the explanation that I have gotten.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I've never heard of that before.

Still though, it sounds like a stupid requirement and it doesn't explain the lack of a toggle (even if it defaults to bars, I'd be OK with that).
 
N

NinjaCatfish

Member
I am guessing this is because there is less reason for the numbers on a console. You're not looking through a server browser and making a server decision based on the ping before you join. Matchmaking tries to connect you to a game with a reasonable ping. Having to deal with one less statistic I don't think is a big deal, for me at least.

In Titanfall I have never found a server I joined to feel laggy whatsoever. I'm generally pretty sensitive to it, can notice the difference between a 100 and 20mc ping in TF2 for example.
 
B

backflip10019

Member
You can see your ping to the nearest servers on Titanfall on Xbox One by pressing X at the title screen. I agree it sucks that you can't see it in game. Developers probably assume that by playing on a console, players don't care about the specific number.
 
fastest finger

fastest finger

Member
Maybe.......

Most PC games are played up close on high resolution monitors.

Most consoles are played on HDTVs at a distance.

Bars are easier to see than small numbers.

(?)
 
O

Orayn

Member
Yet another thing that would make life better for everyone if they would just put it in an options menu somewhere.

While I'm a diehard defender of devs' right to make the game they want, there's really no excuse for reducing options when it comes to technical stuff like this, especially when they already have the equivalent feature fully functional on the PC version.
 
T

therapist

Member
theres really no reason to not have it as an option.

A lot of console games are p2p tho , and even with full "Bars" you can still have up to 250ms ping depending on the game.

Maybe they are trying to hide that ? I dont know.

MW2 on pc had bars , then we figured out you can change it to MS and we all saw how terrible the ping really was. Maybe its just best to ignore.

Titanfall doesnt have a server list i dont think , unless i just didnt notice it , seems to be just matchmaking , but you do see your ping. Ive played with 50-100ms ping and the diff is there but small , game handles lag pretty well.
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
fastest finger said:
Maybe.......

Most PC games are played up close on high resolution monitors.

Most consoles are played on HDTVs at a distance.

Bars are easier to see than small numbers.

(?)
Click to expand...

And yet they show KDR in those same screens. Your argument is invalid.

Or should they start to make bars grow bigger the better/worse you do in KDR?
 
MisterHero

MisterHero

Super Member
Maybe when someone should just expect it to work when they owns both a console and a fast enough internet connection. Consoles are meant to work out of the box.

Isn't a connection on PC somewhat dependent on hardware performance, which isn't as easily defined and can be adjusted?
 
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