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Combating Lag by Wrath 28.8.2001

The first topic I'll cover is fighting under laggy conditions.

There are two types of lag. Computer lag and connection lag.

Computer lag is when either the host's computer or the client's computer is not up to handling the game. This is the worst kind of lag possible because there is no cheap or easy solution to it.

The best ways to fix it is to A) Get more ram: it's very cheap, a good source is RamJet or Memory To Go, although I would suggest shopping around to various online memory stores to find the best deal. B) Get a new computer.

Connection lag comes from either the host having a connection without enough down/upstream bandwidth or the client not having enough bandwidth up/down.

80% of the time, connection lag comes from not enough upstream bandwidth because that is how the game data gets to the host/client. Most, even semi-broadband connections have enough downstream bandwidth to not worry about it slowing down your game - it comes down to upstream.

20-80 kilobits of upstream is not enough to host any amount of players without lag.

80-120 kilobits of upstream is enough to host up to 6 or 8 players with little to no lag for clients who have enough down/upstream to keep data flowing.

120 and beyond is enough to host and not worry about lag unless the host's computer isn't up to par.

Most of this so far is stuff you all know, so now I'll talk about stuff not everyone knows and practices.

The most important part about playing in a laggy game is to learn the skill of prefire.

Prefiring is when you fire before the player you are shooting at reaches the spot that you fired at - fire anywhere from 1-10 seconds before they reach the spot depending on the amount of lag.

If I am going around a corner and you aren't certain if someone is there, I like to fire a few rounds off just as I'm coming around the corner to make sure that if someone is there, they are dead/wounded by the time I can see them.

The way the Rainbow Six/Rogue Spear engines are built enables one to fire around a wall or a corner without actually moving out of the protection of the wall. To accomplish this, all you need to do is "slice the pie" (which is covered in another tactics article) and fire just as your reticule goes past the section where the wall stops, and just as you fire, sidestep the opposite direction and, if you timed your firing and moving properly, you will have shot around the wall without exposing yourself.

This is one of the biggest skills I advise new people to learn as it can often get you kills without exposing yourself to getting killed.

The way I describe it can sound like exploiting bugs in the game engine, but it isn't a bug, it is just a matter of timing your rounds and movement.

Prefiring corners:
A map that demonstrates this very well is Killhouse 2-Story Double, commonly referred to as KH.

If you know someone is coming down one of the passages on either side of the two buildings, and you are not confident in your abilities, just back up and fire at the corner where they will come around, with proper timing and practice, you can get through the lag (by firing a few seconds early to compensate for lag) and have your shots register on the host's computer just as the opposing player comes around the corner and is stopped dead in their tracks by your shots that you fired a few seconds ago.

Prefiring HBS campers:
One of the biggest (in my opinion, a very bad habit) "tactics" used by lazy people is to sit at a corner with their heartbeat sensor out and wait for people to come down the hallway, then to suddenly pop out and shoot them before they have a chance to respond.

This can be quite a problem for 56kers as broadband people often do it. With the lag caused by the camper shooting and moving rapidly around the corner, most people won't be able to get their shots through the 2-3 second lag before they are dead.

What I like to do is if I know someone is waiting around a corner for me to come charging down the hallway; I charge, except I start firing at the wall beyond the corner and when the camper sidesteps out to pick up an "easy kill", the shots that I fired reach them just as they step out. Sounds easy? Well, it takes practice to get the timing right and the aiming right, or else you'll fire most of your clip at the wall, then the camper pops out.. So you must be careful as to how much ammo you expend prefiring.

What can also happen is that the camper will instead use the prefiring corners tactic and back up waiting for you to come around the corner, only to run into their shots.

Either way, you have to stay alert as to what the opponent might be doing.

There are many other smaller methods, but those are the main ones and you can adapt them to your playing style. Whether you are a sniper, you can prefire at the place where your target will appear, an assaulter, you can use these tactics straight out of the box, a camper, you can also use some of these to your benefit.

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