Network Advantage: A guide to why you were shot when you were "Clearly behind cover!"

This guide will describe a demostratable and pragmatic concept which has a heavy prescense in Verdun and most other FPS games and how you can use knowledge of it to your advantage.

What you need to know

A Network Advantage, in an fps game, is a term used to describe a priority one player's input has over another player's input.

Let me give you some examples when this concept plays a major role

1. You are running through no mans land trying to avoid bullets. You see a crater that you can duck into to avoid being shot. You jump into it thinking you are safe and shortly after you die with the explanation that someone has shot you.
   
   
2. You are defending a trench scanning for enemies to kill. You start running down one of those long straight trenches when suddenly someone flys out from the corner at the end of the hallway, gun raised, and shoots you faster than you can say 'apple fritters.'
   
   
3. You are almost to the enemy trench. So far you've avoided all threats, WHEN SUDDENLY, someone pops their head out and almost instantly pops you one and ducks back down into his trench.

How does this happen?

First, you have to understand that, in multiplayer games, all user inputs operate on a delay (how big this delay is all depends on how well a game handles network interactions between players).
For example, If you move from behind cover ingame you will see what is infront of that cover slightly before anyone looking at that cover will see you move out from behind it.
This means that you will be able to enter inputs (ie. fire a shot, go prone, esc) when you are out from behind that cover before the person looking at that cover will see you move out from behind it, if you enter those inputs within the delay of your previous input (the one that moved you out from behind cover).
The interaction looks something like this

When a User Input reaches "SERVER" is when it is solidified in game (ie. shooting and getting shot)

This can get very complex

Especially if you start factoring in delays from the inputs of others into how they affect your inputs and delays. It is because of this that is not very economic to try and perform these computations while in the game. It is better to keep only several principles and tactics in mind while you play, which I will detail later in this guide.

How to use this to your advantage

Basically, get your opponent on your screen before they get you on theirs

This means, turning corners on people and not having people turn corners into you.
This means, unless you have an mg, not camping in hallways while ADSn an entrance
This means, understanding that the people on your screen are about a quarter to half a second ahead of where they appear on your screen.

Rule of thumb, Move to get people onto your screen, not the other way around.

Lets see some visual examples

Example
GREEN - Represents where you are on your screen
BLUE - Represent where you are on the other players screen
RED - Is an opponent
WHITE - Is movement
You are in a little cubby hole at vosges, You know there is an enemy in the hallway to your right so you are going to use your knowledge of your network advantage to your advantage. You know that if you are fast enough you can shoot him before he has an opprotunity to shoot back at you.





You are fast and you zip out of cover.
There is a delay between when you enter your input and when that input is illustrated onto your opponent's screen. You use this delay to put damage on your opponent before he can put damage on you.

Enemy's perspective
You know that a person is in that cubby hole. You decide you are going to wait for him to come out and shoot him.











Unfortunately, You do not realize the implications a network advantage has on this game while your enemy does. Your enemy corners you and, because he was the one that got you onto his screen first, has a small opportunity to put shots on you before you have a chance to react.

Network Advantage in Application

This is a video where I employ the help of several friends to demonstrate the impact a Network Advantage can have on a firefight.

Closing Thoughts

Thanks for reading. Make sure to rate up if you found this helpful. Feel free to leave feedback in the comments. Thanks again to imans08, Metal Siren, and Terminus for helping me out with the video. So to answer the questoin in the title. Why were you shot when you were clearly behind cover? Becuase, you werent behind cover on their screen.

[MoonDoggy58]

"Video unavailable"

[FearNaughtSJ]

I feel dirty..... in a good way?

[martinusmagnus]

One match a fellow player said "with some guys you think they see you allways a second earlier" and I was wondering too about this "moving around the corner, aiming and shoting, faster than I simply push the mouse button".... Now I understand, thanks for this Guide!

[Emperor]

AMAZING!

[Sergy096]

Great guide

[Lord Wotan]

Thanks for the insight; never thought of it before

[~{1E}~℟εįḉђȿ₣ϋḩřS]

Thank You ,
Awesome This Is Ä Must !

[BlewMusTard]

Being a rusher it should satisfy me, but I suffer from lowpingness disease wtf:P now seriously this is really helpfull and interesting, nice one!

[Big Duke]

Great information. I never realized it.

[{OF-62}-Terminus-NA]

It's an unfortunate reality of gaming on the web. The principle is the same as in a LAN. In the LAN, the host usually will have the advantage. The key to making this work in your favor is to get the other player in your screen first; just like AveryBlue explains. However, you still have to avoid missing.