You aren't actually bad at fighting games. You just have input lag.

[RamenRider]

I used to make input lag guides and I have found fighting games to be the hardest/learning curve games in the world. This guide is for people who feel like they're always slower than the opponent and can't comprehend why.

The precision, skill, speed, knowledge required is higher than most other games. However there is one element most casual gamers don't know which is input lag / system responsiveness. SF6 is my first "real" fighting game and I was stuck in diamond 2 for 2 years. I usually place high in any game I dedicate time to LOL, OW, Digimon TCG, Varsity Badminton, I usually always get masters / gm. But being stuck in diamond was really dumbfounding to me. I found out I haven't cared to fix my input lag(been busy).

Before I felt like I couldn't respond to any attacks, grabs, DR, DI, you name it. Yet when I DI or grab the opponent could always tech out of it no problem. It was if the system or the game was showing you images a second behind. It was really frustrating doing anything, even the combo trials was difficult. Now that I am masters I will show everyone how I fixed my system. It's funny the very day I started tweaking my system, I jumped 3 stars then masters. https://imgur.com/a/M2HGX8z

I would also like to take this time to talk about how I think all of these response time / input lag tests out there don't really take into account of actual game play experience. Just because the response of an initial frame to mouse/controller doesn't factor in all of the other variables in game play. There's engine syncing/desyncs, there's jitter, stutter, %lows highs, scaling vectors, so may factors that happen during gameplay between multiple machines and servers that a simple test cannot determine.

!specs: Ryzen 5900x, Radeon 7900 GRE.

How to fix your lag.

1. First up is your in game settings. Disable V-Sync and enable Input Delay Reduction in graphics settings. Reduce any graphics you feel is necessary if you are getting less than 60 frames in battle.
   
   
2. Second is to check all your monitor settings.
   Click around the buttons and find any gaming mode / FPS mode. Having it on a movie mode would usually have a ton of post processing lag. For my BenQ monitor I have an AMA setting on Premium for fastest frames, and it has 2 FPS modes, FPS 1 is better than 2. However for Esports you might have to disable everything such as blur reduction and Freesync/Gsync. Make sure to turn all of those settings off/on in all your monitors!
   
   -Even having 1 enabled can affect the other monitor!
   
   
3. Third is to set GPU settings
   
   For Nvidia you want to set Ultra Low Latency mode and Display Scaling. Open NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D settings > Global Settings. Set Power management mode to Prefer maximum performance, disable any VSync, then enable Ultra Low Latency.
   
   For AMD, you want to disable the performance logging and every feature. This thread explains how Voltage monitors like MSI Afterburner give you stuttering and performance issues so you also have to do it for Radeon. Can confirm this improved my %lows.
   https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=14206&sid=71e7e25901dfcec78b0a0dcae2c31814
   
   There's also 3 ways to install the drivers, Full, Minimal, and Driver only. Minimal sometimes feels the best. Honestly it does feel good to have minimal install and disable everything like this youtube guide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3aGmologFY
   
   But if you do have AMD here are my settings. Everything is preference but somethings just feel terrible for me.
   Per Game Settings:
       
   • Anti-Lag Off (I think it it just throttles your CPU)
         
   • Enhanced Sync Off
       
   • Freesync: On. IF you do want it On, make sure to use ON not AMD Optimized cause it feels like AMD Optimized has a throttle.
     Display Settings:
         
   • Freesync Premium On
         
   • GPU Scaling: OFF, Scaling should be default or Center.(test it)
     Smart Technology Settings:
     
   • AMD SmartAccess Memory: Off
     
     -Sometimes I also notice that Radeon settings might also have to be on while playing so you would gain the effects?
   
   
4. Fourth, Set Game Priority.
   Open regedit and Navigate to:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile\Tasks\Games
   
   
   • Set "GPU Priority" to 8
     
     
   • Set "Priority" to 6
     
     
   • Set "Scheduling Category" to "High"
     
     
   • Set "SFIO Priority" to "High"
   
   
5. Fitly, Disable Control Flow Guard or Exploit Protections on your games This definitely helped in Marvel Rivals for reducing stuttering and improved %low performance too.
   
   https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelrivals/comments/1h8hcd6/how_i_fixed_my_stuttery_gameplay_issue/
   
   
6. Sixthly Disable TPM, Resizable BAR(Above 4G Decoding), and whatever settings like HPET in BIOS
   TPM is a security feature that is usually required when installing Win11, however if you already installed it you can just go ahead and disable it in BIOS, but it made my mouse feel really really slippery(still better than floaty mouse). https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=13123&start=60
   -However note, TPM is required for Riot Vanguard.
   
   Resizable BAR is what enables SAM(SmartAccess Memory) in Radeon.
   HPET usually is enabled by default and hidden in most BIOS nowadays. You would have to use SCEWIN to bypass that. https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=11847&hilit=chatgpt
   
   Also disable Spread Spectrum. https://linustechtips.com/topic/828135-spread-spectrum-on-or-off/
   
   
7. Lastly the most difficult setting is tweaking your BCDEDIT System Timers. Many serious gamers always hear about disabling HPET and that is one of the timers the PC uses.
   
   You have 3 main BCDEDIT Timer Settings: useplatformclock, useplatformtick, and disabledynamictick. Each of them can be set to Yes, No, or Off. By default they are all off. Changing any of these variables in certain combinations can either make the system feel amazing or terrible. To edit them here is all 3 examples for useplatformclock.
   
   

    bcdedit /deletevalue useplatformclock
   bcdedit /set useplatformclock no
   bcdedit /set useplatformclock yes 

   
   You simply enter one of these into your command prompt or powershell as administrator, press enter. You can check your current status by just typing bcdedit and press enter. Along with these timers you can also try to disable HPET in BIOS.(Previous Step)
   
   So Basically you have 3^3^2 combinations you can try.
   Here is a list of combinations I have used. https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=10823&start=30
   
   Lately the combinations I have been using are:
   
       
   • HPET off, UPC Yes, UPT off, DDT Yes(this one got me to masters)
         
   • For some reason HPET On Bios plus All Yes = Great Smooth
         
   • HPET On, All Yes - UPT no = Almost Perfect
       
   • UPC Yes, UPT No DDT No
         
   • UPC No, UPT Off, DDT No If it's not perfect I'd say it's perfect.
         
   • Just UPC No
     
   • delete everything useplatformtick no
         
   • UPC No, UPT No, DDT Yes = Good
         
   • delete everything, DDT yes
         
   • UPC No, UPT OFF, DDT yes
         
   • UPC No, UPT Yes
         
   • UPC No, UPT No
   
   These are all the settings I've tried and found to be great, and if they don't say HPET it's usually disabled. Let me know which ones you find to be the best/worst, or maybe you know some better combinations?
   
   
8. Super Extra Tweak: disable your Transparency Effects in Windows.
   On windows 7 this was called Aero Glass but now it's just Transparency.
   
   Turn Off Transparency Effects
   Open Settings: Press Win + I to open the Settings app.
   Go to Personalization: Navigate to Settings > Personalization > Colors.
   Disable Transparency Effects:
   Scroll down and toggle Transparency Effects to Off.
   
   Disable Animations
   Press Win + I to open Settings.
   Navigate to Accessibility:
   Go to Settings > Accessibility > Visual Effects.
   Disable Animation Effects:
   Toggle Animation Effects to Off.
   
   Adjust for Best Performance
   Access Advanced System Settings:
   
   Press Win + S, type Advanced System Settings, and select View advanced system settings.
   Alternatively, right-click This PC, select Properties, and then click Advanced System Settings.
   Adjust Visual Effects:
   
   In the Performance section, click Settings.
   Under Visual Effects, select Adjust for best performance.
   Alternatively, use Custom and disable these:
   Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
   Fade or slide menus into view
   Fade or slide ToolTips into view
   Show shadows under windows
   Apply Changes:
   Click Apply and then OK.
   
   Disable Background Visual Effects
   Disable Wallpaper Slideshow:
   
   Go to Settings > Personalization > Background.
   Set Background to Solid Color instead of a slideshow.
   Disable Dynamic Themes:
   
   Avoid using animated themes or ones with complex visuals.
   
   Registry Editor Tweaks (Optional)
   Open Registry Editor:
   
   Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
   Navigate to the Following Key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
   Disable Aero Peek:
   
   Look for the value DisablePreviewDesktop.
   If it doesn't exist, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value and name it DisablePreviewDesktop.
   Set its value to 1.
   Restart Explorer:
   
   Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
   Restart the Explorer.exe process to apply changes.
   
   These tweaks will ensure the most latency reduction and the BCDEDITs will change the way your timer works so that the OS/game engine runs smoothly.

How to Fix Ping

If you are struggling with getting low ping in your region try this fix.

Originally posted by Powerdrive Megacock:

Hey man, I had this issue on 2 different PCs, here's what I did to fix it permanently;

Device Manager> network adapters, select your network adapter in use, click on the Advanced tab and disable any option concerning power saving, look for the MIMO Power Save Mode option and try to set it to No SMPS
Device Manager, expand network adapters, select your ethernet adapter> Energy Saver tab, deselect this option. Also, go to the Advanced tab and disable any energy saving option.

1. Go to control panel/view network status and tasks/ click on the blue ethernet label on the far right side/properties/ highlight client for microsoft networks/click configure/advanced tab/disable energy efficient ethernet/disable wake on magic packet

2. Disable IPv6 in settings and Forward ports re: https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/2EA8-4D75-DA21-31EB


3. Open Services (Press Windows key + R then type in services.msc then click OK)
-Look for WLAN Autoconfig and WWAN Autoconfig> Right Click Properties and set it to automatic (If it's already set to automatic, right click then click stop then start it again)
-Restart PC and check
If the issue persists, run the following command in command Prompt (Admin). Follow the steps below to do so.
These sets of commands will reset the internet connection and re-calibrate the internet settings you have.
Press Windows Key + X.
Click on Command prompt (Admin).
Type the following commands, and hit Enter after each command:
netsh int tcp set heuristics disabled
netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled
netsh int tcp set global rss=enabled
netsh winsock reset and press Enter
netsh int ip reset and press Enter
ipconfig /release and press Enter
ipconfig /renew and press Enter
ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter

You can also try Optimizing your Windows Network Stack by opening Command Prompt as Admin and running:

netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled
netsh int tcp set global rss=enabled
netsh int tcp set global dca=enabled
netsh int tcp set global netdma=enabled

• Disables auto-tuning (which can cause lag in some cases)
  
  
• Enables RSS (Receive Side Scaling) for multi-core processing
  
  
• Enables Direct Cache Access (DCA) & NetDMA for lower network latency

Bonus Tweaks

0. GPU monitoring software like MSI Afterburner or AMD Radeon can cause lag.
This thread explains how Voltage monitors like MSI Afterburner give you stuttering and performance issues so you also have to do it for Radeon.
https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=14206&sid=71e7e25901dfcec78b0a0dcae2c31814

1. Disable Monitors or Explorer(only while gaming).
I used to this this a long time ago but basically you go to device manager and disable your monitors(not uninstall). https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?t=12927
This stops windows from creating certain features like overlays and post processing stuff. I personally use Night Light and this disables that so I don't do it often. An alternative is task manager and end explorer.exe which disables DWM while you are gaming. More about DWM: https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7168

2. Activate windows....
https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12475&start=10
how to activate: https://x.com/qepoxs/status/1880944188646375652?t=fFW1tW4kzvizn1qa97G7Tg&s=19

3. Set keyboard language to English(Phillipines)
Mossad based Intel tracking? Perhaps.
https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/input-lag-in-windows-10-and-games.2923337/#post-19973646

4. Super Mega Optimization Guide
If you like gaming, you have to try these tweaks.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?l=turkish&id=476760198

5. Lhun's Guide for AMD
But can work for any PC.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/7yfji8/my_advice_for_a_modern_os_and_uefi_configuration/

6. Reinstall Windows Properly.
Turns out the way you install Windows may affect how your performance is impacted.
See this post made by Roach. https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/subtle-input-lag-both-mouse-and-keyboard-computer-just-feels-off.313965/#post-5116331
{Check the old Roach Guide in the bottom of this list as well)

Even the version of windows you download can have problems. https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12557

There's this script made by Slender where you can install Windows then run this script so that Windows doesn't install garbage drivers.
https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12927&p=107380#p107380

7. Roach's Old Guide.
This thread is for the most powerful schizos on here. Not recommended, just pure delulu.
https://www.overclock.net/threads/gaming-and-mouse-response-bios-optimization-guide-for-modern-pc-hardware.1433882/#replies

-Basically disable as much as possible. such as spread spectrum and XCHI handoff or whatever. He also suggests to use "win 7 USB stick creator" to make your installs instead of Rufus. https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12557&start=20

8. Try using a different NIC / External Ethernet port
https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=10624

9. Melody's Tweaks
https://sites.google.com/view/melodystweaks/basictweaks

10. Calypto's Latency Guide
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c2-lUJq74wuYK1WrA_bIvgb89dUN0sj8-hO3vqmrau4/edit?tab=t.0

11. Disable Windows Time Synchronization
Why: Time synchronization checks can occasionally cause lag spikes.
How: Open Services (services.msc). Find Windows Time, right-click, and set Startup Type to Disabled.

12. Set GPU Scheduler to "Hardware Accelerated" or disable it.
Why: Hardware-accelerated scheduling can reduce GPU-related latency.
How: Go to Settings > System > Display > Graphics Settings.
Toggle Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling to On or Off you gotta test it yourself.

13. Lower Audio Channels
High audio channels (e.g., 7.1) consume more resources. Setting to stereo (2.0) can reduce CPU load.

How:
Open Control Panel > Sound.
Go to the Playback tab and double-click your active playback device.
In the Advanced tab, select 2 channel, 16-bit, 44100 Hz (CD Quality). Also make sure to disable enhancements.
Apply and restart your PC.

14. Disable Above 4G Decoding in Bios.
https://x.com/x1lly/status/1879953634600923292?t=MTFpGcomG73RSLF-bYY4TQ&s=19

15. Disable HAGS Hardware Acceleration.
https://x.com/SkiiohTweaks/status/1695162881447285193?t=DKAkMUeL2f_He70yuQjZyA&s=19

16. Disable Steam Big Picture. Apparently it causes lag.
https://x.com/SaschaDaSilvaa/status/1567628506514726913?t=MxfbmCkDcZZjA4990mNrTw&s=19

17. Disable Game Mode?(requires further testing) Don't know if actually affects anything.
There's also 2 other related settings under Windows>Settings>Graphics>Default graphics settings Vsync and Optimizations for windowed games I usually turn them off too.
https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=14443&p=113980&hilit=game+mode#p113980

18. This does not work anymore but I'll leave it here anyways. Disable Fullscreen Optimization. Right click your game EXE/icon. Right click > Properties > Compatability Tab > Disable Fullscreen Optimizations and check it.
Then Click [Change High DPI Settings] and check both DPI options and hit OK. Do this for every game and application you want to excel at. https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/11jsqc7/psa_disabling_full_screen_optimization_in_some/?rdt=55791

However do note DFSO might be broken and may not affect anything nowadays. https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7168 Check the reddit link in this thread.

Modern Windows now uses Flip-Model Optimizations in games and you can enable or disable it in settings(not sure if on or off is better) https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/optimizations-for-windowed-games-in-windows-11-3f006843-2c7e-4ed0-9a5e-f9389e535952

[TheG]

Thanks. Will take a look at it. Bound to be some useful stufff in there.

[X]

Theres an adjustable input delay slider in training mode as well. Doesnt affect online games but will cause discrepancies between combo timing btwn training vs matches.

[Doc Holiday]

I'm just bad.

[Everchosen]

Originally posted by Doc Holiday:

I'm just bad.

Same here, I have brain lag, don't think anything will ever fix that.

[mrobson83]

Yeah, I’m bad. I’m not copping out and claiming my lack of skill is due to one thing or another. I’m strictly a casual player. I don’t care to practice enough to fully master the game. I good enough to have fun and that’s it.

[Call Sign: Raven]

Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence. But, I'm bad at fighting games and it doesn't bother me in the slightest

[kuaikukia]

There is no such thing is bad. There is just someone always better than you

[RamenRider]

Originally posted by Everchosen:

Originally posted by Doc Holiday:

I'm just bad.

Same here, I have brain lag, don't think anything will ever fix that.

For brain lag and brain fog, you have to change your entire lifestyle. No more junk food, carnivore diet and most importantly drink distilled water. Also learn about detoxing from yeast/mold and do some parasite cleanses several times a year.

[Joeycentral]

I agree that it is rollback. I have noticed that in training room, combos are fairly consistent. But in matches, the rollback from CFN typically makes me drop combos that I otherwise pull off consistently online. So I agree with the OP and I highly disagree with the responses shilling for rollback netcode.

[midori]

Tons of pros with no idea how to use computers with dumb settings are in legend dude. This isn't as important as you think it is lol

[Peddie]

Not to mention basically every tournament and local has different set ups, sometimes it's on PC, sometimes it's on PS5, and occasionally they even bust out the PS4 version. And monitors will sometimes just be whatever the TO could get their hands on. Not a single player is going to argue they lost because of 2ms extra input lag compared to what they're used to.

[RamenRider]

Originally posted by midori:

Tons of pros with no idea how to use computers with dumb settings are in legend dude. This isn't as important as you think it is lol

That's the thing about input lag. Majority of people won't even notice if they have it or not. PCs and monitors are not a standardized unit like a console. Some people just installed wrong, or got a lucky install, it's mainly the fault of the OS and microsoft for optimizing for the sake of device + features compatibility instead of gaming.

Originally posted by Peddie:

Not to mention basically every tournament and local has different set ups, sometimes it's on PC, sometimes it's on PS5,

That's fine, they're literally using the same machine. You're talking about something completely irrelevant to multi-PC setups. For example the 2023 Street Fighter League Pro League, NuckleDu lost to Reynald but Du's teammates who played after noticed a lag and requested to check the PC. Turns out Du's game had Reduce Input Delay off while Reynald's PC had it on. Turns out it was requested by teammate Zhen to keep off, but they didn't find out later, the setting makes the game play completely differently. You wouldn't know this unless you are watching and talking to the pros. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUC41rdPlZE

[HomongUS]

Enabling input delay alone made the game feels so much better. Thought lost my input speed but turns out the setting somehow reset itself along with the display settings. I'll try the rest noted here. Thanks for sharing

Also can confirm AMD's input delay reduction feature is broken. Nothing feels different using them.

[Grampire]

I think it's good info - undstanding input delay and how you can minimize it isnt a bad thing. But I'm just not convinced that most players will get much out of it.

Good info either way.

[Peddie]

Originally posted by Grampire:

I think it's good info - undstanding input delay and how you can minimize it isnt a bad thing. But I'm just not convinced that most players will get much out of it.

Good info either way.

Unless your current setup is a downright disaster you're probably not going to get anything more than 1-3 frames out of it. Which is only very rarely going to make or break a fight. It most certainly isn't the key to letting you push to all new heights as fights are usually lost on decision making rather than being 1-3 frames late on finishing an input.