CSGO/CS2 observations (2 tweaks for you to try)

[petergase]

I tried to solve my feeling that after every lag the game desynces a LOT and client buffers too much (so im behind others as fu..k).

It wasnt only feeling, i desperatelly was looking which parameter causes this behavior and it seems i found it. Its parameter cq_buffer_bloat_msecs, in default state its set to 150, 150 fu..ing miliseconds of buffer on YOUR side which is no way compensated by server putting you up (another) 150ms behind others (you dont need even to bother with reacting then, 150ms is more than my avg. reaction time). When there are no lags, it seems that the game doesnt use the full interval, but whenever it lags for a while, it starts buffering and game puts you into very "funny" single digit kill games where everybody is prefiring you.

Some sources

https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiv ... r_1122023/

https://www.reddit.com/r/cs2/comments/1 ... _shooting/ (last comment in comments)


Now playing with these settings (in autoexec)

sv_clockcorrection_msecs 0 - its a tradeoff, great for awpers, worse for riflers, default is 30ms, my observation: the game shows opponents a little earlier, but for a price of very unpolished movement of opponents (its harder to predict their next position - 0ms doesnt allow client to smooth out the movement based on previous 2 ticks). Thats why its great for snipers, not so great for riflers. Versus high ping opponent its even worse as they tend to move even more erratically than normally. The parameter is possible to set in client also at server (set to 0 at BOTH sides at LAN to reduce peekers advantage at LAN game!).

cl_cq_min_queue -1 - this parameter is again a trade off, you trade hitreg for reactivity of client. With 2 the hitreg is better, but there is obvious queue delay in netgraph (the netgraph will permanently show 2 green boxes line = 20ms which are obviously buffered (read: delayed) somewhere). I didnt make any deeper investigation yet, whether the delay is or is not compensated any way (i think its not, as its client sided).

cq_min_queue_size 0

cq_buffer_bloat_msecs 0

cq_buffer_bloat_msecs_max 0 (people use usually their ping for not perfect connection so 15 or 30 may be optimal)

- these all parameters disable the annoying buffering on client side. Since i disabled it, i didnt have a game with such high behind feeling. Of course, it doesnt work so well vs high pingers as the next issue is bad netcode of cs2 and lagcompensation and interp which are all set to absurdly high numbers but this is different story (spectator vs client differ so much that its common that spectator sees no shot while i emptied a half of magazine). Im gonna to dehonest valve crap by newly bought action 240fps camera to count exactly the difference server - client based on many scenarios (low ping enemy, high ping enemy etc.). By comparing server replay vs client POV off screen.

Really nice competitive game valve, good job

[Master_Tinkerer]

Just some food for thought.

Raiz (a big Russlan CSGO youtuber) posted a video about input lag

https://youtu.be/WN3THI5W1Cs (no English subs, unfortunately)

And at 7:03, founder of Insilio gaming talks about how he switched apartments and his game became much smoother.

So we're not stupid tinfoil hats, there definitely is a problem, it's just really difficult to quantify, measure and solve at the moment.

[joseph_from_pilsen]

SV_ are server-side commands. But who cares?

sv_clockcorrection_msecs is parameter possible to set on BOTH sides (probably the only one, i dont know if any other). It works on BOTH sides so it can be set at server AND also at client (and they seem to be stacking).
You can verify it - after its set to 0, its set to 0 in client, doesnt get overriden back to 30ms default by server side as the server side is running independent on client half.
Bad LAN admins usually forget to set this parameter to 0 at LAN and they wonder then why they have peekers advantage at LAN... In csgo it makes 30(server)+30(client)= 60ms peekers advantage at 128t LAN (plus few ms which are negligible), in cs2... around 120 because 60ms is burdened by ticktiming so in cs2 is peekers advantage unmitigable fully even at LAN/localhost conditions.
ESEA was running this parameter set to 0 or 15ms (i think zero but i dont remember exactly, it was lower than 30ms default) at their league servers somewhere in 2015 (+-) to allow more responsive gameplay, but CIS laggers cried out for re-set it back to 30ms so much that they returned it back to default (and i unsubscribed esea forever).

[Markushevich]

I found my way here and giggle because 1) you are probably spinning in circles attempting to find cause 2) other people experience something similar. I've had the problem in all CS and IMO it's my internet. Charter/spectrum. I use fq_codel to get A+ bufferbloat, otherwise, it's D/F. Despite problems, I am faceit 10 but consistency is not possible. 2 examples: when "this" is going on, I can't hold a smoke. A noob can push it, run through it and he's out and I'm dead 4/5 times. When this isn't going on, s1mple can push smoke and without a flash, I will insta-headshot him. The second example is people can super Ferrari peak, in particular with SMG and it's like they are on skates as I call it. A blur of sound you can't hit but they aren't warping or sliding.. hard to describe I suppose? You also feel "locked in" because aiming is not consistent at all with whatever is taking place. When this isn't a problem, the game slows down even against proper peekers and aimers. I can confidently hold angles with good crosshair placement. Even if they peek, I can micro adjust like I'm playing kovaak. I am in control of my aim. Yeah, some red dots on new cs2 graph every few seconds, even in 5vs5. In full casual games, particularly with negevs in the background and many people fighting, the game turns often into degeneracy even though my fps is stable. It ain't bad days or good enemies, that's for sure lol.

[Markushevich]

I've also noticed peeking someone, proper counter strafe and the hits/damage show as if I was behind the wall tagging. For example, 3 hits for 30-something with AK, when I was not walling the person. As if I began shooting and tagged enemy through that spammable edge I just peeked from. Except on my screen, I didn't shoot until I had cleared corner/wall. Not warping from my pov, game just feels weird/muddy.

[Master_Tinkerer]

I found my way here and giggle because 1) you are probably spinning in circles attempting to find cause 2) other people experience something similar. I've had the problem in all CS and IMO it's my internet. Charter/spectrum. I use fq_codel to get A+ bufferbloat, otherwise, it's D/F. Despite problems, I am faceit 10 but consistency is not possible. 2 examples: when "this" is going on, I can't hold a smoke. A noob can push it, run through it and he's out and I'm dead 4/5 times. When this isn't going on, s1mple can push smoke and without a flash, I will insta-headshot him. The second example is people can super Ferrari peak, in particular with SMG and it's like they are on skates as I call it. A blur of sound you can't hit but they aren't warping or sliding.. hard to describe I suppose? You also feel "locked in" because aiming is not consistent at all with whatever is taking place. When this isn't a problem, the game slows down even against proper peekers and aimers. I can confidently hold angles with good crosshair placement. Even if they peek, I can micro adjust like I'm playing kovaak. I am in control of my aim. Yeah, some red dots on new cs2 graph every few seconds, even in 5vs5. In full casual games, particularly with negevs in the background and many people fighting, the game turns often into degeneracy even though my fps is stable. It ain't bad days or good enemies, that's for sure lol.

The thing is, when I try to test my internet everything is always A+, I don't have to use "fq_codel" or any firmware updates to the router, I've tried 2-3 different ISP's. I've just given up, I lurk and read responses to see if there is any progress, I have exactly the same thing. When I lag, its impossible for me and react to any peek/action. When the lag goes away (for some reason sometimes it does if I do a fresh windows install for the first few games), I can get 40 kills, 140 ADR in the same faceit level 10 games when I usually suck balls. There won't be a solution because right now there's no way to even measure it