what are lag issues?
in any online game , you have the challenge of getting the objects and actions on one screen to match those on every other player's screen . if the connection is not so good , or if it's a long distance connection , there are some issues that arise .
one possbile problem is slowdown . if the network connection can't keep up with everythign that's going on at normal game speed , sometimes it will just slow the game down .
another problem , and one that is often used as an alternative to slowdown , is called latency . say for example that you are pikachu , and you are fighting against kirby , who lives in california . kirby swings his mallet at you , and you jump out of the way . because it takes some time for these events to be negotiated between the two distant computers , there might be a difference between what you see , and what your opponent sees .
maybe kirby swings and you jump just in time to avoid it , but on kirby's screen , your jump may not hve registered yet . kirby's machine may decide that you haven't moved yet , so you were struck by the mallet . on your screen , you are now safely hopping away when suddenly your machine received a notification that you have been hit , so you go flying off the screen into oblivion .
the faster the connection , and the less disntance between two machines , the less likely these sort of problems are to occur . with modern developments in online gaming , these problems have become less severe , but they still exist .
