Implement Ping Normalization to Improve Gameplay Balance

[soulpcbr]

Greetings, fellow players and developers,

I’d like to propose implementing ping normalization to create a more balanced and enjoyable experience for everyone in Mortal Online 2. Based on observations and common player feedback, the disparity in ping between regions is one of the most significant challenges in competitive play. Here’s why I believe this adjustment is necessary and beneficial:

The Current Issue:​

Players located near the server (e.g., England for a London-based server) typically enjoy very low ping (5–30 ms). On the other hand, players from distant regions like Japan often experience pings upwards of 200–300 ms due to physical limitations of distance and network infrastructure.

This extreme difference causes issues in combat mechanics:

• Players with very low ping can land hits before their animations visually finish for higher-ping players, making parrying or reacting almost impossible.
• This creates an unfair advantage for low-ping players and frustration for those with higher ping, even though Mortal Online 2’s mechanics work well when players with similar ping levels are matched.

Why Ping Normalization Works:​

1. Balanced Interactions: Ping normalization would smooth the disparity between low and high pings by setting a shared average, such as 135 ms. This ensures that:
   • High-ping players aren't unfairly disadvantaged.
   • Low-ping players still enjoy smooth gameplay but don’t gain an overwhelming advantage over others.
2. Proven Feasibility: MO2 already works well when players of similar pings fight one another. For example:
   • High-ping vs. high-ping battles remain competitive and enjoyable.
   • Medium-ping vs. high-ping interactions are also fair and balanced.
3. Competitive Integrity: The real problem arises when low-ping players fight high-ping players. Normalization helps prevent situations where low-ping players’ hits connect before the opponent has any chance to react.

Why This is Important:​

We understand it’s not physically possible to reduce pings for players across the world due to inherent geographical limitations. However, ping normalization provides a viable solution to reduce the gap between extremes, allowing everyone to compete on a level playing field.

Imagine how much more fun MO2 could be if:

• The ping disparity was smoothed out.
• Every player, regardless of region, could enjoy competitive gameplay without feeling disadvantaged or frustrated.

A Call to Action:​

I urge the developers to seriously consider this solution. It has the potential to greatly improve the game’s competitive integrity and make it a fairer and more enjoyable experience for everyone, regardless of where they’re playing from. Let’s create a more inclusive and balanced MO2 for the entire community.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I believe this change could make MO2 even better and bring more players together in harmony.

Best regards,
A passionate MO2 player

 

[Emdash]

afaik there is PING NORMALIZATION and it sucks. haha.

I think they need to just make it so the game plays well at varying pings. I think 300 ping people will be kinda fucked, but they shouldn't be raw dogged. People around the more average... 150-250 ping should be able to play the game. It is action based, but the game being all about hiding swings and parries is actually the bigger problem. I am midwest US and, like for MA, I would have to fire a couple test shots. Yeah, it sucks, but I'd stay far enough away so that the usually couldn't pound me. Then once I figured out the hitbox, it was GG.

In the same way, when melee was more about movement, it sucked for high ping players, but they could also do stuff low ping players couldn't do. They were like ghost warriors. Some people even lagged their game to achieve it.

Simply: you just can't have a game that is so based on animations displaying correctly (cuz twitch reaction is overrated in a lot of cases, you should be able to see an ani by how it starts,) and have so many different pings playing. It's SCIENCE and you can't change it with normalization.

If the game doesn't show which way you are facing, it's hard to argue any sort of change will help. Response?

 

[Teknique]

afaik there is PING NORMALIZATION and it sucks. haha.

I think they need to just make it so the game plays well at varying pings. I think 300 ping people will be kinda fucked, but they shouldn't be raw dogged. People around the more average... 150-250 ping should be able to play the game. It is action based, but the game being all about hiding swings and parries is actually the bigger problem. I am midwest US and, like for MA, I would have to fire a couple test shots. Yeah, it sucks, but I'd stay far enough away so that the usually couldn't pound me. Then once I figured out the hitbox, it was GG.

In the same way, when melee was more about movement, it sucked for high ping players, but they could also do stuff low ping players couldn't do. They were like ghost warriors. Some people even lagged their game to achieve it.

Simply: you just can't have a game that is so based on animations displaying correctly (cuz twitch reaction is overrated in a lot of cases, you should be able to see an ani by how it starts,) and have so many different pings playing. It's SCIENCE and you can't change it with normalization.

If the game doesn't show which way you are facing, it's hard to argue any sort of change will help. Response?

Nah bro they “fixed spinning” all it cost was the entire gameplay in exchange for 0 results!

 

[MortalEnjoyer42069]

Nah bro they “fixed spinning” all it cost was the entire gameplay in exchange for 0 results!

Yeah those gamers that do their 720 degree spins while doing their quadruple feints in under two seconds off a parry are just better gamers. They have those $500 gamer chairs so they are really good at the game. Surely they couldn't be using combat macros, skeletal mesh lock on hacks, or parry hacks. Surely no one in Mortal Online history would be so bold to hack to win a PvP fueled by ego. Maybe one day I'll be as good as those gamers.

 

[Teknique]

Yeah those gamers that do their 720 degree spins while doing their quadruple feints in under two seconds off a parry are just better gamers. They have those $500 gamer chairs so they are really good at the game. Surely they couldn't be using combat macros, skeletal mesh lock on hacks, or parry hacks. Surely no one in Mortal Online history would be so bold to hack to win a PvP fueled by ego. Maybe one day I'll be as good as those gamers.

I consulted with the top players in the mortal discord and they assured me that "its totally impossible bro"

 

[Dracons]

The game would be 100 times better with no Spining, maybe punish spinning somehow like losing the parry/blink charge some mechanic to make so we are not spinning around like ballerinas

 

[Emdash]

The game would be 100 times better with no Spining, maybe punish spinning somehow like losing the parry/blink charge some mechanic to make so we are not spinning around like ballerinas

People say over and over that the game is designed for group pvp and yet we have... 5-10 minute duels between good players, a ranked dueling system...

They need to make it so that you can be overwhelmed if you stay still like it was in MO1. The only thing you could really parry is a spear. I was actually decent at parrying despite lag, but once people really got going it was really hard. When you parried you were allowing them to get around you. In the same way, if you stam out in a big fight, you shouldn't parry until they can heal you, you should get obliterated.

People think if they are so skilled they should not die, but that's a cancer viewpoint. And it's probably euro sweatlords, and yea there are hax / macros for everything. They can make hax to hit people at range with melee, too, but at least you'd know it was happening. They have to let people bang it out and a new level of skill would manifest. I tend to believe it would be more skill based because it would require awareness as well as skill.

Make it more about target focusing, more about using terrain, lean into the strengths that it offers. And get rid of that strechy res shit haha.

 

[soulpcbr]

The game would be 100 times better with no Spining, maybe punish spinning somehow like losing the parry/blink charge some mechanic to make so we are not spinning around like ballerinas

For me, one of the things that makes MO2 melee fun and beautiful is the spins. I don't think they should be removed. If you look at chivalry's melee, mortal's is far superior, much more technical, like a martial art. Of course, people who don't want to dedicate themselves won't be able to do it, but they shouldn't expect to win fights, obviously.

 

[Wyndorn]

The game would be 100 times better with no Spining, maybe punish spinning somehow like losing the parry/blink charge some mechanic to make so we are not spinning around like ballerinas

I always thought it'd be cool if turning while swinging increased stam drain, but then theres a primary to reduce that effect, so people can spec into a duelist, and then give alvarins like 25 or 50 free points in that via a clade gift, for flavor reasons, so veelas are more spinny by default.