Dear Hunters, today's blog is all about a spike in hit registration issues in the game that you guys in the community have reported to us. This kind of problem is a high priority for us, and we appreciate everyone who got in touch about these issues. We have been investigating the cases reported, and we'd like to let you know what we found and what actions we have taken so far.
First of all, of course, we looked into the data. And there was a lot of it! Just a few days of hit registration data from the game generates over 100GB of data to analyze! So, as you can imagine, it's no small task to work through all of this data, work out what has been happening and why.
Our investigations found that the most reported hit reg issues occurred during close-quarters combat. In this situation, one player fires at an enemy player but does not get a hit marker, meaning they do not kill the enemy, despite seeing hits on the enemy causing a blood splatter effect. This is an obvious cause of frustration. This scenario was not the only area of hit registration error that we found from reported cases. However, from what we saw in the data, it is a significant one, and since we have taken action, it's an area where we have seen a dramatic improvement in hit reg errors.
First, we want to explain how hit registration works before we get on to what changes we have made. You can read our REALLY in-depth blog into the system here. For a brief recap, Hunt's networking model—like those of many games—is built around the concept of a dedicated server. When you matchmake into a game, you are connected to a dedicated Hunt server. This server runs a special version of the game, using the same logic as the game running on your computer, but skipping the bits it doesn't need to do its job.
The dedicated server is basically in charge of the game world. It has authority over player positions, physics, and other related aspects of the game. The version of Hunt running on your computer is called the client. The dedicated server sends your client a copy of the game world. This copy is updated regularly via the network.
Meanwhile, the client acts on your input and updates the dedicated server on what you are doing in-game. Although the internet is fast, it isn't instant, so when your client sends the server a message telling it that you've just pulled the trigger on your Caldwell, that message isn't instant either. This delay is typically called network latency, and it is measured in milliseconds (1 second=1000milliseconds=1000ms).
When it comes to hit registration, Hunt allows clients to predicatively interact with their view of the server state and uses a hit validation system to verify that shots and melee attacks are valid. This system takes the "favor the shooter" approach, meaning that a shot is considered valid as long as it is deemed legitimate according to the server's game state history. However, this process is complicated by the nature of latency and de-synchronization between client and server.
The crux of our work is in improving the hit validation system so that it is lenient enough about desyncs that it doesn't invalidate legitimate shots but strict enough that it doesn't open up the game to exploitation.
So, onto our investigation.
When we looked into our data about when and why shots are being invalidated from the server, we found that many invalidations happen because the server perceived the player whose shots were invalidated as already dead. Based on this, we were able to isolate this particular issue and improve this situation significantly. With the release of Update 1.5.2.1, we included a fix for these kinds of validation instances, and since the update's release, we have been monitoring and investigating data from the game. We are pleased to let you know that we have seen a big improvement in hit registration issues. In addition, as a result of making hit registration more precise, with fewer fair shots being invalidated and a more fair and accurate exchange of hits, we have seen a proportionate increase in kill trades.
Our team is continuing to investigate further server-related and hit registration issues. We have not solved all of the cases that you have been in touch about, but work continues to address reported issues. Bear with us. Furthermore, if and when you encounter hit registration issues, please do report them to us. Video clips of any problems you come across in the game, regardless of whether they are hit registration cases or not, are the best things to send to us so we can find and fix any potential problems. Our goal is to make Hunt the best it can be, and we can't do that without you, the community, letting us know about bugs, problems, issues, or any other feedback.
Again, we want to thank everyone in the community who has reported cases to us and sent in video clips so far. Looking at the data, we can say for certain that the situation has improved. However, we haven't finished our work here, and you may still come across hit reg issues. We are looking deeper into the system to see how we can take further action and improve hit registration across the board. Please keep sending us your feedback, and know that we are committed to solving any reported and unreported problems.
See you in the bayou,
Your Hunt Team.
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