Online Gaming

Latency (Ping)

The time (measured in milliseconds) it takes for a data packet to travel from your computer to the server and back.

LAN (Local Area Network)

A network connecting computers in close physical proximity, such as within a single room or building.

Client-Server Model

A networking structure where all player devices (clients) communicate directly with a central authoritative host (server).

Rollback Netcode

A networking system that predicts inputs instantly and rewinds the game state seamlessly if a prediction error occurs.

Follow what happens when you click the mouse to fire a weapon in an online game.

1. 1Input Timestamp: Your game client records the button press, attaches a timestamp, and predicts local movement immediately.
2. 2UDP Transmission: The input is bundled into a lightweight UDP network packet and sent through your router across the internet.
3. 3Server Authorisation: The central game server verifies that your action was legal and computes the hit collision.
4. 4State Broadcast: The server broadcasts the updated match state to all connected players to keep everyone in sync.

pythondef assess_connection_quality(ping_ms):
    if ping_ms < 30:
        return 'Excellent (LAN / Fibre)'
    elif ping_ms < 80:
        return 'Good (Smooth online play)'
    elif ping_ms < 150:
        return 'Moderate (Noticeable latency)'
    else:
        return 'High Latency (Rubber-banding likely)'

print(assess_connection_quality(24))
print(assess_connection_quality(180))

Game engines measure round-trip ping to determine how far into the past or future to extrapolate player positions.