Alternate Fire Mod README (Unlagged)
What is it?
Unlagged is a server-side modification that compensates for latency with instant-hit weapons. Basically, that means you never have to lead your rail, machinegun, shotgun, and lightning gun shots, even if you have a high ping. HPB's can rip it up with a railgun just like anyone else.
Since it's server-side only, it's pretty cheat-proof, since the server is still the final judge on hit tests.
What isn't it?
It's not a magical lag reducer. It can't reduce your ping or recover your lost packets. All multiplayer games have limitations that only magic, time travel, or a brand-spanking T1 will fix.
That being said, I've been able to rail in some pretty bad conditions while playing on an Unlagged server.
What does this have to do with Alternate Fire?
Alternate Fire versions 1.52u and above have Unlagged built in. I made Unlagged as a separate project, but with this end in mind.
How does it work?
Basically, an Unlagged server has the ability to move players back in time for the duration of a hit test.
The server stores 1/2 second of movement information for every player. When one of the players fires an instant hit weapon such as the railgun, the server does one extra thing before the hit test: it moves every other player to where they were when the shot was fired. After the hit test, it moves them all back. This is done without the server sending the updated positions, so it doesn't matter that the players are moved.
The net effect is that, for the duration of the hit test, all of the other players are in the same positions that they were in when the player fired the shot. If the firing player had someone in his sights, his target will be hit even though it took a while for the signal to fire to reach the server.
What effect does it have on gameplay?
Well, the most obvious effect is that everyone will take more damage from players with high pings. HPB's on an Unlagged server have the ability to rail like everyone else. The machinegun, shotgun, and lightning gun also become very deadly.
Another nice effect is that, no matter what your ping is, your aim with instant-hit weapons will feel exactly the same. You can practice up on an Unlagged server where you ping 300ms for a game on an Unlagged server where you ping 100ms.
It also lets you play with your buddies a few thousand miles away. And the map balance is restored, since people who ping above 80 don't have to avoid the lightning gun. And in Alternate Fire, Accuracy becomes as nasty as Quad Damage. I could go on and on...
Who doesn't benefit?
People who ping really, really high won't benefit (there is a 500ms ping limit), and neither will people with connections that tend to drop packets a lot.
Can't people just pull the network plug, kill everyone, and then put it back in?
First of all, if you pull the plug on Quake 3, you won't be able to move. Second, it's all server-side, so the server isn't depending on the client to tell it when there was a hit. So no, that can't happen.
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