Server Advantage

[-*inS*-]

So in the sumo bar tournament finals there was a discussion about American vs Eu server advantage. I made a comment about how I expected Americans to have an advantage playing in a US server. However surprisingly there were a few people that disagreed, saying that the server location has no influence on the match whatsoever. Hopefully we can continue that discussion here, because if that holds true, changes need to be made.

I don't recall Liz' or Syllabear's rationale behind the irrelevance of server location, but if you guys could post an explanation here, that would be much appreciated. Think of the implications of this, we wouldn't need to alternate between US and EU servers for ladles, simply choose servers by quality rather than location.

Personally I played in the EU bracket this sumo tournament and while I wasn't lagging all over the place or anything, it was a bit messy for me. However I never played in a US server, so I'm unable to give a good comparison between the two. My experience from past events is that I've always had a better time in US servers (when they aren't crashing), most of the time EU servers are fine for me, but there is a greater potential for me to lag/slide a bit.

Another tidbit: Last time US vs EU played that allstar fort match, US won in the US server and EU won in the EU server.

So I ask, does server location matter? If so how much does it matter?

[F0RC3]

Oh it matters. it definitely matters. server location however doesn't matter as much as skill.

[Cronix]

Well I guess it kinda matters.

But the quality of the server is the most important thing.
As an EU you are most likely sliding earlier in an US server than an US player.

But I personally have no problems with playing in US servers. I rarely have lags or slides.

The only thing which makes the different in my opinion is the "jumping" or called latency which is kinda high for US players in EU servers and the other way round

[syllabear]

I didn't say it didn't matter (to clarify, I said it matters), however, I noted that as skill increases, the influence it plays is reduced (given reasonable pings, a good server, and a good connection, which is rarely the case anyway).

[INW]

Americans play in EU servers a ton more than Euros do in American servers so for us, it seems like we work better when thrown in the opposite server.

It does matter to me in sumo.

In a US server, lagometers are very small and it is great for cutting defenses in fortress and stuff. In sumo, if the zone gets small, the lagometer, in a EU server, maybe become the size of the zone and the enemy could be anywhere o.o

[wap]

Makes a big difference for me personally.

In a EU server I'm able to see a lot better what my opponents are doing, which makes a huge difference. My own turns are a lot more precise too. In US servers I get surprised often because of little lags and when the zone is small it's also harder to handle.
Definitely prefer EU servers.

[Gonzap]

It is important for me if the difference between the eu and the usa server is 100 ping points. For example, I always have around 100 ping in eu. If i have 200 ping in usa it is noticeable and it sucks, but if I have, (like last night in the tourney) 160-170 it is not a big deal.

[Mecca]

When comparing how well EU and US servers work for different players, you may want to consider being a little more specific with the locations.

A player from California playing in a server hosted in Germany will most likely have a much different experience than a player from New York.

As long as pings are reasonable, there shouldn't be much of an advantage on either side.

[INW]

So put a server in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?

[Nelhybel]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azores

[dariv]

A more distant but equally stable connection is good for defending but bad for attacking IMO.

[syllabear]

A more distant but equally stable connection is good for defending but bad for attacking IMO.

Nah, it can be really useful to know where your attackers are, especially if they are going to cut you. Otherwise you get some nice "oh I'm dead?" surprises and the other team inside your zone.

[owned]

I think the degree to which the server hurts you has a lot to do with how good your connection is, how good your computer is, and what type of server it is.

If you have a really good computer and internet connection, it doesn't really matter where you play, because you will never be laggy unless the server itself is having issues. (Arguably, you'd be better off in a server from the opposite side of the ocean since you get more rubber)

But if your connection/computer isn't that great, or you're playing in a packed sumo server, then having the server far away from you only makes the lag worse.

[Hoax]

and how good you are at dealing with the constant x milisecond delay, owned

F0RC3 summed it up the shortest, it's just a skill like everything else

I'd say that general skill is the greater variable though. However after looking at the SBT2 results, having both on the day is a competitive combo

[Cody]

to be honest, lately I haven't even noticed lag in EU or US servers. If it doesn't affect how I'm playing then I don't complain.