Lag/ latency vs input delay and why your abilities aren’t working

Hey just want you all to know about the combo priority and how that factors into your input delay versus actual latency.

A common problem I see is people saying certain abilities, supers , transformations, and character swapping do not work in certain situations even if they have the ki, skill count, or change / transform meter filled.

I understand the frustration and why it feels like it dampens your gameplay.

I’m hoping to explain the mechanics and how the game prioritizes combo inputs over multi button special action triggers

First of latency is real. Lag , or whatever you want to call it. The main problem if it’s not your Ethernet connection( don’t use wifi) would be opponents with bad internet and or wifi.

(Another delay source is your controller. If you are using Bluetooth theres slight delay. I went into my ps5 setting and changed it to wired usbc connection and it’s much better )

Whoever hosts has the “least” latency in matchmaking. If you are the guest you will need to feel out the small frame differences which will improve counters and combo openers

This is an online game so it’s to be expected and it is going to come down to your battle instincts which only you can hone

Now onto the mechanical “delay” that I see frustrating lots of players

If you played the older titles in the “Sparking” franchise, your muscle memory will want you to essentially roll into a super or swap, straight from your combo and in the old games it would activate without delay because as a local multiplayer game it could give priority to the multi button input on the stack.

You cannot do that the same way in “sparking zero”

You can do it but you have to understand the power of “neutral stance “ especially when you aren’t under any pressure from the opponent , including physical attacks, distance , and ki blasts and their radius.

While you are in true neutral you have the power to activate any ability or character swap as long as you have the resources required

This is important to understand because while in combat you aren’t always in true neutral. If the game considers you engaged in any form of combat and the input you apply can be used in that combats parameters the game will prioritize this.

This includes things like trying to follow up with a super and you just drift and shoot blasts

This can be fixed by the player having “input delay”

By slightly delaying the input, allowing the current strings animation to finish, then deliberately inputting the special ability, you will consistently activate your stuff.

If you don’t recognize this mechanic and continue to try to roll into your buttons the game will consider it spam and treat it as such. This will throw of your timing and perception which will create a pseudo sense of “input delay” because your timing is thrown.

This coupled with the actual latency can be extremely frustrating and ruin your games if your aren’t aware of how the delay/lagto the host and the way the game reads your inputs , it can feel like a nightmare and beating your head on the wall.

However once you are aware of the mechanics I have explained you are more easily able to feel out the lag in your match as your battles senses improve.

Hope this helps!

Hey just want you all to know about the combo priority and how that factors into your input delay versus actual latency.

A common problem I see is people saying certain abilities, supers , transformations, and character swapping do not work in certain situations even if they have the ki, skill count, or change / transform meter filled.

I understand the frustration and why it feels like it dampens your gameplay.

I’m hoping to explain the mechanics and how the game prioritizes combo inputs over multi button special action triggers

First of latency is real. Lag , or whatever you want to call it. The main problem if it’s not your Ethernet connection( don’t use wifi) would be opponents with bad internet and or wifi.

(Another delay source is your controller. If you are using Bluetooth theres slight delay. I went into my ps5 setting and changed it to wired usbc connection and it’s much better )

Whoever hosts has the “least” latency in matchmaking. If you are the guest you will need to feel out the small frame differences which will improve counters and combo openers

This is an online game so it’s to be expected and it is going to come down to your battle instincts which only you can hone

Now onto the mechanical “delay” that I see frustrating lots of players

If you played the older titles in the “Sparking” franchise, your muscle memory will want you to essentially roll into a super or swap, straight from your combo and in the old games it would activate without delay because as a local multiplayer game it could give priority to the multi button input on the stack.

You cannot do that the same way in “sparking zero”

You can do it but you have to understand the power of “neutral stance “ especially when you aren’t under any pressure from the opponent , including physical attacks, distance , and ki blasts and their radius.

While you are in true neutral you have the power to activate any ability or character swap as long as you have the resources required

This is important to understand because while in combat you aren’t always in true neutral. If the game considers you engaged in any form of combat and the input you apply can be used in that combats parameters the game will prioritize this.

This includes things like trying to follow up with a super and you just drift and shoot blasts

This can be fixed by the player having “input delay”

By slightly delaying the input, allowing the current strings animation to finish, then deliberately inputting the special ability, you will consistently activate your stuff.

If you don’t recognize this mechanic and continue to try to roll into your buttons the game will consider it spam and treat it as such. This will throw of your timing and perception which will create a pseudo sense of “input delay” because your timing is thrown.

This coupled with the actual latency can be extremely frustrating and ruin your games if your aren’t aware of how the delay/lagto the host and the way the game reads your inputs , it can feel like a nightmare and beating your head on the wall.

However once you are aware of the mechanics I have explained you are more easily able to feel out the lag in your match as your battles senses improve.

Hope this helps!