How much input delay should a two-player game add for a given ping

Adding a deliberate small delay to your own button presses lets the friend's presses arrive in time and reduces how often the game has to redo moments. Too much feels like mud, too little means constant corrections. Here is how to compute the right amount for the connection and how to change it without anyone noticing.

Why this works

The friend's press needs time to travel, and a little planned waiting on your side lets it arrive before it is needed. Planned waiting is steady and predictable, while a surprise correction is not, so you trade a tiny delay for far fewer jumps.

When not to use it

Skip it in games where instant response is the whole feel, such as a fast fighting game on a weak link, or when players sit side by side. There, shrink the delay and accept more corrections instead.

In the full entry

• What to build, step by step
• Starting values and the reason for each
• 3 common mistakes and the fix
• 24 lines of example code with 4 checks that pass
• How your AI shows you that it works

Say this to your AI

Use the Spielerando entry "How much input delay should a two-player game add for a given ping" (read_entry online-pick-the-input-delay-from-the-ping) in my game. Build it step by step, and show me how you checked that it works.

Or skip this and connect the MCP: your AI then finds all of this by itself.Connect the MCP