Offline vs Online: Why Some of Us Don't Enter International Events

This is NOT about the technical side of rollback and delay based netcode. For information about that, read this article by Infilament or watch this video by Core-A-Gaming. This write-up is about how online play is different from offline play. 

In December of 2020, TFH was a casual hobby for me. Javamorris jokingly asked what it would take for me to enter tournaments. I half jokingly told him "Region locking and banning Wi-Fi connections." He then started planning what would become Rodeo Regional, which is now a very popular tournament series. It has very strict connection guidelines: US & Canada only, plus your jitter has to be below a certain amount.

Rodeo Regional's strict connection guidelines brought a bit of controversy. The eligible players were happy with a way to properly prepare for offline tournaments. The rest of the world was extremely disappointed, especially as it gathered a small sub community of high level players who refused to enter anything else. It gathered the responses of "International tournaments were fine, players had no problem with them" and "a few frames of delay doesn't change the game." That is what I want to address- both of these statements are wrong.

OFFLINE PLAY IS DIFFERENT FROM ONLINE PLAY. This idea is already contentious because people don't like having stock taken away from netplay events. I am not here to argue about whether offline play is different from online play: it is. Anyone who says otherwise either hasn't seriously competed in an offline setting or is straight up lying to you. But I am here to explain what the differences are. Even with rollback netcode, bad connections are still bad connections.

Let's get a couple of kneejerk reactions out of the way.

"But adding a few frames of delay to remove intense rollbacks isn't enough to change anything about the game!"

BlazBlue players, please forgive me for bringing up the queen of Twitter discourse. I have no choice. 

A few frames is more than enough. This is already proven by the existence of arcade meta differences in other games. Most Arcade systems in Japan have inherent delay compared their console or PC counterparts. Es is an extremely controversial character in BlazBlue for this exact reason. She is valued by the high level playerbase far more in Japan than North America. The additional two frames of delay (four frames if you have to play on NESICA 2 cabs) covers up her weak offense & slow recovery on her normals. The aspects of reaction that come into play when fighting a character like Es are weaker, while the aspects of prediction become stronger.

This isn't just in BlazBlue, either. Ask a Guilty Gear player what fighting Slayer is like on cabinet compared to console, they'll probably groan at you. The success rate of such options on arcade cabinet are different because of the delay. Tier lists between arcade and console are usually different. Keep in mind, this is with a consistent two to four frames of delay. Add the inherently inconsistent value of online, and you end up with a vastly different meta.

Fun experiment: if you ever have the chance to go through some offline replays, take note of how many things you mess up in a 2-3f range!

"Wait a second, why are you talking about delay? TFH has rollback netcode!"

Yes! And bless Mane6 for it because this is the best online experience a fighting game has to offer. But while rollback minimizes the impact of connection, You're still trading input delay for more visual messiness. In good connections (anything below 100 or so), this visual messiness is barely noticeable. This is always the significantly better choice. But visual messiness can still impact the meta, it just takes a much worse connection to do so. Visual clutter still has an impact on the aspects of reaction and aspects of prediction. Sure, you can add in delay to trade off some of that for input delay on your end, but you're trading one evil for another- as I discussed above.

"Okay, I understand- so what's the deal with International tournaments?"

This is context that the TFH community lacks simply because this is a first fighting game for a lot of people (not a bad thing!) International tournaments, even for a game with rollback, are EXTREMELY rare in most communities. TFH is an exception, not the rule. The attitude from players that competed before my time was more "they had no alternative if they wanted to play." When given the choice, people would rather play a flawed simulation of the game they like than not play at all. This is why people still netplay BlazBlue and Guilty Gear XRD despite the atrocious netcode. It's also why I don't mind casual sets with my pals in Europe from time to time. A casual set here and there? Why not. International tournaments? Hard pass. My goal is to compete in an offline setting, and bad connections skew enough interactions to make discerning points of improvement more difficult.

Nine times out of ten, this it the response you'll get from someone who doesn't like to enter international tournaments. They have different goals and want to compete in an environment more similar to offline. 

Do keep in mind, this doesn't mean we don't support the existence of open tournaments. They are extremely important to the ecosystem of this community, and I would not support region locked tournaments if established open events didn't already exist.

Now, with all that cleared up, let's talk about meta differences!

Rollback or not, online play tends to skew the way people look at the game. There are visible differences in the style of play between international and region locked events. There are entire regional metas built around the assumption people will not time consistent meaty 2A's. Reactions in offline settings are more consistent in neutral. Stagger pressure, which is the foundation of high level offense in TFH is almost completely missing from players, even ones who place in international tournaments. The rotation of defensive options, the presence of fuzzy upback (and to a lesser degree fuzzy mash), is completely different in an international setting. These are not trivial differences; they change the landscape of the game.

The reality is that you are playing a different meta where interactions are skewed compared to offline. You can practice and get good at that meta, but if your target is placing in offline tournaments- that may not be to your benefit. In addition to less sustainable strategies being improved by online play, more players have to play neutral and defense with prediction rather than reaction. Even players who are more predictive in nature have to manage their mental stack differently in rough connections. 

If you want a clear visible example, look at Bubbleboots' most recent stream vod (where you can see me be snarky about this exact topic). There is a huge shift in how he goes from fighting a player with 50-80 ping compared to 200+ ping. Bad connections (and the tournaments that allow them) are asking players to play differently if they want to win. If your goal is to compete offline, playing differently to win matches in international tournaments will NOT be in service to your goal.

And boy are there countless examples of this. Netplay monsters with good tournament results, even in rollback games, who go offline and struggle to place. The consistency offered by an offline tournament setting changes everything.

"So players in less populated regions that want to compete offline are just screwed then?"

Disadvantaged? Yes. Screwed? Absolutely not. There is already an example of this in the TFH community.

If I've ever breathed in your direction, you know that I put zero stock into the results of international tournaments. Seeri is an exception to this rule- he has excellent risk/reward analysis and a strong understanding of this game at a high level. He relies on choices that will continue to be sustainable offline. I have zero doubt in my mind that he would bring that same level of play to an offline event.

"Still, this is an unfair advantage for players who live in more populated regions."

No, it isn't fair. North America is incredibly privileged. But let me tell you a secret: geographical factors have always mattered in fighting games. New York and South California are almost always the two strongest areas of the United States in any given fighting game. New York players will jokingly tell you it's in the water they drink, but it's actually because these are the two most populated areas of the United States. A higher population means a higher population of players overall, and by extension- more high level players.

But there are countless examples of players coming out of nowhere with a high level of play. Tekken 7 had a huge shake up when the Pakistan community started competing in the United States. There are BlazBlue players who had nothing but delay based netcode to improve themselves. Give players in these circumstances a few chances to learn in an offline setting, and they may exceed expectations. I always think back to players who persist and overcome the odds when I doubt myself.