Titanfall, the first game from Infinity Ward insurgents Respawn entertainment is, as we outlined in our impressions of the beta, quite a lot of fun. It feels fresh and exciting, and is just the sort of thing that has the potential to significantly deflate Call of Duty’s bubble. That beta has unfortunately been delayed in South Africa, but we’ve been playing it locally without the benefit of Microsoft’s cloud. With the nearest Azure datacentre half-way around the planet, how does the game play here in SA?
Let’s start with the bad.
Latency to Titanfall’s Azure-based servers really is pretty terrible. Here are my pings to the servers.
As you can see the best pings i get are from the servers located in Europe. I’m using an ISP on the MTN backbone, and I generally have pretty good latency and speed. Here’s a speedtest from this morning.
Other local players, utilising different ISP’s have reported pings closer to 150ms, but regardless there are really only two servers that are worth playing on from South Africa. From the East US server and beyond, latency was far too high to keep the game playable.
Now for the good.
The game is incredibly latency tolerant. even with that 215ms ping, the game is still very playable, and incredibly fun. I never felt like I had to aim ahead to hit my targets, and I held my own rather nicely against players with significantly better latency (you can see other players pings in the score menu). I only encountered instances of player teleportation or odd shenanigans on servers with pings closer to 300ms.
Honestly, for local console gamers, these sorts of pings should be nothing new. I could count the number of console games with local server support on my right elbow; we’ve always had to contend with these sorts of latencies and for the most part we’ve done just fine. Thankfully, with the game being so latency tolerant the high pings don’t really feel like they matter.
In the few hours I’ve played the beta now, I came out on top of my team a number of times – so it’s certainly quite playable for those of us far away from Microsoft’s cloud. On top of that – and I don;t care if you label me a heathen, Master race – I was using a 360 controller for much of my play. I can confirm that it works quite well against mouse-and-keyboard warriors, without the very minor aim assist feeling like cheating.
That said, PC gamers used to having local servers with 30ms ping might cry foul, and I’d certainly love to have the option of using dedicated servers. With it’s 6v6 gameplay, I also think Titanfall could be the game to revive LAN parties.
Titanfall worked quite well for me, but my line is not your line – so caveat emptor. The only way to really know well the game works for you is to play it yourself, but EA’s being stingy with the PC beta keys when it comes to South Africans.
The beta is completely open on Xbox One, and Respawn’s said that they’re essentially opening the PC beta up to all and sundry, handing out beta access in the coming hours – so log in to Origin, and you should have beta access.
Over the next couple hours we’ll be getting all the PC people who signed up access through the My Games Library in Origin.
— Respawn (@Respawn) February 17, 2014
If not, this has been known to work.
@WobblyOnion @Sh3han go to this link http://t.co/2nK2iqEulD and just say the code you were given doesn't work. Got a key within one hour 😀
— Charl (@charl4e) February 15, 2014
The Titanfall beta is scheduled to run until tomorrow, but Respawn is extending it the 20th to let more people stress-test the servers. It’s apparently a 12Gig download, but it uses some sort of magic and comes through far quicker than your line physically allows. Don’t ask me how.
Remember to read our Titanfall beta impressions for information on the game itself.
Last Updated: February 17, 2014
BEANIBIL1TY
February 17, 2014 at 08:39
Im with Afrihost and last night i got a 158ms ping to west Europe. only time lag affected me was when it spiked.
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 17, 2014 at 08:41
Wait, so if you use a controller you get aim assist?
What the flip?
Hammersteyn
February 17, 2014 at 08:48
Even with it enabled I still cant hit shit.
Laby
February 17, 2014 at 09:14
Hahaha then you just a bad at aiming 😛
Stan Smith
February 18, 2014 at 18:20
No, he’s just using a controller.
Macethy
February 17, 2014 at 08:42
Still not getting this…
Pieter Kruger
February 17, 2014 at 08:46
Sad for you……????
Robert Hart
February 17, 2014 at 11:16
Says the guy who’s got a lot of lag to look forward to 😉
Stormhaser
February 17, 2014 at 19:06
Not entirely true mate, playing the beta and its kicks ass, I’ve had more LAG on local BF4 servers after release than in this “beta”.
DarthDiggler
February 17, 2014 at 19:50
@Stormhaser
BF4 is 32 vs 32 with buildings falling down, rivers flooding. The comparison isn’t even fair to say the least.
IMHO Azure supporting 6 vs 6 isn’t exactly a bragging point.
FoxOneZA
February 17, 2014 at 08:44
“It’s apparently a 12Gig download, but it uses some sort of magic and comes through far quicker than your line physically allows” << Cloudz Powerz!
Pieter Kruger
February 17, 2014 at 08:45
Downloaded it on the Xbox One and was only 4.8Gig. Ping isn’t that bad and somehow they manage to reduce the lag!?? WOW, what a game!! ???????????? The first game in a very long time where I simply couldn’t put the controller down!!!! So glad to hear Beta was extended!! The gameplay is awesome!! This Game will change the whole FPS genre, for the better and it will be a console seller!! Can’t wait to get back to play some more………
Laby
February 17, 2014 at 08:53
Xbox One? Do you live overseas?
Pieter Kruger
February 17, 2014 at 08:55
Nope, local is lekker! I imported from Amazon.
Laby
February 17, 2014 at 09:11
Amazon wow I thought they stopped importing because I tried buying something last year from them and I couldn’t they said they don’t ship to that country.
Pieter Kruger
February 17, 2014 at 09:23
You should use Amazon UK, not US, took like 5 days only for delivery!! ????
Laby
February 17, 2014 at 10:44
Ok thanks I will do that next time 🙂
Rags
February 17, 2014 at 08:46
I am tempted to buy it with the 60% off valentine’s special, but without local servers there is no point. 🙁
Uberutang
February 17, 2014 at 09:01
What 60% off? How do I get 60% off ?
Brian Murphy
February 17, 2014 at 09:03
Subtract 40% from 100% and viola!
Uberutang
February 17, 2014 at 09:16
Har har har
DarthDiggler
February 17, 2014 at 19:52
You kind of walked into that one. 🙂 LOL
FoxOneZA
February 17, 2014 at 09:10
You need to have a Valentine to qualify 😛
Rags
February 17, 2014 at 09:32
It’s already marked 10% off and with the coupon code “LOVE” another 50% off, but it seems that its only for older games? 🙁
Uberutang
February 17, 2014 at 09:47
Yeah the love code is not for premium, dlc or pre-orders. Typical EA.
Rags
February 17, 2014 at 09:50
Ah, that sucks. But understandable as they could lose quite a lot on Titanfall 🙁
Guest
February 17, 2014 at 19:54
EA? That’s likely Amazon.com.
iAmWeasel
February 17, 2014 at 09:07
Haha PC master race are such snobs.. “no local servers = no play.. sulk”
I’ve been playing on console EU servers for years with no gripes at all. Sucks that you guys can’t just have a bit of fun hey.
Rags
February 17, 2014 at 09:44
It’s not snobbish. Almost all games in the fucking history of gaming had the option for dedicated servers. 200ms is shit with client side prediction for what could be a competitive game.
Uberutang
February 17, 2014 at 09:47
We have standards.
iAmWeasel
February 17, 2014 at 09:49
We have fun.
Robert Hart
February 17, 2014 at 11:19
You just dont know any better. You are so used to sub-par products (ala cod) that you have become used to it and now consider them good.
PC gamers on the other hand have had a long history of top quality products with local servers.
DarthDiggler
February 17, 2014 at 19:56
PC Gamers have largely been playing the same games as console players. With the exception of some indies, but that is starting to change.
Robert Hart
February 17, 2014 at 11:24
Its a bit like going to a restaurant in console town and ordering a R100 burger. When it arrives, you find it has a no toppings, sides or sources. It literally is just two slices of bread and a patty. Instead of complaining, you are contempt because all the other burger joints in your area do the exact same thing.
Meanwhile in PC master-race town, we’re used to getting the top quality burgers with all the sides and sources and for half the price. One day a console town burger shop moves to PC town. When the PC users buy the burger they are disgusted and furious because they have paid twice the price for something that is so much worse than what they are used to.
TL;DR: We have normal standards. You have very low standards and seem to accept any trash they throw your way and are grateful that they were so kind to make at least something for you.
iAmWeasel
February 17, 2014 at 12:29
“You just don’t know any better”.. wahaha! Dude, you have no idea about my gaming background and what I do and don’t know. I have 5 platforms which I game on currently, including PC. The difference between you and me is I don’t see PC as the ultimate gaming system. In fact its not even a dedicated piece of gaming hardware or software, which in my view makes it far from the ultimate. If you must know, I played tons of MP shooters on PC during my 20+ years of PC gaming. There are MP games on PC which I spent playing for over 350 hours. So don’t try tell me that I don’t know the difference. Maybe you should tear yourself away from your KB+M and take a look in the mirror and see if YOU actually know the difference between these platforms.
bluegoon
February 17, 2014 at 09:08
lol, sorry to kill your vibe dude, but that special only applies to crap like Sims etc.
Rags
February 17, 2014 at 09:31
Serious, I thought anything in the origin store.
bluegoon
February 17, 2014 at 09:41
Yup, sorry man 🙁 EA being EA…
Hammersteyn
February 17, 2014 at 08:49
Depending on the reviews I might stick my head in the sand for this one, because EA.
Brian Murphy
February 17, 2014 at 09:01
Can’t hurt to give it a shot on PC if you find it cheap, I still have reservations about paying full price for half a game.
Hammersteyn
February 17, 2014 at 09:37
Agreed +1
Laby
February 17, 2014 at 08:52
EA is so noob I have been waiting since day 1 for beta release and now the release the game on last minute, And what’s worst of all its 13gb??? What on earth!! How can a beta be so huge is it the full game itself or what!??
Ph4tso
February 17, 2014 at 08:54
Despite my 200ms, I played a bit y/day and must be honest, it felt smooth as silk. Only a very few instances where players warped. Remember, there are a lot of AI on the map at a given time so you don’t “feel” lag at all engaging them. I am an ex-competitive FPS player so I know how important latency is, but it felt fine. This is not considering competitive play. The gameplay feels like you’re in a Michael Bay movie. All. Of. The. Time.
Brian Murphy
February 17, 2014 at 09:01
“The gameplay feels like you’re in a Michael Bay movie”
I’m not sure that’s a selling point I’d emphasize if I were EA. *chuckle*
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
February 17, 2014 at 09:01
Yes…pretty much this. It feels /fantastic/
not sure it’ll be great for proper competitive tam play, but if you game for fun, it feels just fine.
Laby
February 17, 2014 at 09:13
I remember using a afrihost voucher 1’s I got a ping under 200ms it was epic! Only 1 problem you can’t download while playing then it lags a lot with I can do both.
Willem Swanepoel
February 17, 2014 at 09:13
You probably have to use something like a Proxy to make the game run smoother.
I played FIFA 13 on my PC with funny weird laggy games, then I installed those LowerPing or WTFAST game proxies and then my game was super smooth and felt like a local game.
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
February 17, 2014 at 09:18
Yeah…I’m not paying a 3rd party service just for better pings. Fuck that.
Willem Swanepoel
February 17, 2014 at 15:52
Yeah, it is all about what you want out of it but you do not need it.
VampyreSquirrel
February 17, 2014 at 09:19
WTFAST sucked so hard at trying to help pings on WoW… I can live with 210ms thanks.
Willem Swanepoel
February 17, 2014 at 15:51
Yeah. I actually used LowerPing for my games, was pretty awesome and worked for me 😉
Devon Stanton
February 17, 2014 at 09:30
I’ve been playing on my XBOX one, strangely I connect to South East Asia with pings of 183ms been having no noticeable lag issues, except when confronted with other pilots on occasion, “I totally shot them first” 😛
Ultimo_Cleric N7
February 17, 2014 at 10:17
Gonna give it a try tomorrow…
Chris Adamson
February 17, 2014 at 10:42
i am getting 33ping to the North Europe Servers , i live in Ireland and have a ping of 90 and 3 mb internet … runs smooth for me 🙂
Laby
February 17, 2014 at 10:46
Lol mate we are talking about non European countries here.
Chris Adamson
February 17, 2014 at 11:10
My bad lol missed the SA bit!
Unavengedavo
February 17, 2014 at 12:31
You were just rubbing it in our faces :'(
Gavin Mannion
February 17, 2014 at 20:55
Only a 3Mb pipe in Ireland though… I thought all you guys were 20+ by now
Devourer of Small Bunnies
February 17, 2014 at 11:07
RE: DL speeds. Im fairly certain Origin (like Steam) runs certain compression algorithms, hence the unpacking duration once a games been DL’d. Its an equivalence stat displayed. You can verify by getting a network sniffer/monitor to verify, but this is what Ive been made to understand.
Robert Hart
February 17, 2014 at 11:15
I’m not getting this as a matter of principle. We should not have to settle for “still playable”. We pay the same amount of money and should get the same level of service. You cant give all other continents servers and just exclude Africa.
I wont just accept it on the basis that we are “used to it”.
iAmWeasel
February 17, 2014 at 12:44
Ya because the best way of trying to convince the gaming industry that we deserve to be looked after is to boycott them? You really think its worthwhile for these companies to invest in server infrastructure and take on the ongoing maintenance costs, all so that 2000 people in SA can get a better ping? Bitch please.
SabreT
February 17, 2014 at 19:47
You really want me to list all the AAA games that has SA servers ? What about a list of games with dedicated servers ? Bitch please. Stop being an ignorant sheep.
JustAnotherGamer
February 17, 2014 at 11:48
Did you guys see the video where this one guy got a hectic kick killstreak in Titanfall? He just ran around kicking bots. It exposes how utterly dumb the AI is and how stupid TitanfAIL is!
Laby
February 17, 2014 at 12:43
My friend also told me the AI sucks in Titanfall
Robert Hart
February 17, 2014 at 13:32
They will blame it on the game being an alpha. Then the full game will have the exact same issue. Thats how it worked with BF4 at least. They dont actually use any of your feedback. Its just a marketing thing to get people talking.
Tye Watson
February 17, 2014 at 23:24
Surprisinly the AI have nothing to do with the actual game for game modes. They are just simple minions. If you have ever played league its like that in a way.
loftie
February 17, 2014 at 12:40
boom! http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/3311826862
Laby
February 17, 2014 at 14:31
I wonder what EA is doing because my internet speed got pushed beyond it’s limit, took me 5 hours to download Titanfall on a 4mbps line.
Laby
February 17, 2014 at 15:02
200ms is nothing I used to own with 350ms -400ms back in the day with 3G 1.8mbps speeds lol man those were also frustrating years haha!
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
February 17, 2014 at 14:45
~200 ms isn’t that bad. I’ve been getting away with something similar for Loadout and Warframe lately. Reminds me of years past when I first played WOW… man oh man.. I used to be happy if I got 600 ms.
Liam
February 17, 2014 at 15:03
i got a ping of 33 to west and north europe in the uk last night….
YOUDIEMOFO
February 17, 2014 at 15:31
Crap…… That is what they have on their hands if they think their latency is not going to produce issues.
DarthDiggler
February 17, 2014 at 19:48
This sounds like good news, but how will this scale on launch day though when millions are slamming it?
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
February 18, 2014 at 07:04
apparently quite well; the beta is running on limited server capacity – with full capacity for launch. Seems quite positive, really.
ilovegoogleglass
February 17, 2014 at 20:13
I got 17 or 26 ping every time, not sure what happened here…..
Gavin Mannion
February 17, 2014 at 20:53
We’re a South African based website so we are reporting on this for people who don’t have local or close Azure datacentres.