I’ll still blame the lag
NetherRealm is taking another stab at Mortal Kombat X‘s online performance. After listening to player feedback, the team is changing the way the game works online, switching from a “dynamic input latency model” to a roll-back system that (hopefully) more closely mimics the offline experience. It isn’t exactly the much beloved GGPO system, but community specialist Tyler Landsdown specifically compared the two.
The system is going to be tested in a closed beta starting in the near future. Anyone who has spent at least an hour playing online in MKX is free to sign-up for a chance to participate in the beta on January 19 at beta.mortalkombat.com (the site doesn’t seem to be active right now). But don’t expect to get too crazy: it seems like this is very much a test environment than a playground. Only four characters will be available to start (Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Jacqui Briggs, and Johnny), players will be expected to answer questionnaires about the game’s performance at the end of every session, and sign-up spots will be limited.
The cynic in me wants to say something snide about how they should have just gone with GGPO right off the bat, but I can’t. I’m honestly just happy to see NetherRealm continue to support the game and work on meaningful improvements. If they want to keep churning out more character packs and skins, they better make sure the game plays well enough to justify them.