I'm sure this is old stuff for some ppl, but I've been searching around and at some point, I read a comment from a quaker (at Quakeone.com) who said that, to find the correct setting for cl_truelightning, he used value 1.00 (100), subtracted his ping value from that = cl_truelightning value. Is this correct? So if I have ping 39 I should use cl_truelightning 0.61 ?

It also helps to replace the word 'truelightning' with 'fakeshaft', because it's a better definition, but both mean the same thing, correct? The world 'truelightning' seems to be misleading since, if it's set to '1', you DON'T see where the shaft really is...

I've always used 0.8 but now I want to experiment and see more of where my shaft really is in real time and still use my crosshair. I've heard about people who use value '0' and NO crosshair, but that looks like spraying cum everywhere... I just can't shaft like that.

Interesting observation, though I can't answer your technical question, I experienced a similar thing that might backup your friend's theory. When I used fakeshaft 1.00 I almost hit nothing (but I "liked" the straight shaft), then I reduced it to 0.5 and it's a LOT better (my usual ping is 30-55).

Well, it seems to me the theory should be the other way around. I mean, the closer to '0' the value is, the more you'll see your real shaft and visa versa, if I understand correctly.

So let's say you got ping 80, then, according to the theory, you should have 0.2 as value. But it doesn't make sense, because if you would have ping 0 (theoretically), you wouldn't need a fakeshaft since there's no lag, right? So then the setting should be at '0' (off, no faking of the shaft). So I think, the higher the ping, the closer the fakeshaft should be to '1'.

from my experience as an hpb, i've always been a supporter of this feature. now (since some years ago) its allowed in all official competitions and is no longer considered a "cheat" (lol)

anyway, depending on ping, i use it between 0.4 and 0.8
the higher the ping, the lower the value. because if i have high ping i have no idea where the beam is or what's its "pace/rythym", its useful to known where them beam is going to and when the beam is fired (especially when moving fast)
if i have low ping, its better to get closer to value 1, because you can readjust aim so much faster and simply follow the beam will give u a nice indication where the beam is landing.

the fakeshaft command never change the movement of your shaft, only how you percieve the movement of your shaft, put 100 people on a lan with same ping and same fakeshaft and all of them will react differently according to how their brain reacts for some it will be good for some it will be bad.

For most the original display of the shaft makes you want to move the mouse around alot because you think you have to correct your aim cause the shaftbeam always seems to be behind, which I guess is the reason why fakeshaft got invented in the first place.
In any case, it's all in your head, just find what your head likes

Yeah, but ideally, the command would COMPENSATE for the lag and correct the shaft's location, so that it is really/truly there. But apparently that's not how it works...

If we're just talking about right now on MVDSV-servers were antilag is implemented, your LG will hit at the same spot no matter your ping. It's only the clientside visual interpretation of the beam that differs with ping. I havent looked at it in detail, but I think you hit exactly where the crosshair is, just that it is delayed 1 cell/frame or something like that. Better ask someone who's involved about the exact details.

I almost never play on antilag servers. I'm pretty much only playing ffa on xs4all. So the whole antilag feature might as well not exist as far as I'm concerned.

fakeshaft is a better term than truelightning.
the lightning beam does damage when it updates, 10 times a second max.
if you use truelightning 1 then you see the beam where your crosshair is pointing. its basically just a second crosshair, nothing more, nothing less.

if you use truelightning 0, then you see *when* it updates, and *where* it updates. The *where* means you're able to guage your latency intuitively without having to think about ping times and thing that fluctuate. Then *when* means that you can move your crosshair to the right place without having to track 100%, which is easier if they're jumping a lot.
Of course, the lightning beam being slightly off to one side in an unpredicted way, when other players are predicted can be a little distracting, which is the downside (as in it might change your perception of your crosshair's position, in a way).

Values between may offer the best of both worlds, although changing from what you're used to will likely drop your accuracy. Depends how good you are at aproximating spacial stuff.

Using a >0 value in an attempt to match up the lightning beam to the positions of other players (players are predicted, lightning is predicted with truelightning) does make a certain sense, is likely what the original comment you saw was in reference to, but in that case, you may be better off disabling prediction of other players entirely (cl_predict_players+cl_predict_players2 - set both to 0, no idea what the cvar is for fuhquake/ezquake), at least while using the shaft.


with antilag active, you want truelightning 1. antilag compensates for network latency. there is still display/input latency which is not compensated for by antilag.


That's my take on it, anyway. I don't play competatively, nor am I a lawyer.

This is what i meant some posts back, when i said "pace/rythym" of the lightning.

in conclusion, i prefer a "mid" value, closer to 1 if ping is good or antilag is enabled. I dont like the value 1, never did.

On servers with antilag, I can't see any reason to use anything else than cl_fakeshaft 2 (or 1). Without is a different matter, but my theory is that most people preferences are just what they're visually used to, and if aim actually is affected by that, its more because you find the difference in how the beam is presented visually disturbing, rather than it has any actual effect on your eye/hand interaction towards the target.

My advice would at least be to not pay any attention to what some random quaker @ quakeone.com says, and just find a value you find nice and stick with it for the rest of your quake days

[edit]nevermind [/edit]