Dealing with Latency Issues

This week my inbox had a plea for help from a hunter named Tripswitch over on the EU server Emerald Dream.

Please give me your advice on how best to maximise my dps. I have a level 70 Hunter, Tripswitch, http://be.imba.hu/?zone=EU&realm=Emerald+Dream&character=Tripswitch, playing on Emerald Dream, an EU server. My latency hardly ever drops below 600 and averages around 700 and being located in South Africa, I don't think this will improve. I have installed Quartz but not bartender and I have Omen running. I am using the Talon of A'lar trinket but have recently read that it doesn't affect auto shot so have been trying the Bloodlust broach instead. I cannot see a difference between the two when used with the Skyguard Silver Cross trinket. My questions are these - is my high latency an insurmountable problem or can it be overcome with macros? Is the Talon of A'lar useless, as commented on in thott and wowhead? IF not, what macro can you suggest to use with it?

Thank you for any help you may offer.

Tripswitch has outstanding gear. He's clearly progressed through T-4 content and is making headway into T-5. The first issue, by all accounts is the Talon of A'lar trinket. I have heard nothing but bad things about it. All the hunters in my guild that spent time in TK have one. I don't think any of us have ever used it. It's theoretically good for PvP, but not when you would rather have the PvP-trinket & the Skyguard Silver Cross equipped. Trip is also a Beastmaster and very few have arcane shots in their normal shot rotation. My gut still says stick it in the bank and hope it becomes useful in early WotLK.

Poortyr, my guild's hunter-rep and all-around pewpew king maintains a list of recommended shot macros which I'm going to post here for you.

Digging up this old thread to post the 3 macros I use the most often,taken from wowwiki and Stareye. All are spammable,and one is a mana burning macro,use with a keen eye on your mana pool

3:2 macro

#showtooltip Steady Shot
/cast [target=pettarget,exists] Kill Command
/castsequence reset=target/3 Steady Shot, !Auto Shot
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear(); UIErrorsFrame:Show()
/script UIErrorsFrame:Hide()

1:1 macro

#showtooltip Steady Shot
/castsequence reset=2 Steady Shot, !Auto Shot
/cast [target=pettarget] Kill Command
/sript UIErrorsFrame:Clear();

SS/AS/Arcane/KC macro (aka the mana burner)

#showtooltip Auto Shot
/cast !Auto Shot
/cast [target=pettarget, exists] Kill command
/castsequence reset=5 Steady Shot, Arcane Shot, Steady Shot, Steady Shot, Steady Shot, Steady Shot, Steady Shot
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear()

this one clips your Auto Shot by design,but the results are worth it.Try them all and see which works best for you.The first 2 macros listed are contingent on shot speed,the 3:2 being for 1.80 sec and above,the 1:1 for 1.80 sec and below.enjoy!

One note: If you want to fool around with the Talon of A'lar, then try it with the "Mana Burner" macro. This macro would theoretically maximize it's DPS generation.

Now, on to the issue at hand: Latency.

Latency is a Steady Shot rotation killer. The potential for shot clipping grows steadily after 2-300 ms of Latency. When mine blooms over 1000, I generally go watch a movie. All classes are hamstrung by latency, but hunters (especially beastmasters) get pounded. Why? When you're trying to precisely get two shots off together in a span of 1.5-2 sec, every millisecond counts. If you hit 1000 latency, that's a full second. For a mage or a warlock, it can mean that your over-all dps is slower, but for a hunter it means that the rhythm of your shot can be so out of sync that none of your autoshots are being cast. That can be a 40-50% reduction in damage.

That said, consistency is still your friend. If your latency is high but steady, then you can compensate for it and maximize your dps potential and gaming fun. I would start by performing a test.

Step 1: In addition to Quartz, download Recount. It's one of several dps chart options. I'm suggesting it because you can pull up graphical on-screen reports that show discreet data about shots fired, damage done, misses, crits, everything.

Step 2: Load all the macros from Poortyr's list. Keep them all handy. Put the "3.2" macro on you favorite keybound key. Keybinding is essential for the test.

Step 3: Fly to Area 52 and find Dr Boom. From the rocks above him you should be able to target him. Here's where you can start experimenting with your shot selecting, keyboard layout and even your trinkets. Attack him for 2 minutes at a time (using your Hunter's Mark as a timer.)

My first recommendation would be to try spamming your macro key and reviewing your data. The recount chart can actually be kept up when you're doing the test. You may need to reset the data between tests. Still, you should start to see patterns. In this basic test, you want to have your AutoShot & SteadyShot hit almost evenly.

Next try using Quartz as a timer and time your Steady Shot casting.

Step 4: Take the shot method that you are most comfortable with and go farm your favorite mobs. As a skinner, I'm sure you have a few you like.

Step 5: If after steps 3 & 4, you feel that the latency & shot selection is still causing you loads of problems, try a re-spec to Marks or Survival. Both slow your shots down. The longer the lead-time, the more chance you have to compensate for your high latency. Survival hunters are very gear dependant, so you may find this problematic. Marksmen on the other hand have a very similar feel to Beastmaster (only slower) and have a lot of tricks (even in Raids) that are overlooked. A good MM can keep up with Beastmasters, especially in situations where the BMs can't use their pets. Also, MM's are great in PvP with scatter shot & silencing shot.

Good luck!