Damage cancel: Difference between revisions

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'''Damage Cancel''' (DMC) is a PSO community term describing the following process:
{{Obsolete|Damage cancel no longer occurs on Ephinea}}
[[File:DMC.gif|thumb|right|Damage cancel in action – note the Gibbles's health bar]]
'''Damage cancel''' (DMC) is a ''PSO'' community term describing the following process:


== The Problem ==
* A player attacks an enemy, producing any damage number (including 0) or inflicts a status effect (including {{Jellen}} & {{Zalure}}).
 
* The player's game client sends to the server a data packet containing the total damage done to an enemy, which is calculated as its max HP minus its current HP.
* You attack an enemy and create any damage #(including 0), MISS, or inflict a Status Effect (including Jellen and Zalure).
* The server forwards the damage packet to all other players. Receiving clients will accept that value and update the monster's HP no matter what. The value could be higher or lower than what the local client sees, because it's possible an action happened on another client that affected the monster's HP.
* You game client sends to the server a data packet containing the enemy's current remaining HP.
* However, the server relays the most recently received data packet no matter what, regardless of whether its total is higher or lower than any other data. Therefore, if two people damage an enemy at roughly the same time, one of the two totals may overwrite the other, effectively negating one of the two players' damage.  
* The server receives your data packet, and beams that info back to all other clients in the game (but not you). However, there are no checks for ''when'' the server receives the information.
* This manifests as an enemy under massive attack from multiple players taking far less damage than expected. As an extreme worst-case example, an enemy being hit by rapid fire weapons (e.g. {{Gun|rare|Last Swan}}) doing 0 damage per hit can be rendered nigh-invincible to the other players.
* Therefore, if two people send HP at roughly the same time, one of the two totals may overwrite the other, effectively negating one of the two players' damage.  
* ATA misses do not send damage packets, but specials failing to activate do cause a damage packet to be sent.
* This manifests as an enemy under massive attack from multiple players, which takes far less damage than expected. As an extreme worst-case example, an enemy being hit by rapid fire weapons (e.g. [[Last Swan]]) doing 0 damage per hit can be rendered nigh-invincible to the other players.
 
== Exceptions ==
 
* Instant Kills are immune to DMC. Killing an enemy by any means (including [[Megid]], Hell, or a one-shot attack e.g. [[Dark Flow]]) sends a data packet that the enemy is Dead, which is not considered 'damage' and cannot be overwritten by incoming damage values.
 
== Mitigation Strategies ==
 
* Pay close attention to your damage output vs. your teammates'. If a teammate's DPS on a target vastly exceeds yours, ''switch target'' - especially if you are using a high refire rate weapon such as a [[Mechgun]] or the [[Last Swan]].
* Keep your ATA as high as you can to avoid MISSing.
* Don't keep attacking if you're doing barely any damage. Find another way to help the party.
* Use Instant Kill weapons and Megid where possible.
* If you're using a Devil's/Demon's weapon, once it's got the target down as far as it can go, stop firing.
* Know Technique strengths/weaknesses, and don't spam AoE techniques e.g. Gifoie if they are ineffective at killing the target.
* Try to cast Jellen and Zalure on a target only once, if possible.

Latest revision as of 10:39, 20 October 2024

Yellowboze icon.png This section or article refers to a topic which has been made obsolete in-game.
Damage cancel no longer occurs on Ephinea. This article remains for archival and preservation purposes only.
Damage cancel in action – note the Gibbles's health bar

Damage cancel (DMC) is a PSO community term describing the following process:

  • A player attacks an enemy, producing any damage number (including 0) or inflicts a status effect (including Jellen.pngJellen & Zalure.pngZalure).
  • The player's game client sends to the server a data packet containing the total damage done to an enemy, which is calculated as its max HP minus its current HP.
  • The server forwards the damage packet to all other players. Receiving clients will accept that value and update the monster's HP no matter what. The value could be higher or lower than what the local client sees, because it's possible an action happened on another client that affected the monster's HP.
  • However, the server relays the most recently received data packet no matter what, regardless of whether its total is higher or lower than any other data. Therefore, if two people damage an enemy at roughly the same time, one of the two totals may overwrite the other, effectively negating one of the two players' damage.
  • This manifests as an enemy under massive attack from multiple players taking far less damage than expected. As an extreme worst-case example, an enemy being hit by rapid fire weapons (e.g. Gun icon.pngLast Swan) doing 0 damage per hit can be rendered nigh-invincible to the other players.
  • ATA misses do not send damage packets, but specials failing to activate do cause a damage packet to be sent.
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