Battlefield 1' Alpha Netcode Analysis Suggests Better Multiplayer Launch Than 'Battlefield 4

"Battlefield 1" multiplayer seems like it will be better on day one than "Battlefield 4" according to a recent netcode analysis. While the game is still unoptimized, alpha signs show that DICE continues to take connectivity seriously.

The news comes to Design & Trend via Battle(non)sense on YouTube. Thanks to his expert analysis and explanation of what it takes to make online gameplay, successful, we can see how the situation is progressing for "Battlefield 1."

Because the new title no longer has to be held to the 30 Hz online restrictions of PS3 and Xbox 360, "Battlefield 1" supports full 60 Hz servers across the board regardless of platform. This means that every server should react faster to the action on screen. A maximum of 16 milliseconds between each tick is required to keep gameplay optimal, and "Battlefield 1's" longest tick took just 11 ms to finish. The current build of "Battlefield 4" finished a full-server tick around the same time. Even on unfinished code, that's a promising sign for the future.

It's also worth noting that "Battlefield 1" alpha matches send about 48 percent more bandwidth to the server than its predecessor. That may sound like a bad statistic at face value, but it's important to note that sometimes more data can equate to better multiplayer performance overall. Because the servers are ticking twice as fast, it makes sense that a greater amount of information would be sent over time.

What's not quite as positive, however, are "Battlefield 1's" net lag calculations. Its longest lag was recorded at 103 ms with an average of 78. That's about a 20 percent increase from a "Battlefield 4" server under similar conditions. That being said, there are a few caveats to note here. The 60 Hz tick rate of "Battlefield 1" can partially alleviate this shortcoming. The new netcode is also far from optimized, so major improvements could theoretically be made before the game releases.

"Battlefield 1" is in the midst of a closed alpha test and will enter the beta phase soon. When that day arrives, an updated build of the netcode will be available to paint an even clearer picture of what "Battlefield 1's" launch will look like.

While the alpha isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, it's evident that DICE is working hard to avoid the pitfalls of "Battlefield 4." Even in an unfinished state, "Battlefield 1" holds up pretty well against its heavily polished predecessor.

"Battlefield 1" comes to Xbox One, PS4 and PC on Oct. 21.