Network Experience Guide

This page explains two things:

Iron Curtain multiplayer uses one gameplay model: relay-assisted lockstep with sub-tick order fairness.

Relay time authority: The relay decides canonical timing for orders. This prevents host advantage and lag-switch abuse.
Deterministic lockstep sim: Everyone advances the same sim tick with the same validated order set.
Sub-tick ordering inside a tick: If two actions land in the same tick, relay-normalized sub-tick timing resolves who acted first.
Match-start calibration + bounded adaptation: During loading, the relay calibrates latency/jitter and sets shared starting timing. During play, it adapts within bounded queue policy envelopes.
Match-global fairness rules: Deadline/run-ahead are match-global. Per-player assist is for submit timing only, not priority overrides.

Yes, but only where it improves stability and responsiveness without changing fairness semantics.

Allow and encourage:

Network quality improvements (wired Ethernet, stable Wi-Fi, reduced background upload traffic).
Client performance stability improvements (steady frame time, fewer CPU/GPU spikes).
UI/graphics adjustments that reduce local frame drops and input-to-display delay.
Diagnostics visibility for troubleshooting (net.show_diagnostics, advanced/power-user path).

Do not expose as player gameplay knobs (especially ranked):

tick_rate, tick_deadline, run_ahead, or sub-tick on/off.
Per-player fairness overrides (“favor local input”, “extra lag compensation for me”).
Any setting that changes contested-action arbitration semantics.

The design goal is simple: optimize delivery quality locally, keep fairness rules universal.

Use a graphics profile that keeps frame time stable during large battles.
Avoid settings that cause periodic frame spikes (heavy post-FX, background captures).
Keep OS power mode on performance while in match.
Close CPU-heavy background apps before queueing.

Prefer lobbies or queues with nearby relay region when possible.
For custom/community play in high-latency regions, use casual envelopes rather than ranked-tight settings.

If you see Late order (+N ms) repeatedly:

The system is designed to be resilient up to defined envelopes, not to make unstable links equivalent to stable ones.

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