There's good news for fans of fighting games -- DNF Duel rollback netcode has been confirmed for launch by the game's developers.
DNF Duel -- a shortened form of Dungeon n' Fighter Duel -- is an upcoming fighting game in the works from Arc System Works and Neople that was announced a little less than a year ago. We haven't heard a whole lot about the game since then, but the devs have some very good news -- it's going to have rollback netcode ready to go at launch.
Why DNF Duel Rollback Netcode is the Right Move
The inclusion of DNF Duel rollback netcode at launch was announced in a tweet from the game's official account (via Reddit). It's a boon for people who like to play fighting games online for one simple reason -- as far as the fighting game community is concerned, it's just better.
Playing games online inevitably means dealing with lag, but that can be a serious problem when you need frame-perfect movements such as with a fighting game. Some games are hit or miss -- sometimes quite literally -- but a growing number of games have been mitigating the issue through the use of rollback netcode.
To put it in simple terms, rollback netcode can effectively "rewind" the game when there's a hiccup due to lag. It's a little better than some other systems that may introduce desync and/or unexpected behavior. It can be a bit of a mixed bag for devs; while Rivals of Aether and The King of Fighters '98 went to the effort to develop rollback netcode, some popular games (such as Smash Ultimate) aren't able to make it a reality.
Ultimately, the inclusion of rollback netcode at launch is a good move by the devs -- and it shouldn't be a surprise considering the involvement of Arc System Works, a developer known for making great fighting games like Guilty Gear and Blazblue. One hopes that more fighting games will adopt the practice.
What do you think of DNF Duel including rollback netcode at launch? Have you ever had lag issues with games that use this system? Let us know in the comments below!
