If they got the node, then their input registered first with the server, not yours. It has nothing to do with CP.

Both of you can get the prompt to interact, but one is going to be faster than the other.

Also, keep in mind that the server is not particularly good at showing us the correct position of other players, especially if there's high speed involved. While riding at top speed in Cyrodiil, I frequently see other players rubberband around so they look like they are behind me, then zoom ahead of me. In voice comms, however, it's apparent that they were going the same consistent speed and just appeared to be behind due to my server-client connection.

So the player racing you for the node might be genuinely fast enough to catch you from behind, might be button-mashing the interact prompt to "steal" it from you...or on their screen, they might be the one ahead of you, gloating that you didn't get to swipe the node from them. Who knows? The server only cares who's input it got first.

I run a fast farming build. If I'm beaten to a node, I move on to the next one. There's no point to me getting annoyed.

SilverBride wrote: »

How often are players racing each other for nodes? I've rarely had anyone try to beat me to a node.

I don't use CP tree speed boosts but there are a lot of times another player will zoom passed me from behind when i'm 6 feet from a node and running for it while normally harvesting.

In general - if I see a player heading for the same node I'm aiming for - I'll veer off and find another one, there are usually plenty of nodes, but I have at times gotten annoyed when the same player looks like they're making a habit of trying to beat me to every node I start to head for.

I think we've all experienced this. It really is an annoyance. Especially when it obviously is a bot.

SilverBride wrote: »

How often are players racing each other for nodes? I've rarely had anyone try to beat me to a node.

Depends on where you farm.

I started farming mats in the pre-One Tamriel Hollow City. That place was packed with Alchemy farmers. If you go there now, you might see two or three farmers picking flowers. Back in the day (sorry, now I sound like an old Dunmer griping), I'd be racing against five or six dedicated flower farmers on my plodding MagDK, with sorcs streaking past my ear to beat me to that columbine.

Needless to say, I learned not to count my flowers until I picked them.

Now, most zones are emptier and larger than that. If you farm where there are other players, races are more likely. In the Hollow City or on a Craglorn loop, I'll run into another farmer and we typically leapfrog each other for a while. If I'm in Belkarth, I follow my route, but players seem more likely to bolt for a node if they spot it because of the chance for nirncrux. In Bal Foyen, its such a tiny zone that you get fast farmers overlapping their routes. For example, there are more short "races" for nodes on the beach, and then we split up as they head for the town and I head for the fort, presumably following our preferred farming loop.

Most of the time when I "race" someone for a node, its on my normal farming route. If that player weren't there, I'd be sprinting just as quickly because my farmer is built to sprint. Well, and I'll farm for an hour or so at a time, so I really don't feel like dawdling, you know?

And if its during a double node event...all bets are off.


As with most behaviors, the more you do it, the more you see. I farm a lot of materials to sell. I've gotten more hate whispers from people I beat to a resource node than I ever have from PVP, which is just ridiculous. I can only assume that I got used to the competitiveness of early Hollow City flower farming, and so unlike some other people, I just don't have the same level of annoyance over "I saw it first, therefore its mine! Its so rude to race me to "my" node." I just race off to the next one.

tmbrinks wrote: »

I've run 2 accounts at the same time on two separate screens.

There's a .2-.3 second lag between when I move my character on one account, to when the character moves on the other account that can see them.

It's simply the time it takes for the input to be sent from my computer, to the servers, then back to my computer to show the movement of another player.

Simply put, any player you see is probably slightly ahead of the position you see them in and they beat you to the node.

Put another way... "you" may see you two as neck and neck... they see you as a dozen steps behind them

Exactly right.
You said it much more plainly than I could possibly have.

SilverBride wrote: »

How often are players racing each other for nodes? I've rarely had anyone try to beat me to a node.

I don't think it is intentional....during events where nodes are doubled, people do make resource runs - you can see them running in patterns. The smaller areas are most noticeable.

It is not annoying like 'aaaagh a pox upon you' but more like 'hmmm....why didn't that work' (and off to the next thought)

Yes, lag...totally lag...

One day I hope we will laugh at it all and say 'remember when people had lag....the olden days'.

FluffWit wrote: »

I'm pretty much always second, always have been. I don't think its lag, I think it's me being about as far away from the server as its physically possible to be- New Zealand.

That would be the very definition of high latency, the source of most forms of lag in networked games

It's lag and it absolutely sucks

The one thing I find worse is when apparently the server gives it to someone who is in another phase (you never see them). You see it and it just disappears as you approach it and no one else is around. Could still be lag but a different kind, it refreshes your local view as you get closer and it is actually gone because someone picked it up 20 seconds ago.

My friend & I often used to race each other to nodes. Cool mini-game! We used to joke about how the server favoured one person more than another. When we finally played from the same room with multiple computers... it's kinda crazy to see how massive the position de-sync is from one computer screen to the next. I'd watch my buddy's screen & see him jump from his horse & stand next to the node smashing the E button.. but on my screen he was still on hi horse riding towards the node.

Run a horse race with guildies all in discord... nearly everyone will think that they won because that is how it looks on their screen!