KOF ’98 UM FE major update on Steam introduces rollback netcode
Written by. Ryuki Ishii based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2021-12-21 15:18 JST)
SNK released a major update for the Steam version of The King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition. The update introduces rollback netcode and adds online lobbies and a spectating mode.
The King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition is an upgraded version of The King of Fighters ’98. Ultimate Match initially launched in arcades in 2008, with a release for consoles following later. It was released on Steam as the Final Edition seven years ago in December of 2014 with an overall readjustment to the game’s balance and each character’s moves. The Final Edition includes a new feature called Ultimate Mode and the original NEOGEO version of KOF ’98.
SNK announced the plan to implement rollback netcode in October of this year and have held two community beta tests since then. Over 4,000 players participated and around 120,000 matches were played over the course of four days. And now, it has been officially implemented in the game with the latest update.
Rollback netcode is one of the technologies used to smooth out the gameplay experience in online matches. Input delay and lag are inevitable in online matches, but this method absorbs the delay by treating both players’ inputs as local and adjusting the graphic rendering based on the predictions of the opponent’s next input.
The rollback netcode used for KOF ’98 UM FE was provided by the developer Code Mystics. It’s a hybrid of delay-based netcode and rollback netcode where players can adjust the balance between the two methods. Frames of delay are predicted and shown to the player based on the opponent’s ping value and the player can use this information as a reference to decide factors such as “use input delay when there are ○ frame delays or less” or “rollback the state when there are ○ frame delays or more.”
In addition to the implementation of rollback netcode, online lobbies, and a spectating mode were added as well. According to SNK, both were received well by the community during the beta tests.
SNK worked with Code Mystics to introduce rollback netcode to the Steam version of The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match in 2020. Similarly, Arc System Works implemented it in the Steam version of Guilty Gear XX: Accent Core Plus R and BlazBlue Centralfiction (related article) years after initial release to provide a smoother experience. So far, their effort has been received well by the fans.
The King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition is available on PC (Steam).
