Screen Delay

What Is It?

Screen delay is the delay from SSO servers around the country trying to relocate information from your screen to others.

Screen delay has, and will most likely always, effect dressage.

Screen delay is the reason that in a championship you may look ahead when in reality, you are in 3rd place.

It is also the reason you see yourself so far ahead, and others so far behind in dressage.

Due to SSO's game servers being over 10 years old, there is quite a high level of lag and delay compared to other games of this nature. When SSO eventually updates the servers, there will be no need for the methods of gaps and alignment as things will look as they are.

It is almost like two different worlds between a commander and rider screen.

RIDER VS COMMANDER POV

Below you can see the difference in the commander's screen, compared to an inline perspective.

From the commander's perspective, all the riders appear to be aligned, and on the same count and timing.

On Ari's screen (the rider) appears to be ahead of the other horses. You will also notice that to maintain the nice-looking 'nose to tail' gap or spacing, it requires a different appearance on your screen.

This is because of the delay from Ari's screen to Baron (the commander's) screen.

Gaps & Alignment

Arena timing is talking about alignment within partner, or multiline moves.

WHAT AFFECTS ARENA TIMING

Go Timing
Veering
Corners
Alignment

TIMING EXAMPLES

GOOD TIMING : Partners or multiple lines meet at points in the arena at the same time on the commander's screen.

BAD TIMING : Partners or multiple lines meet at points in the arena late on the commander's screen.

Go timing is the timing in which the go is called from the commander, to when the riders start and finish the move.

WHAT AFFECTS GO TIMING

Go Callings (approximately 1.5 seconds of delay).

TIMING EXAMPLES

GOOD TIMING : The commander calls moves slightly to early to counteract the delay in go timing.

BAD TIMING : The commander calls moves on time, or late, which causes riders to look out of time, or be in the wrong areas.

Because of delays, the typical arena markings (circle meter points, or quadrants) will be seen at different points by the rider and commander.

WHAT AFFECTS ARENA MARKINGS

The delay of hitting the dots in time or out of time
Veering

TIMING EXAMPLES

GOOD TIMING : The commander warns riders of where they need to turn/ hit before they come near it. Plan and prepare. Riders pass point early on their screen, and commanders see the movement as in time.

BAD TIMING : The commander warns riders of where they need to turn/ hit before they are coming at it. The instructor lacks a plan causing the riders to hit the point late or out of time.

When a rider halts, screen delay causes them to appear as still moving for 2.5 seconds after they halt on their screens.

WHAT AFFECTS HALTING

Proximity to other riders
Walking to avoid crashing

TIMING EXAMPLES

GOOD TIMING : Rider walks on pre, and halts Nose to Tail when the second riders in front of them halts.

BAD TIMING : RIder continues to trot, and crashes into leader, the spacial awareness of the moving pieces for a halt not there.

The faster the rider is moving, the farther the delay from them to another horse or player. Each gait has a set different delay.

WHAT AFFECTS SPEED

How fast you are going
What activity you are preforming

TIMING EXAMPLES

GOOD MANAGEMENT : Rider knows there is a 1 horse delay at trot, so they keep up there gap or alignemnt to stay in sync

BAD MANAGEMENT: Rider is confused about the set gap for the trot, so they continue with what looks good on their screen.

The Delays

Walking Delay

At the walk, there is about a half horse delay. We use the Nose to Tail gap to maintain spacing. On your screen, you will appear about half a horse ahead of everyone else.

Trotting Delay

At the trot, there is about a one horse delay. We use the Back of Saddle gap to maintain spacing. On your screen, you will appear about a horse length ahead of everyone else.

Understanding the delays and differences within dressage can help us truly unlock your full potential.
You may have memorized a dictionary, but that doesn't mean you are elite.
Truly understanding the arena, gaps, timing, and most importantly screen delay will bring you to that full potential.

In count & Time

The phrases 'in count and 'in time' are phrases TRR likes to use to describe how you appear on the commander's screen.

In count refers to how you follow the commander's calling. When the commander uses our commanding method, it is quite a rhythmic saying. Do you follow appropriately, stay in good timing, and in beat with the other riders? Take a dodge for example, do you do the second curl over 'in time' and 'in count' with the rest of the line? Does it look neat and smooth, and properly follow the commanders structure and callings?

Screen Delay in functions

Screen delay is talked about so much, but we never talk about it actively counteracting it in the functions of dressage.

The first step to being able to work around screen delay is understanding not only how it affects dressage, but when.
Screen delay gets worse with many factors such as your location to SSO game servers, updates, the population where your practice is, and so on.
Understanding all of this will help with your understanding of delay.

There is no way to fully and truly master screen delay, as it is an ever-changing and growing problem but we can get very close by understanding these factors.

A great way to counteract screen delay would be to host practices on quiet servers at times when the arena won't be flooded.

Hosting a practice on a server like Night Star (NA) or Hazy Galaxy (NA) at 9:00 at night will pretty much guarantee worse screen delay, as opposed to a practice hosted at 7:00 on a server like Pumpkin Meadow (NA).

It's all a game of strategy.

If you want to learn more about screen delay you can always join us in The Riding Rendezvous server of weekly clinics about topic like screen delay, or gaps and alignment.

Screen Delay

What Is It?

The Delays

Understanding the delays and differences within dressage can help us truly unlock your full potential. You may have memorized a dictionary, but that doesn't mean you are elite. Truly understanding the arena, gaps, timing, and most importantly screen delay will bring you to that full potential.

In count & Time

Screen Delay in functions

The Riding Rendezvous

Understanding the delays and differences within dressage can help us truly unlock your full potential.
You may have memorized a dictionary, but that doesn't mean you are elite.
Truly understanding the arena, gaps, timing, and most importantly screen delay will bring you to that full potential.