

Internet connections are not typically direct – there are multiple 'hops' between the sender and the target. On the internet, determining your Reign of Kings ping time can be a bit trickier. In the animal kingdom, bats use a similar method called echolocation which uses high-frequency sounds to help the bat determine how close it is to a destination, even in total darkness.

Ping was initially a term used in active sonar technology, and it described the time it took for a sound to be sent and received between sender and target. A optimized ping time means you have a more responsive connection for latency-sensitive apps like online games. Ping measures the time it takes to make a round trip time between your computer and the Reign of Kings server, and it is typically measured in milliseconds. Your ping time measures how long it takes for data packets to get from your device to the Reign of Kings server. Ping is a measurement of the reaction time of your internet connection. In such a situation, it's tough for game servers to provide a fair environment for all players, which can be very frustrating. Jitter causes the latency to change rapidly, for example from 10ms to 80ms and back. Even if this just happened half a second, you'll probably notice this stuttery gameplay. Once it unfreezes, everything has changed, as if time had stood still for you and then got caught up suddenly. You're running around, and suddenly the world freezes. Jitter (or more accurately, latency fluctuation/flux), shows itself during games like Reign of Kings through choppy gameplay.

Average internet users commonly ignore it, but to online gamers, especially the ones who are playing multiplayer shooter games, this problem is a big deal. It is the variation in latency, and it's a problem because it makes the experience unpredictable. What is jitter? Jitter is an average of the change in ping over time or how your latency score fluctuates. But there is one more factor that has a significant effect on the smooth gameplay you're supposed to have - and that is jitter. You might already know about checking your ping and latency to improve your gaming experience.
