Weapon's desync

[NuII]

Hello ED Team,

 

I’d like to report a recurring issue with missile desynchronization in multiplayer, specifically noticed with AIM-120C on the Growling Sidewinder (GS) server.

 

During a one-hour session, I was shot down three times by missiles that were clearly desynced between the server and my client. Reviewing the Tacview confirmed that the missile had already passed or gone dumb on my screen, while it still tracked and hit me according to the server (even the server's Tacview shows a desynced missile).

 

From repeated testing on two local machines, it appears that missile entities are not network-synchronized like aircraft or ground units.

Currently: 

 

The target ID and guidance vectors are transmitted over UDP.

 

The actual missile position, velocity, and orientation seem to be computed locally by each client rather than streamed periodically.

 

This leads to positional drift over time, producing "ghost" hits or "zombie" missiles depending on packet loss and latency.

 

When turning a missile into a flyable, networked unit (for testing), no desync occurs — which supports the idea that ordinary missiles are not fully network-updated objects.

 

I completely understand the constraints of UDP and large-scale multiplayer, and I’m not suggesting rewriting the network stack. However, a periodic synchronization of missile positional data over UDP, similar to how other world entities are handled, would likely mitigate these issues significantly.

 

It would also integrate very well with DCS’s existing prediction, interpolation, and extrapolation systems, allowing smoother corrections and reducing visible jumps or discrepancies between clients.

 

Desyncs like this undermine multiplayer fairness and realism, especially in PVP BVR combat, or tournaments where milliseconds matter.

 

Thank you for considering this feedback. I hope this information helps identify where synchronization could be improved.

 

Best regards,

Nol

[GRY Money]

If this is something that bothers you be asured this cannot be fixed and has been in the game for a few years now. Missiles in DCS are fully client sided  by the person who shoots. The only way to tell what REALLY happens is by having the shooters Track/Tacview. 

This will not get fixed. 

Edited Wednesday at 05:24 PM by GRY Money

[NuII]

On 10/15/2025 at 7:23 PM, GRY Money said:

If this is something that bothers you be asured this cannot be fixed and has been in the game for a few years now. Missiles in DCS are fully client sided  by the person who shoots. The only way to tell what REALLY happens is by having the shooters Track/Tacview. 

This will not get fixed. 

That’s exactly the point, yes, I’m aware missiles are currently client-authoritative for the shooter.

But saying “it can’t be fixed” isn’t accurate, it’s simply not implemented yet.

 

There’s no hard limitation that prevents ED from synchronizing missile positional snapshots the same way aircraft and ground units are already synced. The simulation engine already supports prediction, interpolation, and extrapolation, so missiles could benefit from the same system with low-frequency updates (for example, a few packets per second).

 

The current setup (full client authority for missiles) explains why long-range shots desync badly, while close-range shots look fine, the drift grows over flight time. It’s an understandable design choice for performance reasons years ago, but multiplayer has evolved since then.

 

Even partial synchronization would already help reduce ghost kills and make Tacview and track replays more consistent between clients. So I’m not expecting a miracle overnight, just pointing out that the limitation isn’t technical impossibility, it’s an architectural decision that could be improved.