Arc System Works is happy to announce that the PC port of Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R is about to get a rollback netcode update. Coming in the near future, this reworking of the game's current online infrastructure will allow for smoother connections over longer distances and should ensure that fans across the globe get solid matches no matter their location.
Utilizing the GGPO middleware framework, a public best test will commence on October 29, 2020, on Steam. Arc System Works hasn't announced the full details of how this will work, but anyone that currently owns the game will be able to opt into testing the new netcode. If everything goes well, it should become a feature in Accent Core Plus R shortly after its testing phase.
For years now, the debate between using rollback netcode or more traditional delay based netcode has raged on in the fighting game community. While delay based works exceptionally well when close to your opponent (i.e. in Japan), rollback netcode allows for better connections when farther away from your opposition (i.e. everywhere else). Many swear by tradition, but the world is evolving and players aren't always near each other.
There's more to it than that simple description, but the gist is that rollback works for a larger range of players than delay based does. Trying to force a proximity based solution on a game that has players spread apart by thousands of miles just simply doesn't work. With more fighting games now embracing rollback, it could mean good things for the next-generation consoles as fighters will default to rollback.
Source: Twitter