Ranged delay calculation : complete

[VZX]

I thought I should post it here too.

2.5 years ago, we had a thread with question why use gun in HNM (http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/ranger/44032-why-use-gun-vs-hnm-gods-3.html) and later moved to "How ranged delay works?" questions. And until I figured how tonight, no one come up with an idea to test it. So, I feel really accomplished tonight answering an un-answered question (probably because people lazy to test it, or it was a really hard one for those people who tried but failed).

Anyway, I'll just put the conclusions first before the data
CONCLUSION:
- Ranged delay is not affected by ammo delay
- Ranged weapon delay is THE only thing that affect your delay from pressing ranged attack until you shoot your ammo
- Ranged weapon delay per second is about twice as much as melee weapon delay per second: 110 delay/second
- The delay from you shoot your ammo until you put back your ranged weapon completely is about 1.7s ~ 1.8s
- The minimum delay possible you can shoot after you entering free phase is 1.1s. This is the biggest problem that makes your shooting slow

- Current ranged delay calculation:
Delay (in second) = (Ranged weapon delay(without ammo)/110) + 1.7~1.8 + 1.1
So for example :
Obow : 432/110 + 1.7~1.8 + 1.1 = 6.7~6.8 (matched quite well)
Obow : 540/110 + 1.7~1.8 + 1.1 = 7.7~7.8 (matched quite well)
Hellfire : 660/110 + 1.7~1.8 + 1.1 = 8.8~8.9s (matched quite well)
Repeating Crossbow : 144/110 + 1.7~1.8 + 1.1 = 4.1~4.2s (matched quite well)
Ebow(predicted) : 490/110 + 1.7 ~1.8 = 7.2 ~ 7.3s
- Rapid shot occurs almost all the time, but in different extent
- Conjuncture : Rapid shot can cut your delay to half of normal delay (although the test only showed it can cut hellfire delay from 6s to 3.3s [40% cut])

To wrap them up : Ranged attack divided to phases:

1. Pulling out -> aim -> shot : delay in second = ranged weapon delay/110
2. slight second after shot->putting ranged weapon back completely : 1.7~1.8s
3. 'free' phase : melee timer unpaused. The minimum delay of this 'free' phase is 1.1s

I'm open to correction if I'm wrong. If this is right, hopefully this will help the career RNG

Test results (WARNING: numbers):
POST1
OK, I finally got some testing by myself
this is just from 2 shots. I got a longer video to analyze, but for now. I post the short one

Test setup:
My character doesn't have +rapid shot equip. I only have 1 rapid shot merit
Video is recorded by fraps with 1024x768 resolution with 30fps frame rate. Although the game is running at 23~25 fps
Weapons used :
- Obow + Holy bolt
- Sbow + Horn Arrow
- Hellfire + Iron bullet

init = 1 frame before my character moving (pulling out ranged attack)
shot = the frame when monster's name turn red (for 1st shot), or on the frame when the HP bar start depleting.
free = the frame where my character's tail start moving (means melee delay will be unpaused)

Obow + Holy:
32 - init 1
151 - shot 1
202 - free 1
274 - init 2
388 - shot 2

init -> shot (aim time): 3.8 ~ 4 second. I just assume 4 second. Probably the second one due to rapid shot
free->init (free time): 2.4 s
total time (init 1 to init 2) : 8.1s

Sbow + Horn:
19 - init 1
159 - shot 1
215 - free 1
266 - init 2
402 - shot 2
init -> shot (aim time): 4.5 ~ 4.6 second.
free -> init (free time): 1.7s
total time (init 1 to init 2) : 8.2s

Hellfire + Iron bullet:
28 - init 1
206 - shot 1
261 - free 1
319 - init 2
473 - shot 2
530 - free 2
588 - init 3
744 - shot 3
init -> shot (aim time): 5.1 ~ 5.9 second.
free -> init (free time): 1.9s
total time (init 1 to init 2) : 9.0s

aim time is probably the most accurate result I can get
the total time is probably the least accurate I can get, since I only spamming ranged attack macro.(Hence, the "you must wait longer to perform that action." message actually messed up the real calculation)

POST2
2 other longer video:
Obow + Holy bolt
28 - init 1
130 - shot 1
179 - free 1
220 - init 2
337 - shot 2
389 - free 2
431 - init 3
542 - shot 3
599 - free 3
673 - init 4
788 - shot 4
843 - free 4
890 - init 5

aim delay 1 : 3.4s
aim delay 2 : 3.9s
aim delay 3 : 3.7s
aim delay 4 : 3.8s

free delay 1 : 1.4s
free delay 2 : 1.4s
free delay 3 : 2.5s
free delay 4 : 1.6s

total delay:
shot 1->shot 2: 6.9s
shot 2->shot 3: 6.8s
shot 3->shot 4: 8.2s

SBow + Horn :
28 - init 1
173 - shot 1
225 - free 1
274 - init 2
418 - shot 2
472 - free 2
507 - init 3
646 - shot 3
704 - free 3
766 - init 4
867 - shot 4

aim delay 1 : 4.8s
aim delay 2 : 4.8s
aim delay 3 : 4.6s
aim delay 4 : 3.4s <- rapid shot definitely

free delay 1 : 1.6s
free delay 2 : 1.2s
free delay 3 : 2.1s

total delay:
shot 1->shot 2: 8.2s
shot 2->shot 3: 7.6s
shot 3->shot 4: 7.4s

I think free delay is somewhat constant along the weapon type (about 1.2~1.5s)

POST3
HF + iron bullet another try:
29 - init 1
129 - shot 1
??? - free 1 (I'm moving, so i don't know when)
230 - init 2
410 - shot 2
468 - free 2
501 - init 3
667 - shot 3
722 - free 3
772 - init 4


aim delay 1 : 3.3s
aim delay 2 : 6s
aim delay 3 : 5.5s

free delay 2: 1.1s
free delay 3: 1.6s

Repeating crossbow + holy bolt (delay: 144+192)
8 - init 1
55 - shot 1
101 - free 1
143 - init 2
181 - shot 2
235 - free 2
283 - init 3
308 - shot 3

Repeating crossbow + sleep bolt (delay: 144+ 288)
132 - init 1
168 - shot 1
221 - free 1
285 - init 2
324 - shot 2
375 - free 2
* i messed up pushing ranged attack macro*
454 - init 3
??? - rapid shot kicked in, didn't notice when the shot started
548 - free 3
593 - init 4
629 - shot 4
682 - free 4
730 - init 5
771 - shot 5

Thanks to whoever given their thought in that 2.5 years old thread how delay works (how do they differ from normal melee delay)

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Numbers... my... own... kryptonite. /dies.

Good stuff to know though, I really just wish SE would create a programabble macro that would autoshoot for a limited amount of delay rounds as opposed to having to press the ranged macro all the damn time.

[VZX]

yeah, spamming ranged macro is bad actually.
you can get about 1 second delay due to "you must wait to perform that action" message.
I tried a few times on the test.. most of the time, i only get 1.5 second delay for re-shot. 1.1s is rare. 2.4s on the first obow+holy test is really what you can get if you spam ranged attack too often

[IfritnoItazura]

Weapon delay is about twice as much as melee delay: 110 delay/second

Range weapon:
110 delay = 1 sec
delay = 1 sec / 110
delay = ~0.0091 sec

Melee weapon:
60 delay = 1 sec
delay = 1 sec / 60
delay = ~0.0117 sec

Since (Range's) 0.0091 sec is less than (Melee's) 0.0117 sec, did you mean to say that range weapon delay is smaller than melee weapon delay?

I'm feeling too lazy to check over the big pile numbers; someone get Armando to look at them. >_>;

[VZX]

sorry, should've said ranged weapon delay per second. Thanks

[Lmnop]

so ammo... never gets figured in ever? Just for figuring tp return?

[Armando]

Awesome work, man. Don't have the time right now to look over all the numbers but it's mostly just frame counting. I was under the impression that ammo delay affected the time between shots, but I guess it just affects TP return.

[VZX]

so ammo... never gets figured in ever? Just for figuring tp return?
yep,
as you can see above I can refire hellfire as fast as 1.1 second after I put back my weapon completely