Since I've done a lot of tinkering/testing with how pvp seems to work, I figured I would compile an overview of how it seems to work, what messages you get when and what may cause which issue. I may be forgetting things that I can add later, or perhaps a topic similar to this already exists, but I could not find it.
Regardless, here it is.
Step 1: checking your connection.This is easy, just go to
http://www.elementsthegame.com/connections and check your connection. If the symbols are all green, you're good to go to the next steps. If not, make sure you have a proper connection to the internet. If you do but still cannot connect to elements servers at all, check forums/chat to see if there are any reports of pvp server malfunctions.
Step 2: finding an opponent.There are three ways of doing this: pvp1, pvp2 or pvp duel. They all work according to the same principle and require one person to queue up first that gets
* "Waiting for an opponent" while the other queues up next and gets "Negotiating".
Here are the few crucial differences (on top of reward difference):
- pvp1 will downgrade the upgraded cards in your deck for that match only.
- pvp duel will only match you with the opponent that matches the in game name you entered. If you are the second to search, the name you enter is irrelevant.
So if in pvp duel you have trouble finding one another, changing whom searches first can change whether you find your opponent if one of you mistyped. Since you usually do not know whom searches first, it's best to both enter the others name correctly. And manually, not ctrl + v in case you copy spaces or what not. In game names are not case-sensitive: "TheonlyrealBeef" and "theonlyrealbeef" both work for example.
Another thing to note is that, while "Waiting for an opponent", you get no feedback on whether someone is currently "Negotiating" to get in a match with you. If this "Negotiating" fails, or is somehow aborted, two things may occur:
- Only the one "Waiting for an opponent" gets into the match. This happens when "Negotiating" had already made enough progress to send their deck, but didn't actually retrieve the information from the one "Waiting for an opponent".
- Neither party gets into the match. In this case, "Waiting for an opponent" may never find anyone again until going back to main menu and searching again. The first step in "Negotiating" is namely to prevent your opponent from getting another opponent, something that doesn't get switched off without going back to menu, and this happens without notification for the one "Waiting for an opponent".
I've tried timing this myself, but it's almost impossible with a good connection: usually the one "Waiting for an opponent" will get into the match.
Still, if you are searching an opponent through pvp1 or pvp2, it's good to go back to menu and search again after about 10 minutes: if you are willing to wait this long. There's always the chance of no other people currently queuing for that particular pvp.
For pvp duel: don't back out of "Waiting for an opponent" until the opponent states they are no longer getting "Negotiating". Should "Negotiating" fail, notify your opponent ((s)he may get into the game alone) and both back out to menu and try again. If the one "Negotiating" got stuck on "Getting ready for a pvp game" afterwards, reload the game before trying again.
Step 3: keeping connected long enough to complete the game.There are several issues that may occur during a pvp match.
http://elementscommunity.org/forum/confirmed-pvp-bugs/ is something to keep in mind: pvp bugs that usually cause desynchronization errors. The most simple example is that cancelled abilities are not refunded for you, but your opponent does not register this quanta loss. If you then try to drain this quanta, all hell breaks loose.
A more frequent example is the "timeout" problem. It's the problem of the timer running out and the ai taking over. If this happens before your opponent takes a single turn, chances are step 2 failed for them. However, there are several other causes that may occur mid-match.
The simplest is that the timer of the two players are completely separate: when the game finishes displaying your opponents' turn your personal timer starts at 45 seconds. When your opponents' turn ends, the timer for you starts at 60 seconds (from your opponents' perspective), with an additional 10 seconds before the ai takes over. However, the time it takes for your opponents' turn to be displayed may be longer than the 25 second window, not mentioning the time it takes for actions to be sent between you and your opponent.
These problems tend to occur when:
- At least one person has a bad connection, causing it to take a long time before the actions are sent between opponents.
- The game is not running smoothly for at least one person, causing them to get more time than the opponent thinks they're allowed to take.
Most browsers slow down flash (which includes elements) to a grinding halt when it is not the active tab: ensure that the elements tab is always your active tab (open more windows if necessary) or make sure your browser stops slowing down flash on inactive tabs (I'm unsure how to do this, keeping it active is safest bet).
The solution to these problems is much harder. Either get on a decent comp with a good connection and elements as your active tab, or keep your turns short. If that is not helping you should unfortunately try again another time.
* there is actually more to it than that. It starts out with "Getting ready for a pvp game" followed by "Looking for a pvp game". If a pvp game is found, it goes straight to "Negotiating". If not, you will get "Creating a new pvp game, please wait" followed by "Waiting for an opponent". If someone was previously looking for you, the game may switch from "Negotiating" to the beginning: "Getting ready for a pvp game".
