Perhaps this is common knowledge, but I've never seen anyone mention it. When attempting to connect with your opponent, you should have one of two messages appear: either "waiting for an opponent" or "negotiating."
That's great and all, but what do those mean?
Well, the first person to click the "go" button after typing in their opponent's name will see the "waiting for an opponent" message, while the second person will see the "negotiating" message. Interestingly, the first person will connect to their opponent first. Usually by about 2 seconds. This has nothing to do with who goes first.
Another thing I've recently discovered: if you see the negotiating message, and then it switches over to the waiting for an opponent message, that most likely means your opponent is in the game, while you are not. If this problem happens repeatedly with the same opponent, switch it up. Make sure that you are the first person to hit go. I've found that solves it. Also, if the message switches over and your opponent is in the game but you aren't, make sure you hit the cancel button. I've never gotten myself to connect with my opponent if I just sat there.
Hopefully that solves a few problems, and let's people know what's going on "behind the scenes." Also, I have done extensive testing, and it doesn't appear that this information can be exploitative in any way. Although, you should know that I tested this against myself, so the 2 second delay I mentioned may be shorter or longer on average when people from different locations are connecting. Also, the messages behave in the same way for PvP1 and 2.
