Quote (JBRogers @ Jul 29 2010 02:17am)
Your ping to the host is what matters. Not your ping to the closest server which is what the speed test shows.
True, but the latency between main nodes is somewhat negligible compared to most people's ping. I don't know the numbers, but I'd estimate something on the order of 80 or 100 ms for coast-to-coast latency, with lower numbers the closer you are. So someone who lives nearby will have delay very similar to your ping, while someone from far away will have delay of your ping plus whatever latency is inherent in the transfer between main nodes. Hence why playing Aussies is terrible.
Also keep in mind that someone with a bad connection will experience less of a slow-down from playing someone from far away than will someone with very low ping. For example, someone with 10 ping + 40 ms latency will have a 500% increase in their delay, while someone with 80 ping + the same 40 ms latency will only have a 150% increase in their delay. You're still "lagging" less, but it will feel like a much more significant change.