Shots Not Registering - Doesn't Seem to be Lag? (SW:BF2)

[EloquentPlatypus]

So, I've been having a lot of trouble with BF2 -- in particular when it comes to getting kills and assists. Often I'll find myself losing gunfights to much lower-level players with base weapons, even though, through a good deal of slow grinding, I've managed to unlock some of the better weapons and mods available to the base trooper classes. Sometimes I'll execute a nice flank and end up behind an enemy with low health, only to die anyway. Initially I assumed that I was just really bad at aiming -- which struck me as surprising as I tend to have quite good aim in other shooters -- so I tweaked the control sensitivity, but the issue persisted. Just today I flanked a pair of heavies who were shooting at the MTT on Theed and shot one at point-blank range with my blurrg, but I only took a third of its health before it turned around and gunned me down instead. This wasn't because the player in question had excellent response time, either: I shot at him in vain for at least a couple of seconds before he finally noticed. This happens quite often: there's no way my shots could possibly miss, but......they just don't register. I'm now wondering if this might be lag, but I never notice any other symptoms that I'd recognize to be caused by lag. What else could be causing this issue, and if it is some sort of lag, how might I go about fixing it? 

Huge thanks in advance to anyone who's able to lend a helping hand,

GH0STR1DER_99

P.S. I should note two things that may be related: due to poor GPU performance I play at 30fps at a low game resolution, and I tend to have extensive difficulty finding viable servers in all game modes (constantly dropped into empty servers, waiting a long time for servers to fill up, etc.)

[Tinogiggedy]

@EloquentPlatypus a video would be helpful if you have one. One thing to note is that you were against a heavy that may have pulled out a shield, that shield may not have been seen because you shot it very quickly. I use the heavy all the time and get occasions where I pull out my shield and it dissappears in a flash through damage but gives me just enough time to take out the opponent first. I barely see the shield I just know I activated it, it's possible my opponent doesn't even realise a shield has been activated.

That being having been said is one possibility but I also find in certain games where it feels like lag despite a lack of the normal symptoms such as stuttering etc, where it is as you describe, you shoot at an opponent your aim is on them yet the shots don't seem to connect and you die instead stratching your head. On some of these occasions I find they will die half a second later, and I will get the points for the kill which is what leads me to believe there is a slight lag or at least something mistimed about the way the game is processing the information. I'm sure more technical bods than me can explain. Usually if I have it happen repeatedly in the same game, I will leave and look for a new game where it normally resolves itself and combat registers hit markers as it should.

Btw the empty server thing is an issue for a lot of people. 

[ggibb65]

@EloquentPlatypus- I agree with what @Tinogiggedy wrote. I play the Heavy mostly but don't use the shield. I use explosive shot and have had multiple hits on players from close range (not good with explosive shot as you also take some damage) without seemingly getting the kill. Watch your hud after you get killed. It will flash up Kill assist, player damaged or player killed. I have noticed this without seeing the player actually fall. In one of the few times I have used specialist, I remember having a clear, unhindered shot at a player on Jakku,. Tried 6 times but couldn't kill him but my next shot at someone else was a kill. Couldn't figure it out, maybe a Hacker?

[ggibb65]

@EloquentPlatypus-  Sorry forgot to ask. In regard to empty servers, are you trying other ping sites or just your local?