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Author Topic: If yur lagging, check your Halo Network setting FIRST!  (Read 23067 times)

Offline MrMxyzptlk

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #15 on: September 26, 2007, 09:11:52 PM »
why is it when other people lag you see them lagging?

While not quite a technical question about lag, we'll run with it anyway!....  :winkgrin:

"Lag" is the result of network packets that don't make it to/from the server as often as your Halo client + the Halo server update.  As a result some of the information on a lagging client's status is "lost."  Interestingly, the server attempts to deal with this by "projecting" that client's next location from the last data it had for a bit. (There is some kind of "timeout" value after which the server will NOT do "projected" updates, since it would too far out of whack with "reality.") In addition, the server will reduce the frequency of "updates" that it does across such connections soas to not make the problem worse.  As a result of all this, you get a player whose positional info is not updating as frequently as others, and for whom the server can no longer realistically "project" that player's position - so in the end that player's position within the game gets updated less/out of sync with the rest of the gameplay.

This shows up as that player (and anything associated with that player's actions, like driving a hog, and all its occupants!) jumping around on the screen while the server tries to keep their position in sync with the overall game play.

Think of it like this: if everyone in a crowded room were being videod - each with an individual video camera - at a normal 1/30th of a second, except one person was being filmed only once every second, and you combined all the video together. You'd see that one person jumping all over the place while everyone else walked around normally.

Capiche?


P.S. This is why it is so important to have your Halo Network settings set correctly, since LOWER bandwidth settings send smaller network packets, and do so with less frequency. (Hence requiring less bandwidth....) In the end this actually REDCUES the amount lag that you'd get with it at a higher bandwidth setting. (I.e. The server won't 1) "expect" as much from your client, and 2) the server will be "more forgiving" about missed updates.)

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Offline MrMxyzptlk

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #16 on: October 08, 2007, 10:17:20 PM »
That's because what you're seeing is NOT "video lag," it's NETWORK LAG.
 
As I've said here before (somewhere!): what-you-see on your screen in multiplayer Halo is NOT necessarily what THE SERVER SAYS is reality. (Your system will keep on doing what it THINKS has happened until it hears back from THE SERVER - who's word is golden - that you MISSED (or whatever...)
 
Whenever YOUR Halo client is "more out-of-whack" than what's to be expected, you'll see this.
 
Also, if you think about it, this explains why you do NOT get in in LAN games! (All your pings/connectivity is virtually INSTANT, hence, little-to-no network lag!)
 
What To Do!:
 
0) Do as is described in this thread to correctly set your Halo Network Setting, and what's more: BE SURE TO CHANGE IT (per profile!) whenever you SWITCH from one NETWORK TYPE TO ANOTHER! (If you're playing with it set to "LAN" ( >10Mb) and you're on a 256kb upload connection, you're WAAAY out of whack!)
 
1) Go to broadbandreports.com and get Dr. Ping (see reply #11 in this thread) to check out your latency versus others around you.  Bandwidth isn't the only thing that comes into play here....
 
2) If you have folks over for LAN games and they bring/lug their own systems, have one of THEM hook up to your network and go into a game with you ON THE SAME CONNECTION (with IDENTICAL Halo Network Settings!) and see what you can learn from that!
 
 
In the end...
 
 
There Can Be Only ONE!:
 
The Server Rulz!

 
 
 
 
« Last Edit: October 08, 2007, 10:26:28 PM by MrMxyzptlk »
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Offline §§}Compdude

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #17 on: October 11, 2007, 11:54:36 AM »
I guess another question that might be asked is if the clients can swamp the server with data and slow everyone's connection down? For instance, I run the T1/LAN setting (because I have, consistently, 12Mbps/2Mbps) and sometimes I wonder if I'm sending too much data for the server to process. Fact in case: I hit someone with a nade. It really sticks to them and blows them up. They don't die when it blows up though, but another 5-7 seconds later the nade kills them with no other enemy fire.
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Offline MrMxyzptlk

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #18 on: October 11, 2007, 08:18:52 PM »
Hmm well Mxy, I did fix it. I took my video card out and cleaned it a bit, then popped it back in. It's wonderful now. :)

Ahhhhh the ole "high-capacitance connection, eh?"

'Glad to hear it!!

P.S. Was it the saem video card, or did you get a BFG 8800 while it was out of its socket?  :LOL:  :winkgrin:

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Offline OrbitAddict

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #19 on: October 21, 2007, 01:33:46 PM »
I used Ediseye's suggestion.

Download=4589 kb/s
Upload=1444 kb/s
Ping=176 ms

These are huge numbers!  :aaaaa: What should I use?


Offline MrMxyzptlk

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #20 on: October 21, 2007, 07:51:05 PM »
I used Ediseye's suggestion.

Download=4589 kb/s
Upload=1444 kb/s
Ping=176 ms

These are huge numbers!  :aaaaa: What should I use?


Speedtest.net can give you false results.

Use the link given in the initial post and THEN ask your question using numbers from that, pls.

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Offline OrbitAddict

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #21 on: October 21, 2007, 08:04:06 PM »
It says I have 4701704 bits per second.

:doh:


Offline MrMxyzptlk

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #22 on: October 22, 2007, 01:05:57 PM »
Orbit: I don't know what you're running, but I don't think you're reading/following the instructions in the first post.

Use this link to run the Flash-based speed test and post your Upload speed (in Kbps), Download speed (also in Kbps) and Latency (in ms) here.

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Offline Igor

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #23 on: October 22, 2007, 02:20:41 PM »
Could having a lame graphics card be anything to do with it? Just wondering, as my graphics suck.><
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Offline MrMxyzptlk

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #24 on: October 22, 2007, 04:42:35 PM »
Could having a lame graphics card be anything to do with it? Just wondering, as my graphics suck.><

Yes.

Check that your video device & system meets the Halo minimum spec's. (What it won't tell you in any obvious way: pretty-much ANY & ALL built-in / "on-board" graphics are NOT supported....)

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Offline Igor

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #25 on: October 22, 2007, 11:48:40 PM »
Ah!, guess i better get saving, thanks Mxy!
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Offline OrbitAddict

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #26 on: November 04, 2007, 09:01:33 AM »
Ok, let's try this again.
I followed the directions, and here's what I got.
Upload speed: 1865 kb/s


Offline MrMxyzptlk

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #27 on: November 04, 2007, 08:22:58 PM »
Ok, let's try this again.
I followed the directions, and here's what I got.
Upload speed: 1865 kb/s


WHAT??!!

Where can I sign up with your ISP?!?!?!

What %age of "others near your location" did it show in the report that Broadband Reports gave you?!?

I can tell you this much: If you have cable Internet and are REALLY getting that/those kinds speeds, your connection is NOT your problem.  (Unless it's shared, like cable, and everyone else around you is enjoying those high rates, too!)

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Offline BFM_Hydra

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #28 on: November 08, 2007, 12:05:11 AM »
Hmm...To a New York server I get:

485kb/s Download
203kb/s Upload


Did that actually just download/upload 8 megabytes worth of information so it goes towards used bandwidth? =/


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Offline MrMxyzptlk

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Re: Halo "lag": Check this before blaming ISP!
« Reply #29 on: November 08, 2007, 06:46:57 PM »
Hmm...To a New York server I get:

485kb/s Download
203kb/s Upload


Did that actually just download/upload 8 megabytes worth of information so it goes towards used bandwidth? =/

Yes.  ::)

And FYI: I think the BFM servers are in either Detroit or Chicago....

« Last Edit: November 11, 2007, 07:56:57 PM by MrMxyzptlk »
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