Online Gaming

RTB · June 18, 2004

I'm wondering... How much kbps do you need for smooth gameplay?

The reason I'm asking is my inability to play smoothly online. I see (lagometer in Q3) packets dropped about every second and as soon as my dad does something on the net (doesn't matter how small) I still notice it, since a big lagspike hits at that moment. Hard to miss, eh?

Could this be the bottleneck?

Without firewall (ZA)

:::.. Upload Stats ..:::

Connection is: 93 Kbps about 0.1 Mbps (tested with 97 KB)

Upload Speed is: 11 KB/sec

Tested From:: http://www.testmy.net/

Bottom Line: 2 times faster than 56K you can upload 1MB in 93.09 second(s)

Validation Link :: https://testmy.net/cgi-bin/get.cgi?Test_ID=GDQQLGG0V

With firewall:

:::.. Upload Stats ..:::

Connection is: 97 Kbps about 0.1 Mbps (tested with 97 KB)

Upload Speed is: 12 KB/sec

Tested From:: http://www.testmy.net/

Bottom Line: 2 times faster than 56K you can upload 1MB in 85.33 second(s)

Validation Link :: https://testmy.net/cgi-bin/get.cgi?Test_ID=UC1E9KR5S

Pretty random these upload tests... These are the highest I ever got.

CA3LE · June 18, 2004

Are you hosting the game..... because with upload stats like that I strongly reccomend not hosting. Most online games you ssould be fine though... what game are you playing?

RTB · June 18, 2004

Quake 3 and I'm not hosting. I wouldn't even dare...

CA3LE · June 18, 2004

Quake 3 and I'm not hosting. I wouldn't even dare...

Smart man...

Well I would think you would be fine... The game should only be requesting about 5KB/sec of your upload connection...

Your average download is 1.5 Mbps and ya got about 95 Kbps upload -- I would think you would be fine.

Post your ping to testmy.netand your location -- it looks to me like you have a deepser problem, I just pinged your IP from my house and got 690ms MAX, 212ms MIN, and 331ms AVG --- which is HORRIBLE

go to START>RUN>type "COMMAND" enter! > type "ping testmy.net" enter!

let me know man ---

I get 50ms to testmy.net by the way.

If you are on a shard connection try connecting without the router ~~~ post those pings and scores for me.

VanBuren · June 18, 2004

I'm wondering... How much Kbps do you need for smooth gameplay?

The reason I'm asking is my inability to play smoothly online. I see (lagometer in Q3) packets dropped about every second and as soon as my dad does something on the net (doesn't matter how small) I still notice it, since a big lagspike hits at that moment. Hard to miss, eh?

Could this be the bottleneck?

Without firewall (ZA)

:::.. Upload Stats ..:::

Connection is: 93 Kbps about 0.1 Mbps (tested with 97 KB)

Upload Speed is: 11 KB/sec

Tested From:: http://www.testmy.net/

Bottom Line: 2 times faster than 56K you can upload 1MB in 93.09 second(s)

Validation Link :: https://testmy.net/cgi-bin/get.cgi?Test_ID=GDQQLGG0V

With firewall:

:::.. Upload Stats ..:::

Connection is: 97 Kbps about 0.1 Mbps (tested with 97 KB)

Upload Speed is: 12 KB/sec

Tested From:: http://www.testmy.net/

Bottom Line: 2 times faster than 56K you can upload 1MB in 85.33 second(s)

Validation Link :: https://testmy.net/cgi-bin/get.cgi?Test_ID=UC1E9KR5S

Pretty random these upload tests... These are the highest I ever got.

I used to play quake 3 too, a tip i can give you is keep your cl_maxpacket low, try 20 max 30. that helps me if i play on a laggy server. And use as high rate as possible. If you check the servers info you will see sv_maxrate, some admins set this low (5000 to 10000) to allow 56k players to play aswell, but some using real high (20000-40000) for those servers u will need a dern good connection and low ping.

Hope this will help

But maby the problem is deeper then that, your ping stabillity seems bad, maby it was just a temporary thing when Cable pinged your IP nr, maby you was downloading i dunno.

you can also check ping stabillity here

http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks

Good luck !!!

VanBuren

CA3LE · June 18, 2004

Thank you for helping him VanBuren ~~

VanBuren · June 18, 2004

Thank you for helping him VanBuren ~~

Np But im not sure yet if i did help him hehe

VanBuren

VanBuren · June 18, 2004

Dern i forgot to add this to my post

The rate you setup in your q3config.cfg should not be faster then around 50% of your advertised uploadspeed.

if you have 256 Kbps up maximal = 256/8= 32 KB/s = 32000 byte/s

The rate in almost all games is set in byte/s.

32000 x 50% = 16000

your rate should be set to 16000 in this case.

Why only 50%?

as you said your dad using the connection too and, all connections "peak out" when its gettin close to the top speed. Thats not what you want for a good ping and smooth game.

VanBuren

RTB · June 19, 2004

Pingen naar testmy.net [67.19.36.6] met 32 byte gegevens:

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=158ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=154ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=162ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=154ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=161ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=163ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=157ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=161ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=163ms TTL=49

Pingstatistieken voor 67.19.36.6:

Packets: verzonden = 10, ontvangen = 10, kwijtgeraakt = 0 (0% verlies),

Retourtijd bij benadering in milliseconden:

Minimum = 154ms, Maximum = 163ms, Gemiddeld = 159ms

It's in dutch, but the rest is the same. It's stable right now, but I'll post another ping around 4:00 (gmt+1) and 22:00 too.

When did you ping me CA3LE? If Zonealarm was on there's a good chance it slowed the ping speed down and if it was around those times that the net is slow that adds even more to the slowness.

I'm indeed behind a router, and I know that lowers speeds a bit. The lagometer spikes got a little lower after I started to disable Zonealarm when playing, but the red spikes are still as common. The server on which I play the most is in Germany, so it has to be quite close to where I live.

Thanks for the tips on rates and stuff, but my advertised upload is 384. I get at maximum 1/3rd of that speed. That's part of the problem.

Sometimes, the connection's just dead, and when I check the modem the send and/or receive LEDs are constantly on. I have no idea what that is.

Edit:

I live in the mid-east of the Netherlands, in a town called Apeldoorn.

VanBuren · June 19, 2004

Another fix for lag spikes is to use pb_sleep 500 if you play on PB servers. bring down console hit enter once then type /pb_sleep 500 and hit enter.

Try this tweaktest, disable your firewall during test http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks

and post the result adress (URL) here so i can see it.

VanBuren

CA3LE · June 19, 2004

are most of the servers you play on in the US?

I am getting a better ping from you now... I don't think it was ZA or your firewall.. it might have been that I woke up your computer -- I am getting about 215 ping now to you... I am in Phoenix AZ which is about 1050 Miles (1690 kilometers) from my house (50ms electronic time )

and you are getting 160 ms to my server ~ I am getting 50 ms to my server so your ping to me is about 210-215 ~~ exactly what I am getting to you right now ~~~ your ping seems good enough to play even on a Westcoast US server ~~ But for online gaming I would try (if you have the option) to stick with east coast servers which should have a ping of about 120 to you if they are good ~ good luck man, hope your connection clears up, have you bitched to your ISP yet?

- Damon

RTB · June 19, 2004

If I play on other servers than the one in Germany, they're in Europe. I get good pings there (30 - 50).

http://ttester.broadbandreports.com/tweak/block:59112fc?service=cable&speed=2560&os=win98SE&via=normal

Nothing abnormal there...

But from 12;00 to 12:15 I had no internet, and it was just like I described.

CA3LE · June 19, 2004

That's gotta be driving your crazy... now I know why your signature says "kills self once again"

RTB · June 19, 2004

Yep.

:::.. Download Stats ..:::

Connection is:: 2278 Kbps about 2.3 Mbps (tested with 1496 KB)

Download Speed is:: 278 KB/sec

Tested From:: http://www.testmy.net/

Bottom Line:: 41 times faster than 56K you can download 1MB in 3.68 second(s)

Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/cgi-bin/get.cgi?Test_ID=IR0KXTFQ7

:::.. Upload Stats ..:::

Connection is: 76 Kbps about 0.1 Mbps (tested with 97 KB)

Upload Speed is: 9 KB/sec

Tested From:: http://www.testmy.net/

Bottom Line: 1 times faster than 56K you can upload 1MB in 113.78 second(s)

Validation Link :: https://testmy.net/cgi-bin/get.cgi?Test_ID=043V0UVEB

Back to slow upload.

I think the record has been recorded on the database as well, go see if you can find a upload speed of 14 kbps.

VanBuren · June 19, 2004

As i understand you got win XP now RTB, try changing these values

DefaultReceiveWindow - The number of receive bytes that AFD buffers on a connection before imposing flow control. For some applications, a larger value here gives slightly better performance at the expense of increased resource utilization.

Value Type: REG_DWORD

Default: 4096/8192/8192

2. DefaultSendWindow - This is similar to DefaultReceiveWindow, but for the send side of connections.

Value Type: REG_DWORD

Default: 4096/8192/8192

The thing you already changed with TCP optimizer is

32. TcpWindowSize - This parameter determines the maximum TCP receive window size offered by the system. The receive window specifies the number of bytes a sender may transmit without receiving an acknowledgment. In general, larger receive windows will improve performance over high (delay * bandwidth ) networks. For highest efficiency, the receive window should be an even multiple of the TCP Maximum Segment Size (MSS).

Value Type: REG_DWORD

VanBuren · June 19, 2004

Btw i forgot to say that above tweaks probl will not help your online gaming much cos they using UDP and not TCP.

But it could be nice if you would get a faster upload against testmy.net.

For the games, i refer to my prewious post about rate and cl_maxpackets, also use snaps at 20.

VanBuren

RTB · June 19, 2004

As i understand you got win XP now RTB' date=' try changing these values[/quote']

There are two computers connected to the net here: One slower, with Win98, and which I use. And one (much) faster, with WinXP, which I hardly use because of instability.

Great links, I'm off tweaking

Edit:

Ouch, that's gotta hurt my ping. Less owning, and a more stable connection...

VanBuren · June 19, 2004

Well if server using sv_fps 20 then you should use snaps 20, if server has sv_fps 30 you should use snaps 30.

defult settings is sv_fps 20, snaps 20, cl_maxpackets 30

but look at server info and try to change these values depending on what server you joining.

Good luck with the tweaking !!!

VanBuren

RTB · June 19, 2004

Something definatly worked:

:::.. Upload Stats ..:::

Connection is: 144 Kbps about 0.1 Mbps (tested with 97 KB)

Upload Speed is: 18 KB/sec

Tested From:: http://www.testmy.net/

Bottom Line: 3 times faster than 56K you can upload 1MB in 56.89 second(s)

Validation Link :: https://testmy.net/cgi-bin/get.cgi?Test_ID=DIBRJU4WN

:::.. Upload Stats ..:::

Connection is: 142 Kbps about 0.1 Mbps (tested with 97 KB)

Upload Speed is: 17 KB/sec

Tested From:: http://www.testmy.net/

Bottom Line: 3 times faster than 56K you can upload 1MB in 60.24 second(s)

Validation Link :: https://testmy.net/cgi-bin/get.cgi?Test_ID=O6M2NTPJ5

That's double the speed I was normally getting

Testing at chello's testserver showed a less of an improvement, but still visible: 180 kbps upload.

But download has worsened. When testing the progress stalls somewhere in the middle and then picks up again. This happened before, but not as often. damn...

Edit:

Something for everybody to laugh at, download speeds inside the chello network from Chello's own testserver:

Per hour

Per day

1500 avg, while the advertised speed is 2560. Chello must be happy that so few people do tweak.

Everyone beats me in upload speed though

Edit2: The 4 o'clock update:

Pingen naar testmy.net [67.19.36.6] met 32 byte gegevens:

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=160ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=166ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=164ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=165ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=166ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=162ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=156ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=175ms TTL=49

Antwoord van 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=161ms TTL=49

Pingstatistieken voor 67.19.36.6:

Packets: verzonden = 10, ontvangen = 10, kwijtgeraakt = 0 (0% verlies),

Retourtijd bij benadering in milliseconden:

Minimum = 156ms, Maximum = 175ms, Gemiddeld = 163ms

VanBuren · June 19, 2004

glad it works better now What did you change and what are your current values?

I couldnt see that speed result

"UPC TestServer

Uw IP adres (213.115.113.70 & (none)) heeft geen toegang tot deze server, omdat het niet in gebruik is door UPC/chello in Nederland.

Mocht deze melding naar uw mening niet correct zijn dan kunt u een email sturen aan [email protected]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your IP address (213.115.113.70 & (none)) doesn't have any access to this server, because the IP is not in use by UPC/chello in The Netherlands. If you feel this message was given to you in error, please email to [email protected]"

VanBuren

Swimmer · June 19, 2004

Here is my ping stats for testmy.net

Pinging testmy.net [67.19.36.6] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=51

Reply from 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=51

Reply from 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=51

Reply from 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=51

Reply from 67.19.36.6: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=51

Ping statistics for 67.19.36.6:

Packets: Sent = 30, Received = 30, Lost = 0 (0% loss),

Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:

Minimum = 30ms, Maximum = 31ms, Average = 30ms

Someone give me a server to ping accross the pond...

RTB · June 19, 2004

Swimmer · June 19, 2004

Here ya go..

Pinging chello.nl [213.46.242.72] with 32 bytes of data: