optimizing your connection for top game play performance
ok, this is for the people who are experiencing major problems with connecting to servers, but will work fine for others as well in optimizing your system for game play.
READ THE WHOLE POST AND FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS BEFORE POSTING ANY PROBLEMS!
*************
when dealing with tcp/ip transmissions, certain parameters in the windows operating systems can be adjusted to get a better stable connection, as described in this article: http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks/RWIN
this should help you get the best out of your connection, with fewer packet losses, which results in better game play.
*************
notes:
this DOES NOT affect your ping, it only deals with transmissions / retransmissions of packets, ie, packet loss. reduction of packet loss reduces the strain put on both your pc's connection and the remote server's connection, resulting in the use of less bandwidth by both the client and the server, which equals less lag.
*************
to make adjustments (tweak) your settings for game play, download the tcp optimizer from http://www.speedguide.net/files/TCPOptimizer.exe
*************
instructions for BOTH 56k and broadband are as follows:
*************
instructions for tcp optimizer (56k only):
on the bottom right corner, click custom settings.
on the top, check your connection (dsl or cable)
select your adaptor, and select modify all adaptors.
set mtu as 576.
fill in the tcp receive window to either 16348 (low latency) 32696 (normal latency) 65392 (high latency). experiment with all 3 settings and try different servers before posting any problems.
note: 32696 is most widely used for dial up connections.
mtu discovery: yes
black hole detect: no
selective acks: yes
max duplicate acks: 2
ttl: change to 64
windows scaling - checked
timestamps - DEFINITELY unchecked
once you've done all this, reboot and try connecting to a server to see if there's any improvement in lag. THIS WILL NOT AFFECT PING TIMES, it only (possibly) clears up some isssues with dropped and retransmitted packets, which is the main cause of lag, especially on a tcp/ip connection.
NOTE: if the server is buggy, or if the server's connection is poor, or your service providers performance is poor, NO AMOUNT OF TWEAKING CAN HELP. find another server, preferably with a ping of 150 or less for best results.
*************
instructions for tcp optimizer (broadband only):
on the bottom right corner, click custom settings.
on the top, check your connection (dsl or cable)
select your adaptor, and select modify all adaptors.
set mtu as 1500.
fill in the tcp receive window to either 32120 (low latency) 64240 (normal latency) or 128480 (high latency). experiment with all 3 settings and try different servers before posting any problems.
note: my connection is 1.5Mbps down / 128k up and i get best performance using 64240. lower speeds should try 32120 first, while higher speeds should try 128480 first.
mtu discovery: yes
black hole detect: no
selective acks: yes
max duplicate acks: 2
ttl: change to 128
windows scaling - checked
timestamps - DEFINITELY unchecked
once you've done all this, reboot and try connecting to a server to see if there's any improvement in lag. THIS WILL NOT AFFECT PING TIMES, it only (possibly) clears up some isssues with dropped and retransmitted packets, which is the main cause of lag, especially on a tcp/ip connection.
NOTE: if the server is buggy, or if the server's connection is poor, or your service providers performance is poor, NO AMOUNT OF TWEAKING CAN HELP. find another server, preferably with a ping of 150 or less for best results.
*************
for dial up users:
if (after having followed these instructions fully) you're still having probs, go here http://www.speedguide.net/analyzer.php and post your results.
also, go to www.pcpitstop.com and run the bandwidth tests (both upload and download) and post the results, and i'll try to help you make the right adjustments for your particular system.
post pc specs: processor speed, amount of memory, speed of hard disk and video card with specs
*************
for broadband users:
if (after having followed these instructions fully) you're still having probs, go here http://www.speedguide.net/analyzer.php and post your results, plus your *advertised connection speed.
also, go to www.pcpitstop.com and run the bandwidth tests (both upload and download) and post the results. this will help determine if you are getting your *advertised connection speed, and i'll try to help you make the right adjustments for your particular system.
post pc specs: processor speed, amount of memory, speed of hard disk and video card with specs
*************
*advertised connection speed: the speeds your cable/dsl providers advertise. example: 1.5Mbps down / 128k up.
*************
DISCLAIMER: this is only an attempt to help, not a 100% guaranteed solution to your problems. there are to many factors involved for this type of solution to be fool proof (your service provider, your pc, the servers, ping times, latency, etc), but roughly 80% of "tweakers" from both www.speedguide.net and www.dslreports.com report improvement, so it's worth a try.
EDIT:
this was posted in the beta testing forum some time ago, and several of those who tried it out came out with positive results.
ok, this is for the people who are experiencing major problems with connecting to servers, but will work fine for others as well in optimizing your system for game play.
READ THE WHOLE POST AND FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS BEFORE POSTING ANY PROBLEMS!
*************
when dealing with tcp/ip transmissions, certain parameters in the windows operating systems can be adjusted to get a better stable connection, as described in this article: http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks/RWIN
this should help you get the best out of your connection, with fewer packet losses, which results in better game play.
*************
notes:
this DOES NOT affect your ping, it only deals with transmissions / retransmissions of packets, ie, packet loss. reduction of packet loss reduces the strain put on both your pc's connection and the remote server's connection, resulting in the use of less bandwidth by both the client and the server, which equals less lag.
*************
to make adjustments (tweak) your settings for game play, download the tcp optimizer from http://www.speedguide.net/files/TCPOptimizer.exe
*************
instructions for BOTH 56k and broadband are as follows:
*************
instructions for tcp optimizer (56k only):
on the bottom right corner, click custom settings.
on the top, check your connection (dsl or cable)
select your adaptor, and select modify all adaptors.
set mtu as 576.
fill in the tcp receive window to either 16348 (low latency) 32696 (normal latency) 65392 (high latency). experiment with all 3 settings and try different servers before posting any problems.
note: 32696 is most widely used for dial up connections.
mtu discovery: yes
black hole detect: no
selective acks: yes
max duplicate acks: 2
ttl: change to 64
windows scaling - checked
timestamps - DEFINITELY unchecked
once you've done all this, reboot and try connecting to a server to see if there's any improvement in lag. THIS WILL NOT AFFECT PING TIMES, it only (possibly) clears up some isssues with dropped and retransmitted packets, which is the main cause of lag, especially on a tcp/ip connection.
NOTE: if the server is buggy, or if the server's connection is poor, or your service providers performance is poor, NO AMOUNT OF TWEAKING CAN HELP. find another server, preferably with a ping of 150 or less for best results.
*************
instructions for tcp optimizer (broadband only):
on the bottom right corner, click custom settings.
on the top, check your connection (dsl or cable)
select your adaptor, and select modify all adaptors.
set mtu as 1500.
fill in the tcp receive window to either 32120 (low latency) 64240 (normal latency) or 128480 (high latency). experiment with all 3 settings and try different servers before posting any problems.
note: my connection is 1.5Mbps down / 128k up and i get best performance using 64240. lower speeds should try 32120 first, while higher speeds should try 128480 first.
mtu discovery: yes
black hole detect: no
selective acks: yes
max duplicate acks: 2
ttl: change to 128
windows scaling - checked
timestamps - DEFINITELY unchecked
once you've done all this, reboot and try connecting to a server to see if there's any improvement in lag. THIS WILL NOT AFFECT PING TIMES, it only (possibly) clears up some isssues with dropped and retransmitted packets, which is the main cause of lag, especially on a tcp/ip connection.
NOTE: if the server is buggy, or if the server's connection is poor, or your service providers performance is poor, NO AMOUNT OF TWEAKING CAN HELP. find another server, preferably with a ping of 150 or less for best results.
*************
for dial up users:
if (after having followed these instructions fully) you're still having probs, go here http://www.speedguide.net/analyzer.php and post your results.
also, go to www.pcpitstop.com and run the bandwidth tests (both upload and download) and post the results, and i'll try to help you make the right adjustments for your particular system.
post pc specs: processor speed, amount of memory, speed of hard disk and video card with specs
*************
for broadband users:
if (after having followed these instructions fully) you're still having probs, go here http://www.speedguide.net/analyzer.php and post your results, plus your *advertised connection speed.
also, go to www.pcpitstop.com and run the bandwidth tests (both upload and download) and post the results. this will help determine if you are getting your *advertised connection speed, and i'll try to help you make the right adjustments for your particular system.
post pc specs: processor speed, amount of memory, speed of hard disk and video card with specs
*************
*advertised connection speed: the speeds your cable/dsl providers advertise. example: 1.5Mbps down / 128k up.
*************
DISCLAIMER: this is only an attempt to help, not a 100% guaranteed solution to your problems. there are to many factors involved for this type of solution to be fool proof (your service provider, your pc, the servers, ping times, latency, etc), but roughly 80% of "tweakers" from both www.speedguide.net and www.dslreports.com report improvement, so it's worth a try.
EDIT:
this was posted in the beta testing forum some time ago, and several of those who tried it out came out with positive results.