U.T. G.O.T.Y. - Very high ping.

[74spider]

I am experiencing very high ping (up to 7000) although I'm running a P3 800 MHz with plenty of RAM and a 56K modem. My opponents achieve about 200 ping with the same set-up.
When I check my Task Manager while playing I'm told CPU usage is 100%. How can I correct this ?? Thanks.

 

[Jonty]

Hi 74spider

As you say, with that kind of setup on a 56k modem you should be able to achieve a ping somewhere between 175-300 depending on the server.

The 100% CPU load is undoubtedly to blame. This may be caused for a variety of reasons, both in the game and outside it. In game, make sure the quality settings aren't set too high. Run the game in question at a reasonable resolution (say, 800x600) and with most graphical and audio options turned to low or medium. You can tweak these afterwards to your liking, but they may be partly to blame.

Alternatively, and perhaps more likely, make sure there are few, if any, applications running whilst you're playing your game. This includes any non-essential utilities in the taskbar in the lower right of your screen (media players, anti-virus programs etc). Also, make sure there are no other programs utilising your Internet connection whilst you're playing, such as virus update programs or SETI research programs etc. Finally, try to avoid playing games after using your computer intensively for other purposes, such as desktop publishing and other work; video or photo editting, or other games which you may have just run. All these tasks use up computer resources, which can cause strain on your system if you jump straight into a game.

I'm sorry I can't be more specific, but these problems can be hard to resolve. In short, check your game settings aren't too high. Check there are not lots of programs running in the background. Check no other programs are utilising your Internet connection. Check you have all the latest patches and driver updates. Finally, try and dialup and play straight after booting up your computer.

Kind Regards

 

[Embattle]

What ISP?
How long has this been happening?
Does it happen with other games?

 

[Clowneh!]

totally unrelated but with a p2 300, i pinged BW servers for 80 with a 56k to q2 server

please ignore me

 

[74spider]

High ping

Hey Jonty,

Thanks for taking the time to reply in such detail.

The only programs running are AOL and UT GOTY, but my task manager lists about 32 .exe files ranging from Unreal Tournamen to waol.exe to:

svchost.exe
services.exe
realplay.exe

etc etc.......

Game settings are already on low detail and reduced screen size, game played directly after boot-up.

Thanks again for your reply - any further ideas welcome.

 

[throdgrain]

And the answer is ...


-waits for 200 people to say at once -


AOL ! Get another isp m8, they are notoriously shit for gaming.

 

[Jonty]

Hi 74spider

I don't mind replying, I'm just sorry I cannot be of more immediate use. I've just checked my XP systems and they have around 17 processes running, so it doesn't seem like there is anything too much to worry about with your system running around 30 (although things like RealPlay can be happily closed).

I agree with throdgrain that AOL are not known as a particularly good company for gaming. However, a ping of around 7000 perhaps indicates strain on your system somewhere else. If it was just your connection, then you'd expect your ping to max out around 999, but anything beyond indicates latency on your computer (it's all complicated, and I won't profess to understand it, but 7000 means something is seriously wrong).

Have you tried other games online, such as Half-Life, Quake III Arena, UT2003 etc? Do you experience the same trouble? Also, have you always experienced this trouble, or has it only started occuring recently? Does it happen on every server or only on some? Finally, does the game run fine when played offline against bots?

Sorry about all the questions, but the more we know the easier it becomes to isolate the cause of your troubles. Thanks for your detailed responses.

Kind Regards

 

[kameleon]

Its the 100% CPU usage that indicates that something is wrong!

using task manager in processes identify anything that is using above 25% of system resources (except system idle process). This will indicate the problem you arehaving.

Also is the modem you have hardware, or one of those crappy onboard things?

I used to get a ping of 150 when i played ut on UK servers with a k63 450 and rockwell chipset hardware modem so there is something (stating the obvious) not right

 

[Gemma the Dog]

100% cpu

if you look carefully you will see the 100% cpu is while the game is running and this is normal for most games these days (certainly the case for q3 & bf1942...they will take all they can get of the cpu).

Now...if you cpu is 100% when the game isn't running then you def. have a problem

 

[LTF]

Is it a software modem? ://

 

[Jonty]

Gemma's right In fact if you look at some complex Flash or Javascript scripts in your browser, you'll see that CPU usage often spikes to 100%, even though you'd never otherwise know.

As for it being a software modem, this is good point. Software modems place a heavier burden on the CPU than dedicated hardware modems, which can increase latency and slow performance. That said, if the problem has only recently started occuring (whether it has or not we're you to find out) then this cause could potentially be ruled out.

Kind Regards

 

[smurkin]

The modem question is important. But you say...your opponents have the same setup. I bought a 56K diamond pci internal for use with a p3 (or 2?) 350 MHz processor years ago. I pinged 700...unplayable with q2. I figured internal modems were ok...coz my previous was an internal ISA card and worked lovely. After much messing around, diamond finally advised me that internal modems use excessive cpu (not ISA modems tho) and are often useless for gaming...and that I should buy an external 56K diamond. I did. Problem solved. I imagine software modems are even worse.