what is LAG ??

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tabalman
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what is LAG ??

Post by tabalman »

gday

could someone tell a newbie what 'lag' is

can't find a definition in the docs

thanks
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Post by EvilChickenNugget »

A simple explanation of lag is how long it take the data to get from the server to your computer and back.

Normally measured in milliseconds (ms) the higher your lag the longer it takes for your computer to communicate with the server. High lag makes you appear jumpy on other peoples screens, and makes it terribly hard to play.

Obviously what type of internet connection you use will have a drastic effect on your lag. People who play on 56k connections will usually have a lag of at least 200-250ms. People with broadband are usually lower. I have cable, and my lag usually hovers between 60-95ms.

In my experience the game starts to get unplayable at or above 300ms lag. Many servers will automatically kick you if your lag is consistantly above this amount.
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Post by tabalman »

thanks heaps for your quick reply :)

so there is nothing one can do about it then?

if you have a slow connection you are done?

regards

colin
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Post by EvilChickenNugget »

There are a few things that can be done to minimize the effects of lag.

Namely try and find a server that is located near you geographically. IE if you're in the UK try and find a UK server instead of one based in the US.

Also, if your computer is an older model that has to struggle a little to keep up with BZFlag you can often improve your lag by turning down the graphical settings to a lower level.

And of course the obvious things like don't have downloads running in the background while you're playing.
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Post by The Red Baron »

do you have a firewall?

that makes heaps of lag.

also what connection do you have?
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Post by Death Barrel »

baron plz explain how firewalls "make heaps of lag" :)
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Post by Grumbler »

yeah, havent seen a problem where my firewall caused lag.....unless you are talking a software firewall.....i might buy into that one if it was a slow machine.
oneway in bz flag to reduce lag is shutdown all the spurious programs that you might have running in the background. ie......IM, mailtools, ......things that go out to the net a number of times a second.
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Post by tabalman »

of course - thanks ...

i'm in Australia so that makes sense ...

using a satellite connection

no firewall though

i will try the things you have metionioned

and thanks again for your help

regards

colin
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Post by The Red Baron »

yes software firewall.

i've had it done to me and friends. not just on low end comps though.
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Post by rob1n »

ok, here's my definition of a firewall - it blocks certain ports that are not used by IE, etc, and you can change which ports are open or closed. HOw should this affect lag?
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Post by Death Barrel »

Red Baron wrote:yes software firewall.

i've had it done to me and friends. not just on low end comps though.
what? you had a firewall done to you? lol, omg this is some funny stuff, you are joking right?
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Post by rob1n »

he might mean software lag, not internet...a firewall running in the background may slow bzflag down... :?
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Post by Death Barrel »

yeah software wise, but there are ways to configure it say "zone alarm" to specify what can and can't access, i still don't think this will cause lag, maybe slower CPU performance therefore raising the lag a tiny bit, if this is happening i would just get rid of what ever firewall you are running and switch to something that is better for your machine. i have run Zone Alarm on all my windoze machines and it didn't seem to slow anything down, other than being annoying at times :)
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Post by elmer fudd »

@loser: Well firewalls still have to check all the packets to see what port and if they should block them, and this takes time, so on a low end comp...
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Post by rob1n »

but:
Red Baron wrote:yes software firewall.

i've had it done to me and friends. not just on low end comps though.
he says it has happened on non-low end comps
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Post by JeffM »

I must not lag.
Lag is the mind killer.
Lag is the little death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my lag.
I will permit it to bass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past, I will turn my inner eye to see its path.
When the lag has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
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Post by rob1n »

huh????? wow...the poetic side of patlabor ;)
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Post by JeffM »

sounds like you are to young to know the litany
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Post by toaster »

LAG is acronym, related to treads on tank, as in:

Your Lugs are drAGging!
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Post by rob1n »

lol toaster

patlabor: i'm not a poetic person
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Post by EvilChickenNugget »

Awww... C'mon... I haven't even read the Dune books and I know where Patlabor's little verse came from.
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Post by rob1n »

i haven't even HEARD of the dune books...

weren't we here to discuss lag? ;)
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Post by dS »

Tabalman,

Here's your issue:
using a satellite connection
It takes time for the signal to bounce up and back from a satellite. All satellite internets I have seen have a disclaimer for high speed gaming because of the incredible amount of lag induced by the round trip travel time of the signal. There's no gettingt around it. Maybe next year if WiMax actually becomes a reality there will be better hope for remotely served areas. As it stands you are probably better off dialing up than playing over a satellite connection.

RB,

You've mentioned in the past that you have had router issues. Are you sure you are not confusing the two. Perhaps your router/firewall is where your problem really lies. I seem to remember you had problems from within your LAN when multiple players were connected to the same server. Sounded to me at the time that it was definitely the router. Maybe I'm just imagining it was you.

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Post by Guest »

i have to say my two bits in here.... ok,
1:lag is the doer of all evil! (eccept cheater's evil)
2:if you have mega lag, a good connection and lots of stuff open, close it all!
3:if your client isnt at least 1.10.2, upgrade it!
4:restart your computer.
-thx
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Post by JeffM »

lildog, again your wrong, please refrain from commenting on things you do not have real knowledge about. No amount of upgrade can help him

loser, just get over it, it's a joke.

yeah your latency will be high on a sat connection, a LOT higher then landlines. Speed of light and all. Sat connections are not made for gaming, they are made for people who don't want to move and get DSL, sorry, your kinda SOL.
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