New To The Online
Soral
Join Date: 2003-01-27 Member: 12798Members
Join Date: 2003-01-27 Member: 12798Members
<div class="IPBDescription">and needing help</div> OK, so I played NS online for the first time last night (sorry to the team I joined <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> ) and I found it to be very different to LAN gaming. Here's my queries:
1/ Why do I keep freezing occasionally, bobbing in place (and getting eaten by skulks)? Is this my PC waiting for a packet from the server? What is a good or bad ping?
2/ Why does my machine almost continually download stuff, especially when new players join the server? Are they using custom decals or something?
3/ What's this red message on my screen about flushing entities?
4/ Sometimes I just drop from the game to console mode. Why?
Finally, how can I optimise my connection and halflife settings for best online gameplay?
These are all newbie questions, and I'd appreciate a link to "online gaming for dumbies" or something. Thanks.
1/ Why do I keep freezing occasionally, bobbing in place (and getting eaten by skulks)? Is this my PC waiting for a packet from the server? What is a good or bad ping?
2/ Why does my machine almost continually download stuff, especially when new players join the server? Are they using custom decals or something?
3/ What's this red message on my screen about flushing entities?
4/ Sometimes I just drop from the game to console mode. Why?
Finally, how can I optimise my connection and halflife settings for best online gameplay?
These are all newbie questions, and I'd appreciate a link to "online gaming for dumbies" or something. Thanks.
Comments
2. Yes, they are using custom decals
3. Related to your connection problems
4. Because your connection is so bad you are disconnected from the server
Ok, before anyone has any chance of telling you what settings you need we need to know what connection you have. When you installed NS there was a section which asked you what connection you had, as long as you chose the right one you should be fine. Therefore, I can only assume you selected the wrong connection type.
Oh, and try to make sure the server you join has the lowest ping possible; if you are in america for example, and you joined a chinese server, I can see where you might get problems <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Try using the "filter" button to filter out high ping servers. I would recommend using 100ms if you have a good connection, and 250ms if you have 56k.
As for "good" and "bad" ping, that would depend on your connection.
If you have DSL/ISDN e.t.c, probably in the region of 20-120 is average, if you join a server close to you that is <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
As for 56k, i'm happy to say I haven't used 56k in some time <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> but I think 56k ping is generally in the area of 150-300.
Anything above 300 is definatly "high-ping". Try using the scoreboard to find out everyone else's ping, and if yours is higher, try asking them where the server is located, ideally you want it to be close to you (at least in the same continent).
If you download <a href='http://www.udpsoft.com/eye2/index.html' target='_blank'>The all seeing eye</a>, you can see the country the server is based in from the menu, AND you can organise servers in order of ping. I would recommend it, and so would most NS players <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
To answer the ping question, good pings are low, bad pings are high. No one mentioned this. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
The faster your connection, the lower the ping should be. Ping increases as more people join the server. A ping of above 600 will usually get you kicked. Bellow 100 is perfect.
As for the link, well. A search of the forums will get you that (if it's working.) If not, there are plenty of guides on fan sites. Check out <a href='http://www.readyroom.org' target='_blank'>the ready room's</a> site for links to these.
Less so than The Eye.
Adds I can deal with. It has no spyware from what I can see from the install directory, but that is not a good indication. Besides, I mostly use the NS browser.
Use cl_allowdownload 0 in console to disable the downloading of custom decals, or pointless server wav files.
you can bring down the console in game with the tilde (~) key.
may help with connection performance.
I'm off to check the ready room and links. Apart from game settings (in the ini files) are there any OS specific things I should be looking for? (I use w2k)
Anyways, getting back to the original question.
The fastest way to change your network settings is to go into NS and goto the main menu. Select "Multiplayer" then select "Internet Game". Once you see the server listing, you should notice in the upper-right corner a dropdown list for "Connection Type". Pick the appropriate one.
If your comfortable with the console you can manually adjust the following settings:
rate
cl_cmdrate
cl_updaterate
You'll have to experiment or search online for what values you should use.
(I use w2k) <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Wowa.
1) There's nothing fast about us 56k ers. Period. ("Full stop" doesn't sound good, noticed that?)
2) W2k is NOT a gaming platform. Full stop. (See?)
w2k was designed purley as a network OS, -an upgrade to NT. Despite having stability due to combination of the NT and 95 kernels, its code is office optimised and even directx doesn't work as well.
I recommend 98 or Linux. (Lih-nux, no matter what anyone says.) XP does the job, but is a bit clunky. Dual-boot is the best. If you're interested, drop me a line.
Sorry, I slipped into geek there. Where was I? Oh yeah.
Look through all of your .cfg files in the NS directory, there are loads of settings. Disabling downloads is the start. You probably have lan mode set to 1. Change it to 0. This will cetainly help.
Good luck.
I managed to play again on the weekend, but my ping swung wildly from about 150 to 900 (and I know that that's bad). High ping was with lots of activity (we rushed the marine base).
Off to read more faqs...
A good ping is about 20-50 (i am pleased if i get that) An ok (playable) ping varies from about 100-200 (thats the ping i get on US servers) a bad ping is anything over 400. But there again, I have broadband, so thngs may be a litle different for you
I'm off to check the ready room and links. Apart from game settings (in the ini files) are there any OS specific things I should be looking for? (I use w2k) <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I really don't think it's your OS. It's a connection thing.
As for Linux, I was speaking generally. The only game that works (that I am certain of at least,) is UT2003. HL works on Lindows, and I've read somewhere (newsgroup?) that a hard core fan got it on Linux. Till I find out, I'll keep trying.
OT: Anyone else following the story about 'Hacking the Xbox'? There was a person who formatted an Xbox h/d and put Linux on it, then used an 'xploit' in 007 Nightfire's load function to run the install. Pretty neat.