Lag on multiplayer - Direct IP

Not a specs issue

from Stardock Forums

First time poster, recent addict to SOASE. I've enjoyed the massive single-player games and I brought over a friend to try multiplayer with. Sadly, about halfway through the game there are lag, or pauses rather, every 15-20 seconds that last 2-3 seconds. Before a long list of "your specs" occurs, I'd like to get straight to answering your questions ahead of time in hope of pinpointing the cause of this:

Computer A = Mine

Computer B = Hers

1. Ram: A = 4 gigs, B =1 gig

2. Processor: A = 4.2ghz Dual-core, B = 3.6Ghz single-core

3. Video: A = ATI 4800 1G video ram, B = ATI 4000something, 512mb video ram

4. HD speed: A = 7200 rpm Sata II 3.0mbs 500g, B = 7200 Sata 1.5mbs 125g, (both defraged and kept clean from maleware, viruses, etc)

5. Internet speed: A = 20Mbs cable @ 35 average google ping, B = 8 mbs cable @ 56 average google ping

6. Game Settings: A = All Highest @ constant 180fps/60fps with vsynch, B = Mixture of High/Highest @ average 50-55fps/20-30 with vsync

7. Background processes: Both computers are streamlined and optimized. Very few things running in the background, and we've also tested it with active Antivirus turned off.

8. When does it happen?: Even on a 1v1v1, halfway through it will begin to go through it's pausing fits. On a full 10-person map it's exactly the same.

9. CPU when hosted?: A = Usually the hoster, CPU never goes above 34%, B = CPU averages 50-60% when connected to host A

 

As you can see, it is not a game settings issue. We are not experiencing cpu or video lag in the slightest. Our latency is excellent and there's nothing interfering with the transfer, nor do we have packet issues. This is a DIRECT IP connection, and we are not using ICO.

Thoughts?

11,060 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

Well, you nailed the first obvious question, but didn't address the second: are you patched the the most recent version?

 

System B has low RAM, but since your problem appears to be independent of what's actually happening in-game that doesn't seem to be the likely candidate for the problem.

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Thanks for the reply! We are patched to the latest (1.04 entrenchment) and both are legitimate copies.

 

As a side-note, we also tried it with her computer at the lowest graphical settings possible and it still had the interval pauses. I haven't completely written off RAM being the issue, but it just doesn't add up. Even on a fresh client restart (and saved game reloaded), the interval pauses continue and without hesitation.

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Have the exact same issue.  My friend has an old machine with 3.0 celeron and 1 GB of RAM, and the same thing happens.  Game 'pauses' every few seconds for the person with the newer system (me).  The second he disconnects it runs perfectly on my side.

I think it's just a simple performance issue, and there's nothing you can do about it short of upgrading the slower system.  I'd strongly suggest bumping the ram up to 2GB on the slower system.

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

That's very, very interesting. So you have the problem of only your system pausing while the slower machine runs fine?

 

Now that I think about it, I remember that occuring on my side as well. She rarely has pauses when I inquire about them.

 

If that's the case, then the game is doing a terrible job of memory management handling. 1gig, especially with low settings, should be -plenty- for an RTS. We'll see what we can do, and additional thoughts are welcome.

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

RTS games are actually very RAM intensive.  I'd personally say that RAM is bigger than your processor or video card as far as RTS performance goes.  If you want to crank the graphics up you'll need a good graphics card, of course, but just running the game smoothly it's all about RAM.  As far as memory management goes, that's more the operating system than the application.

 

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Well, the last part is subjective, really. The OS can handle the RAM just fine and the "bad program" can reanalyze the RAM in a disjointed way, or make recursive memory calls wastefully. I'm willing to bet that it's not just the fault of low RAM.

However, I will consider it as a RAM issue. The problem is that the follow games have ran fine in the past for her and I:

- Homeworld I/II

- Warcraft III

- Counterstrike

- World of Warcraft

- Civ III and IV

- EVE Online

 

Now, it's possible that SOASE uses it's ram more inefficiently, or it really is just storing -that- much into RAM. However, if that was the case why would she not experience client-side slowdown? She can do a 10-man map on her own just fine, without computer delays. But the moment we try it in multiplayer the pause kick in. And that is the important point, I think.

 

edit: I do want to thank everyone for helping so far. I don't want to seem dismissive or unappreciative. Keep them coming, as I'm hoping a serious review of this problem has the possibility of helping many others.

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

 

Heya all. Have we had any more news on this issue? My friend and I have been having the same issues for ages. Both system specs exceed the recommended (Mine is an I7 with 3gb RAM and his is a dual core with 3gb RAM) and we are fully patched.

My friends system is the slower so I host. When I have checked he does not experience the freezes as I do but says that ship movement across gravity wells and star lanes becomes slightly jerky/jumpy.

I feel as adragoon does that this is not a hardware issue per say as we can both play the 10 player maps without lag single player.

Hope this can get sorted as had been driving us nuts for months :annoyed:

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

 

My guess is that the 1 GB of RAM is the problem.  Sins is not really multithreaded, but it still helps to have a dual core CPU since you can lock Sins to run on one CPU and then make other large programs run on the other CPU.  (This makes a huge difference for me with my pathetic Socket 939 Athlon 4400 overclocked to 2.4 Ghz per core.)

Note that the most recent version of Sins is 1.18, I think.  The downloadable patches stop at v1.05.  To upgrade to the most recent version you need to download and install Stardock's Impulse program, which is like Steam but is very benign (it doesn't need to be running in order to play).  Impulse effectively serves as the DRM for Sins, denying the most recent patches to pirates who do not own a license to play the game.

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top

 

I use Impulse and have the versions 1.18/1.041, as does my friend.

As stated above both of us have 3Gb of RAM. He has  a dual core and I have an I7 processor wise. I can not see this being a full on hardware issue tbh.

Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top

 

Ever since the beginning I've maintained that since SINS is run entirely locally (even in MP) and the host simply SYNCS the players, best results can be achieved when the system specs of everyone involved are as similar as possible.

I have noticed this being the case ever since the beginning (release-day).

Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top

This is a bad bug in the Sins game since it was first released. I think it might be a combination of low system specs and intenet desync. Sins does need a beefy system. To run a 10 player map or game. I don't see what your using for OS? xp, vista, win7, 32-64bit? NOW I have done some testing on A LAN network. Basiclly I had a dual core2 intel 2.8 OC to 3.0 2gb ddr2 800 vid n9800 IDE 7200rpm. Then my beefy gamer rig. Quad core 2.4 OC to 3.0 ghz 4gb ddr3 1333 vid N260 with SSD Samsung HD :) Both running XP SP3 32bit...

Had a game of 4 players 2 peps vs 2 AI on expert. Large fleets, medium map and medium quality both rigs. Toward the end of the game we started noticing the game was slowing down. My PC stats showed it was handling it. The slower rig wasn't handling it. But it was taxing it harder of course. The cpu and ram where 25-45% higher at times in usage then mine. Of course I was hosting the game. Since I was the faster one. We did not experience any pausing until toward the end. When we had huge fleets and lots of planets defended. Then the pausing did start. I took the lower end PC. Put the settings on lowest and it ran fine after that. I mean no pausing but the game was slower, that's for sure. Remember this was on a LAN network. NO more then 5 feet apart, PC to PC...

Now I did play online with someone else using a beefy rig as mine. With large fleets, 4AI vs 2 humans and medium quality settings and a large map. Once we started further into the game. Yep it started pausing. Restarted lowered the graphics setting and lowered the fleet to small. Lowered the AI players to 3 and map to medium size. The game worked fine. This game is taxing even on a high end system with a big map and bunch of AI players. I have learned to set the parameters of a mutliplayer game. To that of slowest PC in the group. The game seems to run better and no pausing or very little of it. I have not tried to let the slowest PC host the game yet. But some should try this and see of there is any slowing of the game or pausing. Supreme Commander game is the same way sorda. It sets the gameplay speed to the slowest PC. Then keeps it playable for the slowest PC. Which can mean very slow gameplay or game speed. That pausing is Descyn for this game when things get to much for it...

Just my 2 cents for hosting...

1 AI per person.

No Huge or Large maps.

No maps with more than 40 planets.

No large fleets.

Game seems to run fine, yes maybe some slow down. But not unplayable. With settings like this. Of course I would love it if I could set 10- AI and huge map over 200 planets and several differnt solar systems. But that isn't going to happen just yet. Would be interesting to see 2 beefy rigs i7 9gb ddr5 with Dual SLI 295's with a SSD HD playing this game with huge map and large fleets with 10 AI in it LOL!! I doubt it could be played over the internet but side by side maybe?...