Lag
If you're not exactly sure what "lag" is or why your multiplayer internet game feels different from single player or lan play, then read on to learn more about it.
Lag
The definition of lag is pretty simple. It's anything that slows down your multiplayer game. This happens to everyone who plays on the internet, including even those with high speed digital connections. The terms defined below, bandwidth and latency, are the primary factors. You may experience lag from other sources too, like video refresh lag when you select a resolution that's too much for your system to handle. Of course lag isn't limited to Red Baron II. You'll find it on irc servers, busy web sites, just about anywhere on any network.
Latency and Ping
Latency is nothing more than a delay that is measured in milliseconds. (ms) There are 1000 milliseconds in on second. A ping is the internet process that measures this delay from your computer to any other computer on the internet and back. DOS under Windows 95 has a ping command that you can use by typing ping ( ip address ) while some internet programs like ping finder access a ping directly through your internet software ( winsock) running under Windows 95 or NT. For a normal 28.8k or 33.6k modem, a ping of around 300ms is normal. A ping of 150ms is excellent while some would consider pings of over 500 to be unplayable. Part of the key to good Red Baron II games is to find RBII servers that give you decent ping times. Pings for digital internet connections are much faster depending on the type of connection it is, like isdn, cable modems, or a T1 or T3 for example.
Bandwidth (or more accurately data rate)
Bandwidth refers to a width of frequencies. A full technical definition is beyond the scope of this page.* Bandwidth is often confused with data rate which is what we will define here. Your data rate is measured in bits per second. (bps) A 14.4k modem sends 14,400 bits per second while a high speed digital internet connection (T1 or T3) can carry 1.54 million bits per second or more. While playing Red Baron II, your data rate limitation comes into play when Red Baron II tries to transfer more bits per second than your modem is capable of. This might happen in a large room or in a game with many players. In general internet speak however, modem players are commonly refered to as low bandwidth, while those with high speed digital connections are refered to as high bandwidth
Packet Loss
Your data is carried in packets as it travels accross the internet. Packet loss occurs when packets that travel from one destination to another never make it there. Packet loss does not affect your ping time, but it does affect the success of your pings making the round trip they were meant to. If your ping doesn't come back, it "times out" and the program that sent it will give you a "NET" message or something similar. While playing RBII, packet loss will cause the "NET" icon to flash, and gameplay will be jerky. Severe packet loss in RBII will result in you not being able to move at all.
 Ping Plotter is graphical a Trace Route program. Version 1.0 is freeware while 2.0 is shareware. It to offers information you can use to send to your ISP to prove that they are the cause of your performance problems. Overall, it's a pretty slick program. Point it at your favorite Red Baron II server, or just check out any particular server of any game type before you have a match on it. Freeware/Shareware Click here to down load ping plotter |
 |
This program helps you to find out exactly what
is wrong with your connection. It can generate detailed service and failure reports. It
attempts to fix it if the problem if it is on your end, or informs your ISP if the problem
is on their end. In other words, it will either point it's finger at your ISP or your
setup. It even goes as far as E-mailing detailed event reports of factual data to your ISP
telling them what is wrong on their end. (see picture) Heh, probably your ISP's worst
nightmare if they know their servers are saturated. While it doesn't connect to Red Baron
II servers, you can still get some good information about your connection. This program is
not exactly cheap, but it is one of the best connection diagnostic/repair tools there is. (Shareware) Click here to download |
Controlling Lag
Modem Control and
Setup
COM Port Setup
Lean
'Dial-Up Networking' Settings
Lean 'Network'
Settings
Updating
an Existing Dial-Up Adapter
MTU, RWIN and
TTL Values
Update the
Modem Drivers
Modem
Init String Recommendations
Updating Windows 95
Updating
Windows 95 OSR2
Updating Windows 98
Additional
Windows 95 & 98 Updates
This section applies to all internal and external modems, most external ISDN adapters, some internal ISDN adapters, and certain ASDL adapters. If you use an adapter other than a modem, replace "modem" in the following text with your device's name. For example, replace "modem" with "external ISDN adapter." (If you have an internal ISDN adapter that does not incorporate a modem, this section does not apply to you. This section only applies to devices/adapters that connect to (or emulate) a serial port.)
(If you have an internal modem, its COM port may not show up in the Device Manager. Exit from the Device Manager and use Method 2 of this section instead.)
COMx:=115200,n,8,1,p (For v.90 modems.)
COMx:=57600,n,8,1,p (For 28.8/33.6k modems.)
(Replace 'x' with the COM port number you wrote down in the Modem Control and
Setup section.)
(The COMxFIFO and other serial port options some people recommend adding to the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI are strictly real-mode options. They have absolutely no affect Windows 95/98 modem performance--the control panel settings take priority at all times. Unless you use your modem in MS-DOS mode, don't waste your time.)
Lean 'Dial-Up Networking' Settings
If you use an adapter that does not perform hardware-based compression (certain ISDN and ASDL adapters), leave the 'Enable software compression' box enabled (marked).
(If you installed DUN 1.3 or use Windows 98, two additional options--'Require encrypted password' and 'Require data encryption'--appear under the 'Server Types' tab of the Dial-Up Networking properties, leave them at the default settings (unmarked). If you installed DUN 1.3 and the additional options don't appear, see the Updating an Existing Dial-Up Adapter section below.)
If your ISP requires a specific IP address and/or DNS setting, mark 'Specify an IP address' and/or 'Specify name server addresses' and complete as required by your ISP.
(If you installed DUN 1.3 or use Windows 98, two additional options appear in the Dial-Up Adapter properties: 'IP Packet Size', and 'Enable Point To Point IP'. If you installed DUN 1.3 and the additional options don't appear, see the Updating an Existing Dial-Up Adapter section below. If you have not installed DUN 1.3, skip Steps 5 & 6 until you do.)
(Please note, if you regularly accept and authenticate dial-in calls, do not disable this option; but, be aware that disabling this option (by setting its Value to 'No') improves connection response (ping) time by about 3-5ms.)
(We will manually set the packet size in the MTU, RWIN and TTL Values section below.)
(If your ISP does not allow automatic DNS determination, put the DNS server address(es) under the Dial-Up Networking properties for your internet connection (see the Lean 'Dial-Up Networking' Settings section) instead of making a global DNS setting here.)
(If your ISP does not allow automatic IP addressing, put your IP address under the Dial-Up Networking properties for your internet connection (see the Lean 'Dial-Up Networking' Settings section) instead of making a global IP address setting here.)
If you do not use other network protocols/adapters, remove everything except the components required for internet connections (and online games): Dial-Up Adapter and TCP/IP. Keep in mind, if you install Dial-Up Networking 1.3, you will need to remove all unused network protocols/adapters again. Also, the instructions for DUN 1.3 state not to remove individual network components via the 'Network' control panel; however, removing them individually does not harm the system or the newly installed DUN 1.3 online connection components as long as you select to keep newer files when notified of any.
Finally, in Windows 98, if you delete unnecessary Adapters and Protocols from the 'Network' control panel, subsequent visits to the 'Network' control panel will cause Windows 98 to display the error message, "Your network is incomplete." Ignore this error message, online play/internet connection components are complete and work flawlessly.
Updating an Existing Dial-Up Adapter
If you install DUN 1.3 under Windows 95, the installation program does not automatically update the existing Dial-Up Adapter. If you did not have an existing Dial-Up Adapter when you installed DUN 1.3 or are using Windows 98, skip this section; otherwise, use the following instructions to update your Dial-Up Adapter:
Please note: Windows 95 & 98 do not allow more than two Dial-Up Adapters to be installed at any one time. If you encounter an error message telling you this, delete one of the existing Dial-Up Adapters and proceed as normal. Also, you must repeat the steps outlined above in the Lean 'Dial-Up Networking' Settings section because the new, updated Dial-Up Adapter resets everything to the default values and must be reconfigured.
In order to complete the following section, you must know your ISP's Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU). If your ISP's help desk or the connection response in the terminal window provide your MTU value, skip Steps 1 & 2 and go directly to Step 3.
(If you are having trouble determining which 'Dial-Up Adapter' entry is active, use REGEDIT to look at the '000x' entries in the [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\Root\Net\] section of the registry. The '000x' entry whose 'DeviceDesc' (device description) key reads 'Dial-Up Adapter' will have a 'Driver' key that points to the active 'Dial-Up Adapter' entry for Step 8 in the Method 1 instructions above.)
If your MTU is being automatically determined by DUN 1.3 or Windows 98, you will need to use Method 2 below to manually change your Dial-Up Adapter's MTU registry entry.
(If you are having trouble determining which 'Dial-Up Adapter' entry is active, use REGEDIT to look at the '000x' entries in the [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\Root\Net\] section of the registry. The '000x' entry whose 'DeviceDesc' (device description) key reads 'Dial-Up Adapter' will have a 'Driver' key that points to the active 'Dial-Up Adapter' entry for Step 8 in the Method 2 instructions above.)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\MSTCP\DefaultRcvWindow]
(Please note, RWIN directly affects throughput, do not set it too low (below 3000 for a modem user).)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\MSTCP\DefaultTTL]
Some people recommend setting an additional value, the Maximum Segment Size (MSS); however, Windows 95/98 does not support setting the MSS value, so setting it is an exercise in futility. (Windows NT does support setting the MSS value.)
Some people recommend setting the NDI Cache; however, this is an IPX/SPX setting that applies to network devices (Ethernet cards, certain ISDN adapters, etc.). Setting the NDI Cache does not help modem users. Modems are communication devices, not network devices. Besides, if you uninstalled the IPX/SPX protocol, this setting is useless to you.
(If you use Windows OSR2.x or Windows 98, skip Steps 1-3 and go directly to Step 4 instead.)
(Steps 9 - 12 are based on Windows 95 OSR2, the steps vary on earlier versions.)
(Step 15 is optional and requires access to Windows 98. If you do not have the legal right to use Windows 98 or its components, go to Step 16. Also, Step 15 does not apply to Windows 98 itself, go to Step 16 instead.)
If you strictly use 32bit Windows applications, this step will not help you; 32bit Windows applications use VCOMM.VXD (as a component of VMM32.VXD) as their communications driver.
Modem Init String Recommendations
I only use, own and recommend external USRobotics Courier v.Everything modems. If you are lucky enough to own one of these fine pieces of hardware, the Init string is below. If you don't use the same modem I do, all I can provide is the following guidelines to use when setting your own modem Init up:
My USRobotics Courier v.Everything (v.90) modem Init string is: &F1&A3&K3S15=2S11=38S69=12. The items mentioned above are specifically addressed by the &F1, S15=2 and &K3 commands, respectively. Put your Init string in the 'Extra Settings' field as described in the Modem Control and Setup section.
(If you use Windows 98, do not install any of the following updates.)
(The order listed below is the recommended installation order.)
(Warning: You must remove any foreign Winsock(s) you may have inherited (on a pre-installed machine) or unknowingly installed (from AOL, CompuServe, etc.), before installing the Winsock 2 update! The Winsock 2 installer will not overwrite non-standard Winsocks! Also, most pre-packaged Internet software (AT&T WorldNet, PacBell Net, etc.) do not recognize newer versions of Winsock and/or TCP/IP components and install older versions without properly uninstalling newer components. This can seriously affect internet connections and the recommendations on this page--create the Dial-Up Networking connection yourself (the Lean 'Dial-Up Networking' Settings and Lean 'Network' Settingssections accomplish this) rather than have a setup program do it for you. Finally, if you decide not to install Winsock 2.x, consider installing Winsock 1.2; which is the latest version in the Winsock 1.x series.)
(This update incorporates the previously recommended IP and TCP Updates for both Winsock 2 and Winsock 1.2.)
If use Internet Explorer 5, visit Microsoft's Windows Update page and install any pertinent and/or critical updates as well.
(If you use Windows 98, do not install any of the following updates.)
(The order listed below is the recommended installation order.)
(Warning: You must remove any foreign Winsock(s) you may have inherited (on a pre-installed machine) or unknowingly installed (from AOL, CompuServe, etc.), before installing the Winsock 2 update! The Winsock 2 installer will not overwrite non-standard Winsocks! Also, most pre-packaged Internet software (AT&T WorldNet, PacBell Net, etc.) do not recognize newer versions of Winsock and/or TCP/IP components and install older versions without properly uninstalling newer components. This can seriously affect internet connections and the recommendations on this page--create the Dial-Up Networking connection yourself (the Lean 'Dial-Up Networking' Settings and Lean 'Network' Settings sections accomplish this) rather than have a setup program do it for you. Finally, if you decide not to install Winsock 2.x, consider installing Winsock 1.2; which is the latest version in the Winsock 1.x series.)
(This update incorporates the previously recommended IP and TCP Updates for both Winsock 2 and Winsock 1.2.)
(To install this Windows 98 update on a Windows 95 OSR 2.x system, use WinZip or a similarly-capable utility to extract the files to a temporary directory, right-click on the OEMY2K.INF file and select "Install". (By the way, this installation trick allows you to manually install other Windows 98 updates as well.) See if you notice anything different about your boot-up screen after installing this update.)
If use Internet Explorer 5, visit Microsoft's Windows Update page and install any pertinent and/or critical updates as well.
(The order listed below is the recommended installation order.)
Of course, visit Microsoft's Windows Update page and install any pertinent and/or critical updates as well.
Additional Windows 95 & 98 Updates
All versions of Windows 95 & 98 benefit by installing the following updates. To see the most improvement, install the following updates after updating your version of Windows (see the Updating Windows 95, Updating Windows 95 OSR2 or Updating Windows 98 sections, respectively).
(The order listed below is the recommended installation order.)
(Includes an updated version of the previously recommended Windows Media Player.)
(Please read the following notes before installing this update.)
Lean IE5 & OL2000 Registry Settings
(The following steps apply after Internet Explorer 4, 5 or Outlook 98/2000 have been installed--see the Additional Windows 95/98 Updates section.)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\BrowserWebCheck]
(If you are absolutely certain your computer does not require any other programs listed at the 'Run', 'RunOnce' and 'RunServices' Registry locations, you can delete them as well. My system contains only 'SysTray' at the 'Run' Registry entry; nothing in any of the 'RunOnce' and 'RunServices' Registry entries.)
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any problems you may encounter when following these recommendations. I use all of the above recommendations with outstanding success. This page assumes your system is completely free of existing issues and that none of the above settings have been previously altered. Finally, packet loss is packet loss...you can have the best ping/connection in the world and still experience packet loss, contact your ISP.