Curse

Zeff Nut · Nov 17, 2009, 07:20 PM // 19:20

I live in Canada and I used to play another online game with some guys that live in Washington just down the coast from me in the US. We usually had similar pings as our connections were to servers further down the coast in LA, pretty direct route. One day our pings went in the toilet but the guys in Washington still had great pings, this went on for almost a month, we ended up doing a trace route and we were being sent clear accross Canada to the east coast down the coast to Texas and clear back across the US to Cali where the servers were, reason: our ISP had some switch out and had not replaced it causing our conection between here and Washington being disrupted and us taking the world tour to just get down the coast. Maybe some ISP routing issues?

Edit: This did not affect my net experience as a whole, just in that specific instance, teamspeak and other normal net surfing was unaffected.

Yoom Omer · Nov 17, 2009, 08:56 PM // 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Age

How many of you clean out your browser history do a disk clean and defrag.that could be causing some of your lag.It is best not to be logged into any fansite when playing.What type and how old are your computers?It could be your end not theirs.

The game s doesn't have the player population it did 2 to 3 years ago so I don't see it being the servers.

I bought a new computer today. It's brand new, all parts stright from the factory. I installed GW, and when I try to move or change district I get 007. Also, ping is more than 20K.

I don't think it's my computer.

paranon · Nov 17, 2009, 10:33 PM // 22:33

Well, i e-mailed support about this issue, and got some fairly typical replies back. here is how the conversation went.

My original e-mail:
"Over the last couple of days (since sunday), me and my guild mates (primarily european) have been experiencing horrible lag. On sunday, the game was unplayable, quite frankly. I was disconnecting after running around a town for 10 seconds, and i was hearing similar reports from other guild mates from europe. i then logged onto another internet game and experienced lag-free play.

Yesterday, there was very little lag, but today it came back while we were in the middle of the fissure of woe, so we have, again, had to abandon the game for the night. I have attached an image showing the problem that we have been seeing. It comes in spikes, and affects people from all over europe, and some of the people affected have never seen anything like this before. Posts on guru also confirm that this has been a very widespread problem.

The "Spike" nature of the lag, combined with the sheer amount of people affected, leads me to believe that it is NOT the fault of ISPs, and is therefore a problem at your end, or somewhere in between. We are all wondering what you are going to try and do about this, because at the moment, any kind of serious gameplay is impossible due to the random disconnects we are experiencing. Any insight you can provide into the nature of the problem and what you are going to try and do about it would be nice.

Regards"

I then got this reply back:
Hi Mike,

Thank you for contacting Guild Wars Technical Support. In order for us to better assist you with this issue, we would like you to run our Game Advisor application. The Game Advisor will provide us with helpful information about your system and Internet connection.

We ask that if you are using a router, hub, or switch, to first disconnect this device and connect directly to your modem before running this utility. You may have to reboot your modem and/or computer to reestablish your Internet connection.

To run Game Advisor, please perform the following steps:

1. To download the Game Advisor, go here: http://us.ncsoft.com/gameadvisor

2. When prompted, save the file to your desktop so that you can access it easily.

3. Double click on the Game Advisor file and then click on the icon of the game you're experiencing an issue with.

4. Click on the "Test Computer and Connection" button and please wait a few minutes while the process completes.

5. Once the process completes, a "Test Result" window will come up. This window will provide you with a link to update your ticket as well as tell you where the diagnostic report is saved. You can also view the report file.

Please update your ticket with this file. If you need assistance attaching a report to the ticket please follow the instructions in the following Knowledge Base article:

Title: Attaching a File
Answer Link: http://help.ncsoft.com/cgi-bin/ncsof...p?p_faqid=5887

Once we receive it, we'll have a better idea of how to resolve your issue.

This, i thought, was fair enough, they want a diagnostic, so i ran the tool and sent them the results.

The next reply:
Hi Mike,

Thank you for sending us your Game Advisor report.

To help us better understand the cause of this issue, please send us the following information about your network setup:

-How do you connect to the Internet?

-Do you use DSL, cable, dial-up, satellite, or another connection method?

-Do you use any routers, hubs, or switches? If so, could you tell us the make and model of that equipment?

-Who is your Internet service provider?

-Where are you located? Your city and state/province would be helpful.

-Are you on a home, campus, business, or military network?

-Are you using a firewall application? If so, which one?

-Do you use any Internet Security Applications (ISA) such as CYBERsitter, "Net-Nanny," ZoneAlarm®, McAfee® or Norton™?

We look forward to hearing back from you so that we can help resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

Regards,
Robert
Guild Wars Technical Support

This is where i started to get a little annoyed, since this is clearly not MY problem, half of europe is getting lag spikes and dcs, but again, i played along, answering all the questions.

I then recieved this back:

Hi Mike,

Thank you for providing the required network information.

Sometimes connection issues are caused by the way your network is configured. As a temporary troubleshooting step in an effort to rule out potential switch problems, we would like you to try bypassing your switch and connect directly to your modem instead.

To do this, please perform the following:

1. Locate and remove the Ethernet cable that is plugged into the back of your switch from the modem. This cable may be connected to a port marked as a "WAN" port.

2. Replace the Ethernet cable currently plugged into your system with the cable you removed from the switch.

3. Confirm that your Internet connection is working properly by visiting a few websites. If you cannot browse to a website, please reboot your modem by unplugging the power cable to it and plugging it back in.

4. Reboot your computer, and try the game again.

This is not intended as a permanent solution, but will help us pinpoint the cause of the problem that you are experiencing.

If this resolves the connectivity issue then the switch may need to be configured properly. The best place to find assistance with configuring the switch can be found at the switch manufacturer’s support website.

If the issue persists while directly connected to the modem please let us know.

Regards,
Robert
Guild Wars Technical Support

This kinda tipped me over the edge, it is clearly not my problem, there are posts from here to show it, half the people in my alliance are complaining and i even attached this image which sums up the problem very nicely i think:

Does anet support care? No.... they certainly don't.
the problem is clearly not at my end, every other program is working fine and the lag comes in spikes and affects people from all over europe. There is clearly a problem somewhere along the line from anet to me, and unplugging my router is NOT going to solve it and if anet continues to ignore players like this, then i assume that they are going to lose even more customers than they already have.

/rant over.

niek2004 · Nov 18, 2009, 02:22 PM // 14:22

Servers have been shit for ages, it's just not worth investing in anymore.

Bob Slydell · Nov 18, 2009, 09:25 PM // 21:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stop The Storm

-.-, so if 6 people in my guild ALL get a lag spike at the same time, in completely different areas of the game, its coincidence that all 6 of our isp's are throttling during those 5 seconds?

its a problem completely out of the users hands, im guessing, its anets servers or something VERY close to anets servers due to SO many people getting lag spikes at the same time.

saying its all of our isp's is stupid, borderline insane.

Throttling means to go faster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Age

How many of you clean out your browser history do a disk clean and defrag.that could be causing some of your lag.It is best not to be logged into any fansite when playing.What type and how old are your computers?It could be your end not theirs.

The game s doesn't have the player population it did 2 to 3 years ago so I don't see it being the servers.

Can I ask you something? Do you have IT experience?

Steps_Descending · Nov 18, 2009, 11:40 PM // 23:40

If I can throw yet another story in this :

After moving and trying GW in another town Both in cabada btw, what I can say is that:

My ISP really was part of the problem

and

I did run, in the same room, on an older computer, a 40-man (FORTY freaking MEN) raid in WoW this summer, No problem.
Right after that, in the same room, on a newer computer : GW ruber band enough that I could see a third of Verdant Cascade before rubber banding back to the portal...

ANet has NO problem...
(HINT : that was sarcasm guys)

Nerel · Nov 19, 2009, 04:27 AM // 04:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrisworld

Throttling means to go faster.

Can I ask you something? Do you have IT experience?

Throttling means to constrict flow or limit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throttle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwidth_throttling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_frequency_scaling

Can I ask you something? Do you have IT experience?

Nereyda Shoaal · Nov 19, 2009, 05:17 PM // 17:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steps_Descending

Right after that, in the same room, on a newer computer : GW ruber band enough that I could see a third of Verdant Cascade before rubber banding back to the portal...

Yea because WoW servers sit next to GW servers. They are exactly in the same building. Blizzard were developing GW secretly under ANet brand
Maaan, thanks for sharing this.

PuppyEater · Nov 20, 2009, 04:04 AM // 04:04

I love how nobody is able to compromise at all. It's either the servers suck or someone's ISP sucks. Given the complexity of any network and the age of anet's servers its pretty ridiculous to think either is infallible.

Nerel · Nov 20, 2009, 08:26 AM // 08:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuppyEater

I love how nobody is able to compromise at all. It's either the servers suck or someone's ISP sucks. Given the complexity of any network and the age of anet's servers its pretty ridiculous to think either is infallible.

You know how old Anet's servers are how exactly?

Jeydra · Nov 27, 2009, 06:57 AM // 06:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perkunas

After spending 2 or 3 days working with support a few months ago, I have not had any lag issues worth mentioning. Before then, I was getting up to 150k pings. I spent time with support and talking with my provider and took care of 99% of my lag issues.
The naysayers on here will say otherwise, but try support.

Gave it a try, results could basically be summarized as:

1. Please give us info about how you connect to the internet.
2. Try turning off all your programs before playing (even though playing without antivirus is rather dangerous).
3. Send us a ping plotter plot to prove you are indeed lagging.
4. Can you try connecting via a different ISP?
5. It's the fault of your ISP.

I think it was a waste of time to contact support.

Bob Slydell · Nov 27, 2009, 10:04 AM // 10:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeydra

Gave it a try, results could basically be summarized as:

1. Please give us info about how you connect to the internet.
2. Try turning off all your programs before playing (even though playing without antivirus is rather dangerous).
3. Send us a ping plotter plot to prove you are indeed lagging.
4. Can you try connecting via a different ISP?
5. It's the fault of your ISP.

I think it was a waste of time to contact support.

Someone telling you to contact support is basically so they don't have to suggest things, as everyone has a different setup/situation. Usually support succeeds in insulting your technical knowledge and send you back to 1st grade with things like:

"is your internet cable plugged in?"
"is your ISP supplying you with internet?"
"is your computer powered on?"

So yeah, I agree. Mostly a waste of time.

Support stuff....Reminds me..I could tell that story of my support call with Comcast...but mad off topic. Lets just say the person on the other end of the phone must have thought I was some sort of invalid.

prinzess of life · Nov 27, 2009, 05:43 PM // 17:43

Chrisworld , is that a selfportrait of you?

Malice Black · Nov 27, 2009, 06:01 PM // 18:01

Support staff are not technicians generally. Just people sitting in a call centre reading off a company supplied manuscripts. Most e-mails will be templates with their name on it. It's a job for simple people, so you can't expect a great deal.

My ping is back down to normal now. Had a 6k spike yesterday, but that might have been my d/l's.

Killed u man · Nov 27, 2009, 08:08 PM // 20:08

Anet said they would support the game untill people stopped playing it. They do not gain anymore money after the initial purchase.

Sure there's character slots, and make-overs, but those are peanuts.

In reality:

The fewer people play GW, the better.

People always say that Anet is doing a "good job" by support updates when there is no legal obligation to. I applaud Anet for doing so. They do NOT gain monthly fees, so updates aren't mandatory.

"Anet is a company" is a phrase heard often in "We want more updates QQ"-threads. I can not agree more. But anyone who'se not a fanboy, and can keep an objective view of things, will realize that a COMPANY wants to cut costs in every way possible.

They can't shutdown the servers. (As this would set off way to many people) But they can make the game lesser and lesser playable due to "artifical lagg".

Buy shitty servers (or not enough) = people lagg = people cba playing = ppl quit.

They already made the majority of the PvP community succesfully leave due to bad updates, the PvE community, however, is more persistent. Bad updates clearly haven't scared them away, so the new strategy is obviously "lagg".

This way, Anet can hold up to their end of the deal. (We support GW as long as ppl play it)

Sure, this is all speculation, but it's not hard to put 2 and 2 together. It simply is the obvious thing to do.

On top of that: During GW's prime (Around NF), you had ALOT more people playing, and servers were ALOT better back then. As a matter of fact, right now, I have people dc'ing every PvP-run I do in HA. Back in those days, I MIGHT get 3-4 ppl erroring out a week.

Server quality has gone down, undoubtidly. Why? Reason above...

Malice Black · Nov 27, 2009, 08:15 PM // 20:15

WTS tinfoil hats!! 30e

Come now, you obviously know nothing of business and it's workings.

Killed u man · Nov 27, 2009, 09:15 PM // 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malice Black

WTS tinfoil hats!! 30e

Come now, you obviously know nothing of business and it's workings.

Yeah, servers don't cost money. Anet pays for them with cupcakes, dreams and rainbows.

And Anet DOES make money from people not purchasing anything, you see:

They have an army of dwarves and unicorns who work in underground mines, where they mine those dreams and rainbows Anet pays with.

I don't have a Phd in economics, but some basic principles are true in the most complex organisations.

Sure, economics isn't just putting 2 and 2 together, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Anet is loosing money as long as people play GW.

On top of that: They have already lost every form of credibility from the PvP-community. (It's already a general consensus that GW2 PvP will not match with the current GW system, and even if it does, it will just go down the same shithole GW did. -"Srry, we're working on GW3, no time for updates"-)

The casual PvE community comes and goes, there is nothing a publisher can do about that, so there is no need to cather them.

The hardcore PvE community, which is ALL GW is left, consist of people who farm 24/7 for their next title, armor, or item. This community will stick with GW, regardless, unless they directly shut the servers down.

You see, my friend, it's psychology. I don't know if U have heard of the frog experiment:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog

Tough, not completely simiar to this situation, there are some distinct areas where they meet.

If you abruptly shut the servers down, despite saying you'll keep them alive, people will react strongly. They will "hate" (to use a big word) Anet for that choice, and feel like Anet doesn't want them. (Which they do, they just don't want to pay for them/us)
Thus, they'll loose even more community for GW2.

If they, however, slowly degenerate the state of the servers, which in no way is connected the the quality/integrity of the game itself, but rather the experience YOU have as a player, people will "leave" GW slowly in a state of "I'm tired of these servers, but GW still is a good game".

Bolded this part, because this is EXACTLY what is going on. Look at the amount of people saying they're leaving/about to leave due to server lagg, but they're not directly mad at Anet, but rather at the "servers". (As if the servers are alive) Anet is being succesfull at their strategy, which I can only applaud, because this means more resources for GW2, but I'm not going to start "praising" Anet all of a sudden, and act as if these degenerate server quality isn't their fault/intention.

This is all common sense, and you don't have to have spend 5 years studying economics and psychology to understand this.

Also, this is not a conspiracy theory. I don't think Anet is against us. They "love" the community in a way a stockholder loves his shares. If they don't make money, you'dd rather loose em.

Or are you still under the illusion Anet actually CARES about people?

Nightmare_Pwn · Nov 27, 2009, 09:42 PM // 21:42

No lag here. You fail if you have lag lol. If anything as of 6 months ago Lag has decreased if anything. Im running 4 copies of GW at once with all of them under 80 MS so ob OP is fail

Also like to point out that stick to topic or close post this is not a discuss Anets fail business plan to make money this is OP Fail attempt to put GW servers down with lies and slander of Insane lag spikes

AngelWJedi · Nov 28, 2009, 02:11 AM // 02:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightmare_Pwn

No lag here. You fail if you have lag lol. If anything as of 6 months ago Lag has decreased if anything. Im running 4 copies of GW at once with all of them under 80 MS so ob OP is fail

Also like to point out that stick to topic or close post this is not a discuss Anets fail business plan to make money this is OP Fail attempt to put GW servers down with lies and slander of Insane lag spikes

you fail if you get lag? Nah, you fail if you hate on people who lag. lols. lag hasnt/has decreased. some days i dont have lag and others i do. the end and start of events and days like the hat giving out day are always the worst for me. and when after they do updates i always lag badly for awhile.

Buster · Nov 28, 2009, 04:25 AM // 04:25

It may be time to just live with what we have until GW2 gets here.