Just want to take a poll for what people think is acceptable latency for PVP content in Star Wars the Old Republic. The reason I bring this up is I log in most nights for PVP to see ping between 270 and 550 ms on Satele Shan. As it turns out the best ping I can get is 230ms. However this figure is more a dream than reality. The spectrum outlined above is the norm now, not simply a bad day.

So what do you think PVP community? Should we pay subscription for this level of connectivity? How much lag is too much?

I’m in APAC, the best I can theoretically get (since my fibre was upgraded) and without using WTFast is 230ms (usually it sits around 245ms). But when I use WTFast, I have gotten it as low as 215ms and it usually sits between 225-230ms.

Before my fibre upgrade it was 270-290ms without WTFast and 230-240ms with it.

The biggest killer for me are the spikes. Not the actual steady ping. If it doesn’t spike you can get use to it and compensate. (It’s why I’m still using WTFast after my fibre upgrade)

When my ping sits at 230ms, I have a pretty good time. But when it jumps from 230-350ms multiple times a match, all bets are off and it’s a nightmare. I have to spam keys or clicks to make sure things active and even that doesn’t always work. Sometimes they go on CD and nothing has actually activated.

I do find that WTFast helps smooth out a lot of those ping jumps that can happen between you and the server. But it doesn’t help when it’s the server itself, which I’ve experienced a lot lately.

Last night I decided to try the EU servers and at first I was getting a nice steady ping of 300ms. While it’s hard to play at that ping lvl, I did start to get use to it. Then the dreaded ping spikes started and were even hitting the 1000’s with lots of redx.

That’s what makes our usually high ping unplayable at times because a 100ms spike for someone with 300ms becomes 400ms and for someone with 30ms it only becomes 130ms and that is perfectly playable. Even a spike of 150ms becomes 180ms for someone with a normal 30ms Ping.

Yes that sucks and would impact them because they aren’t use to it, but it’s still lower than our normal ping. If we get a 150ms spike at 300ms, it becomes 450ms and that is nearly redx territory.

More often than not, the spikes and high ping aren’t the server, they are between us and the server. There is nothing Bioware can do about that. If that happens all the time and you find you can’t play because of it, then you need to decide if you are willing to pay to play a game you can’t.

But, if it is Biowares end, then it’s their duty of care to make sure you have the best possible chance to play the game at a steady ping and to optimise their connections to allow the fastest ping you can get from your location. It’s when Bioware have problems and dont react, that I have a problem with paying my sub,

The best thing you can do for yourself is to diagnose where these problems are. The best way to do that is to use a program called Ping Plotter. This will show you your connection to the servers and all the hops along the way as you can run it live in the back ground to compare to your in game ping metre. It also has an easy to read graphical interface and graph system and you can record or take screen shots to send to Keith (if it’s their end). I’ve done this a few times and it really helps him because he can send the data to his network and tech guys to fix.

Follow these steps.

Download Pingplotter at http://www.pingplotter.com

Install it so you can look at the hops to the server

To find out the server IP (it changes everytime you log in now) you need start swtor and then go back to your Windows desktop.

Now run command prompt in Administrator mode

(Depending on which Windows you have, there are different ways to run it in Administrator mode, so do a quick Google search on how too for your windows version)

Type this command into the command shell after you have opened it.

Netstat -n -p tcp -b | more

(I usually have the netstat command saved in a txt file for notepad and just copy and paste it into the command prompt)

It will show you the 2 swtor connections to the server IP

It usually has an ip like this - 159.153.65.233 or 159.153.65.232

But because it changes each time you login it will be different.. Ie it could be - 159.153.65.220

This is why you have to run this each time if you want to get an accurate read on the server ping.

Once you have that ip, open pingplotter. You can then enter the swtor server ip you are connected to and it will run a live trace route, showing all the connection hops along the way.

You'll be able to see live statistics and information on what is happening.

Just want to take a poll for what people think is acceptable latency for PVP content in Star Wars the Old Republic. The reason I bring this up is I log in most nights for PVP to see ping between 270 and 550 ms on Satele Shan. As it turns out the best ping I can get is 230ms. However this figure is more a dream than reality. The spectrum outlined above is the norm now, not simply a bad day.

 

So what do you think PVP community? Should we pay subscription for this level of connectivity? How much lag is too much?

It's not PVP that is doing that to you, that's a connection issue, I PVP on Star Forge and have 19ms, if it spikes to 70 for a second or two that's a lot!

Just follow Trixxie's instructions, she knows all about that crap. Good luck, hope it helps.

idk, but i think that 400-500 is over the top. But you can try to play with 200-300, just dont stack alacrity (i can be wrong here, but i think that you will lose more with real-word delays and drops than you can gain with alacrity) and do not play with fast action dps/healing specs (operative, marauder and maybe assassin and... powertech?)

Essay response (stuck in bed sick and bored)

Before the recent server moves I was playing with 220-230ms and 200-240ms is very playable, even on Mara’s and Sins. But Operatives can be a little bit more challenging because of the attack cone they need to use from behind.

Also, something weird happens with both Stealths at high ping lvls, wether you are playing a stealth or against. You can get this “extra” activation type lag. Things don’t activate against them or when you are on them. This lag feels a little bit more than with other classes. Of course there is no way that I know of to demonstrate the difference because there is no meter to gauge it against and it’s small enough that I doubt a video recording would show it.

I’ve my suspicions that it’s related to the operative roll and the Sins speed utilities added together with something to do with the background stealth mechanics (even though this happens outside of stealth). The more Stealths in a match, the worse it seems, like it’s compounding. And the closer the proximity to each other the worse that gets.

It’s a complete mystery why it’s just these 2 classes because it doesn’t happen against Mara predation or Sorc speed run. Sadly I had to put my Sin back on the shelf after 5.5 years of player her.

I also don’t stack alacrity on melee above the first alacrity tier of 7.15%. I now feel it’s a waste (thanks to Hottie setting me straight after I argued with her for months). So I use a bit of the “alacrity” pool to add some accuracy, which I know isn’t very pvp orientated, but it gives me a little bit of a dps boost because I miss less. The rest goes to crit.

Ranged is another story. On my Sorc and Sniper I run higher alacrity, but on my Merc I run the same as melee (don’t ask me why, I just know I do more damage with it lower).

Ranged is easier to play at higher ping as it can be more forgiving. Juggs are harder because they have the least mobility and if you d-sync or lag, you are way out of position and have little speed to get back where you need to be.

DPS out put is also reduced with higher ping in a high mobility match. Even at low mobility you still take a hit because you won’t get all of your hits off or you’ll be out of position from lag.

I estimate I took about a 20% dps nerf when I went from 20-30ms to 200-230ms and then another 15-20% when it goes over 300ms.

After the move, my ping initially went from 220ms to 300+ms. That was a rude shock and I thought I was going to have to quit. Keith and I were PMing a bit and he worked on getting their systems and connections optimised at the data centre and it dropped to 270-280ms, which still wasn’t good, especially with ping spikes still prevalent. But still better than 300+ms

Someone suggested I try WTFast, which had never help me before, but what the hell, I was desperate. Surprisingly it dropped my ping significantly and smoothed out a lot of ping spikes (not all).

Then I got a fibre upgrade and a change of ISP and I’ve got very good ping to the server, so good infact that I’m considering dropping WTFast. The only reason I haven’t is the ping spikes, which are on the rise again and I want to be 100% sure it’s not me. From my investigations, these aren’t happening between me and the server, but actually behind the Bioware firewall and it’s either the server or networking infrastructure causing them. But I’m still testing and will actually be trying another ISP (someone recommend) in a few weeks.

I played on DM last night with 300ms and it was ok until the spikes started. But it was also lowbies, so I don’t know how that will pan out once I get those toons to lvl 70.

IMO, anything over 300ms is approaching unacceptable, but once you hit 350-400ms, don’t bother. It’s s**t show unless it’s against a big bunch of noobs who are back peddling and don’t know what a DCD is.