Unsubscribing APAC players please sign to say goodbye

Or chasing players but never catching up, though sometimes it can look like you did, but in the end you didn't! Then seeing the person on an entirely different area on the map!

I had this when I was playing Aion N/A

I’ve tested for the last two days from Australia using multiple methods to test on 3 different networks. FTTP, ADSL2+, mobile 4G. That are all with different ISPs. I’ve tested this on both high end gaming PCs.
159.153.65.222
159.153.65.226
(I’ve not provided screen dumps because all my email and forum writing is done on the iPad and I don’t feel like typing them all out, so I’ll summarise)

- Tracert (FTTN, ADSL2+)
- Using a Windows CMD shell ping command (FTTN, ADSL2+)
- Ping plotter (PC & iPad) (iPad on 4G and home wifi)
- Net Analyzer (has a ping and tracert function) (iPad) on 4G and Home wifi
- In game ping meter

I’m seeing some very different results that don’t match up with the in game ping meter except ping plotter, which seems to be the most accurate

PC and FTTP
Tracert gives a steady connection and shows no spikes what so ever. The speed doesn’t exceed 276ms
CMD shell ping fluctuates between 272-281ms
Ping plotter (both PC and iPad give very similar results as each other on FTTN), and shows speeds really close to the in game meter (I’ll go into that in a minute)
In game meter has a base of 278-286ms and fluctuates with constant spikes that last 3-5 secs up to 400ms (average spikes are around 330ms)
So, the interesting thing here is ping plotter records nearly exactly the results as in the game meter with a 1% margin of error. Except it’s also recording larger spikes of 600ms that last 1 sec. I believe this is because the in game meter ignores spikes lower than a second and it may be the cause of ability activation lag (not ping).

PC on ADSL2+ (Uses different route)
Tracert gives nearly exactly the same steady results and speed as FTTP, even though it only goes through 14 hops and it doesn’t go past 281ms
CMD shell ping fluctuates the same as FTTP and is between 280-290ms
Ping Plotter (basically the same results as FTTP)
In game meter (basically the same results as FTTP)

iPad 4G and home wifi (FTTP) test to the game’s ip’s
Surprisingly the 4G uses the same route as the FTTP (except the first two hops)
Ping plotter records nearly exactly the same results as on the PC (FTTP) for both 4G and home wifi
Net Analyzer (need to use this to do a trace as iPad doesn’t have CMD shell for tracert). Both 4G and wifi had similar results, but not exactly the same. What’s interesting with this program is it shows the east coast servers located in Ireland 🇮🇪 (I’m guessing this is because the ip’s are registered there and not the US for tax purposes). The thing with this is both the ping and the trace route in this program show 331-350ms with big spikes constantly and never falls below them. I guess this program just doesn’t stack up in reliable numbers.

From all the testing on different ISP’s, connection types and routes, there is one constant and that is massive lag spikes in both ping plotter and the in game meter nearly match when they happen and the level at which they reach.
When I look at the data from ping plotter, it is always the last network hop (server ip) that is the culprit for the lag spikes. All other hops are fine 99% of the time. It’s one reason why I don’t just trust tracert or CMD ping alone to record what is going on.
Optimisation still needs work on the internal network or server. That is what I see in my results.

Playing story is ok... playing pvp is terrible with the increased lag, but add those 1sec spikes of 600ms and you get ability activation lag... then add the 3-5 sec lag spikes of 330-400ms and it’s implossible because you can’t get used to the higher ping...
Maybe if the standard ping was stable, I could get used to the higher ping (it still wouldn’t be good and it completely rules out ranked pvp)... but regs could be playable...

Keith, the problem is and has always been the lag spikes in this game. I’ve recorded/tested them so many times in the last 5 years and it’s nearly always the same... your network and server causing the issues.
If you have any hope of keeping the remaining APAC players as well as your west coast competitive pvpers, you need to look very closely at that and get it fixed. Internal lag spikes are something you can control and are unacceptable to players.
You will need to get people that are “outside” your personal circle to work with on this because for some strange reason those in your circle seem to be the only ones who don’t see these lag spikes, while the majority of pvpers I talk to do see these spikes.

I really hope you guys will continue to work on this and not give up.

The on going problem as I see it after giving them 3 weeks is that they haven’t optimised enough.

I know nothing can be done about the extra ping from distance. But Keith said they were going to fix the ping spikes etc. this has not happened yet and I’ve the proof from testing to show it.
They need to fix their own internal network ping spikes if they hope to retain anyone.