DUST Search - Tutorial: How to prevent lag

Kwartoo wrote:

1/ "FPS Lag". That's no lag, it's called low fps (no capitals here, FPS are First-Person Shooters) or low framerate. I sell cheap dictionaries, send me an evemail anytime.
2/ "replenish memory which has leaked". We're not talking about a broken pitcher here. A memory leak is a coding flaw that makes an ongoing process use more and more RAM. Restarting the game only makes it use its initial amount of RAM. On Windows, you'd have to properly set up your swap (virtual memory.) Don't know if it can be done on consoles.
3/ "Cleaning your ps3 and defragmenting your HDD". You're right, cleaning your hardware does prevent overheat, but HDD defragmentation does not "weed out corrupted files and unnecessary data." A defragmentation moves (when possible) all the files written on the disk as closer as possible to the center of the platters, and (also when possible) puts together the different parts of the same file, and all the files from the same software. It makes it easier for the OS and the softwares to access needed files, that's all.
4/ "due to the SSD's superior upload/download speeds". WHAT.THE.HOLY.****. A SSD does not donwload anything, nor does it have an influence on the limits of an internet connection. The only good points of a SSD (but they are very good points) are their reading and writing speeds.
Important: only buy a SSD from a reliable brand. Don't buy OCZ. Samsung, Intel and Crucial are good.
5/ "Reset your router at least once a day". Bullshit. If you need to do that, there's something wrong with your router's configuration or hardware. Fix that instead.
6/ "Have a faster internet connection". NO **** SHERLOCK. Anything to add, Captain Obvious?


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Arirana Negative-Feedback. 984	Posted - 2015.06.12 19:53:00 - [1] - Quote Lag has been an incurable plague of the dust bunnies of New Eden since the birth of our kind. However, there are ways to fight it, and I'm going to tell you how. The first step in fighting lag is understanding the causes, and understanding different types of lag. If you are already well versed in your understanding of the different types of lag, you can skip this part. FPS Lag The most common and recurring lag type is frame-rate per second lag, or FPS lag. Its pretty straight forward and easy to identify, as the main symptom is low FPS, making your gameplay look a little more like a slideshow. FPS lag is mainly caused by memory leaks in the Dust 514 client, which occurs overtime the longer the dust client is running. It also occurs when the hardware in a player's ps3 just can't seem to keep up. Extreme cases of FPS lag can lead to system failure, disconnects, and freezing. Network/Server Lag The other type of lag is Network/Server lag. The main symptom of network lag is something called rubber banding. Rubber banding is the phenomenon where actions performed by the player seem to be "undone" with consistent frequency. Here's an EXAMPLE video of rubber banding. This is most often caused by a poor connection with the Dust 514 servers, either via ping, a poor internet connection on part of the player, or server side problems. Dust 514 shares servers with Eve Online, on many occasions massive battles have broken out in Eve online which can put large burdens on the servers altogether, leading to network lag for both games. How To Prevent FPS Lag As of right now there is no way known to me for a player to prevent memory leaks altogether. There are ways to slow and lessen its effects, which I will explain right now, listed in order of the least time consuming and easiest to perform. For maximum benefit, use as many of these as possible. Open your neocom, go to System Operation, then to options, then to video. Set your texture detail to low, and your effect detail to low. This is very easy, and improves performance slightly. Deleting all mails and contacts is known to yield immediate performance improvements. Similarly, keeping the number of channels you are in to a minimum reduces FPS lag as well. Other things such as how many boosters you have running or queued at once or how many fittings you have have lesser significant impacts on performance. Of course, these options are sacrificial, but they are quick and easy. Resetting your game via quitting the game to the psn menu and relaunching is the most obvious yet slightly time consuming and tedious option, but is known to temporarily replenish memory which has leaked. Hard resetting involves shutting down your ps3 entirely, and restarting it after a small amount of time has passed. This is even more effective and also gives your ps3 a chance to cooldown. De-Fragmenting your HDD (hard disk drive) which is the hard drive a newly bought ps3 comes with, as well as cleaning your ps3 of dust (actual dust). Cleaning your ps3 and defragmenting your HDD is highly recommended and should be performed at least once a week to prevent overheating (which can lead to YLOD), and to weed out corrupted files and unnecessary data. This is one of the more tedious options, but is easy to perform once you know what you're doing. HERE is a tutorial video on how to do both. Playing in standard definition aka 480p is one of the most effective ways to prevent FPS lag, but as can be expected, it looks crappier than 720p. HERE is a tutorial video on how to easily change your ps3 to 480p/SD from HD, and vice versa. Swapping your HDD (hard disk drive) for a SSD (solid state drive). This is by far the most effective way to prevent FPS lag, due to the SSD's superior upload/download speeds, and data reading speeds. However, this is also the most costly and and time consuming option. If you choose to get an SSD, PLEASE know and remember that you should not defragment an SSD, as it does not benefit from it, rather it wears it down faster. HERE is a more thorough explanation. For those that need convincing of its positive effects to make the purchase of a SSD and the lengthy process of installing it worth it. HERE is a video on conducting performance tests between an HDD and a SSD, and HERE is a detailed but LONG explanation about why a SSD is superior. I'll leave what SSD you purchase up to you, but obviously the more space on it the better. Now for how to physically remove your HDD and install your SSD, and then how to install the ps3 OS once its in there. HERE is a tutorial on how to physically remove your HDD and install a SSD on a slim. After you do that, go to THIS link, you will need it to install the latest ps3 software onto a flash drive. HERE is a tutorial video on how to install the latest ps3 OS onto your SSD once it is in there, the site it tells you to go to in the beginning of the video is the one I linked. The Official Ari QQ Thread
Arirana Negative-Feedback. 984	Posted - 2015.06.12 19:53:00 - [2] - Quote How To Prevent Network/Server Lag Compared to FPS lag players have less control of network lag, as there aren't as many things you can do to prevent it. However I do have some useful tips, again listed least time consuming/easiest first. Reset your router at least once a day. HERE is a quick 2 min tutorial video on how to do it. Establish a wired connection between your ps3 and your router. Many people experience a significant improvement to their internet connection. Wireless is fine so long as your router is within close proximity to your ps3. The further away it is, the weaker the connection. Wired being the best. HERE is a tutorial video on how to set up a wired connection. Have a faster internet connection. Alot of you prefer/only have access to potato internet, which is unfortunate. You should have at least 8 mbps, anything less than that is potato status and will make you lag like hell. Well that's all I got. Please keep the thread on topic, feel free to contribute and call me out on anything I left out or am wrong about. The Official Ari QQ Thread
Arirana Negative-Feedback. 987	Posted - 2015.06.12 20:27:00 - [3] - Quote The investment for a SSD is indeed steep, but you have the time and money it is very worth it from my experience. I bought my 120gb Samsung SSD back when they went for $150 (the price has lowered) and it was still worth it then. To give you a better idea of how good it is, I do not get unplayable fps lag ever since I got it. Not even on the lag facility map, even when it was in PC. People accuse me of lag switching very often because of it. "I'm lagging and you clearly aren't, you're lag switching qq" is the gist of most hate mail I get. The Official Ari QQ Thread
Arirana Negative-Feedback. 993	Posted - 2015.06.13 01:00:00 - [4] - Quote nelo kazuma wrote: Very informative great post. Only issue I had was the ssd portion its not toooo expensive but for those trying to enjoy the game completly free its not really a fair option to expect that Yes all of these steps are optional, it is unfortunate that its possible to have a hardware advantage over other players but such is not uncommon, not to mention we are playing on an outdated console, poor hardware is the default. Its even more unfortunate that without a hard drive upgrade you are bound to get unplayable lag often. The Official Ari QQ Thread
Arirana Negative-Feedback. 996	Posted - 2015.06.13 03:57:00 - [5] - Quote No-one-ganks like-Gaston wrote: Arirana wrote: You should have at least 8 mbps, anything less than that is potato status and will make you lag like hell.. Up until I was 16 I had only dial-up. 12 kb/s on a good day. Then we moved and were able to get 60 kb/s. Had that until I was 21. Was finally able to move out on my own and I've got 200 kb/s. 24 now. And less than 8 mb/s is a potato. I really like how we're now able to say that less than 8 mb/s is basically a piece of **** when hardly any time ago even 1 mb/s seemed like a far off fantasy. Also thank you, I'll try these things and see how much they improve the game for me. Sorry I'm talking about megabits per second not megabytes per second I should have clarified. The Official Ari QQ Thread
Arirana Negative-Feedback. 1	Posted - 2015.06.13 18:02:00 - [6] - Quote KingBabar wrote: My SSD didn't help with lag at all, it does put me into games quicker, but that's it. Playing on EU server and I'm mostly peachy, playing on US servers and I'm quickly reduced to a common pleb. Which is ok for most opponents, going up against good organized players though, its a horrid experience cause its quite obvious that you lose many engagements due to the game's performance not due to meeting superior players. Just my 2 isk... If I don't regularly perform steps 2 and 3, as well as play on 480p, the lag definitely gets to levels comparable to when I didn't have a SSD at times, but still not as often or as badly. Even if you have a SSD and the defragging section of step 4 doesn't apply to you, cleaning and maintaining the health of your ps3 can have major impacts on performance. The Official Ari QQ Thread
Arirana Negative-Feedback. 1	Posted - 2015.06.14 00:43:00 - [7] - Quote Kwartoo wrote: 1/ "FPS Lag". That's no lag, it's called low fps (no capitals here, FPS are First-Person Shooters) or low framerate. I sell cheap dictionaries, send me an evemail anytime. 2/ "replenish memory which has leaked". We're not talking about a broken pitcher here. A memory leak is a coding flaw that makes an ongoing process use more and more RAM. Restarting the game only makes it use its initial amount of RAM. On Windows, you'd have to properly set up your swap (virtual memory.) Don't know if it can be done on consoles. 3/ "Cleaning your ps3 and defragmenting your HDD". You're right, cleaning your hardware does prevent overheat, but HDD defragmentation does not "weed out corrupted files and unnecessary data." A defragmentation moves (when possible) all the files written on the disk as closer as possible to the center of the platters, and (also when possible) puts together the different parts of the same file, and all the files from the same software. It makes it easier for the OS and the softwares to access needed files, that's all. 4/ "due to the SSD's superior upload/download speeds". WHAT.THE.HOLY.**. A SSD does not donwload anything, nor does it have an influence on the limits of an internet connection. The only good points of a SSD (but they are very good points) are their reading and writing speeds. Important: only buy a SSD from a reliable brand. Don't buy OCZ. Samsung, Intel and Crucial are good. 5/ "Reset your router at least once a day". Bullshit. If you need to do that, there's something wrong with your router's configuration or hardware. Fix that instead. 6/ "Have a faster internet connection". NO SHERLOCK. Anything to add, Captain Obvious? TBH I stopped short of obsessing over being technically correct about everything, and focused on making sure each step actually has an impact on performance issues. I'll make sure to try my best today to correct all the second hand info but I can't make any promises. I tried to stay open minded about your criticism because it started off good, it really did, but towards the end your post devolved considerably due you trying too hard to nitpick at minor flaws. I feel like you missed the point of this thread and the target audience. Regarding 1/, 2/, 3/ and 4/ you provided stellar clarifications, I these are the parts I will mainly focus on to correct. As for 5/ resetting a router is a quick and easy temporary fix for a problem that is often difficult to find the cause of, and a problem that many people suffer from. HERE** is a bit of info about how to properly fix it. Its easy to understand why people prefer to just reboot the thing regularly, but I realize I overlooked that fact that many people do not have to reboot their router, I will go back and clarify that as well as post that link for people that want to fix the problem at the source. Finally, regarding your gem input in 6/ I already explained why I included it because of the amount of people who seem to think they can get by playing dust with internet barely better than dial up. Also sorry but no, I don't feel like sending you an evemail anytime. Ever. thanks anyway The Official Ari QQ Thread
Arirana Negative-Feedback. 1	Posted - 2015.06.14 17:52:00 - [8] - Quote Kwartoo wrote: Dear Arirana, the thinks I've explained came from a capsuleer called Azahar Unfortunatly Eve and Dust forums are not interactive, so you can read here his answer Quote: 1/ Spreading superstitions about hardware and software may be easier than being accurate, but it's bloody stupid. 2/ The point of your thread is not to insult people, it's to help them. Stop thinking they're too dumb to understand a short, precise and accurate explanation about how modern hardware and software work, because most of the time, they're actually trying to learn and understand. 3/ Most of the time, people have crappy internet because that's all they can afford/all that's available. Stating the obvious is not that useful, hence my previous note. 4/ My dictionaries are very cheap, and they bear the Original Seal of Quality. You should try one. 5/ Since you're so nice, next time you look at the sky, say hi! I'll drop a special package free of charge. By the way, your link for the HDD defrag is wrong. @Starlight Burner: The hardware maintenance will help with all your games, and the software/internet tricks will work for all your online games. Bit of a bother the first time, but a healthy habit to acquire for consoles and computers alike. Now i have to say that your 1st post is really usefull for many players, but it had to be adjusted. Message for other players: If someone cry again about french players lag, he can read all this or I will shotgun his clone very hard The point of my thread is in the title. Its not to help people even if the point of my thread is a way of doing that. If you're dissatisfied with that then make your own thread to "help people". Although I agree the information I provide should be as accurate as possible, and have revised my post for that purpose. Screw your dictionary, I'll go back and check that defrag video and if you want to drop an OB on me drop OBs for GFW and MFW long enough and you're bound to get me eventually. Thanks for the feedback The Official Ari QQ Thread
Arirana Negative-Feedback. 1	Posted - 2015.06.17 09:10:00 - [9] - Quote No need to be lashing out at each other, at least not in this thread. The Official Ari QQ Thread
Arirana Negative-Feedback. 1	Posted - 2015.07.11 16:57:00 - [10] - Quote bump for those experiencing lag with the new update The Official Ari QQ Thread

Arirana Ancient Exiles. 1	Posted - 2015.09.07 14:06:00 - [11] - Quote Updated with one of the more recent methods. Dust doesn't have any trophies, and it seems that having your trophy collection remain online while you play uses up small amounts of RAM. Refer to low fps prevention step #2 for how to turn it off. The Official Ari QQ Thread
Arirana Ancient Exiles. 1	Posted - 2015.12.18 06:22:00 - [12] - Quote stabs thread with a nanite injector Lag Prevention Guide Æ
Arirana Ancient Exiles. 1	Posted - 2016.01.30 10:51:00 - [13] - Quote Updated (-áGëû -£-û-áGëû)=ƒæî GåÉ=¥É+=¥æÄ=¥æö =¥æâ=¥æƒ=¥æÆ=¥æú=¥æÆ=¥æ¢=¥æí=¥æû=¥æ£=¥æ¢ Æ
Arirana Ancient Exiles. 1	Posted - 2016.02.01 06:17:00 - [14] - Quote Grease Spillett wrote: Hey Dev's/ Archduke this honestly needs a sticky. Seriously. Highly recommend it. At least tear out all the posts and leave Ari's text. CCP will never sticky something with my name on it, our best hope is to manually keep the thread alive. Of course that's hard considering half the community wants to slit my throat lol (-áGëû -£-û-áGëû)=ƒæî GåÉ=¥É+=¥æÄ=¥æö =¥æâ=¥æƒ=¥æÆ=¥æú=¥æÆ=¥æ¢=¥æí=¥æû=¥æ£=¥æ¢ Æ