SOWWL OnLine Crashes/lockup

Taking a step by step approach is defiantly the way to go to discover the problem.

However,

We may have gotten through a stock MP. But was it due to the network connection Gods?

Bad frame packet??! I just read on the web that my NVIDIA pre-rendering frames could cause problems. I have changed from 1 pre-renderd frame to application controlled. Did I happen to issue an order to my troops on a pre-renderd frame on my end and then send a bogus frame to the host?

The Debugger has indicated that sometimes I’m waiting for up to 7 frames from the host, yet my FPS on my side doesn’t slow down at all, I’m running an average 30-41 FPS.

There are connection problems that are known with any online MP game.

There are issues with player connections over the vast distances we connect from.

More players = more problems for the host to keep all players in sync.

There are issues with using the UDP protocol.

There are connection issues that are known with any online MP game that I found, that helped and some we can’t do anything about (yeah I know a little redundant):

Always use a wired connection, make sure your computer has wireless off.

A router that changes your LAN IP address in the middle of the game. (I use a permanently assigned LAN IP address).

Background programs trying to use your internet connection while you’re playing (updating program(s), Windows Updater Ect.).

Home network over loading (Is someone watching Netflix?).

Neighborhood network over loading (Did everyone in your area start watching Netflix at the same time?)

There is an issue with some service providers throttling connections (In my case my provider TWC is accused in a recently filed lawsuit of doing that). Seems like extortion to me but for an extra $10 I bit the bullet and upped my band width from 20MBS/2MBS to 30MBS/5MBS.

Over at GCM, discovered that the host location was a factor. A more centralized location relative to everyone else helped. I have fewer packet hops and lower Ping (latency) to a host in Colorado, USA from New York, USA than players in Europe. Although in our case we don’t have any one in the middle of the Atlantic.

Ping (latency): Over 100ms (micro seconds) or .1 seconds  round trip is known to cause MP game issues  regardless of your Bandwidth. This was seen over at GCM and is seen on other online games.

Ping testing round trip from my location (Syracuse, New York USA).

Speed of light in a vacuum=  ABT 33.4ms per 10,000 km. Speed of light through fiber optics ABT 45.1ms / 10,000km. Add on repeaters, switches, routers, cable lines and zig zagging from point to point ++ms. And that is just one way, double the times for the total round trip.

Pinging [Salzburg, Austria / 6585 Km (In a straight line)] with 1500 bytes ->bytes=1500 time=153ms

Pinging [Alicante, Spain / 6185 Km] with 1500 bytes ->bytes=1500 time=152ms

Pinging [Vancouver, Canada / 3476 Km] with 1500 bytes ->bytes=1500 time=117ms

Pinging [London. Great Britain / 5554 Km] with 1500 bytes ->bytes=1500 time=115ms

Pinging [Nottingham, Great Britain/ 5430 Km] with 1500 bytes ->bytes=1500 time=113ms

Pinging [Cedaredge, Colorado USA / 2693 Km] with 1500 bytes ->bytes=1500 time=113ms

Pinging [Colorado Springs, Colorado USA / 2443 Km] with 1500 bytes ->bytes=1500 time=87ms

Pinging [KS TeamSpeak- Kansas City, Kansas USA / 1607 Km] with 1500 bytes ->bytes=1500 time=77ms

Pinging [Washington D.C. / 466 Km] with 1500 bytes ->bytes=1500 time=55ms

Pinging [GCM TeamSpeak-Mattawan New Jersey USA / 333 Km] with 1500 bytes ->bytes=1500 time=31ms

Pinging [My home to provider / 30 Km] with 1500 bytes ->bytes=1500 time=19ms

Given that a lot of these factors are beyond the players reasonable control, we can only address those items that we are able to (within a reasonable limit of effort).

We use Kevin a lot as host. We could try a European host or someone on the US east coast.

doesn't explain the fact however, that we hardly ever had problems with Kevin as host before the new game came out


obviously this is all way beyond me - but I'd like to thank SJ for taking the time to write all this up....

Indeed, we should try other hosts. I don't have a particularly fast connection but it is very stable. I also have been able to host everyone that shows up. I think Ron and I are the only ones who regularly play and can do that. However we should try some others, especially those in Europe. Some have internet speeds that are ten times mine.

Based on the last game, we can say that the mod plus Win8 or 10 is causing the problem. The two possibilities are either the KS sprites or the modded dll combined with the newer OSs cause crashes. We can easily test this.

I have windows 7 and I never crash in the old game and I can't make it 30 minutes in this game. It's extremely hard for me to click my units and its so click hesitant that its just not fun to play.

If you are using the mod, have you checked the "Disable Context Menu" box on the main options page? That may explain why you are having problems. It's invisible. Without disabling it, after you first click on a flag, you have to click someplace else to close the invisible menu. Complements of MyGui.

Basically I found problems on my end. I have changed the NIVDIA graphics setting to help stop this from happening. I have increased my provider’s service plan.

Alas, it does not mean there couldn’t be another problem.

Listening to everyone’s constructive thoughts/feedback helped me find problems on my end. The host on multiple occasions was able to identify me as sending a bad frame, causing the game lock-up. Thus I had find out why I sent a bad frame.

NIVDIA graphics was showing me what it thought the future frames would look like, it does that to help compensate for latency. However, I was seeing up to 7 pretend frames ahead of the Hosts real game time frame. If the game is lagging and players/host are seeing 15 FPS, I’m seeing up to an extra 7 FPS. 7 FPS translates into ABT 116.6ms Or .11666666666667 seconds. With my Ping to the host at ABT 113ms, this normally wouldn’t be a problem, if I was only playing with the Host. But the more players you add on the more likely I was to send the host a bad frame.

Increasing my service should help with throttling, and neighbors hogging up the cable lines.

I was also suggesting someone in-between all of us host the game. But I also understand if it’s not doable. I haven't ever hosted, but I should learn how.

Kevin,

I haven't touched anything. I'll try that-could be it. But why then am I dropping so much? I never crash before.

I have the attention span of a 6 year old; getting me to actually sit down in one spot for any extended length of time is difficult.

One thing we found was that right clicking on a flag with the context menu enabled would crash the game for a player. Disabling it seemed to make that problem disappear. Either that or people just consciously avoided doing that. Maybe it will solve your problem.