A PSA For Newcomers
CD121
Join Date: 2013-04-04 Member: 184635Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
Join Date: 2013-04-04 Member: 184635Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
Firstly I would like to clarify this is NOT a name-and-shame OR directed at any particular server, however, I feel are a couple things that newer folks should keep in mind when playing to help maintain an ideal experience:
1. Be proactive when selecting your server.
Before jumping straight into a server, take a quick pulse of the server's performance. The easiest way to do this without actually joining is to right click the server in the browser. Once this is done, watch as the browser refreshes the server's information about once every half-second. If the performance maintains at 100% you're looking good, but, if it consistently fluctuates then you're probably better off looking elsewhere. Keep in mind though that some servers only experience these issues late into a round when the entity count is much higher than at the round start. So a server that appeared fine earlier may only have had a game start a few minutes ago, while later on in the throes of late-game it could be suffering from poor performance.
Common occurrences that can be attributed to a server "gone bad" are poor hit_reg (hit registration) predictions & collisions, rubber-banding, and general choppiness.
2. Experiencing above problems: is it the server, or you?
If any of the aforementioned issues are occurring for you, the first thing you can try is to bring up your console (~ key) and type in n_stats followed by the enter key. After that, find the tickrate for the server- if you find it below 30 for any extended period of time, the root of the problem is the server, and not necessarily your machine.
However, if the server maintains a consistent tickrate of 30 but you are still experiencing these problems, then I recommend again bringing up the console, but instead typing in r_stats followed by the enter key. After doing this, look at where it says 'X' ms waiting for GPU- If it is 0, then your CPU is the bottleneck, if it is anything but 0 (larger numbers indicate more of a bottleneck) then it is in fact your GPU. If the latter is the problem, then it is recommended that you lower/tweak your graphical settings or to upgrade your machine if you feel there is a need.
I've relayed all this to ensure that players can (hopefully) get the most out of the great game that is Natural Selection 2, I really do hope this helps.
Good luck, see you all on the battlefield!
-CD
1. Be proactive when selecting your server.
Before jumping straight into a server, take a quick pulse of the server's performance. The easiest way to do this without actually joining is to right click the server in the browser. Once this is done, watch as the browser refreshes the server's information about once every half-second. If the performance maintains at 100% you're looking good, but, if it consistently fluctuates then you're probably better off looking elsewhere. Keep in mind though that some servers only experience these issues late into a round when the entity count is much higher than at the round start. So a server that appeared fine earlier may only have had a game start a few minutes ago, while later on in the throes of late-game it could be suffering from poor performance.
Common occurrences that can be attributed to a server "gone bad" are poor hit_reg (hit registration) predictions & collisions, rubber-banding, and general choppiness.
2. Experiencing above problems: is it the server, or you?
If any of the aforementioned issues are occurring for you, the first thing you can try is to bring up your console (~ key) and type in n_stats followed by the enter key. After that, find the tickrate for the server- if you find it below 30 for any extended period of time, the root of the problem is the server, and not necessarily your machine.
However, if the server maintains a consistent tickrate of 30 but you are still experiencing these problems, then I recommend again bringing up the console, but instead typing in r_stats followed by the enter key. After doing this, look at where it says 'X' ms waiting for GPU- If it is 0, then your CPU is the bottleneck, if it is anything but 0 (larger numbers indicate more of a bottleneck) then it is in fact your GPU. If the latter is the problem, then it is recommended that you lower/tweak your graphical settings or to upgrade your machine if you feel there is a need.
I've relayed all this to ensure that players can (hopefully) get the most out of the great game that is Natural Selection 2, I really do hope this helps.
Good luck, see you all on the battlefield!
-CD