What you need to know about Frame Rates and Online Gaming

The_Neon_Cowboy

The_Neon_Cowboy

The game and engine it self

The way and method and quality of coding rendering will have an adverse affect on
every aspect of the game. OpenGL and Direct X are two major languages but there
are many different versions and different ways of doing things. Including how the or
with what the game was complied. Optimizations for any specific situation, card specific,
or brand specific or lack there of again adversely affects how well how poorly a game
plays. Also the amount and quality of testing on the developer end. Which not only
affects performance or what we call “BUGs”. For example a game that was tested and
coded only one set or brand of hardware is ultimately many times more likely to have
problems. When the games ran on other none tested or not as tested hardware as most
commonly seen with some endorsed games.

The amount of ram you have


This can be applied to your system memory and to your video card. In the case of
your systems ram and lack there of adversely affects the way games and applications
run on your system. The speed, latency, and dual channel are very important faste is
usually better but I will focus on the other big factor quantity!

For even just running windows XP and nothing else:
surfing the web, instant messenger, MS word that’s about it….
You should have a bare minim of 256MB, although 512MB is recommended

For occasional and light gaming to mild to frequent use
You should have a bare minim of 512MB although 1GB (1024 MB) is recommended

For frequent gaming heavy use or the latest games
You should have a bare minim of 1GB (1024MB) although at this point more can give
a lesser affect. You won’t see any major improvements in more at this point in time
unless you run a lot of applications at once. Or you do things like video editing etc.
That actually needs as much memory as possible.

When your system runs out of memory or is lacking enough memory it begins to use
something called virtual memory. Which is nothing more then a fancy name for the
space on your hard drive that you system treats as it would physical memory. The
problem is this is a major performance killer. You hard drive not only has a very slow
transfer rate but it also has a very high latency. It’s the equivalent of trying to drive a
car with the brakes engaged.

In the case of your video card it’s important but it can be to a lesser extent. Although
you can play most of today’s games with out the use of AA/AF, high resolutions, and
high quality settings with a video card only having 64MB of ram. Your better off the more
your card has. When 1st introduced people where skeptical about 128mb of ram the same
as they are about 256mb’s today. 128MB of ram should be the minim you look for but
256MB is about to rain in as 512MB and even grater are just over the horizon. Think of it
as future proofing as it stands with most titles you only see 1-5% gain for that extra 128MB
of memory. But that will change with time and the advancement of games.

When your video card runs out of ram it relies on what’s usually much slower system ram.
The more ram you have on your card the less it needs the use of the system ram. Known
as AGP Aperture a space of system ram addressed and made available for use by your
graphics card. Thus it will improve performance to have more memory. But it will still page
out unneeded textures to it for faster retrieval. Again leads you back to having enough
system memory

The_Neon_Cowboy

The over all power of your system

A major factor in how well games and applications run is the power of your system.
The more powerful and up to date the system will of course run better. Then say a
weaker or older system. The clock, fount side buss, cache, and processor supported
optimizations. Things like dual channel, faster memory, lower latency support, just to
name a few.

This area in itself is a bit to complex to explain in a simple paragraph when entire books
can encompass the subject entirely. But that say goes for every year machines and
technology leap approximately 3 years! So that 1, 2 or 3 year old system in technology
terms is 3, 6, and 9 years old! That’s why we power users and gamers upgrade so much.
Sell the old and use that money towards buying the new is the best approach.

The power of your video card hardware

One of the most important parts in any system especially for gaming is your video card.
The better your video card the better your gaming experience. But again if you have a
weak system it doesn’t matter if you have the best card on earth. It won’t help you past
a given point because you system will be holding it back.

The proper setup and configuration of your system


Is crucial! The latest drivers and proper settings can make a great system screaming fast!!

But the same is true in reverse! Older drivers, improper settings can make a great
system crawl. On top of that proper tweaking can gain you any ware between 1-10%!
It’s something you have to learn and practice you self. Others can only help so far
each system /setup is often unique.

Your video and in game settings

If you’re running with high AA/AF or high resolutions and the in game settings on high
you’ll need the proper hardware to back it up. Trying to run a game at more then you
system can handle will undoubtedly result in low or problematic FPS! The resolution,
AA/AF setting, refresh rate settings, V-sync settings, detail settings among other all
have adverse effects on your FPS.

What you’ve got running

Any programs even common one like antivirus, messengers, printer utilities etc…
Anything that’s running weather there is a tray icon for it or not can affect your FPS
and cause them to dip when they access the CPU or memory.


Single player FPS

What’s on your screen? Unless it’s the same exact thing over and over with no changes
or movement what so ever (Boy that’d be a boring game). Then your FPS will move up
and down! In fact the only time they will ever be really stable is if your FPS are capped
below the lowest point. Or as I said above nothings changing or moving on screen.

This actually can make things a lot better especially when playing multi player it lets
you distinguish LAG other plays from you own. I’ll explain lag shooting later on.

The_Neon_Cowboy

(Includes all the single player factors plus)


Your network connection

How your pc is physically connected to your modem and to the outside world. You
can connect threw internal modem, a USB or an Ethernet modem. The best being
internal though very rare considering the requirements of today’s broadband. Externals
are the most common Ethernet designed for the task since conception is best, fallowed
by USB which doesn’t offer as good of latencies. Dial up being the worst way of which
to connect especially if you’re even considering gaming. A dial up over a USB or serial
cable even being worse off!

The quality of your internet connection

Ranges from everyday interference to just a low quality internet service (dial up is always
low quality). If anything interferes with the connection a packets are resent it seriously
adds to the latency.

Your latency, between you and the server

The latency between your computer and the game sever. This includes any latency
added by your network if you have one not just your modem.

Think a packet travels from your pc, to a router or hub, where it’s resent to your modem,
from your modem it goes to you ISP’s modem. At this point things are beyond your
control! From there it goes, from node to node (internet sever, router, on the internets
backbone) can be 1 can be several just depend on the distance you are from the game
sever and the route your packet takes. Here is the killer at every single point latency
was added!!!

Dial up modems have a high latency to began with, you communications being translated
from analog to digital. Bounced of off phone companies’ routers, 1 or two times before it
reaches your ISP. Also the bandwidth is very low which packet resends add insult to injury
etc…

The latency of others, between them and the sever

You herd me belief it or not the latencies of every single person connected to the
game sever. If a few people have a not so hot connection it will affect you. You can h
ave everyone with less then 100 pings (anything under 300 is game able but not
recommended) and have one guy with 600-900 ping. Usually some dude on a dial up
modem trying to play. Causes the entire sever and everyone play to effective lag and
their FPS to drop become choppy or drop.

The games net code quality or lack there of

Net code part of is the coding of the game that handles the connection between you,
the server and everyone else. Latency puts the quality of net code to the test…

For example good net code when you shooting at some one and you cross hair or on them
they take the damage. Some net code even allows for anticipation of when you will be in
just a moment. Where and what you and they where just doing. For example with good net
code you can have two people shoot at the same time a kill each other… where with bad
one will die and the other will take no damage.

Bad net code you can empty an entire clip at some one with your sights dead on and get
not a single hit. It can be off and on. It can be with certain weapons. But when it happens
it’s the games fault. The net code!

It’s rather complicated…. Some times there are user add-ons or mods for game that
improve or level the playing field. Because even with good net code, those with a lower
latencies have a advantage over anyone with a bad or lesser pings.

Sorry to be a bit blurry here… But I think I’ve gotten my points across…

The_Neon_Cowboy

Online gaming and FPS

Now you know the net code and latencies we where talking about? Do remember where
I talked about this in the single player section? Well now it times to put two and two
together.

Now not only do the affects and background and numbers of player on screen affect your
FPS. Every single player, latency, including yours has now becomes your problem. Your
computer can’t draw the screen properly until it get the X, Y, Z quadrants from the sever
which gathers from and reports to each player. Even if you and everyone have a great
connection and others don’t you will get a lower FPS and /or FPS drops.

When you play online you will always get less fps then when you’re playing or benchmarking single player.

That’s why playing over a high speed network at gaming events and LAN parties are so
popular. 0 pings and almost inexistent latencies make playing a dream. No lag, higher
FPS… Multiplayer gaming at its best!!

Multi player gaming and lag shooting

This is from my days of playing on a 14.4 K, 28K modem connection. It’s less important
for those with great pings under 100. But for those getting 200-300 you’ll love this.

As I explained before people with better connections have an advantage over player with
higher latencies or LAG. You have the ability to see them first, move before their bullets
hit you. Imagine NEO in the matrix. Not so far from the truth.

When they shoot you could have already moved from where you where. When the shot
registers on the sever they could of hit nothing but thin air! Cool eh? No it can really suck
if you’re the man shooting.

The laggy player could be moving and the player with the good connection seems to be
unable to miss or when he fires you’ve moved and he can’t hit you worth a darn. His shot
registers faster and more accurately. But that can work for or against you.

This is part of why net play seems so much harder besides dealing with living, breathing
and thinking opponents. Also why good net code is important but, even the best net code
isn’t perfect online. (With the already mentioned exception of gaming of high speed
networks)

There is only one solution. The fine art of lag shooting that is nothing more then
anticipating the other player movements and lag. This is better done when fixing
or “capping” your FPS to just below it lowest point, it isn’t necessary to do it that
way but it’s easier... Also using your disadvantage to you advantage! When you’re
moving you’re far harder to hit. New player tend to stand and shoot and wonder why
they get creamed

AS for capping your FPS let’s say your Fps move from mid 60’s to 100. I would cap
the games FPS via its configuration file or console command to 60 FPS. This allows
you to differentiate between LAG and FPS changes. Because you FPS will be a fixed
and stable number below your system capabilities. (Some even say it improves your
latency a tiny bit by freeing up resources for other things). You can then figure out
how far a head other the other player you must aim to get a clean hit.

The_Neon_Cowboy

An Example Using Counter Strike Source

I fired up the latest fraps and counterstrike source using the map de_prodigy for
this example. To give you good idea of some of what I’ve covered here in play.
So you better understand at least part of what I’m talking about…

This is using Cat 5.4, Windows XP SP2, Power Color ATI 9800 Pro 128MB,
AMD 64 2800+ @ 1.8 GHZ, Socket 754, MSI "K8M Neo-V" K8M800, 512MB
PDP PC3200LLK Cas 2-3-2-5, 120GB Seagate W/8MB Cache.


Playing on my own local game sever with no players besides myself
145 FPS

Playing on a online sever with no players no players besides myself
144 FPS

Playing on a loaded sever with about 3 players on screen
(Dead or alive) grenade marks etc...
76 FPS

(The FPS was roughy the same even with no one on screen!!!.)

Playing on a loaded sever with about 7 players
on screen (Dead or alive) grenade marks etc...
44 FPS

Did you notice the big differences in the fames per second? When there is any lag
introduced by any of the players or when you have a lot of effects going on screen.

FPS becomes very erratic sometimes spiking up or down. What a lot of people are
calling “drops” where their Frame rate severely suffers for a short time. You need
only stand still and look at the sky up to see your FPS rate rocket. Where you looking,
what’s going on onscreen, and other payers all effect you fps.

Most people are either unaware or don’t care of the many factors that cause this to
happen regardless of what drivers or hardware your using but hold true for every
game.

Currently steam is beta testing a new VAC beta behind the scenes which has severely
messed the game up for some of us. Some things are very messed up especially their
net code.

On a 32man sever with 2-8 players:

I end up with something like 35 kills / 5 deaths and about a 90% hit rate, as in my shots
register well, when I shoot someone they usually die unless they happen to land a head
shot or catch me off guard (not likely). I’m killing most of their teams I seem like an
awesome player.

The same sever with 16 or more players:

Most of the time something like 32 kills 28 deaths, about a 10%-30% hit rate, someone
can be standing still and in some cases crouch and empty and entire 30 round clips and
sometimes get 0 hits or 1 or 2. Other times shots register well. In cases others my shots
will register poorly. Worse I’ve ever seen is a 60 “burst” shots 1 hit to have the guy finally
turn and head shot me. I get killed by head shot 95% of the game. Shotgun head shots
at zoomed AWP ranges real messed up stuff going on. The problems aren’t constant other
time players can unload clips on me and “miss” far as the games concerned though I
should of died.

CS / CS:S is are Prime example of poor net code and lag compansation.

On a side not are are some previous finding in regards to Classic CS and FPS drops
http://www.driverheaven.net/showpost...71&postcount=1

bake15

nice work Neon

The_Neon_Cowboy

Thanks!

For those who are wondering I ment to post this a while back but I had submited
it to be looked at for an artical and then I most of forgeten that I hadn't went a
head and posted it yet hince the Cat 5.4 drivers

daedal

Nice article, Neon. Very informative.

Lakevren

Deserves a sticky, I say. Needs to be proofread first :P (Although, I only see like 5-10 mistakes.)

mike2h

which is incredibly good & no problem.

thx neon!!

SFOSOK

yeahm I'm glad I'm building a new comp, wuts the code to cap at 60 fps for Source? Also it that our current system you have right now? The one listed for source?