UT Ping Problem - Need Ideas to Test

[Brian R.]

When playing UT (ver 432), running down hallways (in most, but not all maps) causes my ping to shoot up from 70 to 2000 - 3000. Standing still brings it back down.

Have ADSL (640/90) and consistently get 500/60. For other components, see sig.

Most servers do not have this effect. I consistently have this problem on Ghostman's server (24.22.54.5). Even there, some maps (even huge ones) behave well and my ping never goes above 200, even running through hallways. Mostly, I cannot move in hallways or alleys without destroying my ping. Open areas do not usually have this effect. Ancient Arena is typical. Central arena gives me good ping. Exiting kills the ping in the halls.

Here are some configurations we have tried without changing this condition:

Two independent computers on my lan both react identically (One is W2K and the other is Win98).

Older versions of UT have no effect

Removing the router has no effect

Using a dial-up modem connection has no effect (other than the expected slower connection)

Increasing or decreasing the visual detail (textures, lighting etc) have no effect on high ping (expected I guess)

Here's a few variables that do have an effect:
Some servers always give me low ping

Some maps on Ghostman's server always give me low ping.

Some (most) maps on Ghostman's server always give me high ping (in hallways).

Posted my UT.INI file contents here:
http://forums.murc.ws/ubb/Forum4/HTML/004333.html

Could this be a texture thing? (Large textures giving me trouble?)

Some bad interaction with Ghostman's server software? He has a Linux box serving as router/NAT server. UT server is behind Linux box.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance

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800e PIII @ 950 MHz (1.70 V) w/Tennmax P3 TF heatsink, ABIT BE6, 2X128 MB Mushkin PC133 (Mosel REV2 PC133 222) + G400 MAX (or Hercules Prophet II 64 MB), CL SB Live, Netgear FA310TX NIC to ZyXEL Prestige 314 Router, IBM Deskstar 34GXP (13 GB, 7200 rpm ATA66) HD, Adaptec AHA2940 w/uw SCSI, IBM Ultrastar 9ZX 9.1GB 10K UW SCSI HD, WD Enterprise 4360 4.3GB 7.2k UW SCSI HD, Pioneer 303s SCSI DVD, Plexwriter 8/4/32A, Win2K all in a modified Supermicro SC750A case, also Sennheiser HD-600 headphones, Sennheiser DSP360 Dolby processor, and a Shure FP22 headphone amplifier.

[Brian R.]

Another bit of information, no one else that I'm aware of has this problem with high ping on Ghostman's server.

Come to think of it, does anyone else have high ping on this server under these conditions? Post if you do. Thanks

[Pneumatic]

The Creeping ping has been a problem on Ghostman's server for a while (no offense, Ghost). Every time we have played there it starts off fine then it will skyrocket. I never associated it with being in any particular place in the map. He is using the @Home network (as am I) and they recently capped our upload speed. I am not sure if that is the problem, but I have very little luck hosting games either.
I say go hit the public servers. I have found many servers where I have a consistant ping in the 80's. You just have to hit the server list and set it to pull the lowest ping servers to the top. Try a few of them. If it is happening in them as well then you may want to investigate the problem further.


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If you can't beat 'em, kill 'em with Kindness

[Ghostman]

Hey Kindness,
I fixed the creeping ping problem on my server. I was trying to use too much bandwidth and have too many players. So I limited every player to 7K/s with a max of 7 players. After that I never had that creeping ping problem.
so do you have anything else to gripe about Kindness? lol
j/k

[Brian R.]

I wouldn't consider this a creeping ping problem, it is more like a wildly fluctuating ping problem.