ET Lag Fixes

I notice some players lag more than others, or perhaps just complain more.

There are three main sources of lag: your computer, your internet, and Punkbuster.

1) Your old 2002 Dell computer. Get a new computer, or a new graphics card, or get some more RAM. If you cannot afford a new computer, then work on your config to get the most out of your current system. Raise your com_hunkmegs up to 128 or 192, depending on how much RAM you have (com_hunkmegs is how much RAM the computer assigns for ET).

Lower your graphics setting so your old graphics card (if you have one lol) doesn't lag. Use r_lodbias 2, r_picmip 2, r_mode 4, etc, to lower your graphics quality. It won't look as good, but if you are lagging bad because of your graphics card, it will help a lot. If your lag is not caused by your graphics card, then don't lower your graphics. Nice graphics make the game more fun and helps your accuracy.

Drop your fps so you can get stable fps. Stable fps at a lower setting is better than having it bounce up and down all the time. Set com_maxfps 45 if you need to. Stable 45 fps is better than bouncing from 60 fps up to 125 fps over and over. Most people can't tell the difference between 45 fps and 125 fps anyway. Some players brag that they can get a solid 125 fps, as if that makes them lag less, but really it just means they have a nicer system (which will be worth $300 used in two years lol)

2) Your cheap internet connection. You may have a great computer, but still lag badly, if you have bad internet. Lowering the graphics setting won't do anything to fix internet lag (it will just give you a headache and eye strain lol). Sometimes an old router or modem will make you lag even if you have a great internet connection and a good computer. Check your router for driver updates, or get a new one if it is old. The new ones are ten times better.

If you are forced to use cheap internet (dial-up, "free" wireless, shared connection, whatever) you can still adjust your config for less lag.

Set cl_packetdup 0. cl_packetdup is a cvar that controls if you want to send duplicate packets (in case you start missing packets). This cvar is good at 1 or 2 if you are running Punkbuster to prevent the infamous PB9014 kicks for missing key packets (huge problem on PB-enabled servers). But it can be turned down to 0 on Funboy servers for much less lag. This reduces the number of packets sent by your computer to the game server. Less packets means less lag.

Set cl_maxpackets 100. cl_maxpackets is the maximum number of packets sent to the server.

Set cg_autorate 1. This allows the server to optimize your rate for your connection.

Set cg_optimizeprediction 1. Optimized prediction is a controversial cvar.  It was made to help players who have severe lag. It lets the game "predict" where the enemy you are shooting at will be when you shoot, based on their current trajectory. But it messes you up if you are shooting someone who is good at sudden jerky movements, because you will be shooting at an image that is not where the player really is. So you could be shooting at a guy who isn't there, and you will think they are cheating. Or you will hit someone who isn't there, and you will appear (to a spectator) to be using some kind of hack. It is better for players with severe lag, where they cannot render the other player fast enough to see them move.  I have a good internet connection, so I have "set cg_optimizeprediction 0" in my config. But, if you have a crappy connection, setting this to "1" instead can help you a little.

3) Punkbuster is making you lag. Yes, even if the server itself is not running PB, you can still get lag from the Punkbuster client programs installed on your computer. It's like a bad joke lol.

If you have Norton Antivirus, remove it (or install Linux on your computer and just play ET from Linux instead). Punkbuster and Norton are notorious for not liking each other. You will get an extra 20-50 milliseconds of lag if you run Punkbuster with Norton. I have one computer at home with Norton, and one with no antivirus at all, and the one with Norton has a higher ping when I play ET.

Set pb_sleep 500. The cvar "pb_sleep" stores the period of time (milliseconds) that PunkBuster "sleeps" between processing cycles. The default pb_sleep value is 60. Lower numbers will cause PunkBuster to process events more times each second, which increases the bandwidth used by PunkBuster. Players with a modem connection will probably want to set this as high as possible.

You can just type /pb_sleep 500 in your console every time you play if you don't want to set up a config file. This works with any other commands too.

Installing Linux is a great way to have one partition on your computer just for ET, without any other programs running in the background except ET and Linux. There are many tutorials on how to install ET on Linux, just google it.

how do u set up the wifi lagger fix?

hammerhead2nd wrote:how do u set up the wifi lagger fix?

Wi-fi will usually lag, so maybe get closer to the wireless router if you can, or just buy an ethernet cable and plug it in like normal.

A cabled connection is much faster than wireless internet.

i only lag on two maps are they r the ones where u r on the space ship

no possiable way to get closer and wired connect is impossiable

Have an addition for lag problems.

I encountered a huge FPS drop to 2 fps on any buisy map.
I couldnt get hold of it, and playing was almost impossible.

I had updated the video-drivers to no avail, but still it had to be where it came from, as I did check everything else.

Just 1 (ONE!) google action gave me the solution, and my FPS was back to normal again.

Got FPS drops too?
Try:
In console type /seta r_primitives 2