Lag and how to decrease it

edited May 2021 in Technical
There are 3 sources of lag:
1. On the server side.
2. Between the server and your computer (this is almost always the main cause).
3. On your computer.

If there is a delay on the server, all players experience it equally and simultaneously. When there is at least one player on a server with a low lag, then the problem is not with the server/hoster and we can't do anything about it. In 99% of the cases the lag source is not on our server.

How to decrease lags on your side.

1. Select the nearest game server (servers with the lowest latency are shown at the top of the list).

2. Most often, lag is caused by wi-fi. Use cable connection whenever it's possible (if you have a wi-fi router, connect your gaming computer to it directly via a cable). If it's not possible, use a good router and change wi-fi frequency so it doesn't interfere with your neighbor's. Make sure it doesn't lose packets.

3. Try to change your internet service provider (ISP).
Note that lag is directly related to latency and packet loses, not to bandwidth/speed (a very slow connection causes lag, but speeds above a few MB/s don't affect lag much). An ISP may have a fast connection (large files download faster), but with high latency (constant high lag) or packet loses and latency jitter (causes lag spikes and game freezes).
Avoid using wireless internet, cables are generally better (although, there are bad cable ISPs too).

4. Close other browser tabs and programs that use network intensively, such as downloaders and torrent clients.
Note: when Windows update is working (which happens every few days and it can use network aggressively), it can cause lag and nothing can be done about it except waiting until it finishes.
Various programs on your computer may silently download updates at different times and it may also cause lags.

5. If your computer is old (FPS in the game stays below 40), be sure to close all programs intensively using CPU and play in Chrome browser (which is the fastest for GoB currently).

6. Do not use a proxy or a VPN. They usually increase the route length and add significant lag.

For advanced users:
You can trace a route of packets and find where the largest delays happen. To do it in Windows, open command prompt and run command
tracert server_name
Replace server_name with an actual name of a GoB game server (not gameofbombs.com), for example:
US: s1.rootbeer.gameofbombs.com
EU: s2.coffee.gameofbombs.com
JP: s2.sake.gameofbombs.com
AU: s1.flatwhite.gameofbombs.com
BR: s2.cachaca.gameofbombs.com
RU: s1.vodka.gameofbombs.com

Here is an example of tracing the US server from a computer in Ukraine:
cycmknmaq3sy.png

Note a big jump in ping times when going over the ocean, which is expected. This gives a moderate lag of 200 ms, which is comfortable to play.

The first in the chain is usually your router/modem (if you have any) or a router of your ISP. The first few numbers should be very low.
The last in the chain is our game server. If the ping time increases significantly before our server is reached, the problem is not with our server (such as shown on this screenshot).
You can use free whois and geoip services to get more information about the intermediate servers that cause increase of delays.

Results vary with time. Run the test when you experience lag (obviously).

Unfortunately, it doesn't show a route of packets from our server to your computer, which may be different.

Games with clients such as "Battlefield" or "Unreal tournament" are less laggy because they are using UDP protocol, but browser games have no such privilege, every lost packet increases the lag.

Comments

  • edited January 2017
    Hey there! I've a question on point 5):

    Today morning (MEZ) between 11 and 12 AM i played on RU-Server (Normal room). Normally i got a constant FPS of about 60-61, but in that time i got constantly 30-31! And it was in all servers, i tested it!

    I refreshed the page, i logged of and deleted complete browser cache and i restarded computer.. i closed everyting, i monitored CPU, Memory and Network usage, everything was fine, expect of FPS in GoB!

    There was no high CPU or Memory usage, i didn't have a high ping (it was constant 100ms).

    In the past i noticed this already (it was a unstable FPS of about 45 - 61 which causes suicides while chaining -.-)..

    Somehow after a third or fourth restart i got a unstable FPS of about 45-61 which makes playing much more better, but not perfect and not how it is normal for me when playing GoB.

    Did sombody noticed the same?
    Thanked by 1 locoMagic
  • edited January 2017
    Example of when it is my computer that is the problem -

    0 ping [note ms time are low all the time]
    kx6u1kvip00s.jpg

    when i upload to youtube [note ms times are immediately high] ~500-600 ping
    xtgy7ruhryal.jpg

    I also ran a tracert when my upload was about to finish. So my upload stopped halfway through this trace [note time around 7, which is when upload completed]. Start 500-600 ping - finish 0 ping
    l9ksw0gaxow4.jpg
    Thanked by 1 LovxBaby
  • Gally wrote: »
    Example of when it is my computer that is the problem -

    0 ping [note ms time are low all the time]
    kx6u1kvip00s.jpg

    when i upload to youtube [note ms times are immediately high] ~500-600 ping
    xtgy7ruhryal.jpg

    I also ran a tracert when my upload was about to finish. So my upload stopped halfway through this trace [note time around 7, which is when upload completed]. Start 500-600 ping - finish 0 ping
    l9ksw0gaxow4.jpg

    sounds legit
    Thanked by 2 Gally mairemo
  • 4 months later
  • I know this is an old thread, but I thought of this today. : p

    I won't pretend I know much about this stuff, but if you use a laptop, a cooling fan helps a lot. When my laptop overheated, the lag (ping and fps) always got much worse. haha A cooling fan solved this problem. : )
    Thanked by 4 ham CrashMaxxXx 0x42 Gally
  • Gally wrote: »
    Example of when it is my computer that is the problem -

    0 ping [note ms time are low all the time]
    kx6u1kvip00s.jpg

    when i upload to youtube [note ms times are immediately high] ~500-600 ping
    xtgy7ruhryal.jpg

    I also ran a tracert when my upload was about to finish. So my upload stopped halfway through this trace [note time around 7, which is when upload completed]. Start 500-600 ping - finish 0 ping
    l9ksw0gaxow4.jpg

    Thank you Gally for your eplanation on an example where it is clear that it is not the game which causes the laags. But.. seriously, did you really thought that i was uploading some videos while playing GoB and than start to complain about laags? ;D
  • 0x42 wrote: »
    Thank you Gally for your eplanation on an example where it is clear that it is not the game which causes the laags. But.. seriously, did you really thought that i was uploading some videos while playing GoB and than start to complain about laags? ;D

    It was just an example, more likely is your virus scanner decide to run "in the background" or windows was doing an update.
  • edited May 2017
    Gally wrote: »
    0x42 wrote: »
    Thank you Gally for your eplanation on an example where it is clear that it is not the game which causes the laags. But.. seriously, did you really thought that i was uploading some videos while playing GoB and than start to complain about laags? ;D

    It was just an example, more likely is your virus scanner decide to run "in the background" or windows was doing an update.

    I wrote the time frame when the issue occurs because i hoped that some devs would look on the logs.

    So both: no^^ At the time i wrote the first post on this thread it was defenitly NOT my computer or network. No virus scanner, no download, no upload, no high cpu ussage, no less memory, no other people in my network, no high disk ussage.. why i know this? Because i allways monitor the named stuff while playing so that i can really be sure, its not my comupter or network, which causes the laags and fps drops. No magic behind, the windows task manager with the advanced ressource manager does this quite good, no extra tool is needed.

    Sure i have laags and its my computer or network. But for the most of them i can say it is not me (: Maybe it's not the game or the game servers, too..

    maybe it's because of trump ;D
    or some aliens who want to take the world domination ;'D

    Be careful and take care xD
    Thanked by 2 Gally banana_sama
  • 0x42 wrote: »
    Sure i have laags and its my computer or network. But for the most of them i can say it is not me (: Maybe it's not the game or the game servers, too..

    tracert would have shown where on the network the problem occurred (which presumably is where it occurred as no one else seem to have reported this problem, and it was not your computer or immediate network.
    Thanked by 2 0x42 duckychris
  • 1 year later
  • edited June 2018
    That worked! Thx! (Notice my ping)
    75n49cfaat02.png
  • I want to know where to find this?
  • right click the windows button then select "windows powershell" you can type commands in there
  • I forgot if it was mentioned here already and I'm too lazy to read everything. I think it helps if you close your browser right before you start playing. Sometimes it eats memory like crazy if it's open for a long time.
    Thanked by 2 server_down Gally
  • pwnyy wrote: »
    I forgot if it was mentioned here already and I'm too lazy to read everything. I think it helps if you close your browser right before you start playing. Sometimes it eats memory like crazy if it's open for a long time.

    type in "chrome://restart" when using chrome to restart it without losing all your currents tabs ;)
    Thanked by 3 Gally banana_sama pwnyy
  • 1 month later
  • what worked @_DelaY_ ? :S
  • @Stay_
    The command prompt thing. :expressionless:
    Thanked by 1 banana_sama
  • @_DelaY_ ohhhhhhh :D btw, long time no see :)
  • 7 months later
  • edited April 2019
    really?
    Thanked by 1 Gally
  • 2 years later
  • Cheers bombers, I've been more or less out for half a year due to extremely bad internet connection. Now that the day has arrived and I'm back with a 250Mb fibrewire connection, hoping to kick noobs like sesmero back into the realms of the underworld and restore justice in the world of the living – I realize nothing has changed and that it's as unplayable as in the months before (been around for 8 years, by unplayable I mean NOT playable AT ALL xD)

    Are there still any devs around maintaining the servers or anything / does it make sense to check back from time to time? Otherwise I will sadly have to follow a traditional advice and go play some Candy Crush forever... :/
    Thanked by 1 Gally
  • Don't come back. This game is a laggy hell that isn't updated or maintained. I've brought up issues and they've been dismissed out of hand and ALWAYS blamed on lag. I've quit this game multiple times and I'm close to leaving again for good after the last couple of months. I'd stay away and play something that doesn't suck donkey nuggets.
    Schob wrote: »
    Cheers bombers, I've been more or less out for half a year due to extremely bad internet connection. Now that the day has arrived and I'm back with a 250Mb fibrewire connection, hoping to kick noobs like sesmero back into the realms of the underworld and restore justice in the world of the living – I realize nothing has changed and that it's as unplayable as in the months before (been around for 8 years, by unplayable I mean NOT playable AT ALL xD)

    Are there still any devs around maintaining the servers or anything / does it make sense to check back from time to time? Otherwise I will sadly have to follow a traditional advice and go play some Candy Crush forever... :/

  • Well.. as a last hope before playing Candy Crush, I studied @Excuse_Me 's opening post a bit more carefully – and the solution in my case was just trying Chrome. 700ms less ping lol!

    sesmero, prepare your vocabulary (and creativity) about my family, you're gonna need it... ;)
    Thanked by 2 Gally playgamehavefun
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