Noticeable Lag Improvement

[biggin]

Thelanis, about 30 minutes after it was back online. 10 man EN DoJ, a little stutter at beginning and end but nothing out right bad like it was. Before was almost unplayable for me, now it is just as good if not better than pre-move.

Don't know if it will come back when the servers populate as the day goes on but decent now.

[FifthTime]

Didn't everyone say the exact same thing last week after the server reset?

Seems a little early to declare victory to me. Let's see how things are on Sunday afternoon before we go running around announcing "Mission Accomplished!".

http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/files/2010/11/mission-accomplished.jpg

[Dragavon]

Thelanis, about 30 minutes after it was back online. 10 man EN DoJ, a little stutter at beginning and end but nothing out right bad like it was. Before was almost unplayable for me, now it is just as good if not better than pre-move.

Don't know if it will come back when the servers populate as the day goes on but decent now.

Seriously, half an hour after servers reopen?

At least wait a day before you make conclusions.............

[Cordovan]

Agreed that we will know a lot more in the coming days, but it's great to read this.

[Flavilandile]

Seriously, half an hour after servers reopen?

At least wait a day before you make conclusions.............

And it's not even Peak Hour on either side of The Pond...
The decency would be to wait at least two more hours (for our side) or 6/7 more hours (for the American side) of The Pond to have done some testign at peak hour before making a statement regarding the occurence of lag or not.

[biggin]

[QUOTE=Dragavon;5807994]Seriously, half an hour after servers reopen?

At least wait a day before you make conclusions.............[/ QUOTE]

And why am I dependent on your timeline?

People didn't want to run raids before. Now that the lag is somewhat better maybe more people will try them out and give us a better idea if it is improved or just a low population. We won't know if raids are better until people actually run raids.

[Dragavon]

It is not the timeline.

It is that what happens on a near-empty server is irrelevant, it is what happens when the server has been up and running for a day or two and is full of players that matters.

Last time they made server adjustments we had this thread: https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/473632-Whatever-Turbine-did-helped

Exactly the same as you posted. Then after a couple of days it became obvious that if anything had changed lag was even worse.

[Enoach]

I look at it this way...

First I agree it is to early to declare victory.

Second reports like this are a good start. Keep in mind that according to the post they modified 2 servers one way and 2 servers another way and the rest just got a DLL update. So reports that it is better married up to the list of changes helps determine what the fixes needed for everyone.

So let the reporting begin and continue. When reports swing from "Hey this appears to be working" to "Uh Oh we can't move, but we ended in a lag death" then yes Turbine now has more information, like when stuff hits the fan.

In my opinion we need to go two weeks without server manipulation before any victory can be declared, but the one week point is also a good checkpoint.

[Enoach]

It is not the timeline.

It is that what happens on a near-empty server is irrelevant, it is what happens when the server has been up and running for a day or two and is full of players that matters.

But if that early and lag already is around then it is a sign that what was done made things worse.

[biggin]

But if that early and lag already is around then it is a sign that what was done made things worse.

Exactly. However bad it was it could be worse so at least it isn't that.......for now.

[Vulkoorex]

So maybe a server reset once per week is a temporary solution?

[biggin]

So maybe a server reset once per week is a temporary solution?

Not a bad idea if they can't figure it out.

[LT218]

So maybe a server reset once per week is a temporary solution?

They could also just shut down the servers on the weekends and during prime-time weekday hours. Then the minimal amount of players on the server at any given time would think everything was fine and dandy. :D

The difference being reported in the severity of the symptoms is most likely a direct correlation to the number of active players on the world servers. 30 minutes after coming online from a scheduled maintenance in the middle of the morning is absolute best case scenario for a minimizing load on the servers. It is also the worst case scenario for "testing" things like load-related lag issues.

Prime time hours in the US on Friday night and the weekends would be the best time to test. It also happens to be the time when the game has been most unplayable for the past three weeks. Any judgement and proclamations of the lag problems being better and/or fixed should be withheld until the end of the weekend at a minimum.

[Certon]

Agreed that we will know a lot more in the coming days, but it's great to read this.

It seemed that every time there was a large battle, no matter what dungeon we were in, the game would lag seriously. Beyond the Rift is a great example. The spider battle AND the end fight both lagged when it started, several people died, but I managed to survive both.

[Caprice]

1) Posts are more than just titles.

Don't know if it will come back when the servers populate as the day goes on but decent now.
OP already put the caveat in that this is not the victory lap, just a data point.

2) IMO it's actually useful to know that the server is not lagging right after startup. Having feedback (however subjective) during the quiet time provides a baseline for those other situations. Packet routing issues won't go away when the DDO servers are restarted, because it is a factor of the other servers in the chain not the DDO servers themselves. This helps to underline that continuing issues are mainly due to Turbine's hardware and software. A follow up off peak report tomorrow (without a server restart) could be helpful too for comparison. For example if the lag gets bad tonight and stays bad at the same off peak hour as the OP tomorrow, that suggests memory leaks or undisposed/locked threads or something similar that is tying up resources indefinitely. If it gets bad tonight but is no longer laggy off peak tomorrow, then that suggests resource saturation during prime time may be the most important contributor. Having feedback (however subjective) during the quiet time provides a baseline to compare to those other situations.

My main point: it would be nice to see a couple follow up points at different periods if you can, biggin. I can't play at off peak hours so I think it's good to hear about the differences.

[Saekee]

Agreed that we will know a lot more in the coming days, but it's great to read this.

I suggest you start an official thread again post-restart

[FifthTime]

Thelanis - 2 PM MST
Misery's - Elite
2 man group
Stuttering, rubber banding, and freezing lag

[Cordovan]

I suggest you start an official thread again post-restart

This (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/473717-Game-Performance-Improvements-and-Feedback) is the main thread tracking this issue.

[Taimasan]

UPDATE: The game worlds have reopened. Thank you!

The game worlds will be brought down for maintenance on Tuesday, March 28th from 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM Eastern (-5 GMT). This downtime will be used to make adjustments at our data center to improve game performance. When the worlds reopen, two game worlds will have one configuration change on them, two will have a different change, and all will have had a GLS dll update applied to them.

When the worlds reopen, we would like to continue to get your experiences and reports. Please provide the following information:

1. Server
2. Approximate Time
3. Approximate location of your computer (East Cost, London, Tokyo, on a boat in the Pacific, alternate reality x87, etc.)
4. Quests/raids run
5. Difficulties run
6. Your character class
7. Number of players in the group
8. Anything else you think we should know

Thanks!

Sarlona
1736
North Kakilahcki
DOJ EN
Monk
12 then 9 man


12 Man....

Fail due to lag, rubber banding from start, failed at Gate after being at a standstill for 3 min.



9 Man...


Group convinced to me not ragequit and to do a run with just 9.

Powered through the run with 9 lost 3 archons to lag but got it to the end fight. Lag was so bad we didn't know we killed the end boss until 30 seconds after she died.

But this is with a group who would normally run EE. So there is that. I expect better. Maybe with less people in a raid, less loot is pulled more raid timers bought?

/irritated.

[Zebedar]

The fix is fading fast. Sadly we party wiped a LH Hound, and a LN shroud in just the last hour courtesy of lag and locking. :(

Please keep trying Turbine, the game cannot survive many more weeks of this, our guild log-ons are at a all time low this month, it's got to be fixed.

[Cruxader]

Agreed that we will know a lot more in the coming days, but it's great to read this.

Tell the network and dev teams thanks for working toward addressing the recent lag issues.
I can confirm that there is some improvement thus far, not perfect, still needs continued work, though it seems better than at any point since the recent Data Center move.

Please keep at it as the top priority for growing your customer base, until the game is closer to (server/network) lag free.
Great product when it works.

[Dragavon]

[QUOTE=Dragavon;5807994]Seriously, half an hour after servers reopen?

At least wait a day before you make conclusions.............[/ QUOTE]

And why am I dependent on your timeline?

People didn't want to run raids before. Now that the lag is somewhat better maybe more people will try them out and give us a better idea if it is improved or just a low population. We won't know if raids are better until people actually run raids.


https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/473952-Lag-lag-lag

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/473953-10-31-march-29-2016-Its-not-lag-its-a-total-and-complete-Freeze

So, what did you say again?

[Nyata]

[QUOTE=biggin;5808004]


https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/473952-Lag-lag-lag

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/473953-10-31-march-29-2016-Its-not-lag-its-a-total-and-complete-Freeze

So, what did you say again?

you are aware though that the whole idea right now is to gather data and see what changes take effect in what way. and that 'negative feedback' is in no way more justified than 'positive feedback'? why didn't you jump on those other two threads and complained about them posting right after the worlds re-opened?

[bartharok]

[QUOTE=Dragavon;5808414]

you are aware though that the whole idea right now is to gather data and see what changes take effect in what way. and that 'negative feedback' is in no way more justified than 'positive feedback'? why didn't you jump on those other two threads and complained about them posting right after the worlds re-opened?

Is that a rhetorical question?

[Nyata]

Is that a rhetorical question?

I am a firm believer in the socrates method :)

[Dragavon]

[QUOTE=Dragavon;5808414]

you are aware though that the whole idea right now is to gather data and see what changes take effect in what way. and that 'negative feedback' is in no way more justified than 'positive feedback'? why didn't you jump on those other two threads and complained about them posting right after the worlds re-opened?

Because those two posts are relevant.

While I am happy for OP that he managed to complete a DoJ wiht little lag problems, his conclusion that this is good, 30 minutes after servers are online again, is irrelevant.

let us wait and see another couple of days before we pass judgement.

[Duana]

[QUOTE=Nyata;5808465]

Because those two posts are relevant.

While I am happy for OP that he managed to complete a DoJ wiht little lag problems, his conclusion that this is good, 30 minutes after servers are online again, is irrelevant.

let us wait and see another couple of days before we pass judgement.

Bah. When trying to find out why a thing does not work, knowing when it does work can be very relevant.

Even if it is not, I always prefer to know something I do not need to know to not knowing something I should.

[bartharok]

Because those two posts are relevant.

While I am happy for OP that he managed to complete a DoJ wiht little lag problems, his conclusion that this is good, 30 minutes after servers are online again, is irrelevant.

let us wait and see another couple of days before we pass judgement.

Like you?

[J-2]

I tend to agree with Dragavon. The lag yesterday was the worst yet. I cant even call it lag. Frozen is far more accurate.
Even if I did not agree with his statement, it would not be irrelevant.

[MistaMagic]

Just completed 4 mins ago with NO LAG on Khyber with a 12 man group. Also picked this up in channel chat
"we did eh doj, lh hox, and lh shroud last evening without lag"

[Nyata]

Just completed 4 mins ago with NO LAG on Khyber with a 12 man group. Also picked this up in channel chat
"we did eh doj, lh hox, and lh shroud last evening without lag"

hey, I think I was in that TS... all 4 red names? and absolutely no lag. Also did a LH HoX right before, no lag, we failed anyway cause we were silly, LN afterwards, no lag 1-2 seconds freeze when Xyzzy died.

I consider that a very relevant improvement to how things were 2 weeks ago.

[MistaMagic]

hey, I think I was in that TS... all 4 red names? and absolutely no lag. Also did a LH HoX right before, no lag, we failed anyway cause we were silly, LN afterwards, no lag 1-2 seconds freeze when Xyzzy died.

I consider that a very relevant improvement to how things were 2 weeks ago.
Yes that was with Ozz

[KoobTheProud]

Definite improvement on Wayfinder through one major play session. Still seeing very occasional step lag, mainly when multiple mobs rush me. I expect the performance to degrade after a day or two but it was pretty good today. Ran solo with a hireling in both instances and slayer areas.

I was playing a Deep Gnome Iconic Wiz/Rog at heroic levels in Wheloon. Ran Lords of Dust once and it ran ok with no obvious lag, except a stutter-stepping mob here and there. Ran most of the Wheloon chain and was presently surprised at how responsive the client was, nearly at the pre-data center move level. I had been avoiding the end quest in the chain because it seemed likely to be a lag fest solo with a hireling. It was smooth today.

Will play my epic Warlock with and without hireling on Cannith next play session.

I would definitely support stabilizing the client and reducing lag as the main priority until the average player has no issues. I'd support more maintenance periods, well defined, to get there also. Having the servers down for a few hours every 3 days but not laggy would be much preferable to seeing performance degrade until the weekend was unplayable followed by a weekly restart.

[kathy1234]

At least now EVERYONE will be frozen, not like it used to be only players in dungeon will be frozen while NPCs can run around and players in public area won't be affected.

I feel peace as I know no one can escape the frozen rage.

[Epicstorms]

I don't log in often anymore, but I noticed one thing: Your forums are now slower and sometimes crash, which didn't happen before your data center move (as far as I know).

And no it's not my computer or internet. And I don't want to read a technical forum thread, or get in touch with technical support. ;)

[J-2]

That seems to be a new issue that started today.
They may be working on it. Give it 24 hours to see if it clears up.

[biggin]

Ran a LH Shroud last night around 8 p.m. Central on Thelanis. Lag was prevalent but we completed. Mainly seemed to hit bit stutter lags when the portals went boom. Not so bad for me but my rez scroll use says it was worse for a few.

Had a few instances of healing not landing in Part 2 when devils were being cleared. Teleporters seem to make lag worse. Take portals and porters out of Shroud and we may have a winner.

[biggin]

And to respond to a few posters:

I just don't see what's wrong with reporting the good with the bad. I in no way said the lag was permanently fixed, only that I did experience a raid that was normally unplayable for me to finally be completed. If you want to say how bad the lag is where and when you are at, go for it. I encourage it. My main concern at this point is to try and get them to fix raids to be playable, even if it means disabling some features in them to make it so. I personally don't care if people are soloing level 8 quests with little to no lag. I want meh raids.

[JOTMON]

Beginner and basic content is hardly noticeable .. but then again .. who cares.. in the easy content you can take a few hits of lag and nobody notices..

In higher difficulties Lag matters.
I have seen no noticeable improvement in lag reduction where it matters.. in high level content, raids and Legendaries..

and..
It needs to be better than pre-server move.. remember they did say moving servers was supposed to help reduce the already bad in-game lag.. not let it become worse then bring it back to pre-server move bad.
No point being happy about lag being almost as bad as the pre server move..

The goal should be 'lag free' Legendary Elite Endgame Raids.. nothing short of that should be acceptable to anyone..

[LT218]

And to respond to a few posters:
I just don't see what's wrong with reporting the good with the bad.

Hypothetical Turbine internal weekly update meeting dialogue:


Employee1: We've been working non-stop on finding the cause of the lag and fixing it ASAP... well, except for after hours, weekends, pie breaks, mini LARPS, and vacations. So we've only been working on it during normal business hours minus any "fun" distractions.

PHB: Have we made any progress?

Employee1: Well, we tried different, mysterious and random things on different servers to see if we could get lucky.

PHB: Did we get lucky?

Employee1: Well, a *few* customers are saying the lag is still terrible, but there are a *bunch* of posts saying that the lag is much better right after the we made the changes and restarted the servers.

PHB: Great! I'm glad to hear it. Nice job fixing that in less than a month! Say... when is our next pie day? We should celebrate fixing the problem and have a pie day before we all leave for the weekend.

[biggin]

Beginner and basic content is hardly noticeable .. but then again .. who cares.. in the easy content you can take a few hits of lag and nobody notices..

In higher difficulties Lag matters.
I have seen no noticeable improvement in lag reduction where it matters.. in high level content, raids and Legendaries..

and..
It needs to be better than pre-server move.. remember they did say moving servers was supposed to help reduce the already bad in-game lag.. not let it become worse then bring it back to pre-server move bad.
No point being happy about lag being almost as bad as the pre server move..

The goal should be 'lag free' Legendary Elite Endgame Raids.. nothing short of that should be acceptable to anyone..

I agree. As someone who has a 'server first' completion and has been in end game raiding since the beginning it's sad I've never even had a chance to run LE Shroud. Never seen one posted. Don't know if I would even bother to attempt it in the state the servers are in.

That being said the only time it seems to me it would be possible at this point would be right after a server restart as then is the only time the game is playable with a great reduction in lag. Since things are not getting better I see no reason why they just don't start disabling the things that cause the highest sources of lag. The portals don't need to explode. The could switch out devils and orthons with slaads and kobolds.

Pulling out the cartridge, blowing on it and sticking it back in at an angle worked for a second but failed. Maybe step 2 or 30 or whatever needs to be looked at. And for those who think this may be the easy button.......so be it. At this point I would rather it be easy and play it then for it to be too hard to be played because of the lag. When healing stops working, mobs can't be hurt, you're stuck in the air for 5 minutes then start disabling things one by one until they get playable.