A Few Problems

[Tsyac-Enigma]

Hello,

I recently joined DDO as a full user to play the game with my new computer. After configuring it and setting it up, I put my games on and started to play them, one of them being DDO.

To say firstly, I've optimised all my settings to suit the system...which runs the game a full-blown max settings, although I've encountered a few issues with the game that I'm not sure if they are on my end or simply a fault in the game itself, but I'll explain them below.

My first issue is jumping, I've reported this one to Turbine's bug report people, but I'd thought I'd put it here anyway to see if anyone else encounters this on high end computers...when I jump, it often seems...well, too jumpy...glitchy, sometimes I jump and it looks like it hits and invisible wall in the air, in some cases on flat ground, others while trying to jump up onto a ledge or out of water onto the ground.

This issue happens often, as if I'm lagging...even when my connection is stable, and there's no hint of loss or lag on any end whatsoever. It's very irritating, especially when you're a rogue with intentions to level up using the jump skill often enough.

My second issue is another I reported to Turbine's bug people, it's about loot drops from barrels, crates or boxes...anything you can smash and break in a dungeon. Sometimes, in some cases often, but not all too often, the loot will drop inside a wall or solid object and prevent me from picking it up...sometimes I can work a way around it, with determination, but mostly I can't grab the loot and I'm left to just let it stay there.

While it doesn't seem like a huge problem, loot is something I enjoy finding around in a dungeon, even the small pile of copper and random potion, and I fear one day it might be something really nice...and I'd hate to have this horrible glitch mess it up.

My final main issue I'm having has to do with Audio...two areas of audio in fact, DM speech while roaming a dungeon, and the sounds from smashing and breaking things in a dungeon. Most of the time my DM speech works just fine...it comes out as clear as if the person is right in front of me, other times it just cuts out completely and won't say the lines it's designed to, even ones I know are meant to have audio.

My other sound issue is similar, most of the time I can smash stuff and hear it perfectly, others it will cut out and I won't hear sword-meet-wood and the effect following.

On a minor issue, it has to do with the Launcher...sometimes it halts at the Splash screen briefly, a little too long, while doing it's checks...then when it gets into the launcher to examine programs and files, check for updates, etc...and disconnect, then load the login boxes it also halts...usually at the second check (examine programs I think), then after a short while it goes onto the login box area fine so I can login and then go to my server.

Not sure what kind of problem this is, but I know it shouldn't be doing it, not with the computer I'm running.

My next issue is only very minor and not really worth noting, but I'll put it here anyway...sometimes after the game "launches" from the launcher, after I've logged in, it'll sometimes auto-exit the program before it even loads up the Turbine starting video, other times it'll load up fine until Vista tells me my computer has temporarily changed the visual settings to basic while running DDO and then exit the program (but this one is rare, and mostly if I click the black screen where the Turbine video is about to appear, it'll work fine.

Finally, my last issue I've had is two small in-game things...one, I've once, and once only, halted at the loading screen when the game's loading into my server to show my character list, this was before the recent patch and has never happened since, but I'm wondering what might cause it, why and if anyone else has encountered it...the other issue is similar, but happened via loading an area, again...happened just once, but I'm curious about it too.

That's my current issues now, hopefully no more I encountered...any help would be appreciated, and if you need some more information, don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks!

[Theboz]

Do a Tracert

Type "cmd", in Vista, in the search feild and then click on the program it finds.

when the window opens

Type "Tracert GLS.DDO.Com"

It will proceed to connect to DDO and it will give a step by step of all interconnecting Severs(nodes) before you hit DDO.

If you See * other then the one's you might see at step #2, you have a problem with that point in the connection.

If you see very high numbers, over 100 or more, then you have problem at that point in the connection too.

What can be done, if you see any of the above, well not a whole lot, except call your ISP and tell them you are having sever Latency when on the internet, But dont tell them its a game(mmo), they will just blame the game and not try to fix anything.

If buy the way you see problem with your first connection #1 then its related to either you computer networkcard, or your Router.

Also, one more point to make, Your Location, being Australia, you are very far away, and your connection goes to alot of places before it gets to DDO. That adds Latency.

[Tsyac-Enigma]

I'll give it a shot when I get home from work, thank you for the information. But to note on my area, I expect latency, and it's usually around a stable 200 - 400 on the ping/latency ratings...that's normal for Australia, and still perfectly fine. I use a Broadband highspeed connection (384 kb/s on downloads, 250 at least, 750 at max), which tends to ignore "distance latency" often enough.

I think the main issue is the jumping and sound is what I want to solve, but if any are related to connection issues then I'll work relentlessly to solve the problem. I'll try this one out as soon as I get home and see if anything comes up. I've never used this Tracer command though, but I'll see how it goes anyway, thanks.

If you or anyone else has something to add relating to my issues, feel free to post.

[Theboz]

I'll give it a shot when I get home from work, thank you for the information. But to note on my area, I expect latency, and it's usually around a stable 200 - 400 on the ping/latency ratings...that's normal for Australia, and still perfectly fine. I use a Broadband highspeed connection (384 kb/s on downloads, 250 at least, 750 at max), which tends to ignore "distance latency" often enough.

I think the main issue is the jumping and sound is what I want to solve, but if any are related to connection issues then I'll work relentlessly to solve the problem. I'll try this one out as soon as I get home and see if anything comes up. I've never used this Tracer command though, but I'll see how it goes anyway, thanks.

If you or anyone else has something to add relating to my issues, feel free to post.

I think, they are all related, except the DM naration, that is a bug, I have the same problem.

Your broadband barly fits the broadband definition, If you had a higher speed and you were closer to the servers, you would probally not be seeing the Latency in your jump

You could have 100mbps and if you had a satilite connection it would not be good for games, the latency would kill you.

There is no way of getting away from Latency, no matter how fast you connection is, you still have to go from point A to point B.

The speed of your connection, is not the same as MPH(KPH) like in a car. the higher broadband speeds means you just have a bigger Highway to driver from point A to B

[Tsyac-Enigma]

Broadband here in Australia isn't the same as Broadband in other countries, sadly...it's not as higher quality, and not as fast, but it's fast regardless, one of the fastest Telstra will give us, it's never faltered on any other online game like this.

And I understand latency, I know you can't avoid it but appearing in a graphical jump like this is a little ridiculous when I've played countless online games, including WoW and many intense FPS and never had something that noticeable happen via lag unless someone was downloading on my connection.

To me, it's far too consistent to be typical "lag" or ping/latency spikes...it's horrible, and if you've ever experienced it, it's unbearable when you try to pull off a daring jump in a dungeon and fall and lose HP. I can move, walk, run and attack without lag or any ping/latency issues, but the jumping has this constant glitchy/laggy look to it.

At a 200 to 400 ping/latency, lag shouldn't be causing jumping issues like the one I'm experiencing to be honest, that's a stable connection in my country and like I said, DDO seems to be the only one to show it in a very noticeable way like this, it just baffles me and will make my experience of DDO very frustrating if I can't fix it.

Either the game is very picky, or there's something wrong on my end that I need to find out and fix.

Regardless though, I'm very grateful for the help and will try this Tracer thing once I get home.

[Garth_of_Sarlona]

Yup many of the problems you are experiencing sound like a latency issue and not much you can do about that.

Try upgrading your sound card driver and see if that fixes the DM sound problems. You could also play with the acceleration on the sound card, or try turning on/off EAX or playing with the sound settings inside DDO.

If barrels are dropping objects into walls then you can target them with the backspace key, and pick them up using the U key.

And the quitting the game before it starts up is linked with an issue with DX initialising when there are other foreground windows. I know it sounds mad, but if you rapidly click your mouse into the black area that appears during start up, then it ensures that DDO keeps focus during DX initialisation, and you shouldn't bail.

Garth

p.s. welcome to DDO

[Tsyac-Enigma]

Apart from looking for the cause of the lag, yeah pretty much. But I'm hopeful it is a problem that I can find, and fix...so I don't look like a jumpy rag doll every time I go to leap to a ledge or off one.

For the sound, might be an idea, even though it's running one of the recent updates. I'll fiddle with the sound settings in-game, but I did try some of them recently and nothing changed.

For the barrels, etc...doesn't always work for some reason, well not that I could see...but I'll remember the backspace part of it, as I was only using U constantly to grab the drops.

The quitting issue doesn't seem like a major issue, you're right, even just one click on the black screen will do the job...I think it may have something to do with Vista's Aero desktop visuals, seeing as it brings a pop-up on the task bar stating it's changing visuals to basic. I was mostly just curious about the cause.

Thanks for the help, I'll try some of these this afternoon, and thanks for the welcome.