First off, I don't want to dispute that something like dps and server lag exists in DDO. It does. However, I also seen numerous cases where people complained about lag when the problem was not necessarily on Turbine's end. I don't want to go into how frequent or infrequent the fault lies with DDO's servers/code and to what extend (there are several threats discussing that already), but rather start a topic about what individual players can do to try maximize performance.

There are /also/ several reasons why lag can happen without it actually being the game itself:

* dps lag: imagine it a little like lots of packages leaving the turbine compound the same time and then try get on the on-ramp to the highway (the internet); even if Turbine has their property (ie: servers) set up for all those packages to leave the very same instance, only so many packages will fit on the on-ramp. It's how traffic jams can happen. Here some players started to call for "dps pause" (meaning everyone stops swinging for a few seconds). This allows for the packages on the on-ramp to pass with no new packages being added.

Now, as Turbine owns neither on-ramp nor highway there is very little they can do about it shy of recoding the entire combat engine. Unfortunately, there is also very little users can do about it. The reason I am mentioning this is, if anything you change on your setting affects your lag (ie: reducing graphics settings), you actually not dealing with a true dps lag. You merely experiencing that there is too much going on for either your processor or your graphics card to handle. You cannot eliminate the lag despite running it on minimum settings on high-end equipment, you probably experiencing a true dps lag.

* high-end hardware and lag: it's not always just a question of quality. There are numerous brands and makes of graphic cards out there, each handling information just a little different. So, even when switching to a more expansive card it can lead to loss in performance in some areas simply because the way the card handles code and the way it receives it are less compatible. Then there are innumerous drivers users may use, background programs and other hardware. It's one of the unique challenges in developing complex software such as games; there is no way for developers to account and test for every possible hard- and software set-up a user may use. Best they can do is allow users to change game and graphics setting to adjust to their individual set-up.

Here some general tips I found useful (note: this may work for some people and won't have any effect for others):

* Environmental Pencil Shadows: there are some graphics cards and drivers that have a hard time handling these. You can check if you have that problem fairly easily; just head down in the sub and run around a little or display your frame-rate (ctr+F). When I turn on Pencil Shadows and turn Frame Refresh Rate to unlimited (it'sin graphics settings and advanced graphics settings), I usually have a frame rate of 80-120. It suddenly drops to 4-7 for a second, then it goes back up to 8-120 for a few seconds. I turn off Pencil Shadows and that small change allows me to run around the sub lag-free. Also, they don't add anything to game-play and don't really make a lot of difference in how the game looks. You won't miss them. Really.

* Lag during peak time: this certainly can be a server issue. What also can contribute is the "who" background process of the client. Go to you Social Panel (where you see your lfms). Click "Who". See the list and how it constantly changes? That means your client is performing a constant life-update of every single toon online, who logs on, who logs off and where they are located. Now, with the game constantly growing this has the potential to become more and more an issue (more toons to track). There is really no need to have turned this on all the time. You can turn it off by clicking the small check box at the top next to "Any".

* Processor Speed: I don't know why, but for some people setting the Processor Speed (Game Settings) to max (or very high) actually leads to compitability issue and can cause lag. Try setting it one lower. it doesn't help, you always can return it to the original value.

* Maximum Frame Refresh Rate: for some people the game tries to refresh frames per minute faster than their card (or processor) are fit. Default is unlimited. Try setting it to a lower value (for some people 75 works well, others only set it to 30-45 to have an effect). My suggestion, you have a lot of lag often, play with it. Set it lower and lower and see if it changes anything; if it doesn't help, return it to original value.

* Another thing you can do to optimize performance is to do a regular clean re-install. It's a lot of efforts but I know of a good number of gamers who want to tickle every bit of performance out of their system who defragment on weekly basis and re-install every month. It does help.

Other:

* Game crashes during certain environmental effects (ie: Mephits, Sleet Storm): some people still seem to have that problem. A work-around is: go to your settings: User Interface. Find "Show overhead health bars". Turn it off.

* Launcher needs to be started twice: this is a problem where DDO's way of handling Direct X10 and Vista/Windows 7 background themes conflict. To work around the issue, right click your desktop and go to "Personalize". Change the desktop background to a basic setting (Vista Basic, Windos 7 basic).