EA F12002 Multiplayer weirdness

I often setup a F12002 server on my 512kbs down/256kbs up ADSL line behind my router with my machine setup as a DMZ. Multiplayer games work fine when people inially join, we can all chat fine and race together. However, sometimes the online chat fails to work. We can still race eath other, but have to drop to MSN Messenger to communicate.. this is beyond reasoning as far as I am concerned. Also, when skipping to the next session or restarting the track, some players tend to disappear (no "Player Verified" message) leaving "zombie" players on my server that are unkickable. Does anyone else have similar problems or a solution? Thanks, Andy

> Does anyone else have similar problems or a solution? Lots of people have lots of problems with it There are some protocols you can follow w.r.t. not chatting during session changes - but generally - you takes yer chances with it Doug

"Doug Ellison" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:E5e7a.6695$Vx2.593804@wards:

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> >> Does anyone else have similar problems or a solution? > > Lots of people have lots of problems with it > > There are some protocols you can follow w.r.t. not chatting during > session changes - but generally - you takes yer chances with it > > Doug > >

Go to the GTR forums at Simbin and read through the Pinned thread about multiplayer issues. Elite covers it very well. With 256 upload you need to limit your field to about 5 or 6 tops. After that your line will probably be overloaded. Upload rating is the key. We use a 850kbs Upload server for our CART league and still see some lag once in a while with 8 drivers. With everyone set to 56k, including the host, you might see some jitters from other cars when they are turning, but if they are smooth on the straights then you have a good connection. The 56k setting limits the amount of data transmitted and that, I beleive, is the reason for jittery cars in the corners...However attempting to increase the data rate to ISDN or higher severly impacts the ammount of data the host has to send to each user and Big-Time lag usually results. GTR changed their terminolgy for multiplayer, but most of the mods and F1 2k2 use the 56k setting. GTR's equivilant to 56k is data rate =10

Well, every one in the game is on the same DSL ISP as me, and they seem silky smooth when racing. It's more like a "sync" issue, where players cant hear each other chatting and moving to next session looses them completely. i've even had one guy join back in and take control of his old car as well as his new one, having 2 cars going out to the track at the same time. Very, very strange?! Dave Henrie <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

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> "Doug Ellison" <[email hidden]> wrote in > news:E5e7a.6695$Vx2.593804@wards: > > > > >> Does anyone else have similar problems or a solution? > > > > Lots of people have lots of problems with it > > > > There are some protocols you can follow w.r.t. not chatting during > > session changes - but generally - you takes yer chances with it > > > > Doug > > > > > Go to the GTR forums at Simbin and read through the Pinned thread about > multiplayer issues. Elite covers it very well. With 256 upload you need > to limit your field to about 5 or 6 tops. After that your line will > probably be overloaded. Upload rating is the key. We use a 850kbs Upload > server for our CART league and still see some lag once in a while with 8 > drivers. > With everyone set to 56k, including the host, you might see some jitters > from other cars when they are turning, but if they are smooth on the > straights then you have a good connection. The 56k setting limits the > amount of data transmitted and that, I beleive, is the reason for jittery > cars in the corners...However attempting to increase the data rate to ISDN > or higher severly impacts the ammount of data the host has to send to each > user and Big-Time lag usually results. > GTR changed their terminolgy for multiplayer, but most of the mods and > F1 2k2 use the 56k setting. GTR's equivilant to 56k is data rate =10

"Andy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... : Well, every one in the game is on the same DSL ISP as me, and they : seem silky smooth when racing. It's more like a "sync" issue, where : players cant hear each other chatting and moving to next session : looses them completely. i've even had one guy join back in and take : control of his old car as well as his new one, having 2 cars going out : to the track at the same time. : : Very, very strange?! Best bit is the race starts where half the field starts in the spot - and the race never starts! It's very very buggy really Doug

I race in a GTR league, in fact it's the one organised by 'elite76' himself. We've got lots of 56Kers and as long as we limit the number of players to 6 in each division race, we don't have any problems at all. I haven't seen any 'chat' bugs or anything out of the ordinary. Even with this many players, I get far more enjoyment than I do out of playing gpl with 10+ players these days. I guess it must be the close nature of the racing as opposed to the slip 'n' slide suicide of open-wheel gpl.

[email hidden] (Andy) wrote in news:[email hidden]:

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> Well, every one in the game is on the same DSL ISP as me, and they > seem silky smooth when racing. It's more like a "sync" issue, where > players cant hear each other chatting and moving to next session > looses them completely. i've even had one guy join back in and take > control of his old car as well as his new one, having 2 cars going out > to the track at the same time. > > Very, very strange?! >

That IS wierd. The 'chat bug' where the practice session goes on and eveyrone else keeps racing and chatting is a known issue. Sorry I didn't comment on that in the first reply. There are two symptoms. One you just seem to loose the focus of the host. In other words the lap times for other racers either don't update or some drop completely. You can still run laps but your times and your chat don't make it to the host. I'm don't think there is a workaround for this, other than paying attention when things get quiet and re-connecting. The 2nd issue is a disconnect when changing sessions. The host has to announce he's ready to move to the next session or race and tell everyone to stop using the chat feature. I have been testing leaving the chat screen altogether and waiting for the host to advance the session while viewing one of the setup screens. I have seen users who have been dropped because of the loss of focus re- log on, the game still reports the old time and then displays a 2nd name and time for the same person. But I haven't seen the two cars for one player item. My guess for a solution there is: If a player suspects he's been dropped, he should disconnect and reconnect to the session. Then before driving leave again..warning the other drivers, ESPECIALLY IF QUALIFYING HAS BEGUN, that you will be right back and to not start a hotlap.(this saves hurt feelings when you rejoin a 2nd time--the screen pause while joining can really throw off a hotlap) Once you leave properly and rejoin, the game should be able to keep track of your single prescence again. dave henrie

In article <b3l4ml$1ln8p6$[email hidden]>, "Damien Smith" <[email hidden]> writes:

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>I race in a GTR league, in fact it's the one organised by 'elite76' himself. >We've got lots of 56Kers and as long as we limit the number of players to 6 >in each division race, we don't have any problems at all. I haven't seen >any 'chat' bugs or anything out of the ordinary. Even with this many >players, I get far more enjoyment than I do out of playing gpl with 10+ >players these days. I guess it must be the close nature of the racing as >opposed to the slip 'n' slide suicide of open-wheel gpl.

But, the more drivers you have in a race, the better chance you have of actually *racing* with someone. I've been in races where I never even *see* another car after about a lap or so. Pretty boring... Eldred -- Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPLRank:-0.381 MonsterRank: +339.873 N2002 Rank:+17.59 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

> But, the more drivers you have in a race, the better chance you have of > actually *racing* with someone. I've been in races where I never even*see* > another car after about a lap or so. Pretty boring... Haha...that'll teach you for racing with aliens. : )

Ok, I think I've sussed it.. It could be a NAT issue or a game protocol issue. As soon as I asked my friend who was experiencing problems with sync and session skipping to set his game machine to a DMZ in his DSL Router the problems went away. I still believe something is well flakey with the game protocols, as everything is fine when he first joins (chat works, his .ini files are verified and he sees session changes), the problems appearing into a length of gameplay. I guess the router could be timing out a connection and therefore ignoring subsequent transmissions from the server, or the software is opening local ports for receiving data past a certain amount of time.. Either way it's weirdness! Cheers for the help, Andy Dave Henrie <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

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> [email hidden] (Andy) wrote in > news:[email hidden]: > > > Well, every one in the game is on the same DSL ISP as me, and they > > seem silky smooth when racing. It's more like a "sync" issue, where > > players cant hear each other chatting and moving to next session > > looses them completely. i've even had one guy join back in and take > > control of his old car as well as his new one, having 2 cars going out > > to the track at the same time. > > > > Very, very strange?! > > > > That IS wierd. The 'chat bug' where the practice session goes on and > eveyrone else keeps racing and chatting is a known issue. Sorry I didn't > comment on that in the first reply. There are two symptoms. One you just > seem to loose the focus of the host. In other words the lap times for > other racers either don't update or some drop completely. You can still > run laps but your times and your chat don't make it to the host. I'm don't > think there is a workaround for this, other than paying attention when > things get quiet and re-connecting. > The 2nd issue is a disconnect when changing sessions. The host has to > announce he's ready to move to the next session or race and tell everyone > to stop using the chat feature. I have been testing leaving the chat > screen altogether and waiting for the host to advance the session while > viewing one of the setup screens. > I have seen users who have been dropped because of the loss of focus re- > log on, the game still reports the old time and then displays a 2nd name > and time for the same person. But I haven't seen the two cars for one > player item. My guess for a solution there is: > If a player suspects he's been dropped, he should disconnect and > reconnect to the session. Then before driving leave again..warning the > other drivers, ESPECIALLY IF QUALIFYING HAS BEGUN, that you will be right > back and to not start a hotlap.(this saves hurt feelings when you rejoin a > 2nd time--the screen pause while joining can really throw off a hotlap) > Once you leave properly and rejoin, the game should be able to keep track > of your single prescence again. > dave henrie