This is an old, original article of mine reprinted here. It was first posted at my original blogger site March 24, 2007. Am reposting it here since I just got a lot of complaints about lag and connectivity issues. I hope this will help.

Picture this:

You and your buddies just visited your local, boring NPC to stock up on pots and stuff and head out to the spot where the Boss respawns. It’s 5 minutes till the bastich appears… a few noob groups are hovering like vultures in the horizon.

The boss appears… right on time!

You pound at the big monster and score crits while your supports debuff and heal the tanks. A few more hits and this sucker is dead!

And then it happens.

It just happens.

The stuff every online gamer dreads – LAG!

OMG! (now the noobs get your loot! Argggghhh!)

Let me share a few tips to avoid (and maybe even just lessen) this nightmare:

1. Get a better connection – faster is better. Period. If you play at home (and can afford it) getting the best DSL package will be a big boost. If you play in a cafe, make sure the MBPS is fast enough (and yeah, do look out for youtube addicts, they suck up bandwith like hell!!!)

2. Upgrade your PC – adding more RAM and a better video card will also help. Save up for this. No more yosi (cigarettes) for a month or two!

3. Close those damn background apps – would you like a YM message to appear while you’re in the middle of PVP against your nemesis guild? Close ‘em all. Go to windows, START, click run and type in “msconfig” and in the “startup” tab, close those you feel that you don’t need.

4. Play in a server with less people – Spock would simply tell you that “this is logical”. ‘Nuff said.

5. Maintain your PC – with the latest anti-spyware and anti-virus. A lot of internet shiat can slow down a PC. Formatting every 3 months works for me.

6. Tone down the graphics – if your game allows you to take away shadows, lighting or other special effects, then do so.

7. Know the time of day – where the game is not at its “peak”. If you can, play during those times. But hey, if you like griefing a hundred noobs at 7pm, then prepare to suffer a little bit.

I hope these tips help. May the lag devil never visit you…

Anyone with some more tips to share?

**The opinions and viewpoints published in this article are not necessarily those of Level Up! Inc, its games and its licensed products or services.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 27th, 2008 at 9:11 am and is filed under GM Tristan. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.