Keep losing connection...

[dougie-lampkin]

Hey all...

Recently I'm having trouble holding a connection in CLC...but it's really odd...

I join normally, and can get max 4 laps in before losing connection. Not timeout, but "Lost Connection"...My ping times are fine (in the 40's for CLC), and I have next to no lag (same as anyone else). I can see everyone, and all chat before I lose connection. But I can't see Insim data. Like, pressing !ss does nothing, yet I can read and write normal chat. Just before I lose connection, I can see my lag bar slowly rise, yet I have NO lag...CLC is the only server this happens on.

This used to happen me about 9 months ago when I first started playing LFS online, in LTC. But it seemed to right itself within 2 weeks. This problem has now been going on for about 3 weeks. I don't think I've changed anything to do with my network recently, and this just happened all of a sudden. My internet speed is perfect, I normally have 2.5Mb down and about 200Kb up, which is what I always have. It's extremely annoying, as I can't do distance bonus, or go cadet, because I keep disconnecting...

Has this happened to anybody before? Help would be excellent...Cheers

[JasonJ]

I have the same issue, I constantly drop out, but turning off the h.u.d. didn't solve it for me. I just have an unstable connection because of my distance, alot can go wrong in 16,000kms through 3 countries and 20 routers.



The only difference that the CLC server really has with data transfer is the few inSim buttons sent to your client. There's a few buttons every second and one more every 9.4 seconds. I'm working on reducing this spam further. I've optimised it somewhat in the latest release. 2.6.7 but there is still some things left to do.

As a self test : turn off this extra info sent to your PC using the !hud command. This will disable all inSim buttons sent to your screen, and hence reduce some of the data sent to your connection. Try this mode for a little while and report back. Just be aware that a police chase will not show ***WANTED***, but it is still written in the chat.

Try it on both a full CLC server and an less populated CLC server to compare. But what I really want to know is if the inSim buttons turned off solves your issue.

[Chesta]

Sounds like the exact same thing I've been going through its seemed to cure itself after a week or two. Turning off the HUD might space out the conn losses

[shaken_bacon]

While my internet has been running fine, In the last 2 weeks I also turned off the hud. I have not had one time out since. When server had about 20+ players I would time out within 30 seconds usally. I have played for hours without one.

Also you say you have no network changes. Is that throug ha router or directly connected? I would try directly just to see, I know every few months my router acts up and I have to do a complete reset on my dlink 524.

[JasonJ]

I found LFSstrobe is hogging my connection somehow and causing me to lag out alot. I redid my LFS strobe file to only two lines and now its much better.

Dont use wireless if you can help it, thats a big problem causer.

[dougie-lampkin]

Although my internet supply is wireless, I live about 300 yards from the mast . I'm connected to the router with ethernet. The correct ports are forwarded, which shouldn't matter, but it's done anyway I can't use internet without using the router at the moment, but I did the last time and it makes no difference...

This happens in both a full and empty server. Although distance should not be a factor for me, I live in southern Ireland, and IIRC the server is hosted in UK. I have no lag anyway, so that's not the problem. I'll go on soon and try without HUD.

Thanks for the help

[illegal]

If you can, try disabling (start -> run -> services.msc) the Wireless Zero Configuration Service (right click -> stop) once you are connected to the router. If your internet still works - it should, this is how I fixed my lag/disconnect issues - try the CLC server again. The only issue here could be that you have to do this whenever you turn the computer on again. In any case, if this fixes your connection issues and you're familiar with batch scripts, you could make a small script that stops the service with a single click after your wireless connection is established.
Additionally, can you tell me what the wireless adapter in your laptop/desktop is called?

[dougie-lampkin]

If you can, try disabling (start -> run -> services.msc) the Wireless Zero Configuration Service (right click -> stop) once you are connected to the router. If your internet still works - it should, this is how I fixed my lag/disconnect issues - try the CLC server again. The only issue here could be that you have to do this whenever you turn the computer on again. In any case, if this fixes your connection issues and you're familiar with batch scripts, you could make a small script that stops the service with a single click after your wireless connection is established.
Additionally, can you tell me what the wireless adapter in your laptop/desktop is called?

I'm not using wireless, I'm using ethernet. The only wireless is the one that feeds my modem...and that's no problem, I live 300 yards away and there are no objects in the way...

[dougie-lampkin]

Yes, even with HUD off, I got to the lottery collection point before losing connection...

[illegal]

Oh, sorry. I totally misread that

[JasonJ]

before collection point? ...This is in the server logs just shortly before you lost connection: (~mins)

:****CASH JACKPOT****
:dougie-lampkin won €4515 at lottery !
:****CASH JACKPOT****

Ok, so turning off hud removes any inSim button spam/info going to your PC, other than regular chat. So this should eliminate any potential problems caused by extra inSim buttons/info sent to your screen. Unless the packet buffer on the server is crashing and subsiquently booting you out, which I'm going to improve on the next version. Cause this does seem to happen occasionally sometimes.

try this trace route:

start >> run >> cmd
command prompt:
tracert 195.78.83.8

Do that a few times (like 5-10 times), see if you see any thing strange or any *unable to reach* / *request timed out* messages. This tests the connections from your PC to the server where CLC is located. Maybe this might reveal something. Chesta had a similar issue but his ISP did had some 'issue' yesterday and now its fixed apparently and he doesnt loose connection anymore. Something was flakey. He had no trouble on other servers either.

[shaken_bacon]

I think I have asked you this before, but I forgot the answer . What operating system are you running? Vista has known network issues, especially in games. If so ill find the multiple fixes you can try.

[dougie-lampkin]

before collection point? ...This is in the server logs just shortly before you lost connection: (~mins)

:****CASH JACKPOT****
:dougie-lampkin won €4515 at lottery !
:****CASH JACKPOT****

Ok, so turning off hud removes any inSim button spam/info going to your PC, other than regular chat. So this should eliminate any potential problems caused by extra inSim buttons/info sent to your screen. Unless the packet buffer on the server is crashing and subsiquently booting you out, which I'm going to improve on the next version. Cause this does seem to happen occasionally sometimes.

try this trace route:

start >> run >> cmd
command prompt:
tracert 195.78.83.8

Do that a few times (like 5-10 times), see if you see any thing strange or any *unable to reach* / *request timed out* messages. This tests the connections from your PC to the server where CLC is located. Maybe this might reveal something. Chesta had a similar issue but his ISP did had some 'issue' yesterday and now its fixed apparently and he doesnt loose connection anymore. Something was flakey. He had no trouble on other servers either.

That was yesterday, I had gotten 3 laps I think in FZR and then lost connection. It was around 2.30pm GMT today that I was on, if that helps...

I'm running XP, never had any problems in the last 9 months with it, it just started a few weeks ago...

I can't really ring my ISP, it's not my connection, it's my parents...but they really hate gamers and downloaders (my ISP that is ), and I download like 3GB every night, and they have slowed down my connection before...even though there's no download or bandwidth limit in the contract

Here's the results of the trace, the first one timed out, but the rest have normal ping times (apart from one 205, which I wouldn't worry about...)

EDIT: Just on the off chance, I'll try re-installing LFS, it might have corrupted or something...

[dougie-lampkin]

No, a fresh LFS made no difference...so it's my connection...which is odd as all of the other servers I've tried have had no problems...

[Chesta]

your having the same thing i had.. possibly just sit it out and it might remedy itself..