Multiplayer lag/stutter on moving objects

[Snowwhite 10]

- Ping is ok (16-32)

- GFX Very Low or Very High, same issue

- FPS are fine (+35)

- My conn = 3MBps Down / 128 KBps UP

Moving objects like soldiers, vehicles, planes seem to stutter, skip frames or lag, whatever you call it.

Is this a connection issue (lag) or?

Game runs fine besides that but it makes it hard to hit targets, especialy if you are into sniping. Personaly I would think it's server lag or a connection to server issue.

Examples I have found on Youtube:

Could you please post your PC specs (like in my signature) so BIS can use it as a guide to fix this problem.

Edited July 9, 2009 by Snowwhite

[tophe 68]

I get the same... even when playing on a dedicated server by LAN. No matter how I set up the dedicated server it stutters off and on. Most people seem to have problems with multiplayer, so let's hope they fix it in the next patch.

[B()NE 10]

I have noticed this too , even on very low latency servers you get warping on moving targets, also when you are travelling in vehicles the random stutter is annoying.

[mr.g-c 6]

It is a well known Arma1 Problem. Once again people were crying for a fix since the first day Arma1 got released - nothing.

I tried to eliminate that beamings with even the extremest server-settings but you can forget it. Server admins can try it with extreme settings for "MinErrorToSend" and a very low value like "8" for "MaxSizeNonguaranteed", however this will increase the big lags and is terrible for peopl with higher pings, so its only advisable to use suhc values in LAN environments.

Btw, beamings got worse in Arma1 with the beta 1.09, 1.11, or 1.12 patch - don't remember it exactly anymore.

[von_paulus 0]

I played online only once with ARMA II and found this stuttering issue.

As for ARMA I've never felt it or I just don't remember it, I didn't play much online though.

[Murklor 10]

Remember OFP, release version multiplayer? Like warping hell :p

But yeah, there's some serious stuttering in there. I notice this on the map too, unit names and markers are all over the place with an intervall of ~1 second. In a full airport on Evolution or Domination I cant even make out players or vehicles because everything is jittering about.

[Tiglet 10]

yeah came across this too. I was a sniper and was trying to hit a guy but he kept warping so I had to shoot like 10 times really fast to hit him.

[Pompeybear 0]

I have the same problems, game runs well enough in single player. Then in MP everybody and vehicles stutter. annoying to be honest.

[Snowwhite 10]

Ok, this needs more attention then, I'm going to add a specs request in my first post so BIS can use it as a fix guide.

[LondonLad 13]

I've noticed similair experiences - Not across all servers (e.g. [RIP]) but have sone on others (e.g. 1PARA).

[whisper 0]

Proper config and less stressed server (good configuration + less stressing mission) will lower this issue.

Mind you, not eliminate it, I don't think it's possible to eliminate it

[Snowwhite 10]

By proper config you mean?

This happens with very low/disabled and Very High settings.

Or do you mean server config?

[rekrul 7]

I believe the problem lies within the netcode. If I remember correctly back in OFP days, the warping was absolutely horrendous but improved a lot when they dropped the directx netcode that I can't remember as well.

Seems like BIS is either missing or has bad prediction code or there are too many animations for it to keep track of. If I remember correctly, this warping doesn't appear when looking at the map and seeing enemy units there.

[Snowwhite 10]

It does on some servers.

I think you are on to something though.

[whisper 0]

I meant "proper" server config, ie adapted to server CPU power and network connection

But anyway like I said I don't think it's correctable

even by BI, to some extent.

They have to keep open the option of online MP game with many players and many units (in the hundreds of AI for example), all potentially bundled into 2km from each others. That means they can't simply stream unit information for units 2km distant like they do for units 10m distant, because otherwise in the above scenario that would mean a hell lot of info to send to all clients, putting server to his knees fast, as well as clients, and limiting the potential scale of the game (scale being the core of the engine)

Meaning they have to make the update for unit positions dependant on distance from point of view and CPU power available.

Once you do this, you'll run into other scenarios (mission too CPU hungry by itself) which will leave too few CPU for packet sending, meaning server will lower servicing of updates for clients for close units, resulting in very visible warp.

That's just an example, I'm pretty sure there's a lot of scenarios where it can happens, seeing how often I see slight warping on seemingly not too CPU intensive missions (AAS) at distances like 400m. Ofc, connection of the watched unit to server may also cause warping.

So I guess there's many many parameters into this equation, part of it being even the actual physics and AI engine being too slow to update the network engine when server can't handle. So in fact, any kind of optimization will be good, not only network related ones :)

what I'm more worried, is a problem I see even on non stressed server. I've seen server still running in the 40th FPS level, with only a half core used for game processing, who suddenly shows lag once player count reaches 30. Mission was PvP only (AAS), no AI, very few script intensive, I don't know where the issue could have come from

[Pompeybear 0]

I've noticed similair experiences - Not across all servers (e.g. [RIP]) but have sone on others (e.g. 1PARA).

I play alot on 1Para server. And that is certainly where I notice it most.

[Jedo 10]

Has anyone managed to find a fix for this? I have the same problem and at first I thought lag, but aparently some people are free of it.

A little history: I had the same problem in the single player of ARMA 1 and I found out that it was because of Vista - moved back to XP and all problems solved, but now it's happening in XP but only in Arma2 multiplayer - single player is ok (relatively ok)

Edited July 12, 2009 by Jedo

[Jedo 10]

hi, anyone a fix for this yet? After patch 1.05 the problem seems to have become less, but the stuttering is still quite annoying. It seems to be completely unrelated to PC specs, because even with minimum view distance and no grass, all AI and other players on MP stutter. I myself and the bots I hire do not stutter at all. I choose servers where my ping is under 30. The video at the beginning of the post describes my problem exactly. Anybody??

Edited January 12, 2010 by Jedo

[rekrul 7]

They have to keep open the option of online MP game with many players and many units (in the hundreds of AI for example), all potentially bundled into 2km from each others. That means they can't simply stream unit information for units 2km distant like they do for units 10m distant, because otherwise in the above scenario that would mean a hell lot of info to send to all clients, putting server to his knees fast, as well as clients, and limiting the potential scale of the game (scale being the core of the engine)

I don't see why. It's not like sending packets takes a ton of CPU cycles and the server has to know where every client and AI is at all times anyways. The only timecritical data you need to send i x,y,z, direction and perhaps animation frame. The animations are already on the clients so no need to stream the soldier animations over. Other info like gear, etc, aren't really necessary for other clients except when he's dead and it's not timecritical info.

[Jedo 10]

I have an update on this issue: I just bought a new system. I can now run Arma2 with most video options maxed out and have a view distance of 5000+ km without much trouble. Yet on-line the stuttering graphics problem persists. So, by this, I just ruled out my system being the problem.

I also moved from Win XP 32 to Win 7 64 so this problem is indeed not fixed to an operating system.

I have a router and back at the time I thought that this problm might have had something to do with port forwarding or bad cable or something, but I tried taking that out of the equation and the problem continues.

I would really appreciate if someone thought up a fix for it :P Multiplayer fun just goes down 50% because of this jitter.

[Leopardi 0]

Some kind of interpolation is needed. Almost impossible to hit the bots warping like mad from distance.

[no use for a name 0]

I've played on several servers; but usually only play on one or two and have never had serious warping. Me thinks it's either a server problem (connection, settings, etc.); or it's caused by other people with poor connections dragging the rest down. The only time I see bad warping is when there's a ton of players/entities on the maps (i.e. warfare, domination, etc.) Every other time with 20-25 players in co-op I've never seen it....and I'm on a crappy DSL with ~90ms ping

[stk2008 14]

Its not server settings I am one of the few who have said about this since OFP/ARMA and now ARMA2 its not lag (though some times it can not help)

Its warping that mainly happens at far distance enemy etc.

As I play as sniper 99% of the time I am all ways faced with this problem.

Its when looking through scopes etc that this really shows the problem.

I have mentioned it in a few threads and never got an answer nor a fix so I think it cant be fixed and its deeper in the code than we all think.

So yes sniping for me on things other than stationery object can be a little more challenging hahahaha.

[rory_pamphilon 16]

This in my opinion is one of the top things that needs to be fixed in Arma 2.

I'm in the process of tryin to convert some LAN buddies from Battlefield to Arma and this problem/bug is one of the main reasons they dislike it & probably the main reason there aren't more people playing this online. It's not smooth like other multiplayer games.

U should fix this BIS if you want a bigger fanbase!

[PuFu 4591]

You can minimize the effect by using a smaller value for MinErrorToSend = in ArmA2.cfg/ArmA2OA.cfg My clan uses 0.005

BIS suggestion

//*Minimal error to send updates across network. Using a smaller value can make units observed by binoculars or sniper rifle to move smoother. Default: 0.01

For more read THIS

There is a fault to go to BIS, and another to servers admins who cannot setup their servers correctly for the amount of ppl using those.

Hope the above helps to a degree