Server Latency Skyrocketing?

Casterial · May 2020

Whats with the latency lately? I use to idle in towns around 75-80 and only spike up during Cyrodiil.

Now I sit at ~120-140 and spike to 300+ in Cyrodiil.

I ran a tracert and Akami gets hit at 151ms..... Why?
My ping test directly to the server was 65 ms, my tracert was ~15-20ms per each place hit, until Akami who gets hit for 127+ ms

127 ms 169 ms 222 ms ae121.access-a.sech-sjc.netarch.akamai.com

Will anyone at ZOS talk about how NA servers have been an issue lately? Is it just /latency is lying and we still don't have confirmation on what its actually calculating? Resource Monitor will sometimes say 5,000 and ESO will say 120...lol.

On any other game I still sit below 80 ms for Texas based servers from California.
And before you say it... No, its not my equipment or PC, speedtest show 500mbps down, 40 mbps up. No other games lag at all with latency, and a while back I replaced all of internet equipment.
----
To run Tracert or ping test to NA, read below:
https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/30903/~/how-do-i-do-a-pathping-and-tracert-to-the-servers-to-test-my-connection?

Casterial · May 2020

https://youtu.be/OCUfljXGomw

This video says 147 ping, 74 fps in Cyrodiil... But Leap from the enemy took 7 seconds, my DB took 6 seconds? Thats not 147 ping. Thats a lie.

JTorus · May 2020

You can still have a (relatively) low latency, while the servers' processes are bottlenecking.

Casterial · May 2020

JTorus wrote: »

You can still have a (relatively) low latency, while the servers' processes are bottlenecking.

/latency should talk about communication between client and server since A MAJORITY of this game has been moved to the server.

JTorus · May 2020

Casterial wrote: »

JTorus wrote: »

You can still have a (relatively) low latency, while the servers' processes are bottlenecking.

/latency should talk about communication between client and server since A MAJORITY of this game has been moved to the server.

Correct, and it does.
You're just waiting for everything queued in line before you, which isn't representative of your connection quality. This game is a glorified database server.

Casterial · May 2020

JTorus wrote: »

Casterial wrote: »

JTorus wrote: »

You can still have a (relatively) low latency, while the servers' processes are bottlenecking.

/latency should talk about communication between client and server since A MAJORITY of this game has been moved to the server.

Correct, and it does.
You're just waiting for everything queued in line before you, which isn't representative of your connection quality. This game is a glorified database server.

Poor optimization and mis-calculations on their end.

They moved a majority of combat off of the client to the server in a week due to hackers. - This was bad
They adjusted scaling from soft capos (~2-5k health being max, 175 dmg being max, etc) to the system we have now with no server adjustments - This was bad....

It just continues... they rush things without testing.

Their entire "queue" thing you're talking about has just gradually gotten worse and worse... In a few years when they're done pumping out content, they're realize their combat and quality of the game has gradually gone downhill.

Casterial · May 2020

Note: I also think they should force people into the other Cyrodiil servers, especially seeing as the main 30 day doesn't work properly.... Imagine you queue into the 30 day and it says "50th in queue." Then they should say "Play here in the meantime" and just drop you in the other standard one.

JTorus · May 2020

Casterial wrote: »

JTorus wrote: »

Casterial wrote: »

JTorus wrote: »

You can still have a (relatively) low latency, while the servers' processes are bottlenecking.

/latency should talk about communication between client and server since A MAJORITY of this game has been moved to the server.

Correct, and it does.
You're just waiting for everything queued in line before you, which isn't representative of your connection quality. This game is a glorified database server.

Poor optimization and mis-calculations on their end.

They moved a majority of combat off of the client to the server in a week due to hackers. - This was bad
They adjusted scaling from soft capos (~2-5k health being max, 175 dmg being max, etc) to the system we have now with no server adjustments - This was bad....

It just continues... they rush things without testing.

No disagreements, I suspect originally a lot of the coding was outsourced, and like any gaming industry project, deadlines are usually more important than quality. The quicker the thing is released, the better the shot at getting an actual ROI. It isn't meant to be some insidious plot, it's just business.

Don't forget, originally this game was geared for, and aimed at, older generation PC's (and likely to ensure console compatibility) so optimizations to utilize multi-threading, and x64 framework was less of a priority.

Without knowing a single thing about the MegaServer®™© I'm pretty sure the hardware is still quite adequate (discounting normal wear and tear on HDDs) and that the lag everyone is experiencing is sloppy coding and a complete and utter lack of foresight from a development perspective. I'd even toss in some upper brass sitting in a meeting one day, making the decision to forego the cost of paying a 3rd party for an anti-cheat solution integration, and chancing it on their own.

Casterial · May 2020

JTorus wrote: »

Casterial wrote: »

JTorus wrote: »

Casterial wrote: »

JTorus wrote: »

You can still have a (relatively) low latency, while the servers' processes are bottlenecking.

/latency should talk about communication between client and server since A MAJORITY of this game has been moved to the server.

Correct, and it does.
You're just waiting for everything queued in line before you, which isn't representative of your connection quality. This game is a glorified database server.

Poor optimization and mis-calculations on their end.

They moved a majority of combat off of the client to the server in a week due to hackers. - This was bad
They adjusted scaling from soft capos (~2-5k health being max, 175 dmg being max, etc) to the system we have now with no server adjustments - This was bad....

It just continues... they rush things without testing.

No disagreements, I suspect originally a lot of the coding was outsourced, and like any gaming industry project, deadlines are usually more important than quality. The quicker the thing is released, the better the shot at getting an actual ROI. It isn't meant to be some insidious plot, it's just business.

Don't forget, originally this game was geared for, and aimed at, older generation PC's (and likely to ensure console compatibility) so optimizations to utilize multi-threading, and x64 framework was less of a priority.

Without knowing a single thing about the MegaServer®™© I'm pretty sure the hardware is still quite adequate (discounting normal wear and tear on HDDs) and that the lag everyone is experiencing is sloppy coding and a complete and utter lack of foresight from a development perspective. I'd even toss in some upper brass sitting in a meeting one day, making the decision to forego the cost of paying a 3rd party for an anti-cheat solution integration, and chancing it on their own.

Good call, most studios I work at keep game code / server code in-house... But you're right about the chance of saving money, taking cheap routs and meeting deadlines before ready

barney2525 · May 2020

That's it

No more sky rockets

xaraan · May 2020

Performance of this game is horrendous. So far tonight on our trial run - Had to reset Sunspire b/c on first dragon we fought the game was dysnc'd and visual effects not matching the damage. Which is real fun when you have to redo all the trash pulls.

Then on next attempt, we screwed up and wiped, but guess what, could not rez. Had to have some relog b/c we were not in combat, just could not rez and every load screen in the dungeon to get back to fight lasted for a minute+ and we could only get pulled out of them with people whispering those stuck in screens, ready checking, etc.

Great wasting 50 min of our 2 hour raid time on zos bugs.

newtinmpls · May 2020

Yes, this is getting worse

JmJ · May 2020

xaraan wrote: »

Performance of this game is horrendous. So far tonight on our trial run - Had to reset Sunspire b/c on first dragon we fought the game was dysnc'd and visual effects not matching the damage. Which is real fun when you have to redo all the trash pulls.

Then on next attempt, we screwed up and wiped, but guess what, could not rez. Had to have some relog b/c we were not in combat, just could not rez and every load screen in the dungeon to get back to fight lasted for a minute+ and we could only get pulled out of them with people whispering those stuck in screens, ready checking, etc.

Great wasting 50 min of our 2 hour raid time on zos bugs.

Seems quite normal sadly. Im mainly raiding and past couple month's i can honestly say i have been spening more time to resetting instance, and loading screen's than actually doing a trial. What makes it worst that we dont get any information about this, there is no communication what so ever regaring this.

Casterial · May 2020

It really sucks that its starting to leak out of Cyrodiil... The bugs, the lag, just the quality seems to be going down.

Trying to pvp:

https://youtu.be/OCUfljXGomw

Trying to pve:

https://youtu.be/k5SaK9EQQDE

technohic · May 2020

Casterial wrote: »

https://youtu.be/OCUfljXGomw

This video says 147 ping, 74 fps in Cyrodiil... But Leap from the enemy took 7 seconds, my DB took 6 seconds? Thats not 147 ping. Thats a lie.

I had someone leap at me today and I held block an extra 5 seconds just to see. As soon as I dropped block, stun. lol I seemed to take the reduced damage though. So freaking janky.

Casterial · May 2020

technohic wrote: »

Casterial wrote: »

https://youtu.be/OCUfljXGomw

This video says 147 ping, 74 fps in Cyrodiil... But Leap from the enemy took 7 seconds, my DB took 6 seconds? Thats not 147 ping. Thats a lie.

I had someone leap at me today and I held block an extra 5 seconds just to see. As soon as I dropped block, stun. lol I seemed to take the reduced damage though. So freaking janky.

Yeah, my friend and myself have never left Cyrodiil... But since this Els chapter dropped we have never entered Cyrodiil..Its bad.

volkeswagon · May 2020

I farm mats and dig up treasure maps. Performance is great

Casterial · May 2020

volkeswagon wrote: »

I farm mats and dig up treasure maps. Performance is great

You do two things not related to combat

precambria · May 2020

PvP is really borked, battlegrounds runs like there is 40 people, PvE raids are virtually unplayable it runs like Cyrodil, Cyrodil...just no, it's the most desynced game experience you can get in a world with broadband internet.

Casterial · May 2020

precambria wrote: »

PvP is really borked, battlegrounds runs like there is 40 people, PvE raids are virtually unplayable it runs like Cyrodil, Cyrodil...just no, it's the most desynced game experience you can get in a world with broadband internet.

It really sucks that the game is becoming this way

Anhedonie · May 2020

That's just cheap ass Akamai...

technohic · May 2020

I think Akamai has its due share of the blame; especially up to update 25, but there is something else. Last night was the 2nd time I think I have been out in over a month. We managed to wipe a ball group and immediately after they wiped; ping dropped by about 150 to my pre-update 25 levels of around 140 in prime time. Servers are just not keeping up.

ZOS_FalcoYamaoka · May 2020

Greetings,
We had to remove some posts due to violating our rules involving baiting and bashing. Please keep your posts constructive and civil. If you have any questions about the actions being taken, please take a moment to review our community rules here.

ruengdet2515 · May 2020

All of you have very good latency but for me look like 350-400ms more than 2 years (Asia Pacific zone)
(200Mbs internet connection)

Shantu · May 2020

"the game has seen record numbers of players in ESO these last few weeks – numbers that we haven’t seen since console launch back in 2015. There’s been strain on the servers, but they are holding up well – a testament to the team and the hard work they’ve done over the past year on performance and stability." ... Rich Lambert 04/29/2020

https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/56681

And there you have it...

LinearParadox · May 2020

That moment when my post inferring that the mods call posts baiting and remove them, is removed by a mod for baiting.

In other news, yes. Server performance lately has been worse, not better, than before all of these supposed upgrades/improvements.
I'd like to believe (and I did, previously) that they're working on it, I really would, but that's not what I'm seeing.
What I'm seeing, is the return of the double-CC bug, the invisible weapon bug, sprint bug, weapon swap bug, can't drink potions, skills won't cast, health desync... that doesn't sound or feel like performance improvement to me.

Now, maybe the improvements are being offset by an influx of players due to COVID quarantine, and that's valid, I get that, but again... 0 communication about it. As usual.
And when angry people are left by themselves in an echo-chamber that's only visited by mods to remove posts... what can they honestly, reasonably expect to come of that besides venom and vitriol???

I've said it a hundred times and I'll say it again. PROVE ME WRONG.
You have no idea how happy I, and others, would be if someone made some rage thread on here and a DEV showed up and said "Actually... ____" and gave valid, rational reasons for the issues, or explained what's going on behind the scenes, etc.
Instead we get radio-silence (despite numerous bi-annual posts promising differently) while we all shout into the void in frustration.
Silence doesn't feel like care, silence doesn't feel like we're being heard(as we keep getting told), silence doesn't feel like you appreciate us.
And having a post removed while dozens of topics about bug and exploits sit unanswered... lets just say it doesn't reflect well, since I can't actually say what it feels like, lest this post get removed as well.

itsfatbass · May 2020

Shantu wrote: »

"the game has seen record numbers of players in ESO these last few weeks – numbers that we haven’t seen since console launch back in 2015. There’s been strain on the servers, but they are holding up well – a testament to the team and the hard work they’ve done over the past year on performance and stability." ... Rich Lambert 04/29/2020

https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/56681

And there you have it...

Thing is, that still isn't a valid excuse. ALL things involving networks, the internet and connectivity have had their demand increased significantly. Every other company I work for or utilize for these services have stepped up their games and I am still getting what I paid for, WITHOUT any degradation of quality.

Regardless, ZOS should ALREADY be prepared for a large influx of players, I mean that should ALWAYS be their goal regardless of pandemics forcing it or not!

JTorus · May 2020

LinearParadox wrote: »

That moment when....

Don't feel bad, mine got scrapped too discussing publicly available (wikipedia) info on corporate structuring. I'm not sure exactly how that's bashing.... lots of companies structure themselves this way. It's smart, should one endeavor fail, it won't crash the whole thing.

Back to the topic.... If we all dig back far enough, (2013/14) we'll see conversations about how many people PvP can host, in a given fight. Descriptions of smooth battles, hundreds of players. Etc etc. And you know what. I believe it.

2 crucial things occurred post-release that I suspect caused the largest impact on performance.
- Player collisions in PvP
- An (afterthought) of an anti-cheat system to audit data flow between client and server.

I could almost entertain Akamai as a culprit, except the devs would know for certain by now if they were a large impact, and another solution would be found.

Performance degradation is very likely a self-inflicted wound, and quite possibly the lesser of evils.

JTorus · May 2020

itsfatbass wrote: »

Thing is, that still isn't a valid excuse. ALL things involving networks, the internet and connectivity have had their demand increased significantly. Every other company I work for or utilize for these services have stepped up their games and I am still getting what I paid for, WITHOUT any degradation of quality.

Regardless, ZOS should ALREADY be prepared for a large influx of players, I mean that should ALWAYS be their goal regardless of pandemics forcing it or not!

SHHHHHHH you're not supposed to notice what real WAN capability is just because they opened up the throttle. You're supposed to thank your providers for their generosity, understanding and hardwork! Then go back to happily shelling out hundreds+ for mediocrity.

Casterial · May 2020

Shantu wrote: »

"the game has seen record numbers of players in ESO these last few weeks – numbers that we haven’t seen since console launch back in 2015. There’s been strain on the servers, but they are holding up well – a testament to the team and the hard work they’ve done over the past year on performance and stability." ... Rich Lambert 04/29/2020

https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/56681

And there you have it...

[snip]

EU got boost to server performance while US didn't, and yes record number which Steam says theyre still averaging ~20,000 players. So Probably ~150,000 online at once for both servers.

https://steamcharts.com/app/306130
27,325
playing 23 min ago

27,644.6 average, their April average was 28,467.7 and before that 14,755.9, heres the thing.... This lag started around the time they nerfed DOTs to the ground with their "server improvements" around November 2019, November 2019 11,531.8.

The lag has been getting worse and worse, and for me it was "November" when Cyrodiil started to become "Can't even go into it." I could semi-play and withstand the lag before that. Now, as you saw in my video its "Okay you did your ult, lemme' hold block for 10 seconds. OH THERE IT IS!!! *unblocks* 200 other skills finally go off.... gg."

Before that, at least we could play, now like others are saying you just sit there waiting for your turn to fire off a skill. RuneScape works better than this and has same amount of players.

While they see an increase in players, they should double their game server allocation during this, but only EU got to see that improvement?

[edited for bashing]

Alucardo · May 2020

Might be a good time to ask for a 7 day no cp campaign. Used to like going to the weekly campaigns when the main one was too laggy. Now there's no where to go, except maybe IC if I feel like getting melted by infinite jumping imperial physique mag sorcs.