Framerate drop / lag

Harold_Hedd

After this weeks server maintenace, I am having a severe framerate drop making the game almost unplayable.

It begins around 13.30 - 14.00 UTC time on the EU server.

Dolmens are the worst with all the animations, but also just running and then changing direction makes the game stutter. It is bad enough to be killed in a fight because of this, but also getting stuck because it is reacting so slow to input, is really really annoying.

Is there some explanation to this, and / or perhaps a fix ?

And how does the exit game actually work ?
When I quit the game I press E to confirm and just wait to be logged out, but I am also presented with an option to remain being logged in. Does that option affect the server capabilities ?

SaffronCitrusflower

You're not alone.

MageCatF4F

Hmm. We notice frame rate drop and lag on the oldest machine (only).

wilykcat

SaffronCitrusflower wrote: »

You're not alone.

You're never aloe on the forums when there are moderators watching you.

Tandor

On your exit question, I assume you're referring to what most games offer which is a choice between waiting while your character logs out or exiting to the desktop immediately but with your character remaining in the game while the exit counts down as per the first option. The advantage of the first option is that if you get attacked while counting down you can react, plus there's sometimes a suspicion that an instant exit might not always save your character's data correctly, so it's usually better just to take the first option and wait for the logout to be completed normally.

Harold_Hedd

Okay, I guess that this is how the game performs from now on.

I have the latency shown the past days, and it is betweeen 120 and 240. It is not stable, it differs a lot, but it has no correspondance with the stuttering and chopped up image.

I have tried different vertical sync options in the settings menu, I have a cabled internet connection and I still think it is connected to how many player are online.

Sarannah

If changing direction makes your game stutter, your graphic settings are WAY too high. As this is normal basic gameplay. This also translates to the same with the dolmens, although that is more graphically heavy. Lower your graphic settings until the problem is gone. Start with settings like shadows, view distance, particle effects, and other small things you barely notice.

When setting your graphic settings, test them during graphically high stress moments(dungeons/PvP), to make sure they are set correctly. If you only test them in town or overland, and you never tested them during high stress, there is the risk you could have placed them too high. This can also cause your skills to look delayed, when they are actually not. They can only appear to take longer to fire, as your GPU catches up.
(Note: Testing your graphics capabilities during PvP is best, as that is most often the most graphically heavy situation you can be in. But I always test mine during dungeons, as that is the second best option. When you get it running great, make sure to lower your graphics settings just some tiny bit more, to make sure that if you do ever get into an even heavier graphical situation, you can still run the game without issues.)

Not sure how to explain the lag, maybe more people in your area or LAN are using the internet a lot. Meaning yours will be somewhat slower.

When logging out you are presented with two options. Normally waiting and logging out means the server will log out your character cleanly and saves the data without problems. The second option to instantly log out, is there for when the gameserver or your client has a problem. For example if the server crashes, you cannot log out, and you will have to force a log out this way. Or when your internetconnection is interrupted, and you cannot tell the server to log you out, this option would still allow you to close the game.
Do not worry, even though the waiting log out is more clean and makes sure the server knows you are gone. The second option will eventually notice you are not connected, and will log you out. Or it will notice you are AFK, and will log you out after 15 or so minutes. Unless you re-login, you will not notice this though. But only use the second option if you really have no other choice.

PS: Have been playing quite a lot on PC EU, no framerate drops or input lag.
PPS: Make sure no background programs are running, or that noone else is using your LAN. (If other people are using your LAN, limit their bandwidth, or set a minimum bandwidth for your own device.)

Harold_Hedd

Thanks for the helpful response.

I will experiment with the graphic settings, they are now set to the third highest setting, but I wil lower them and see what that does.

It still feels strange that the problems occur at almost the same of day, but perhaps I should run the tracert and pathping and see if something differs.

ZOS_Bill

Our FAQ below has troubleshooting that can help with FPS issues.

What can I do if I am having performance or framerate issues while playing ESO on PC?