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satellite internet connection

Tectop

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Just wondering does anybody out there play on satellite internet and if so how well did they enjoy the game with all the lag

Thanks
 

Basara

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I've not, but I've had friends that tried in the past.

Consider that the speed of light is 186,288 miles/second.

Satellite internet typically uses geostationary orbits at about 1/8 that distance.

So, if pure satellite service (up and down), figure 125 ms lag up, 125 ms lag down, the normal lag across the internet backbone to the server (usually 20-100 ms depending on where the downlink dish is in relation to the servers), then 125 ms BACK up, and 125 ms BACK down to you

Or about 500-600 ms lag, or what it was like playing in 1997 over a dial-up modem, but with better signal reliability and faster downloads. Essentially, it means that the "ticks" that game activity is measured in are going to be cruel to you. While everyone else waits at least one tick for their clicks and keystrokes to be read by the server, you'll be waiting 2-3, most likely 3.

Ok for crafting, marginal for normal PvM, deadly for intense PvM (like spawns, peerless, even taming attempts on things you can anger), and forget about PvP.

Ironically, UO is the only MMO that's even that playable on Satellite - newer games, the lag time make completely impossible.
 

Magnus

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Just wondering does anybody out there play on satellite internet and if so how well did they enjoy the game with all the lag

Thanks
Yep. I played using both 2D and UOKR from 2007-2009 and off and on after that. The game is actually fairly playable, considering it was originally designed for dialup and high pings. I was able to do crafting, exploring, most PvM - even events and a peerless if I was careful (though this I was stuck with melee characters). 2D is more choppy, KR (and I am guessing the EC now) was more fluid because it compensates a lot.

As well, surprisingly World of WarCraft worked quite well on it, the time when I tried it.
 

Tectop

Journeyman
3"]Yep. I played using both 2D and UOKR from 2007-2009 and off and on after that. The game is actually fairly playable, considering it was originally designed for dialup and high pings. I was able to do crafting, exploring, most PvM - even events and a peerless if I was careful (though this I was stuck with melee characters). 2D is more choppy, KR (and I am guessing the EC now) was more fluid because it compensates a lot.

As well, surprisingly World of WarCraft worked quite well on it, the time when I tried it.[/QUOTE]
Thank you all for your help.So if I understand you correctly . Satellite internet will be better when played on EC than CC?
Thanks again
 

Basara

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The main reason it's playable is because of it being designed for 1997 internet speeds. If you're old enough to remember playing those speeds you'll be fine.

Of course, if there was some way to use the satphone satellites in a similar way to cell tower data networks it would play better, but you'd risk disconnects every time one of those low-hanging satellites had to hand off to a different one because of horizon issues (the Iridium net, for example, was only up at around 483 miles, which is only about 2.5 times higher than the ISS, and therefore any given satellite would probably only be overhead for an hour before having to hand off to another).
 

Enziet

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CC has a fps cap that is very low. With sat internet you might not even notice that lag :D
 

King Greg

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Uhh... actualy UO is Probably one of the WORST games at dealing with lag. Even on dial up you were pinging better than most satellite internet providers. (More like 1s ping) In newer games you can move around while the ping catches up, in uo you can only take 1 step then have to wait for the server to recognize your new location before you can take another step. The EC Might be able to handle the latency better though. Personally I wouldn't touch a 500ms ping with a 10 foot pole in this game. I'd suggest trying to find an unlimited data 3g internet card or tethering your phone long before trying satellite..
 

Velius

Visitor
Pretty much everything that @King Greg said.
The way satellite pings and the way UO processes data mix together like oil and water.
When moving you'll take 2 steps. Then freeze up. Your comp sends the info through dish, to space, to server. Sever sends data back to satellite, to your dish and then comp. You'll then unfreeze and move 1-2 more steps. This is probably a second or 2 later. Meanwhile everything else around you is moving smoothly for the most part.
Every single action you do goes through the same process.
Toggle a special move. Interact with an item or crafting menu.
Cast a spell and it takes a second or 2 for it to even register and begin to cast. Then you have to remember that in UO you're not locked onto a single static target and it auto casts. You have to "last target" or even click on whatever it is you're casting on to send that info. Then once again it goes through the same information exchange back and forward.
Your best bet is some sort of tamer template coupled with Spell Weaving and a maxed out casting focus. Gift of Renewal's heal over time works decently to pick up the slack of not being able to spam bandages or mage heals.
Magery without eval for self invisibility and the various other utility spells. Not to mention Swords of Prosperity or some other mage weapon for defense.
But you'll still get wrecked by anything that requires you to be really active and on the ball. You're looking at being passive and not active.
Crafting is semi viable. Tailoring and Blacksmithing anyways. Just expect it to take 2-3 times as long to get anything done.
On top of all that your bandwidth is usually capped with a daily limit and then slows down "to 56k like speeds" It's more like 5k speeds. You'll eat through it stupid fast.
I could go on and on about the downfalls.

Go for wireless and 3g. It's miles ahead of a dish connection. Even at 1 bar.
Not to mention the start up costs are flat out absurd. You're talking about a few hundred just to get it up and going. Oh and then you're contracted to most providers as well.
Just don't do it.
Ask me how I know this.
 
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