February 12, 2014

Test new Hidden Grotto server

We are testing to see how many total players we can have online with this server without too much server lag.

Remember that there are at least four different types of game "lag".  For this test, I am most interested in learning about Lag #3 and #4 below compared to our other busy game servers.

1)  Animation Frame Rate Lag
This type of lag is from too many different animating things on the screen.  This type of lag is totally dependant on the complexity of the equippment and monster artwork.  If your computer is faster, you will have less animation lag.  The server you are connected to will not affect this type of Lag.

2) Animation File Loading Lag
This lag can happen after your character first appears on the screen and the game has to download your armor and equipment graphics.  If you have recently cleared your browser cache, this takes longer than normal.  There is also loading lag time when another player enters your game screen, and their artwork files have to download so that you can see them.  The server you connect to will not affect this type of lag, except if the server is full of players on your screen, with artwork that needs downloading.

3) Data Loading Lag
This is when you log into the game and your game character data is loaded from the game database.  The more inventory and house stuff you have will affect this time. If a lot of people are all trying to log into the game all at the same time, there will be more data loading lag.   A busy server will cause more of this type of lag.

4) Chat/Combat/MonsterRespwan Lag
This lag does depend on how busy the game server is.  The more people battling and chatting will create more of this type of lag.