Inquiries on digital gaming
Inquiries on digital gaming
Hi, I'm from Africa and have had varied experiences with online gaming recently. I used to play FIFA frequently. On good days it worked well, but on bad days the game would crash, making it hard to find opponents and sometimes resulting in losing points. I played against players worldwide, ranging from the US to Asia. This year I became more cautious about spending money on such games. My favorite alternative is Age of Empires 3, which has taken up nearly 300 hours of my time. I hadn't faced any issues with it until recently (just a few weeks ago) when I stopped being able to play any games at all. I believe Microsoft made changes to their servers. I did some research and tests, finding that ping varies from 41 in close servers to 150 in Western Europe. Some games use dedicated servers while others rely on peer-to-peer connections. I understand the differences but don't see a clear advantage for either method. Which option would be better for me? Also, locating nearby servers for other popular games is difficult—I can't even access an official list for FIFA. Any suggestions on how to find closer servers? Thanks a lot.
Struggling a bit with the remaining tasks, yet the online aspects require low ping and latency for smooth performance. High values can cause issues.
Peer to peer increases the load on your system by using its resources instead of a dedicated server. This might speed things up because you can send data directly between computers. For long distances, a server usually performs better. Client-server connections can be slower since you connect to a central server rather than a nearby one, unless you're far away and then it helps. A client/server setup uses more system resources. The nearest server isn't always the fastest; close-range P2P might be quicker, while servers excel over long distances. To determine the best option, run a ping from the command prompt to find the lowest latency IP.
Here are your questions rephrased for clarity:
- Why is a dedicated server faster over longer distances? It seems the signal still needs to move between computers, but with a server handling the connection, it might not be as slow.
- Which IP address should you test when pinging?
Server offers a more consistent and probably quicker link compared to your own or your opponent's. Unless you're using the newest FIFA version, updates indicate they no longer rely on cloud services to create a virtual connection point between you and the opponent when playing P2P. Therefore, the stability and speed of your link will depend on both your internet connections. Or perhaps it starts with the person who begins the match. I'm not certain. You might want to check servers you're trying to join. Or search for local hosting options or websites near your location that match the servers you're interested in. It's like testing your internet by sending a ping to google.com.