We have all encountered the dreaded lag monster. You’re walking slower than molasses and then
suddenly shoot through the wall 200m ahead.
Your clothes won’t rezz and you can’t even move your camera!
As a
dancer/performer, lag is always a threat, with the potential to ruin many hours’
worth of work in mere seconds. But what,
exactly, is lag? I am no expert, and I
am by no means a techie person. But
after doing a bit of research, I thought I would share the information that I
found.
There
are 3 types of lag: server, network, and client (or viewer) lag.
*Server lag refers to the servers that contain the
information for all the sims. The LL servers
have to both keep track of everything happening in a region, and send that
information to all the users who can see the region. If they have too much to
do, they will slow down so as to not lose data. If too much communication is
required to fetch data about objects and send them to all the users, it can
become backlogged. Things that can make
the server busier include:
Many physical (physics-enabled)
objects in the region
Many users are in or can see the region
Many object-embedded software scripts
running in the region
Lots
of changing textures
When
avatars move (especially with an AO that keeps it in constant motion), the
server must make continual calculations and send information to you and every
other avatar in the region. Perhaps you
want to go see a dance show, and you know there will be many other people
there. Once you teleport in (and can see), SIT somewhere. Once an avatar sits, the server no longer has
to keep track of where that avatar is, freeing up the server for other
things.
Scripts
are the other usual culprit in server lag.
I’m sure you’ve all been to shows where you are asked to remove AO’s,
poofers, and any other lag-causing device.
Some shows have even begun placing script counters at the entrance and
restricting the show to avatars with a certain script count (generally 100 or
below). I heartily recommend purchasing
a script counter (you can find some nice free ones on Marketplace) and finding
out just how many scripts you are wearing without even realizing it. Most hair, shoes, and other clothing
attachments come with resizer scripts.
Once you have fitted your hair/clothes/shoes properly, you can delete the resizer scripts. As for AO’s, most third-party viewers come
with built-in AO’s that do not
contribute to server lag.
*Network lag refers to the connection between your
computer and the computers at LL.
Whether or not you experience network lag depends on your internet
connection. A
connection speed of at least 500 kilobits per seconds (kbps) is needed to run
Second Life adequately. If you are on a
wireless router, or entirely wireless connection you may not be getting these
speeds.
Paradoxically,
a connection speed that is too high can cause problems. Your computer has to do
something with the new data as it comes in. If it is too busy, it can miss data
packets, which then get re-sent. This makes the problem worse. You can adjust the bandwidth in your viewer,
but there is not much else you can do to combat network lag, short of changing
to a better/faster ISP. For many people,
this is not an option.
*The
last type of lag is client (or viewer)
lag. A major factor in client/viewer
lag is hardware. Having the newest, most
up-to-date computer, with a good graphics card and fast processor will go a
long way towards reducing lag. However,
since most of us probably can’t afford to buy a new computer, there are other
things you can do to help combat lag on YOUR computer.
Many of
these options are found in your viewer’s advanced menu. I use Firestorm, so the instructions are
based on those menus. If you use another
viewer, you may need to do some research to figure out where these options are
on that particular viewer.
Go to
Avatar --> Preferences --> Graphics. There are a lot of options here that can help
reduce lag on your computer. Under the ‘General’
tab there is a slider for the graphics
quality – lowering this will reduce the amount of work for your computer’s
processor.
Lowering the Draw distance can also improve
performance. Draw distance refers to the
distance your avatar can ‘see’ around the region. If you are inside a club (watching a dance
show, for instance) you don’t need a large draw distance anyway. I know of dancers who lower their draw
distances to 64m to help combat lag.
There
are a lot of sliders and boxes you
can play with on the ‘General’ tab – avatar imposters, avatar physics, LOD
factors, atmospheric shaders, lighting and shadows, etc. Move the sliders around until you find a set
up that works for you.
There
are so many factors that is impossible to give you a settings list, because
your computer may not work exactly as someone else’s does. For instance, most of the research said that
working from a wireless connection is not ideal. However, because of my location, I use a
wireless connection 100% of the time.
Just to give you an idea, here is a screen shot of my preferences (under
the ‘General’ tab):
Even though I am on a wireless connection, I can set my
performance quality to High. However,
all the various sliders have been lowered (LOD, Flexiprims, etc.), I do not use
avatar impostors, and I do not generally have the advanced lighting (with
shadows, etc.) enabled.
Under
the Network tab of the menu (Avatar --> Preferences -->
Network and Cache) you will find the slider to adjust your bandwidth. Again, you will have to play with the
settings to find what works best for YOU.
A few
other notes – if you find your computer is running slow, make sure that any
other programs are not open/running (Skype, Photoshop, etc.). You may also find that some people discuss
ARC (Avatar Rendering Cost) as a cause of lag.
ARC is not generally a cause of server
lag. It can, however, be a cause of
client/viewer lag. If there is a
particular avatar that is causing you problems, you can mute or block them,
which will grey out their avatar (note-you will not be able to hear chat coming
from a blocked/muted avatar).
Lastly,
you may have been told to ‘clear cache’ in order to fight lag. Clearing cache does not generally reduce lag
and, in fact, may actually cause lag. When you
enter a region, your computer must load all of the textures/objects in the
region. Once these are downloaded to
your computer, they are held in the cache.
If you clear the cache and re-enter the region, your computer must
download all that information again – causing possible lag not only to you, but
to the servers as well, which must provide the information. Clearing cache also causes your inventory to
reload, which can cause lag, especially if you have a large inventory. In addition, most dancers pre-load (cache)
their dances in order to avoid pauses caused by lag. If you clear your cache, you will then have
to re-load all your dances as well.
Unless
you are missing a desperately needed inventory item, it is generally not
necessary to clear cache.
I hope
you found this information useful. Below
is a list of sources, which contain additional information you might find
helpful. Some of it is a bit technical,
but the more you know, the better you can plan to fight the dreaded lag monster!
(If
there are any mistakes in this article, they are mine, not the sources.)
Happy Dancing!
Kat
Sources:
A big thank you! to Babypea von Phoenix, who provided some
additional information regarding lag.
