Does a Wired Connection Actually Improve Defiance?

[Jinn Goodman]

edit: [PS3]
Short Answer: No.

Long Answer: No, it does not. I inquired a GM a week ago about the gameplay in Shadow Wars - it's pretty bad. Objects pop out of no where, players don't load properly, 10 minute loading periods, etc. I had a wireless connection during the chat. The GM told me that if I had gotten a wired connection, all my problems would go away (He/she kept assuring that it wasn't Trion's servers or had anything to do with them). He/she was wrong. It didn't improve my gameplay at all. The problems are still occurring at the same frequency and magnitude.

To sum it up...: Don't bother getting a wired connection - it doesn't help.

*note: I created this forum because it was really difficult for me to establish a wired connection. My internet output was on the other side of my house and I had to run wire through the attic and walls. Took about 3 days of drilling holes and such. I kept asking the GM several times if it would help. He/she said no doubt. Just aggravating that I did all that for nothing :/ . Would have been more helpful if the GM had just told the truth...
*on another note: I understand that Trion wasn't prepared for this amount of players on Defiance - hence all of the server-related problems.

[fishercat]

Probably would have been easier to run the cable through the hallway to see if it made any difference first. Would have saved a bunch of time. Have you tried resetting router and modem?

[SteveMND]

Well, it certainly would have made a difference had the problem lain between the computer and the router, so he was correct as far as that goes. However, the issue clearly wasn't there, so that didn't help. Honestly, most issues along those lines in my experience have been issues further upstream. For example, when I moved into my new house a year or three ago, they ended up running a brand new replacement cable line; I was having connectivity issues, and the problem turned out to be twofold -- one, a 'kink' in the cable line in my house, and a generally poor line from my house to the rural hub down by the road. My poor connection there, he said, was actually probably causing some slowdowns with other houses in the area as well, due to the interference. Both cases, the cable company came out for free to check the connection; if you're having a lot of issues, you may want to call up your provider and see what they can do locally. Might help.

[Jinn Goodman]

Probably would have been easier to run the cable through the hallway to see if it made any difference first. Would have saved a bunch of time. Have you tried resetting router and modem?

Damn. I can't believe I didn't think of that.......

[Jinn Goodman]

...if you're having a lot of issues, you may want to call up your provider and see what they can do locally. Might help.

I would but all of my friends have the same "connection" issues as well. Half of them don't live in my area too.

[Indra Echo]

The issue also can be with DSL, if using that connection. As I understand it from my provider (DSL is only way for high speed internet where I live unless I want satellite internet and I don't), DSL is degraded the further from the hub you get. And it's affected by all other users so if a lot of people are online using the DSL from my provider then my connection speed can really slow down or as sometimes happens in Defiance, time out. I have noticed a clear reduction in reliability at what I presume are peak usage times-Sundays, after school and after work hours and some evenings-you know, the times I'm likely to play. Wired from my router modem does nothing for me at all.

The only thing that sometimes can be helpful is making sure that anything else using the wifi is shut off or not accessing it, if possible. That includes computers, phones, tvs, tablets, and so on. And that any PC that is online does not have a browser open to some site that is constantly changing content that is being downloaded or accessed by your PC. Other than those things, my wifi and wired experiences have been no different.

[MacDeath]

What you are describing sounds like packet loss to me. The problem CAN be at your end, or Trion's end, or somewhere between. If you don't have the proper ports open, or have a 'poor' MTU size, you can get these types of symptoms. Read more here:
http://forums.defiance.com/showthrea...or-MANY-issues

[EdgeTW]

I don't know about this game, but a wired connection definitely helps in other games. For example, when I used to play Star Trek Online I had to abandon my wireless connection because using it would result in some pretty ridiculous pc/npc avatar/ship position warping.

It just looked horrible, and was frustrating to deal with as well. I'd run around the corner of a hallway and a few seconds later suddenly find myself 10 feet back and slamming into the wall just before the turn. Switching to a wired connection completely eliminated that.

[Zabuza]

Your better off with wired for gaming anyway, if sh!t happens you know it not the wireless right? Anyway here are some things you can try to improve your own connection and NAT.

1. Bridge your DSL modem. If you have a router, your modem doesn't need to be in routing mode. It might even create conflicts between the router and modem. By default it is in routing mode. When you change to bridged, the internet light will turn off, but you will still be connected. Your router will confirm this. If you don't know how to bridge your modem contact your ISP, or whoever provided your modem. Unless its an Embarq 660 series, then I could tell you how to do it.

2. Use the QoS (Quality of Service) settings in your router to make sure that whatever platform your using is set to Highest priority. If you have another device constantly downloading or streaming tv/movies, make sure you put it on Low Priority. If you don't have a way to set Low priority, you might need to roll back your router's firmware to a version that has real QoS settings. If you do not know how to change your router settings contact your router's manufacturer.

3. Some streaming services (the netflix) will eat all your bandwidth regardless if the device is set to low priority. If you have someone in your house constant streaming while you game, go into your netflix account settings. Then set your media settings to a lower quality. By default it is set to best, and will burst download at 13.5~ Mb/sec. When it bursts, you get the time out, especially if its more than you have, or most of it.

4. If someone else on your network is using a computer that allows every single connection (Not using Peerblock, NoScript, or AdBlock) It can muck with your connection. Easy solution, Install the previous three on that computer and clean out the spywares.

Hopefully some of that helps, for some reason it feels like I'm missing something. If I am and think of it I will come back.

[NIKOLA]

There is also a cheaper way that works.
Tested it myself.
Cut a can and make it into a Dish.