For The Want Of A Nail

Most of you reading this probably have a next generation console, PS3, Xbox 360, arguably a Wii and you’re enjoying the games on your LCD/Plasma or big screen monitor.  You’re thinking, Yes, this is what next generation gaming is all about: excellent graphics, slick game-play and superb online content.

Everything in that statement is true.  Well, except the last part.  People all too often forget that a large majority of games are so popular because of their multiplayer aspects — the online co-op modes or the variety of DLC and so on that are available for them.

So why is it that, even though a decent web connection is essential to complete the next generation package, your web access is very rarely scrutinised with the level of detail that you would when buying a new TV?  Or when you made the decision to buy an Xbox 360 over a PS3 (or visa versa, chill, fan boys)?

The important thing in gaming is latency, not speed.  You might think that they’re the same thing but they are very different.  Latency is the time it takes for a packet of data to reach its destination point and return to you.  Speed is the maximum throughput that can be obtained from your connection.

When I was on Virgin Media, I had a 20Mb connection but my average latency to World of Warcraft European servers was 250 ms plus. On my bethere.co.uk 16Mb connection, my average latency to the WOW Europe servers is 92 ms, a massive difference.

It may sound like I’m splitting hairs here because in an MMO they don’t really cause an issue.  Let’s take it into a game which requires fast responses, like Street Fighter.  In Street Fighter 4 the game operates at 60 frames per second so response and reaction are of the utmost importance.  If I had to deal with a quarter second delay over a tenth second delay then that would mean that I could drop upwards of 6 frames.  Now, while that may not sound like a lot, that’s enough for an online opponent to be able to land a heavy punch and link into a massive combination which could cost me the game.

It’s the same in FPS games online.  Everyone still seems to be playing MW2 and I’m sure they’ve experienced a situation where they’ve spotted someone, hit the trigger and even though they reacted first, they’ve come off worse in the exchange.  Generally, that’s down to the client response.  It’s less about hand eye reaction and more about ISPs and how they handle your connection latency.

So, what should you be looking for when you are picking your next ISP?  Well, because of consoles like the Xbox 360 and the PS3, ISPs are starting to notice that a lot of traffic is being used by gaming consoles and a few have introduced gaming connections — bethere.co.uk would be an excellent example.  When I enable gaming mode my connection speed is reduced slightly from the 16Mb I would normally get to about 14Mb but the latency is more than halved.  So they’re giving you the choice, fast downloads or faster game response.

The best thing to do if you are considering going with a particular ISP is ask them if they have any packages which have a reduced latency.  Let them know that you’re a gamer and that it’s of pinnacle importance to you.  Most will have a package that suits.

You should also ensure that you have a decent router.  Playing over wireless used to add to the delay but now wireless devices have latencies close to that of wired ones so there should only be a minimal delay in transmission to your router.  If you’re going through the trouble of changing ISP to get the best performance then you might want to stick a network cable in your device to make sure you are taking every advantage.

And finally, you should configure your router.  Make sure that your PSN/Xbox Live ports are all open.  Some routers even have Quality of Service options available so that you can tell your router to reserve a percentage of your available bandwidth for your device at all times.  This means that no matter what’s going on in your house, your console’s internet connection won’t be affected.

So, you’re probably still wondering about the article title at this point, no mention of nails.  I’ll explain.  I run everything I do on Ready Up by my wife who is as avid a gamer (but much less of a rage merchant) as I am.  Talking about the Street Fighter example, she said it reminded her of a poem, it went like this;

For want of a nail the shoe was lost,

For want of a shoe the horse was lost,

For want of a horse the cannon was lost,

For want of a cannon the battle was lost,

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost,

And all for the want of a nail.

This poem made also me think about latency and the Street Fighter example where sometimes something so small matters.  In this case it’s latency, and the smaller the better.