FYI: The LAG is back !

Nisha said:

Won an auction yesterday, but the item never turned up. Checked and re-checked the auction tabs, and the item list on my account page confirms that the item is not hiding anywhere in a corner of my inventory or storage.

Support ... here I come.

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Are you sure you werent overbid? Can happen and sometimes message doesnt appear. Has happened to me and if you dont remember you ped balance it is very hard to know.

whiteknut said:

Are you sure you werent overbid? Can happen and sometimes message doesnt appear. Has happened to me and if you dont remember you ped balance it is very hard to know.

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Yes, that is possible, too. I remember, however, that my bid was the top bid on the auction list just before the auction was removed because it was over and done.

Just very difficult to say what exactly went wrong there, because anything on the screen might not have been displayed correctly.

Something which I did notice that the timestamp of the auction message is somewhat messed up. It read '-21 minutes' at the end of the auction, then switched to '1 minute' and that is where it still is, whereas older aution messages seem to have the correct timestamp. 3 other auction messages are stuck at '15 minutes'.

Nisha said:

Yes, that is possible, too. I remember, however, that my bid was the top bid on the auction list just before the auction was removed because it was over and done.

Just very difficult to say what exactly went wrong there, because anything on the screen might not have been displayed correctly.

Something which I did notice that the timestamp of the auction message is somewhat messed up. It read '-21 minutes' at the end of the auction, then switched to '1 minute' and that is where it still is, whereas older aution messages seem to have the correct timestamp. 3 other auction messages are stuck at '15 minutes'.

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The -x minutes is because of the anti sniping thingy, resets auction to five minutes every time a bid is made with less than five minutes to go. -21 would mean it went past the original ending time with 21 minutes.

Perhaps you were overbid, but your notification lagged. Selling alot of stuff at auction at the moment and the notifications sometimes takes a while to reach me.

WhiningSkeptic said:

The -x minutes is because of the anti sniping thingy, resets auction to five minutes every time a bid is made with less than five minutes to go. -21 would mean it went past the original ending time with 21 minutes.

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I understand that, but still the timestamps of yesterday's auctions seem to be stuck atm. Just asking support to sort it out, because it obviously is not possible for me to do that.

So this morning I could not get on at all, this evening I got on and disconnected after 5 minutes. I managed to connect for 20 minutes and noticed the following :

Teleporters, disappearing, then reappearing after re-log then disappearing after I try to use them
Weapon on auto - shoot with gaps of up to 20 seconds between uses
Storage will not load
Auction will not load
Despite all this mobs still manage to attack me.

This is ridiculous - I am unable to play the game in it's current condition. By the way MA I even changed my Service provider and paid for a faster connection but it has made no difference at all.

PLEASE FIX THIS - IT IS BECOMING INTOLERABLE

Serica said:

/mod note/ merged 3 threads on same issue

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Says all you need to know really.

MindArk PE AB plans the biggest server upgrade in history

MindArk PE AB plans the biggest server upgrade in history

MindArk representatives report on the biggest server upgrade in the history of videogames. "We are going to overclock the shit out of our servers" Mr. John Doe said, Senior Engineer at MindArk headquarters, right before proudly showing a classified picture of the new hardware:

"With so much overclocks the lag will be a thing of the past !!!", he said while gazing into the horizon.

Gothenburg, Sweden - July 24, 2015

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News feed provided by Google News.

Update

Support replied within 24 hrs and told me that the won message was a mistake.

Another player got the item and my peds are on my card.

fred5283 said:

We should seriously organize some sort of "don't do anything" day or some sort of sit in at a town/tp.

No one shoot any ammo, drop any probes, craft any items, etc... for one whole day.

I know not everyone would oblige, but if we got most of the population, I think we could get MA's attention. Even if only the top 100 players in each profession would not do anything for a day, I think it would be a big blip on MA's radar.

Just my thoughts.

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That happened once many years ago, organiser got banned for a few weeks.

Mega said:

That happened once many years ago, organiser got banned for a few weeks.

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Smash them with the ban hammer! That will teach 'em! More bread and circus!

Mac said:

Smash them with the ban hammer! That will teach 'em! More bread and circus!

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Remembered the details:

https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/forums/showthread.php?39535-Free-Mandela-err-AlphaGeek!

Now obviously this is ancient history, but may be of interest to see there is nothing new under the sun.


As I was searching, I found that complaints about lag are also nothing new!

https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/forums/showthread.php?40491-Protest-against-lag-join-me

(Apologies to Smilgs)

Just have to wait for September (or whenever the next VU is)

Mega said:

Remembered the details:

https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/forums/showthread.php?39535-Free-Mandela-err-AlphaGeek!

Now obviously this is ancient history, but may be of interest to see there is nothing new under the sun.


As I was searching, I found that complaints about lag are also nothing new!

https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/forums/showthread.php?40491-Protest-against-lag-join-me

(Apologies to Smilgs)

Just have to wait for September (or whenever the next VU is)

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I'm well aware. I was so pissed off at the state of the game months before all of that that I sold everything and completely stripped my avatar of all of its skills in my own little protest. At the time, I was spending A LOT of money playing and was significantly monetarily invested and very emotionally invested in PROJECT ENTROPIA. They REALLY pissed me and some others off in those days. It took me 6 years to start trying to play again and I started to slowly come back. I don't know whether to be totally disgusted at this point, or totally consumed by laughter at their total incompetence to be able to resolve these issues after 10 years of this shit and through it all still have a total disregard for the players who are paying their fucking bills. I did up to 1k emons and quit it was getting so bad. Since I am older now, I think I will keep my blood pressure down and just

BUMP the crappy lag into oblivion!

fred5283 said:

We should seriously organize some sort of "don't do anything" day or some sort of sit in at a town/tp.

No one shoot any ammo, drop any probes, craft any items, etc... for one whole day.

I know not everyone would oblige, but if we got most of the population, I think we could get MA's attention. Even if only the top 100 players in each profession would not do anything for a day, I think it would be a big blip on MA's radar.

Just my thoughts.

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I very much like this idea, I am even happy to help fund adverts in game to make players aware. Just a thought before this goes any further, is this affecting everyone ? If I was at home in the UK on a 50 meg line and this lag was still happening then i would complain my ass off but i m currently in Nigeria with not the greatest connection although i do get 5-8 meg so it should be fine. Maybe players who are not affected can say where they are based.

Moondog

/mod note/

While I'll presently take the above posts to be no more than venting, due to the current lag issues, be aware that any posts that I consider to be seriously advocating a 'player strike' will be removed without notice.

If I have to do it more than once, the members involved may well find themselves taking a bit of a break from the forum.

I don't see anything in the EULA nor TOU that prevents players from organising a strike without a very extremely arbitrary interpretation which is far from reasonable so I must have missed something. Could someonehelp me out understanding why it is against the EULA?

In fettered opinion the "arbitrary" you refer to is covered by.

4. No Warranty, Disclaimer and Indemnification
You acknowledge that MindArk is not responsible for any accuracy, safety, legality or intellectual property rights of or with regards to Participant Content. MindArk hereby disclaims any and all liability in connection with the Participant Content. You agree hereby to waive any and all legal remedies You might have against MindArk in connection to the Participant Content. You further agree to indemnify and hold MindArk or MindArk's Partners, their officers, agents and employees harmless for the fullest extend allowed by law regarding all claims related to Your use of the Participant Content system.

Thus your see the implication of calling a 'strike' over the said interpretative opinion (re participant content) voiced on a forum as speculation with rule applied.

Its kind of like stop using your internet provider because you think it's shit, and asking on a forum for others to do so! However the forum is sponsored by the internet provider who tells you to GFY

xaph said:

In fettered opinion the "arbitrary" you refer to is covered by.

4. No Warranty, Disclaimer and Indemnification
You acknowledge that MindArk is not responsible for any accuracy, safety, legality or intellectual property rights of or with regards to Participant Content. MindArk hereby disclaims any and all liability in connection with the Participant Content. You agree hereby to waive any and all legal remedies You might have against MindArk in connection to the Participant Content. You further agree to indemnify and hold MindArk or MindArk's Partners, their officers, agents and employees harmless for the fullest extend allowed by law regarding all claims related to Your use of the Participant Content system.

Thus your see the implication of calling a 'strike' over the said interpretative opinion (re participant content) voiced on a forum as speculation with rule applied.

Its kind of like stop using your internet provider because you think it's shit, and asking on a forum for others to do so! However the forum is sponsored by the internet provider who tells you to GFY

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That paragraph rrefers to the PC system (signs and ads in game) and does not prohibit organizing a players strike.

Serica said:

/mod note/

While I'll presently take the above posts to be no more than venting, due to the current lag issues, be aware that any posts that I consider to be seriously advocating a 'player strike' will be removed without notice.

If I have to do it more than once, the members involved may well find themselves taking a bit of a break from the forum.

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Is talking about a strike against the forum rules?

moondog said:

I very much like this idea, I am even happy to help fund adverts in game to make players aware. Just a thought before this goes any further, is this affecting everyone ? If I was at home in the UK on a 50 meg line and this lag was still happening then i would complain my ass off but i m currently in Nigeria with not the greatest connection although i do get 5-8 meg so it should be fine. Maybe players who are not affected can say where they are based.

Moondog

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It's not location based, as far as i can tell. I'm spending most of my time in team with other players and i've noticed my friend Thief (who lives less than 1000 km from me) often gets lagged off or encounters CTD while i have no lag at all and no CTDs.*)
For example, while shooting at mobs my friend suddenly stops for a few moments, and then complains about terrible lag, while i have no lag at all.
Another good example is going into Space. As a rule (with a few exceptions) my friend has to relog before we take off or otherwise he will drop off the game and has to relog anyway, while I don't even remember when i had similar problems. Etc, etc.
*) This does NOT apply to the auction lag and chat lag, if those hit, we both experience them.

What is causing this? Good question!

Internet?
I'm currently using mobile internet dongle (~30 mbps down / ~20 mbps up), my friend is using 100 mbps broadband land line. So, it seems the root of the problem is not the internet connection (unless it's something very specific that i can't figure out?).

Client PC?
My PC: Quad-Core 3,6 GHz; 8 Gb RAM; Nvidia GTX 550 Ti with 2 Gb video memory; SSD drive.
My friend's PC: Dual-Core with 4 Gb RAM and it seems it's one of those older motherboards that can handle only 3.5 Gb of RAM.

Server-side problems?
We're both at the exact same location at the same time and i have no problems (except chat lag/auction lag), so can't see how these problems can be server side.


Conclusion: It seems in our case the most likely explanation for the disconnects, lags and CTDs is the client PC. I'm not a game engine expert thou, just using common sense.


That said, i have experienced ingame lag during Migration at some locations. There's some laggy areas (area servers), i.e. Nymphtown on Caly, Empire Z (Zombie Kong wave area) on Rock, etc. In those places both me and my friend are experiencing the same lag.
This seems to be server-side problem and it is extremely annoying i totally agree!

So apparently one can organize protests and boycotts to any real life business but for some reason one can not protest an online business and/or game? I only ask as I am confused by what the difference between the two would be.

Ah well

Guess that abrer run has to wait then. Can't stay online for more than a minute at a time...

graham said:

So apparently one can organize protests and boycotts to any real life business but for some reason one can not protest an online business and/or game? I only ask as I am confused by what the difference between the two would be.

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Sure you can. Outside the real-life business premises though.
Try doing it inside the shop or on their property and you're likely to find store security or the police arriving to remove you.

Serica said:

Sure you can. Outside the real-life business premises though.
Try doing it inside the shop or on their property and you're likely to find store security or the police arriving to remove you.

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Please remember you aren't security or police you are a super moderator. Whilst removing angry threads from frustrated players is part of the job description, it sometimes may be of use if Mindark see the level of frustration encountered by passionate active players by this lag issue.


...before you ban them, and delete what they said.

Mega said:

Please remember you aren't security or police you are a super moderator. Whilst removing angry threads from frustrated players is part of the job description, it sometimes may be of use if Mindark see the level of frustration encountered by passionate active players by this lag issue.


...before you ban them, and delete what they said.

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Good point also a sign when you are over modding when the CEO of MindArk tells you to un-mod his modded post

OZtwo said:

Good point also a sign when you are over modding when the CEO of MindArk tells you to un-mod his modded post

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1) I had to read that 3 times
2) I didnt see that happen
3) Serica - dont invent new rules, theres a shit load of them already. That said you mostly have my full respect. When you dont, well you read it, then delete it x

Mega said:

1) I had to read that 3 times
2) I didnt see that happen
3) Serica - dont invent new rules, theres a shit load of them already. That said you mostly have my full respect. When you dont, well you read it, then delete it x

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David|MindArk said:

Last edited by Serica; 07-12-2015 at 01:04. Reason: original tracking link restored, as requested

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Yes getting a bit off topic here. My bad

Serica said:

Sure you can. Outside the real-life business premises though.
Try doing it inside the shop or on their property and you're likely to find store security or the police arriving to remove you.

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Coming from Australia Serica you should know its against the law to deny union talks after being taken through the industrial relations commission. You also do not need to permission if the talks are had at work before starting hours of workers.

Usually you post the rule that is being violated. How come you did not in this case? Am curious if it exists because I hate anti-union establishments and I may have to just leave the forum of my own will.

dar hammer dei said:

Coming from Australia Serica you should know its against the law to deny union talks after being taken through the industrial relations commission. You also do not need to permission if the talks are had at work before starting hours of workers.

Usually you post the rule that is being violated. How come you did not in this case? Am curious if it exists because I hate anti-union establishments and I may have to just leave the forum of my own will.

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We're getting way off topic here, but as you ask -

1. You're not an employee, you're a customer. You're certainly not a unionised employee, with the legal protections that apply to them.

2. As Mega has rightly posted earlier - MindArk has previously banned a player for attempting to organise a mass protest/boycott of the game. That was during a period of incredibly severe rubberbanding, not just the annoying but comparatively minor lag that we have at present. Anyone who was playing back in late 2006 will recall just how bad it was then.
I have no personal information on the specific section of the ToU that MindArk applied in that case, but at the time 711 speculated that it was:

EULA 8 said:

k. You may not spread any rumors, false or inaccurate information about MindArk, the Entropia Universe or MindArk’s Partners, associates, staff or affiliates, which MindArk consider, at MindArk’s sole discretion, to be potentially damaging, by using the Entropia Universe, IRC (chats) or any other public forums in any media, now known or not currently known, including but not limited to a web site.

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3. The forum rule that relates to posts that violate the EU Terms of Use is:

Forum Rules said:

2.11 - Entropia Universe Terms of Use/EULA Violation
Any thread, post, signature or publicly viewable content that clearly violates the Entropia Universe Terms of Use or End User License Agreement (EULA) will be deleted without notice, and may result in a temporary or permanent ban from the forum without notice, and if severe enough it may have impact on your ingame account. This rule includes such things as the sale of avatars, the sale of PED or items for cash, attempts to circumvent the official deposit/withdrawal channels, attempts to exploit a weakness in the client software and/or Entropia Universe servers, or defamation of any person, firm or entity, including, without limitation, MindArk PE AB, AR Universe AB, Forum Staff, Entropia Universe planet partners, MindArk's representatives and/or Entropia Universe.

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While it seems most people are experiencing some lag - related in particular to chat and auction - it's also clear that not everyone is experiencing it to the same extent. My own experience is that it varies depending on the server I'm on at the time, with almost imperceptible lag on some, and irritating chat delays on others. As I'm not participating in migration this year, I try to keep off those servers as much as possible.

I've not yet removed or modded ANY posts in the thread, and I certainly have no issues about people reporting their lag experiences or venting their frustration.
Using the forum to organise or promote a wide-spread customer boycott goes quite a long way beyond that though.

Hey Serica,

I know I am not a employee you used a poor analogy and I responded to that directly. Generally customers have a lot more rights then employees.

MA is running a fine line lately and is losing customers constantly. A good chunk of my friends have given up on the game because of the on and off lag over the last year or so. Recently being the breaking point.

Sometimes it takes big actions to show a big organisation that there customers are not satisfied(I am not organizing anything to be clear). They really need to get there act together because it is not a huge player base and every customer lost is a decent percentage of there income.

Thank you for quoting the rules as requested.

HF GL