Packet loss, Guild Wars unplayable

Cyrinn

n00b
Joined
Sep 28, 2006
Messages
41
I have been back and forth with the GW support team about ingame lag that (at times) makes the game unplayable. To make a long story short, they asked me to run a program called pingplotter while playing to see where I am losing packets. There is 10-100% packet loss, but it is occurring at servers that are not within their network (according to them).

So I contacted my ISP, who have been useless so far. The packet loss does not occur on their servers per se (I have roadrunner, .rr.com) but on another server apparently run by a company called PCCW (.pccwbtn.net). So far, rr support won't do anything because the tech people I have talked with claim that is not their problem.

So who is responsible for PCCW? What do I need to say/do to get this resolved? (GW support recommended that I have rr open a support ticket with PCCW, which they will not do).

I appreciate any help.
 
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Tel: +1 650 226 0400
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give 'em a call or email 'em :D

about all you can really do.
 
I emailed them, no response. I will try calling.
What you are trying to do is futile. It's never their fault, always yours and absolutely nothing will be done about it. Last time I had an issue like this the cure was switching ISP's. The company I left was a local ISP and the owner was pissy with me. I guess he doesn't understand why I would want to pay 1/2 the cost for almost 8x the speed.
 
Definitely try to get a hold of them, as others have said I highly doubt they will be toooooo helpful but its worth a shot.

Never had issues with GW being laggy except during the holiday events when all the main towns are jammed
 
i bet they host the GW servers, or are a network carrier for GW's datacenter's provider
 
Ok there's NO WAY 216.107.241.88 is the right server. While NCSoft does own 216.107.241.88, I cannot ping it, and I get the same result on a Frontier T3 line, it hits PCCW then stops.
 
Did some more research, tons of people having the same issue, all of them had to swap ISP's to fix the issue. It basically has to do with whatever backbone they use to route to 216.107.241.88

Your ISP likely will not help you since the issue is not in their realm, it's the company their handing off to, in this pace PCCW.

Move ISP's or tell this company to move their servers. Are you playing on a US Server?
 
Yes, I am in the US and the last pccw server I hit is usually in LA. From all the items I read before posting, I had the impression changing ISP's would be the only solution.

So my ISP could put pressure on PCCW to fix their problem, but likely will not?
 
If you can ping all the way to the hop before PCCW (where rr hands off), then the problem is with rr and PCCW. Although you might be able to call them, you are better off trying to get a hold of Tier2 or 3 support and tell them there is packetloss on the hop between RR and PCCW.

If you call the normal support, they will likely be clueless since they are CS and not techs. I don't work for rr, but I deal with ISPs and other companies daily in our NOC.

It would be helpful if you can post a traceroute to the ncsoft servers, either manually through cmd (tracert ipaddress) or from pingplotter.
 
Tracing route to 216-107-241-88.plaync.com [216.107.241.88]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.1
2 19 ms 5 ms 5 ms 10.122.128.1
3 19 ms 9 ms 5 ms gig3-0.rochnygts-rtr01.nyroc.rr.com [24.93.3.81]

4 8 ms 5 ms 7 ms gig1-0-3.rochnymth-rtr03.nyroc.rr.com [24.93.0.2
02]
5 15 ms 9 ms 11 ms ge-7-3-0.syrcnycsr-rtr03.nyroc.rr.com [24.92.224
.10]
6 19 ms 14 ms 17 ms ge-7-3-0.albynywav-rtr03.nyroc.rr.com [24.24.7.1
74]
7 21 ms 78 ms 69 ms xe-11-0-0.bar1.Boston1.Level3.net [4.79.0.69]
8 19 ms 33 ms 19 ms ae-0-11.bar2.Boston1.Level3.net [4.69.140.90]
9 26 ms 31 ms 26 ms ae-8-8.ebr1.NewYork1.Level3.net [4.69.140.98]
10 24 ms 34 ms 35 ms ae-71-71.csw2.NewYork1.Level3.net [4.69.134.70]

11 35 ms 35 ms 35 ms ae-74-74.ebr4.NewYork1.Level3.net [4.69.134.117]

12 95 ms 105 ms 92 ms ae-2.ebr4.SanJose1.Level3.net [4.69.135.185]
13 106 ms 107 ms 92 ms ae-94-94.csw4.SanJose1.Level3.net [4.69.134.254]

14 121 ms 108 ms 108 ms ae-93-93.ebr3.SanJose1.Level3.net [4.69.134.237]

15 105 ms 107 ms 107 ms ae-2.ebr3.LosAngeles1.Level3.net [4.69.132.10]
16 104 ms 103 ms 103 ms ae-4-90.edge3.LosAngeles1.Level3.net [4.69.144.2
01]
17 * * * Request timed out.


Oddly on my home Road Runner connection, it stops at Level 3 in LA, I suppose yours does also.
On my Frontier T3 connection at work, it stopped at PCCW. As Frontier and Time Warner are the only two Internet Providers local, I'm glad I don't play GW because I could not even reach these servers.

This traceroute is pretty bad if Level 3 is having issues handing this off.. If you can't trust Level 3, who can you trust???
 
PPGWlag.jpg
 
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This traceroute is pretty bad if Level 3 is having issues handing this off.. If you can't trust Level 3, who can you trust???
w3, they are terrible. In any case, I don't see pccw on your traceroute, or even if I do myself (over rr). I don't believe 216.107.241.88 is pingable, which is why you see it failing at hop 17.

Edit: it does indeed seem to be packetloss between rr and pccw. My traceroute does not go over them, so I don't see the same thing. Same with IntelOwnz's one. You need to speak with a RR Tier2 technician, and show them that there is packetloss between rr and the handoff to pccw. Don't even bring ncsoft into the equation unless they start asking questions on why you are telling them this.

RR will be the one that has to open a ticket with PCCW and have them fix the issue. If CS gives you a hassle and won't transfer you to Tier2 support, ask for a manager. Always works.
 
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Thanks for the input. I will try to contact tier 2 support and see what happens.
 
This sucks.
If it is just one game I don't see how NCsoft isn't responsible.

ncsoft just makes the games and runs the servers, they do not control the internet. its impossible for them to also be responsible for the transmission of data packets hitting all the points in between.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
And I'm pretty sure every game they host is in different data centers as the IP's for their varying games are no where near each other
 
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