Connection issues

[Marshmallow]

Often times when I am in a game it seems that my connection is lost and it brings me to the screen that says "starting game" and it stays there for maybe 30 seconds or so. When I get back into the game the score has changed and I may have died a few times because I was standing there, unable to move. After that the game plays fine until it happens again. My NAT is open and I have forwarded ports, and this is the only halo game I've had trouble with multiplayer on. Help would be appreciated...

[TRF BaDInTentZs]

Often times when I am in a game it seems that my connection is lost and it brings me to the screen that says "starting game" and it stays there for maybe 30 seconds or so. When I get back into the game the score has changed and I may have died a few times because I was standing there, unable to move. After that the game plays fine until it happens again. My NAT is open and I have forwarded ports, and this is the only halo game I've had trouble with multiplayer on. Help would be appreciated...

 

There are multiple posts regarding this issue and there are multitudes of people with EXACTLY the same issues you are having. Try posting at Xbox forums or Waypoint Forums. XBL help desk is quite good at addressing these issues with you and they're very professional and courteous. Give them a call.

[Neo Supreme]

I've checked the xbox live forums, and I haven't found any real helpful guidance at all. Everyone just utilized the cookie cutter response and say, "Check your NAT/bandwidth/modem/router", then dust their hands off and walk away. The same is done here. This is an extremely frustrating problem, as I have successfully saved a couple of these instances, and have been cheated out of some accomplishments.

 

 

 

I understand there may be no real definite explanation, but I tire of everyone 'explaining away' these questions and issues, by giving generic responses and kicking the can out down the road.

 

This is a 343 game, so logically, 343 should be responsible for providing answers and proper resolves for these issues.

[B3OWULF]

There are multiple posts regarding this issue and there are multitudes of people with EXACTLY the same issues you are having. Try posting at Xbox forums or Waypoint Forums. XBL help desk is quite good at addressing these issues with you and they're very professional and courteous. Give them a call.

 

I'm sorry, but this is a BS answer. Since H2 I've played 20,000+ games of Team Slayer online, and what is described is a host selection issue. I was in communication with part of the development team at Bungie for a while about my observations in this respect, but they never made significant corrections to the netcode. The selection filters that they used (H3?...can't remember)were a step in the right direction, but was still a flawed methodology based upon, I believe, how they ping/compare each console. It was never described to me if XBL handled this 100%, or if Bungie controlled this.

 

H4 is somewhat better online, but that is quickly degrading as fewer and fewer people play TS. There are simply too many gametypes for the numbers of players. I have found that whenever TS falls <20,000 participants, the chances of having connection issues increases logarithmically. Obviously with the game already released, there's not much 343 can do to improve their netcode. The only thing they can do at this point is eliminate gametypes to increase the population on the remaining games.

 

If you live near a large metropolitan area, or otherwise near a broadband hub, it's very likely you'd never notice connection issues. But if you live in a more suburban or rural location, and have more server hops, it will become noticeable.

 

I'm a stat hound, and it's very easy to see who had host, most of the time, by examing the k/ds at the end. Frequently, I see such lopsided final results that it's a clear indication of poor host selection. I'm able to tell during the game either who has host, or who has a low ping to host.

[Neo Supreme]

I'm sorry, but this is a BS answer. Since H2 I've played 20,000+ games of Team Slayer online, and what is described is a host selection issue. I was in communication with part of the development team at Bungie for a while about my observations in this respect, but they never made significant corrections to the netcode. The selection filters that they used (H3?...can't remember)were a step in the right direction, but was still a flawed methodology based upon, I believe, how they ping/compare each console. It was never described to me if XBL handled this 100%, or if Bungie controlled this.

 

H4 is somewhat better online, but that is quickly degrading as fewer and fewer people play TS. There are simply too many gametypes for the numbers of players. I have found that whenever TS falls <20,000 participants, the chances of having connection issues increases logarithmically. Obviously with the game already released, there's not much 343 can do to improve their netcode. The only thing they can do at this point is eliminate gametypes to increase the population on the remaining games.

 

If you live near a large metropolitan area, or otherwise near a broadband hub, it's very likely you'd never notice connection issues. But if you live in a more suburban or rural location, and have more server hops, it will become noticeable.

 

I'm a stat hound, and it's very easy to see who had host, most of the time, by examing the k/ds at the end. Frequently, I see such lopsided final results that it's a clear indication of poor host selection. I'm able to tell during the game either who has host, or who has a low ping to host.

 

I'm in NYC and experience this issue a little too much for my liking. The Big Team Battle connectivity issues, as I've observed, started happening right at Christmas. I figure as we pulled away from New Years, there would have been an improvement, but the issues have only been more consistent.

If anyone at 343 needs proof/footage/material, I have at least two file saves that reflect this issue.

[B3OWULF]

BTB is historically the worst gametype for poor network issues...especially if the population is low. Each selection pool for the participants can cover hundreds of miles, introducing all sorts of opportunities for lost packets, etc. Another issue affecting networks is shared broadband, i.e., you're playing Halo, while someone else in your household is uploading pics to Facebook. This same scenario can be played out over any one of the participants in the game. If the offender is not host, he might hop around while the rest of the match seems smooth. If he's host, the whole game will suffer.

 

Yet another factor I've noticed is when storms are blowing through, frequently in the winter months. Many broadband lines are carried on poles, and the wind causing those lines to twist and swing can introduce problems. I've played 1000s of matches since 2004, and used to keep track of this sort of thing...because it was measurable. A couple of yeas ago there was a major winter storm that knocked down all kinds of poles in the Midwest. Gameplay was miserable for weeks because of clogged rerouting.

 

If you're in NYC, could perhaps line rebuilding as a result of Sandy be a possible culprit for some of what you're noting?

 

The best solution, at this point, is for 343 to consolidate the population. Unfortunately, the game just isn't lasting as well as the previous Halos.

[vStealthYx]

yeh it happens in most my games lol