Lag



Lag is the delay of data transmission between two digital devices.

Lag is considered a glitch by many but is not exactly the same. Lag may be caused by a glitch or person but typically, it is to do with the server space and a player's own computer. The amount of lag depends on several factors, such as server load, internet connection, and computer specifications. Lag always exists, from undetectable to complete connection loss. Lag is not fixable by Jagex. Lag is a very common cause of death. Players experiencing lag often become impatient and attempt to deal with the situation.

Lag and RuneScape


There are several types of lag in RuneScape:

Computer lag
Computer lag is the most common type of lag, often caused by insufficient RAM, CPU power or GPU (graphics card) power. You know you have this type of lag when the game redraws at a very slow rate, causing the animation to be bumpy. Computer lag is more common when a lot of people are standing in an area, forcing the computer to spend more time redrawing.

On Windows, if this is the case, you may determine what aspect of your hardware is causing the problem (be it CPU, RAM or GPU) by opening the task manager on Windows and switching to the Performance tab. If you are running a single-core CPU, or if your CPU usage is frequently approaching 100%, your CPU may be at fault; if your Physical Memory usage is often above 80%, you should consider upgrading your RAM (the operating system uses this memory sparingly if it is insufficient, and therefore it is rare that more than 90% will be used at a time); if neither of these hardware aspects appear to be problematic, it is likely that your graphics card is at fault.

Mac OSX users may experience slight lag in frame rate without any obvious reason (they will almost always fulfil the hardware requirements in order to play the game smoothly) because the Java software for OSX is produced by Apple and not Sun as on Windows. There is currently no fix for this type of lag and, as such, it is recommended to use a modern computer running Windows, or a perhaps a Linux variant, to play RuneScape.

Windows Vista is often blamed for being the cause of lag on PCs, while in reality, if properly maintained by the user, it is a respectable operating system. In such a case where you might mistake your problem for Vista's inadequacy, it is most likely that the computer's hardware is actually insufficient. If you are unable to upgrade your hardware, or still feel that Vista is weighing you down, it may be beneficial to reformat your computer. All Windows computers (whether Vista or not) experience "bitrot", whereby the computer will gradually feel slower and slower over time (and this is the primary reason for reformatting one's computer), however this theoretically should not affect RuneScape at all and will only make your computer faster on the whole.

Windows 7, Microsoft's follow-up to Vista, is a faster operating system in general and has received much praise as a result. That being said, it uses essentially the same system to render its interface and thus is equivalent to Windows Vista in how it runs RuneScape.

Internet lag
Internet lag is another very common type of lag. It is caused by your internet connection, or your Internet Service Provider. Information is sent from RuneScape to your computer in packages, if these packages become "lost" or corrupted on the way, it may take the RuneScape server a while to realise this, and attempt to correct the error. This form of lag is neither your fault nor Jagex's fault and is typically unavoidable.

If an exception is thrown when attempting client-server communication, the "Connection lost, attempting to reestablish..." message appears in the top left corner. Then the client attempts to reconnect to the server, which may fail. This may happen if the connection suddenly ends, such as by unplugging the Ethernet cable.

Otherwise, no network error is detected and the client continues to attempt communication with the server until time-out. Everything on the screen will freeze, while it is still possible to manipulate already-existing data such as rotating the camera, scrolling through the chat box, or right-clicking items or objects. If connection is not achieved by a certain time limit (five to twenty seconds), the game will automatically log out.

In extreme cases, if the amount of data allowed between client and server is very limited, data from the server to client is sent first. This includes movement of NPCs and other players, damage, etc. In this case, the player experiencing lag will be unable to move, talk, eat, or provide any input to the server. If the player is in combat at this time, he will not be able to retaliate, even if Auto-retaliate is on. The time-out is irrelevant in this instance, and the player will automatically log out in five minutes (more if in combat). It is not uncommon to watch your character slowly getting killed while unable to retaliate, eat food, run, teleport, or log out.

There is a way to test for lag. Simply type "Lag" into the chatbox. It will appear when you stop lagging (if at all). If it appears immediately, you may be trying to walk past an obstacle that cannot be walked through or around automatically. This is often mistaken for lag.

Server lag
Lag at the server is a rare but nevertheless a form of lag. This happens when the server itself cannot handle the simultaneous requests of all its clients and processes. This is the only lag that is caused by Jagex. It cannot be easily reproduced, and attempting to create this type of lag is reportable under Bug abuse.

If a player tries to access their Friends List whilst suffering server lag, they may briefly see the following message before the list is displayed:

Connecting to friendserver Please wait...

If a player tries to add a friend while the friendserver is loading, it will say:

Unable to add name - system busy.

What to do when lagging
If you are experiencing lag, you should...
 * Log out of RuneScape and play other games for a while, then you run RuneScape again. This is mainly because your computer was either just booted up or that your computer hasn't finished its processes and other refreshments yet.
 * Close any memory and/or CPU intensive programs you have running (including web browsers showing animations like Flash).
 * Pause any downloads you have in progress.
 * Be patient and wait.
 * When logged out, reload the page or wait.
 * Try switching to a less populated world.
 * Choose low detail to reduce the memory used by the game.
 * Restart your internet.
 * Perform virus/spyware/malware scans to rid your computer of viruses that can hinder your computers performance.
 * Restart your computer. Often if a computer is left on for an extended period of time (e.g. over night), it will be significantly slower.
 * If publishing a video on any video editing software (Ex. Windows Movie Maker), you should publish after playing.
 * Lower ping worlds generally have less lag.
 * Choose a world that's nearest your location.
 * Try to play on a world that has LootShare disabled by default.