The first part of this question should be is this serverside lag or clientside lag? A good way to answer this question is by pulling up "net_graph 4" in the console. Here you can look for a few different red flags that will help you answer what kind of lag you are getting.
- fps: Frames per second. Obviously, if this gets low then you are experiencing clientside lag. BUT WE CAN STILL HELP!
- in/out: packets that are sent/received from the server. More will be sent/received with more players on the server
- loss: packet loss from the server. If this starts to get higher then either you are having networking issues or the server is having trouble getting all the packets to you.
- SV: Should be a static number in most cases. This is the tickrate of the server and most of our servers are either 22 or 16. If this starts to move a lot into lower red numbers it could be your network connection to the server or the server is lagging. (most of the time this will be associated with red bars at the bottom of the chart such as the one right below the "v" in SV.
- var: This number should be as lower as possible. In this example, .68 msec is a perfect number. When this starts to go higher the server is experiencing some lag. It is very natural for this number to go up as player count does through the night. This example is on a server of 6 people so it is expected to be low.
Best way to figure out if you are lagging or if it is the server?
- Wait 2 minutes. If other people start saying that they are lagging then it is most likely server lag.
Clientside Lag
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Commands to use
- gmod_mcore_test 1
- mat_queue_mode 2
- cl_threaded_bone_setup 1
- r_3dsky 0
- Other good ones at https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1209681886
- Turn down your graphic settings *some of the cars on our servers require your model detail to be set on HIGH*
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Networking issues
- A lot of times your network might just not be fast enough to keep up with the server especially when you need to receive packets for 127 other players on the server. Try moving closer to your router, wiring in, or upgrading your internet if you believe that network speed could be the issue.
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Not sure if it is your network or the server lagging?
- If no one else is complaining about lag and you are getting lots of loss on your net_graph then it is most likely your network speed.
Serverside Lag
- There isn't much you can do to help with serverside lag. If you would like to help all you can, delete all your props, stop typing in chat, stop using voice chat, and if you are doing something that might be causing the lag just stop what you are doing and call over an admin. Every crash is always inspected by SMT either that day or the day after and if it is obvious that one person caused the crash intentionally, they will be issued with a blacklist from Gaminglight.