Insane CPU use on loopback

[Thothie]

This is very odd. I don't get this with any other mod I've hosted so...

If I connect to my server (now on the laptop - connecting form my desktop on the LAN), after a short time, the CPU usage on the server stacks up to 99% (old P4 1.6Gz 400FSB). The whole system locks up and becomes unplayable.

...and yet, I seem to be able to host 6 people on there with reasonable cpu usage, so long as I'm not one of them.

This is also true if I connect to the DS through the box running it. In other words, as I had it before - both HL.exe and HLDS on the P4ht 3.0Ghz 800FSB - the HLDS CPU would stack to 50% (as high as can go for a non Ht app) and the poor HLDS would lock.

I don't get this with any other mod... Nor did I get this with MS 1.35. I had 10 players on MS 1.35 - one of them myself - and the CPU usage topped at 35% on this same machine. Similarly I've run large WW and NS games... Sure I lag due to lack of bandiwdth, but the CPU usage doesn't go nuts. Even after a two hour, twelve person game, game of NS beta6 - with turrets and OC's everywhere - CPU usage was 30%.

CPU usage in MS 1.35 averaged round-a-bout 12% when occupied.

So I dunno... I'm going to look at getting an $12 ethernet adapter and using that instead (thinking maybe the Giga-lan is an issue) - unless somoene else has another theory as to wtf is going on here.

I want to try to run the HLDS on Windows 98, but I've not got the laptop to work with the router in that mode... Apparently I ran into this problem, and it'll take awhile to fix. If it's some odd XPSP2 issue though, maybe would fix it.

Edit: The CPU usage also goes insane if I connect to the laptop from the desktop via HLSW.

 

[Raptor]

I've noticed that in general, ms:c takes insanely large amounts of resources compared to 1.35, even on a non-dedicated lan game i lag very badly whereas if i were to host a 1.35 server it would run perfectly fine, and the inconsistent framerate gives me a headache (it likes to stay at 30 fps then freeze for about half a second - nothing but the video does, the sound plays fine most of the time and things still move, it's almost like lag only it's almost like hl.exe freezes... this is on a non-dedicated server!), and it seems to have only gotten worse in the latest patch, with a nice ed_alloc: no free edicts! error if more than 2 characters get loaded or said characters are loaded at the same time, i guarentee a 32 player server would crash before it hit 12 players, only reason I'm posting here is because it's an issue with server hosting - it has never happened to me when i join one, but no matter who hosts the game on my network lags like this

 

[Thothie]

Gah... T3h h8 - it is t3h str0nG!

I went out, got a brand new PCI ethernet card (went with $20 instead of $12, since it matched the brand of my router)... I went through ALL the trouble of reinstalling Windows 98 on the laptop... and guess what - I *STILL* can't connect to my own server from the main computer without lagging it straight to hell and locking it. (in either OS)

Seems pings are a hell of a lot higher in Win98, so the lower CPU usage under the new OS doesn't seem to help. (poor server's averaging 30fps) So switching to that OS didn't help none either... Back to XP I guess (where it averages 90FPS - so long as Im not on it). Either way dun work though.

I dunno what to do... I can't win.

Best I can think of doing is downgrade to MS.dll version A. :\

 

[Thothie]

I've yet a new theory as to what causes this crap - I suspect, like so many bugs that the devs don't get - that it is a Central Server Issue. (FFS People - test with a Central Server - it's a whole new world I tell ya!)

Anywho, it seems this insane CPU usage, only happens with certain players, and certain characters (I've not totally tested the latter half of that theory) - but I suspect, there maybe some odd interaction going on between my inventory, and another player's - that is causing the Central Server routine to constantly update - thus locking the entire server up.

It's very odd... With some players, I can play with 5 others players, with no horrible lag issues (it's not pretty - but it don't lock). And yet, with certain players - it totally hangs the CPU - even if there are just the two of us.

It *could* be a network or ISP thing, but more and more, I'm thinking it's yet another Central Server bug. I'd have to get someone who locks me up to change characters to find out for sure.

Names of some people I know who cause the bug, if they want to setup a time to help test the theory (I've two people atm, as I only started keeping track today, but I'll add to this list later):
Hunter
Lunaris

 

[Scottc]

It shouldn't be a central server problem, unless the server waits for updates from the central server before it can continue with the game.

 

[Thothie]

unless the server waits for updates from the central server before it can continue with the game.

It seems the Central Server update code hangs the whole system while it does it's thing. If it does it often enough (such as with continuous multiplayer Rejuv casting) it locks the system. So if something about certain characters combined is causing it to think it needs to update one or more characters repeatedly...

Sadly, didn't get a chance to test in depth before I had to take the server down... Should be up again soon.

 

[Scottc]

unless the server waits for updates from the central server before it can continue with the game.

It seems the Central Server update code hangs the whole system while it does it's thing. If it does it often enough (such as with continuous multiplayer Rejuv casting) it locks the system. So if something about certain characters combined is causing it to think it needs to update one or more characters repeatedly...

Sadly, didn't get a chance to test in depth before I had to take the server down... Should be up again soon.

The thing is that its updating the central server like every time the CPU cycles and the gameloop runs, or so it seems. Anyway, most MMORPG's only update the actual central database every 1-5 minutes.

 

[evilsquirrel]

except ones like runescape...

they had a thing where it updated every 5-6 seconds....many items were dropped and then log out :\


of course, unless MSC gets some uber-rare items, that isn't a problem...