S_B
Too Drunk to Smash
Here are all the possibilities to eliminate/reduce lag in online matches:
1. USB Adaptor for a Wired Connection
It's $25 and it eliminates all concern about whether or not your wifi is on the right channel, has enough strength, has too much inteference, etc. $25 and it comes with a cable. You also won't have to type in a god**** 26-digit WEP key with the software keyboard (yay!)
My Wii has a terrible tendency to lose its online settings and forget how to connect to the wifi network, meaning I'd have to reenter the WEP key and settings every time. I HIGHLY recommend a USB adaptor if you live in an area with many wifi networks or people using cordless phones.
Cordless phones which function in the 2.6 GHz range will KILL wifi signal, and don't forget that even if your household doesn't have one, your neighbors still might. All the more reason to run a wire if at all possible.
2. Open UDP ports going out or DMZ your Wii's IP address.
Most routers have a DMZ option, aka "demilitarized zone", meaning that whichever IP address has the DMZ on it will have full incoming and outgoing access to all ports.
1. Log into your router (usually http://192.168.1.1/). If you don't know your router's IP, use the "Run..." command in Windows and put in "ipconfig" and hit enter. One of the values it returns should be "Gateway" and you'll have an IP address for the Gateway: that's your "gateway" to the internet, aka your router's IP address. Put it into a browser window as the URL and hit enter.
2. Find the router's DHCP connection list. On this list, you will find your Wii (if it's on and WC24 is running, that is).
3. Copy your Wii's IP address and go to the router's DMZ section (DMZ = demilitarized zone, meaning all ports open).
4. Put the Wii's IP address into the DMZ, save the settings and reboot the router.
5. Try Brawl and see how it works.
NOTE: Your Wii's IP address can and will change if it's connecting through DHCP. This will behave as a temporary test to see if your Wii sees improvement or not.
You're basically opening your firewall to your Wii, which SHOULD mean that Gamespy's servers no longer need to proxy the stream so the two Wiis can remain connected, which is how it currently must behave if one or both Wiis is behind a firewall which normally blocks incoming connections from programs like Brawl.
To check to see if your ports are open, use this: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/NetworkTest.jsp
It's Nintendo's own network tester (you'll need XP and IE to use it, though).
This thread might also help: http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=928518&topic=41913059
3. Don't download crap while playing Brawl and don't let others download crap, either
This is universal for any online gaming. My Team Fortress ping has gone insane whenever someone starts a bittorrent.
4. Make sure those you play with have their Wii DMZed as well!
It doesn't matter how open your firewall is if your online friends have theirs closed. This means that you're still going to be forced to proxy through Gamespy's servers on some level. Ideally, you want to establish a direct connection to your opponent, and this can only happen if Gamespy isn't needed as an intermediary to get through a firewall for either of the users.
5. Have the same ISP in your region (UNDER CONSIDERATION)
It made no sense to me why I have zero lag to a player in Maryland while I'm in New Hampshire and get lag to players in the same state.
...Until an engineer buddy of mine suggested asking what connection we have: we BOTH have Verizon DSL!
Being on the Verizon backbone is the key. It's not the connection or the distance, it's the ISP!
My advice: start looking for players with the same ISP as you. We need more confirmation as to whether or not this is the case. See what kind of connections you get when you seek players with the same ISP (like if you both have comcast or roadrunner, etc.).
I'm going to look for other players with Verizon DSL and see what results I get.
6. Play with people relatively close to you
Even on the same provider, someone across the country will lag you. I recommend using SWF's own Friend Finder to find players near to you:
http://smashboards.com/ff/
Remember, the less overall distance, the better the chance you have of getting a decent connection, so include your state/region in your profile location and look for people close to you.
7. Tell Nintendo your problems
They have a specific page just for errors and the like when playing SSBB:
http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/wfc/en_na/wii/wfc_error_report.jsp
This is mostly for people who repeatedly get the same error codes, but still, developers can do nothing to fix the problem without feedback from their customers.
1. USB Adaptor for a Wired Connection
It's $25 and it eliminates all concern about whether or not your wifi is on the right channel, has enough strength, has too much inteference, etc. $25 and it comes with a cable. You also won't have to type in a god**** 26-digit WEP key with the software keyboard (yay!)
My Wii has a terrible tendency to lose its online settings and forget how to connect to the wifi network, meaning I'd have to reenter the WEP key and settings every time. I HIGHLY recommend a USB adaptor if you live in an area with many wifi networks or people using cordless phones.
Cordless phones which function in the 2.6 GHz range will KILL wifi signal, and don't forget that even if your household doesn't have one, your neighbors still might. All the more reason to run a wire if at all possible.
2. Open UDP ports going out or DMZ your Wii's IP address.
Most routers have a DMZ option, aka "demilitarized zone", meaning that whichever IP address has the DMZ on it will have full incoming and outgoing access to all ports.
1. Log into your router (usually http://192.168.1.1/). If you don't know your router's IP, use the "Run..." command in Windows and put in "ipconfig" and hit enter. One of the values it returns should be "Gateway" and you'll have an IP address for the Gateway: that's your "gateway" to the internet, aka your router's IP address. Put it into a browser window as the URL and hit enter.
2. Find the router's DHCP connection list. On this list, you will find your Wii (if it's on and WC24 is running, that is).
3. Copy your Wii's IP address and go to the router's DMZ section (DMZ = demilitarized zone, meaning all ports open).
4. Put the Wii's IP address into the DMZ, save the settings and reboot the router.
5. Try Brawl and see how it works.
NOTE: Your Wii's IP address can and will change if it's connecting through DHCP. This will behave as a temporary test to see if your Wii sees improvement or not.
You're basically opening your firewall to your Wii, which SHOULD mean that Gamespy's servers no longer need to proxy the stream so the two Wiis can remain connected, which is how it currently must behave if one or both Wiis is behind a firewall which normally blocks incoming connections from programs like Brawl.
To check to see if your ports are open, use this: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/NetworkTest.jsp
It's Nintendo's own network tester (you'll need XP and IE to use it, though).
This thread might also help: http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=928518&topic=41913059
3. Don't download crap while playing Brawl and don't let others download crap, either
This is universal for any online gaming. My Team Fortress ping has gone insane whenever someone starts a bittorrent.
4. Make sure those you play with have their Wii DMZed as well!
It doesn't matter how open your firewall is if your online friends have theirs closed. This means that you're still going to be forced to proxy through Gamespy's servers on some level. Ideally, you want to establish a direct connection to your opponent, and this can only happen if Gamespy isn't needed as an intermediary to get through a firewall for either of the users.
5. Have the same ISP in your region (UNDER CONSIDERATION)
It made no sense to me why I have zero lag to a player in Maryland while I'm in New Hampshire and get lag to players in the same state.
...Until an engineer buddy of mine suggested asking what connection we have: we BOTH have Verizon DSL!
Being on the Verizon backbone is the key. It's not the connection or the distance, it's the ISP!
My advice: start looking for players with the same ISP as you. We need more confirmation as to whether or not this is the case. See what kind of connections you get when you seek players with the same ISP (like if you both have comcast or roadrunner, etc.).
I'm going to look for other players with Verizon DSL and see what results I get.
6. Play with people relatively close to you
Even on the same provider, someone across the country will lag you. I recommend using SWF's own Friend Finder to find players near to you:
http://smashboards.com/ff/
Remember, the less overall distance, the better the chance you have of getting a decent connection, so include your state/region in your profile location and look for people close to you.
7. Tell Nintendo your problems
They have a specific page just for errors and the like when playing SSBB:
http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/wfc/en_na/wii/wfc_error_report.jsp
This is mostly for people who repeatedly get the same error codes, but still, developers can do nothing to fix the problem without feedback from their customers.
