What is a typical download time for a pitboss game?

[Capsavian]

I've experimented in running a pitboss game on a laptop dedicated to being a pitboss server. It's got 2GB of RAM and is running Windows XP.

Problem is, it takes several minutes for players to load up their game with each turn. They can connect to the server within seconds, but upon choosing their leader and entering their password, the progress bar can take maybe 5-10 minutes, in middle ages or so, on a Huge map.

I know this is taxing on the computer (Huge map, 18 players, low sea level), but my question is: is this slow load time normal? Or do I need to explore upgrading/replacing my laptop "game server" so I can avoid having frustrated players?

How long does YOUR pitboss game take to download for users on Huge maps, later in the game?

 

[classical_hero]

This is a problem with all Huge maps. The problem is that most internet connections are not fast enough to handle how much data you need to download a game, so it will always take time. There is not much you can do about it.

 

[IglooDame]

I think the bottleneck is their internet connection (or yours, whichever is slower) rather than the specs of the machine running the pitboss server.

On a 32-player game I was in that was (I think) Large or Huge pangea in the middle ages, download times were 3-4 minutes or so.

 

[Capsavian]

Thanks guys...I figured it was probably a simple matter of the upload bottleneck outbound from the game host. That is fine; I just wanted to be sure it wasn't a problem unique to my system!

Since I'm planning to set up an 18-player, human-only pitboss game next month, I wanted to see if I should consider getting a different computer to host it, but I think you're right about the bottleneck being the connection more than anything else.

Thanks again.

 

[LordRahl]

I'm not quite sure I understand where you're seeing the slowdown. Basically there are three distinct waiting times.

1. Connecting to the pitboss (the screen where you pick your leader). This is usually a matter of a few seconds, regardless of how far you're into the game.

2. Retrieving current game state from the pitboss (right after you enter your password) This is usually the longest wait. During the first ages it's relatively short, but keeps getting longer and longer as you get into later eras, and there's more things going on the map. On my pitboss this can take anywhere from 20 seconds to 2 minutes or so (I have cable broadband). Luckily you only have to wait through it once each session.

3. Finally there's the wait time in between turns while all players are logged in. This is probably the shortest wait time, especially if you have no AI. Again - a matter of seconds if that.

Like others - I'm guessing your slowdown is caused by the fact that you're playing on Huge.

 

[Capsavian]

Yeah, Step Two is when my players experience the 5+ minute download time.

Later in the game, the between-turn lag is no more than a handful of seconds, generally.

Yes, very likely due to the size of the map (and resulting total number of units) more than anything else. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who does experience this!