When the map finishes, the next one loads up, and after about 7-8 minutes of waiting for it to load I get the common message “Server disconnect for unknown reason”.
This happens on every server. I can never play for more than 1 map at a time. It’s most annoying because loading levels takes so very long in ET, and I only ever get the error message after I’ve waited several minutes for it to load. So generally, at the end of each map I have to wait around 15 minutes before I can get back into the action (by which time half the round is already finished).
I think the problem started when I updated to 1.02. Since then I’ve had several new installs of XP, and even bought a new computer (just motherboard, CPU & RAM). Each time I get too annoyed with ET then stop playing for a month or so. Today I went back to it, same problem still, and have decided to get it sorted by asking for help. So… HELP!
Specs:
ASUS A78NX Deluxe
Athlon XP3000+ Barton
Radeon 9000 Pro 128MB
Cat 3.9 drivers, DirectX 9.0b
Kingston 128MB RAM
Shitty old slow-ass Hard drives
BTW, I have tried defragmenting & formatting a while back but it didn’t help. Also I’ve been reading some other threads and I heard you can look in the console to find out the real error message (the “Server disconnect for unknown reason” seems to be a generic error it throws out no matter what happens). If I’m feeling relaxed enough to bother attempting to play ET again, when I get disconnect I’ll check for that error & post it here.
That’s your problem I’m afraid, not enough memory to load the map without XP doing a shit-load of paging redundant stuff out to disk, hence the long delay.
You really, really, really, really (get the picture) need to add more RAM. 256Mb should be the minimum, but go for 512Mb if you can afford it. The rest of your specs are great. The extra memory will really bring your system to life.
I just bought a new computer, and it’s Christmas soon, I can’t afford anything! (Can someone lend me a cigarette?). More RAM is planned but not until about January.
But if that’s the cause, why don’t I get the error when I first join a server then? I can connect okay, albiet after several minutes (just enough time to go make a sandwich), but then when the next map loads I’m booted off.
Oh actually I have more RAM, about a gigs worth, but it didn’t fit in my new motherboard (pesky DDR only) hence me only having 128MB now.
That could just be coincidental, depending on which map is current on the server when you join (some maps are bigger than others). Frankly I’m stunned you can get on ANY servers AT ALL with 128Mb!
I guess if extra memory is definately a non-starter for now, then the usual memory optimisation steps should be taken.
Tweak the bejesus out of XP to get the max amount of free memory to begin with.
Shut down everything else (that you don’t absolutely need) running on your PC before playing ET.
Set ET’s memory requirements as low as possible. Look for these lines in \etmain\profiles[i]yourname[/i]\etconfig.cfg and change them to these values if they’re not already:
seta com_hunkmegs “54”
seta com_zonemegs “24”
seta com_soundmegs “24”
But seriously, you’ve got a kick-ass PC there and you’re strangling it with that piddly little amount of memory.
Kendle is right, you need more RAM. And having experienced the difference in load times between 256 and 512 MB I would recommend that you go for 512 right away… :bored:
Setting your virtual memory to a fixed size (at least 500 MB) will reduce disk swapping and may improve load time a bit, but I doubt it will be enough not to get disconnected.
Oh while I’m here, when I get more RAM should I stick to the same brand? Using Kingston at the moment, is it okay to put another stick of Crucial in there or should I stick with Kingston? It probably makes no difference and this is a dumb question but thought I’d ask…
Because the first time you connect to a PB enabled server and load the map, there is no PB client-to-server session running yet (it will start after the map loads). However, once that’s set up and a new map loads, the PB server will lose contact with your PB client for more than two minutes. This causes the PB session to time out and results in the server kicking the client (you) with a PB Init Failure.
Your motherboard has an nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset. You should use two identical sticks of (at least) PC3200 DDR RAM in there (as the nF2 Ultra uses a Dual-Channel memory controller). If you’re considering overclocking your system, you might want to go for PC3500 or higher. Using two different sticks is asking for trouble (although your mileage may vary).
And I second the comments given above: using only 128 MB with a CPU/mobo combination like yours is a crime… There is no way you’ll get a decent performance out of it that way. Install at least 512 MB (i.e. 2 x 256 MB) to get a balanced system with optimum performance. Yes, that does mean you’ll have to ditch or return your current 128 MB stick, unfortunately.
Oh, and a bit of advice, for what it’s worth: don’t skimp on the RAM either. It’s a core component of your system and it has to be very, very reliable. Those nForce2 boards love quality memory and hate cheap stuff (although, again, your mileage may vary). In any case, make sure you use Memtest86 to thoroughly test your new memory for 8 hours straight and return it if you get even a single error.
Although 128Mb RAM is not recommended with XP, everyone in this thread is again jumping to cause (ppl do it al the time, even the ones with over 20 years of experience check out this thread: http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5539 ).
According to the readme file, ET requires 128Mb of RAM so I’d be surprised if this is causing your problem:
I. Minimum System Requirements
Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP OS (Windows NT 4.0 not recommended for clients)
100% Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP compatible system (including all 32bit drivers)
Intel® Pentium® III 600Mhz processor or AMD equivalent * 128 MB RAM
32 MB 100% fully OpenGL® compliant 3-D video card
Microsoft® Direct X® 8.1 or higher (not included)
271 MB total disk space for game files
500 MB free disk space for swap file
100% Microsoft® Windows® compatible keyboard
100% Microsoft® Windows® compatible mouse
100% Microsoft® Windows® compatible sound card
For internet play, 100% Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP compatible 56.6k modem or better internet connection. 56.6k modem play is not recommended for games with more than 8 players total; broadband players should be able to handle up to 32 depending on their connection with the server on which they’re playing.
Lekdevil mentioned that Punkbuster could be the reason why the second map fails to load. However you’ve told us that your problem happens on every server you tried.
Question: Did you try a server with Punkbuster disabled?
If you think the problem started after patch 1.02, do yourself a favour and check it ! Use “the all seeing eye” tool to find a 1.01 server, or maybe you could arrange a friend to set up a un patched server just for checking. It could save you a whole lot of money - although memory is with no doubt the next thing you need to upgrade anyway.
That 128MB is the amount of FREE memory you need, and minumum requirements are exactly that, the minumum. You can’t expect to be able to run modern games properly with that amount of memory. I mean, heck, I had 128MB in my Celeron 300MHz System.
Anyway, I don’t understand how such a system can be sold with that amount of memory. I have a P4 3GHz, also with a Radeon 9800 Pro, but I also have 1GB internal memory. 512MB is an absolute minimum for such a system, it’s not like momory costs anything nowadays.
Well, on servers without PB enabled, you will hit the server timeout set by the sv_timeout cvar, which defaults to 120 seconds. In either case, the client will get kicked after two minutes of lost comms (time during which the client is loading the map).
Anyhow, running ET with 128 MB will result in map loading times that can take minutes, depending on HD speed and the amound of free memory. Installing more RAM will reduce that time to around 15 seconds.
I had a suspicion something like that might be happening, I thought PB might be kicking me because the game was going on and I was idle (loading).
The one I have now is only PC2100 DDR 266MHz, I guess that’s bad :uhoh:
OK Thanks. I noticed my performance was pretty bad, was disappointing after just getting a new system that was supposed to be fast, good to know it will get better. If I got 2x256, could I not also put in the 128MB, it has 3 slots, or would that make the system suffer?
(That could explain why in the past whenever I’ve bought more RAM I’ve never noticed any improvement… why don’t the damn shops/manuals tell us this! I tried to do as much reading as I could before buying anything but it’s no substitute for human advice, most articles assume everybody knows all this.)
Thanks for the tip, I’ll check that out.
I had noticed 128MB was the minimum and I guess it fairness it does work with 128MB, just not very comfortabley. I checked that thread, readme and FAQ you linked, one part I noticed says: “If the player inactivity is set on a server it still counts down even if a player is only using his mouse. The mouse input is not counted towards activity.”
…Hmm!
I’m on 1Mb ADSL, through a NAT router (Netgear DG814). I don’t think this is the cause though, it worked okay several months back when I used to play ET constantly.
It does happen on every server, but I only play on PB servers anyway. I will go try disabling PB and using non-PB servers.
Yes I do need memory desperately anyway so money wouldn’t be wasted. However I didn’t even know how to find 1.01 servers and figured if I tried the old ET version then it just wouldn’t let me on or attempt to upgrade itself. Will check out ASE. To be honest though I don’t still think it is 1.02 causing it, otherwise this forum would be full of people with the same problem, it sounds much more likely to be my slow loading/low memory issue.
I bought the parts myself, so of course the system can be sold like this. In fact when it arrived I was ready to fit my memory but it didn’t fit in the bloody slot so I had to scrape together (read: borrow!) the cash to run down the store and grab the cheapest stick I could just to get the thing working. Ebuyer.com didn’t mention anywhere that the board would take only DDR, had I known this I would have spent some money on a 512MB stick and had to buy a cheaper motherboard/CPU instead (because yes, memory does cost money).
I think Lekdevil has identified exactly what’s happening. There’s probably nothing I can do until I get more RAM. And wow, 15 seconds, that would be awesome! (One time I started on fueldump, the tank had already crossed the bridge and I ran to the dump just in time to see it blow the doors off, talk about missing out on the game heh).
Damn sorry for the essay-sized reply. Thanks for the help everyone.
Maybe you can install win98 in the mean time until you raise money for that RAM, it will certainly be faster than winXP for ET and anything else on a 128MB pc .
With a system like yours, you should have loading times well under 15s, my system loads the levels in about 5secs or so. Really, sell your mother if you have to, get more RAM!
[i]The minimum requirements for Wolfenstein (stated on the box) is 128MB RAM. If you have over 128MB RAM you can gain instant performance and faster map loading times by tweaking the default ‘hunkMegs’ value. The hunkMegs setting assigns the maximum limit of system memory (RAM) that Wolfenstein can use.
If you have over 128MB RAM, search the wolfconfig_mp.cfg file for the line: seta com_hunkMegs “56” which assigns 56MB of RAM to Wolfenstein.[/i]
I agree with you all that 128Mb is way to less memory to run todays games, let alone running Windows XP, however I do not believe this is causing the guy’s problem, given by the FACTS I pointed out earlier.
There’s probably nothing I can do until I get more RAM.
Yeah, to hell with it. Go out and buy some dimms ! The worst thing that can happen is that you still get dropped of the ET servers but at least your PC runs like a dream !
Oh, and while you’re saving for those goodies - you might as well crack your brain about what changed in, on, around or about your PC several months back when you used to play ET constantly…
Did you have more RAM back then?
Didn’t you buy the new hardware after the problem already occured?
Patch 1.02 was released Sep 10, 2003. That’s several months ago.
To be honest I’m really not sure, I go months without playing and forget =/ I know when ET first came out I never had the problem at all, that was with about 640MB. I think it first occurred after updating to 1.02, still with 640MB, but this was only occasionally on certain servers, because most times I could play for hours and it would be fine. Now since I’ve had the new comp/less ram, it happens on every server, and only once have I ever changed maps without being kicked off. I’m convinced you guys are right, loading shouldn’t be taking this long to start with, and I need that RAM.
Tried playing it without PB, same thing happened. In the console I get:
CL_Initgame: 168.71 secs
Com_TouchMemory: 2611 msec
Server disconnected for unknown reason
I’ll leave it for now, thanks for the help everyone, hopefully I’ll be able to get more RAM in about a month. If the problem persists then I’ll report back, but if you don’t hear from me then everything got sorted fine (just in case anyone with the same problem reads this in future).
By default, ET needs 56MB of RAM for the hunk alone. The sound cache (com_hunkMegs) and the zone (com_zoneMegs), and the cgame/ui DLLs each need their own chunk of ram as well. My configuration (com_hunkMegs 64, com_soundMegs 48, com_zoneMegs 24, most graphics-related settings turned up all/most of the way (although, in theory, any memory related to those should all live in the hunk/zone)) ends up eating about 260MB of physical ram (plus 128MB of VM for the remapping of my video card’s RAM)–no small amount by any stretch of the imagination.
Unless you’ve done a fair amount of tweaking (and, quite likely, even after you do), XP is going to gobble up a fair bit of RAM for itself (some of which it won’t allow to be swapped), so there’s quite a lot of juggling to be done whenever you load a level (the OS may need read part of the code segment in from the swap file, swap out some older data to make room for that, read data out of the pk3s, swap other stuff back to the disk for the media being loaded into the hunk, etc.); all of this is quite deadly when combined with a slow HDD.
It all boils down to 169 seconds being Way Too Longâ„¢ (although the default sv_timeout is 240 seconds…) If you (ziege) can figure out the error message the server gave when dropping you, that might help in figuring out why it’s disconnecting you, although it probably won’t help in fixing the problem.
FYI: I upgraded from 512Mb to 1Gb (Samsung PC2700) last week, but it didn’t improve loading times or overall noticeable performance at all. Not even after setting com_hunkMegs at 512 and disabling compressed textures (FX5900 Ultra).
check out this thread: 