some of the cheap modems use the cpu for compression etc which you don't
want with GPL. I turned in my cheap modem for a USR Sportster internal and
was getting 100 ms pings in quake over 26.6.
Avoid the Winmodem at all costs!!!
The WinModem, and any Software-based Modem (they ain't real modems), use
_considerable_ horsepower from your processor to _emulate_ a real modem
in software. IMHO, they suck, but they are cheap to build and bundle,
and that's why it happens.
For heavens sake don't spend _your_ money on one :)
You will get very, very inconsistant performance, from the modem _and_
the game, because they are both fighting for the processor...
By a _real_ modem instead.
-Larry
A poorly running 56k modem, suffering from massive retries, will perform
much, much worse overall than a 28.8 modem that has a good, solid
connection with few retries.
-Larry
I'm having fantastic results with a MultiTech USB modem. Yesterday I
raced for many hours online on a host in California (I'm in New England,
about 3000 miles away). It was incredible.
Early in the day, I had some frame stuttering, which I think was due to
a couple of busy routers at the host's ISP. Later in the day, it was
just about perfect, as good as anything I've seen on a LAN - and I've
raced on Papyrus' office LAN with over 15 players. Yesterday, with the
USB modem, connected to the GPL host in California, we had as many as a
dozen players.
Stability was so good that I was running nose to tail with the host,
sometimes less than a car length apart, for lap after lap - at Spa, at
speeds approaching 200 mph! When we collided, it was due to a mistake
(usually mine), not warping. Most of the other players' cars were
rock-solid as well.
When I was using a serial port modem, this was unheard of; usually cars
were hopping around and winking out like mad. This can still happen if
routers on the route get busy, but it's not being introduced by the
modem/serial port combination, and therefore happens much less often and
tends to be a lot less severe when it does happen. Also I can run with
more graphics details turned on and still get 36 fps.
Now come the caveats. You need a USB port in your computer, and you
must be running either Windows 98 or Windows 95C (also known as OSR
2.5). Win95B, even with the USB update, won't work.
Also, at this time you need to be using a Rendition card (or possibly
using the GPL OpenGL patch; I'm not sure). I'm using a Hercules
Thriller, which works great with GPL and the USB modem. However,
apparently there is a problem with GPL running on a Voodoo card (either
Voodoo 1 or Voodoo 2) when the USB modem is active. There is a
significant frame rate hit in this case. Papyrus and MultiTech are
aware of this problem, and I am hoping they will find a solution.
Meanwhile, if your hardware/software platform meets the above
requirements, and if my experience is any indication of what others will
experience, the USB modem is a must-have piece of hardware for online
racing (unless you have cable, ISDN, or ADSL available).
You can read more about the USB modem and GPL at my Web site:
http://nh.ultranet.com/~alison/gpl/
Go to the GPL Online FAQ, where you'll find a link to my USB modem
report.
Alison
>Avoid the Winmodem at all costs!!!
>The WinModem, and any Software-based Modem (they ain't real modems), use
>_considerable_ horsepower from your processor to _emulate_ a real modem
>in software. IMHO, they suck, but they are cheap to build and bundle,
>and that's why it happens.
>For heavens sake don't spend _your_ money on one :)
>You will get very, very inconsistant performance, from the modem _and_
>the game, because they are both fighting for the processor...
>By a _real_ modem instead.
>-Larry
>> I'm about to purchase a US Robotics 56k WinModem. Will this work with GPL,
>> N2, and/or any future Nascar versions? Someone told me a "WinModem" will
>> only work for/in Windows.
Remove the spam blocker NOSPAM to email me.
http://www.nh.ultranet.com/~alison
Also, 28.8 is perfectly adequate for joining races in GPL, even those
with fairly large fields (ie over a dozen). The only advantage in GPL
with anything faster is in being able to host perhaps one more player.
In GPL, the upload speed is the determining factor for the number of
players you can host, and since the max upload speed for a 56k modem is
33.6, there's not a huge advantage there for GPL.
However, using a USB modem (which implies 56k, since that's the only
speed of USB modem being made, AFAIK) can be a big advantage. See my
related post in this thread.
Anyway, I'd hang onto the 28.8 modem and get the 56k modem from a vendor
who will allow you to return it if necessary. Strongly consider a USB
modem if you've got Win98 and a USB port.
Alison
>A poorly running 56k modem, suffering from massive retries, will perform
>much, much worse overall than a 28.8 modem that has a good, solid
>connection with few retries.
>-Larry
>> I'm interested in getting into online racing with GPL (VROC). I presently
>> have a 28.8 external USR Sportster, and AT&T for ISP. Would it be
>> worthwhile to upgrade to a 56K modem? I've held off, because so far, I
>> haven't seen a compelling reason to do it.
Remove the spam blocker NOSPAM to email me.
http://www.nh.ultranet.com/~alison
Dave Broske
MGI
For anyone that's interested, the Courier V.90 command string to force
V.34 is ATS58.5=1. Yes, there IS a period in there!
-Larry