My Starcraft Lag Problem

[chipmonkey]

Okay, I had the same problem when I switched from Earthlink to AT&T DSL. Every time a SC game would start, it would hang at the start screen for about 4 seconds and then the game would lag unbearably bad.

The above posters are correct that it has to do with NAT. However, the problem with AT&T DSL is that the modem itself performs NAT, so it doesn't matter what you change on the router until you fix the modem. Here is what I did:

1. With AT&T DSL (and possibly others), you have to log onto the modem itself to configure it to NOT use PPOE. This means switching it to bridged mode. The private IP on the Motorola DSL modem the sent me is 192.168.1.254. You may have to connect your PC's ethernet cable directly to the modem in order to configure it.

2. Set the router to PPPoE and not Dynamic IP Address. You may have to enter the originally used MAC address and the DNS servers depending on the ISP.

3. Configure the router to allow port 6112 to pass through for UDP (and UDP ONLY!). On my D-Link you go to Advanced->Applications to configure:
Name: battle.net (whatever you want to call it)
Trigger Port: 6112
Trigger Type: UDP
Public Port: 6112
Public Type: UDP

And then make sure it's enabled. NetGear and Linksys should have similar settings.

And that was it, SC doesn't lag any more. It took me some playing around to figure this out but the above posts also helped a lot.

[ckweasal]

Hey guys, this is my first post on the forum and it's great to be here. As the title suggests, I have been unable to host games/play with more than 1 other player in the game without lagging for a while now. My situation is this:

-I am unable to host games
-I lag considerably when there are more than 2 people in a game
-I run Vista
-I use a router, Linksys, WRT54
-ISP is optimum online
-Computer is HP Pavillion dv6000
-I have already entered in my IP address, and port forwarded 6112 to 6119 but to no avail
-I have created a static IP
-I still cannot host and I still lag badly

-I am going insane because I can't play with more than 1 other person

I appreciate any advice anybody can give me on how to fix this problem. Please remember that I am not a technical professional and that the most of layman's terms would benefit me. I think the solution has already been explained in this thread, but I am inept at many of the computer understandings, can somebody elucidate and explain them very detailed for me? I'd be much obliged.

Thanks,
-Kevin

[andylenny]

I'm also suffering from this issue. Using a Be Speedtouch modem - any help would be appreciated. Ta, Andy

[wiesun]

The problem:

Any starcraft game you join lags really, really badly, worse than any 56k lag. Connecting to battle.net is fine, but in the game lobby everybody has 2 green bars lag. Also, when countdown reaches 0 seconds there is a significant pause.

Why do you get this lag:

The problem is that modems these days also act as routers and use NAT. The router you bought to share your internet connection already does NAT. Starcraft doesn't like double NAT. So the solution is to use 1 NAT. I'm not a networking expert, but I think this is crux of the problem

Solutions:

1. Do what chipmonkey did. This ensures that you use only 1 NAT.

2. The harder way. Keep PPPoE on the modem and give the external IP address to your router. Also ensures that you use 1 NAT. Right now, you probably have the external IP assigned to your modem. Go to your modem's configuration page and make sure your router gets the public/external IP. Restart your computer afterwards. If your having trouble connecting to the internet after this, restart your router.

Port forwarding has nothing to do with this problem. If your content with only joining games, you don't need to do any port forwarding. I have played many hours of starcraft without any port forwarding. It will not lag at all. Port forward to host games.

Blizzard will not solve this problem with a patch so don't hold your breath.

[Ph34r]

Like almost every other person on this topic, I have the same EXACT problem in Starcraft B-net. I am currently running on a Mac OSX 10.4, and have the online-multiplayer problems where I can not play without lag in games with over 2 players.
The lag is continuous where you get lag, then a split second of play, then lag, etc repeat. Downloading the maps is no problem, and some maps I downloaded within under a second. 1vs1 is smooth and clean. Host is impossible. Can't communicate with non-host, non-host have 2 latency bars, a 5 second between count-down initiation and actual entrance of game. My preface B-net box page says that I need Open Transport, but I don't have that and it's already implemented in OSX10.4.

Like others here, I don't think it's a port problem. Maps WILL download if you wait long enough, and you CAN play games with over 2 players, its just laggy. So its most likely that the packets are being sent and received, except at irregular patterns, perhaps because it is being scanned before sent/received?

HELP!

[Slayersav]

I have the same problem also I have done everything possible. Configured the router every which way possible and still no look configured firewalls/reinstalled SC and Reformatted and still same problem. I have 2 computer's hooked up through a router the only thing I havent done is Connected my Computer through the cable modem directly only I'm postive it would then work. I need to figure out how to fix this peice of shit router so that starcraft works. I have a Linksys BEFSR41v4 wired router. I play Battlefield 2 and World of Warcraft no problem.

[Effecks]

I know this is old, but I have found the most basic solution to all your problems provided you don't use your internet connection on 2 or more computers.

I, myself, didn't know what to do - I looked all over Google and found this and after a few minutes I figured out what to do.

Follow these three easy steps below (easy for me, anyway):
1. Change "Operation Mode" (may be different for other routers) to bridged mode (when you login to most routers, you can switch on the page you're taken to)
2. Reboot your router
3. Disable NAT

If your internet connection does not work after this, setup an internet connection in Network Connections found in Control Panel (for Vista just double-click the two computers in the bottom-right of the screen), choose Internet Connection and Broadband - then put in the username and password your ISP originally gave you.

After that, it'll test the connection and you'll be ready to play Starcraft! I was excited when I fixed this - no more 1v1 battles!

[Slayersav]

That's not it I do use my internet connection and have 3 computer's hooked up.

[djvtech]

I'm having the same problem: can join battle.net, when I join a game, everyone has 2green bars except for the host, after the countdown it waits for a few seconds and it extremely laggy in the game and no one can joint my hosted games.

The weird thing is, it's worked twice, once I joined a game with 2 friends and it worked and things seemed fine after that, then it stopped working. Then a few month later I was playing with the router settings and things seemed to be working fine for a few weeks, no lag. Then tonight for no reason, things just stopped working again!

My ISP is Telus and my modem or router(?) is a Siemens SE567 and I've tried connecting to it with a direct cable and a USB wireless thing. Both do the same thing.

I did all the port forwarding, which seemed to work once or what might have got it working the last time. But I can't figure out how to do the static IP adress with it though, or NAT or MAC or any of that other stuff. Playd around with a bunch of settings but nothing has changed.

[Didrik86]

As everyone else I lag and can only do 1v1 in starcraft.

I did the portforwarding - start/end port 6112/6112

My router is :
zyxel model - P-660R-D1

with: ZyNOS Firmware Version: V3.40(AHX.4) | 05/02/2008

anyone who knows how to configurate it so I dont lag ??

The funny thing is, that in warcraft 3 I can host games now because of the portforwarding, but I cant in starcraft..

Please help me.

Didrik.

[Bixby]

OK I am going to ADD a little twist to the scenario. I have seen great solutions to this problem on this thread. Unfortunately, they don't cover my scenario. I have 2 friends that are roomates and they both are getting ip addresses from the same LinkSys router. Logic implies that port forwarding would redirect packets to only 1 of the 2 computers running StarCraft.

Situation: The first computer running StarCraft is 192.168.1.100 and the second computer running Starcraft is 192.168.1.101

We did a little testing for kicks and giggles and (with or without port forwarding) those 2 can connect to BattleNet and play 2vs6 computers but when I join Battlenet and we try a 3vs5.. we apparently fall under the umprella theme of this thread. (with of course the one new variable of 2 SC computer clients on One LinkSys router).

Even when we set up port forwarding for 6112 to go to .100 they can still connect to battlenet and play 2vs6 but as stated above, as soon as a 3rd Battlenet player joins a game... lag central. Based on the principal of 6112 packets being redirected to/from 1 computer I am not sure why port forwarding doesn't break 1 of them...

Anyone have any intelligent suggestions?

Kind regards,

[Medalha]

Hi wiesun,

I got the same problem as all and think you are one of the ones who know what is happening.

Using your option number 2 allow me to connect to the internet with more than 1 computer?

Who can i do this? can you please explain o easy steps???

Thanks a lot in advance, im really desperate to solve this f***ing problem

Originally Posted by wiesun

The problem:

Any starcraft game you join lags really, really badly, worse than any 56k lag. Connecting to battle.net is fine, but in the game lobby everybody has 2 green bars lag. Also, when countdown reaches 0 seconds there is a significant pause.

Why do you get this lag:

The problem is that modems these days also act as routers and use NAT. The router you bought to share your internet connection already does NAT. Starcraft doesn't like double NAT. So the solution is to use 1 NAT. I'm not a networking expert, but I think this is crux of the problem

Solutions:

1. Do what chipmonkey did. This ensures that you use only 1 NAT.

2. The harder way. Keep PPPoE on the modem and give the external IP address to your router. Also ensures that you use 1 NAT. Right now, you probably have the external IP assigned to your modem. Go to your modem's configuration page and make sure your router gets the public/external IP. Restart your computer afterwards. If your having trouble connecting to the internet after this, restart your router.

Port forwarding has nothing to do with this problem. If your content with only joining games, you don't need to do any port forwarding. I have played many hours of starcraft without any port forwarding. It will not lag at all. Port forward to host games.

Blizzard will not solve this problem with a patch so don't hold your breath.

[Raith001]

Originally Posted by wiesun

The problem:

Any starcraft game you join lags really, really badly, worse than any 56k lag. Connecting to battle.net is fine, but in the game lobby everybody has 2 green bars lag. Also, when countdown reaches 0 seconds there is a significant pause.

Why do you get this lag:

The problem is that modems these days also act as routers and use NAT. The router you bought to share your internet connection already does NAT. Starcraft doesn't like double NAT. So the solution is to use 1 NAT. I'm not a networking expert, but I think this is crux of the problem

Solutions:

1. Do what chipmonkey did. This ensures that you use only 1 NAT.

2. The harder way. Keep PPPoE on the modem and give the external IP address to your router. Also ensures that you use 1 NAT. Right now, you probably have the external IP assigned to your modem. Go to your modem's configuration page and make sure your router gets the public/external IP. Restart your computer afterwards. If your having trouble connecting to the internet after this, restart your router.

Port forwarding has nothing to do with this problem. If your content with only joining games, you don't need to do any port forwarding. I have played many hours of starcraft without any port forwarding. It will not lag at all. Port forward to host games.

Blizzard will not solve this problem with a patch so don't hold your breath.

How do you disable NAT on a RP614v3 Netgear router? I have no idea how to configure my modem, for I have never had access to it. (I rent.)

[Carter117]

for sum reason i have the same problem i was doing fine for a while then i did something to my IP address so i could host about a few weeks later i was lagging in anything more then 1v1's, problem is i can chat fine and join games even dl sometimes but i always lag, i have tried alot to fix this if u know anything please tell