Neocron Sync's and Crashes - A Guide to help reduce them

[DIS]

The world of Neocron and syncs.

You are probably reading this thread as you are having stability problems with your Neocron connection or you are experiencing regular crashes. As you are aware Neocron is a very old game by today's standards and the game is not as forgiving as with other MMORPGs when it comes to your Internet connection.

However, I have compiled a list of suggestions which may help improve your game experience.

Neocron's method of transmitting data:

Neocron uses UDP packets to transmit game date between your PC and the Neocron server, UDP packets ensure that a constant stream of packets are sent between the client and the server, UDP does not use error correction so if packet loss occurs those packets are lost forever. If your hardware struggles sending/receiving small but regular UDP packets then this can cause players to warp/teleport across the screen, synchronising and ultimately connection loss.


Your hardware:

Overclocking: An unstable overclock WILL affect Neocron, if you run on an overclocked system and you experience regular crashing, try running at stock to rule this out as a possible cause.

WIFI: - Avoid without question, WIFI = packet loss before your data has gone anywhere.

Realtek Nic: Known to struggle with transmitting/receiving lots of small packets, ensure official Realtek drivers are updated - Consider switching to Intel dedicated Nic.

Killer Nic: Better than Realtek but still not as good as Intel Nic's, if you have problems ensure you have the latest drivers/software or consider switching to an Intel dedicated Nic.

Intel Nic-Onboard: Usually far superior compared to the competition, ensure drivers are updated. If using an old chipset consider trying a dedicated Intel Nic.

Intel dedicated: Dedicated cards always offer better performance one model I have used is tried and tested to work with Neocron:
1 Port Intel EXPI9400PT Gigabit Server Ethernet PCI Express card - Manufacturer code: EXPI9400PTBLK.
These cards work with most PC's and current versions of Windows. Tried and tested to work well with Neocron.

Helpful utility:

SpeedGuide.net - Helps configure your network settings within Windows - may improve Neocron performance. Handy registry back-up and connection speed slider. This is a downloadable program and I can vouch that it is safe to use.

Your ISP:

Your ISP will directly affect your connection speed, some ISPs now offer premium gaming services that reduce or stop traffic management, this will no doubt improve performance, non premium packages may reduce UDP packet priority which in turn could affect your connection to Neocron.

ISP provided routers:

The majority of ISPs will provide a very basic router, these routers are fine for general browsing but are not necessarily suitable for the Neocron engine. Don't be fooled by their looks, some look great on the outside but use cheap components on the inside.

Virgin Media: A good example for the above is the Virgin Media Super Hub and Super Hub 2. Both of these routers will cause syncs and thus increase game crashes and drop-outs. This has been tried and tested. If you have a Virgin connection then you are likely to have one of these routers.

It is recommended to run the router in Modem mode and replace and purchased a dedicated router.

I have personally tested the TP-LINK Wireless AC range, these routers have a built in WAN port, 4 GbE ports and good Wi-Fi coverage. They work perfectly well with virgin routers and cost around £40.

Sky:
Sky Fiber router, not aware of any issues, if you have an unstable connection let us know!
ADSL: No reported issues.

BT:
Fiber router: BT Hub is of poor quality – Suggestions from BT users are to simply purchase a good quality router.
The Netgear WNDR4000 is known to be suitable for Neocron although not officially supported any longer by Netgear.
ADSL: No reported issues.

TalkTalk:
Not expecting much here, but if anyone could let us know their experience with Neocron and this ISP that would be good.

USA
Anyone from the USA who has helpful suggestions on recommended providers please let us know.

EU
Any of our EU players have recommended ISPs and hardware that work well with Neocron please let us know.

4G
If you are using a 4G internet connection let us know your experiences.

Port forwarding.
Make sure your router is set to port forward all of Neocron's required ports:

TCP/IP: 7000, 8020, 8040, 12000, 13000
UDP: 6000, 6001, 5000 - 5016

Software Firewall:
Ensure Windows firewall or equivalent is not blocking the Neocronclient.exe

Anti virus:
Ensure your anti virus software is run into gaming mode while playing Neocron if you have the option.