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"Getting Live"

Getting Xbox Live this Christmas, but first I have to get Broadband - so some advice would be much appreciated from the forum experts. I would primarily like to know which ISP offers the most powerful broadband package, and which are compatable/work best with Xbox Live.

Thanks for any help.

Hedfix wrote:
> I think lag is also dependent on how many people in your area have
> broadband.

Shouldnt affect it. Lag on XBox is strange its the way that MS have done things. Basically from my understanding everyone is as fast as the slowest person. There are times when lag is just contained to one person but from my understanding of what XBox Live does then everyone is synced to the slowest connection speed in the game.

I think lag is also dependent on how many people in your area have broadband.

Lag isn't always down to the speed of connection, in Gamespot's review of Rainbow Six 3 they mention they found lag several times during play, regardless of the game size, players involved, etc Possibly the lag problems are caused by people connecting on 256 connections? I know MS say 512 is the minimum speed but I know people do connect at 256, and wouldn't this make everyone run at that low speed ? If games are designed for live then they are designed to run on 512 and upwards connections surely ?

I don't know, but I have seen lag on all kinds of games for no apparent reason.

Yeah I've seen that happen in PSO.

My broadband connection's been delayed 10-15 days now because they need to do some 'network maintenance' in my area.

Tiltawhirl wrote:
> Trust me you will. On a lot of games it isn't just simple framerate
> changes, people jump across the screen, it's impossible to shoot them
> and also sometimes you can't even walk forward because you're jumping
> around so much.

yeah, I know, AVP instantly springs to mind (PC Online).

you'd shoot someone and they'd just disappear.

very unprofessional :)

Hedfix wrote:
> I hardly ever noticed framerate changes on Perfect Dark so I might
> not notice much lag.

me neither, although I did create a game called 'vietnam', which was on facility, with 4 sims on each team.

was a bit slow, especially with six hundred explosions going off

Hedfix wrote:

> I hardly ever noticed framerate changes on Perfect Dark so I might
> not notice much lag.

Trust me you will. On a lot of games it isn't just simple framerate changes, people jump across the screen, it's impossible to shoot them and also sometimes you can't even walk forward because you're jumping around so much.

I'll see if the lag is noticeable, if so I might keep it down to 8 players on some games.

I hardly ever noticed framerate changes on Perfect Dark so I might not notice much lag.

If you intend on hosting decent sized games on Live I'd recommend at least a 1mb connection.

I've got a 1mb and I can hold full games on Soldier of Fortune 2, but struggle to get more than 8 in Ghost Recon : IT and Wolfenstein without lag.

Hedfix wrote:
> Yep, just confirmed the lines today.
>
> Xbox Live here I come! :D

heh - all I have to do is buy a starter kit, we got a router with 3 free ports!

sadly, I'm skinter than that guy who bet the company payroll on the stock market though, so I don't know what I'm bragging about.

I only want it for more splinter cell mishuns anyway