Sometimes, during matchmaking games, the game will be running smoothly when all of a sudden the game stops and shows the pre-game screen (the screen is all black except for the chart with the player’s names and teams/colors) and it takes a random (usually long) amount of time to respond and get back to the game.
My upstream bandwith is WARNING! (however my internet connection is excellent, i’m guewssing the game is derping out on me on that part) but I think it’s the servers or other players.
Also, one matchmaking firefight match,things suddenly became like the above description, and it said “selecting new host.”
The game was running fine the first time, however when it switched the input began to lag horribly.
Why does the game switch the host when everything is fine?
Hi there; you must be new here…
What you’re experiencing is called “Black Screen.” It happens often, usually when the host has a spotty connection or the host has just quit (or been booted). From my understanding, lag can also be caused by extreme physical distances between yourself and the host.
Black Screen is very common in BTB. Lag is somewhat common in Firefight.
I’m am not an all-knowing expert, but I can make the following suggestions:
- If you are receiving an UPSTREAM error, search the exact message on Google or XBox Live Support to get advise.
- Reset your Router.
- Relocate your router to reduce EM interference between your router and XBox (like cell phones, laptops, and your entire kitchen). The best location is next to your XBox, and a wired connection to your XBox will always be better than a wireless one (and don’t tell me that wired connection isn’t possible, its worth the effort to run the wire).
- Check your internet speed. I have been told that the Download/Upload requirements for Matchmaking are very low; something like 2-4 Mb/s download and .5 Mb/s upload (someone please correct me if I’m wrong).
- Check your Ping. Ping is the roundtrip time it takes when your pc says “Hello” to some website and for that website to respond to say “I’m here.” I’ve read that a healthy ping is anything less than 60-70 micro-seconds, and anything more than 100 will cause problems with gameplay (again, someone please correct me if this number is off).
- Maximise your available bandwidth by disconnecting other tech from your network. This includes making sure your network is secure from unauthorized, thieving neighbors.
- Make sure your NAT is set to OPEN (I’ve heard this affects the ability to connect and chat but doesn’t really affect lag issues).
That’s all I can think of. Free Speed and Ping tests are readily available on the internet, as are instructions for all of the suggestions above. CNET.com can suggest trustworthy sites, and your ISP should be your next call if you get stuck or need more help.
Once you’re convinced that your connection is as good as it can get, you can look forward to more Black Screen and Lag caused by other players. But hey, at least they can’t blame you, right?
Good luck!
Hello, thank you for responding and giving me some tips.
And yes, I am new to halo waypoint but not to halo.
I understand about PING, i’ve noticed while examining the chart with the character’s names and color, there are bars of varying length and color.
Apparently those symbolize network connections because when we have a martian in the server (i’m not 100% certain about Reach’s multiplayer model) people suddenly learn how to teleport and become impossible to kill, and I noticed the connection between the bars and the hell of that one game.
I read an article recently about input lag in firefight and have a decent grasp on what’s going on, but i’m not certain about matchmaking games in general.