Online Game Manual

From GMod Wiki

This manual provides a few simple tips to making the best of playing Gmod online. In short, this is how to avoid pissing off other players.

Finding A Good Game

Before you start looking for a game, make sure that you don't have dial-up and that you're not already using your internet connection to download torrents, music, games, etc. Joining a server with one or both of these (especially torrents, as they tend to allocate a large amount of your bandwidth) will most definitely upset the other players.

Clients with bandwidth issues can NOT cause lag for other clients, only a server can cause clients (The players on it) to lag. If a single client is lagging (High ping) then they need to either free up their bandwidth, make sure that the server is close to you (You're never going to get good ping if you're an American playing on an Australian server, etc), upgrade their computer and/or graphics card. After you've checked that, make sure you check your game options and give yourself a name other than the default "Mingebag". Joining a server with this name will instantly label you as a newbie and eliminate pretty much any chance of anyone respecting you online. Many people also prey on this and either harass/menace you or get you to do generally stupid things.

In the server browser, check all three boxes in the lower right (since you don't want to see any of these games) and change the latency option to <150. Now you should see a decent list of Gmod servers. The best ones to look for will have a low ping (usually less than 100), a map that you already have, and around 1-8 players. Also check the server name and game type. If there is no "[L]" in the "Game" column or if the name has "dedicated server" in it then you're in luck!

Properly set up dedicated servers provide the best gameplay as far as latency is concerned. This is simply because on a listen server, the admin is typically playing on the server as well. Their computer, in addition to running the server, is also having to render graphics, physics, and whatnot for the admin. While a person can run a dedicated sever off the same machine they are using, it is more common that the servers that say they are dedicated are actually running on a dedicated machine.

Etiquette

The best way to avoid being harassed, kicked, or banned while playing online is to be nice.

• It is very important to remember that when playing online, the stability of the game is determined largely by the computer that is running the server, rather than your own, and that computer has to keep track of every single player. So while in single player you might be able to create a mountain of explosive barrels and blow them up with a rocket launcher, such actions online could easily crash a server. So, in general, try to limit yourself.

• A very handy tool is the source engine's network graph. Open console (with the ~ key) and type "net_graph 2" without the quotes. If the game is running slowly check to see if your ping is high. If it is, either the server is having problems or your computer or network is. Try closing other programs that use the internet or join a different server. If your FPS is low, then you aren't actually "lagging", your computer most likely isn't fast enough. You can solve this problem by lowering your graphics settings or upgrading your computer. The graph itself looks complicated but you don't need to know everything about it:
  • The red graph denotes physics calculations - if it gets very thick and high, it's usually a sign that props are spazzing or the server is being overloaded with contraptions. If there is physics lag, try freezing all of your contraptions and then unfreezing everything (double tap "R" with the physgun out). If the red graph skyrockets as soon as you unfreeze everything then you are causing the lag and should delete some of your stuff.
  • The yellow graph is usually associated with network stuff such as someone joining the server. If it is spiking, all you can do is wait it out.
  • The blue graph denotes sound calculation. This shouldn't really ever cause lag. Try removing NPCs, turrets, or sound emitters if it is spiking.

• Only use the remover tool on props that you spawned yourself. Deleting other people's props is the surest way to get you kicked from a server as it ruins the other players' hard work. Note that some servers have addons like Prop Protection, which do not allow you to use the toolgun on props not spawned by you.

• Only use the physgun on props that you spawned yourself. It can be very frustrating when someone runs off with a prop that you are trying to use. Keep in mind, everyone else can see your physgun beam too, so if you try deliberately messing with someone in this way you are giving yourself away and asking for a ban. Note that some servers have addons like Prop Protection, which do not allow you to use the physgun on props not spawned by you.

• Large amounts of anything will cause latency and annoy the other players. You can spawn a decent amount of props while still avoiding lag. However, balloons, thrusters, flaming objects, and anything with a lot of constraints will quickly add up. NPC's are probably the worst when it comes to this. Try to limit yourself to 2 or 3 at most. Note that most servers don't allow any NPC's to be spawned

• Even if you are limiting the amounts of props you use, the source engine still has its limits for physics. "Spazzing" props (aka the black hole effect), or very large physics interactions (for example moving a lot of objects at once) can easily stress a server. Generally, when something is moving quite uncontrollably (Spazzing out), it's best to delete it as this puts quite a strain on the server trying to predict where it should move.

• Many servers have "themes". For example on role playing servers the players construct homes or pretend to do certain jobs, some servers are simply for testing user-created lua scripts, still others might simply be for gmod-themed deathmatch, while of course the most popular servers are simply for you to build and be creative. When you join a server, be on the lookout for such themes and try to go along with it. People get very annoyed when you go around shooting everyone in a building server or when you start constructing a giant robot in a role playing server.

• Avoid asking who the admin is (if there is any), as people who do tend to get watched over with a suspicious eye if there is indeed an admin on the server. This is usually because if troublemakers do ask and get no response, then they think that's the green light to be an absolute idiot on the server. If the admin tells you to do something, or more importantly, to stop doing something you should listen. The admin's word is the law while in an admin's own server. Remember that it is out of their kindness that they have created a server and are letting you play on it, so try to return the favor a little. If an admin is being unreasonable, however, you should feel free to stand up to him. While admins may make the rules and run the server, they shouldn't treat players unfairly if it is uncalled for. For example, while you spawn in and you see someone drowning someone else, it may seem unfair but it could just be because the admin (The person who is doing the drowning) is just doing a punishment for someone who is being a misfit.

• If the server has a message of the day or rules that appear periodically, take note of them and ensure you follow them. They're there for a reason!

• Report any misbehaving players. Admins get a certain pride and joy while banishing an idiot from their server. If someone is spamming or toying around with other peoples' things, don't be afraid to notify the admin. A server's contact information can be found in periodic, scripted announcements or as a value for the variable "sv_contact" most of the time.