CS Rates, Choke and Loss Explained

By Whisper (modified and currently experimenting!)
           posted on the GameArena Forums.

This is a work in progress - any corrections, tips? email me

rate=10000       or <= sv_maxrate          (bytes/sec limit from server)         
cl_updaterate=60 or  = fps_max <= 100 > 20 (pack/sec requested from server)
cl_rate=10000    or  = rate                (bytes/sec limit to server)
cl_cmdrate=60    or  = cl_updaterate       (packets/sec sent to server)
interp=0.1
fps_modem=fps_max

Intro

Ok this is the final time I expect to have to answer this question, as it seems most people have NFI what they are doing or why they are doing it, when it comes to CS Netcode settings, rate and choke.

Firstly
b is for bit
B is for Byte

There are 8 bits to a Byte

Server Side

The first and most important setting is in actual fact server side, and no clients have any say on this number. This setting is called.

sv_maxrate=xxxx

sv_maxrate is measured in bytes per second, and is how much bandwidth the server dedicates to be able to send to each client, each and every second.

The sv_maxrate settings for each of the GameArena servers at the time of writing were as follows.

CS#1=6000
CS#2=8000
CS#3=8000
CS#4=6000
CS#5=8000
CS#6=6000
CS#7=6000
CS#8=8000
CS#9=8000
Clan EXi=8000
Clan nK=15,000
GameCreate=10,000

When you are alone on the map and not doing anything, then the server only needs to send about 1000 bytes a second. When you are in a firefight, the server can end up wanting to send 10,000 bytes a second.

So if you set your rate above the sv_maxrate you can expect choke when things get busy and you are asking for more data than the server will let you have. There is no point having a rate above sv_maxrate.

Client Side

Now the remaining Client Side settings that can have an affect on all of this are as follows.

rate
cl_updaterate
cl_rate
cl_cmdrate
interp
fps_max
fps_modem

rate is the number of bytes per second that the client is able to accept, when rate and sv_maxrate differ, the lower of the two will be used.

cl_updaterate is the number of game packets per second the client will attempt to request off the server. This should be no higher than 100 or the maximum number of frames per second you are getting, and should be no lower than 20.

interp - frame interpolation ON/OFF. Since ver 1.6 this has been locked at the default 0.1. Type interp by itself to toggle off then on. The default is that it is on. Those with cheats may still be able to change this value.

fps_max - Sets the maximum frame rate that CS will try to display. Usually fps_max=100, for crappier graphic cards or computers fps_max=60. Set this to no more than 100 as any more is a waste/not possible.

fps_modem - Is the minimum frame rate that CS will display. You can set this the same as fps_max.

Errors

cl_FlushEntityPacket - This error can be caused by having your cl_cmdrate and cl_updaterate set too high for the current rate. Your ping will go crazy and CS will hardly update at all causing weird problems. Try lowering the cl_updaterate and cl_cmdrate to 50, or 40. You might also try increasing the rate if you have a fast enough connection (as you increase the rate watch your loss, once your rate is too high you will get loss - lower the rate till you get no loss). With a frame rate of 60 and cl_cmdrate of 40 is still very playable. Down to 30 and you will start to notice a delay between you instruction and the result, ie when buying weapons for instance. The optimal cl_cmdrate and cl_updaterate would match the frame rate (what you set fps_max and fps_modem too).

choke - You'll probably experience some choke when things get busy, small amounts for a small time under 10 is ok. If it is consistantly going too high and effecting play, or it is present when there is nothing much happening then your cl_cmdrate and cl_updaterate are too high. Experiment and bring them down by 5, see how you like it and see how the choke goes. You'll notice your ping goes down as you lower the cl_updaterate and cl_cmdrate because you are taking the load off your connection, which is not necessarily a good thing if you don't get updated quickly enough!

Improving Choke

To improve choke you can:

1. Change your rate setting to be similar or equal to what the servers is, if possible. This enables you to have as much bandwidth as the server can provide.

2. Lower your cl_updaterate so you are requesting less game packets per second.

3. Get a good computer, with a good Network Card.

4. Upgrade to a faster Internet connection.

5. Politely and nicely request the Server hosts buy better servers and to put them on faster connections. :)