How To: Lower Ping and Reduce Lag

HOW TO: Lower Your Ping and Reduce Client-Side Lag

Often times my friends and I have both complained about high ping and lag when accessing TF2 servers. Even the players who join servers that are relatively close to them have problems with ping. It can be rage-inducing when you've walked in place for the past 10 seconds just to find out you were killed by a crocket 9 seconds prior. Here is a short "collection" of things that helped me get rid of my ping spikes and reduce my lag while playing.

Remove Mods.

STEP ONE:
Mods

Many of us love the infamous gamebanana for the TF2 mods available. However, sometimes mods don't work properly with our game or we may just have too many mods. Clearing out less-wanted mods can help. You can always store them in another file out of the steam file (ex: in your user pictures file). It also helps to install one mod at a time between game sessions so you know which ones conflict with your gameplay more.

Steam Download Region

STEP TWO:
Steam Download Region

Steam Sales can be a nightmare for Steam's download servers and that's because more people are accessing them at the same time. I have found that picking a different server helps downloads within TF2. TF2 also updates pretty frequently and it's nice to get the downloads over with. The Steam client automatically chooses a download region closest to you but that might not always be the best pick.
You can easily change your download region to another nearby one by going to the top bar of your client and clicking:
Steam > Settings > Downloads > Download Region > (Server Location)



*Tip: Satellite view on here can help find nearby servers that aren't so heavily loaded: Steam Stats

Disk Cleanup

STEP THREE:
Disk Cleanup

Disk cleanup can help your computer run faster and it's something that should be done regardless if you play TF2 or not. This process deletes unnecessary files from your computer. You can use this by going to your start button and searching for the disk cleanup tool. It will most likely be in system tools or administrative tools (It is easy to search online how to get to disk cleanup for your operating system). Once it is running, make sure to check the files you want to delete -you can choose all of them- and wait for the process to complete. Hold on to your patience because the next part will be longer.

Defragging

STEP FOUR:
Defragmentation

This is also an important computer self-maintenance process that should be done regularly if not weekly. Again, you can search for this process from your start button's search bar or you can google how to get to it for your operating system. Disk defragmentation of your C: drive is the most important one here since you most likely have TF2 installed on it, so just check that and defrag.

***WARNING: If you're a lucky person with an SSD C: drive and not an HDD drive, you're golden. Skip defrag and give me take $200 as you go***




Your OS most likely handles defragging of an SSD on its own. No worries.
(Kudos to [MLM]hiduys for pointing this out.)

Otherwise, make sure to check C: and then let the computer do its thing. This process can take a couple of hours so you can leave the computer alone and eat a sandvich.



*Tip: Defrag may have an option that allows the computer to do it automatically once a week. Super useful if you're forgetful like me.

Network Adapters

STEP FIVE:
Network Adapters

This can be especially useful for laptops that use wifi. You can easily access the network adapter from windows by searching for the Device Manager application. I believe the Mac OS has something similar[apple.stackexchange.com] (again, it's easy to google). From there, look for the network adapter section and click the arrow to see your adapter. Then you can right-click and select:
properties > driver > Update driver... > Search automatically



Do not exit out of the Device Manager yet.

Graphics Card

STEP SIX:
Graphics Card

Many of us do not have the fancy graphics-card-of-the-day installed and we have to settle for less. An easy way to make it run a little faster is to update the driver for it, too. You can access that in Device Manager by going to:
Display Adapter > (Your graphics card and then right clicking into:) properties > driver > Update driver... > Search automatically

You can also manually check for an update from the Steam tab.



*Tip: You can also go to your computer's power settings and find the advanced options for your graphics card. You can set those options to high performance. Also super useful for laptops, but it takes up more battery so be careful or just keep it plugged in.

Launch Options

STEP SEVEN:
Game Launch Options

You can make your TF2 run a little faster with simple inputs into the launch codes. Go to:
Library > (right click Team Fortress 2) Properties > General > Set Launch Options...
and input the following:
-refresh 60 (example: "-refresh 120" for a higher end computer with a 120hz monitor.)
-novid (gets rid of the Valve intro when launching)
-heapsize 1572864 (make sure to search the correct heapsize for your computer. I have about 4 GB of RAM available so this heapsize is about right for me.)
-high (Sets the game's priority to high on your computer)

It should look something like this: -refresh 60 -novid -heapsize 1572864 -high



There are also other console codes you can use.
***NOT ALL OF THEM ARE AVAILABLE FOR ENHANCING TF2 SO BE WARNED.***

*Tip: Sometimes running the game in windowed mode will make it run faster. You can use
"-noborder" in the launch options, too.


There are also some commands you can add to your tf's autoexec cfg. These will all have values that you will need to mess around with to find what is best for your connection. You can use "net_graph 3" in the ingame console to check your stats in a game session and then put in "net_graph 0" to hide it.

These commands can be put in:
C: > Program Files > Steam > steamapps > common > Team Fortress 2 > tf > cfg > "autoexec"
to save them for every time you launch or you can put them in the in-game console if you're trying them out.

cl_cmdrate 66 (If this doesn't work, set it to your fps.)
cl_updaterate 66 (If this doesn't work, set it to your fps.)
cl_interp 0 (This is interpolation. It is represented as "lerp" if you look at your net graph in TF2. You can set it from 0 to 1, based on your ping. 1 is default in TF2. If you have a bad connection, increase it from 0. ex: .033)

cl_interp_ratio 1 (Default is 2. There is more about lerp on here.)
rate 25000 (10000 to 100000. Lower is better for a potato internet connection.)

Quick (FPS) Fix

Having low Frames per Second can be incredibly annoying, too. I have found a couple different things that may help your TF2 to gain more fps.

Such things include:

• Adding (C:\Program Files\Steam\appcache\stats) to be excluded from the auto-scans by your anti-virus program. Apparently this file updates regulary during TF2 gameplay and it can impact your fps. More on it here.
  
  
• You can add -dxlevel 81 to the launch codes if you decide to use them. This will impact visuals a lot, though. You can always go back to -dxlevel 90. Steam user T3ER notes that newer computer systems may be better optimized for -dxlevel 90 rather than older levels. Try it out and see what works!
  
  
• You can also add -nojoy to the launch codes. "No joy" just means no joystick support. Of course, if you're using a joystick, you don't want to use that.
  
  
• Type "mat_phong 0" into your in-game console or put it in the config for TF2. If you decide to use any "-dxlevel" below 90, it's already turned off, so to speak.
  
  You can type the command in the autoexec config file found in the cfg file of tf.
  
  
  
  
• Capping your fps can help with choking issues. I cap mine at 300. In the in-game console, type "fps_max #" #, being the max fps. You'll have to type it in before playing in a session. Or you can put it in your autoexec config.
  
  
• You can set your decal limit to 0. You will not be able to view sprays, however. This will be located in the advanced options within TF2.
  
  
  
• If you're noticing your TF2 is lagging after a major update/patch, try deleting the folder "tf". It'll be located in:
  /Steam/steamapps/common/Team Fortress 2/ (tf)
  
  ***WARNING: This will of course delete all custom mods and maps you have downloaded. You may want to save your mods in another file before deleting this file.***
  
  Once you delete that folder, go to your steam game library and right-click Team Fortress 2. From there, go to Properties > Local Files > Verify integrity of game cache.
  This will create the new tf folder.
  
  
• You can download and use particle effect overhauls. For this file, you just drop it in the tf folder mentioned earlier. I personally didn't see much of a difference but it may work for you. However, a steam user commented that you may have to delete some files as they won't work anymore:
  
  "Some of them are still current(AFAIK, anything that has the word 'smoke' or 'explosion' in it, and most of the weapon-name-related pcfs), but 'medicgun' pcfs and most of the ones that end in '_fx'(class_fx, item_fx, etc) are/were frequently changed by Valve, and you'll probably see lots of missing effects and red-letter console spam to that effect, if you try to use them.
  
  Definitely do not use this buildingdamage.pcf unless you want to crash upon sight of any Engineer building.
  
  sparks.pcf was recently changed to go with rd_asteroid; be warned that if you destroy a robot with this version, you'll get a laggy shower of red Xs.
  
  The Cow Mangler projectile was completely changed, so I have no idea if/how the drg_cowmangler files will work." -Timerlane
  
  
• TF2 configs are also available.[clugu.com] After choosing the different options and downloading, you drop the file into:
  /steam/steamapps/common/Team Fortress 2/tf (the cfg file will merge)
  
  

Lastly...

Other things...

• Uninstall unwanted/unused programs.
  
• Turn off or lower the operating system's visual effects.
  
• Run a complete scan with your anti-virus program.
  
• Lower visual effects in TF2's advanced video tab from the options in the main menu.
  
• Connecting to servers with lower latency is better for your ping.
  
• Verify your game's cache.
  
• Close out of other programs (except Steam) before playing. You can access the in-game browser instead.
  
• Ping can be higher at night when more people are using the internet.
  
• Reset your router/modem every once in a while.
  
  *Remember: You can always search online for additional options. Just don't delete system 32 or use unbindall in the TF2 console. Now look at my poorly made meme...
  
  
  
  Any other suggestions are appreciated. Have fun in TF2!
  
  Dedicated to all my Asian friends that can't pub-stomp with me.

Other User Recommendations

This section will be edited as more users add more suggestions.

• Use an ethernet cable as opposed to using wifi. Useful tip for a laptop-user.
  (Suggested by: Cowser the Koopahog)
  
  
• "Most devices used to communicate in the 2.4 GHz range, but if you have a dual-band router, consider using the 5 GHz band, just to avoid interference from everything around you.
  
  If you must play on WiFi, consider upgrading to a Wireless-AC router with a gigabit Ethernet WAN and LAN ports as well. They may be more suited for gaming, as well as backward compatibility for the older 802.11b/g/n standards." (Great advice from Destroy Them With Tables. You heard that right, folks. Even your microwave can interfere with your gameplay, believe it or not.)
  
  
• Some other good guides for optimization here on the hub are this and this. (Recommended by Singapore | SirZAZ)

[❤Koinu❤]

All this has NOTHING to do with a ping. It's like suggesting to change wallpaper to lower it. The name of the article is a clickbait, the article itself is useless, unfortunately.

[QaxBC_L9D5]

for 2gb type -heapsize 2097152

[rickey rat]

SnasTheSkeleton #SaveTF2 you broke tf2 it doesnt work

[i fell down the stairs owie]

get a new pc

[Demolander]

I typed unbindall, I can’t move, tips?

[TopSuperDude]

Guys, I put the Properties commands and one of them disabled color correction. How do I remove this feature?

[󠀡]

do not listen to the guy below this does not work

[Eightoo]

Guys, this really worked! Best part is at the end, I didn't just type "unbindall" delete system32, I deleted the entire Windows installation and poured boiling water on my computer, and not only did I get a free hat, I got infinite keys, and the best TF2 hats and weapons in the world!!

[76561198135227655]

cl_cmdrate +++++++++++++++++++100 and ur ping should be around 5 or with luck 1

[The 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴. ඞ]

Oh wow...... For my only got from 100 to 150 - 160 fps... This didn't Worked!! U said i will have a small ping after all of these :((