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Tips on Optimizing your PC for better gaming

A lot of gamers complain about lag and frequent disconnections and are always quick to blame GM's for their incompetence without even stopping for a second to check where the problem stems from.

When experiencing lag and/or disconnections from the game, try to determine the kind of lag you are experiencing. If you try to attack a monster and the damage that registers is delayed, the problem is either with the server or your internet connection. If the lag appears like the game slows down, character movement slows down, the trouble is from your computer.

To check my internet connection, what I usually do is ping google. Why google? Because it virtually never has a downtime. You can ping your DNS instead if you want to but I find it taxing to memorize IP's. Anyway, to ping google, this is what you do. Go to START --> RUN and then type in

ping www.google.ph -t

The -t syntax allows the command to run until it's stopped. After typing in the command, press ENTER and an MS DOS window will appear



ping

From here you can see that 64.233.189.99 is the IP of google.ph. The first line indicates that the test packets (32 bytes each in size) were sent to 64.233.189.99 and came back in 108 milliseconds. TTL stands for Time to Live and defines how long your ping requests bounce around before expiring. There are a number of error replies that you could receive but the one you should watch out for is Request Timed Out because that would mean you are having an intermittent internet connection and that might be causing your disconnection.

Another trick I can suggest is to increase your page file. When setting up your PC, the major things gamers often consider is the processor, the RAM, and the video card. While running a game smoothly will greatly depend on those, one of the things that people often overlook is the page file. A page file is a section in your hard disk that Windows creates upon installation. It is by default, 1.5 times the size of your ram so if you have 512mb of ram, you will have around 1.5gig of page file. Basically, the page file is the virtual memory that Windows uses in case it runs out of RAM. You can increase your system's page file depending on the available space on your hard disk. The page file is ideally placed on a drive that is seldom accessed by Windows. To change your page file size, all you have to do is right click MY COMPUTER and click on PROPERTIES then select the ADVANCED TAB.

temp

From the ADVANCED tab, under Performance, click on Settings. performance

While you're here, you might want to set your Visual Effects Settings. If you would rather have a fast computer than one that has animated windows and moving buttons, you could set your Visual Effects Settings to Adjust for best performance. performance options

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the Advanced Tab and look for the Change Button under Virtual Memory. You can experiment with the maximum size since Windows will tell you up to how much Page file you can allocate. As I said, it depends on how much free hard disk space you have so you're on your own here. Click on Set after you've entered the numbers and then click OK. You would have to restart so the changes would take effect. virtual memory

 

 

 

Another tweak you can do is to stop some Windows services. To do this, just go to START --> CONTROL PANEL --> ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS --> SERVICES.

If you don't have a wireless setup you can turn off Wireless Zero Configuration.

If you don't use Windows themes you can turn off Themes.

Terminal Services allows multiple users to be connected interactively to a machine as well as the display of desktops and applications to remote computers. The underpinning of Remote Desktop (including RD for Administrators), Fast User Switching, Remote Assistance, and Terminal Server). If you don't use any of these services, you can turn them off as well.

If you are not connected to a network and you do not use file or print sharing, you can turn off Server.

You can search google for more info about Windows Services but these are all that I've tried.

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Wii recognizes the fitness revolution with the Wii fit

The active-play phenomenon started by Wii Sports now spreads to your whole body thanks to the pressure-sensitive Wii Balance Board (name not final), which comes packed with Wii Fit. The board is used for an extensive array of fun and dynamic activities, including aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and games. Many of these activities focus towards providing a "core" workout, a popular exercise method that emphasizes slower, controlled motions. Family members will have fun staying active and talking about and comparing their results and progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu.

More and more people are recognizing the need to be healthy. This can be observed with the proliferation of health supplements and exercise machines and other breakthroughs that thrive in the market today. Nintendo has taken advantage of this and developed the Wii Fit. It was released in Japan, December last year and is slated to be released in the US this May.



This video game is obviously developed for the Wii Console (which is another aversion from the usual game consoles that would pretty much confine you to a couch) and was described as a "way to help get families exercising together". Wii Fit uses a peripheral called the Balance Board and has about 40 different physical activities ranging from yoga to hula hoops.

Last time I checked the Wii Balance Board costs around P7000 at Toy Kingdom while the console package costs around P20 000 on some shops and online sellers. Compared to a Lifetime Membership at Slimmers World which costs P40 000, getting a Wii definitely sounds like a better idea. The Wii Fit has a weight limit of 300lbs for Japan and 330 lbs for Europe and USA consoles. That means people on the heavier side should get their consoles from USA or Europe to make sure it won't break under their weight.

 

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