Here, I am going to guide you on how to keep those pings steady low as possible. First, we should know what is that word "ping" called? Here I found a definition:
"A program utility which checks to see if a specific server or host is reachable on a network or through the Internet."
In other words, its a tool that allows you to check whether the server is online or not. It is also a tool to show you how fast the server is communicating back to you (client). Lower ping rates mean better server performance.
So how do we get better ping rates? Let me show you a few things:
1.) If your about to setup a server and need to adjust sv_maxrate, sv_minrate, etc..
then I recommend this website..
http://www.reece-eu.net/drekrates.phpPut your Server's cpu speed, amount of ram installed, how many players and put the upload speed too. Hit generate and it will give you the number you need to put it in your server.cfg ( I currently have a server running use this caculator and it seems to work well for me. If it doesnt work for you, check out steams forum for up to date information about setting the max_rates)
2.) On your server side, When you execute the server and if you open the task manager using ctrl alt del keys you will see the Windows task manager window.
When your server is up and running it will say srcds.exe in the "processes" tab. What you can do is right click on scrds.exe and it will give you a list of options. Go to "set priority" and then you will notice the options:
Realtime- NEVER EVER USE THIS OR YOUR SYSTEM WILL CRASH
High- Will use a lot of resources and MAY cause system crashes
Abovenormal- currently, I am using it and dont have any issues atm
Normal- by default
Belownormal- wtf?
Low- ........?
Steam forums said you may use the Priority "abovenormal"
so just click abovenormal and you will get a warning (up to you if you want to hit ok or cancel). What will happen is your computer will automatically FOCUS on that process and it will use a little more resource. To be honest, I am using this feature all the time on my server and I feel a difference when playing on the server. When you shut down the server and put it back online, It will reset it back to default "normal"
Here is the link to steam for better understanding of Priority and other information
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=5386-HMJI-51623.) Bandwidth and # of clients
Here is the upload speed you need and how many players you should set it at..
*****SOURCE: STEAM FORUM SUPPORT*****
Basically for internet connections (bits/second):
* 128k uplink = 4 players (2 players for srcds)
* 256k uplink = 7 players (4 players for srcds)
* 320k uplink = 9 players (6 players for srcds)
* 512k uplink = 14 players (9 players for srcds)
* 768k uplink = 21 players (14 players for srcds)
* 1024k uplink = 28 player (19 players for srcds - note 16 players is max for HL2DM)
* 1140k uplink = 32 players (max for HLDS) (21 players for CS:S)
* 1708k uplink = 32 players for CS:S (max)
Your particular optimal setting may vary depending on your connection. Local players on LAN are not included in this count.
A good rule for HLDS is 35.6Kbits per player .
A good rule for SRCDS (Source Games) is 53.4KBits per player (about 1.5x more than HLDM).
Certain maps and MODs may take more uplink bandwidth.
Thanks to Steam Support and Dreks Caculator for these great tips and tools.
Let me know if you need help.