Why have the servers turned to crap?

Immediately after the most recent patch I noticed that the netgraph plot was no longer flat. It was a series of mountains rather than a flat plain. Ping was very high (600 ms or higher, which is bad for me).

Since then the ping has returned to a normal value (200 ms or so), but the "bumpy" appearance on the netgraph is still there. It seems that for some reason network performance is uneven on a permanent basis.

Definitely open a ticket on it. They will have you go through a lot of steps to prove that it isn't your PC. Answer these questions when you put in your ticket:

-How do you connect to the internet?

-Do you use DSL, cable, dial-up, satellite, or another connection method?

-Do you use any routers, hubs, or switches? If so, could you tell us the make and model of that equipment?

-Who is your Internet service provider?

-Where are you located? Your city and state/province would be helpful.

-Are you on a home, campus, business, or military network?

-Are you using a firewall application? If so, which one?

-Do you use any Internet Security Applications (ISA) such as CYBERsitter, "Net-Nanny," ZoneAlarm®, McAfee® or Norton™?

As well as doing a HiJack This

1. Download the program HijackThis from the following link:

http://www.spychecker.com/program/hijackthis.html

2. Click the “Do a system scan and save a logfile” button.

3. Once the scan is complete, a text logfile will appear in Notepad. Save this file to your Desktop.

Then do Ping Plotter for them:

There is a free trial program called PingPlotter Standard that may be of some use to us in determining the health of your Internet connection while playing City of Heroes. We ask that if you are using a router, hub, or switch, to first disconnect this device and connect directly to your modem before running this utility. You may have to reboot your modem and/or computer to reestablish your Internet connection. This program is not supported by NCsoft. You can find the program and information on how to use it at http://www.pingplotter.com/download.html

Please follow these instructions to run this test for us:

1. Go here: http://www.pingplotter.com/download.html

2. Click "Ping Plotter Standard" and save that file to your desktop

3. Run the file you just saved and install the program

4. Open Ping Plotter

5. Find the "Address to Trace" section in the upper-left corner of the program window

6. Input the IP address and then click "Trace"

-If you play on Freedom, Infinity, Liberty, Pinnacle, Triumph, or Victory, type in the IP: 216.107.248.3

-If you play on Champion, Guardian, Justice, Protector, or Virtue, type in the IP: 216.107.240.3

7. Launch City of Heroes and play the game for at least 30 minutes

8. Once the 30 minutes has elapsed, please switch over to PingPlotter and click the "Stop" button.

9. Click on "File," then "Save Sample Set" and save the file to your desktop