Difference between revisions of "Client Setup for PVP"

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[[Category:Agony/Ensign]]
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[[Category:Agony]]
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[[Category:PVP_University/BASIC]]
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[[Category:PVP_University/WOLFPACKS]]
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[[Category:PVP_University/COVOPS]]
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[[Category:PVP University/ADVANCED]]
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[[Category:PVP University/BOMBERS]]
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[[Category:PVP_University/FLYBYS]]
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[[Category:PVP University]]
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[[Category:Public]]
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__TOC__
  
Original text by Rells
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==Introduction==
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Rule number 1 for life in 0.0 and PvP combat is that lag kills. Your graphics settings might look cool, but if these settings cause your client to lag when 10 hostiles land on grid and a battle starts, you are dead. The last thing you want is a slide show when you're in a 50 pilot gang going against another 50 pilots. For this reason, before engaging in combat in EVE you must take time to set up your client properly. To reduce lag, 0.0 and other PvP pilots turn off several game effects.
  
Updated by Nero Prime
 
  
Copyright© 2006 by the Authors, updated 2009
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Explore the options you get when hitting "Esc" key to bring up settings menu. When all the bells and whistles are set to "high", the client looks great, but these additional features can drop your frame rate through the floor.  Especially when there are a large number of ships on grid (example: a PVP-Basic class). To reduce the chances of this happening we're going to look at some of these options. In this article we will only be dealing with four of these tabs: Display & Graphics, Audio, Chat, and General Settings. Then we will move on to EVE Mail settings.
  
All Rights Reserved
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'''NOTE:''' Client performance will vary from computer to computer so use your best judgement when configuring your settings. You know your rig better than we do.
  
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==Configuring Client Settings==
  
Rule number 1 for life in 0.0 and PvP combat is that lag kills; any graphics settings you might have, might look cool, but the lag will murder you if 10 hostile ships jump in on you and a real battle starts.
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===Display & Graphics===
The last thing you want is a slide show when you're in a 50 man gang and another 50 hostiles warp in. For this reason 0.0 and other PvP pilots turn off several game effects.
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[[Image:Settings Graphics.JPG|700px]]
  
First, with the Apocrypha update to EVE Online, CCP has done away with the classic client. Now there's just Premium and Premium Light.  All the bells and whistles look great, but can drop your frame rate through the floor, especially when there is a large number of ships on grid. (Like in our Basic PvP Classes.)
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====Display Setup====
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You must decide whether you want to run EVE in windowed, fixed window or fullscreen mode. Fullscreen mode will lighten the CPU load, but makes it more difficult to tab between different windows. Windowed will show the "bars" all around your client, and "fixed window" is windowed mode but no "bars" around it. For Mac Os users the shortcut to switch between fullscreen and windowed client is Apple+Return.
  
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Resolution/Window Size: One thing you will discover very fast with EVE is that you need to utilize the entire screen and the higher the resolution you can support the more room you will have. Run your client at the highest resolution possible, but keep in mind that you also want a good frame rate. This can be a tricky balancing act. You can press Ctrl+F to see your frame per second (FPS) count in game, or use [http://www.fraps.com/ FRAPS] to measure it. Generally you want to keep your FPS count between 30 and 60.
  
After logging into EVE, and are in station hit the 'Esc” key to bring up the settings menu. Across the tip you will see a row of tabs. In this article we will only be dealing with the first 3. Display & Graphics, Audio & Chat, and General Settings. Finally, we will change a setting in EVE Mail so that Agony Instructors are not charged when sending chat requests to students.
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The most important setting in this panel is Present Interval. Here you want to select “Interval One”. This will limit your FPS to 60. When sitting in a station your client can have very high FPS count (up to and over 200). This will put a great deal of strain on your video card, which has been reported to lead to overheating and your system shutting down or worse.
  
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====Effects====
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For large scale fleets, turn off "Turret & Launchers", "Effects", "Missile Effects", "Camera Shake", "Ship Explosions", "Trails", "GPU Particles" and "Drone Models".
  
'''Display & Graphics:'''
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For small scale fights, however, leaving them on can be beneficial. It will allow you to visually distinguish between different electronic warfare effects, such as when your ship is being webified or warp disrupted, as well as let you to see remote repair and neutralizer/nosferatu effects.
  
[[Image:Displaygrphics.jpg]]
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Turn off “Sun Is Occluded by Ships” and turn on "Use LOD". LOD stands for "Level of Detail. Turning it on means that EVE client will use simplified 3d models to show things that are far away from the camera. Enabling LOD can result in smoother graphics.
  
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Turn off "Physically simulated cloth and hair"
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Turn on "Low quality characters"
  
'''Display Setup:'''
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====Graphic Content Settings====
The first panel is Display Setup, put a check mark in advanced settings.
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Again, our goal is to have the lowest lag possible, therefore select the lowest settings for all options.
This expands the setting below the line.
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Next you must decide if you want to run in windowed or fullscreen mode.
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Fullscreen will lighten the CPU load, but makes it a bit more difficult yo tab between windows.
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Personally, I run in windowed mode, and fill the screen with the EVE client.
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Resolution/Window Size: One thing you will discover very fast with EVE is that you need a lot of screen real estate. Run your client at the highest resolution possible, but keeping in mind that you also want a good frame rate.  This can be a tricky balancing act. (Use FRAPS to mesure your FPS during game. http://www.fraps.com/)
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===Audio & Chat===
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[[Image:Settings Audio.JPG|700px]][[Image:Settings Chat.JPG|700px]]
  
  
The most important setting in this panel is Present Interval. This will limit your FPS to 60.  The reason you want this is when sitting in station you can have a FPS through the roof.  I've seen it as high as 210 FPSNeedless to say, this put a great deal of strain on your video card, which can lead to your system overheating and shutdown.  To prevent this, select “Interval One”.
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Thanks to recent improvements in the game client, audio doesn't impact the client performance nearly as much as it used toHowever, if you are continuing to have lag and other performance issues, the following may help a bit.
  
  
'''Effects:'''
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====Audio Engine Settings====
Turn off all the settings in this panel.
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Uncheck "Audio Enabled” to turn off soundThe sound in EVE provides more situational awareness, but the load it puts on the CPU can cause the game to lag. For many players turning the sound off when playing the game improves its performance.  
I personally leave “Sun Is Occluded by Ships” This allows me to see celestial icons near the sun in a system when trying to scan for targets while scouting.
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====Voice Settings====
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Most alliances and corporations in EVE use either [http://www.ventrilo.com/ Ventrilo], Mumble or [http://www.teamspeak.com/ Teamspeak]. This way if the server goes down or one of pilots becomes disconnected, he or she will still be able to use voice communications and hear what is being said. EVE Voice however is a nice alternative to use when your Mumble, Vent or TS goes down.
  
'''Graphic Content Settings:'''
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====Chat====
Again, our goal is to have the lowest lag possible, therefore uncheck all the boxes and select the lowest settings for all options.
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Logging chat can create extra lag, but the information stored in the logs can be very useful. Whether you want to leave this option on of off is up to you.
  
  
'''Audio & Chat:'''
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===General Settings===
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[[Image:Settings General.JPG|700px]]
  
[[Image:Audiochat.jpg]]
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====General====
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Find the box that says “Show Session-Change Timer” and place a check on it. You can have other boxes set to whatever you wish. This option will display a small circle at the top left corner on your UI when your session change is on. Mousing your mouse over the circle will display the time left until the change is complete. Being able to see the session change timer is very important in PVP, for example, in a situation where you have to evade a gate camp. Session timer is enabled every time you change or leave your ship, every time you dock or come through a gate, and every time you jump clone or get podded. Refer to the following article if you do not know what the session change timer is [[Using Session Change Timer]].
  
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====Help====
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Uncheck the “Show Damage Notifications” box. "Damage Notifications" are a small pop-up typically seen in the middle of your screen informing you of damage dealt or received every time you take or deal damage. Needless to say, this creates quite a bit of lag in large group PVP situations. This option can be quite useful in small scale PVP and PVE however.
  
The next tab is Audio & Chat, again with 3 panels.
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Another important change is to set the “Auto Target Back” option to zero (0) targets.  When checked, your ship will automatically target-lock on any ship that locks target onto you first. If your modules are cycled this will make them activate on the locked target. However, often in combat situations the ship that locks you first is not the one you want to be shooting at. In 0.0 or any other kind of PvP you will be choosing targets much more intelligently, not letting them choose you. The ship locking you might be a friend simply trying to test locking time (or a logistics pilot in your gang). If your weapons are cycled you might end up killing your friend's ship. There are also several tricks used in empire space that can get you CONCORDed if your auto-targeter is enabled. It is a good idea to have this option turned off.
  
 
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====Layout====
'''Audio Engine Settings:'''
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This whole section is easy.  Uncheck 'Audio Enabled”.  The sounds in EVE are nice, and do provide a bit of situational awareness. But the load it puts on the CPU can cause lag, so turn it off.
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'''Voice Settings:'''
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In Agony we use Vent to communicate.  It functions much better then EVE Voice.(http://www.ventrilo.com/)
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Another reason for turning off the sound ,is that you don't want to miss important information coming from the chat on Vent.
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'''Chat:'''
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Logging chat can create lag, but the information stored in the logs can be very useful. I have mine turned on, but if you wish, you can turn it off.
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'''General Settings:'''
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[[Image:http://yfrog.com/0ageneralsettingsj]]
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The next tab is General Setting.  This one has a few more options that need tweeking.
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'''General:'''
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You can set the options in this section to what ever you want.  But the one you must have checked is “Show Session-Change Timer”.  This is, in my opinion, the most useful part of the EVE UI.  It will display a small circular timer in the top left corner on your UI when you are changing sessions. (Like when docking.) Mousing over the circle will display the time left until the change is compleat.
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'''Help:'''
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Uncheck “Show Damage Notifications”.  This options creates a lot of lag in a large group.  Every time you take damage or deal damage, a window pops up on the UI informing you of the fact.
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The second change in this section is the most important in this whole process. Select “Auto Target Back” to 0 Targets.  Here's the reason why.
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This is a utility that makes you automatically relock anything that locks you and its deadly. The main reason to turn this off is that there are a number of cheesy tricks that can be used to get you CONCORDed in a war situation. For example, a war target might undock from a station, you start all your weapons and send off the drones to kill him; however he docks back into the station. Your ship will automatically switch to the non-war target that tried to lock you as his buddy came out of the station. Your drones and turrets go for the wrong guy and CONCORD does the rest. In addition, in 0.0 or any other kind of PvP you will be choosing targets much more intelligently, not letting them choose you. Go to the Generic tab and look for Auto Target Back 1 Targets. This setting is on the bottom left and may contain a number other than 1.
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'''Layout:'''
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You can set this up any way you like.
 
You can set this up any way you like.
  
  
'''EVE Mail:'''
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==Configuring EVE Mail==
This last setting is located in you EVE Mail window.  To open EVE Mail, look at the left side you your EVE client and find the third icon down from the top.  Click it to open.
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This last setting is located in your EVE Mail window.  To open EVE Mail, look at the left side of your EVE client and find the third icon down from the top.  Click it to open.
 
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[[Image:http://yfrog.com/09evemail1j]]
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Once the EVE Mail window is open right click your “Inbox” tab and select “Settings.”
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[[Image:http://yfrog.com/09evemail2j]]
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[[Image:Settings_Mail.JPG]]
  
In the General tab we need to change the CSPA setting. This was put into the game to help prevent spamming.  This is not a big issue now in EVE, and when in an Agony gang, we require the CSPA to be disabled.  This allows Agony Instructors and admin to invite you into gangs with out being charged. 
 
Select the “Default Access” to Allowed.
 
  
[[Image:http://yfrog.com/09evemail3j]]
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Once your mailbox is open, click the triangle in the top left corner to access settings, and set 'CSPA charge' to 0. This means people don't have to pay money to invite you to fleets, etc.
  
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Next, right click on the Inbox again and turn blink off. Whenever your ship gets destroyed you will receive an email stating the amount of ISK that has been transferred to your wallet via insurance. This will prompt your mail box to blink, which causes a small amount of lag.
  
Secondly, change the “CSPD Charge” to 0.
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==Other Settings==
  
[[Image:http://yfrog.com/0oevemail4j]]
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It is also a good idea to turn off the blinking effects of your wallet. Each time your ship gets blown up, you will receive some ISK from its insurance. If your wallet settings are set to make your wallet blink, it will blink upon this event and cause a small amount of lag for your client. In turn, it will make it more difficult for you to enter warp with your pod and avoid getting pod-killed.
  
 +
If you find that your EVE client loads slowly and is persistently being bugged by various small bugs it might be time to clear your cache. It is a good idea to periodically clean it out in any case. To do this press "ESC" button and go to "Reset Settings" tab. Find "Clear all cache files" option and click on "Clear". You will have to restart your client after this.
  
  
After applying all these setting, your EVE client will be as lag free as possible.
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After applying all of these setting, your EVE client will be as lag free as possible. If you are still experiencing large amount of lag in PVP you may have to upgrade your computer.

Latest revision as of 19:47, 7 March 2016

Introduction

Rule number 1 for life in 0.0 and PvP combat is that lag kills. Your graphics settings might look cool, but if these settings cause your client to lag when 10 hostiles land on grid and a battle starts, you are dead. The last thing you want is a slide show when you're in a 50 pilot gang going against another 50 pilots. For this reason, before engaging in combat in EVE you must take time to set up your client properly. To reduce lag, 0.0 and other PvP pilots turn off several game effects.


Explore the options you get when hitting "Esc" key to bring up settings menu. When all the bells and whistles are set to "high", the client looks great, but these additional features can drop your frame rate through the floor. Especially when there are a large number of ships on grid (example: a PVP-Basic class). To reduce the chances of this happening we're going to look at some of these options. In this article we will only be dealing with four of these tabs: Display & Graphics, Audio, Chat, and General Settings. Then we will move on to EVE Mail settings.

NOTE: Client performance will vary from computer to computer so use your best judgement when configuring your settings. You know your rig better than we do.

Configuring Client Settings

Display & Graphics

Settings Graphics.JPG

Display Setup

You must decide whether you want to run EVE in windowed, fixed window or fullscreen mode. Fullscreen mode will lighten the CPU load, but makes it more difficult to tab between different windows. Windowed will show the "bars" all around your client, and "fixed window" is windowed mode but no "bars" around it. For Mac Os users the shortcut to switch between fullscreen and windowed client is Apple+Return.

Resolution/Window Size: One thing you will discover very fast with EVE is that you need to utilize the entire screen and the higher the resolution you can support the more room you will have. Run your client at the highest resolution possible, but keep in mind that you also want a good frame rate. This can be a tricky balancing act. You can press Ctrl+F to see your frame per second (FPS) count in game, or use FRAPS to measure it. Generally you want to keep your FPS count between 30 and 60.

The most important setting in this panel is Present Interval. Here you want to select “Interval One”. This will limit your FPS to 60. When sitting in a station your client can have very high FPS count (up to and over 200). This will put a great deal of strain on your video card, which has been reported to lead to overheating and your system shutting down or worse.

Effects

For large scale fleets, turn off "Turret & Launchers", "Effects", "Missile Effects", "Camera Shake", "Ship Explosions", "Trails", "GPU Particles" and "Drone Models".

For small scale fights, however, leaving them on can be beneficial. It will allow you to visually distinguish between different electronic warfare effects, such as when your ship is being webified or warp disrupted, as well as let you to see remote repair and neutralizer/nosferatu effects.

Turn off “Sun Is Occluded by Ships” and turn on "Use LOD". LOD stands for "Level of Detail. Turning it on means that EVE client will use simplified 3d models to show things that are far away from the camera. Enabling LOD can result in smoother graphics.

Turn off "Physically simulated cloth and hair" Turn on "Low quality characters"

Graphic Content Settings

Again, our goal is to have the lowest lag possible, therefore select the lowest settings for all options.


Audio & Chat

Settings Audio.JPGSettings Chat.JPG


Thanks to recent improvements in the game client, audio doesn't impact the client performance nearly as much as it used to. However, if you are continuing to have lag and other performance issues, the following may help a bit.


Audio Engine Settings

Uncheck "Audio Enabled” to turn off sound. The sound in EVE provides more situational awareness, but the load it puts on the CPU can cause the game to lag. For many players turning the sound off when playing the game improves its performance.

Voice Settings

Most alliances and corporations in EVE use either Ventrilo, Mumble or Teamspeak. This way if the server goes down or one of pilots becomes disconnected, he or she will still be able to use voice communications and hear what is being said. EVE Voice however is a nice alternative to use when your Mumble, Vent or TS goes down.

Chat

Logging chat can create extra lag, but the information stored in the logs can be very useful. Whether you want to leave this option on of off is up to you.


General Settings

Settings General.JPG

General

Find the box that says “Show Session-Change Timer” and place a check on it. You can have other boxes set to whatever you wish. This option will display a small circle at the top left corner on your UI when your session change is on. Mousing your mouse over the circle will display the time left until the change is complete. Being able to see the session change timer is very important in PVP, for example, in a situation where you have to evade a gate camp. Session timer is enabled every time you change or leave your ship, every time you dock or come through a gate, and every time you jump clone or get podded. Refer to the following article if you do not know what the session change timer is Using Session Change Timer.

Help

Uncheck the “Show Damage Notifications” box. "Damage Notifications" are a small pop-up typically seen in the middle of your screen informing you of damage dealt or received every time you take or deal damage. Needless to say, this creates quite a bit of lag in large group PVP situations. This option can be quite useful in small scale PVP and PVE however.

Another important change is to set the “Auto Target Back” option to zero (0) targets. When checked, your ship will automatically target-lock on any ship that locks target onto you first. If your modules are cycled this will make them activate on the locked target. However, often in combat situations the ship that locks you first is not the one you want to be shooting at. In 0.0 or any other kind of PvP you will be choosing targets much more intelligently, not letting them choose you. The ship locking you might be a friend simply trying to test locking time (or a logistics pilot in your gang). If your weapons are cycled you might end up killing your friend's ship. There are also several tricks used in empire space that can get you CONCORDed if your auto-targeter is enabled. It is a good idea to have this option turned off.

Layout

You can set this up any way you like.


Configuring EVE Mail

This last setting is located in your EVE Mail window. To open EVE Mail, look at the left side of your EVE client and find the third icon down from the top. Click it to open.

Settings Mail.JPG


Once your mailbox is open, click the triangle in the top left corner to access settings, and set 'CSPA charge' to 0. This means people don't have to pay money to invite you to fleets, etc.

Next, right click on the Inbox again and turn blink off. Whenever your ship gets destroyed you will receive an email stating the amount of ISK that has been transferred to your wallet via insurance. This will prompt your mail box to blink, which causes a small amount of lag.

Other Settings

It is also a good idea to turn off the blinking effects of your wallet. Each time your ship gets blown up, you will receive some ISK from its insurance. If your wallet settings are set to make your wallet blink, it will blink upon this event and cause a small amount of lag for your client. In turn, it will make it more difficult for you to enter warp with your pod and avoid getting pod-killed.

If you find that your EVE client loads slowly and is persistently being bugged by various small bugs it might be time to clear your cache. It is a good idea to periodically clean it out in any case. To do this press "ESC" button and go to "Reset Settings" tab. Find "Clear all cache files" option and click on "Clear". You will have to restart your client after this.


After applying all of these setting, your EVE client will be as lag free as possible. If you are still experiencing large amount of lag in PVP you may have to upgrade your computer.