Hobbies And Interests
Ping
Pinging is the standard technique for measuring connection speed between two systems. To determine your ping in Guild Wars, a small packet of information is sent from your computer to the Guild Wars server. As soon as the packet of information reaches the server, the server sends back another small packet of information. Your computer measures the time between sending the first packet and receiving the second packet. This time is known as "ping" and is measured in milliseconds. It represents the amount of time it takes you to send and receive information. The lower your ping, the faster your connection.
Finding Your Ping
The Guild Wars client on your computer pings the server regularly and can show you its results. To see your ping, launch the Guild Wars program and log in to your account. Hover over the green lightning bolt icon in the lower, right-hand corner of the screen. Here you will see your last ping, as well as your average ping.
Effects of Ping
A low ping is vital if you want to be an effective member of your party. Having a high ping worsens your reaction time, which can be detrimental in a close game battle. If you are a support member of the party, for example, you need to be ready with a healing spell such as Aura of Restoration. In difficult fights, your party's health can drop suddenly and steeply. The lower your ping, the better your chance of reacting with appropriate swiftness.
Improving Your Ping
Having a high ping is usually a problem with your Internet connection. Check to see if there are any other processes tying up your connection, such as downloads or streaming video. Your ping may also be high because too many people are using the same connection. If your connection is just slow, regardless of what you are doing, your only real option is upgrading your hardware or getting a new Internet Service Provider.
Map Ping
Guild Wars also features a compass ping. These pings are small, colored circles that radiate out from a point of interest. A yellow or blue ping circle is given during missions, with yellow pings indicating areas of interest and blue pings representing bundle items. A red ping circle is created by another player, usually by making a call.
Pinging your build
Teamwork is a vital part of a successful Guild Wars grouping. Pinging a build is a way of sending your build to team chat. To do this, simply hold down the "Ctrl" button on your keyboard and click your skill bar. This will send your class build to team chat. Knowing the exact capabilities of your teammates is vital, and pinging your build to your teammates it a quick and easy way to share information.