Windows ME (probably the source of my lag)
1.8 GHz
256 RAM
128 MB ATI Radeon 9000 Pro Video Card
80 Gigs Memory (40 gig free space)
A fairly powerful computer being 2 years old. However, with my AOM graphics and sound set to all of the highest level of detail, I begin to lag after logging about fifty minutes of gameplay without restarting. This lag becomes so devastatingly paralyzing I have lost probably ten games because of it in my history of AOM. For example, the mouse freezes for 5 seconds than zooms across the screen, double clicking fails, and tons of other problems occur when this lag kicks in.
So, last night, after reviewing fifteen minutes of recorded games, i joined a game (on hyperfast) that lasted about 37 minutes. I had a huge advantage, yet the lag kicked in, and I began to lose.
Then, by some miracle, a sound chimed in the background. An America Online instant message. In frustration, I'm thinking, "WTF? I didn't close AOL?" So I ALT+TAB out, check the message, put my away message on, and return to the game.
And, unbelievably the lag had dissapeared! I could now roam freely about to queue units and micro manage my army. Then lag vanished for approximately 2 minutes, then started up again. So, I ALT+TAB'ed again and, HELL YEA, it worked again! Shortly after, my opponent resigned. I don't know how effective this will be on any of your computers, but I know I've found a way, for me at least, to finish the opponent off when the all-feared lag begins to kick in. Good luck everyone.