There have been various threads on connection. Good day this, bad day that, lag day the next. Back on Black Ops 2, there was a big buzz on "Oh, you gotta open your NAT Type, and here's how you do it" to have the best experience. I myself never did that, mostly cuz I never could..being on college internet and all. From the people who I have been friends with and know did that, it went well for them for the most part in that game. However, in Ghosts, I honestly believe that it's optimized towards a Moderate NAT. I wouldn't know how good or bad it could be with an Open NAT, cuz I haven't had one. Mine's always been Moderate. But for the most part, I have a lot of good games on that Moderate NAT. Most of them aren't that laggy, especially ridin' solo or as party host [as might be expected]. At the same time, I see many posts from regulars on here, and even then not, that "I have this high-speed internet and an Open NAT, but I still am lagging like crazy." And then recently, our good friend Likes2Nap posted that he reduced his NAT to Moderate and had better connection success. I got to thinking about this, and to me it makes sense! Before I continue, for those who do not totally know, I should explain the basics of NAT Types and how they work as i know it, (which could be totally wrong..but I don't think so).
You have 3 types: Strict, Moderate, and Open.
Open - Always assumed to be the "best" connection and setting. Can connect to any type and any type can connect to them.
Moderate - The assumed "middle ground". I don't know the exact limits or requirements for any of these types, but this is seen as not the best, but not the worst. Can only connect to other Moderates and Opens (with exceptions. For example, I have a few random friends that are also Moderates but we can't connect to each other. The only way to play together is to have someone else host.)
Strict - The assumed "worst" connection. Can only connect to Opens. I believe that if 2 Stricts encounter each other, that one or both of them can get booted/time out..but don't quote me on that one.
The point of that is to show that although Opens are perceived as the "best" connection and are supposed to be able to find and join the most games, that also means they can connect to anybody, including Mr. and Mrs. Crappy Internet. Sure, it can be the best, but it could also be seen as a bigger gamble, which is what I'm trying to point out to you. If you have a Moderate NAT, you shouldn't normally connect to those "bad" Strict NAT internets, unless there's an Open host or a party involved. In essence, I'm preaching the reverse of what I used to hear. Try changing your NAT to Moderate and see what happens. Try some games and see how the connection compares. If it's not better at all, you can't connect to some good friends, or it takes too long for your tolerance to find a game, change it back.
IKY out.