For better internet play you should adjust your game settings.

INTERNET PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Equipment effects performance ! We are all NOT playing with the same equipment. Like vehicles; some of us have V.W. Bugs and some have Corvettes. And just as in a race between a V.W. and a Corvette the wining factor is more related to horse power than individual driving skills. So if your computer isn’t a high performance sports car type ( and most of ours aren’t) EXPECT to have a disadvantage when playing those sport car types.

Online games in general have important dynamics that must be understood by all pilots. These conditions do not exist in single player mode. Understanding these dynamics and adjusting for them will enhance both your gaming pleasure and your ability to be victorious.
quality of connection (28.8k, cable, time of day, etc.)
quality of other players connections
number of other players
processing speed of HOST computer

All have major effects upon the game. Understanding what happens during a game (beneath the surface) will emphasize a few major points that each pilot must compensate for individually. Depending on the equipment YOU use these factors may or may not effect your performance.

1.) Connection Speed: You need a good connection to the internet to avoid performance problems. The faster your true connection speed is; the better your performance is likely to be. A 56k connection is considered the minimum in hosting a smooth 4 player games. The internet is like a freeway. At certain times of the day there is a lot of traffic on the freeway (internet). As traffic increases, internet speeds slow down due to the congestion, and game performance is impacted.

2.) Latency: Definition; is a measurement (in milliseconds) of the amount of time it takes for your computer to send information (called a packet) over the internet to the target computer AND back to your computer. This is often called lag. High latency causes poor multi-player Performance. It is important to have a low latency connection to the other players. A latency of under 500 (ms) between players is needed for a satisfactory game. The average latency (4 players latency total divided by should be 300 or so for a smooth game.

3.) Hosting: It is a good idea to have the fastest connection host the game. If you don’t have a good connection speed and a fast computer don’t HOST 4 player games. You should instead join games hosted by others.

Playing a 4-way match over the internet is much more demanding on your computers hardware and CPU than single player mode. For this reason you need to compensate for the extra strain on your systems by lowering your screen resolution to 640x460, 256 colors. Put all the configurations to their lowest settings and turn OFF all sound effects. REMEMBER when competing with other players the most important thing is that you have a good frame rate so you can react quickly to your opponents actions.