Hacker News·5 min read·medium
2004 RuneScape fit a multiplayer RPG into 56k dial-up
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fagnerbrack
✦AI Summary
This technical retrospective examines how the 2004 version of the game RuneScape managed to function on 56k dial-up internet connections. It details the engineering constraints and packet-optimization strategies used by developers to maintain a multiplayer experience with limited bandwidth.
Why it matters
It provides a historical look at software engineering ingenuity and the evolution of network optimization in early online gaming.
Added correction regarding Ctrl key. In early versions this was "force run", in a later update it was changed to "invert movement mode".
technologyculture
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