How 2004 RuneScape fit a multiplayer RPG into 56k dial-up
Summary
This long-form article analyzes how RuneScape managed multiplayer gameplay over 56k dial-up by aggressively packing and ordering network packets, using bit-level framing, delta encoding, and per-byte efficiency. It covers the client-server protocol, the 600ms server cycle, and the trade-offs between bit-packed front-ends and byte-aligned back-ends.