How 2004 RuneScape fit a multiplayer RPG into 56k dial-up

In 2004, Jagex, the creators of RuneScape, managed to fit a multiplayer RPG into a system running on 56k dial-up connections. A single step of navigating to a neighboring tile was dissected to reveal how the game managed to do so on such a slow connection. The key to this feat was a meticulous approach to not wasting bytes. Upon clicking a tile, a breadth-first search path was created, with only the deltas (directions) between waypoints being sent, rather than the absolute coordinates, cutting down on bytes.

The packet also included a byte indicating whether the Ctrl key was held down, which could either force a run or invert the movement mode. This method of communication allowed the game to function smoothly even on a slow 56k connection.