Show HN: I built an indie, browser-based MMORPG

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

An indie developer has launched a browser-based MMORPG inspired by Old School RuneScape, built with JavaScript, WebGL, and a 600 ms server tick to keep realtime combat and movement responsive even on a $5/month server. Players praise the nostalgic feel and emergent social moments but report technical issues such as Firefox/WebGL incompatibilities, mobile UI limitations, latency, and the game being taken down by heavy traffic and email service limits. Much of the conversation centers on the tradeoffs of using web technologies for an MMO, scaling and networking strategies, and whether such a project can ever be sustainably monetized without resorting to aggressive tactics like loot boxes.

Gameplay, Inspiration, and Feel

  • Players consistently note strong Old School RuneScape vibes: click‑to‑move, camera angle, chat style, and 600ms tick rate.
  • Described as self‑directed: explore, fight monsters and players, solve puzzles, complete quests, and level various skills (fishing, cooking, mining, smithing, woodcutting, farming, crafting).
  • Current content includes NPC quests and riddles, a goblin boss and quest, and a lever‑door puzzle. Some players still feel “not much to do” yet.
  • Several comments highlight nostalgia for early‑2000s web games and “when the internet was fun.”

Controls, UX, and Platform Support

  • Movement is via click‑to‑move; right‑click handles special interactions.
  • Some users struggle to move or see clicks register, especially on poor networks.
  • Mobile: movement works, but limited “right‑click” functionality prevents accessing inventory and chat; pinch‑zoom on iOS feels “funky.”
  • Firefox/WebGL issues reported on some hardware; workaround involves toggling a browser flag. Developer plans better WebGL detection and error handling.

Networking, Performance, and Architecture

  • Server tick is 600ms, chosen to match movement pacing and similar games.
  • About 200 users per $5/month instance; scaling is hard when many players cluster in one location because updates scale roughly O(n²).
  • Server logic runs in Node.js with rule‑based ticks; client interpolates between ticks for smoothness.
  • Developer notes 1.2ms average tick computation time, leaving plenty of headroom at 600ms.
  • Discussion of whether faster ticks (e.g., 50ms) are feasible; consensus: maybe with good geolocation and sophisticated lag handling.
  • Side discussion on WebRTC/DataChannel and WebTransport for UDP‑like behavior; acknowledged as powerful but complex.

Scalability and Outages

  • Game repeatedly hit by the “HN hug of death,” returning 502 errors.
  • Initial root cause turned out not to be pure load but an SMTP provider blocking emails, which cascaded into server failures.
  • Tweaks included TCP settings changes, disabling email, and switching to a transactional email service.

Monetization and Business Viability

  • Developer currently treats it as a low‑expense hobby with possible future membership or expanded‑world model.
  • Another indie MMO developer shares that tech is the easy part; marketing, community, and business are harder and time‑consuming.
  • Suggestions include visible donation bars tied to monthly costs, per‑player cost breakdowns, cosmetic‑only paid items, and social/status cosmetics.

Web Technologies and Language Choices

  • Debate over JavaScript for a “performance‑critical” MMO:
    • Some argue JS is sufficient, especially given 600ms ticks and I/O‑bound workloads.
    • Others criticize general software bloat and Electron‑style apps but acknowledge that shipping matters more than perfect optimization.
  • Mentions of potential C++/WASM plugins for heavy server work and the existence of impressive JS/Three.js/WebGL projects.

Community Reactions and Social Dynamics

  • Many users report brief but enjoyable sessions: killing chickens and cows, teaming up on monsters, and nostalgic PK encounters.
  • Emergent social stories: players collectively attacking a racist chatter, stealing loot, and joking about in‑game “communism.”
  • Some players find combat “slow but intense” and suggest gameplay tweaks (e.g., disabling attacking while walking to allow fleeing).
  • Overall sentiment is highly positive toward the ambition, nostalgia, and “fun indie MMO on the web” aspect, even with rough edges and downtime.