Single Server MMORPG: What is single server MMORPG?

What is a single server MMORPG?

Before I begin, let's clarify the concept of what we're going to talk.

I'll skip the RPG part. I don't think it'll be a big problem. If you're more curious, look at Wikipedia's definition.

Next is MMO(G). MMO(G) stands for a Massively multiplayer online game, and Wikipedia explains it as follows.

A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG, or more commonly, MMO) is an online game with large numbers of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server.1

But hundreds or thousands is too broad. And it's not a good explanation in terms of game design and engineering. Let's specify this value a bit more by talking about a single server. The single server means that all users are logically on the same server. Although real-world machines and software have physical limitations, eventually, all users can meet and interact.

So what is a single server MMORPG? It will depend on the game's design and engineering capabilities, but I think the following is sufficient.

  • About one thousand users can interact simultaneously on one physical node
  • Movement between physical nodes must be freely possible

  1. Massively multiplayer online game. In Wikipedia, Retrieved September 20, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massively_multiplayer_online_game↩