V8id is a massive multiplayer online (MMO) infrastructure created by JMP $EA31 with the goal of creating a persistent online world that runs natively on the Commodore 64 and other retro computers while relying on a modern, real-time backend server.
Imagine a persistent online world running not just on modern machines, but directly from your Commodore 64.
At the heart of the project is a custom-developed binary network API. The system has been optimized to remain functional even over connections with speeds as low as 300 baud. This allows virtually any old machine to connect to the internet.
Although the reference client was developed for the Commodore 64, the protocol is open. Whether it’s an Apple II, ZX Spectrum, Linux terminal, or even VR glasses – if the device “speaks” the V8id language, it can be part of the world.
This is the first fully open MMO world designed from scratch for real-time interaction between wildly different systems with different speeds and architecture. Anyone can connect with any device.
This project is a kind of “21st century Ultima” based on community creation and pushing technological boundaries. It is exciting not only for players, but also for developers, as anyone can write their own client based on the documented API.
I think it’s amazing that someone took on such a project. The developer writes that he started it because he “didn’t know it was impossible.”
And because I didn’t know it’s impossible, I just started doing it 😄
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