If you've never heard of The Sims, it's time to turn in your joystick. The "people simulation" series from Electronic Arts is the most popular gaming franchise ever, having shipped over 24 million units since its launch over three years ago. Which is why game publishing giant EA had high hopes for its online version, The Sims Online, a persistent online world in which a subscriber can share their sim-ing experiences with hordes of others. Indeed, EA execs discussed reaping as many as one million active monthly subscribers globally, which would far outstrip the 470,000 subscribers to Sony's EverQuest, the most popular virtual world to date. In anticipation of massive numbers of gamers putting a huge load on EA's computer resources, Mark Rizzo, the company's chief architect, worldwide technology services and operations, went shopping. On his shopping list were almost 1000 servers to be crammed into the smallest footprint possible to maximize the total cost of operation.