[jwells89]

While the most common uses of cores like this is to spin up “blizzlike” servers or “funservers” that use the original content but with boosted XP, loot, etc multipliers, to me what makes them interesting is when combined with client modding, the possibility of custom content — new zones, quests, loot, races, classes, and with some ingenuity even new systems.

They’re good foundations to build on. One would be hard-pressed to find an MMO client+server that’s as polished and complete.

The legal risks involved make it too risky for anybody within Blizzard’s reach to do anything but private tinkering with, unfortunately. It makes me wish for legislation that makes non-commercial game modding and reverse engineering strictly legal.

[lijok]

The private game server scene is filled with the most motivated, ingenuous, time rich people. The best decision I had made when I was still deep in it was to focus dev efforts on API’s for accessing live server data (inventories, spawns, notifications, etc). The devs that come out of the brush with amazing ideas that they’re able to rally people around and execute on is a sight to behold.

[instagib]

Asheron’s call, an older MMORPG, has quite a few private servers and the original company Turbine is okay with it and still offers the main client to be downloaded from their website.

A few have made very custom content with new areas, higher levels, etc on top of 15-20 years of content updates from the original game.

Supposedly 3,000 users online right now but some servers allow botting. https://treestats.net/player_counts/?servers=emulator&range=

[w-ll]

I learned so much C# eary modding https://github.com/runuo/runuo an open Ultima Online server.

[mentos]

I’m pretty sure the restart server function in RunUO was from my contribution in highscool 2001 :)

I remember it wasn’t implemented and I asked if just starting a new process and stopping the old would work? Someone said try and see, it did and I shared the code and it made it into the next build.

Over 20 years later I owe a career in game development to RunUO.

[JohnMakin]

There are very vibrant, massive population private servers for-profit out there that have been around forever and seem to be doing just fine - see the Warmane project.

[xandrius]

I agree but I do think copyright should apply here, so it should be open but in 20+ years, since the company is still active and making quite a bit of money off it.