OK, what now? I need a private server or the ability to run my own.

Started by sindyr, December 03, 2012, 04:09:34 PM

sindyr

<Not sure which forum this belongs in, so I put it here.>

The day has come and gone, and NCSoft has shut down CoX.

However, throughout the process I kept hearing about all the people who had already reverse-engineered the client and the communication protocol, and were going to now put together server software so that we could all run our own private CoX servers and keep playing the game.  Maybe we couldn't keep playing on a world-wide server with thousands of people across the globe, but at least we could keep playing with our friends.

Whatever happened to this effort?  To the best of my knowledge, all the Plan Z stuff is about making new games "in the spirit of" CoX - but whatever happened to the effort of allowing us to keep playing the *old* CoX (latest issue) privately?  After all, I still have the client software on my computers.

Was the private server idea a lot of talk - vaporware, basically?  If so, tell me now, don't keep me holding my breath.  If running CoX private servers is not to be, then regardless of Plan Z, Q, or X, CoX is fully dead.  But if we can keep playing CoX, even on private servers, then we need not let our time with CoX die.

So, which is it?  Is there a credible effort to let us run private servers, build new characters, and play this game on our own - or is that now (and perhaps always was) a pipe dream that we should let go, admitting that CoX is FULLY gone and dead?

I *really* want it to be the former - and would place a LOT of money and energy towards having the reality of working private CoX servers.  But if this is bulls**t, and it's basically not going to happen, I want to know.  Because while I may check out PlanXYZ games if and when they come out, I don't NEED PlanXYZ.  I need to go back to playing CoX.

Tony?  Others?  What's the sitch?  I can also be contacted privately via pm, via which I can supply my phone and email.  Does anyone have any *tangible* hope for me with CoX, without resorting to a PlanABC to make a brand new game?

The Fifth Horseman

None working right now.
There's SEGS (formerly CoHEmu, later CoXEmu), but they only got to map loading in five or so years since they started. SEGS source code is public, tho.
There's some mention of a few members of Titan userbase working on their own, but that's all I know.
There's New City of Heroes which appears as legit as a three dollar bill.
We were heroes. We were villains. At the end of the world we all fought as one. It's what we did that defines us.
The end occurred pretty much as we predicted: all servers redlining until midnight... and then no servers to go around.

Somewhere beyond time and space, if you look hard you might find a flash of silver trailing crimson: a lone lost Spartan on his way home.

Nafaustu

 A brief search of this form will show you that there was a lot of archiving done.   It will also show you that the Titan Network specifically is working within the law.   A private server would be very interesting, and i'm absolutely certain they are being worked on.   Emu's are inevitable, and they are being opening discussed as a thing that is probably happening.

However.

At no point in the historical discussion on the forum do I recall TonyV or anyone else representing the Titan Network mentioning the official intent to violate IP law and host or private server.

Perhaps someone will private message you with their private efforts that are not on a public server where NCSoft can see it, find you both, and know where send the Cease and Decist letter they would need to slightly modify from their recent Tabula Rasa squelch experiances.  :)

Tommy2Toes

The fact is, nothing exists to give you your COX fix right now.

There are several efforts underway...some with more support than others.  I think TonyV is doing a great service offering us a clearinghouse to discuss all of them.

But for now, all you have is video replay and memories.  Keep your fingers crossed that something will appear "Real Soon Now (TM)"

Metal Mountain

Second me on supporting emulator efforts...

If SWG can have an emulator, why cant we?
If a jerk hacker is found, we reverse hack-jerk. -Pohsyb

Felderburg

Quote from: Metal Mountain on December 03, 2012, 06:05:06 PM
Second me on supporting emulator efforts...

If SWG can have an emulator, why cant we?

Because NCSoft shut down Tabula Rasa players' attempts at one, and there's no reason to think they wouldn't do the same here. LucasArts doesn't care about the SWG emulator.
I used CIT before they even joined the Titan network! But then I left for a long ol' time, and came back. Now I edit the wiki.

I'm working on sorting the Lore AMAs so that questions are easily found and linked: http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Lore_AMA/Sorted Tell me what you think!

Pinnacle: The only server that faceplants before a fight! Member of the Pinnacle RP Congress (People's Elf of the CCCP); formerly @The Holy Flame

emu265

I'd very much like an emulated version, but I know that Titan Network will NOT support one without NCsoft's consent or ownership of the IP. 

Victoria Victrix

Quote from: Felderburg on December 03, 2012, 06:17:30 PM
Because NCSoft shut down Tabula Rasa players' attempts at one, and there's no reason to think they wouldn't do the same here. LucasArts doesn't care about the SWG emulator.

Precisely.  The difference here is huge.  NCSoft not only shut down Tabula Rasa emulators, it shut down the attempts to have emulators of Auto Assault and I think one other game it closed. 

This not only will net you a Cease and Desist letter, it can end in having your ISP ban you for life.  This might not be such a big thing if you live in a large city where you have a choice of ISPs, but if you live in a one-ISP town, that's a pretty horrific thing to face.
I will go down with this ship.  I won't put my hands up in surrender.  There will be no white flag above my door.  I'm in love, and always will be.  Dido

LadyImmolatasia

I can't convey how much that pisses me (and countless others) off. NCSoft shouldn't have the right to hold the game or IP hostage like this. Sadly, I know they can. It's disgusting.

Tanglefoe

Quote from: Nafaustu on December 03, 2012, 04:56:57 PM
stuff, and...


Perhaps someone will private message you with their private efforts that are not on a public server where NCSoft can see it, find you both, and know where send the Cease and Decist letter they would need to slightly modify from their recent Tabula Rasa squelch experiances.  :)

I'd like one too :-X

Daimyoshi

Quote from: Felderburg on December 03, 2012, 06:17:30 PM
Because NCSoft shut down Tabula Rasa players' attempts at one, and there's no reason to think they wouldn't do the same here. LucasArts doesn't care about the SWG emulator.

this seems odd Lucas seems like the last person to be reasonable.

If some one want PM news on one may or may not be legal send me a PM.

Colette

"This seems odd. Lucas seems like the last person to be reasonable."

Actually, he proved to have a good sense of humor with fan-efforts like "Troopers" and memes like "Star Wars Kid." And he even tolerates the numerous fan-edits of Star Wars properties (like the superb Star Wars Revisited.) Only time will tell if Disney will be so enlightened.

dwturducken

Lucas defended the IP until it became funny to him. :)

Also, I thought I read somewhere that, once "fail" to defend the IP, it kind of opens the door, so to speak. Not sure the SWG emulator falls under that, or it just didn't matter against the Bioware/SOE IP issue, which actually involved money.  So far, aside from some Internet celebrity, I don't know of anyone profiting from the SW IP without getting explicit permission.
I wouldn't use the word "replace," but there's no word for "take over for you and make everything better almost immediately," so we just say "replace."

Noyjitat

If the private server is based in the right country whether its legal or not wouldn't really matter. Plenty of servers out there for other games that will never get shut down because the country they are hosting the server on is outside of the US.

If you guys want this to happen then you're going to have to track down your coder friends and point them to s.e.g.s. while we work on getting Disney, plan z, or any other undisclosed plan accomplished. It's going to take great legal risk or a complete rewrite of the existing city of heroes code to bring cox back (assuming Disney or someone doesn't buy it.) Some of the swg private servers are 100% legal because of that rewrite. But a code rewrite is something that's likely going to take much longer than a server emulation.

RogerWilco

Quote from: Nafaustu on December 03, 2012, 04:56:57 PMPerhaps someone will private message you with their private efforts that are not on a public server where NCSoft can see it, find you both, and know where send the Cease and Decist letter they would need to slightly modify from their recent Tabula Rasa squelch experiances.  :)

I'm up for being PM'd. I have various coding skills dating all the way back to MUDs and maybe even a place to run such a thing. TonyV has hinted that there are people out there working on something like this.

I didn't have time before because I was out of the country more than 6 weeks since 31/8.

Rienuaa

Webdev here. PM me, I may be able to help work something out. Or at least moderate some forums or make a webpage. :L

Osborn

I wouldn't mind being PMed about this too, but I'm pretty much assuming that there isn't any such a thing.

sindyr

No PM's so far - I thought we had lotsa peeps promising to reverse engineer the server??

Mister Bison

Quote from: sindyr on December 06, 2012, 07:40:29 PM
No PM's so far - I thought we had lotsa peeps promising to reverse engineer the server??
Not surprised. Realizing an emulator does take much time.
Yeeessss....

TonyV

Quote from: Mister Bison on December 06, 2012, 08:03:02 PM
Not surprised. Realizing an emulator does take much time.

This.  It's not just something you whip out over a weekend.