Author Topic: Do the devs have the source code and resurrection!  (Read 14933 times)

Codewalker

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Re: Do the devs have the source code and resurrection!
« Reply #20 on: May 28, 2014, 05:57:33 PM »
Could ncsoft not sell CoH as a single player game?

No, they can't.

NCSoft no longer has anyone working for them with enough knowledge of the code base to modify it, let alone make substantial changes like that.

LadyVamp

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Re: Do the devs have the source code and resurrection!
« Reply #21 on: May 28, 2014, 07:01:17 PM »
You are quite correct, Downix.  With today's technology, who knows how much of it was bought off the shelf from another company or companies or custom made by another company.

Kiario,

Yes.  It is possible to covert it to single player, but it's not worth the effort.  The cost alone would kill any such effort.  Codewalker is correct that NCSoft doesn't have the talent to convert it in house anymore.  They're not going to develop that talent either.  And without the talent, they can't.

To do the conversion, you would need the server engine with all of its dependencies (login server, database server, gaming engine, underlying OS or a compatible OS).  All of those alone could cost thousands.  The hardware to run it on which could be very specific and prohibitively expensive.  The database itself could have been Oracle running on a Solaris frame for example.  All of that would have to be converted to run on Windows.  You would also have to patch the client to look for its server on the loopback network interface.

You must understand that the client is little more than a dumb terminal.  Sure it has the graphics, sounds, music, textures, etc. to give you the immersive feeling.  But it has no gaming engine.  It cannot play anything.  It literally displays what the server tells it to display.   Plays the sounds it is told to play.  The client's functions are get input from you and display the effects of that input.

It really is as simple as:  You hit the up arrow to step forward.  Client sends step forward command to server.  Server updates record of your toon showing it moved forward.  Server tells client to update the graphics and play the sound of the step.  You see the floor, walls, ceiling move.  Some textures become more clear.  You hear a thud of a foot step.  That's the limits of the client. 

The server is the one that decides you just went into range of a hellion, and he's going to attack you.  The server (playing the role of the hellion) executes the attack, updates your toon's record, and send the additional messages to your client saying, display hellion, remove 5% health from your toon, flash the screen with red so you (the player) see that you've been hit.  All those decisions were done on the server.

MMOs are classic 2 and 3 Tier client/server applications.  Each part is useless without the other part(s).

LV
« Last Edit: May 28, 2014, 07:15:36 PM by LadyVamp »
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Azrael

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Re: Do the devs have the source code and resurrection!
« Reply #22 on: May 28, 2014, 09:27:09 PM »
Could ncsoft not sell CoH as a single player game?
I would be very happy to play its as that. With hirelings for the task/strike forces.

Some say that it would be very hard to convert it to an offline game, but why would it?

Instead of devided between servers just recode it to communicate on one server.

As a single player game it is not more advanced as some open world games like skyrim, watch dogs.

Excuse me for bringing this all up, but I have a strong longing for the game and needed to talk about it in some way that could bring hopes.

I'd love to have it as a single player game.  Server for one.

That's what stings the most.  After all that money, all those years, we can't even play the game like you can with some solo games that have 'online' modes.  At least with them you can still play the basic game.

Still.  Patience.

It's a matter of time until it comes back.  Frustrating as hell in the meantime.

Azrael.

Azrael

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Re: Do the devs have the source code and resurrection!
« Reply #23 on: May 28, 2014, 09:28:56 PM »
You are quite correct, Downix.  With today's technology, who knows how much of it was bought off the shelf from another company or companies or custom made by another company.

Kiario,

Yes.  It is possible to covert it to single player, but it's not worth the effort.  The cost alone would kill any such effort.  Codewalker is correct that NCSoft doesn't have the talent to convert it in house anymore.  They're not going to develop that talent either.  And without the talent, they can't.

To do the conversion, you would need the server engine with all of its dependencies (login server, database server, gaming engine, underlying OS or a compatible OS).  All of those alone could cost thousands.  The hardware to run it on which could be very specific and prohibitively expensive.  The database itself could have been Oracle running on a Solaris frame for example.  All of that would have to be converted to run on Windows.  You would also have to patch the client to look for its server on the loopback network interface.

You must understand that the client is little more than a dumb terminal.  Sure it has the graphics, sounds, music, textures, etc. to give you the immersive feeling.  But it has no gaming engine.  It cannot play anything.  It literally displays what the server tells it to display.   Plays the sounds it is told to play.  The client's functions are get input from you and display the effects of that input.

It really is as simple as:  You hit the up arrow to step forward.  Client sends step forward command to server.  Server updates record of your toon showing it moved forward.  Server tells client to update the graphics and play the sound of the step.  You see the floor, walls, ceiling move.  Some textures become more clear.  You hear a thud of a foot step.  That's the limits of the client. 

The server is the one that decides you just went into range of a hellion, and he's going to attack you.  The server (playing the role of the hellion) executes the attack, updates your toon's record, and send the additional messages to your client saying, display hellion, remove 5% health from your toon, flash the screen with red so you (the player) see that you've been hit.  All those decisions were done on the server.

MMOs are classic 2 and 3 Tier client/server applications.  Each part is useless without the other part(s).

LV

So, the Server really is like the Gamesmaster in a traditional pen and paper RPG in many respects...

Azrael.

Noyjitat

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Re: Do the devs have the source code and resurrection!
« Reply #24 on: May 28, 2014, 09:30:09 PM »
Single player is almost the same amount of work as making the emulator. And the only known emulator being worked on sadly still only has one **censored** person working on it. Which frankly makes no sense...

Felderburg

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Re: Do the devs have the source code and resurrection!
« Reply #25 on: June 04, 2014, 06:06:59 PM »
Single player is almost the same amount of work as making the emulator. And the only known emulator being worked on sadly still only has one **censored** person working on it. Which frankly makes no sense...

Are you talking about SEGS? Because that's an Issue 4 emulator (or so I understand). SCoRE is (apparently) a larger group, (presumably) working to bring the latest version to the people.
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