What OpenEQ Is

[daeken_bb]

OpenEQ is an opensource Everquest client that is in the works.
It is released under the terms of the GPL, and will eventually, hopefully, supercede the official client for Emu play.

We have plans to support other MMORPGs as well, including Everquest 2 and WoW.

If you have any further questions, reply to this thread please. Thank you.

[mysticalninjajesus]

i have a question, whats an opensource everquest client?

[daeken_bb]

i have a question, whats an opensource everquest client?

An opensource replacement for the official Everquest client from Sony.

[mysticalninjajesus]

why make a replacement for the offical everquest client? is there any advantages? whats the difference? what exactly is the client, is it still running on the same engine with the same zones/content?

[daeken_bb]

why make a replacement for the offical everquest client? is there any advantages? whats the difference?

Advantages:
1) It's opensource so it can be analyzed by anyone
2) It will run natively on Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, BeOS, etc
3) It will allow us to add new features to the client and server without waiting for Sony to implement them first or using some cheap hack
4) It will support our own custom content far better without cheap hacks such as ZoneProxy (that said, ZoneProxy is damn cool :) )
5) It will allow us to take complete control over the protocol. We don't have to reverse-engineer the packets and crypto since we define them ourselves in the client.

Disadvantages:
1) It will take time, and a decent bit of it
2) It will require a lot of work, but for quite a lot of return (simply not being a slave to Sony's protocol is a good enough reason to justify the work)

Those are the main advantages and disadvantages. If anyone has any to add, post them please :)

[mysticalninjajesus]

does openeq use a diff 3d engine?

[daeken_bb]

does openeq use a diff 3d engine?

Yes. We share absolutely no code with Sony's client. Not only that, our implementation is muuuch different. For instance, we use OpenGL rather than DirectX.

[Speedz]

Thats the point, ya can trash their garbage for better quality, and they can't cry warez.

We can be free to edit character mesehes, better zones, better everything, etc...


edit....OH and more to the point....You can offer a complete patcher. Players can download the entire client....

HENCE the refference to the copyright crap in the first place :-P

[mysticalninjajesus]

im offended right off cause you called verants work garbage.

so, OpenEQ includes a different (and most likley inferior) 3d renderer , netowrk code, 3d, and npc text. now they cant cry warez. and i see why not, because it has NOTHING TO DO WITH EQ ANYMORE. if you want to emulate eq there going to have to be able to cry warez. if you just want to make your own server, but with a different engine, client, 3d, and everything, why wait for OpenEQ to do it? your server has nothing to do with eq, use an engine which is already advancded.

[a_Guest03]

MNJ, please refrain from posting if you don't understand - the explanation has been made, and you have repeatedly ignored the message.

[mysticalninjajesus]

?

[jimm0thy]

I have to agree w/ MNJ somewhat. Verants work on EQ is when it was a great game , its not til SOE took over that the game started to go down hill. (although I dont think anyone mentioned Verant til he did)

Anyway this is an interesting idea , however if you use any part of EQ , client , zone files , music , etc .. you are violating the copyright. So then to get around this you would have to make an opensource version of the entire game without using any knowledge or source from the copyrighted game.
And as MNJ said I highly doubt anyone will be able to make anything similar to EQ now in under about 3 years - which by that time I think EQ will be dead completely and therefore useless.

What it comes down to is basically what your are invisioning and attempting to make is a completely new game that has some basic references to EQ but is in no way EQ. So all in all youd do better giving it a name that didnt include EQ(which is copyrighted anyway)

[mattmeck]

So then to get around this you would have to make an opensource version of the entire game without using any knowledge or source from the copyrighted game.


On Scorpios2k there is new expancions planned, and eventualy we will no longer use any EQ zone at all.

This client would allow even more customizing, like a part necro part Shammy part BST. or Just new classes all together.

Not every server is out to emulate EQ, its the EQ gameplay in a diferent way that were after. You are correct that a server that tryinf to be like live would find this useless, however what happens when live gose down and you cant patch to get new players? This would solve that issue too.

[KhaN]

/Offtopic ON
And as MNJ said I highly doubt anyone will be able to make anything similar to EQ now in under about 3 years
You sir is WRONG > http://www.worldofalkora.com/temp/KhaN/EQ000148.jpg
I agree its abit empty atm, give us some more weeks, and our zones will have flowers, grass, bench, crates, ...
/Offtopic OFF

[Speedz]

heh, my posts were not ment to start a war here....was just an opinion, and compliment to the openEQ project.....

Looks like it all started AFTER my posts..I think htis thread could stand to be X'd from my post on.

[Dark_SavanT]

can I download sources, or binaries of it?

[Damilis]

can I download sources, or binaries of it?

ouch, 9 days shy of revamping a year old thread.

[HurtinuDaily]

New people that just discover eqemu could play..... would be a great chance to expand the community IMO

[Docs]

I just remade a new user name for here, its been a year or more since i last decided to check this out.

I think this is a great idea. I was sorta wondering if it was possible. I need to go back to reading more thread BRB :)

[cbdsetzer]

/Offtopic ON

You sir is WRONG > http://www.worldofalkora.com/temp/KhaN/EQ000148.jpg
I agree its abit empty atm, give us some more weeks, and our zones will have flowers, grass, bench, crates, ...
/Offtopic OFF

can't see the screenshot! please fix :-)

[Belfedia]

Nobody can't repair the link because woa is at this time a dead project :( and his site is close.

[klinzhai]

While I can see some reason to have an independent client (multiple platforms, getting off the SOE protocol), beyond that, you're probably breaking the copyright in a half dozen new ways if you keep using the old zone files and if you're not, then well, at that point you've designed a whole new game and should really think about simply making your own game and making a living at it.

Yes, I know that there are a lot of "Open source everything!!!" people out there, but the reality is that when you have a smaller group of people who can concentrate on a single project and actually direct their abilities, you end up with higher quality and more consistent content.

Just look at EQ up until Luclin, it was all pretty good gameplay, a consistent world and other than the fact that they couldn't fix anything (non-exploit bugs and broken quests) to save their lives, was pretty damn good. Now look at the PoP and later content. It lost everything that made EQ good up to that point and was almost completely focused on either raiding or on helping everyone hit the point where they could start raiding. Players killing their gods with no consequences. Expansions that had nothing to do with the in-game lore (GoD, OoW anyone?) and seemed at times to be only created so that they could get that immediate 'post-expansion boost' to their playerbase and a few more sheckels out of us.

If you want to create a high-quality game, go get some funding and find a large team of people who are focused on quality. Heck, do it part-time until you're ready to get funding at the late Alpha/early Beta stage. Then you'll have enough leverage to keep control over the project after it goes live and still get your funding.

[BFC]

http://www.worldofalkora.com/website/album/WOANL001.jpg
http://www.worldofalkora.com/website/album/WOANL002.jpg
http://www.worldofalkora.com/website/album/WOANL003.jpg
http://www.worldofalkora.com/website/album/WOANL004.jpg
http://www.worldofalkora.com/website/album/WOANL005.jpg

found them creatively.

-BFC

[Smedy]

this project is really awesome, if you were able to make a opensource client that could seem like the real thing, that would be totally awesome, being able to make any modification to the client is great, such as bringing back the true oldschool stuff :)

but not using the same engine for graphics is gonna bring alot of bugs to the table im guessing, so there will be ALOT of work i assume! good luck on this guys :)

[alemialone]

ok if open eq and mangos were to combine development would be much faster
their server core is @ the .1 stage updates every day last i checked it was on revision 1520 somthing supports wurld of you know clients current. programed in c++ open source database is mysql.

linking the main site

http://www.mangosproject.org/forum/

look in /trunk for latest source to compile.

[Belfedia]

ok if open eq and mangos were to combine development would be much faster
their server core is @ the .1 stage updates every day last i checked it was on revision 1520 somthing supports wurld of you know clients current. programed in c++ open source database is mysql.

linking the main site

http://www.mangosproject.org/forum/

look in /trunk for latest source to compile.

The only problem is OpenEQ is a dead project (one more) and if nobody take it, that will remain a dead project ... :(

[CrabClaw]

I wish people would get thier minds together and come up with an open source "clean room" implementation of an MMO style server RPG that everyone could extend with thier own content. there are more than enough tools out there to fuel the effort!

-The amount of classes, races, interface, and equipment data structures should be open ended, so people have room for creativity.
-The world should be zone based so its easier to add new zones at will.
-The project should use open source libraries, scripting (like python or LUA, XML, and MySql), and tools so there are as few barriers as possible for people to make content.

I guess we are just waiting for the first spark that will light the torch and get people thinking "outside the box". Talking about it helps though and the work being done today on emulators only builds compentancy and interest in the skills needed to actually make it happen. I track the Mangos peoples forums too, I admire thier energy in these efforts. :)

:D

[mattmeck]

I wish people would get thier minds together and come up with an open source "clean room" implementation of an MMO style server RPG that everyone could extend with thier own content. there are more than enough tools out there to fuel the effort!


You offering?

[CrabClaw]

I could help with the organizing and the break down of the tasks, and maybe a bit of 3D modelling with the tools I have, but im not a hardcore coder. My area of programing knowledge is in Java and writing mostly.

Hmm, it would have to be a team effort with clearly designed goals and benchmarks.

I do know from the game development I have done that the hardest part is the networking, and the game renderer itself. That's why its easier to mod for sure.

Hmm, off the top of my head comes three ideas for a renderer/game running system:

Irrlicht Engine (http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/)
Ogre 3D (http://www.ogre3d.org/)
Crystalspace 3D (http://www.crystalspace3d.org/)

They would have to be discussed and evaluated for MMO style development you would need. The plus side is they are all open source and free, although each would probably have its advantages and disadvantages for the project.

I do know the project would probably use a MySql database for sure, that's the easy part. Just some ideas for thought. The big part is would a community get behind it? Or do they just want to play an emulator?

[Gameross]

Heh...you guys are funny thinking writing the server/client is the toughest.

The hardest part is producing the graphics. zones and other content as technically, it never ends. Doing all this 3D modeling I'm sure took far more man hours than were ever put into the server/client and EQs modeling is pretty poor IMO compared to what's in other online games these days.

[CrabClaw]

Exactly what I was thinking as I was kicking the idea around with a coffee buddy of mine, the amount of active artists can make or break a project, but a flaky/buggy engine can too.

It's a pyramid of engine, graphics and game design, but notice the "content" part makes up 2/3rds of the game. You could never hope to get a 1st class level of graphics to start, but it can improve over time. But expectations too high and too early can only frustrate people.

If I had to do art for it I would probably go with something like Blender as is has some nice actor model animation exporting features that are nice (and uses Python which I really like). Then all you have to do is find free models and re-skin and modify them for what you need like creatures, people, terrain, an buildings. But finding a group of guys to get pumped about it is the toughie.

[mattmeck]

http://www.eqemulator.net/forums/showthread.php?t=20773

[CrabClaw]

Hmm have to check it out, thanks :)