Flunklesnarkin_sl
shitlord
- 922
- 3
EQClassic has been a fairly open secret to those who browse the various everquest threads.
I figured it would be a good time to make a thread about the project as it is nearing completion. (still no release date yet, but they have made huge progress lately)
EQClassic is an everquest emulation project that strives to be the most accurate recreation of classic EQ possible. It's being developed around an actual classic client the Velious boxed set unlike many of the various EQemu projects you may have tried out.
Here is a quote from the senior developer Yeahlight as he can explain what sets this project apart from the rest better than I ever could.
Another interesting explanation here.
If you are even slightly interested in a true classic Everquest experience I'd urge you to check out their website and browse their extensive video library documenting the server development.
They listen to and appreciate any feedback on how classic game mechanics and content were implemented. So feel free to let them know what you think.
http://www.eqclassic.org/index.php
Thank you for reading!!
PS. Don't forget to thank the other senior developer Harakiri, people always seem to forget the hard work he does!!
I figured it would be a good time to make a thread about the project as it is nearing completion. (still no release date yet, but they have made huge progress lately)
EQClassic is an everquest emulation project that strives to be the most accurate recreation of classic EQ possible. It's being developed around an actual classic client the Velious boxed set unlike many of the various EQemu projects you may have tried out.
Here is a quote from the senior developer Yeahlight as he can explain what sets this project apart from the rest better than I ever could.
As a quick note, none of the following should be considered "finer" points of comparison, as they are all major differences in execution.
First and foremost, we are developing our software around an actual classic client (EQTrilogy [2001]). EQEmulator servers that advertise themselves as classic are running off of EQTitanium (c. 2006) or later. Every non-classic feature that was added between 2001 and 2006 or beyond is present in these clients, so hacked up approaches are deployed to disguise, restrict or limit their existence. On top of this, some classic features have been removed over the years. Remember ambient music in cities / boats, MIDI generated music, spell bolts, properly functioning boats, message boards, humans blind at night, the original / Velious UI, forced spellbook mediation, etc.? Everything you remember about classic EverQuest is available in the EQTrilogy client--very little of it is present in EQTitanium or later.
Beyond the choice of client, there are staggering differences in development. Here at EQClassic, we author all of the work behind each system. EQEmulator server operators are just that--server operators (monkeys pulling levers until the bananas appear). They are not professional developers and they certainly have not authored the work responsible for their creations (if you find a server operated by Father Nitwit, Quagmire, or any of the other EQEmulator pioneers, I will certainly eat my words). Now, when I refer to work, I am speaking of the actual intelligent work; the linear algebra driving their line of sight and collision algorithms, the UDP/IP with TCP emulated netcode, the A* BFS pathing algorithm, etc. In other words, when these systems need to be fixed or expanded, they cannot do so. Even when small things need to be fixed or expanded, they cannot do so. Ever wonder why so many things go ignored in bugs reports? They are waiting for someone else to fix it.
Another critically important development difference is our dedication to synchronize what you see in the client with the server's own representation. Just because you see 1235 AC in the character window does not mean you actually have it (even if you did have it, I do not believe EQEmulator understands the two-part AC [mitigation & avoidance] system). Beyond this, we also listen to and meet the client's expectations. Ever wonder why your HP levels are jumping back and forth in the client on an EQEmulator server? EQEmulator calculates what it believes your current HP amount should be and then jams it down the client's throat, completely ignoring the client's say in the matter (the same thing applies to mana).
As a final point of developmental differences (for discussion, as many others exist), when creating our own systems, we do extensive research to ensure that our implementations are correct or close to it ahead of time. How many charts, graphs, benchmarks and quality assurance reports have EQEmulator server operators offered you to validate their work? How many algorithms have been shared with you for review? How many views of their database(s) have they made public?
Moving into the theoretical realm (as EQClassic does not offer any services at this time), the following are the differences that should matter most to players. I have recently offered ideas on how to maintain server integrity, which include powerless--in every sense of the word--GMs and guides, purely transparent management, inventory scanning, robust event logging / auditing and my vow to never have a personal stake in any EQClassic service. Any time I spend with an EQClassic service would be spent protecting it and making it as enjoyable as possible for others--not betraying it.
I could continue with this discussion well beyond the length of what you are willing to read, but I believe these are some of the most important points. The unfortunate reality is most players are content as long as mobs are swinging and they can hit back. A majority of players do not care about the accuracy of the game or how much easier it is than it should be; they just want to see and experience the things they remember and EQEmulator servers are more than willing to exploit this.
First and foremost, we are developing our software around an actual classic client (EQTrilogy [2001]). EQEmulator servers that advertise themselves as classic are running off of EQTitanium (c. 2006) or later. Every non-classic feature that was added between 2001 and 2006 or beyond is present in these clients, so hacked up approaches are deployed to disguise, restrict or limit their existence. On top of this, some classic features have been removed over the years. Remember ambient music in cities / boats, MIDI generated music, spell bolts, properly functioning boats, message boards, humans blind at night, the original / Velious UI, forced spellbook mediation, etc.? Everything you remember about classic EverQuest is available in the EQTrilogy client--very little of it is present in EQTitanium or later.
Beyond the choice of client, there are staggering differences in development. Here at EQClassic, we author all of the work behind each system. EQEmulator server operators are just that--server operators (monkeys pulling levers until the bananas appear). They are not professional developers and they certainly have not authored the work responsible for their creations (if you find a server operated by Father Nitwit, Quagmire, or any of the other EQEmulator pioneers, I will certainly eat my words). Now, when I refer to work, I am speaking of the actual intelligent work; the linear algebra driving their line of sight and collision algorithms, the UDP/IP with TCP emulated netcode, the A* BFS pathing algorithm, etc. In other words, when these systems need to be fixed or expanded, they cannot do so. Even when small things need to be fixed or expanded, they cannot do so. Ever wonder why so many things go ignored in bugs reports? They are waiting for someone else to fix it.
Another critically important development difference is our dedication to synchronize what you see in the client with the server's own representation. Just because you see 1235 AC in the character window does not mean you actually have it (even if you did have it, I do not believe EQEmulator understands the two-part AC [mitigation & avoidance] system). Beyond this, we also listen to and meet the client's expectations. Ever wonder why your HP levels are jumping back and forth in the client on an EQEmulator server? EQEmulator calculates what it believes your current HP amount should be and then jams it down the client's throat, completely ignoring the client's say in the matter (the same thing applies to mana).
As a final point of developmental differences (for discussion, as many others exist), when creating our own systems, we do extensive research to ensure that our implementations are correct or close to it ahead of time. How many charts, graphs, benchmarks and quality assurance reports have EQEmulator server operators offered you to validate their work? How many algorithms have been shared with you for review? How many views of their database(s) have they made public?
Moving into the theoretical realm (as EQClassic does not offer any services at this time), the following are the differences that should matter most to players. I have recently offered ideas on how to maintain server integrity, which include powerless--in every sense of the word--GMs and guides, purely transparent management, inventory scanning, robust event logging / auditing and my vow to never have a personal stake in any EQClassic service. Any time I spend with an EQClassic service would be spent protecting it and making it as enjoyable as possible for others--not betraying it.
I could continue with this discussion well beyond the length of what you are willing to read, but I believe these are some of the most important points. The unfortunate reality is most players are content as long as mobs are swinging and they can hit back. A majority of players do not care about the accuracy of the game or how much easier it is than it should be; they just want to see and experience the things they remember and EQEmulator servers are more than willing to exploit this.
Another interesting explanation here.
Recently, I have received an influx of messages asking for an elaboration on the differences between EQClassic and EQEmulator. I suppose the existing literature on this topic is not easily accessible or simply insufficient, so I will address this topic as clearly as possible in a single thread.
Yes, EQClassic is a derivative project of EQEmulator (version 2.X, c. 2002), and, yes, EQClassic would not exist today if it were not for the early EQEmulator developers; however, to say that EQClassic and EQEmulator have much in common is an exaggeration. EQClassic and EQEmulator have two and only two points of similarity, which are the same underlying communication protocols (these are defined by the client, for which neither of us have any control) and the same event-driven scripting system** (someone at EQEmulator did a fantastic job with this and there is no reason to develop our own solution at this time). Every other portion of our EQEmulator branching point has either already been rewritten, is in the process of being rewritten or will be rewritten in the future. If and when EQEmulator's scripting system fails us, that, too, will be rewritten. Our projects have very little in common, yet--what is terribly frustrating--the average user will be unable to distinguish the two.
The things that most users associate with the world of EQ are defined by the client software. Textures, NPC/PC models, user interfaces, music, particle effects, etc. all live on your machine. The server plays a very small role in the game's presentation, thus any functional server will appear to be an accurate recreation simply because the gross inaccuracies are masked by the client's responsibilities.
Although only a small percentage of users have the ability to appreciate it, an accurate recreation is important to us, and we wish not to be associated with the EQEmulator project because it is obvious to us that they do not share these same standards. Beyond our developmental differences, the key reason why there must be a known separation between EQClassic and EQEmulator is the plague of all EQEmulator-based servers--corruption.
Why is corruption so prevalent on these servers? Those running the servers rarely authored the core work behind them (compare the names of the owners to the names in the revision logs: e.g.http://code.google.com/p/projecteqemu/s... svn24&r=24), thus there is no earned sense of pride and the overwhelming temptation to betray their communities always supersedes their assumed responsibility of establishing and maintaining integrity. The amount of work these server owners rely upon to offer their services far exceeds their individual contributions, thus they have no control over the software because they do not understand it. This is the difference between EQClassic and EQEmulator.
When we are finished, the final result will be no less than 90% of the combined, original works of Harakiri and myself with a small remaining portion from past EQClassic and EQEmulator developers. I have had such a deep involvement with this project that my desire to enjoy my own work has been annihilated. I no longer entertain the idea of playing my own creation, which means my involvement with any potential services offered by this project would be spent protecting them--not betraying them. How many EQEmulator-based server owners have a personal stake in their own creations? All of them.
For these reasons, we do not wish to be known as an EQEmulator project, which is why you are asked to not advertise our project on EQEmulator forums and vice versa. If you cannot appreciate our desire for accuracy and integrity, then you are not welcome here.
**Edit: As it--unsurprisingly--turns out, EQEmulator's scripting system is not sufficient to manage complex scripts, thus Harakiri has developed his own superior system for events such as the 10th ring war.
Yes, EQClassic is a derivative project of EQEmulator (version 2.X, c. 2002), and, yes, EQClassic would not exist today if it were not for the early EQEmulator developers; however, to say that EQClassic and EQEmulator have much in common is an exaggeration. EQClassic and EQEmulator have two and only two points of similarity, which are the same underlying communication protocols (these are defined by the client, for which neither of us have any control) and the same event-driven scripting system** (someone at EQEmulator did a fantastic job with this and there is no reason to develop our own solution at this time). Every other portion of our EQEmulator branching point has either already been rewritten, is in the process of being rewritten or will be rewritten in the future. If and when EQEmulator's scripting system fails us, that, too, will be rewritten. Our projects have very little in common, yet--what is terribly frustrating--the average user will be unable to distinguish the two.
The things that most users associate with the world of EQ are defined by the client software. Textures, NPC/PC models, user interfaces, music, particle effects, etc. all live on your machine. The server plays a very small role in the game's presentation, thus any functional server will appear to be an accurate recreation simply because the gross inaccuracies are masked by the client's responsibilities.
Although only a small percentage of users have the ability to appreciate it, an accurate recreation is important to us, and we wish not to be associated with the EQEmulator project because it is obvious to us that they do not share these same standards. Beyond our developmental differences, the key reason why there must be a known separation between EQClassic and EQEmulator is the plague of all EQEmulator-based servers--corruption.
Why is corruption so prevalent on these servers? Those running the servers rarely authored the core work behind them (compare the names of the owners to the names in the revision logs: e.g.http://code.google.com/p/projecteqemu/s... svn24&r=24), thus there is no earned sense of pride and the overwhelming temptation to betray their communities always supersedes their assumed responsibility of establishing and maintaining integrity. The amount of work these server owners rely upon to offer their services far exceeds their individual contributions, thus they have no control over the software because they do not understand it. This is the difference between EQClassic and EQEmulator.
When we are finished, the final result will be no less than 90% of the combined, original works of Harakiri and myself with a small remaining portion from past EQClassic and EQEmulator developers. I have had such a deep involvement with this project that my desire to enjoy my own work has been annihilated. I no longer entertain the idea of playing my own creation, which means my involvement with any potential services offered by this project would be spent protecting them--not betraying them. How many EQEmulator-based server owners have a personal stake in their own creations? All of them.
For these reasons, we do not wish to be known as an EQEmulator project, which is why you are asked to not advertise our project on EQEmulator forums and vice versa. If you cannot appreciate our desire for accuracy and integrity, then you are not welcome here.
**Edit: As it--unsurprisingly--turns out, EQEmulator's scripting system is not sufficient to manage complex scripts, thus Harakiri has developed his own superior system for events such as the 10th ring war.
If you are even slightly interested in a true classic Everquest experience I'd urge you to check out their website and browse their extensive video library documenting the server development.
They listen to and appreciate any feedback on how classic game mechanics and content were implemented. So feel free to let them know what you think.
http://www.eqclassic.org/index.php
Thank you for reading!!
PS. Don't forget to thank the other senior developer Harakiri, people always seem to forget the hard work he does!!