Blizzard Cracking down on private servers

Pepsei

Lifer
Dec 14, 2001
12,895
1
0
I guess they're trying to stop them before the Lich King gets emulated.

link

here a quote from one of the 'rogue' site

We're sorry to inform our users (you) that our "VV0rld 0f VV4rcr4ft" server will be closed, due to a "legal DMCA" complain letter from "Bliz Entertainment Inc".
We've received the letter this morning, and it's been confirmed to be real, we have to get rid of all "VV0rld 0f VV4rcr4ft" content within 24/hours, and for obvious reasons we have agreed to cooperate with this DMCA letter and close "xxxxxx server" down..
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bliz Entertainment is taking serious action to take down all unauthorized private "WoW" game servers/and or content related to "illegal use of emulators" within the next days..
- This isn't just for us, all private servers will eventually receive this letter, as there's a huge list of private servers listed in the DMCA letter...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We sincerely ask you to please take this under moderation, and NOT to blame Bliz for their actions. They deserve the right to do what they did.
It's been a fun time, and we appreciate and thanks all our users for the support and cooperation in making our community a fun place for everyone. This however, have come to a end.. and we believe this to be our final good bye.
(We'll be opening a "community" forum, NOT related to "VV0rld 0f VV4rcr4ft" within the few days. So if you still want to keep in touch with members from our previous community, we'd like to ask you to stay tuned for more information regarding this notice).
xxxxx server ( 1 Years, 6 Months, 4 days... )
May 10, 2007 - December 04, 2008...
Once again, thank you all! *drops a tear*
- xxxxx, xxxx Server MMORPG Founder.
 

skace

Lifer
Jan 23, 2001
14,488
7
81
Emulators usually don't have a long lifespan while the MMO they are emulating is still going strong...
 

Juddog

Diamond Member
Dec 11, 2006
7,851
6
81
I had a private server up and running for a while, just for personal use. The only reason I created it was so that I could see all the parts of the game I missed out on as a non-hardcore player. I finally got to check out every zone and kill all of the big bosses solo. You can even have friends join in. It's fun, but not the same, and the fun factor wears out quickly, so I have gone back to playing live.
 

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
41,091
513
126
Originally posted by: Juddog
I had a private server up and running for a while, just for personal use. The only reason I created it was so that I could see all the parts of the game I missed out on as a non-hardcore player. I finally got to check out every zone and kill all of the big bosses solo. You can even have friends join in. It's fun, but not the same, and the fun factor wears out quickly, so I have gone back to playing live.

A real "I am legend" scenario there hehe.
 

etrin

Senior member
Aug 10, 2001
692
5
81
well the lich king private server was out before blizzard did theirs.
I saw movies of the expansion all done on a private server 2 weeks before the expansion was released.
both of them were in germany.
I wish that bliz would have given us a private sandbox to play on and test stuff solo at our home, it is really sad they did not.
I would put up a private server at my home to try builds and stuff if I knew how to do it.

=====================================
I think that a lot of the private servers are charging people to play.
If you want a level XXX with full eq then it cost $$$

that is probably the main thing with bliz...where is our cut LOL


 

Barfo

Lifer
Jan 4, 2005
27,539
212
106
Originally posted by: Juddog
I had a private server up and running for a while, just for personal use. The only reason I created it was so that I could see all the parts of the game I missed out on as a non-hardcore player. I finally got to check out every zone and kill all of the big bosses solo. You can even have friends join in. It's fun, but not the same, and the fun factor wears out quickly, so I have gone back to playing live.

now that's interesting, would it be illegal to do that to take a look at all the instances I've missed and most likely will never see, because I have a life?
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
Originally posted by: etrin
well the lich king private server was out before blizzard did theirs.
I saw movies of the expansion all done on a private server 2 weeks before the expansion was released.
both of them were in germany.
I wish that bliz would have given us a private sandbox to play on and test stuff solo at our home, it is really sad they did not.
I would put up a private server at my home to try builds and stuff if I knew how to do it.

=====================================
I think that a lot of the private servers are charging people to play.
If you want a level XXX with full eq then it cost $$$

that is probably the main thing with bliz...where is our cut LOL

That movie could've been done on the beta as the beta had been out for months prior to the release of the expansion.

Private servers are very easy to create and all that I've seen do not charge users.
 

Pepsei

Lifer
Dec 14, 2001
12,895
1
0
it's easy to put your own server up, there are 2 different open source emulator engines that i'm aware of. they do not use any blizzard codes, and they do not contain any WoW database, i guess that's the main reason they're still running strong.

now, there are groups of people who are doing WoW database using mysql..etc i guess that part isn't illegal to do since people run sites like thottbot.

once you put those two things together, you're in a gray area. but that's an argument for a different thread.
 

Beev

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2006
7,775
0
0
Originally posted by: barfo
now that's interesting, would it be illegal to do that to take a look at all the instances I've missed and most likely will never see, because I have a life?

Extremely incorrect and all around fucking stupid statement.

I play 2 hours a night 4 nights a week and I see ALL of the content.
 

pontifex

Lifer
Dec 5, 2000
43,804
46
91
i made my own personal server to use by myself once. wasn't too hard. i ended up deleting everything after a few days since it was even more pointless than playing the live version.
 

CalvinHobbes

Diamond Member
Feb 27, 2004
3,524
0
0
There was a post about this on WoWinsider the other day. I'm not sure how many they're actually shutting down and for how long.
 

Barfo

Lifer
Jan 4, 2005
27,539
212
106
Originally posted by: Beev
Originally posted by: barfo
now that's interesting, would it be illegal to do that to take a look at all the instances I've missed and most likely will never see, because I have a life?

Extremely incorrect and all around fucking stupid statement.

I play 2 hours a night 4 nights a week and I see ALL of the content.

:laugh: no need to get all worked up, you may be right, I play in a low pop server and no one's interested in running classic or BC instances anymore, and it's very hard to PUG.

 

Pepsei

Lifer
Dec 14, 2001
12,895
1
0
Originally posted by: flashbacck
Just curious, is the server code people are using homebrew or leaked?

it is open source homebrew... well, one of them is, and in fact, touted that it can be used for other games.

the other one, i'm not sure, except that it is easier to use and configure for wow.

--

now, to get them working, you need sql type wow database, there are a few groups working on Blizzard like stuff, and i know one of them is "open" as well. people can submit fixes to database to make the quest working and more blizz like.

--


i've left the scene for a few months so i don't have the most up to date info... i did look up some stuff due to that article from wowinsider. supposedly, support for version 3.0 (lich king), although primitive, is on dec 13th.
 

HumblePie

Lifer
Oct 30, 2000
14,665
440
126
LOL, unless people are profiteering using actual Blizzard code, there is no breakage of law here folks. So stop using the word "illegal" as it's improper. Nothing is illegal at all about free servers.
 

Juddog

Diamond Member
Dec 11, 2006
7,851
6
81
Originally posted by: HumblePie
LOL, unless people are profiteering using actual Blizzard code, there is no breakage of law here folks. So stop using the word "illegal" as it's improper. Nothing is illegal at all about free servers.

The main area where Blizzard gets nervous is that some of the private servers have donations they accept in order for users to experience the content... so in other words someone is paying the owner of the private server and not Blizzard.

Some of the private servers have grown quite large, for instance there was one I have seen that had over 1500 people on it one night, it was chiefly a PVP server.

As far as the server code goes, there are several different projects out there; Mangos was the first to have a WoTLK database up and running. As mentioned above the server code is backwards engineered, so the whole thing is homebrewed code that was written to emulate the Blizzard code behavior as close as possible. Most of the raid boss mobs and mobs with custom abilities don't use them on the emulated servers, they usually just stand there and melee.

So if you do join up on a private server, you won't see everything the boss mobs can do, but at least you can see what the model looks like and how they attack, etc..

As far as the above questions about checking out the servers, if you do a search on Antrix and Mangos you will stumble upon guides to get them set up. I just ran it on a server I have at home and occasionally had a friend or two join up. It was also fun creating custom items with ridiculous values, for example I had a druid I created with 3 million hit points. You can also add mob spells to your character, so for example I created a mage with a different version of pyroblast that would hit for 50,000 - 100,000 per hit.
 

eddiebravo

Senior member
Nov 29, 2005
270
0
0
i dont believe you can see all of the content playing 2hrs a night 4 days a week. just think about the time it takes to get a group together, travel to an instance, and clear the instance. 2hrs is really really pushing it for most instances. and then raids...forget it! plus, 2hrs a night 4 days a week is a lot of play time.
 

Molondo

Platinum Member
Sep 6, 2005
2,529
1
0
Originally posted by: HumblePie
LOL, unless people are profiteering using actual Blizzard code, there is no breakage of law here folks. So stop using the word "illegal" as it's improper. Nothing is illegal at all about free servers.

I dissagree with you. To me its similar along the lines of me taking your car and using it for myself.
 

HumblePie

Lifer
Oct 30, 2000
14,665
440
126
Originally posted by: Molondo
Originally posted by: HumblePie
LOL, unless people are profiteering using actual Blizzard code, there is no breakage of law here folks. So stop using the word "illegal" as it's improper. Nothing is illegal at all about free servers.

I dissagree with you. To me its similar along the lines of me taking your car and using it for myself.

Umm, not even a close analogy at all.

Blizzard has client software they sell and server software they don't sell. The client software is owned by you. You purchased it, got the box and the CD, so it is yours. The server software is theirs. However, if I write my OWN software to interact with my client software I purchased, I am doing nothing illegal. To put it more into perspective it's like this.


A car manufacturer makes car X that comes out standard and if you want to make car X into car X+ for racing you need certain parts. That manufacturer makes and sells those parts. However, if you want to make those parts for yourself to turn your car into car X+ you are legal to do so. That is still a bad analogy but a hell of alot closer to the scenario of writing your own server software to interact with your client software than what you posted Molondo.

Private servers are NOT illegal. They break no laws. They stole zero code from Blizzard. Someone bought some client software, figured out how it interacts with server software and backward engineered it for their own purposes. You will not go to jail and become Bubba's play toy by creating a private WoW server. Hell, I doubt you can even be sued over it at all. They can try to sue, but it won't win.

I don't play wow and I definitely don't play on a private server. I just don't like mis information spreading like calling this illegal when it's not. You can believe in what you want if you want to believe that it's illegal feel free, just like you still believe in the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. Doesn't make it any more real.
 

DirthNader

Senior member
Mar 21, 2005
466
0
0
Originally posted by: eddiebravo
i dont believe you can see all of the content playing 2hrs a night 4 days a week. just think about the time it takes to get a group together, travel to an instance, and clear the instance.

You can't, for the most part.

The only people that could are the ones that have put in far more time that have old content on farm and already have all the gold and equipment they'll ever need. If you're in a guild that's in progression mode, the farming to support repair bills, consumables, enchants / gems for new gear, etc can easily chew up 2hrs a night / 4 days a week by itself.

The "I raid and I only play a couple hours a night" arguement has been around since the "Raid or Quit" days of 2005/2006, and it's no more true now than it was then.

As for the private servers, I have a feeling that the reverse engineering is where they're entering shaky ground.


 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,235
1,722
126
Originally posted by: Juddog
Originally posted by: HumblePie
LOL, unless people are profiteering using actual Blizzard code, there is no breakage of law here folks. So stop using the word "illegal" as it's improper. Nothing is illegal at all about free servers.

The main area where Blizzard gets nervous is that some of the private servers have donations they accept in order for users to experience the content... so in other words someone is paying the owner of the private server and not Blizzard.

Some of the private servers have grown quite large, for instance there was one I have seen that had over 1500 people on it one night, it was chiefly a PVP server.

As far as the server code goes, there are several different projects out there; Mangos was the first to have a WoTLK database up and running. As mentioned above the server code is backwards engineered, so the whole thing is homebrewed code that was written to emulate the Blizzard code behavior as close as possible. Most of the raid boss mobs and mobs with custom abilities don't use them on the emulated servers, they usually just stand there and melee.

So if you do join up on a private server, you won't see everything the boss mobs can do, but at least you can see what the model looks like and how they attack, etc..

As far as the above questions about checking out the servers, if you do a search on Antrix and Mangos you will stumble upon guides to get them set up. I just ran it on a server I have at home and occasionally had a friend or two join up. It was also fun creating custom items with ridiculous values, for example I had a druid I created with 3 million hit points. You can also add mob spells to your character, so for example I created a mage with a different version of pyroblast that would hit for 50,000 - 100,000 per hit.

I messed around with Mangos a bit around 2006-2007. It was not too hard to set up, and while the information to do so was a bit hard to find initially, it is essentially all legal open source code spread across several different projects for the different pieces of the emulator. I too set up a small homebrew server and played around a bit and sometimes played with a friend or two ...

In my case it was because I was bored with WoW and I didn't have the time to dedicate to the game any more (was in a hardcore raiding guild, just got "done" with it). I haven't touched WoW since then. I do have an account on COH now, but I only play that a couple of hours 1 or 2 days per week, when friends are on...

Of course I'm still a hardcore gamer to some extent, I'm just playing Left 4 Dead and still screwing with Fallout 3 though.... (currently replaying an evil toon. After I beat the game and all the mini quests this time, I am going to try to collect all 20 bobbleheads without cheating/looking them up online.) My record this far was only 11, but that was the first time I played through the game ... Can't wait to see what kind of mods people think up after the G.E.C.K. comes out.
 

eggrolls

Senior member
Oct 11, 2006
268
1
76
I think private servers should be illegal. Blizzard made a game and decided to charge money for it. Private servers circumvent this by providing the game at no charge.

Sure, the end user experience might be slightly different due to bugs. But the game is still the same... same classes, same monsters, same skills, same maps, same combat, same items. etc. Ok, maybe the private server added some custom made content, but 99.9% of the stuff are Blizzard's.

Open source or original server code doesn't make it legal. For example, we know that Windows needs to be activated. Let's say there's some original, open source code that emulates Microsoft's activation servers. People can now use Windows, perhaps with a few bugs, without actually paying for it. Same thing is happening with private servers. How is that not stealing? Why should it be legal?