A few questions...
 

Hi folks...
I have perusing the forums here for a while now and I still have a few questions. It would be really nice if someone would take a moment and answer them.

I notice much of this board is old. Is the EQEmu community still alive and well? Are the servers still up and running for the most part?

Is running your own server the same (for the most part) as running the live server as of that time? Is EQEmu still being updated?
I know what emulation means, but is this completely written from the ground up or is it, what?

I am very interested in getting my own server up and running. But I want to check out some of the other public servers as well. The question here is: Is it a legal issue to buy a new copy of Underfoot or is it more of a file compatibility issue? Would I have to buy an extra copy for every account I want to play and for each server? Or can I run multiple instances of the one copy for multiple characters on as many servers I play on?

And as for Steam.. I am concerned about their application and their service. I am wary of anyone that insists you use their software for something like that. In my experience, everyone is trying to get their hands in your computer these days.. and it's not because they are trying to do you any favors. So, when you download the software form them, in what format do you get it? Is it a big zip type file that you can manage in whatever way you decide, or do they install it with their app and make you keep their app on your computer to keep using it? I know, paranoid. But just because I am paranoid doesn't mean there aren't a ton of jackholes out there trying to take advantage of us.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this and even more thanks to whomever will try to help me out with some answers.

Cheers
Randall

P.S. I began playing EQ back when Kunark came out. I played pretty hard core for about 9 years. I have since went on to other games but I always have used EQ as a comparison for everything else. Unfortunately, nothing else has even come close. My nostalgia for the good old days is getting stronger and stronger. Getting together with 72 good friends and taking down a major encounter... well.. there is just nothing else like it. I know those days are probably gone forever, but I still long for the game world I spent so much time in. Like running through Kithicor at night whilst doing the Stein of Moggok quest when I was lvl 16. Or running from Cazel in Oasis of Marr and getting my ass handed to me yet again! Good times!
Toons of preference: Bard, Necro and Druid.

Anyway, I look forward to coming back and seeing you all in game. Ciao!

EQEmu is still alive and well. There are alot of servers up and more go online regularly. Yes EQEmu is still being updated. As for running your own server you can make it whatever you want or can dream up with a few constraints of course.
Steam is the only way you can legally obtain Underfoot and have it actually work with the emulator. Once you have the client downloaded from Steam you no longer have to use there software. You can simply copy the client files to another location on your computer and use them from there. Since there are multiple client versions that work with the emulator you might need a client other than Underfoot but that can vary by the whatever server you chose to play on.
You can create accounts for free and use the same client for all. The number of accounts and characters you are able to use at the same time will also vary by the server that you play on.

Some data was collected from live. Otherwise, written by wonderful coders who enjoy the project.

It's unclear to me what time-frame you're referring to, but;

Currently, the main database project (Project EQ) has done everything up to GoD, with 3 GoD zones not yet complete.

There is also a specific classic project called Project 1999, but that's play only; they haven't released a database to my knowledge, and thus you can't run a server using that. You could run a progression style server using the PEQ system, but PEQ includes many things added after 1999 (such as newbie armor quests with planes of power, gloomingdeep which came with LoY), and you'd have to remove them by hand; but you still wouldn't get quite so clean an experience.

As for Nostalgia, if you run your own server, you're likely to not see huge populations. The most popular servers run 200-600 people, so only the most popular will see 72 person raids, and often that is by doing substantial multi-boxing. P1999 doesn't allow Multiboxing, however, and thus has one of the highest stable player populations.

Good luck, and I hope you find what you're looking for here.