Really crazy idea...
 

So, when I first tried minecraft, it reminded me of the old days in EQ--the scenery and feel at least. I know they're nothing alike, but it got me thinking for a while now: would it be possible to port the minecraft map engine into the eqemu source? It would be very interesting to be able to make your own maps/worlds, but you were literally playing on EQ characters with all the same spells and items.

I know this would be some work (and some talking to Mojang), but is it even possible? I personally think it would be a lot of fun.

Please post if you like the idea. If you think I'm an idiot, please let me know, nicely.

Possible to some extent... I guess?

It would take a lot of work to retrofit the current source, probably best to find out the network protocols minecraft uses and create a new server source targeted at a more MMORPG like experience just for the project.

Making the EverQuest engine support destructible blocks would be impossible. There was a guy who recently converted Kalimdor from World of Warcraft into Minecraft and something like that would be possible, you would just have to write an intelligent converter.

I'm not an expert programmer, but I was thinking of somewhat of a seamed interface. I don't want to just import minecraft worlds into EQ map form. I was interested in using a sort of interface between the two games where instead of EQ calling the map files through the current objects/methods it uses, it uses a new set of objects which allow it to communicate with dynamic minecraft maps in their current form.

Am I babbling?

Babbling? Not at all. You just have some really grand ideas. As far as an interface between the two, I don't really think it is possible as both the EverQuest and Minecraft clients are closed source.

I am coding my own client currently but it is nowhere near the level of playability that would be a fun interface between the two but maybe someday.

As far as converting the data between clients (playing EQ zones in Minecraft and playing Minecraft worlds in EQ) it is definitely doable. For Minecraft to EverQiest, you would just need to find an exporter from the Minecraft format to a general 3d geometry format. I am sure one has been made. You could then import it via OpenZone. Windcatcher has created OpenZone but he doesn't update it anymore and hasn't been seen around here for a while.

As for the reverse, there are tools which could export the raw zone geometry of an EverQuest zone. You would have to locate a converter that would churn out a Minecraft map. I know they exist.

For instance: http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/08/ka...-in-minecraft/

Cheers!

I thought the source was floating around for EQ. Were the eqemulator projects reverse-engineered or what? I was afraid of the closed-source thing... I wonder if anyone at Mojang used to play EQ? :p

Both the EverQuest server software and client are closed source. EQEmulator has reverse engineered just the server software.

Ah, that clarifies a lot. Sounds a lot more difficult that I had originally hoped.