Classic or era-based server content

[MarcusD]

Originally Posted by mgellan

To me the Mandate of this Project (Lets call it OpenEQ for giggles) is as follows:

"Develop and release EQEMU code, data, and quests that model the Live releases of EQ as accurately as is possible, make those releases freely available, and ensure the Community can implement working servers as easily as possible."

So here's my proposal:

- Create an OpenEQ project on GIT and fork the current EQEMU code, database, and quests into it. Or, implement someone else's code and data thats closer to Milestone 1.
- Create and host development forums and an "OpenClassic" EQEMU server
- Create a Roadmap that will track every major release of EQ starting with March 1999. Each milestone will be a release of the code, and each release will consist of code, database, and quests. So if you want to step through a complete progression, check out each milestone release, compile, load the database and install the quests. Or, hell, with a Linux server we can publish VirtualBox VMs of the complete package and serverops can just load player tables.
- All code changes need to be committed to the repository, and each milestone has a database load associated with it

Since everything is hosted on GIT, and will be freely available, no one person has control since any issues people could just start their own development fork.

So, Milestone 1 would be to build an accurate release of EQ as of March 1999.

FWIW I'm an professional server operations guy (Director level) with a development background, although my C++ is pretty rusty (15 years rusty!) - part of my reason for looking for a project is to re-engage those skills. I'm a pretty good PHP programmer tho. Most of my professional life is project management so I can add that dimension. My own server is currently aimed at modelling Velious but this to me is a more righteous project so I'd be happy to offer up my pretty recent code and database as a starting point and start moving it to Classic.

I offer up the following:

- A hosted instance of EQEMU and database to use as a main test server
- A phpBB based forum where we can interact and work out issues, post bug reports etc.
- My services to do builds of the server and deal with operational issues
- My services as Project Manager
- My services as a developer, content editor, tester

I can have the server available within a day or so. If you want to participate, great, love to have some input. If not, do your own thing. If no one jumps in, then obviously it's not a viable project. However if you jump in you commit to everything being open sourced and freely available.

Happy to adjust the above to meet the needs of the community but to me this is how to proceed. Thanks!

Regards,
Mg

PS Be quick to neither give nor take offense. Seems like we're all interested in the same goals, I'm sure we can be civil.

I'm a total noob but I think your thought of approach is little cutthroat.

How about we all do whatever we want to do, then those of us that are working towards some sense of classic (any sense) can post all our stuff to some sort of centralized host and include a readme explaining what the goal of our project is and what we did and what our future directions are?

[MarcusD]

My goal (and it is a compromised goal)

1. is to get trilogy client and corresponding source code from openEQC working using some database (whatever works).

That is milestone 1 for me.

2. Modify the database to get it as classic as possible, and remove all quests for now. (I have no idea how to work on the database would love some links for direction)

And that's it. #2 would be ongoing.

Other thoughts?

[AdrianD]

2. Modify the database to get it as classic as possible, and remove all quests for now. (I have no idea how to work on the database would love some links for direction)

And that's it. #2 would be ongoing.

Other thoughts?

I have been working on the DB with the system I created. The system is simple and a good first step towards classic/progression content and it's EASY to customize and share progress.

I have no doubt others are doing their part with whatever system they have.

I'm glad you posted this, little by little we may actually get some shit done collectively.

Also, many will say they've made things custom and it isn't classic or blah, blah, blah. I can be the judge of what I want to use as with others.

The point is getting more accurate content not perfectly accurate content.

[AdrianD]

Yes Secrets, we are all human.

Taking the risk to make it open is an act in humility.

That other stuff about credit and jobs means nothing to me, personally.

People can typically see through that.

[Secrets]

Originally Posted by AdrianD

Yes Secrets, we are all human.

Taking the risk to make it open is an act in humility.

That other stuff about credit and jobs means nothing to me, personally.

People can typically see through that.

It's a risk in humility but going through 'any lengths' to keep something open that someone requests remains closed from the beginning is not making something 'open source' - that's called stealing and is not part of the open source mantra.

EQEmulator is not a community where we leak the latest and greatest programmers in the communities' work. If you want that type of community, I recommend this website: www.ragezone.com

[image]

Originally Posted by Secrets

It's a risk in humility but going through 'any lengths' to keep something open that someone requests remains closed from the beginning is not making something 'open source' - that's called stealing and is not part of the open source mantra.

EQEmulator is not a community where we leak the latest and greatest programmers in the communities' work. If you want that type of community, I recommend this website: www.ragezone.com

Lets be honest, we potentially stole EverQuest .. lol .. you know what I am talking about, lots of /zone 'ing in live with a little handy utility.

EQEmu is built more on the Cyberpunk mantra than 'just' open source.

[MarcusD]

Originally Posted by image

Lets be honest, we potentially stole EverQuest .. lol .. you know what I am talking about, lots of /zone 'ing in live with a little handy utility.

EQEmu is built more on the Cyberpunk mantra than 'just' open source.

<sarcasm>. I get the logic. Since we are using something from shrewd narcissist code hoarders we also should become shrewd code hoarding narcissists ourselves. Because only our project matters and how much we can monopolize the market. </sarcasm>

I can sense what happened. Someone got a little glimmer of paypal donation button gold in their eye. Not that accepting donations is bad, it is very good but once you get a glimpse of the end of the rainbow it can change the way you do things. We have to build for what is good and right and not stare too much at the donate button.

[Akkadius]

So, I've been here for a little while, I see posts of all variations that very much resemble history repeating itself, one of which is the classic topic.

People will complain until the bitter end that P99 doesn't "share" their source/db and what have you, but to be completely honest, they aren't obligated to and they literally don't owe the community anything.

It is no different than said organization (not to confuse with business) of a few guys who dump their heart and soul into a project with insane amounts of time, they don't have to share their work because it is their fucking work, regardless of whether it resembles what "should" be available to the public.

While it is very encouraged to give back and a person/organization doesn't have to, P99 has definitely given back in more ways than people have a fucking clue about directly and indirectly and its the attitude that something is owed that pisses me off regardless of the intricacies of the drama that transpire around said server.

Circle back to my original point of repeating, every once in a while there are people who have stars in their eyes with enough fume to get a server up and half working and then realize how much work they are in for, and that if it really was that simple than everyone would be doing it. Running a project is not just throwing some content and source together, it becomes a whole other realm when you all of a sudden have many players to respond to and integrity of the project as a whole to maintain.

That being said, appreciate that there is EQEmu in its current form and that there is as much availability as there is and there is in my opinion, an incredibly healthy attitude about sharing and contribution amongst many. I feel obligated myself to continue to facilitate this as much as I can even though my days of playing with server content have been gone for quite some time. It's been about giving back to a community that gives people so much freedom and ability to express their own creativity and learn things they had no idea they'd even affiliate themselves to.

To conclude, if someone wants to head up a next-to classic project, organize it and run it with a healthy, non-spiting attitude that is of P99 I more than welcome it. However I must say, good luck.