Ultima Online shard emulation
Encyclopedia
Fans of Ultima Online
have reverse engineered
the game to produce server emulator
s of the original Electronic Arts
servers. With the modern server-emulation software available today, it is possible to customize most aspects of the game and support large numbers of concurrent players on a single server.
got its start during the beta-stage of the game's development in 1996 and 1997, when a program called Ultima Offline eXperiment
was released that allowed the players to setup offline servers the game client could connect to. The source-code for version three of this program was released under the GNU General Public License
sometime in 1998, which spawned a host of forks, clones and complete reimplementations.
From the time the first shard emulator software appeared and until late 2005, more than 40 shard emulation projects for Ultima Online came into existence, though in 2008 only a handful of those were still active.
as well as servers that provide support for all expansion packs to date. Some also provide a unique experience. The original branch of the popular RunUO
server emulator will not be supporting Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn
, so many shards may remain as they are. Sphere, another popular emulator, has limited UOKR support, the same goes for the (less widespread) POL.
, though some see the laws relating to this as being ambiguous and varied between countries. The creators of other games, such as World of Warcraft
and EverQuest
, on the other hand, have had some success in shutting down emulated servers and have been actively doing so
. The reverse engineering
required to bypass the packet encryption may also be in violation of Digital Millennium Copyright Act
(DMCA) in the United States
, though many of the file formats were publicly posted before the DMCA took effect.
See also: Server emulator - Legality
Ultima Online
Ultima Online is a graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game , released on September 24, 1997, by Origin Systems. It was instrumental to the development of the genre, and is still running today...
have reverse engineered
Reverse engineering
Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...
the game to produce server emulator
Server emulator
Server emulator, a term that is widely used to describe reimplementation of MMORPG game servers, typically clones proprietary commercial software by a third party. The term "private server" is also used while it may not be accurate as often the legitimate server is also privately owned...
s of the original Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
servers. With the modern server-emulation software available today, it is possible to customize most aspects of the game and support large numbers of concurrent players on a single server.
History
Shard emulation for Ultima OnlineUltima Online
Ultima Online is a graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game , released on September 24, 1997, by Origin Systems. It was instrumental to the development of the genre, and is still running today...
got its start during the beta-stage of the game's development in 1996 and 1997, when a program called Ultima Offline eXperiment
UOX
UOX, or Ultima Offline eXperiment, is an Ultima Online server emulator that is written in C++ and released under the GPL. Today, the term UOX almost exclusively refers to the third version, UOX3.- Overview :...
was released that allowed the players to setup offline servers the game client could connect to. The source-code for version three of this program was released under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
sometime in 1998, which spawned a host of forks, clones and complete reimplementations.
From the time the first shard emulator software appeared and until late 2005, more than 40 shard emulation projects for Ultima Online came into existence, though in 2008 only a handful of those were still active.
Popularity
Some third-party servers claim to maintain high numbers of active accounts (upwards of 60,000 active accounts), online players (upwards of about 500 to 1000 average), and content (between 6 and 7 million items), rivaling Electronic Arts servers. It is possible to find complete and well-populated servers emulating the world as it was in the days before the Renaissance expansion packUltima Online: Renaissance
Ultima Online: Renaissance is the second expansion to the popular Ultima Online MMORPG. Released on May 4, 2000, it added content, fixed bugs, and made gameplay changes in response to common player complaints....
as well as servers that provide support for all expansion packs to date. Some also provide a unique experience. The original branch of the popular RunUO
RunUO
RunUO is a project to create and maintain a freely available Microsoft .NET based Ultima Online server. The goal of the RunUO Software Team is to provide software that is scalable and capable of recreating the EA Games server environment.- History :...
server emulator will not be supporting Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn
Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn
Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn was a client for the 1997 MMORPG Ultima Online, created in 2007 with updated graphics. Kingdom Reborn was not considered an expansion pack and could be downloaded for free....
, so many shards may remain as they are. Sphere, another popular emulator, has limited UOKR support, the same goes for the (less widespread) POL.
Customization
Today, it is commonplace for many custom servers to not only feature custom game play, but also custom media, such as graphics and maps, as well. Almost all of the Ultima Online client files have been reverse engineered and editing software now exists to ease the development of custom media so that people can script, program, and develop their computer and networking abilities.Legal issues
Operating or playing on an emulated server may be in violation of the Ultima Online terms of serviceTerms of service
Terms of service are rules which one must agree to abide by in order to use a service. Unless in violation of consumer protection laws, such terms are usually legally binding...
, though some see the laws relating to this as being ambiguous and varied between countries. The creators of other games, such as World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
and EverQuest
EverQuest
EverQuest, often shortened to EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was released on the 16th of March, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost...
, on the other hand, have had some success in shutting down emulated servers and have been actively doing so
. The reverse engineering
Reverse engineering
Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...
required to bypass the packet encryption may also be in violation of Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization . It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to...
(DMCA) in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, though many of the file formats were publicly posted before the DMCA took effect.
See also: Server emulator - Legality