FFXI Armageddon

[Maffers7087]

So I noticed that when retail updates its servers the private servers do as well. Since this happens I am going to assume that all private servers are reliant on the retail servers in order to function properly. If this is true, does this mean when SE pulls the plug on the retail servers the private servers will cease to function? Is it not possible to host your own server completely independent of retail server information?

[atom0s]

Servers can rely on themselves if you lock yourself to a set version and create that specific installer for your server with the retail files.

DSP relies on retail for:
- NPC Ids
- NPC information. (Such as spawn, name flags, visual data, etc.)
- Quest information, such as cutscene ids, selection choice numbers, etc.
- and similar data that's found in the database.

You can mimic all this without retail access it is just a pain in the ass to test everything.

[kjLotus]

the only reason the servers use retail is to install the client - nobody has ever gotten around to making an installer for a specific client version

[nasomi]

If/when SE pulls the plug on retail, private servers will be just fine as most of the data has been scraped.

Most issues come from SE changing id's, npc/cs/text/etc. They work, then SE changes retail. That means eveyrone who updates via POL gets SE's version, and then can't function properly on private servers. So private servers update to mimic retail, and existing players have to update to mimic private.

If there was an easy way to distribute a client with a version that you are locked into, you'd be fine. Thing is, many players play private and retail, so when you log into retail your client will be updated automatically and you wouldn't be able to play on the private server.

[idlemind]

Random thought to hijack this thread but would it be of value for someone to run a private server locked to an expansion and therefore lock the client program to that version?

You could then of course build an installer for your client within windows as a separate application and remove the project from dependence on SE changes. That said you wouldn't be able to patch the client for future OS support or client side issues. At least until/unless an open source client emerged.

[atom0s]

Random thought to hijack this thread but would it be of value for someone to run a private server locked to an expansion and therefore lock the client program to that version?

You could then of course build an installer for your client within windows as a separate application and remove the project from dependence on SE changes. That said you wouldn't be able to patch the client for future OS support or client side issues. At least until/unless an open source client emerged.

You can in theory but you would personally have to distribute an installer for that exact client version that you want on your server and enforce it on players to make sure they are not on a newer/older version.

[idlemind]

Random thought to hijack this thread but would it be of value for someone to run a private server locked to an expansion and therefore lock the client program to that version?

You could then of course build an installer for your client within windows as a separate application and remove the project from dependence on SE changes. That said you wouldn't be able to patch the client for future OS support or client side issues. At least until/unless an open source client emerged.

You can in theory but you would personally have to distribute an installer for that exact client version that you want on your server and enforce it on players to make sure they are not on a newer/older version.

Agreed which also induces the problem of not having the client source code so you can't update it to fix any bugs or future OS support that crops up. The on sustainable method would be to write your own client that could read the DAT files. Interestingly enough you could then package the client code and distribute it separately similar to the fine line DarkStar walks with the server code. Then you would leave the responsibility of copying the DAT files around to the end user. Still lame.

Has anyone ever approached SE with a question about licensing the IP from them? I know I for one would pay for the content like I did with the online subscription. The question is two parts of course. First would it even be considered, Second how crazy high of a price would they charge.

[atom0s]

SE will never license their client or server software / code.