this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2024

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NCSoft has granted the 'Private' homecoming server City of Heroes devs a license to host the game legally. (forums.homecomingservers.com)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

21 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The private servers have been up a while. But it is always hard for fan projects to gain traction for devs, players, or donations, when the IP could be yanked at any time. NCSoft granting a license should provide one heck of a shot in the arm for this cult classic game.

Go. Hunt. KILL Skul!

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[–] [email protected] 45 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Ah. Ok. So if I'm understanding right, NCSoft wrote City of Heroes (both client and server) and somehow the proprietary server source code was leaked. Some folks unaffiliated with NCSoft took the leaked server code and set up a server named "Homecoming." And rather than sue the fuck out of them (as is very normal in these situations), NCSoft worked out a license deal with the Homecoming team to allow Homecoming to be. Did I get all that right?

Very cool. Seems like just the sort of win-win kind of solution holders of intellectual property are usually too fucking rabid to allow to happen.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago

Published by NCSoft, developed by Cryptic.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Eh, if the code was leaked it was going to be used, so now they can say that anyone using the code needs to make an agreement to do so, which they can probably pull at any time.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Still probably better than slapping them with a lawsuit.

Not to say I wouldn't prefer they just put the leaked source code under the GPL or something. But it's better than just being assholes because they can.

It is possible NCSoft is getting something out of this, though. More control over how third-party servers do things or some such.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago

They gain some protection for the brand and retain the trademarks associated with it by licensing instead of ignoring, and get this for free vs the ongoing expense in private server whackamole.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They could already trivially shut down anyone using stolen code to host servers.

This doesn't enhance that case at all.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The most interested and able people to run the code would be cut off, and are likely now known by name to the companies legal staff.

It's a random server hosted somewhere in the Midwest vs John and Jacob Smith in Michigan.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

But licensing this has literally zero impact on their ability to take action against that random server.

They have the exact same options available to them.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That would imply they actually know where the server is being run and by who without taking legal action.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

No it doesn't. This doesn't change that.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago

I am so glad. Loved this back when it came out. Now I dont have to worry so much about the private servers disappearing. This is how all online only games that are taken offline should be handled. Well, ideally the owner is also sent server files so they can run their own server, but thats too advanced for publishers still. Maybe one day theyll be ready for that.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

I rarely delve in the world of private servers. Last one I played on was Nostalrius (World of Warcraft) and that was purely because WoW had gone through a slew of shitty expansions leaving the game fundamentally changed for the worse with no way to experience the original game version.

Of course after Blizzard C&D'd the project I'm glad I didn't sink loads of time into the server.

I have thought about giving Dragon Ball Online Global, Pristontale EU or Return of Reckoning a try, either because the MMO's shut down or because the official offering is pay-to-win dogshit. But I worry their publishers are gonna come after the projects hard. Games Workshop and Toei/Shueisha are known to be VERY litigious.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

For the love of god I wish they would release the code for Tabula Rasa and let someone run a server for that. Fucking love that game and just wish I could go back and enjoy some nostalgia!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That would also be amazing!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

There used to be a project trying to reverse engineer it that I was following (Infinite Rasa iirc) a few years ago but I haven't checked on it in a long while. I'm guessing it never came to fruition but think I'm gonna check it out again!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Daybreak Games has done something similar with EverQuest (released in 1999). People have written a server emulator from scratch but it requires an official client from the early 2000s. Almost everyone playing on the emulated servers has to download a pirated copy of the client, but Daybreak has said that they're cool with it.

The interesting thing is that Daybreak still runs official paid servers of EverQuest after 25 years and is still cool with the emulator crowd.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Have they actually officially given their blessing to Project 1999 and people pirating old copies?

Last I checked, the P99 team's official stance was still 'we can't help you acquire an old copy'

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Officially, no. But they're not selling copies of EverQuest Titanium anymore either. So they're ignoring the issues.

Project 1999 has a written agreement with Daybreak though.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Respectable!

[–] Brkdncr 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Great but the game isn’t that fun anymore. Wish they could improve it but it needs people to push the lore.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Agree to disagree. I'm usually in bed by like 9:00 these days, but I was up till 1:00 a.m. playing. Sure, some of that is nostalgia. Some is just that it's also a very good game.