[Project] A RaiderZ Dev Community/Server

[SecretsOThePast]

Hi,

I'm here to tell you about what I have been working on for the last week and a half now.

Pretty soon, I will be launching a website dedicated to RaiderZ development.

As most of you probably know, the RaiderZ Source has been floating around the reaches of the internet for quite a while. Instead of releasing it all-out and completely immediately, I want to release it gradually.

The problem with the GunZ source when it was released, in my opinion, was that no one knew how to use a compiler. No one knew what the ELU format contained, no one knew how to set up a server for the most part or how to add new content.

GunZ made that incredibly complex. I have seen countless threads on "how i compile source", and I am hoping a gradual release to the same crowd and building a community can inspire innovation and instead of making money or how to be concerned, we can, over time, build a framework for making the ultimate MMORPG, not just the ultimate GunZ or RaiderZ server.

If you haven't been able to tell already, the GStar release had security issues with GM commands and was riddled with bugs. This is unacceptable for anyone wanting to develop RaiderZ content or host an actual server.

I have, on my own time, converted the RaiderZ source code to visual studio 2010, have translated the GStar/Leaked Alpha files, and built the missing links for you to run your own RaiderZ server: executables.

Within the next few days or so, I will be buying a domain, releasing RaiderZ compiled binaries of both the client, server files, CoreTool3, a proper launcher based on the MAIET one that does a SHA1 of your password and has proper password authentication, and other misc. development tools that MAIET had made for RaiderZ, including an MRF packer and the 3DS Max tools w/ source to both.

(I do not have the GunZ2 source, so I am sorry if anyone was hoping for those compiled tools.)

I will also be providing tutorials on how to use CoreTool3, and other development tools.

When the domain is launched, I will be putting a test server online for people to 'try out' RaiderZ and all of the content that was available in GStar will be available on the test server. The game will also feature community content, not just the original RaiderZ GStar content, so if you are wanting to try and develop content with the tools I will provide, go for it! I encourage a community effort to build something on such a great engine like RealSpace3.

I am hoping that this will be a better way to release RaiderZ to the public as opposed to letting everything loose at once and having it be a cluster of 'what do I do now?'. It seems like the mature way of handling a release. If my experiment fails, I will simply release the source code of RaiderZ to the public.

That, and I am absolutely excited at the idea of a community-built MMORPG. It's always been my dream ever since I started programming as a hobby.

Note; I will not be taking donations for any releases or hosting, nor will the test server feature any kind of cash shop. It is immorale to me to profit off of something someone else (MAIET) has made. I will also not be supporting anyone in their efforts to do so, at least not directly.

Any comments or questions are appreciated.

 

[Gunblade]

If you need any help, PM me ^^

 

[cmb]

Oh wow, well... This is a very interesting turn of events for RaiderZ. Let me say this, Releasing the source code will do nothing for the game, except allow Leechers to get it and do nothing with it. I hate to break it to you, but no "community" MMORPG will come of it. You will get the same results as the GunZ code, it will attract a bunch of people who have no idea what they are doing, and will just be a general mess. The RaiderZ code is rather complex, though the content system is not too difficult, there still wouldn't be enough support given over a long enough period of time to really flesh out a good MMORPG using RaiderZ as the code base. You need strong 3D Modelers, strong programmers, strong designers/content devs, all of which RageZone has to some degree, but not enough, and they definitely don't have enough interest in this game to make something of it. I'm not trying to shoot down your idea for a community MMORPG, its just that I don't think RaiderZ will be the game to do that. This section has had little real development done in it, yeah some cool stuff has risen (like the Z3Ex Unpacker) but not enough interest is there in the game. All will happen is you release the source code and other people will take it and attempt to do something to it. (like chinese, they will take your release and shove it on all chinese bbs) And if you think the code has been passed around a lot in private hands now, watch and see what happens if you release it.

So Please, I beg you, for the sake of RaiderZ, and its source code that has been tossed around like a cheap lady, and for MAIET who has been through a hell of a year, Do not release the RaiderZ Source code, give RaiderZ atleast some respect, what you dream will rise up really won't, and all that will happen is everyone will be able to get their hands on RaiderZ code, and the people who will want to exploit it, will, and they will never contribute back to the community. You will be giving them an easy pass to do so! Keep developing on it in private, maybe get a couple really trustworthy programmers to help you. If you want, allow the community to help also, but don't let them have the source code, It will truly only damage the game. There are ways to build your dream without full out releasing the source! Please I want to talk to you about this, before you go and make a rash decision that will hurt not only RaiderZ, but also your dreams of a community built MMORPG.

PS: I have no problem with the binary releases.

 

[Wucas]

Oh wow, well... This is a very interesting turn of events for RaiderZ. Let me say this, Releasing the source code will do nothing for the game, except allow Leechers to get it and do nothing with it. I hate to break it to you, but no "community" MMORPG will come of it. You will get the same results as the GunZ code, it will attract a bunch of people who have no idea what they are doing, and will just be a general mess. The RaiderZ code is rather complex, though the content system is not too difficult, there still wouldn't be enough support given over a long enough period of time to really flesh out a good MMORPG using RaiderZ as the code base. You need strong 3D Modelers, strong programmers, strong designers/content devs, all of which RageZone has to some degree, but not enough, and they definitely don't have enough interest in this game to make something of it. I'm not trying to shoot down your idea for a community MMORPG, its just that I don't think RaiderZ will be the game to do that. This section has had little real development done in it, yeah some cool stuff has risen (like the Z3Ex Unpacker) but not enough interest is there in the game. All will happen is you release the source code and other people will take it and attempt to do something to it. (like chinese, they will take your release and shove it on all chinese bbs) And if you think the code has been passed around a lot in private hands now, watch and see what happens if you release it.

So Please, I beg you, for the sake of RaiderZ, and its source code that has been tossed around like a cheap lady, and for MAIET who has been through a hell of a year, Do not release the RaiderZ Source code, give RaiderZ atleast some respect, what you dream will rise up really won't, and all that will happen is everyone will be able to get their hands on RaiderZ code, and the people who will want to exploit it, will, and they will never contribute back to the community. You will be giving them an easy pass to do so! Keep developing on it in private, maybe get a couple really trustworthy programmers to help you. Allow the community to help also, but don't let them have the source code, It will truly only damage the game. There are ways to build your dream without full out releasing the source! Please I want to talk to you about this, before you go and make a rash decision that will hurt not only RaiderZ, but also your dreams of a community built MMORPG.

PS: I have no problem with the binary releases.

I honestly never got much into RaiderZ prior to now for the fact that there was little for me to really mess with, if you understand what I mean. As a 3D artist, I had some tools, but with no servers really being too terribly active, my efforts could be placed elsewhere and be seen by more people. If there are even a half dozen others out there that are like me in the same aspect (not just graphic artist, but in all fields of game development), I have no doubt that this will be very successful.

As for the project itself, I am extremely excited to work on a more modern game. Being stuck in engines being built from 1999-2005 is quite annoying to say the least, but no games from a newer generation really caught my eye. I cannot say the same for RaiderZ, the landscape work is quite beautiful and I like the feel of the game. I really feel that I will enjoy a project like this quite a bit.

 

[cmb]

I honestly never got much into RaiderZ prior to now for the fact that there was little for me to really mess with, if you understand what I mean. As a 3D artist, I had some tools, but with no servers really being too terribly active, my efforts could be placed elsewhere and be seen by more people. If there are even a half dozen others out there that are like me in the same aspect (not just graphic artist, but in all fields of game development), I have no doubt that this will be very successful.

As for the project itself, I am extremely excited to work on a more modern game. Being stuck in engines being built from 1999-2005 is quite annoying to say the least, but no games from a newer generation really caught my eye. I cannot say the same for RaiderZ, the landscape work is quite beautiful and I like the feel of the game. I really feel that I will enjoy a project like this quite a bit.

I have no problem with this at all, there are tools for RaiderZ to allow you and others to do what you are wanting, there are ways to allow the community to build and develop on RaiderZ without releasing the source code, It's just that if SecretsOfThePast were to release the source code, It will be extremely detrimental to the game. People who have no clue what they are doing will download it, ask "How do I compile?" and the people who do know what they are doing, and are only interested in their own gain, will download it and take it into private and try to turn a profit from it (some may, most probably won't) and that is only on RageZone, if this gets out into public hands, it will spread to all over the world, where it will continue to be used like a cheap lady.

Again, I'm not trying to say (though I kinda was in my other post, I have retracted that statement now though) that a Community MMORPG is impossible to be made, nor true RaiderZ development either. It's just there ARE ways to allow the community to build what SecretsOfThePast wants to happen, without destroying this amazing game by releasing its source code for everyone to use.

 

[Wucas]

I have no problem with this at all, there are tools for RaiderZ to allow you and others to do what you are wanting, there are ways to allow the community to build and develop on RaiderZ without releasing the source code, It's just that if SecretsOfThePast were to release the source code, It will be extremely detrimental to the game. People who have no clue what they are doing will download it, ask "How do I compile?" and the people who do know what they are doing, and are only interested in their own gain, will download it and take it into private and try to turn a profit from it (some may, most probably won't) and that is only on RageZone, if this gets out into public hands, it will spread to all over the world, where it will continue to be used like a cheap lady.

Again, I'm not trying to say (though I kinda was in my other post, I have retracted that statement now though) that a Community MMORPG is impossible to be made, nor true RaiderZ development either. It's just there ARE ways to allow the community to build what SecretsOfThePast wants to happen, without destroying this amazing game by releasing its source code for everyone to use.

I will agree with you... I would rather have binaries released than the actual source code personally (even as a person who will probably never actually see the source). Gunz saw a total of what, 5 source changes in the first half year of it being released? Just now it is starting to pull some traction with some real changes, and even then, the amount of actual coders I can list on a single hand.

A project like this is really the best thing for the game in general. It doesn't ruin the official game horribly and lowers the competition for Private Servers, a win/win in the end.

 

[x1nixmzeng]

Building a community based on community-created content (using pre-built RealSpace3 tools) is what SecretsOThePast intends to do! - and encouraging community effort should be a priority for games like RaiderZ since the engine is already quite powerful.

 

[cmb]

Building a community based on community-created content (using pre-built RealSpace3 tools) is what SecretsOThePast intends to do! - and encouraging community effort should be a priority for games like RaiderZ since the engine is already quite powerful.

Yes I agree, RealSpace 3 is already really powerful, and community-driven content using pre-built tools is perfect for this game, as the content system is really user-friendly. Pre-Built tools is the keyword here, if SecretsOfThePast were to release (the full) source code, it would absolutely kill this game in its entirety. MAIET would not be happy at all if it found its way out into the public sector, not to mention the publishers of the game. Who knows what sorts of effects would occur because the code was released.

I will agree with you... I would rather have binaries released than the actual source code personally (even as a person who will probably never actually see the source). Gunz saw a total of what, 5 source changes in the first half year of it being released? Just now it is starting to pull some traction with some real changes, and even then, the amount of actual coders I can list on a single hand.

A project like this is really the best thing for the game in general. It doesn't ruin the official game horribly and lowers the competition for Private Servers, a win/win in the end.

Yes, I agree too. I had watched the GunZ code after it was released, and nothing huge became of it. RaiderZ will be no different honestly, there are only a very small number of actual programmers who would be able to benefit and would be willing to contribute back to the community, the rest would be leechers and greedy people who only care for themselves. The Project itself is doable for sure, I think it can come to fruition, its just the way SecretsOfThePast was wanting to do it (by releasing the source code) is the completely wrong way of doing it, and in the long run it would do WAY more damage than it would do good.

Here is something I propse to achieve the overarching goal. We keep some sort of version control system on the unpacked runtime content that anyone can get at, edit to their liking, etc... We also keep a seperate version control system to hold the tools, server files, and clients that the public can use to their whim. Tools would include, Packing tools, Map Editors, Model Importer/Exporters, Character Viewers, etc...anything needed for someone to take and develop content for RaiderZ. SecretsOfThePast can head this up or something since he is wanting to create this project. By this we can still achieve the overarching goal that is a "community-driven MMORPG" without needlessly destroying the game by releasing it's source code to everybody and their grandmother.

 

[x1nixmzeng]

I think we're agreed that keeping the source among certain developers is best for RaiderZ, and you've made the effects of releasing the code clear. But you don't have any influence on anyone with the source who decides to release it..

Let's stay on topic here, and embrace the idea of a community driven RaiderZ server bought forward on this thread :w00t:

 

[cmb]

I think we're agreed that keeping the source among certain developers is best for RaiderZ, and you've made the effects of releasing the code clear. But you don't have any influence on anyone with the source who decides to release it..

Let's stay on topic here, and embrace the idea of a community driven RaiderZ server bought forward on this thread :w00t:

Yea let's stay on topic It's a really cool Idea, and I will try to help it be executed in the best possible way!!

 

[Anju]

I have been working on some stuff with RaiderZ as well. I would like to help if you need anything. Still trying to understand how these MMORPG files work with such multiple files like MU and other games that are like Cabal, MU, etc.. Still willing to help out whatever I can do for you.

 

[Emopuda]

Releasing the source would hurt the company who made it. Not only that how about the people who was in charge of the project? People could lose their jobs over a public release like that. You will literally put people in risk, they have families to support. I am not trying to give you some sobbing story here releasing bins is one thing for this game but source code is a different story.

Not only do you hurt the people who worked on this but you hurt name Maiet name in general. If you want a community project I would suggest doing an Emulator of another game or such. Or make a secret group for the people who already have the source and have those people work together. Atleast then you know that they know what they are doing. And it doesn't go public.

The choice is of course your own, but I hope you fully think it threw before doing such a drastic choice.

 

[SecretsOThePast]

Judging through the comments in this thread, I will not be releasing the source to any of the tools nor the live game. I will, instead, release binaries. This was my original intention, so I am sorry if anything went awry by posting this!

I have a huge deal of respect for the company that made this game and it would be completely unfair to release any source to the public. I cannot control others that would want to do so, but I will keep it private for now and for many years to come.

I will, however, keep binary releases flowing. I will not 'chase' the live version of the game; developers are free to do what they want with the binaries, but no; I know what can be done to hurt the developers by using their own tools against them.

 

[Emopuda]

Judging through the comments in this thread, I will not be releasing the source to any of the tools nor the live game. I will, instead, release binaries. This was my original intention, so I am sorry if anything went awry by posting this!

I have a huge deal of respect for the company that made this game and it would be completely unfair to release any source to the public. I cannot control others that would want to do so, but I will keep it private for now and for many years to come.

I will, however, keep binary releases flowing. I will not 'chase' the live version of the game; developers are free to do what they want with the binaries, but no; I know what can be done to hurt the developers by using their own tools against them.

Respect.

 

[jumparound]

Very interesting, if any help is needed, im here .

 

[tekk1]

great idea anyway i can assist just give me a pm or not

 

[Jesemos]

Great idea!

 

[SecretsOThePast]

Hey -- sorry I haven't updated this, I have been busy.

This is the latest animations + meshes + textures plus the stress test client assets. I've spent a total of almost 2 weeks reversing everything needed to get it working. I'm quite proud and learned a lot about reversing graphical file formats in the process.

The only things that don't work are NPC spawns (they are sent by the server and thus exist on the server only now, not the client), and the interface has a ton of LUA errors. I simply traded out the interface for the old one that was posted here ages ago. Everything else works perfectly.

Here's a screenshot of it in action!

 

[tekk1]

very very old client compared to the new version
but still good job

Side question what client do i have to use to get this up and running

 

[SecretsOThePast]

very very old client compared to the new version
but still good job

Side question what client do i have to use to get this up and running

With the client/server binaries I released, the only client files that work are the GStar releases unpacked.

I will consider releasing updated binaries with the new loader code when I finish up fixing some minor bugs.