Research into HKO

[zhongtiao1]

I've been looking into getting the HKO server working (any one of the three). Here is what I've found:

1) MySQL version doesn't matter. Even though it was designed for MySQL 4.0/4.1, you can use up to 5.7 with no issue (8.0 can work too, but it requires more effort and pain than just using 5.7)

2) I'm curious about the libmysql.dll. It seems like it is just one from a stock MySQL install. May try copying one over from a newer version later...

3) The dispatch portion of the config.xml file doesn't seem to actually change anything. Even with port-forwarding.

4) Connecting to a remote database, not localhost, seems to fail always (maybe due to the ancient libmysql.dll?)

5) 3306 seems to be a reserved port with the server somehow. It hangs when the game port is set to 3306, regardless if MySQL is running there or not.

6) Changing the game port to anything less than the MySQL database port does not change anything. Even if the game port is set to 5500 and you set the MySQL port to 5502, it fails to find the database. If both the game port and MySQL port are set to 5500, same issue as port 3306.

7) This happens on all 3 servers.

8) I have no idea how the NPC server is supposed to run, but it works(?)

9) The HKO server might have originally been meant to run on Windows Server 2000, not 2003... which would explain some of the issues. I'm more inclined to believe the issue is with the MySQL connection though

EDIT 11/22/20: Here is the reworked SQL file as the current one on the forum is broken:

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EDIT 11/29/20 When you first launch the game, it goes to an autoupdate screen, by changing the redirect with fiddler, you can have it show any webpage you choose.

Like always, any help or insight is appreciated! :

 

[hummy]

Hey I am totally down to try my hand at getting this running. I have gathered all of the files I can, and the only thing I seem to be missing is the complete DB script. Do you have it?

 

[zhongtiao1]

Hey I am totally down to try my hand at getting this running. I have gathered all of the files I can, and the only thing I seem to be missing is the complete DB script. Do you have it?

Huh, my account was reinstated, cool. The entire file is written out here on the forum. Just pop it into notepad, save as hko.sql and you're good

 

[PyroSamurai]

@zhongtiao1 Yeah, it got caught in a spam filter. I got it unbanned for you I was worried it was too late though, glad you came back.

 

[zhongtiao1]

zhongtiao1 Yeah, it got caught in a spam filter. I got it unbanned for you I was worried it was too late though, glad you came back.

Thanks The only reason I came back was because I saw an email that someone had replied Otherwise I would never have learned I was unbanned.

Also an update: I dug out an old 64 bit vista install I have, and the server software just hangs continuously. Better than just immediately crashing, so it's slight progress

 

[hummy]

I think it will have to run on 32-bit. I am going to be trying it on 32-bit Windows Server 2003 this weekend. For me the sql post was cut off part way through, but I found a reddit post with the full file uploaded.

If everything goes well I hope to have it running by this weekend. If I do I will try to post an updated guide, and upload all necessary files in a single place.

 

[zhongtiao1]

I think it will have to run on 32-bit. I am going to be trying it on 32-bit Windows Server 2003 this weekend. For me the sql post was cut off part way through, but I found a reddit post with the full file uploaded.

If everything goes well I hope to have it running by this weekend. If I do I will try to post an updated guide, and upload all necessary files in a single place.

Heh, so you're the lulu that commented on my reddit post. I had a feeling after the twitter dm. Glad it could help! Keep me updated, I'll look more into it myself, see what can be dug up. The database isn't the issue as far as I can tell.

 

[PyroSamurai]

Considering that was a RZ Original release, our member cracked a internet server to obtain them, the lack of credit to RageZone in your reddit release is concerning. Anyways, it might be a good idea to make a re-release of the full sql file on RageZone, zhongtiao1 .

 

[zhongtiao1]

Considering that was a RZ Original release, our member cracked a internet server to obtain them, the lack of credit to RageZone in your reddit release is concerning. Anyways, it might be a good idea to make a re-release of the full sql file on RageZone, @zhongtiao1 .

Well, I was banned and I didn't know why. I had pretty much given up on RageZone and was kinda pissed, so I uploaded it on reddit to see if more people would be interested in helping.

Anywho, attached is the SQL file:

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I can't upload the file here as ragezone doesn't like SQL files.

Also, added a credit at the end of the reddit post for you.

 

[hummy]

An update for anyone who still follows this. Everything server wise is working great for me currently. The problem is the client always reaches out to a fixed IP. The beta client is the only one that has potential to work from what I can see, and it does not seem to use DNS.

At this point there is may be a super hacky way to redirect the traffic the is destined for <fixed_IP>:25000 to my local server. I tried netsh but it uses a random port and it requires a "listenport" to be defined.

If anyone knows a solid way to take <public_IP>:25000 and make it <private_IP:25000 from a random port, or can dive into the exe file and find that preset IP to essentially make a localhost client, that would be really clutch right now. The client seems super basic, but I know nothing about digging into exe files.

 

[zhongtiao1]

Just a note, I figured out what that rar with all of the frm files are for. They are a copy of the MySQL database. They are unusable as they were essentially drag and dropped from the original server, so the SQL file I posted is a better choice.

 

[zhongtiao1]

A teaser until I get the time tomorrow to write it out in full

You can run the server successfully on 64 bit windows.

 

[zhongtiao1]

http://forum.ragezone.com/f541/running-hko-server-64-bit-1192737/

There's the guide. Maybe more of you can help research now too!

 

[zhongtiao1]

Browsed the web archive today and found two interesting things:

The official offline client was distributed by torrent, the tracker was through outblaze. Outblaze seems to have been the company who hosted the HKO servers originally.

Also, there was an EU specific version of the game! If anyone has the full EU offline installer, let me know.

Here is the link to the EU page:

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There are patches on the site that link to a long dead outblaze site. Also, nobody is seeding the torrent which is understandable, yet sad.

 

[damidesu]

Well done @zhongtiao1 ! I knew you will figure it out! thank you for sharing the SQL file and updating the guide to run HKO server. Now based on what I know so far, the next step will be connect the client? it looks NPC server is working too

 

[zhongtiao1]

Well done @zhongtiao1 ! I knew you will figure it out! thank you for sharing the SQL file and updating the guide to run HKO server. Now based on what I know so far, the next step will be connect the client? it looks NPC server is working too

Thanks!

Yes, the client is the next step. It doesn't seem to recognize the server is running for some reason and nothing shows up in wireshark or fiddler when it tries to connect.

The NPC Server works as far as we can tell. It registers with the database and it looks like all the NPCs initiate fine. Based on the names though, some might be Japanese NPCs.

 

[zhongtiao1]

Big news! We got the server to recognize the client!

If you set the port to 35000 instead of 5500, the client locks on to the local server and connects. Unfortunately, we can't get any further than that yet. The client still doesn't load in.

Huge props to u/goddamnitgusty over on reddit for helping figure this out.

PyroSamurai did you ever manage to get the server and client running yourself back when it was first released? It seems like the server and client are constantly fighting each other. Is there any evidence it was working previously?

 

[damidesu]

@zhongtiao1 That's very good news!, so next step will be locate a client compatible with the server, hmm there aren't much clients around so in that case maybe something to trick the server to accept an old client. I can't remember the way to enable debug mode on the client. I'll let you know if I can figure that. Which client and server version are you using?

 

[zhongtiao1]

zhongtiao1 That's very good news!, so next step will be locate a client compatible with the server, hmm there aren't much clients around so in that case maybe something to trick the server to accept an old client. I can't remember the way to enable debug mode on the client. I'll let you know if I can figure that. Which client and server version are you using?

We're already using the earliest available client, the founders beta, and the latest available server, 092404. The founders beta was released over 3 years after the latest server version.

 

[damidesu]

@zhongtiao1 If I remember correctly, the client needs to know the content of:

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On the latest client version is located at:

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I remember I couldn't enter the game if hkopatch server was down. That's why later they moved it directly on hellokittyonline