I24 or bust. I mean, why not? Even the issue title is perfect for it.
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Originally Posted by Gemini_2099
L2 emulators are everywhere lol.
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That's because the Lineage 2 source code leaked. Seems to happen a lot with Korean MMOs. I wonder why. Emulators based on leaked code are definitely on the wrong side of the law, even if they account for about half of the ones out there.
From scratch, though? Hell yeah, you better believe it. You can't claim IP rights on a network protocol. If I write a server that says, "You're in zone #1, at these coordinates," NCsoft doesn't own that. It's the same thing as Samba emulating a Windows file server, and other than some patent trolling nobody has tried to argue that's illegal. Interoperability is protected under the DMCA.
The client is what turns "Zone #1" into "Okay, I'll display Atlas Park". Server programmers don't have to worry about that. Bittorrenting the client if you don't already have it would probably be a violation.
It's the content that could get you in trouble. All those missions. If someone develops one, I hope they're smart enough to keep the code separate from anything that might be considered IP. That way the programmers would be in the clear and entirely new content could be created with the engine, even if there would probably be a 'pirate' content pack floating around as well.
At any rate, I'm surprised this thread didn't get deleted Friday. I don't expect it to last much longer. Whether it's legal or not, NCsoft doesn't want you to play a COH emulator, and they'll try to scare you away from it. They want you to pay them more money for B&S instead.
Don't believe the hype. For them to send a C&D, they have to have someone to send it to, and something to tell them to desist doing. I doubt anyone writing one is dumb enough to give them a visible target. I also know our community has a few people with lawyers and deep pockets who are itching to go head to head. By bringing legal action, NCsoft takes a risk that a judge might say, "You're not using this IP, you have no claim on it. GTFO." and that precedent sticking for a long time.
