I maintained Project "Sol" (and its mirror) from 2020-03-01 to 2024-07-29, an open source MMORPG server for Linux based on AzerothCore. The reasons I finally quit:
- The client gets older and older and could just stop working any time (probably 2038 at the latest, see Y2K38 bug); without a client the server is useless
- After fixing so many quests and NPCs in the old world, Outland and Northrend, I realized that I did like the old world the most, so a server software supporting only vanilla would have been better suited in the first place
- Less time due to RL
Nevertheless, a few things about "Sol" and my priorities/decisions at the time:
- Supported client version is 3.3.5a, because in my opinion the game was great up to and including WotLK (and the old world was still intact at the time)
- Linux only, as it is FOSS and I try to avoid proprietary software
- MariaDB only, because I see it as the real successor to MySQL after the acquisition through Oracle
- Prioritization on fixing playability and world maps (quests, creatures etc.)
- Cannot test dungeons thoroughly as I'm working alone
- Don't care about seasonal events, for me they never did fit into the WoW universe
- Don't care about PvP
- Don't care about localization (English is perfect, the German translation always has been awful and I assume this is also true for the other translations; sadly, most companies don't bother with good translations, too expensive)
- Won't run a public server
About my hobby, working on WoW emulation:
- Always wanted to work on video games, but not for money
- Played retail WoW in 2005 and again from 2007 to 2011, quit because Cata was boring and awful, never did return
- Played around with repacks created by conan513 in 2017 and then compiled and installed my own AC server
- Contributed over 200 commits to AC between 2018 and 2020
- Started working solely on my own server software in March 2020, free and without restrictions from other projects
- Deleted my old accounts and created new ones with the same name in order to cut all ties to the old projects/repositories and start all over again
- Enjoyed working on it, despite lacking the time to accomplish everything I want
Old accounts:
[email protected]
(used for AC commits)[email protected]
(used for Sol commits from 2020-03-01 to 2023-06-24)