Why arent there many 4.0+ WOW servers?

[robbversion1]

Let me just begin by saying that I am in no way complaining. I'm just not familiar with the process that it takes to make repacks, cores, db....etc. So I was just wondering if it takes a lengthy time and thats why there aren't many around?

[Facerolling]

There have been significant changes to the security of how WoW connects to the servers. It uses two connections instead of one now, and one of the connections we have an effectively impossible chance of breaking open, having to resort to modifying the client files, which is illegal. Randomized opcodes every patch means that every single patch we will have to re-sniff which packets do what, taking even more time. Combine these factors with patch streaming (possibly streaming during private server play, unsure.) could possibly render a solid cataclysm emulator out of action for a while. The current ones out there are ridiculously buggy, but they are a hope for when the larger teams switch off of WotLK emulation and take a crack at Cataclysm.

[robbversion1]

Thanks for the quick reply. I figured it was something but didnt know the specifics. But you cleared everything up for me. Thanks!

+REP

[sitnspinlock]

when in doubt, roll your own. then maybe, if you feel up to it, release your source code.

in previous years, wow protocol was pretty well documented, and in my early years of college i began to write my own with some classmates using some old relay chat source code I did in high school. so technically, i built my emulator off of a chat program ;p

anyways, that was back in 1.12.1 and i have no intention of moving it forward, i prefer vanilla, doing old custom raids with my friends, etc.

i have done some analysis of the current game. to make a long story short, its easily possible to emulate 4.0.3, but like the above poster said, it requires some memory rewriting of wow thus in order to work with it you would need to be passing out modified binaries or some win api openprocess memory editor in order for people to connect. and that leads to problems.

[myran2]

The real emu devs don't care enough to start really working on support for it(at least publicly).
That's not to say that the people working on Cata support aren't talented, they are. It's just that there's not enough of them, and they're all reinventing the wheel every patch instead of teaming up.

Like Everdox said, it's not impossible, it's just a boring, massive pain in the ass that most people don't want to mess with.

[Moaradin]

Private servers aren't what they used to be. I don't think there is one private server that fully supports the wotlk features yet. I kinda wish there was ambition and competition like there was in BC. That was the peak of WoW, and Private Servers.

[predattak]

and another episode from "Why arent there many 4.0+ WOW servers?" .. i guess it's episode 1000+ >.>