A server emulator, also called Freeshard or Private server, is the reimplementation of online game servers, typically as clones of proprietarycommercial software by a third party of the game community. The private server is not always made by the original company, but usually attempts to mimic it in some way. Technically, a server emulator does not emulate by the traditional definition. Instead it is the alternative implementation of the proprietary gaming server that communicates with the same gaming client through the same, reverse-engineered proprietary protocols. Server emulators exist for many online games. If the original proprietary servers were shut down, server emulators can be considered community continuations as fix for an orphanedsoftware product.
Disambiguation
Original server software that is stolen, like AEGIS, is also not a server emulator. Reimplementations of standardized protocols or server behavior is not considered to be emulation.
Uses
According to a study based on Ragnarok Online emulated servers, “Players turn to the illegal private server solution to fulfill their expectations for better means of avatar customization, specific technical features, an improved social environment, and enhanced gamemaster availability.”
Other reasons why players use server emulators is to avoid the monthly fees or purchasing fees for certain games.
Being able to experience an accelerated and/or altered mode of play.
Some server emulators are designed on the emphasis that a game has closed and is no longer playable, like Toontown Online. Players also choose to play on private servers to relive an older version of the game.
Legal issues
Emulating the server of the proprietary commercial game often violates EULA as many commercial MMORPGs require the user to sign a clause not to create or use server emulators. Additionally, many server emulators retain portions of the original code, and thus violating copyright law. Examples of such violations include the popular RuneScape emulator Winterlove—which retained decompiled, unauthorized portions of the original game client. The server may try to avoid violations by serving from the country where some intellectual property laws possibly apply differently or not at all. Typically, the locations chosen rarely differ enough in copyright and patent law to protect the individual behind the emulator. Examples of these offshore misconceptions include the popular hosting choice that is the Netherlands. Another issue is a possible infringement of the game creator's copyright. If the complete emulator is a work of its own, copyright violation is not as obvious as EULA violation. However sometimes the original server software leaks out of the company that created the game, for example AEGIS. Use or distribution of leaked code is widely held to be copyright infringement. There are cases where a game creator has effectively shut down private game servers by threatening lawsuits due to intellectual property violations, such as offering a modified client for download or offering downloads of modified files from the original game package. In August 2010, a California Central District Court awarded Blizzard Entertainment $88 million in a lawsuit against Scapegaming over copyright-infringement. Scapegaming’s violation involved operation of an unauthorized copyrighted version of World of Warcraft. Scapegaming ran microtransactions encouraging players to donate money to advance in the game resulting in $3,053,339 of inappropriate profits. This is one of the first big cases implemented against server emulation. In July 2011, Nexon has threatened to take MMORPG development community RaGEZONE to court over users creating and sharing custom emulated servers. Nexon claims to file legal proceedings against all parties involved in the MMORPG development scene. Disney has also fought against server emulators for its MMO Club Penguin, resulting in the closure of iCPv3 in October 2010, which had over 100,000 users when Disney filed a cease and desist notice against the emulator. In late 2011, the online chatbox provider Xat filed a lawsuit after a developer published a copy of the source code to her server emulator. The suit was later dropped as the developer had not infringed copyright.
