The Future of Custom Servers: A New Era

[Lillu]

Hello Adventurers,

If you have a moment, please read this post carefully, it’s important regarding the future of THF.

First and foremost, I apologize for having to make this post. THF and EqEmu should be a place of relief, a fun escape from real life. It’s how I discovered this project and how it has stayed with me over the countless years. Unfortunately, not everything is sunshine and rainbows.

As many of you may have noticed, Daybreak recently shut down the most popular EqEmu custom server. Following that, Akkadius, the heart and soul of the EqEmu project, abruptly left everything behind within days (which makes more sense now). Then, just yesterday, THF was downgraded to Preferred server status without any prior notice, while a new server operator Terms of Service was released by the EqEmu admin and Daybreak (the owner of the EverQuest trademark). It has been said that this ToS was created in “good faith, showing flexibility” but I’ll leave it to you to decide for yourself.

You can read the EqEmu announcement and the new server operator ToS by clicking the links.

I’d like to summarize the key points that will affect the EqEmu community and THF without legal jargon or sugar coating.


Super TL;DR Version:
- Rich and creative custom content is now prohibited.
- Offering help for players to obtain or modify an EverQuest client is now prohibited.
- Raising funds to build, extend, or maintain server infrastructure is now prohibited.
- Server population caps will be enforced.
- Any server can be terminated at any time.
- Personal information from all server operators will be collected for Daybreak via the EqEmu admin.


My Thoughts:
- Custom Content Restrictions
All EqEmu gameplay must now remain exactly like the original EverQuest game, no more custom content. This is significant.. For many of us, including myself, creating custom content was the essence of why we loved EqEmu. None of the custom servers will comply with these measures, and creativity is now effectively shut down. For content creators, this is likely the biggest blow of the new ToS.

- Client Modification and Distribution
No client modifications or distributions are allowed. Most popular servers historically distribute client files or even inject code (e.g., via DLLs). While THF does not inject code, we do provide a client download. Without a way to distribute or even refer players to a client download makes playing on any EqEmu server becomes impossible(?).

- Monetization Restrictions
Servers cannot offer anything of value in exchange for payments, donations, etc. The hard truth, a quality server cannot operate long-term without some form of monetization. Over 20+ years in the EqEmu community, I’ve seen countless servers come and go, very few survive.

Server infrastructure such as server hosting, softwares, domains, broadband connections, DDoS protection, and maintenance costs money. Long-standing, high-quality servers have all relied on some level of player support. I've seen Project 1999 requested hardware “donations” from players. Scars of Amerous sold brokenly overpowered items (I bought one and had fun..), EZ Server ran sales promotions, etc. These were all ways to sustain the server. Without any support, maintaining an infrastructure capable of supporting a larger playerbase continuously (24/7/365) is impossible. THF has operated like this for over 16 years, thanks to all of you.

- Population Cap
The enforced population cap (800/400) is another way to limit server creators, reduce flexibility, and lower motivation.

- Personal Data Concerns and Shutdown Risk
Every server operator must submit real-life personal information to the EqEmu admin acting as a data collector for Daybreak, a serious legal concern. Additionally, servers remain subject to imminent shutdown at any time, for no reason.

There are several other concerning points in the ToS, but these are the most pressing.


Looking Ahead
The future is uncertain. If Daybreak or the EqEmu admin enforces this new ToS, 99% of EqEmu servers, including those run by the EqEmu admin, would likely have to shut down. It’s unclear whether enforcement will be selective or ignored entirely, but Akkadius’ departure alone raises serious concerns.

We are actively monitoring the situation and will do everything necessary to maintain our goal, keeping THF running. For almost 17 years, we have been here for our players every day, without downtime. I am deeply grateful to all of you who have supported THF and made this possible, and I will continue to do my best to keep the server operational for as long as possible, hopefully many years to come!

If you have concerns or would like to discuss this topic, please feel free to make a post. We'll keep you guys updated, thanks for reading and being here with us!

- The THF team