Although the monthly fee is easy to forget about, many of us would be much happier if it were removed from the equation--and how about doing something about that server overcrowding, too? It may sound like a pipe dream, but a number of private (emulated) servers have sprung up offering just that: free access to an unofficial third-party realm.

Private servers are run using reverse-engineered, hacked-together, server code, and allow you to use your existing WoW client but cut Blizzard out of the equation. Various server variables are controlled by those running the realms--for example, changing the xp gain rate means you can level from 0 to 60 faster than usual.

The lack of a fee may make private servers seem very appealing, especially if you're a casual sort of player, but beware--you're treading on the wrong side of Blizzard. A site called BlizzHackers was shut down last year for simply hosting server emulator software, with this statement by Blizzard:

As many of you are aware, Blizzard Entertainment strongly opposes the development of unauthorized emulation servers designed to facilitate the use of pirated versions of Blizzard's copyrighted World of Warcraft game client. In accordance with this position, we have taken action to halt the development of such servers, and will continue to do so as needed.
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We must, however, object to the development of servers that allow the use of pirated game clients and prevent Blizzard from realizing the fruits of years of intense development.

Blizzard are understandably against the idea of players pirating the client as well as the server, and are protecting their intellectual property rights by asking server emulator software developers to cease their activity.

This lack of official support causes the servers to look less appealing: for a start, they don't always keep up with the patches. This can, of course, be a good thing if you don't like the contents of the most recent patch, but you can miss out on server-side events like the Christmas and New Year festivities.

As there's no money going into the server, there are no paid GMs; ingame help can be sparse, and this hacky server code is often buggier than legitimate servers. Got a nicely kitted out level 60? The server you're on may disappear at any moment, closed down by Blizzard or bandwidth bills, losing you all the time you invested.

The popularity of private servers, while increasing, still is nowhere near the official subscriber number--players number in the early thousands, rather than millions. Even when taking the number of Blizzard-run shards into account, you may still find that private servers are very empty and that there simply isn't enough social interaction with others to make it worthwhile.

If you like questing alone with accelerated xp gain, exploring game content, or trying out stuff that would get you banned from Blizzard's servers, then private servers could be the place for you. However, they're dubious at the best of times for players, frowned upon by Blizzard, and nothing really compares to the real thing.

Tags: emulation, private servers, PrivateServers

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion