Generic question about MaNGOS development

[tiredashell]

I'm a C++ developer with zero experience in game server emulation, and I'm intrigued to learn more. Could anyone provide a high-level explanation as to how the reverse-engineering process works for an MMO? Do you simply run the game on the official servers and log all incoming/outgoing packets for later inspection, or is the process more complex?

[raczman]

IDApro, ollydbg, some packet sniffer, and in case of our eastern european brothers, vodka. And lots of patience. But generally you're right, packet analysis is "the thing" when it comes to developing an emulator.

[XTZGZoReX]

Logging packets is one of the things that are essential to content development. However, disassembly (which is illegal, on that note) is also a way to gain information, like update fields and whatnot.

[tiredashell]

Thanks for the responses, really fascinating. The thing I've always wondered is exactly how much is normally taken care of by MMO servers. If all they do is relay coordinates of NPCs and PCs, that's one thing. But if the servers are actually responsible for sending down content, such as the design of monsters and whatnot, it would seem like an insurmountable problem.

I specialize in network security so I'm familiar with some of the tools in question, but for this application I wouldn't know where to start. Learning more about how MMOs normally work internally might be a good start. If you have any tips in that regard (beyond studying the mangos source, which I'll definitely do) I'm all ears. Either way, much appreciated.

[XTZGZoReX]

Thanks for the responses, really fascinating. The thing I've always wondered is exactly how much is normally taken care of by MMO servers. If all they do is relay coordinates of NPCs and PCs, that's one thing. But if the servers are actually responsible for sending down content, such as the design of monsters and whatnot, it would seem like an insurmountable problem.

We can safely conclude that emus for such servers isn't worth the time.

I specialize in network security so I'm familiar with some of the tools in question, but for this application I wouldn't know where to start. Learning more about how MMOs normally work internally might be a good start. If you have any tips in that regard (beyond studying the mangos source, which I'll definitely do) I'm all ears. Either way, much appreciated.

Try to specialize in something specific, like spells/auras, AI, packet handling, etc.