[Discussion] A 3.3.5 client is more viable than Unreal Engine

[Dracarusggotham]

Okay, I'll be brief. I've seen the devs hinting that they'll continue with the delusions of an Unreal Engine client... that's the worst decision they could make.

Unreal Azeroth turned out horribly, and I don't think anyone wants to relive what happened with Turtle WoW. That client brought unnecessary attention to the server, which eventually led to Blizzard shutting it down (it wasn't the direct cause, but it did attract a lot of unwanted attention from both streamers and Blizzard Shills).

So, in my opinion, a 3.3.5 client is more logical and acceptable. Turtle WoW doesn't need modern graphics; Turtle needs more freedom, and 3.3.5 grants it without having to develop something from scratch. It would be more logical to dedicate resources and time to porting everything to WoW 3.3.5 than to developing a client whose outcome is anyone's guess, don't you think?

Devs, if you're reading this, please consider this: Unreal Engine has already failed not once, but twice. We don't really know if Turtle completely abandoned the project after realizing it was going nowhere, or if it was because of the lawsuit, though I'm leaning towards the former since, when the closure was announced, a dev said they already had a 3.3.5 client in testing, meaning they were going to make the jump at some point. I think they should revisit the idea.

Don't make the same mistake again.

[Ht76bafrm]

I couldn't agree more.

[Berdal]

Honestly, this is just guesswork from my side.

The Unreal Azeroth project has and is under continuous development. To my knowledge they've done steady progress and now there's a live private server out there to prove it. It would be unheard of to expect there to not be bugs and challenges along the way.

Assuming there's a decent architecture and infrastructure to the project, my guess is that a UE client has the most potential for a long-term modern solution.

The other contenders (3.3.5 and 1.1.4), I have no clue how they compare and which would be superior. But seeing as OctoWoW is a Classic server, my bet is 1.1.4 is much easier to port than 3.3.5.

[Dracarusggotham]

Honestly, this is just guesswork from my side.

The Unreal Azeroth project has and is under continuous development. To my knowledge they've done steady progress and now there's a live private server out there to prove it. It would be unheard of to expect there to not be bugs and challenges along the way.

Assuming there's a decent architecture and infrastructure to the project, my guess is that a UE client has the most potential for a long-term modern solution.

The other contenders (3.3.5 and 1.1.4), I have no clue how they compare and which would be superior. But seeing as OctoWoW is a Classic server, my bet is 1.1.4 is much easier to port than 3.3.5.

I don't deny it.

But Turtle WoW has a problem, and that's the performance on an old client that's reached its limits.

I still don't see Unreal Azeroth as viable, and frankly, seeing how Epoch and other servers run absurdly well on 3.3.5, I don't see why they shouldn't play it safe instead of taking another risky gamble.

Unreal Azeroth still doesn't inspire confidence, and it's not open source. If the project dies and Octo picks it up...who will maintain it? Who will support it?
If it were open source, things would be different, but it isn't. The 3.3.5 client isn't open source, but we know it works well in its own way. Unreal Azeroth...meh. If it's abandoned, there won't be any way to maintain it or fix bugs.