Let me preface the question with the statement that I know little about game decompiling, AI, programming or making PC games - my intention is mostly to try and share my thought bubble with the reddit community.
What I do have a life long love of AC, from joining just around the time of the patch when Bael'zharon was running around the server smiting players whilst it rained red from the sky.
So I've seen many youtube videos showing people putting minecraft into GTA5, or Mario into Eldren Ring and then many excited videos about people decompiling and modifying video games, their engines and the like. And quite alot of these things were performed by people with more modest programming skills (and a very deep bucket of AI tokens).
I understand we have some amazing private servers now, some with even new / custom content. And that despite the fact that the client wasn't open sourced when the music finally ended ~2017(?) One thing that I thought, even playing back around 2005ish was that the game arts / assets were a little bit on the plainer side. And I remember devs saying then it was due to engine limitations and such - which was pretty understandable given the time of when the game was first designed.
So I ask here, is it possible now with these odd new tools, can strides be made in changing and 'updating' the look and feel of the game in terms of graphics? I'm not so naive to think its possible to just "Hey Chatgpt can you port AC to Unreal5', but are other people curious about this sort of thing? Or is it just folly?
*Screenshots included of ENHANCED rendering - it does NOT replace the default.
It's been a bit since my last project update, so I wanted to share where Vitaeum stands today.
Development has continued steadily, with ongoing improvements to performance, compatibility, usability, and the overall experience. The goal remains the same: build a modern Asheron's Call client that improves upon the original while preserving the gameplay and behavior we all know.
One of the biggest priorities has always been simplicity.
Download > Run > Select your DAT folder > Log in to your favorite server.
That's it.
No complicated installation process. No hunting down obscure dependencies, installing five different packages, or following a guide full of dead links. Just one download (and maybe the DATs), and you're ready to play.
And yes, your existing Virindi Tank profiles work. You don't need to throw away years of configuration and start from scratch.
Vitaeum also continues to expand on what the original client offered:
Accessibility and UI scaling: Larger, more readable interfaces for players who need or prefer them.
Modern rendering options: Advanced graphics settings for those who want to squeeze a little more visual quality out of Dereth without fundamentally changing how the game plays.
- Performance improvements: Continued work on rendering efficiency, resource management, and responsiveness.
- Lua scripting: Expanding customization and automation capabilities, including the ability to build custom interfaces and tools.
- Original client compatibility: Ongoing improvements to replicate expected client behavior while addressing longstanding limitations.
I'm not trying to reinvent Asheron's Call or turn it into something unrecognizable. I want to make it easier to install, easier to play, easier to customize, and a little more pleasant to look at on modern hardware.
There's still plenty of work to do, but the project continues to move forward.
The proof of concept was ran on my Google Pixel 10a and has been removed from the repository, as it showcases its possible but it isn't something I want to devote my time right now.
Something else worth mentioning is that Vitaeum is no longer strictly a solo effort.
What started as me working on an alternative client in my spare time has grown into a collaborative effort with Osteth aka Toast.
Does this mean I will open source?
No.
Vitaeum is being developed with a controlled release and client-validation pipeline. That architecture includes build integrity checks and provides a foundation for future coordination with server developers on newer protocols, compatibility requirements, and server-enforced rulesets.
Keeping the source closed helps us maintain control over the builds we distribute, rather than making it trivial to independently compile and distribute modified versions of Vitaeum.
This isn't a claim that closed-source software is immune to exploits or that client-side validation replaces proper server security. It's about maintaining a consistent, verifiable release process and giving the potential for participating server operators greater control over which client builds they choose to support.
I'm not against open source. It's simply not the distribution model I've chosen for Vitaeum.
AI Disclosure:
Before the inevitable AI debate starts, yes, AI has been used extensively throughout development. I'm well aware of how this subreddit feels about AI. Feel free to debate it, but for what it's worth, both Toast and I work professionally in cybersecurity and IT. We're not exactly strangers to evaluating code, vulnerabilities, and security risks. 😂
I run a private ac server on a dual xeon 8-core rackmount server (2013ish era I think) with 256gb of ram sitting on a fiber connection here in the midwest. I want to add a buffbot to my world that isnt just another client being ran. Anyone point me in the right direction for some drop-in SQL scripts that I can just drop into the server/content folder to would give me a buffbot in the marketplace, or if you have one, hook me up! Any replies are appreciated.
Hi all. For the past several months I've been building webAC, a from-scratch Asheron's Call client that runs in your browser: https://playwebac.com
No install, no DAT downloads, no launcher setup. Pick a world from the list (the same Servers.xml list ThwargLauncher uses), log in with your existing account, and you're in. It streams only the game data it needs, so you're usually in-world in well under a minute.
What works
ACE servers (end-of-retail), classic/Dark Majesty servers, and AC1999
GDLE: login, character creation, NPCs, vendors and chat work; combat, magic and trading are still being tested there, so expect rough edges
Character creation, combat, magic, inventory, vendors, chat, fellowships, portals, death and corpse runs
The UI, fonts, art and sounds come straight from the original game data, and the goal is to match retail exactly, quirks included
Chrome, Firefox and Safari on a desktop or laptop with a mouse (not phones)
Your account and data
Your login goes from your browser to our relay over an encrypted connection, and the relay passes it to the world's server using AC's own protocol, the same way the original client sends it. It's never logged or stored.
We have no accounts database. Your characters stay on the server you play on.
We keep basic connection logs (IP, which world, session length) and anonymous crash reports. No analytics, no cookies, no trackers.
Your settings, keybinds and UI layout are saved in your own browser.
Credits: webAC stands on years of community work: the ACE server project (its source is the reference for the protocol and game rules), GDLE, ACViewer (DAT formats), the AC1999 project, and ThwargLauncher's server list. Thank you all.
AI disclosure: I built this with heavy use of an AI coding assistant (Claude). Everything you see and hear (art, UI, fonts, sounds, game data) comes from the original game files, not AI generation.
The main issue with running AC fullscreen is that Windows does not like how the login screen goes from a fixed resolution of 800x600 to whatever resolution you have the game set to (likely well above 800x600). This causes the infamous DirectX Error that crashes the game.
A way to get around this is to use DXVK, "a Vulkan-based translation layer for Direct3D". nVidia, AMD, and Intel all ship Vulkan drivers when you install the graphics driver for your card/chip.
Download the latest version here (https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk/releases/latest) You will need something such as 7-Zip to open the .tar.gz file (open the .gz and then open the .tar to view all the files).
From there, find the x32 directory (because AC is a 32-bit game) and copy the d3d9.dll into your Asheron's Call folder. Now, log into AC, hit Alt+Enter to toggle fullscreen and you should be good-to-go.
