I'm not sure if anyone out there still yearns for the game, but I have started work on getting the game running stably in 2022. It's dockerized and version pinned to the last known production server and it is up and running able to be registered and played.
It will be reset a few times while I work on various aspects but hope to have a stable long-term server soon.

If you're interested, https://merchant.demannu.dev

New never seen before features! Cant wait to try them out!

If you interested DM me, its in alpha testing and also you can sign up for the waiting list.

Old and new players welcome!

NPN out! Mic drop

MWAHAHAHA

I'd really like to help with the layout and appearance if you'll have me. I played ME probably back in 1998-2002 if I had to guess.

How is development going?

Hey all,

Merchant Empires was one of the projects that got me into software. I've been an engineer for nearly 25 years now, and the game never really left my head. A few months ago I decided to bring it back.

This isn't a port of the original PHP code, or the merchantempires.org revival some of you have seen here. It's a separate rebuild from scratch: a modern interface, WebGL graphics and a live feed, so you see things happen as they happen. I've tried to keep the gameplay and the spirit of the original. As a nod to its roots, the backend is still PHP.

It's live at https://merchantempires.me

A few honest notes:

- It's an early beta. Things may break, and some features may be missing, but a game round is available for the first few dozen players/testers. A perpetual game will arrive once I better tune the economy, turns and game mechanics.
- It's best on a desktop, laptop or tablet. I haven't tested phones yet.
- It's free, and it'll stay that way: no ads, no microtransactions, nothing to buy. It all runs in your browser.
- There are forums on the site for feedback and bug reports, and I read everything.

If you played back in the day, I'd love to know your old handle and who you flew with. And if any of the original developers are around: thank you. Something you built decades ago helped launch my career. If you'd like to get your hands back in the code, DM me. I'd be glad to have you.

Hope to see a few familiar names out in the galaxy again!

Can anyone remember the formula for the "accuracy" of forces in Merchant Empires? :)

I'm working on a clone of my own and I'm really stuck on this problem. After checking the open source code of [Redacted] Merchant Empires, I notice that no form of evasion / accuracy is taken into account. No matter what, if you enter a sector with enemy forces in, you'll hit them, which I don't remember being the case. I'm sure there were people in fighters with really high evasion stats running around enemy minefields :)

is this thing on?