EQMap.NET - EverQuest Protocol Encapsulation for Headless BOTS and alternative clients

A comprehensive toolkit for EverQuest client side protocol handling ideal for headless bots and alternative clients, featuring real-time mapping, packet analysis, and protocol debugging tools.

🎮 What is EQMap.NET?

EQMap.NET is a suite of tools designed for EverQuest client side headless bots and alternative clients. It provides real-time visualization of game data, comprehensive packet analysis, and debugging capabilities for EQEmu server.

🎥 Demo Videos

• EQMap Real-time Mapping Demo - See the real-time mapping functionality in action
• BOT appears in Client - See a LUA bot appear in the client

🚀 Key Features

🗺️ Real-time Mapping (EQMap)

• Live visualization of player positions, NPCs, and game objects
• Zone mapping with dynamic updates
• Multi-player tracking and session management
• Lua scripting support for custom behaviors

📊 Packet Analysis (EQLogs)

• Comprehensive packet capture and analysis
• Support for server and bot log comparison
• Session-based filtering and organization
• Real-time packet structure parsing using reflection
• Bidirectional packet support (ToServer/FromServer)
• Hex dump visualization with structure breakdown

🔧 Protocol Library (EQProtocol)

• Complete EverQuest protocol implementation
• Automatic opcode-to-structure mapping
• Support for compression (Zlib) and encryption (DES)
• Extensive packet structure definitions
• Cross-platform .NET Standard 2.1 compatibility

🤖 Console Bot Framework (EQConsole)

• Headless bot implementation with console interface
• JSON-based configuration system for multiple accounts
• Automated patrol movement with configurable waypoints
• Event-driven bot behaviors and chat interactions
• Real-time logging with comprehensive debugging output
• Example implementation demonstrating EQGameClient usage

📁 Project Structure

eqmap.net/
├── EQMap/              # Real-time mapping application
├── EQLogs/             # Packet analysis and logging tools
├── EQProtocol/         # EverQuest protocol library
├── EQConsole/          # Console utilities
└── docs/               # Documentation

📖 Documentation Index

Getting Started

• Installation Guide (coming soon)
• Quick Start Tutorial (coming soon)
• Configuration Guide (coming soon)

EQMap (Real-time Mapping)

• EQMap User Guide (coming soon)
• Lua Scripting Reference (coming soon)
• Zone Data Format (coming soon)

EQLogs (Packet Analysis)

• Packet Analysis Guide (coming soon)
• Session Filtering (coming soon)
• Log File Formats (coming soon)
• Large File Handling

EQProtocol (Protocol Library)

• Protocol Reference (coming soon)
• Packet Structures (coming soon)
• Encryption and Compression (coming soon)

EQConsole (Console Bot Framework)

• Bot Configuration Guide (coming soon)
• Patrol Movement System (coming soon)
• Event Handling (coming soon)

Development

• Contributing Guidelines (coming soon)
• Building from Source (coming soon)
• API Documentation (coming soon)

🚀 Protocol-Level Client Encapsulation

EQMap.NET provides a complete protocol-level encapsulation of the EverQuest client/server communication, enabling the development of headless bots and alternative clients in any .NET-compatible language. This abstraction layer opens up unprecedented possibilities for EverQuest automation and tooling.

🎯 What This Enables

Headless Bot Development

• No Game Client Required: Bots run independently without needing the EverQuest game client
• Server Farm Deployment: Deploy hundreds of bots on headless servers
• Resource Efficient: Minimal CPU/memory usage compared to full game clients
• Scriptable Automation: Full programmatic control over character actions

Alternative Client Development

• Custom User Interfaces: Build specialized UIs for specific use cases
• Mobile Clients: Develop lightweight mobile EverQuest clients
• Web-based Interfaces: Create browser-based EverQuest tools
• Specialized Tools: Build focus-specific clients (auction tracking, map tools, etc.)

🛠️ Development Options

C# / .NET Applications

// Simple bot example
var gameClient = new EQGameClient(logger);
await gameClient.LoginAsync(username, password, server, character);

// Event-driven programming
gameClient.NPCSpawned += (sender, npc) => {
    if (npc.IsAttackable) AttackTarget(npc);
};

// High-level commands
await gameClient.MoveTo(x, y, z);
gameClient.SendChat("Hello world!", ChatChannel.Say);

Other .NET Languages

• F#: Functional programming approach to bot logic
• VB.NET: Classic Visual Basic syntax for rapid development
• PowerShell: Scripting-based automation and server management
• IronPython: Python scripts with .NET integration

Cross-Platform Deployment

• Windows: Native .NET 8.0 support
• Linux: Full compatibility via .NET runtime
• Docker: Containerized bot deployments
• Cloud Services: Azure, AWS, Google Cloud deployment

🏗️ Architecture Benefits

Protocol Abstraction

• Complete Encapsulation: All EverQuest networking handled internally
• Event-Driven Design: React to game events naturally
• Type-Safe Operations: Strongly-typed models prevent runtime errors
• Automatic State Management: Character, zone, and game state tracked automatically

Extensibility

• Plugin Architecture: Add custom behaviors without modifying core code
• Custom Packet Handlers: Extend protocol support for new opcodes
• Behavior Trees: Complex AI logic through composable behaviors
• Integration APIs: Connect with external systems and databases

🔧 Technical Highlights

Advanced Packet Analysis

• Reflection-based Structure Mapping: Automatically maps opcodes to packet structures using naming conventions
• Bidirectional Packet Support: Handles ToServer/FromServer packet variants seamlessly
• Session Management: Filter and organize packets by game sessions with automatic session detection
• Multiple Log Sources: Compare server logs with bot logs for comprehensive analysis

Real-time Capabilities

• Live Data Streaming: Real-time updates from running EQEmu servers
• Multi-session Support: Track multiple players and sessions simultaneously
• Performance Optimized: Efficient handling of large data streams and log files

Protocol Implementation

• Complete Coverage: Extensive implementation of EverQuest network protocol
• Modern Architecture: Clean .NET Standard 2.1 implementation with async/await patterns
• Extensible Design: Easy to add new packet types and extend functionality

🛠️ Built With

• .NET 8.0 - Modern cross-platform framework
• WPF - Rich desktop UI for Windows applications
• MVVM Pattern - Clean separation of concerns
• NLog - Comprehensive logging framework
• Docker Integration - Seamless integration with containerized EQEmu setups

🤝 Contributing

This project is actively developed for EQEmu server client development and protocol research. Contributions are welcome!

📄 License

This project is developed for educational and private server development purposes. Please respect the intellectual property rights of the original EverQuest game.

🙋 Support

For questions, issues, or contributions:

• Open an issue on this repository
• Check the documentation links above
• Review the demo videos for usage examples

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EQMap.NET - Bringing modern development tools to classic EverQuest server development