[UNOFFICIAL] BZP Lego Universe Server

[BULiK]

Hello everyone! Merry Christmas, as well!

On December 5th, Darkflame Universe, a long running community project to develop a replacement server for the abandonware MMO Lego Universe, went open source. This is an astounding achievement, but there are caveats, some of which of which being they can’t distribute or patch the Lego Universe client themselves, and they cannot publicly run their own server.

This means that it’s hard to actually play the game unless you find someone else hosting a server or you’re rather familiar with highly technical topics and have the time and patience to troubleshoot them.

Luckily for you, I’m in the latter category.

It’s taken longer than I hoped due to various factors in my own life and the fact that Darkflame Universe’s server released with rather poor documentation, but I’m confident enough in the stability of the server I’m running now to open it up to others on BZPower outside of my close friends, who’ve been kind enough to put up with the occasional bugs and technical difficulties as I’ve polished my deployment to a somewhat stable state.

~~~ GENERAL DISCLAIMER ~~~

This server isn't affiliated with Lego, BZPower, or the Darkflame Universe project.

This is a service I’m running and allowing others to use, there is no warranty, and any support I give is on my own free time. If problems arise, unexpected maintenance may occur. In fact, based on what my friends and I have played,  there are plenty of strange bugs and glitches that can be frustrating. Just be aware of this.

~~~ MODERATION ~~~
There’s a certain charm in having an active enough population to see another player in a dead game, and part of allowing more players into my server is to allow for some of these dynamic moments or more easily let friends play together. But, this isn’t anarchy, and if any players abuse their privilege of playing on my private server and become a problem, please make me aware of this so I can resolve these issues. I don’t think this will be a problem, but it’s worth mentioning up front as a warning and a path to resolving any issues.

The server management dashboard gives me the ability to approve names of characters and pets, though I don't check this every day. Due to the growth in size of the server, chat filtering remains on as a precaution

~~~ SETUP INSTRUCTIONS ~~~

So, how do you play? Let’s cut to the chase

1. Acquire a Lego universe client.

If you own a copy of the game from back in the day, it theoretically would still work, however, this isn’t necessary. Out of an abundance of caution, I won’t link any of these downloads in this topic, but it is possible to find these out there. Google searching for things like “Lego Universe Client 1.10.64”  and asking others who have found one can eventually get you there, although sometimes it will find you unhelpful advice. Once you've done this, Darkflame Universe lists a few known valid checksums if you want to verify that the client you’ve found is safe.

2. Configure your client.
Download this configuration file and use it to replace the ‘boot.cfg’ file in your lego universe client. This provides the necessary information to tell your game client to connect to my game server.

3. Create an account

Go to dlu.bionicle.zone to register an account. No play key is needed since distributing those is a pain. No email is required - there is no PII associated with your account.

4. Log in

Run `legouniverse.exe` in your client folder and you should see the name of the server at the bottom of the screen if you correctly replaced your ‘boot.cfg’. Log in using the account info you created, and enjoy!

~~~ KNOWN ISSUES ~~~

• Logging out of the game or getting disconnected will temporarily break your client’s configuration. Why it does this is beyond me, but this means you can’t log back in until you close the game and open it back up again. A minor inconvenience, but it’s not the end of the world.

~~~

It’s been too long since I’ve posted in this subforum. I remember getting the opportunity to play the LEGO Universe Alpha as a kid and being so excited. It’s funny to think all these years later, now I have learned the skills needed to set up a server of it for my friends and play the game for the first time in far too long. Hopefully some of you will get to relive some of those memories or perhaps experience a game you missed out on for the first time. Let me know in this topic or via Discord if you encounter any problems that I can help with, and I’ll get back to you when I have the free time to do so.

~~~ ADDENDUM ~~~

I've created a discord server for support of the server. Access it through the link and use it to talk to other players or to get in touch with me for solving technical issues.

Edited November 5 by BULiK
I have zero clue why this topic got merged with someone else's. Renamed it and updated instructions with new simplified registration process

[Bambi]

I really wanted to try Lego Universe when it first came out, but never got the chance. I'm definitely going to get this set up when I've got some free time.

[Eyru]

Wow, this is fantastic! What a Christmas present. :)

Thanks for your hard work, Bulik. I know a lot of people have been struggling to get the game up and running, so it's great to see a more accessible resource for fans who want to re-live the LU glory days.

[Mushy the Mushroom]

Oh my, seeing this released on Christmas absolutely made my day. This is my first time hearing of this game, and I delight at this opportunity to check it out! Thank you for donating so much of your time and skill for people to enjoy this. Heartwarming to see projects like this blossoming on BZP after all these years! <3 

[NorikSigma]

finally, i can try out the game i never got to play. thanks BULiK!

[BULiK]

Thanks for all the support! It's awesome to see people excited about the game, I'm glad I can help people rekindle those memories of a game they played or wished they could play a long time ago. Due to popular demand, I've set up a discord server for quick technical support and to let users coordinate play. That way, if the server goes down for any reason or account creation goes offline, you can notify me as quickly as possible.

https://discord.gg/SAck8rsNWC

[That Matoran with a Vahi]

Ooh, nice! I had an eye on the Darkflame project a while back... the original Lego Universe came out with absolutely terrible timing for me, when I was just starting university AND entering my 'dark age' at the same time, so I regrettably never got much of anywhere with it back in the day; and by the time I thought to revisit it, it had been shut down. I confess that I'm the kind of person who more keeps to himself in MMO games rather than participating in group activities; but if that's not a problem, I'd love to join in your server in the future, when I have a bit more time to spare ^^

[darklord12345679]

I had a weird problem with creating an account. I tried using all the available keys, but each one said it was invalid. I then tried a key marked as unavailable (9DT1-00FG-CILW-2RI9) just to compare the error message, and it said the account was successfully created.

[BULiK]

45 minutes ago, darklord12345679 said:

I had a weird problem with creating an account. I tried using all the available keys, but each one said it was invalid. I then tried a key marked as unavailable (9DT1-00FG-CILW-2RI9) just to compare the error message, and it said the account was successfully created.

I just created a new set of keys and updated the spreadsheet. Try them now.

[ExTubaMan]

I have recently started playing on your server and I have been having a great time, however I ran into a problem. When I was trying to build something on nimbus rock my game booted me to the log in screen, I restated the game and logged back in but whenever I try to log into my character it just boots me back to the log in screen.

[BULiK]

I'll fix that for you. something along those lines has happened before

[RavenDarkeye]

I've been getting booted to the login screen after trying to sign in for a few hours now. I'll go to log in, it'll hang on "connecting to authentication" for a few seconds, and then it'll throw a "sorry! we could not sign you in to lego universe" at me and  boot me back to the login screen. was working fine yesterday. Also, on an unrelated note, you appear to be out of available keys.

[BULiK]

The server was down for maintenance (longer than expected, unfortunately I got sidetracked!) a few hours ago but it's back up now. I just updated the keys list for new users as well.

[BULiK]

An announcement: I made a mistake on the server and accidentally permanently lost the names of any characters who didn't have a custom name. If you log in and your character's name is just a number, please give me that number and the name you want that character to be and I will manually fix it. You can either post this in this topic, or in the discord server

All the important information is still fine, however - it's just the names.

[KR3Z7N]

Thanks for starting this server! Unfortunately I'm not able to log in after a couple days of playing, any chances you know how to fix this?

[BULiK]

1 hour ago, KR3Z7N said:

Thanks for starting this server! Unfortunately I'm not able to log in after a couple days of playing, any chances you know how to fix this?

Thanks for letting me know there was an issue! The server has been rebooted.

[Axelford]

Dang I had been following Darkflame but totally missed the news of servers being a thing now. Bit busy as of now, but I'll totally want to join sometime! 

[minfamily8]

thank you so much! I tried signing in but it said "connecting to authentication" and then it said "sorry! we could not sign you in to lego universe" how do I fix this? I replace the boot so it should be working?

Edited March 17, 2022 by minfamily8

[BULiK]

4 hours ago, minfamily8 said:

thank you so much! I tried signing in but it said "connecting to authentication" and then it said "sorry! we could not sign you in to lego universe" how do I fix this? I replace the boot so it should be working?

I just tested and I am able to connect to the server, so I am not sure what the problem is. Try to verify that your boot.cfg is loading properly by the text at the bottom of the login screen, which should say the "Unofficial BZPower Darkflame Lego Universe Server" with the IP as "dlu.bzprpg.com", instead of the default text of lego universe with the IP of "127.0.0.1".

Sometimes if the boot.cfg isn't properly set up or upon logging out, the login screen points to 127.0.0.1 instead of the correct location of this DLU server.

[minfamily8]

It works!!!! Thank you so much! now I can finally play!!!

[Taria Pakari]

Would this work with the Steam version of the game, or is that not an option because... well, Steam. :v

[BULiK]

1 hour ago, Taria Pakari said:

Would this work with the Steam version of the game, or is that not an option because... well, Steam. :v

TBH I didn't even know it had a steam release back in the day. I would say yeah, if steam lets you install the client still, you should be able to modify the client in the same ways to connect to custom servers. Community-provided "unpacked" clients will let you fix modify certain files to fix some issues like the survival minigame, but that can also be bypassed so off the top of my head I'd guess it would work too.

[Taria Pakari]

20 hours ago, BULiK said:

TBH I didn't even know it had a steam release back in the day. I would say yeah, if steam lets you install the client still, you should be able to modify the client in the same ways to connect to custom servers. Community-provided "unpacked" clients will let you fix modify certain files to fix some issues like the survival minigame, but that can also be bypassed so off the top of my head I'd guess it would work too.

I'll reinstall (it's been 8000 years) and give it a shot.

[Taria Pakari]

Hmm, after changing the boot.cfg for the one you provided, I just get an error that says it can't locate any servers. I don't know if this is a problem with using the Steam version or if I've somehow done something wrong.

Edited March 19, 2022 by Taria Pakari

[BULiK]

strange - have you confirmed that at the bottom of the login screen it points to my server?

[Taria Pakari]

On 3/20/2022 at 2:25 AM, BULiK said:

strange - have you confirmed that at the bottom of the login screen it points to my server?

I'm guessing that closed bracket is meant to show it?

[BULiK]

that is... very different from the community-shared clients I've seen. Maybe the steam version launches some kind of server browser or client updater first instead of the game client proper? Similar to other MMOs launching a launcher. Look for a `legouniverse.exe` and see if that opens up the full game client with the login screen with the animated minifig and whatnot.

Edited March 22, 2022 by BULiK

[minfamily8]

hi sorry to bother you but advent gardens doesn't work. I launch to there but it doesn't load. it just stays at 0%. How do I Fix this?

Edited March 22, 2022 by minfamily8

[Taria Pakari]

6 hours ago, BULiK said:

that is... very different from the community-shared clients I've seen. Maybe the steam version launches some kind of server browser or client updater first instead of the game client proper? Similar to other MMOs launching a launcher. Look for a `legouniverse.exe` and see if that opens up the full game client with the login screen with the animated minifig and whatnot.

Already tried that, no .exe with that name is present, only LegoUniverseLauncer.exe. Guess the Steam version is a bust after all. :v

[minfamily8]

hi sorry to bother you but advent gardens doesn't seem to work. I launch to there but it doesn't load. it just stays at 0%.Thank you for reading this message.

Edited March 22, 2022 by minfamily8

[Mushy the Mushroom]

1 hour ago, minfamily8 said:

hi sorry to bother you but advent gardens doesn't seem to work. I launch to there but it doesn't load. it just stays at 0%.Thank you for reading this message.

Quote

(from 2. Repair your client.) If you downloaded an ‘unpacked’ client then you can follow the instructions here to change one line of one of the unpacked files that will allow you to play the survival challenge in Avant Gardens, which is needed for quest progression. Alternatively, typing ‘/skip-ags’ in the chat when you arrive at that quest will complete it for you and allow you to continue progression without it.

I got stuck there also, then remembered this bit about writing "/skip-ags" in the chat bar once in the minigame. It worked for me.

[minfamily8]

8 minutes ago, Mushy the Mushroom said:

I got stuck there also, then remembered this bit about writing "/skip-ags" in the chat bar once in the minigame. It worked for me.

How do I do that?

[Mushy the Mushroom]

1 hour ago, minfamily8 said:

How do I do that?

Couldn't get my game to load just now, but here's a picture from when I initially got stuck. Became unstuck/skipped/completed the challenge by sending /skip-ags through the "Local chat" bar.

Edited March 22, 2022 by Mushy the Mushroom

[minfamily8]

5 hours ago, Mushy the Mushroom said:

Couldn't get my game to load just now, but here's a picture from when I initially got stuck. Became unstuck/skipped/completed the challenge by sending /skip-ags through the "Local chat" bar.

Thank you so much! I have to try it later because the server is down.

[BULiK]

The server is down? I've rebooted it just now.

Re: loading screen issues, other players have had strange "stuck in loading screen problems" in the past for no known reason. If the problem doesn't resolve itself after multiple login attempts, let me know and I can attempt to do a tricky manual fix. The /skip-ags is specifically for skipping the quest for the avant gardens survival minigame.

20 hours ago, Taria Pakari said:

Already tried that, no .exe with that name is present, only LegoUniverseLauncer.exe. Guess the Steam version is a bust after all. :v

Ah, looks like you're stuck finding a client from unofficial sources then, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Boogers7000]

Hey just asking because I see you are active, but the server is still up and running correct?

[BULiK]

8 minutes ago, Boogers7000 said:

Hey just asking because I see you are active, but the server is still up and running correct?

Correct! I just logged on and loaded into nimbus station to test and everything is still running.

[Boogers7000]

Just now, BULiK said:

Correct! I just logged on and loaded into nimbus station to test and everything is still running.

Wow that is amazing, I'm attempting to download a client and i hope to be in the server later today if i can figure everything out  Thank you for making this server, just seeing people walking around and interacting in this game makes it a million times better. thank you 

[Alia of AGL]

Trying to log in but the game hangs on login for a few seconds and eventually gives the "could not sign you in" screen. The server URL is set up in the client properly, and I've been running the game locally for a while so I know that the client works fine.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Alia of AGL

[minfamily8]

Going to play LU whoever wants to join.