UOX3 stands for Ultima Offline eXperiment 3, and can basically be described as an Ultima Online server-emulator.

It allows anyone and everyone to run their own private Ultima Online shard (either offline or online) which they may then connect to using either the official UO Client or a custom one.

One of UOX3's goals is to emulate the functionality of official Ultima Online servers and allow anyone to run a UO server of their own.

At the same time, we aim to enable shard creators to tweak all aspects of their shard, and to create new functionality altogether - whether through UOX3's scripting engine or through UOX3's open-source code.

Each UO server emulator have their own pros and cons; some are easier to setup out of the box, some are better at emulating current day UO, some are better at giving shard admins the tools to create their own unique shards. Some of UOX3's strengths:

• Quick to get up and running with only a few easy to follow steps - see the UOX3 Quick Start Guide
• High-quality documentation that improves with every update
• Open Source (C/C++)
• 64-bit cross-platform support across Windows, Linux and macOS
• Easy-to-learn JavaScript-based Scripting Engine
• DFN Files - easily editable textfiles that act as blueprints for items, NPCs, regions, skills and more
• Dynamic reloading of scripts and DFNs at any time in seconds for faster iteration
• Custom object tags that can persist across server restarts
• UO client support from 4.x to the latest 7.0.x series
• Custom language dictionary system that supports English, Czech, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish
• Extensive Log System - UOX3 comes with an extensive log system that tracks server errors, warnings, network packets sent and received for each client, commands used, spells cast, combat events, player speech and more.

For a more complete feature list that includes customization options and gameplay features, check out the Feature Highlights in the UOX3 Docs.

Nothing! UOX3 is free to download and/or modify, and anyone who wants to can run their own UOX3 shard.

Some shards accept donations to help keep the lights on and server costs under control, but there's always a risk that the involvement of real-world money might bring very real lawyers into play, and what the individual shard owner does after downloading UOX3 is not under our control.

Yes. UOX3 is Open-Source. Anyone can download, modify & re-distribute it at will, as long as they follow the terms of the GNU General Public License AND the specific addition for UOX3 saying:

"In addition to that license, if you are running this program or modified versions of it on a public system you HAVE TO make the complete source of the version used by you available or provide people with a location to download it."

Technically, yes. According to the UOX3-specific portion of the GPL license we use, if you're operating a UOX3 shard on a public system, you are obligated to make the source (and scripts required to run your version of it) available for the public to download. If you run a private shard that is not available to the public, this does not apply.

The reason for UOX3's amendment to GPL license is to encourage shard owners to share their specific enhancements, fixes and innovations with the wider UOX3 community, so we can all grow together. Of course, this being an open-source project ran by volunteers, we cannot force anyone to abide by the license. In the end, it comes down to each shard owner's own morals and ethics.

UOX was the first ever UO server emulator, and was created by Jaegermeister (Denny Zuko). However, it was short-lived, and Cironian aka Marcus Rating rewrote it from scratch and released it as UOX2.

Later on he rewrote UOX2 completely and released UOX3 - which he eventually also open-sourced. That is essentially still the same version we're using now, though quite a lot has changed, and a lot of people have contributed to the project in the decades that have passed since then!

If you need any help with UOX3, you have several options:

• You can peruse the UOX3 Documentation and help files (also available in your local UOX3/docs folder).
• You can post your problem on the UOX3 forums, or look up the solutions to similar problems experienced by other users.
• You can come visit us in our Discord server and talk with users and developers of UOX3 directly.
• You can check out Xuri's UOX3 Guide, which contains information on how to use many of the features available in UOX3.