How to Set Up an Ultima Online Private Server Using ServUO Emulator

Step 1: Install Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following prerequisites installed:

• .NET 6.0 Runtime for running the emulator.
• .NET 6.0 SDK for compiling the source code.
• Git for Windows to clone the ServUO repository.

Step 2: Clone the ServUO Repository

Open Git Bash and clone the ServUO repository:

git clone https://github.com/ServUO/ServUO.git

Navigate to the project folder:

cd ServUO

Step 3: Build the ServUO Solution

Use Visual Studio to build the ServUO solution:

1. Open the ServUO.sln file in Visual Studio.
2. Set the build configuration to Release.
3. Click Build > Build Solution to compile the project. The compiled files, including ServUO.exe, will be located in the ServUO/Server/bin/Release/net6.0 folder.

Step 4: Configure the Server

ServUO requires configuration settings, including specifying paths to Ultima Online game client files. To configure:

1. Locate the Data/Settings/ServerSettings.xml file in the ServUO directory.
2. Set the paths for your Ultima Online client files, such as map, statics, and other assets required for the game.
3. Adjust additional settings, such as server name, IP address, and port, if needed.

Step 5: Prepare the Database (Optional)

ServUO can use MySQL or SQLite for data management. To configure MySQL:

1. Install MySQL and create a database for ServUO.
2. In Data/Settings/DatabaseSettings.xml, configure the connection parameters: hostname, database name, username, and password.

If you do not configure a database, ServUO will use its default flat file data storage.

Step 6: Start the Server

Navigate to the Server/bin/Release/net6.0 folder and launch ServUO.exe to start the server:

ServUO.exe

The server will open in a console window, displaying status and startup logs.

Step 7: Configure the Client

Download the Ultima Online client if you haven’t already, and configure it to connect to your private server:

1. Locate the client’s login.cfg or similar configuration file.
2. Modify it to set the IP address and port of your ServUO server.

Step 8: Test the Connection

Launch the Ultima Online client and attempt to connect to your server. You should see your server listed, and you can log in to begin testing.

If you encounter connection issues, check your ServerSettings.xml or review the server console output for troubleshooting information.