Embracing Legacy: Learnings from Argentum Online

Embracing Legacy
LEARNINGS FROM
ARGENTUM ONLINE

ABOUT MYSELF: • Lucas Daniel Recoaro
• From: Argentina
• Now in: New Zealand / Aotearoa (8
Years)
• Profession: Software Developer |
Mentor | Open-Source Advocate

ABOUT MYSELF:
Experience:
•14 Years of professional development
in desktop applications, web platforms,
video games, etc.
•A lifetime of passion and expertise in
technology.
• Lucas Daniel Recoaro
• From: Argentina
• Now in: New Zealand / Aotearoa (8
Years)
• Profession: Software Developer |
Mentor | Open-Source Advocate

Legacy in other industries
v1.0.0 – Horse-drawn trams
Released: October 1885.
Carry 30 passengers
Trams in Auckland
https://ahi.auckland.ac.nz/2023/05/25/the-good-old-trams/
https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/22512/horse-tram
v2.0.0-CR – Electrified Trams
Released: November 1902.
In 1926, Aucklanders made 63 million trips by tram
Auckland City population: 90,000 people.
In 2018-19’s 100.8 million public transport boardings
Auckland City population: 1.7 million (highest since 1951)
Similar figures were recorded at the end of the 1930s, even when the
effects of the Great Depression were still being felt.
By 1941, every single tram in Auckland was being used to cope with
evening peak times, and in each year until 1945 Aucklanders boarded
the trams in record-high numbers.

Trams in Auckland
https://ahi.auckland.ac.nz/2023/05/25/trams-out-trolleybuses-in/
v3.0.0 – Starting Trolleybus
Released: October 1945.
v2.9.9 – Electrified Trams
Final Release : October 1956.

Trams in Auckland
Refactor?

Trams in Auckland
Refactor?
NO, Replace with an off-shelf
solution.

Trams in Auckland
Why?

Trams in Auckland
Why?
Because that was the tendencyaround
the “world” (England, Canada and USA).
The legacy was not embraced neither maintained
and led to problems

Legacy in one picture
Trams around the world
Poland, Krakow:
Inaugurated in 1882 still operational
Rome, Italy
Prague, Czech Republic
Oberhausen, Germany
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tranv%C3%ADa
1899
1990

What exactly is
“Legacy Code”?

What exactly is “Legacy Code”?
“Legacy code is code that’s too scary to
update and too profitable to delete.”
Dylan Beattie

Dylan Beattie
“Legacy code is simply code
without tests.”
Michael Feathers

Dylan Beattie
“Legacy code is simply code
without tests.”
Michael Feathers
“People often say “every code becomes legacy code” but
that’s not true. Only successful code becomes legacy
code.“
Immo Landwerth

What is Argentum Online?
1999 - The
project born
as a degree
project
2006 - First
commit to
CVS
(Sourceforge)
2012 - v0.13
Last official
version
-- BLIND ERA -
many mods
emerged the
license is not
respected by
almost
anyone
2020 – AO20
born, mod
with full
license
compliance.
Uploaded to
Github
2022 -
Launched in
Steam

How to work with
“Legacy Code”
aka
Argentum Online?

Understand and
acknowledge what is the
problem you need to
solve

Analyzing problems in Argentum Online
https://jessitron.com/2018/04/15/the-origins-of-opera-and-the-future-of-programming/

1- No central development place
2- Almost no documentation
3- Many years of unmanaged growth
4- No tests
5- Lack of workflows
6- Very manual and difficult deployment

No central development place

Almost no documentation

Many Years of unmanaged growth

Many Years of unmanaged growth
"Treat your code as a crime scene. Use the
evidence in your version-control system to
uncover and understand the social processes
of your software projects."

No Tests

Lack of workflows

Lack of workflows
Education: The Core of Our Project
•Professional Development: Equipping
our community with the skills needed
to excel in a professional environment.
•Open-Source Values: Spreading a
deep understanding of the principles
and benefits of open-source
collaboration.

Very manual and difficult deployment

Very manual and difficult deployment
Step 1 [Assets Preparation]
ao-compressor (VB6) (Graphics, Wav, Midi, INITS, INTERFACE, MAPS, MINIMAPS)
IndexCreator (VB6) (This program generates the file localindex.dat containing client-side
texts to minimize server bandwidth usage)
QuestNPCsMapData (C#) (Creation of MiniMap hints positions)
Upload Artifacts (.zip file) to Github Release
Run vb6_vbp_file_version_updater (update Revision in .vbp and commit to master)
Step 2 [Protocol Generator
(modification of .bas files)]
CRC32 Checksum generation for assets
Generate Binary Protocol Shuffler .bas file
Step 3 [EXE preparation]
Compile
Sign Argentum.exe file with Code Sign PFX certificate
Step 4 [Steam Uploading]
Prepare folder to upload to Steam
Copy experimental interface (BabelUI)
InstallScript.vdf (Register DLLs needed for the game with Steam)
Epic's Easy Anti Cheat Integrity Tool
SteamCLI upload to steam
Run PHP Scripts to increment the live build in Steam
Accept 2FA on Phone (Steam App)
Step 5 [Deploy Server]
Update assets
Update server files from repo
Download Binary Protocol Shuffled .bas file
Compile Server.exe
Move files to correct path
Download Argentum.exe
Create Private Key File for encrypt communication
Add latest MD5 hash into ClienteMD5.txt (For PYMMO Login Service)
Open Server.exe
Upload Artifacts (.zip file) to Github Release
Run vb6_vbp_file_version_updater (update Revision in .vbp and commit to master)

Obsolete vs Legacy
Nokia N95
Released 2007
Deprecated 2009
SymbianOS
It just receives SMS and Phone Calls
No developer in the market will work with it today.
Obsolete
Honda Fit
Released 2001
Model 2005
Still on production line
I drove it here today
The mechanic is happy to work with it.
Legacy

Analyzing problems
in Argentum Online
part 2

6- Ineffective logging practices
7- Data governance
8- DDOS Attacks
9- Faulty economic strategy
10- Benevolent dictator for life (BDFL)
Analyzing problems in Argentum Online part 2

Ineffective logging practices

Ineffective logging practices
Hey dungeon
master, the game
is laggy
I’ll check it
fellow
citizen

Data governance

DDOS Attacks

DDOS Attacks
Azure DDoS Protection

Faulty economic strategy

Benevolent dictator for life (BDFL)
Pythons is an experiment in how
much freedom programmers need.
Too much freedom and nobody can
read another's code; too little and
expressive-ness is endangered
- Guido van Rossum

How to approach a brand new LEGACY PROJECT ?
Analyze and investigate it. - Be a detective and archeologist, ask how, who and
why? Gather information from all over the place.
Keep a diary. Write documentation as long you discover things, a readme.md in
the root of the project most of the times is enough.
Deploy to Staging env. Release a small change, one line of code changing a text is
enough, write step by step what is needed to achieve the goal. Automate it.
Create a plan for end of life. Death is inevitable, specify a plan to refactor
SUMMARY:

Embracing Legacy: Learnings from Argentum Online

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