Copyover — Definition, examples, FAQs, and more

Copyover: a brief history

The technique comes out of the DikuMUD family of servers, which run as compiled programs that must be restarted to pick up code changes. By the mid-1990s, developers working on the Merc and ROM branches of that family were sharing code that let a running server replace itself with a newly built copy while holding on to its player connections. The name copyover is generally traced to a widely circulated code snippet for ROM-style servers, often credited to Erwin Andreasen, which spread through MUD code archives in the late 1990s.

The idea is older and broader than the name. Other server families built similar restart features under different labels: many codebases call it a hotboot, and MUSH-family servers have long offered restart commands that keep players connected while the program reloads. Over time, some form of seamless restart became a standard expectation on actively developed text games, since asking the whole pbase to log back in after every small fix wears people down.

How it's used today

Copyover is still routine on MUDs that get active code development. A coder compiles the updated program, staff broadcast a warning such as “copyover in two minutes,” and players wrap up anything fragile, especially combat, since action in progress may not survive the restart. The word works as both a noun (“there’s a copyover coming”) and a verb (“the game will copyover shortly”).

How often it happens depends on how the game is built. Games where areas and scripts are edited online while the game runs only need a copyover for changes to the underlying program, so busy building periods may involve no copyovers at all, while heavy coding periods can involve several in one evening.

Types of games where the term is commonly used include:

MUD, RPI, RP MU

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Copyover examples

• A staff member broadcasts: “[INFO] Copyover in 2 minutes. Finish your fights and sit somewhere safe.” Players finish or flee combat before the restart hits.
• Your screen prints “Copyover initiated, please hold…” and freezes for a few seconds. Then your prompt returns and you are standing in the same room, still logged in.
• A coder fixes a bug in the weather system, recompiles, and runs a copyover so the fix goes live without kicking the twenty people currently online.
• After a copyover, a player notices their spell effects wore off early and asks on the OOC channel whether the restart cleared them. A staffer confirms that timed effects reset during copyovers on that game.

Myths and misconceptions

1. A copyover is just another word for a reboot. It isn’t. A full reboot disconnects every player and makes them log back in. A copyover keeps the connections open while the server replaces itself, which is exactly why games bother with the extra machinery.
2. A copyover can apply any change instantly. Only changes that live in the compiled program need a copyover, and not every change can ride through one. Deep changes, such as a new save file format or startup configuration, may still require a full shutdown, and online-edited content like areas or scripts often needs no restart at all.
3. Copyovers are risk free. Anything held only in memory, like an ongoing fight or a timed spell effect, may be reset or lost, and a bug in the freshly loaded code can crash the game moments after it comes back. Most staff test on a separate copy of the game before running a copyover on the live one.

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Copyover FAQs

What does copyover mean in text-based games?

A copyover is a server restart that keeps every player connected. The game saves all characters, relaunches itself with updated code, and hands the open connections to the new copy, so players see only a brief pause instead of a disconnect.

Do players get disconnected during a copyover?

No, that is the whole point. Your connection stays open through the restart. You are not linkdead and you do not need to log back in. The game freezes for a few seconds and then resumes.

What is the difference between a copyover and a reboot?

A full reboot shuts the server down completely, which disconnects everyone, and then starts it again. A copyover replaces the running program while holding on to the player connections, so nobody has to reconnect.

Why do games run copyovers?

Mainly to apply code changes. The game’s program has to be restarted to load a new build, and a copyover lets staff do that without emptying the game. It turns what would be downtime into a pause of a few seconds.

Can a copyover lose progress or cause problems?

Sometimes. Characters are saved before the restart, but in-memory state such as ongoing fights or timed effects may reset, depending on the game. And if the new code has a serious bug, the game can crash right after the copyover, which is why careful staff test changes first.