<s>
HoverRace	B-Application
is	O
a	O
racing	O
video	O
game	O
created	O
by	O
GrokkSoft	O
in	O
1996	O
as	O
shareware	B-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
GrokkSoft	O
claimed	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
internet-based	O
online	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
source	O
code	O
was	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
in	O
2006	O
and	O
HoverRace.com	O
maintains	O
a	O
version	O
which	O
is	O
still	O
under	O
active	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
License	B-License
of	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
forbids	O
commercial	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HoverRace	B-Application
allows	O
players	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
to	O
race	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
in	O
a	O
3D	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
supports	O
dial-up	O
connections	O
and	O
does	O
not	O
require	O
a	O
server	B-Application
for	O
races	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
in-game	O
chat	O
server	B-Application
called	O
the	O
Internet	O
Meeting	O
Room	O
(	O
IMR	O
)	O
where	O
they	O
can	O
race	O
and	O
chat	O
with	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HoverRace	B-Application
was	O
created	O
in	O
1996	O
though	O
there	O
are	O
some	O
pieces	O
of	O
information	O
cached	O
on	O
the	O
internet	O
that	O
suggests	O
it	O
may	O
have	O
origins	O
in	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
shareware	B-License
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
users	O
could	O
only	O
race	O
with	O
the	O
basic	O
hovercraft	O
and	O
race	O
three	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
tracks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
boost	O
popularity	O
,	O
GrokkSoft	O
advertised	O
HoverRace	B-Application
on	O
newsgroups	O
and	O
had	O
a	O
HoverRewards	O
program	O
to	O
pay	O
people	O
who	O
referred	O
new	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
players	O
had	O
their	O
own	O
websites	O
with	O
tracks	O
and	O
information	O
about	O
HoverRace	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
IMR	O
rooms	O
hosted	O
on	O
GrokkSoft	O
worked	O
until	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
1999	O
when	O
GrokkSoft	O
decommissioned	O
the	O
server	B-Application
due	O
to	O
Daniel	O
Young	O
's	O
use	O
of	O
social	O
engineering	O
,	O
where	O
he	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
acquire	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
for	O
the	O
IMR	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
GrokkSoft	O
server	B-Application
went	O
down	O
,	O
the	O
community	O
quickly	O
eroded	O
,	O
and	O
eventually	O
the	O
MBNet	O
IMR	O
went	O
down	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
live	O
on	O
with	O
Evan	O
Byl	O
hosting	O
the	O
IMR	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
others	O
hex	B-Application
editing	I-Application
and	O
resource	O
hacking	O
the	O
game	O
executables	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2001	O
,	O
the	O
activity	O
of	O
the	O
HoverRace	B-Application
community	O
has	O
been	O
somewhat	O
sinusoidal	O
;	O
there	O
are	O
periods	O
of	O
long	O
activity	O
followed	O
by	O
relatively	O
quiet	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Former	O
websites	O
that	O
managed	O
the	O
game	O
include	O
hoverrace.com	O
(	O
whose	O
ownership	O
has	O
switched	O
hands	O
several	O
times	O
as	O
well	O
)	O
,	O
hoverrace.ds98.com,	O
and	O
mydan.com	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
license	B-License
,	O
written	O
in	O
2006	O
,	O
was	O
temporary	O
,	O
expiring	O
in	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Without	O
an	O
active	O
source	B-General_Concept
code	I-General_Concept
repository	I-General_Concept
and	O
bug-tracking	B-Application
website	O
,	O
and	O
without	O
motivated	O
coders	O
,	O
nothing	O
happened	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Then	O
,	O
in	O
summer	O
2008	O
,	O
a	O
subversion	O
repository	B-General_Concept
was	O
set	O
up	O
and	O
development	O
began	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
this	O
version	O
,	O
managed	O
by	O
HoverRace.com,	O
another	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
HoverRace	B-Application
community	O
started	O
HoverRace	B-Application
Plus	O
,	O
intending	O
to	O
fork	O
the	O
original	O
HoverRace	B-Application
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HoverRace	B-Application
Plus	O
is	O
now	O
defunct	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
new	O
fork	O
called	O
OpenHover	O
has	O
similar	O
goals	O
,	O
and	O
made	O
an	O
alpha	O
release	O
on	O
December	O
14	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OpenHover	O
is	O
a	O
fork	O
of	O
com	O
's	O
HoverRace	B-Application
1.23	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
changes	O
such	O
as	O
chat	O
sounds	O
,	O
various	O
bug	O
fixes	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
distinction	O
between	O
non-registered	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
registered	O
monitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
2009	O
saw	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
HoverX	O
,	O
a	O
clone	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
HoverRace	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
25	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
HoverRace.com	O
released	O
HoverRace	B-Application
1.23	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
original	O
HoverRace	B-Application
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
improvements	O
were	O
made	O
,	O
including	O
higher	O
supported	O
resolutions	O
(	O
up	O
to	O
1600x1200	O
)	O
,	O
more	O
gameplay	O
options	O
(	O
weapons	O
,	O
mines	O
,	O
and	O
speed	O
cans	O
can	O
be	O
disabled	O
)	O
,	O
misspellings	O
were	O
fixed	O
,	O
a	O
revamp	O
of	O
network	O
code	O
for	O
better	O
working	O
with	O
NATs	O
,	O
and	O
several	O
other	O
changes	O
that	O
help	O
make	O
HoverRace	B-Application
playable	O
under	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
without	O
requiring	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
8-bit	O
color	O
and	O
VPN	O
tools	O
to	O
play	O
online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
future	O
,	O
HoverRace.com	O
has	O
plans	O
for	O
HoverRace	B-Application
,	O
including	O
the	O
re-introduction	O
of	O
the	O
E-On	O
craft	O
,	O
more	O
detailed	O
craft	O
meshes	O
,	O
rewritten	O
network	O
code	O
,	O
and	O
several	O
gameplay	O
bug	O
fixes	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
porting	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
Linux	B-Application
using	O
OpenGL	B-Application
and	O
OpenAL	B-Application
for	O
graphics	O
and	O
audio	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HoverNet	O
was	O
originally	O
a	O
third	O
party	O
add-on	O
for	O
HoverRace	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
original	O
source	O
code	O
was	O
released	O
the	O
developer	O
of	O
HoverNet	O
decided	O
to	O
fork	O
an	O
early	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
HoverRace.com	O
fork	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
a	O
personal	O
hobby	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
