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Finding and Joining a Persistent World

From NWN2Wiki

Joining a Persistent World can be difficult and most people really don't know where to begin.

Contents

[edit] 1. Deciding the World To Join

This is the hardest part, and the method of finding the world for you, as well as the correct instructions that make it so you can get started. This is really a hidden gem of the game, which makes the game go from a set number of hours to unlimited gameplay. Once you get the proper files installed, and an installer set up to sync the files for you, playing on these PW's is actually quite easy. Alternatively you can join a simpler Multiplayer game which involves a module from the vault or an official campaign.

[edit] Sources of Information

The following locations list Persistent Worlds, and provide people with information on what you need to join such as the Persistent Worlds website.

[edit] Things to look for in Persistent Worlds.

  • Clear instructions on how to install their files and play on their server
  • Are their players and admins involved in the community. Are they responsive when you have a problem.
  • Join their boards and ask questions.
  • Do they use an installer such as Audolo or Worldgate, or have you do a manual download. Audolo and Worldgate tend to be used by the larger worlds.
  • Are they "Override Free". Use of overrides means you will have to figure out how to remove any of their installed files prior to playing on any other persistent worlds or
  • What is the servers vision, are they roleplay or action
  • How many players and how many DM's are consistently on.

[edit] 2. Find Instructions on Their Website

The server admin should have detailed instructions on how to join their server. In addition they will most likely give you some level of assistance if you register and ask for help on their forums. Not every world is consistent in providing good instructions.

There are three primary methods that PW's use to prep their files. The following links are instructions provided for persistent worlds to customize, but players might be able to use them if the persistent world they wish to join has too little information. If their information is not clear please inform them that these templates are available for them to customize.

[edit] 3. Make sure you don't have files from the vault or other servers installed

A Persistent world is designed to run with a specific set of files which they will provide for you to play with. Having the wrong files can cause issues when you play, especially with files in your override or ui directories. The first time you play on a given world you should remove ALL such files. It is recommended that the first time you join a world that you inspect these folders for files you downloaded from the vault, or ones that happen to have been put there by other persistent worlds. If you've used other worlds that use an installer such as WorldGate, Audolo, or something else there is a good chance something is in your folder you do not know about.

[edit] How to inspect for other files

  • Navigate to your "<Program Files>\Atari\Neverwinter Nights 2\Override" and make sure this folder is empty. This generally has nothing in it, and remember in the future that all files should go into your player folders override folder. The UI folder next to Override tends to not be touched either, but if you've changed things here you usually have to reinstall to get things sorted out. Just remember ""Leave your Program Folder like Obsidian gave it to you"".
  • Navigate to "<My Documents>\Neverwinter Nights 2\". Look for the file dialog.tlk, if it exists remove it.
  • Navigate to "<My Documents>\Neverwinter Nights 2\override". Everything in this folder should be removed
  • Navigate to "<My Documents>\Neverwinter Nights 2\ui". This folder should contain two folders, "custom" and "default". "default" should only contain the file "guisettings.ini" which holds your camera settings, and custom should be completely empty.

If you look and it is like i describe it above, then you are ready to install. Just remember that you could be installing files to the above places so you should reinspect afterward as you will not want to use the files they install when you play solo or on other persistent worlds. For more information on this issue please see PW Override Problems

[edit] Exceptions to the rule

Less Obtrusive Spell Buffs is one exception to all this. ( See PW Player Guidelines ) Other files may or may not be allowed, and you should discuss this with the admins of your persistent world. Remember you are in their house, and you should treat them with respect, having the wrong files can cause issues to everyone playing on the server and not just you.

[edit] Why is this an issue

The wrong files being used actually make it so there is basically two version of the game being played. Portions are done in the client ( your computer ) and others are done on the server itself ( the persistent world ). Some would assume that this could give a player an advantage, but the server is more than capable of correcting the client. But each time it does this it uses a lot of bandwidth to sort out the issue. If this happens on a server that is hosted from someones home, this can fill up the connection. The result is your client crashing and/or lag being experienced by all the players on said world. Also some of these files actually trigger bugs in the obsidian engine, which can cause crashing the entire server, which means ALL the players lose what they were doing. This is a major source of crashing, not the only one of course, but one that is preventable.

[edit] 4. Install PWC and any Needed Files

Run the installer, if you are manually installing, or wish to know where files go the following might help you. Many times files are compressed and programs like 7zip http://www.7-zip.org/ which can decompress multiple formats are needed. ( .rar, .zip, .gzip, .tar are examples of extensions for compressed files )

All files go in the your "Neverwinter Nights 2" folder which sits inside your "My Documents" folder. The only file you will always install is the PWC file.

  • Files ending in PWC go in My Documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\pwc
  • Files ending in HAK go in My Documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\hak
  • Files ending in TLK go in My Documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\tlk
  • If the file ingamegui.ini is included, it must be placed in My Documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\ui\default
  • Other files go into the "Override" and "UI" Folders in the "Neverwinter Nights 2" folder. If in doubt, put them in the Override Folder, most likely they will work in override even if they normally go in the UI folder. It is highly recommended to make a folder for the said Persistent World inside the override folder to keep things organized. Please remember to remove these files before playing on another Persistent World.

Make sure your files are updated periodically. Generally running the installer each day when you start. Those doing manual updates will most likely have to check on the worlds website for information on when they update.

[edit] 5. Connect to the Game Via Gamespy.

Step 1: Launch Neverwinter Nights 2
Step 2: On the main menu, choose Multiplayer
Step 3: If you have not logged in before, choose "Create New Account" and fill out the form. The "Bioware Community Name" that you choose will also create an account for you in the NWN2 forums. Click OK when done.
Step 4: If you have already created an account, enter your username and password. Click "Sign In" when done.
Step 5: Click "Join Internet Game"
Step 6: Browse through the servers by choosing the Game Type section for the world world. Make sure to wait a second or two after you choose a different game type, so that the list has time to load. You should already have an idea of the section they are in by the information they already provided.
Step 7: Click "Connect"
Step 8: Make your character, and start playing!

[edit] Making things work well for you

The following are things that make your experience much better when you play on persistent worlds and make your experience smooth and avoid many problems for both yourself and the server you play on.

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