For thoose of you who don't know it there is a perfectly good "in-depth" D&D multiplayer experience to be had on the computer. No need rummaging through piles of modern day "copy-cat" MMO games just to realise they are all the same.

Get the real thing! Go hardcore!

The game is a bit old and even though many might think its graphics are outdated it really isn't that bad. The community has been working hard (and still is) at creating persistent world servers with newer content.

The game itself is looking good still as you will see in some screenshots that I will post later. The graphics and engine altogether do what it is supposed to and can give you an "MMO" experience I think.

I'm gonna start of with some vital links:

Buy Neverwinter Nights here

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/neverwinter_nights_diamond_edition

Currently it costs just 10$ and there is no monthly fee as the servers are private, created by other players (Yes - theese servers are legal and this is how the game is supposed to be played).

Or buy a bundle of NWN1 and NWN2 here: http://atari.com/neverwintercomplete

Bioware's "legacy" page for Neverwinter Nights

http://www.bioware.com/games/legacy

The official page for the game has been scuffed under Biowares "legacy" games and provides only limited information unfortunately. If you scroll further down on that page you will find a few rows of text about the game. Better get your information some other place...

Unofficial homepage for Neverwinter Nights

http://www.neverwinternights.info

Made by the community and provides a lot more information than the official legacy one.

Bioware Social

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/subindex/153

This is the current official forum for NWN.

CEP

http://nwvault.ign.com/?dir=cep/downloads

CEP stands for Community Expansion Pack and is one of the most popular add-ons to the game. Some of the online servers have this as a required download.

As of writing there is said to be a 2.4 version out.

The CEP is a little bulky though. Make sure that you need it for that server you want to play on, otherwise you can skip it.

Personally I prefer the project Q hak-pak but it is unfortunately not as widely used yet.
 
 
ABOUT PLAYING ONLINE/MULTIPLAYER

There are many different types of online servers. The most popular types are probably the "roleplay" servers and the "action" ones. They differ a little bit but mostly in the way that most roleplay servers like you to stay somewhat In-Character when creating and playing your character.

The most important thing is to understand that every server functions differently and you should probably read up on their forum how they would like you to play at their server and what restrictions there are.

However...do not read theese rules with fear. I am assuming that most server staffs nowdays have a grown up approach and as long as you don't spam or are being disrespectful to others you should be perfectly alright.

If you are interested to play at roleplay servers you could read this document that actually describes a little how to play. Personally I think that this document too much describes theese are "rules". Instead I recomend you to read it with an open mind and then to do the type and degree of roleplaying that you want yourself.

Gruush roleplayers guide to Neverwinter Nights
http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Other.Detail&id=501

MORE ABOUT ONLINE/MULTIPLAYER

What servers should I play at?

Well...this is really your choice ofcourse. You could just fire up the game, choose what type of server you want, sort all the servers on amount of players and then join the one with the most players.

Note though...that just because some servers have a lot more players than others do not mean that they are the best ones. Naturally a server should at least have a couple of players on (otherwise it would be boring I agree).

Action servers are usually easier to levelup on and gather loot and the rules on staying in-character do not exist. Also they probably have less restrictions about building your character.

I have put together a list of my favourite servers here:  http://www.xfire.com/clans/superfly2000  (That is also my gathering/community of NWN1 players on X-Fire.)

They are mostly roleplay servers as that is what I play on mostly. I do think that well known action server is called Higher ground...if that is your interest.

CD-KEY

The CD-key is what the game uses to identify the game owner on the internet. From what I understand you only get a generic CD-Key when downloading the game from GOG so to actually play online you must follow their instructions on the troubleshooting FAQ for NWN to recieve a real CD-key.

WHAT IS X-FIRE?

X-Fire is a stand-alone communicator software that I use for chatting with and seeing on what servers my friends are playing. X-Fire can do a lot more as well.

A description of what you can do with X-Fire: http://www.xfire.com/cms/xf_help

Download X-Fire here: http://www.xfire.com/download

X-Fire is by no means a must have for playing NWN online but I full-heartedly recomend it. By now there are 300 members of this community...which is ofcourse a mere fraction of the total community...but we are growing.

I would even offer my services, in the cases I have enough time, to personally guide you through how to get your game setup, how to join and play on roleplay servers.

===========

I uploaded a video to Youtube about playing on an example persistent world server called "Cormanthor".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoTuMCXUkhY
 
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Some screenshots:

===========

Some gameplay trailers. They don't use any of the new custom content, but are still informative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD8BnROvBRc

And a trailer with a little bit more modern content:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZmL_HFCJrs

===========

...and a Neverwinter Nights video tour from Gamespot:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/neverwinternights/video/6026457/neverwinter-nights-video-tour

Laugh but I've never actually played with my copy of NWN online, I always got put off by the stories I heard about RP police etc, (it's something I'd want to try over action servers).

Thanks for the fav server list though maybe I'll take a look.

Neverwinter Nights is one of the best things that has ever happened to multiplayer online games because the persistent worlds are made by players for players.

This means that you can find servers with perma-death and hardcore roleplay if you want to.. which I did back in the day.. Maybe it's time to go back again.

Originally posted by Xexv

, I always got put off by the stories I heard about RP police etc, (it's something I'd want to try over action servers).

This was a serious problem and unfortunately still is to some extent. At least in my eyes. I know many actually LIKE the roleplay police servers and some of the most popular servers are like this...doh.

Still...there are many smaller very good and quality servers with real roleplayers on. You just have to find them. I devote my life to (lol) finding such servers actually....so taking a look at the guild list there is a good start I think.

Personally I like a playstyle with both roleplay and action. Sitting around the town or campfire all day talking about who will be the next mayor just isn't my bag.

I agree theese servers are hard to find but we will suceed together!

I fully support this post, and have to say I am really impressed with it in general.

NWN is still a cracking game and the rerelease by GOG should give it a shot in the arm. Personally I don't even think it looks awful graphically, considering.

Originally posted by Aermord

Neverwinter Nights is one of the best things that has ever happened to multiplayer online games because the persistent worlds are made by players for players.

Personally I don't think this is necessarily the greatest reason. I think a company managed persistent world NWN server could have blown a lot of modern day MMO's out of the water....but sure....about the diversity....its all there...

...and it is both the strength and the weakness of this game...

Originally posted by Xexv

Laugh but I've never actually played with my copy of NWN online, I always got put off by the stories I heard about RP police etc, (it's something I'd want to try over action servers).

Thanks for the fav server list though maybe I'll take a look.

Play on a action based rule set server.

Some more screenshots:

Nice thread, I'm actually extremely tempted to re-install NWN for another playthrough now :) already begun a playthrough of Vampire: The Masquerade and Divine Divinity, gunna be pressed with the golden oldies to play soon! Haha.

M

I am more a fan of NWN2 personally, but both are great games and heaps of fun , nice post!

i ALWAYS wanted to play this game but when i actually held it in my hadn at a store it was close to 5 years after its launch and i figured no one even plays this game online any more...now that i c they do i might get it game looks freaking sweet

Too bad I lost my keys long ago. All i have are the disk.

Gwing,

yeah now its like 10 years from its release, lol, but yeah there are still people playing. There are many servers that have 50+ people on...even though I personally tend to choose smaller playerbase servers.

Forcelima,

it doesn't cost so much to buy the game again on the GOG site (see my original post).

Just thought I'd add on to this post.  Despite NWN1 being 10 years old, and NWN2 about 5, the communities for both have continued to support and improve those games because there is simply nothing else quite like the experiences offered by persistent worlds.

Whether you're looking for casual action servers more akin to classic MMO's with that certain Niche setting no commercial MMO's cover, or you're looking for Roleplaying Heavy servers with active DM support teams, this community is an absolute blast to be a part of.

Shameless plug: I'm admin at Legacy: Dark Age of Britain (http://legacydarkage.com), a heavy RP, low-level server set in 6th Century Arthurian Britain (think Anglo-Saxon invasions + magic).  Like most other pw's these days, we have so many new custom-built systems that it only still D&D in the loosest sense.

I encourage anyone who thinks things like Guild Wars 2's 'dynamic events' stuff sounds cool to check out these servers. With NWN2 now only $10, it's absolutely worth that small price of admission to check out what might become your new favorite hobby.

There's nothing like a human being DM'ing for you on the other side of the screen to make these worlds come alive, and make your character's actions truly affect and shape the world.  It's a special niche of the gaming universe. Because of the human capital it takes, this model will never be commercially viable, but the volunteer community has made it an absolute blast for those willing to play an older game with a superior experience.

- Troy

+1

I still have my Diamond release.  I was just looking at them a few minutes ago.  There was this sudden urge to re-install them,  Games on the market just don't have that NWN brought to the table.  Now if only Cryptic, after being bought by Perfect World, doesn't screw up their new NWN MMO release we should be in for a treat.  I'm not counting on it.

I tried playing and thought it was complete garbage. I was expecting something like Diablo. I uninstalled the game and dont know/care what happened to the CDs.

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Originally posted by jinxxed0
I tried playing and thought it was complete garbage. I was expecting something like Diablo. I uninstalled the game and dont know/care what happened to the CDs.

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Ok.

Originally posted by Xexv

 

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Originally posted by jinxxed0
I tried playing and thought it was complete garbage. I was expecting something like Diablo. I uninstalled the game and dont know/care what happened to the CDs.

---

 

Ok.

My thoughts exactly....

M

Originally posted by wolvie3131

I am more a fan of NWN2 personally, but both are great games and heaps of fun , nice post!

Has Bioware fixed NW2 PW server issues?