Hi all,
The original NWN AOL v2.2 client can be found on the internet .

This client can be used to connect to NWN Revivial.

We've added one click (no installing necessary) Windows, macOS (Universal binary) and Linux launcher. More info here: https://www.nwnrevival.com/join.php

@robbo007, you've made me curious. Always thought of Meridian59 as being the first graphical MMO. So I've downloaded the DOS client from the website (NWNREV) and transferred all to my happy DOS 6.0 VM in 86Box. I've configured all, but when trying to call I get a "NO ANSWER - hanging up". Website status says it's all open. What am I doing wrong? My modem appears to be dialing and working.

Arminius wrote on Today, 09:45:

@robbo007, you've made me curious. Always thought of Meridian59 as being the first graphical MMO. So I've downloaded the DOS client from the website (NWNREV) and transferred all to my happy DOS 6.0 VM in 86Box. I've configured all, but when trying to call I get a "NO ANSWER - hanging up". Website status says it's all open. What am I doing wrong? My modem appears to be dialing and working.

Hi,

Great to have you giving it a go! Meridian 59 gets the credit a lot, but NWN was on AOL with graphics in 1991, a good few years earlier.

I think I know what's happening. The 86Box modem isn't a real phone modem, it connects over the internet, so it can't dial a phone number. If NWNSETUP is set to Modem Dialup (or the X.25 PAD) it dials a number the modem has no way of calling, gets NO CARRIER back, and NWN shows "NO ANSWER - hanging up".

Try this:

1. Run NWNSETUP and set the connection to WiFi/DOSBox-X (the internet one).
2. For the number put: nwnrevival.com:5000
The :5000 matters, without it the 86Box modem tries port 23.
3. In 86Box's settings for the modem, turn telnet mode off. The game sends binary data and telnet mode will mess it up once you're in.
4. Set the speed to the same in both NWNSETUP and the 86Box modem. 2400 is the safe choice.

Then type NWN and it should connect straight to the server. The first time, it'll probably offer you an update. Say yes, it only takes a few minutes.

If it still won't connect, let me know roughly what time you tried and I'll check the server logs from my end.

Regards,

Wow, thank you for the quick reply! You're probably spot on about NWNSETUP being set to Modem Dialup and not getting anything back. I've tried your suggestions, but I'm still getting disconnected. Bummer.

I'm attaching a screenshot of my NWNSETUP settings and the nwndian.log file it generated. Am I even getting through? Can you see anything useful in the logs? I just tried again at 12:19 PM CET.

Arminius wrote on Today, 11:25:

Wow, thank you for the quick reply! You're probably spot on about NWNSETUP being set to Modem Dialup and not getting anything back. I've tried your suggestions, but I'm still getting disconnected. Bummer.

I'm attaching a screenshot of my NWNSETUP settings and the nwndian.log file it generated. Am I even getting through? Can you see anything useful in the logs? I just tried again at 12:19 PM CET.

Hi,
I spy the issue. In NWNSETUP.COM under the "Number IP:port" use: nwnrevivial.com:5000

That's the NWN Revivial server and port address. It needs to be present as you're coming over internet. Let me know how you get on.
Regards,

Silly me! Corrected it, and it works as intended now. You know what threw me off? The help text displayed underneath. It read nwnrevival.com:5000, so I assumed the address was already hard-coded. Apparently not!

Anyway, I was able to connect successfully and create an account! Yay! 😀 Now I just need to figure out what to do about the "GAME.EXE NOT UPDATED" error I get when trying to enter the realm.

I tried the suggestion on the homepage (resetting the .exe to its default state via NWN /U), but that didn't solve the issue for me. The files aren't write-protected either (I just checked using the attrib command). Any idea?

Great to hear you're in!

You're right about the setup screen, that note reads like the address is already filled in. I'll change it so it fills in nwnrevival.com:5000 for you when the field is empty.

On GAME.EXE NOT UPDATED: NWN.COM makes a few small changes to GAME.EXE when it starts (fights between players, and a fix for Tandy screens), and every player needs them to enter the realm. To be safe it only touches the exact GAME.EXE from the 2.22 release. If yours is different in any way it leaves it alone, and NWN /U does nothing either, which is what you're seeing.

Could you run this in your NWN folder and tell me what it says?

DIR GAME.EXE

The 2.22 one is 439,000 bytes. If yours is a different size, it's a different version or a modified copy, and the fix is to replace it with the 2.22 GAME.EXE. Where did you get your game files from? That'll help me work out which version you have.

One more thing: next time you call, the realm will offer you an update to 1.4.1. Say yes, it only takes a few minutes.
Regards,

Yeah, my GAME.EXE wasn't the one with 439,000 bytes, but was a tad larger. Found the right one. All I'll say is that archive.org is a great project! 😀

Saw the update to 1.4.1 and installed it. Worked fine!

The next obstacle I'm stuck on is character creation. It seems to launch a separate program for creating a character. However, all I ever get is a black screen with a yellow strip at the bottom, looking pretty much like someone started pasting together a QR code and then gave up halfway through. Looks like a graphics glitch. Ever run into this one?