Help with Lan Party Issue

[Legacy_lassombra]

               Before anyone says anything, I want to make one thing clear before you read this.  I recently PURCHASED the full NWN pack at Best Buy (NWN & NWN2).  I have enjoyed it so much, I'm encouraging many friends to PURCHASE it as well.  I'm in the process of putting together a campaign for us which I'd like to participate in as both a DM and an additional member of the party (Not an uncommon thing in the table top D&D).

I've read about how to run multiple clients at once etc (3rd party loader required...)

What I can't figure out how to do is allow myself to connect with multiple clients on one computer to the same server.  It's complaining about the cd key already being in use.

Is there any way around this without having a full second install of the game with a new cd key (which would cost money, I'm no pirate, but I REALLY have issues with the idea of having to spend more money to do this on ONE Computer)?

Any help greatly appreciated.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_NWN DM]

               You need multiple keys.  

Not sure why you'd want to run multiple clients on the same computer, unless one is the Player client and the other is the DMC.

You have one copy of the game - can be used in one instance at a time.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_lassombra]

               Running player and DMC was exactly what I was talking about (which I did say in my op).

So basically even though I'm doing this on my lan, and I have a code for EVERY COMPUTER INVOLVED, I have no choice but to purchase another CD Key if I want to connect twice?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_wyldhunt1]

               That seems to be the way it works.
It doesn't care where the connection comes from... same pc, different country.
Each key can have a single connection at any given moment.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_wyldhunt1]

               If you want to play and DM at the same time, you can make your character in the toolset and possess the NPC as a DM. That'll give you full control of the character as if you were a player.
The only real downside is that you won't gain xp. If you wanted, you could DM level your NPC with a default package whenever you wanted to level, or make a few copies of your NPC at different levels and possess a new one when you leveled.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_lassombra]

               I assume in that case then the NPC would be restricted to use in the module it was created in?  Not able to say move between modules (aka through a server transition) with the players?  

It seems that Bioware really forgot about us DM's who actually are part of the party as well (How many DM's have played a Cleric because noone wants to fulfill that "boring" but necessary role?)  

It's kinda sad really, there's really a lot of potential for broader game development, but now it looks like it's not one cd key per computer, which would be acceptable under fair use, but now one cd key per executing environment, which is just plain retarded.  I shudder to think what happens if some of my players ever want to play two characters at once!  I personally feel that this is patently insane.  It amazes me as long as this game has been out I'm the first person to run into this problem?  Or maybe the company just assumed that everyone running into this problem was a pirate?

Excerpt from the EULA I agreed to:
PERMITTED USES
1. If the Software is configured for loading on a hard drive, you may install and use the Software
on a single computer.
2. You may make and maintain one copy of the Software for backup and archival purposes, provided
that the original and copy of the Software are kept in your possession.
3. You may permanently transfer all your rights under this EULA, provided you retain no copies, you
transfer all of the Software (including all component parts, the media and printed materials and
any upgrades) and the recipient reads and accepts this EULA.

So what I am trying to do in no way violates the EULA, I should be able to do it, and under the EULA, they shouldn't be permitted to prevent me from doing it on the sole basis of trying to prevent piracy.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par lassombra, 20 décembre 2011 - 08:02 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_wyldhunt1]

               Well, not a lot we can do at this point. Bioware stopped supporting the game in any official capacity a long time ago.
The community has made huge leaps and bounds to improve the game in countless ways (http://nwvault.ign.com/), but this isn't something we can do anything about.
By D&D rules, any character under control of the DM is a Non Player Character. That is how the NWN engine was designed. DM's can control all of the NPC's and even adventure with them, but they are still DM controlled characters. not player characters.
I agree that opening that up to allow someone to play as dm and player at the same time would be useful though. I know it would have saved me countless hours while I bug test my PW code...
But this is, unfortunately, not a community fixable issue.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par wyldhunt1, 20 décembre 2011 - 09:48 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Lightfoot8]

               Hmm,  I guess that this sugestion is not really on the Up and Up.  but here it goes anyway.  

You will first of cource need a second install of the game.   You can get the second install by simply copying the game to a new path.  

Second you will have to make sure that both of the games run on different game ports.  in one of the installs make change the Client Port =5120  to something else like 5122,  I dont remember the valid range at the moment.    Just make sure tht since everything is happening on the same computer that your server is also using a different port.  It will normally use 5121.  

Change the CD keys in the second to the ones that GoG uses for there.  Generic install.    Of cource if you try and use then OnLine you will most likely get the same message that you get now.  So connect localy to the server and not via the internet.    

someone posted the generic GoG keys in this thread here->  http://www.gog.com/e..._cd_key/post117

Hope that helps.  As far as I can see it is your best option to get it to work without resorting to buying another copy, or resorting to something even more underhanded.  

Then again It NWN1 is currently on sale on GoG for only $4.99.  Still not sure how your two install on one computer with a server will work out though.  So you might want to try the generic keys first.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_lassombra]

               It's not the amount of money, it's the principle.  The contract between Atari and me specifically states that I can use it freely on one computer.  I'll give that a shot as it is not doing anything illegal to fulfill what I desire.  I will simply stop playing the game before I stoop to keygens and the like.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_NWN DM]

               I can admire someone standing by their principles, but in this case, if what Lightfoot8 suggests doesn't work, taking your ball and going home for the sake of $10 would seem like a bit of a loss for you and your friends.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_lassombra]

               It's not the $10, I have $10, it's the fact of my rights being violated in the name of anti-piracy.

I might try and play with scripting NPCs to be usable as "avatars" but I can guarantee that I have no desire to invest more money, even if it was just a few pennies, in a company that is violating the rights THEY GAVE ME under the terms of their contract.

Maybe if more people stuck to their principles in situations like this we wouldn't have companies like Bioware using anti-piracy techniques that don't work anyways to impinge on the rights of paying users.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Lightfoot8]

               Well I definitly did not sugest that you stoop to Key gens.   I sugested that you Try and play with what every person who buy the game from gog gets.   They all get that key when they download the game.  If they want to play multi-player they have to send in a request for there multi player CD Key.     That Key is only used for players to play single player games, for players that have never requested there multi player CD-Key.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_wyldhunt1]

               If you're going to look in to DMing and adventuring as an NPC at the same time, I suggest that you take a look at this package. It's one of the grand achievements of the last decade of community work and nearly every online persistent world uses some version of it to help their DM's control the world.

http://nwvault.ign.c...=161684&id=3487

If you get that working in your mods and play with it a bit, you'll find that your ability to DM is vastly improved, as well as controling NPC's.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_lassombra]

               Was definitely planning on taking advantage of that...
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Lightfoot8]

               

wyldhunt1 wrote...

If you're going to look in to DMing and adventuring as an NPC at the same time, I suggest that you take a look at this package. It's one of the grand achievements of the last decade of community work and nearly every online persistent world uses some version of it to help their DM's control the world.

http://nwvault.ign.c...=161684&id=3487

If you get that working in your mods and play with it a bit, you'll find that your ability to DM is vastly improved, as well as controling NPC's.

When once I would have sugested sticking with the original,  I Have finaly turned the corner, To where I would sugest the more updated version HR DM TOOL , Mainly because things have just come to a standstill with NWN1 and DMFI.   Now if you are playing NWN2 I would still go with DMFI.