Gamespy Replacement Mastering Service : NWNCore Mezzanine - NWN1 and NWN2 Supported

[Legacy_Visavant]

               This is an announcement relative to the existence of a replacement service to GameSpy.

This thread will update for every modification and change that're made. If there is any information existing outside of this thread realtive to this project, please ensure links point here for the community to remain informed.

A new mastering service located at NWNCore is being turned up which will automatically announce the existence of participating game servers that communicate to it. Applications which patch nwserver and nwmain files in your installation are being distributed. It requires no registration, and automatically permits display of available online servers and interaction in a variety of ways (players can use an available tool that permits a one click connect option from the website until the game client patch is released).

Both NWN1 and NWN2 will be supported and properly communicated to clients.

** SERVER HOSTS **
To automatically announce your servers, please modify your operating system hosts file to reflect the following:

198.23.165.35 nwn.master.gamespy.com

** PLAYERS **
Click this link to view instructions for accessing the list.

Included extra features coming
XML requests : All available data NWCore acquires and uses will be available for anyone to make their own tool from. This includes web applications that want to display GS protocol supplied information on their website. The XML cache will be tossed to a CDN rather than hammering the main site. Javascript examples will be available in the upcoming documentation.

Extended API : Server hosts to assist in an upcoming out-of-game autodownloader, images, banners, other upcoming features.

Relay : All traffic information inbound can be sent to another mastering service, possible future use of clustering / mastering pools so this problem doesn't occur again.

What's the current status of (feature)?
Listening Server : COMPLETE
UDP Relaying : COMPLETE
XML Creation / Cache : Mostly complete, CDN setup is still underway.
Web Server List : Awaiting DNS updates, awaiting host provisioning.
Client Patchers : Windows released for NWN1. NWN2 testing still underway. Linux binaries coming in a few days.

I found a bug and need to report it...
No software can come out being pristine of course. Please send me a private message in this forum and I'll address it as soon as possible. All patched updates will appear on this thread.

Will the in game client work again?
Yes. At this time I'm working to ensure that at least a referencable location is visible to players from the server hosts on a central website. The in game browser will be patched to operate soon in tandem.

What does it take to sign up?
There is nothing to sign up for. Server hosts simply make a single adjustment and their server does the rest. (Hosts file, or the nwserver executible patch, availability for this will be posted on nwvault today). The players need only to replace nwmain.exe with the patched file. Patched file support for existing ones out there (the post process mod for example) will also be made.

Windows Files
Server / Client Matchmaking Service Patcher - Still up for submission, but will patch nwmain / nwserver processes to forward information to the matchmaking service. CLIENT IN GAME BROWSER SUPPORT WILL BE ADDRESSED SOON AUTOMATICALLY.

Microsoft .NET Framework 4 - Required to operate the patching application.

Linux Files
nwserver patcher still on it's way.

Changelog
12/8/12
* Added URL protocol handlers for the Windows patching client. Players will be able to connect straight to the game server from their web browsers.
* Added bioware auth fix since the service is also no longer available.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Visavant, 09 décembre 2012 - 05:34 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Pearls]

               is the only change made to the nwserver executable the gamespy address? we use a custom executable and i want to update it
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Visavant]

               Yes.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_T0r0]

               " The players need only to replace nwmain.exe with the patched file."

Question,,, Can't speak for alot of people (but I suspect alot) but I for one use the camera hack that has already modified the nwnmain.exe. Are you replacing it entirely or modifying the one we have ? Just throwing it out there so you can take it into consideration.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Visavant]

               The patch will work with any modified nwmain / nwserver. Tested Windows only so far, but a linux compatible one will come shortly.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Visavant]

               Just submitted the patcher to the vault. Awaiting the new webhosting services to turn up still. 
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Visavant, 08 décembre 2012 - 08:00 .
                     
                  

            

[Baaleos]

               Can you share the source / memory locations you are modifying?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Visavant]

               

Baaleos wrote...
Can you share the source / memory locations you are modifying?

Original : 6D61737465722E67616D657370792E636F6D
Replacement : 6D61737465722E6E776E636F72652E6E6574

I tried to maintain the same filesize in bytes when written vs the original.

I take it you're using PHP-GD to generate your signature? Not a bad idea.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Visavant, 08 décembre 2012 - 08:34 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_SkywingvL]

               Hey, Visavant: I've similar been rolling out an infrastructure to serve this need. That infrastructure works today by replacing the bioware master server communication:

http://www.nwnx.org/...opic.php?t=2036

The server list is maintained through a now available update to the xp_bugfix NWNX4 plugin (NWNX2 plugin coming shortly courtesy Zebranky) which enables participating servers to check in with the replacement master server infrastructure.

Could you catch me on irc.nwn2source.net / #nwn2cr so that we can see about unifying our infrastructure here? It would be greatly advantageous to have a single place for PW admins and players to work with.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par SkywingvL, 09 décembre 2012 - 03:07 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_AlgernonsGhost]

               Will patching a server to use this affect it showing up or being available in other services (xfire client, php scripts to get server status and player count, etc.)?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Melkior_King]

               If you wish to try out the service before committing to changing your game and server files, enter this line into your local "hosts" file:
66.96.147.110 nwn.master.gamespy.com
Caution!  This will force ALL games which use GameSpy into trying to use the new nwn service so DON'T do this except as a temporary measure to test the new service, unless you have NO other games installed which use GameSpy.

You WILL need to remove the line from your hosts file in order to use other games which connect to GameSpy.

If you have the technical expertiise to edit the game files yourself using something like XVI32 (A free hex editing program), you can update your own game files without the patcher.

nwmain.exe and nwserver.exe both need to be patched.

Search each file for the string master.gamespy.com and replace (overwrite, not insert) with the string master.nwncore.net

Each string should appear only once in each exe file.

Restart your server and it should then appear on the new site's listing.

Edit: The URL should have had nwn. at the start.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Melkior_King, 09 décembre 2012 - 06:13 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Visavant]

               

AlgernonsGhost wrote...

Will patching a server to use this affect it showing up or being available in other services (xfire client, php scripts to get server status and player count, etc.)?

The patching will not interfere with any existing functionality.

Melkior_King wrote...

66.96.147.110 master.gamespy.com

Where does this point to?

SkywingvL wrote...

Could you catch me on irc.nwn2source.net / #nwn2cr so that we can see about unifying our infrastructure here? It would be greatly advantageous to have a single place for PW admins and players to work with.

Is this functionality primarily based on NWNx / Extended Client talking to the master server and back? I'll try to hop on IRC tomorrow evening (Sunday).
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Visavant, 09 décembre 2012 - 05:16 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Melkior_King]

               

Visavant wrote...

Melkior_King wrote...

66.96.147.110 master.gamespy.com

Where does this point to?

The string of hex codes posted above translates to the web address for the replacement server.  I simply PINGed master.nwncore.net to find the IP address then posted it here.  That IP address is the equivalent to master.nwncore.net which is the replacement for GameSpy for nwn.

Remember that the replacement site is still under development so don't expect immediate results if you start pointing to the new site right away.

And may I add congratulations and thank you very much to all involved in making this replacement server.  Your efforts are very much appreciated.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Melkior_King, 09 décembre 2012 - 06:08 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Visavant]

               Not a problem. While yes that does currently resolve to that IP, the string formed is %d.master.gamespy.com which %d is the gamename, in this case, nwn. The FQDN NWN is being patched to communicate to is nwn.master.nwncore.net which is accepting communication from it's test servers.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Melkior_King]

               

Visavant wrote...

Not a problem. While yes that does currently resolve to that IP, the string formed is %d.master.gamespy.com which %d is the gamename, in this case, nwn. The FQDN NWN is being patched to communicate to is nwn.master.nwncore.net which is accepting communication from it's test servers.

Does the game automatically add the nwn prefix or does that have to be added manually when the exe file is edited?