Neversummer Realms Forums

Frequently Asked Questions
(And their corresponding answers...)

If your question isn't answered here, try reading the NS4 Documentation or doing a Boards Search. There's a good chance you'll find what you're looking for without having to make a post of your own.

Note that the information here is subject to change, and additions will be made once we determine what questions are actually frequently asked =) The NS4 Team will be monitoring the Help and Support forum closely, and update this document accordingly - hopefully on a regular basis.

General Questions

• How do I connect to NS4?
• How can I contact the Developers?
• Where do I report bugs?
• What expansions does NS4 require?
• Does NS4 use a Hak Pak?
• How do I connect to the IRC channel?

Gameplay Issues

• Why won't any DMs answer me?
• Help, my subrace bonuses are wrong!
• What is a Unique Prestige Class?
• When is my character saved?

<a name="connect"></a>How do I connect to NS4?

Neversummer 4 is an online persistent world using the Neverwinter Nights engine, and requires a copy of Neverwinter Nights Diamond to play. NWN can be purchased for under 30 bucks at Amazon.com http://amzn.com/B000B8K7RC

Install it and update to 1.69 patch. It is supposed to be on the cd, but you may have to search for the patch if it wont update automatically. Ask on these forums if you need help.

Launch the game and click on multiplayer - join internet game.
Click create a new account if you dont have one and enter a username, email and password.

Our servers are listed in Gamespy under the PW-Action category Servername Neversumer4.

A handy trick that several players and DMs use is to create a shortcut on your desktop that links directly to the Neversummer server. This allows you to bypass loading screens and Gamespy entirely. To do this, simply create a new shortcut and point it to:

• C:\NeverwinterNights\Nwn\nwmain.exe +connect ns4beta1.servegame.com:5121 (For Players)
• C:\NeverwinterNights\Nwn\nwmain.exe -dmc +connect ns4beta1.servegame.com:5121 +password <pass> (For DMs)

Replace c:\nwn with the path to your Neverwinter Nights installation directory if it differs; the one above is for the standard installation. DMs should replace <pass> with the appropriate DM password, or leave it blank if you want NWN to prompt you for it. Note that this method doesn't run certain parts of the game's frontend, so if you cancel out NWN will close instead of going to the gamespy or main menu screens.

<a name="contact"></a>How can I contact the Developers?

Please visit the <a href="http://www.nsrealm.com/contact.asp">NS4 Contact Page</a> for detailed contact information, including email addresses to use for specific issues. For information about donating, please see the <a href="http://www.nsrealm.com/donations.asp">Donations Page</a>.

<a name="bugs"></a>Where do I report bugs?

Players coming from NS3 will notice that there is no bug reporting forum on the site. This is due to the fact that tracking bugs and alerting players to the status of bugs that are being worked on was very clumsy using simple forum posts. Most of the time, bug reports were more likely to be seen if sent via PM or email, which was what we had hoped to avoid!

Instead, with the NS4 Open Beta we are rolling out a new bugtracking system that was used during closed testing. Using the Mantis bugtracking system (<a href="http://www.mantisbt.org/">Mantis Project Site</a>), developers and players alike can instantly see the status of all reported bugs. Optionally, users can receive emails when specific bugs are fixed or change their status, and it provides an ideal way for developers to communicate with players on certain issues.

The <a href="http://bugs.nsrealm.com/">NS4 Bugtracker</a> is open to all players of NS4. Anyone may post a bug, or even a feature request for the developers to view. Selected players that are good at hunting bugs are given "Tester" status and can re-open and close bugs, mark duplicates, and so forth.

Don't be afraid to post a bug that you find, but please ensure that your specific bug has not already been posted already. Mantis has a very easy-to-use search feature that makes this as simple as possible. Also, try to avoid combining unrelated bugs into one post.

<a name="expansions"></a>What expansions does NS4 require?

The bulk of Neversummer4, which includes the main contintent with the seven factions, the Frostdale island, Sunken Isle, and Isle of Dreams all require the Shadows of Undrentide expansion.

The planar areas, which include the Nexus and the attached Planes, require the Hordes of the Underdark expansion.

Both of these are available at very low prices - if you're a bargain hunter looking for either of them, eBay auctions usually have better deals than online stores or retail outlets.

<a name="hakpak"></a>Does NS4 use a Hak Pak?

No, the developers of NS4 have made a conscious choice to avoid using any Hak Paks or other content requiring download and installation on the player side, for a number of reasons:

• Quality of content varies widely, and can sometimes be incompatible with certain configurations.
• We are proud to be 56k and ISDN-friendly, and do not want to burden users with additional downloads or lag and network delays caused by added content.
• NS4 also strives to embrace players who don't want to upgrade their machines every year to the "latest and greatest" technology. Some hak pak content is murder on older graphics cards and CPUs, and we don't want to diminish the experience for anyone.
• The gameplay and features of NS4 speak for themselves, and while some Hak content may be quite pretty, it is often used as a distraction to avoid focusing on the module proper.

That said, if player support is strong enough, there is always the possibility that custom content and Hak Paks (such as the newly released Community Expansion Pack) will be included, eventually. It all depends on you!

How do I connect to the IRC channel?

Neversummer has set up an IRC channel, open for all players to use, on the GameSurge IRC Network. In order to connect, you will need an IRC client such as mIRC, or Trillian.

After downloading the client, set the IRC server to "irc.gamesurge.net" (or type /connect irc.gamesurge.net), and join the #neversummer channel (/join #neversummer).

Everybody's doing it! Why aren't you ;)

<a name="dms"></a>Why won't any DMs answer me?

NWN offers a separate chat channel in-game that lets players have private, one-way communication with any online DMs. In NS3, the DMs were very active in responding to "chatter" with players on this channel and were more socially visible than they are in NS4.

In NS4, DMs are playing the role of powerful deities that rule over the various domains on the world, and the DM channel is treated much like a private "prayer" channel, offering each player a way to express his wishes and hopes, as well as gratitude or frustration. This channel of communication is one-way, and as such you should very seldom expect to hear a reply of any kind from a DM, whether they are online or not :)

However, a properly worded "prayer" sent to your patron deity may sometimes sway the Gods into action, whether it be in your favor or against. Much like the Greek gods involved themselves in the affairs of mortals, the DM Deities can and will intervene in subtle and unexpected ways. Great fortune (or misfortune, depending on the circumstances) awaits those who actually meet one of these Gods face-to-face.

So, do not dispair if you feel like the DMs are ignoring you, and do not feel as if they are inactive and not doing anything. The nature of the module is for these powerful deities to act indirectly, through avatars or by possessing lower-order NPCs, or perhaps with a simple visual effect here or there.

<a name="subracebonuses"></a>Help! My Subrace bonuses are wrong!

Hey, that's not a question!

But seriously - many players have expressed confusion about the way subrace abilities are applied to their characters, or think they have not received the correct bonuses or penalties.

The reason for this is that the subrace bonuses are applied ON TOP of any racial bonuses you receive. If you choose to be a Sun Elf, for example, you will receive a +2 DEX and -2 CON for being an elf, and the subrace bonuses will have to be applied taking these racial bonuses into account.

As a Sun Elf, you should receive +2 INT and -2 CON, so the +2 DEX from your racial bonus has to be removed. You may be confused at first seeing you have -2 to your DEX score and no penalty to your CON score, but this is because you received the CON penalty from your racial modifier, so no additional modification needed to be made.

Another example is the Gold Dwarf. Gold Dwarves receive +2 CON, -2 DEX. However, regular dwarves receive +2 CON, -2 CHA. Therfore, to turn your standard dwarf into a Gold Dwarf, you have to give them +2 CHA and -2 DEX.

It can be confusing, but all the subrace bonuses have been extensively tested and we can say for certain that they are all accurate.

<a name="uniqueprc"></a>What is a Unique Prestige Class?

In the descriptions for the various factions, some factions have an entry called "Unique Prestige Class". This is a prestige class that is only available by being a member of that faction.

For example, Red Dragon Disciple is a Unique Prestige Class for the Ancient Ones faction. Therefore, in order to become a RDD, you must first be a member of the Ancient Ones. No other factions have access to this prestige class.

Any prestige class not listed as "unique" is available in any faction.

<a name="save"></a>When is my character saved?

Characters in NS4 are saved (file written to the vault and location stored in the database) whenever one of the following occurs:

• Entering a new area
• Resting
• Binding your character
• Picking up an item
• Dropping an item
• Death or Near-Death (bleeding)
• Using the Neversummer Diary item