A Guide
Staying Safe in the Realms
It would be great if the online world of Neverwinter Nights was always one of carefree fun.
In any space where people gather, there will always be cases where interests clash and tensions rise, especially so an interactive world that allows for PvP.
In order for everyone to have an enjoyable experience, staff has drawn up guidelines on How to Screenshot and How to Log for those who are not already versed in doing so.
For logging purposes, Screenshots are especially useful in capturing a specific moment in time (positioning, atmosphere). They can also be used for classic logging of the chat or combat window in all their coloured glory, making them the most authentic way to capture fond moments in roleplay exactly as they appeared in game. The limitations of screenshots are that it is not possible to search for words in the same way as in text, and should the NWN client crash, whatever was unsaved will be lost.
Logging via Log Rotator circumvents both these problems. Unlike screenshots, Log Rotator saves the log even if the NWN client crashes. Once it has been set up is lightweight and reliable, also capable of logging you onto the server it has been set up for with one click of the mouse.
If you are a beginner to NWN or technical things, fear not; this article means to help, and the TDN Discord remains an option for questions or further assistance.
How to Take Screenshots
Most keyboards come with a "Print Screen" button. The button combination shortcuts for screenshots depend on your Operating System.
You can either paste screenshots directly in Discord, whether in a DM or in a server channel, to be hosted by Discord until you want to use them (right click and Copy Link) or you can save them as individual images in a program like Paint.
When reaching out to staff with concerns or questions about any text longer than a few lines, it is always helpful for staff with context. Please take screenshots that cover the prelude as well as any potential aftermath of the event, including tells, even if seeming only tangentially relevant in the moment.
While screenshots during hostilities are helpful in showing positioning etc, such things are not always possible in a heated moment.
Therefore, it is more reliable to take screenshots of both your chat log and your combat log (or the combined version) once the conflict is over..
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When reporting PvP with screenshots, please include:
- Prelude to event.(ideally one full "page" of the Chat Log RP)
- The Combat Log of any parts of the event you want to report or find otherwise important.
- Any potential aftermath to the event.
Examples in Spoiler below.
Great Screenshot Formats:
Text
Scenic
Less Useful for Large Amounts of Text:
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How to Use Log Rotator
A program called Log Rotator allows for the gathering of logs in NWN. While it already comes with instructions on its GitHub page, below is a step-by-step guide on how to install it..
As long as the program is installed correctly and active while you launch NWN, it will save all of your logs. Here is the coder's sample log of how a log can look. Multiple .exes can be set up to log different servers..
Credit and props to voc0der for creating this program and offering it to the public..
Install guide in Spoiler below.
1) Download the program
Log Rotator can be downloaded here..
Quote from creator: "When opening for the first time, Windows may warn you that the publisher is not signed or verified, but if you click 'More Info' it will allow you to run anyways.".
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2) Place the .exe in a folder of your choosing
This can be anywhere and be called anything..
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3) Create a folder for your coming logs (Optional)
You can set the log output anywhere, including setting it to log directly into the folder where Log Rotator is installed. .
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4) Log Rotator Settings
A. Set the paths
Path to Log.
Set the path to nwClientLog1.txt in your install directory.
If you do not know where this is located, open File Explorer and search the C: drive for nwClientLog1.txt
Output Directory.
Select the folder you want the logs to be saved in.
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B. General Settings
You can toggle dark mode in the top right..
Leave Combat Text & Event Text in by having the settings toggled off..
The red text in the bottom right is only active while you are not running the NWN client..
Note that you must confirm all of your changes by clicking "Save Settings" in the bottom left, otherwise they will not save.
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C. Export Settings
Fill in the Server Name in Export Setting. This creates a subfolder with this name where the logs will be saved..
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5) Toggle Logging in Neverwinter Nights
Last but not least, in order for Log Rotator to log your roleplay you must enable logging for NWN. For NWN:EE, this is done in the game's Main Menu Options..
Chat All & Chat Emotes should be toggled on for the. These will save in a .html file that allows you to view it in colour in a browser..
Toggling on also Game Log Chat Text will create a duplicate .txt log (If this is your preference over .html, this is also a viable way to log.).
For 1.69, this setting is located in nwnplayer.ini as ClientEntireChatWindowLogging = 1 under [Game Options]..
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That's it. Your log rotator should now save every chat log, as long as the window is active while you launch the server.
6) Other Log Rotator Features (Optional)
A. Export Settings: Toggle Colour Text.
You are able to set the colour for your logs using the Export Settings..
On TDN, all lines of players other than yourself will be Actor coloured, as there are no parties..
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B. Launcher Settings: Streamlined Server Login
If you prefer logging into a server with a single click, Log Rotator allows you to set that up..
Open Launcher Settings and fill in server IP and password. TDN's IP and password are available on Discord..
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You can see if you have the correct Launcher settings by if Log Rotator recognises when you start the game:
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