Posted October 14, 2018
ArgentumRegio: The CD key identifies the player so that we who run servers can ensure that ONLY that player has access to the PCs they create. Lacking some identifier, miscreants and hackers would soon get into your characters (by simply giving your username) and I think we both understand what sort of mischief that would follow.
You are incorrect. Multiplayer NWN Diamond edition DOES require CD keys (I am a server admin since 2006). A server _can_ be setup to not require unique keys (especially if run across a LAN since) but lacking a requirement for unique CD keys, there is nothing to prevent miscreants from logging in on your username and mucking up your PCs while you are logged out.
Stig79: Well it worked fine via GameRanger. You are incorrect. Multiplayer NWN Diamond edition DOES require CD keys (I am a server admin since 2006). A server _can_ be setup to not require unique keys (especially if run across a LAN since) but lacking a requirement for unique CD keys, there is nothing to prevent miscreants from logging in on your username and mucking up your PCs while you are logged out.
However, NWN has built-in checks that disallow two players with the same CD-key to play together in multiplayer. So if you never changed your CD-key, perhaps your friend did. It's the only possibility.
Regarding the EE, absolutely nothing has changed as far as CD-key requirement is concerned. So as someone else has already pointed out, the EE has no more DRM than the DE had.
But it's not intrusive DRM, because one can use his assigned CD-key to play multiplayer forever, even when Beamdog servers go down (as BioWare's did back in the day). I'm a very passionate DRM opponent, but this solution is perfectly acceptable.