IRC Guide

From NexusWiki

Okay, so you've joined NW IRC and want (or need) to do something, but are confused as to what to do and everyone in #help is an idle bastard. Well, you're in luck, as this wiki page is here to help you with basic and intermediate IRC tasks. Lets move on to the first topic.

[edit] General IRC Tips

Before we get on to the meat of this article, here are some basic tips to follow during your time on IRC:

• If you need help on connecting to IRC, you should look here.
• Any command that involves a password should be typed into the status window, to avoid embarrassment. For that matter, most every command other than talking should be done there.
• Choose a password that is secure, and of a decent length. The best passwords are a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, and numbers. A length of about 6-8 is good enough for NW IRC. Using words as passwords is also a bad idea.
• WE WILL NEVER ASK FOR YOUR PASSWORD, DON'T GIVE IT OUT!

[edit] Registering Your Nickname

The first thing that you should do is register your nick. Why register your nick you ask? Registering your nick allows you to:

• Prevent someone else from registering the nick you use.
• Allows you to register channels. Registering channels makes the channel persistent, and allows you to control who has access.
• Allows you to be added to the access lists of other channels.

So, how to register your nick? Well, its easy enough. Lets say you want to register the nick Foo and you wish to use the insecure password fighters and your email is fake@email.com. First, you need to be using the nick. If you are not already using the nick Foo you would, in the status window of your IRC client, type the following:
/nick Foo

Now, it is time to register your nick. To register your nick (you need to be using the nick you want to register) type the following into your status window:
/msg nickserv register fighters fake@email.com

Shortly, you will receive and email from the IRC server. Follow the directions in this email, and then your nick will be registered and fully under your control.

[edit] Logging in to Your Nickname

Now, when you first register your nick, the IRC Services will automatically log you in the first time. After that, you'll have to manually log in. Don't sweat it, this is easy! All you need to do, using the above example, is:
/msg nickserv identify fighters

Remember, is it always a good idea to always do this in the status window.

[edit] Linking a Secondary Nickname

Lets say, for whatever reason, that you have a secondary name. One faction might know you as Foo, but another faction knows you as George. Well, lucky you, you can have both nicks, and on the same account! To link this second nickname, you need to be on your original nick, in this case 'Foo', and then type the following into the status window:
/msg nickserv link George

Congratulations! Your secondary nick 'George' is now linked to your primary nick of 'Foo'!

[edit] Registering a Channel

Now that you have your nick, and possibly some secondary nicks, registered, you are ready for the next step. Registering a channel. For this example Foo, the fictional person from the previous section is registering the channel #SotL for his faction Shards of the Light. The first step of our brave Foo is to join the channel. If you cannot remember how to join the channel, type the following into the status window:
/join #SotL

Now that you are in the channel, three things are possible here. The first is that the channel is already registered, in which you'll probably have to choose a new channel name. The second is that the channel has people in it, but the channel is not registered. If these people are members of your faction, after a bit of work will enable you to get the +o that you need to register the channel. Third, and finally, you join the channel, noone is in there, and you automatically get +o.

So now you're in an unregistered channel, and are the sole person with +o in the room. Well. its time to register the channel. For this example, we will use the password anx05T5, a relatively secure password. now, in the status window Foo would type:
/msg chanserv register #SotL anx05T5 We are the Shards of the Light. Bow before us!

But wait you say, what was that whole We are the Shards of the Light. Bow before us!? Well, that is the description of the channel. whenever someone goes /msg chanserv info #SotL one of the lines there will say Description: We are the Shards of the Light. Bow before us! Neat, eh?

[edit] Managing Your Channel

So, now Foo has his nicks registered, and the channel made for his faction... what now? Well, first you have to make some choices. Is the channel public? Or is it a private channel that only members and allies should be in? Who do you want to give channel access to? If the channel is private, how do you want to secure it?

In this example, #SotL will be a private channel. Foo is going to add his second in command, Bob, as a super operator. He is also adding his lieutenants, Frank, Jim, and Tasha, as regular operators. He also wants to give Fred and Jill half-operator status for their work for the faction, even though they have no power in the faction. And finally, Foo wants to add all his members as voiced users, so its easy to tell them from any visitors to the channel.

[edit] Securing Your Channel

First, Foo needs to make the channel private. There are multiple ways to do this, but the way we are going to do this is apply the mode 's' to the channel. While it doesn't keep anybody out of the channel, in NexusWar applying the mode 's' to your channel means this is a secret channel and is not listed on the channel lists. So how do we apply this mode? it is easy. In the status window, type:
/mode #SotL +s

The only real way to keep unwanted people out of your channel is to set a channel key. The channel key is the only true way to secure your channel. Spouting information in a channel with a key is generally considered alt abuse and will be frowned upon. With angry eyebrows. To set a channel key, use the following command (replacing "key" with the channel key of your choice):
/mode #SotL +k key

But wait... what if everyone leaves your channel? Well, if you are the channel founder like our Foo here, you can use a handy chanserv command. Foo would make it so that the room is always +s by doing the following:
/msg chanserv set #SotL mlock +nts

+n means that you have to be inside of the channel to talk in it, and +t means only channel operators (or half-operators) can change the topic. +nt is added to the mlock because otherwise you lose it if you do not.

[edit] Managing Channel Access Lists

Now that the channel is secure, Foo needs to add people to the access lists. First, Foo needs to add Bob as a super operator. After making sure Bob has registered with nickserv, he does the following:
/msg chanserv access #SotL add Bob 100

Next, he needs to add Frank operators. He does this by typing in the following:
/msg chanserv access #SotL add Frank 50

After adding Jim and Tasha to the list, he now needs to add Fred and Jill to the access list. He first adds Fred by typing the following:
/msg chanserv access #SotL add Jim 40

Finally, after adding Jill as a halfop, he needs to add the rest of his faction as voiced users. The first member he adds is Harry. He adds Harry as a voiced user by doing the following:
/msg chanserv access #SotL add Harry 30

However a few months pass and Jim leaves the faction, and Jill is promoted to take his place. Foo now needs to remove Jim from the faction and chance Jill's access. First, he removes Jim from the access list by doing the following:
/msg chanserv access #SotL del Jim

Now that Jim is deleted, Foo now needs to add Jill. Easy as pie. He does it by doing the following:
/msg chanserv access #SotL add Jill 50

[edit] Moderating your channel

So now Foo has his channel, and its set up the way he wants it. Now his faction has taken the flag of some other faction and Tim, a member of said faction, has joined #SotL and is making trouble. What to do? Well, the first thing Foo tries to to kick Tim. He does this by doing the following:
/kick #SotL Tim

Well, that didn't work, all that kicking Tim did was making him more virulent. Well, time to ban Tim. By using the handy /whois command, Foo has learned that Tim is Tim@nw-42B45DEF.fictional.net. Being as Foo wants to make this a secure ban, he will ban *!Tim@*.fictional.net This is not entirely secure, but Foo does not want to ban everyone else from fictional.net. Foo then does the following:
/mode #SotL +b *!Tim@*.fictional.net /kick #SotL Tim

Well, now Tim is gone, and a few days later the ban is removed. Then the other faction raids Foo's faction again, and now Tim is back, as virulent as ever, and this time he's gloating. Foo has had it. Foo then adds Tim to the akick list by doing the following:
/msg chanserv akick #SotL add *!Tim@*.fictional.net

And Tim is gone, this time for good. And if he comes back, well, the akick list is still there.

[edit] Channels of Note

Still need help? Want to talk to other people who play NW? Here are some important channels that you may be interested in:

• #nexus - The central channel for the game; can be spammy or flamey at times.
• #help - If you are having problems with IRC or the services, or just need help from an IRCop, this is the channel for you
• #newbie - If you are just starting out to the game, or simply need advice, this is the channel for you