Before we begin, ensure a copy of mIRC 6.03 is installed on your computer. This version of mIRC was the last version that allowed for an "unlimited" trial period; recent versions require you to register your copy of mIRC after the 30 day trial period expires. While it is recommended that you register and use the latest version of mIRC, it is counterproductive to the low-cost entertainment value of PBEM RPGs. If you wish to use mIRC 6.03 and cannot find a copy of the installer, please contact a Wyvern admin (Kadiri, Shio, or Lenslow) for additional details.

The directory where mIRC is installed is not important. Install the program where you wish (or the default installation directory, if you so choose); it would be a good idea to write down your installation directory in case you lose the program shortcut later on. During Installation, a shortcut to the program should be added to your Windows Start Menu.

1. When you start the mIRC client program, a "mIRC Options" dialog box appears. This dialong box allows you to set options such as which server to connect to, and provide information such as your name, email address, and which Nicknames (sometimes called "handles") you wish to use on the server.

2. Start by entering your "Full Name," "Email Address," "Nickname," and "Alternative" nickname in the field boxes provided. Note that your real name and email address is not required, although the email address will need to be in the proper email format. The Nickname and Alternative fields represent the unique name you wish to log onto the server with; if your Nickname is taken by another user, the Alternate nick will be tried. (This is not the same as registering nicknames, which will be covered later. The Nickname is considered "taken" if another user is currently logged into the server with that Nickname.)

   We recommend checking the box for "Invisible Mode," this hides your online presence from those who are not in a chatroom with you.



3. Look for ChatCircuit in the IRC Network dropdown box. There should be a single entry in the larger drop-down box below it after ChatCircuit is selected, "ChatCircuit: Random Server." If it does not exist, you can add the server by clicking the "Add" button at the top of the dialog box. Otherwise, click the "edit" button beside the Random Server field to verify that the information is up to date.
   

   Description: ChatCircuit: Random Server
   IRC Server: irc.chatcircuit.com
   Port(s): 6667,7000
   Group: ChatCircuit

   Leave the Password field blank.

   

4. Click "OK." This will return you to the mIRC Options dialog, with your recently added server selected in the server dropdown box. If it does not, select ChatCircuit from the drop-down box again, or repeat these steps.

5. Click the Connect to IRC Server button. The mIRC options dialog will close, and the client will connect to the IRC server.

1. When you connect to the server for the first time, a dialog box listing several common channels will pop up. This dialog is not server-specific, and most of these channels will be empty on the ChatCircuit network. It is recommended that you uncheck the "Pop-up folder on connect" box at the bottom of the window and click "OK" to close the window.

   

2. Take a moment to scroll up on the server status window, and read the "Message of the Day" and news alerts provided by the administrators of the IRC server that we use. The "MOTD" includes a list of the server rules. As the Wyvern members are just guests on the server, please be sure to follow all the rules; should you be banned by an IRC operator ("IRCop"), we may not be able to get the ban lifted.

   A copy of the rules can be found on the server's homepage as well.

3. At the bottom of the server status window, there is a field to enter text; this should be active by default once you close the Channel Folder dialog. Enter in /join #uss-firestorm in this dialog box to join the channel.

4. Welcome to the channel! You are now ready to begin chatting with your fellow game members.

Let's face it, not everyone is in a position to install new software on their computers, or have other reasons not to install mIRC on their personal computers. Some anti-spyware programs flag mIRC a potential hazard, for example, since many backdoor trojans use IRC as a means to transmit their backdoor information to their creator.

There are two primary alternatives to installing a stand-alone IRC client such as mIRC on your computer. Both options are web-browser based JAVA applets, and therefore require that you have a version of JAVA installed.

1. The first option is hosted on ds10.org, and is connected to the phpBB forums. This is a full-featured JAVA IRC client, which supports tabbed windows and most IRC comments. In order to make use of this client, you need to have an account on the ds10.org forums; the client will use this username to generate your IRC nickname. The client will automatically log you into the chat server, and connect you to the #uss-firestorm channel.

2. The second option is a JAVA-base chat client hosted on chatcircuit.com, the service hosting the chat channel the USS Wyvern group uses. While this client does not offer as many features as the client hosted on ds10.org, many users have found that the ChatCircuit client works where the ds10.org client does not. You will need to manually enter a username and the channel information every time you use this chat client.

Setup notes: first, enter your user name. Right below the user name field is another text field, with "ChaTcIRCuiT" already filled in. A drop-down box below that box also contains "ChaTcIRCuiT," but ignore this drop-down box. Enter #uss-firestorm in the Channel text field. After this is done, you can chat by clicking the button marked "Connect Now!"