The 1999 route
In Nov. 1999, an OSI encryption change forced Novus to lock players to client 1.26.01. The instructions told players to edit login.cfg, point it at the shard on port 2593, and run client.exe rather than uo.exe.
By Jan. 2000 the shard had moved through clients 1.26.2b and 1.26.4b. NOS Verdata.mul v0.1b added Novus hues, “Seer Purple,” and new interface art. In Nov. 2000, official news said Novus stopped redistributing the client after legal contact from EA.
The modern route
Redux uses ClassicUO through the NOS Connector. The goal is simple: keep the shard profile, supported Novus files, and client version together so players do not have to reconstruct an installation from old forum attachments and mirrors.
The Connector is also the boundary between current Redux access and historical material. Original launchers, account pages, credentials, and recovered client bundles are not a path into the modern shard.
What support needs
For a failed launch, the useful report contains the Connector version, ClassicUO version, Windows version, exact error, and failed step. Passwords, tokens, historical credentials, and unrelated personal files do not belong in a report.
The launcher has changed. The destination is still Britain.