Directly connecting is the way to join a server without having to find it listed in the GameSpy listing.

It requires knowing the IP address of the server (typically in the form of four numbers separated by periods), and possibly the port used by the server (joined to the IP address with a colon). For example, the IP address of a server might look like 123.45.67.89:5201.

To directly connect to a server from within the game, one must start a multiplayer session ("Multiplayer" off the main menu), navigate to the server list ("Join LAN Game" or "Join Internet Game"), then click the "Direct Connect" button. This brings up a window into which the IP address of the server can be entered.

To directly connect to a server with a desktop shortcut (or via a command prompt), the command line of the shortcut needs to have the parameter "+connect" added, followed by the IP address and port of the server. For example, the command line might be nwmain.exe +connect 123.45.67.89:5201

for the regular client; for the DM client, the command line might be nwmain.exe -dmc +connect 123.45.67.89:5201

If a password is required for the server (as is usually the case with the DM client), it can be specified on the command line with the parameter "+password" followed by the password.