KickStarter Nox Archaist - 8-bit RPG for Apple II, Mac, and PC - now with Lord of Storms expansion

[Hirukai]

Here are my thoughts after about 20 hours. Overall, I really like it and anyone who is interested based on the screenshots should give it a try.

Positives:
+Great open overworld and underworld. Lots of fun to explore. I also enjoy that the maps you're given have basically no detail so it's exciting when you even find a new town.
+Story is compelling and well-done so far.
+UI is great, removes a lot of the rough edges that games from the late-80s had (although needing to quit the game to reload is annoying).
+Graphics and atmosphere are perfect.
+Economy seems well-balanced so far.

Neutral:
=the character-leveling doesn't seem to offer many possibilities. In some ways this is fine because it makes optimal builds easy to identify and there isn't a need to restart the game multiple times. However, I can't imagine replaying the game.

Negatives:
-Melee just seems so weak because you can only move one square per turn. I almost want to replace my two remaining melee fighters with ranged fighters.
-What makes melee even worse is that ranged weapons are very strong.
-Critical hits are too impactful. In close fights it feels like all my physical damage comes from crits.
-Overall, I don't find combat to be fun because of the above three points.
-I don't understand why magic is used in quick combat. These are suppose to be walk over fights, why would I want to waste MP?
-I also don't understand why there are no SKILLS for magic use. Everything else has one.

Maybe some of my complaints about combat will change in the late game and I'll reconsider my take on melee fighters. However, based on the weapons chart provided with the game, I don't see it.

 

[TigerKnee]

If someone has played both Realms of Antiquity and this game, can you give me a comparison between the two and which one you think you prefer? I only got enough in the budget for one of them.

 

[Jarpie]

Here are my thoughts after about 20 hours. Overall, I really like it and anyone who is interested based on the screenshots should give it a try.

Positives:
+Great open overworld and underworld. Lots of fun to explore. I also enjoy that the maps you're given have basically no detail so it's exciting when you even find a new town.
+Story is compelling and well-done so far.
+UI is great, removes a lot of the rough edges that games from the late-80s had (although needing to quit the game to reload is annoying).
+Graphics and atmosphere are perfect.
+Economy seems well-balanced so far.

Neutral:
=the character-leveling doesn't seem to offer many possibilities. In some ways this is fine because it makes optimal builds easy to identify and there isn't a need to restart the game multiple times. However, I can't imagine replaying the game.

Negatives:
-Melee just seems so weak because you can only move one square per turn. I almost want to replace my two remaining melee fighters with ranged fighters.
-What makes melee even worse is that ranged weapons are very strong.
-Critical hits are too impactful. In close fights it feels like all my physical damage comes from crits.
-Overall, I don't find combat to be fun because of the above three points.
-I don't understand why magic is used in quick combat. These are suppose to be walk over fights, why would I want to waste MP?
-I also don't understand why there are no SKILLS for magic use. Everything else has one.

Maybe some of my complaints about combat will change in the late game and I'll reconsider my take on melee fighters. However, based on the weapons chart provided with the game, I don't see it.

There's a spell to engage enemy, but yeah, ranged combat is pretty damn powerful, especially as ranged weapons also benefit from dex by getting to-hit bonus. This makes having more than one or two melee fighters wearing armor and heavy weapon kinda pointless. I'm not that far yet but why even have one really because you can get high dodge and high dex "thief" who can probably work as a tank, and hit more with dual wielding daggers?

Makes me wonder about builds for second half of the game. Heavy weapon + armor user not being as useful as other builds is nothing new though.

 

[Melan]

So far, my two fighters have been quite important in grinding up what remains after a volley of arrows. Missiles are good, but tougher foes tend to need some closer clobbering. Also, in a battle vs. spellcasters, quick-engaging them via spellcasting and chopping up the most dangerous foes is a lifesaver. Ranged combat is effective, but not as much as spamming magic axes in U4/U5.

 

[Ludwig von Eisenthal]

Finally got my CE. The feelies are of great quality and I really like the coin and the cloth map. However I have to say I'm a bit disappointed by the manual's cover quality. The image quality is perfect, but the surface has no finish/no protective plastic layer on top of it. I know that from some Amazon printed books. The problem is that it's extremely prone for fingerprints and stains. If you touch it with your hands not completely dry you get stains and I haven't found a way to remove them.

 

[Jarpie]

Finally got my CE. The feelies are of great quality and I really like the coin and the cloth map. However I have to say I'm a bit disappointed by the manual's cover quality. The image quality is perfect, but the surface has no finish/no protective plastic layer on top of it. I know that from some Amazon printed books. The problem is that it's extremely prone for fingerprints and stains. If you touch it with your hands not completely dry you get stains and I haven't found a way to remove them.

Try one of those very soft microfiber cloths which you can buy from any store, meant for cleaning mirrors etc, I've found that they're pretty good removing fingerprints etc from certain kind of paper they sometimes use in books.

 

[Ludwig von Eisenthal]

Finally got my CE. The feelies are of great quality and I really like the coin and the cloth map. However I have to say I'm a bit disappointed by the manual's cover quality. The image quality is perfect, but the surface has no finish/no protective plastic layer on top of it. I know that from some Amazon printed books. The problem is that it's extremely prone for fingerprints and stains. If you touch it with your hands not completely dry you get stains and I haven't found a way to remove them.

Try one of those very soft microfiber cloths which you can buy from any store, meant for cleaning mirrors etc, I've found that they're pretty good removing fingerprints etc from certain kind of paper they sometimes use in books.

Thanks for the advice, I'll try that.

 

[Luzur]

If ported for C64, im gonna get it.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.6502workshop.com/2021/01/release-news-shipping-update-steam-and.html

Release News, Shipping Update, Steam and more!

It's been quite a ride since game release on December 12. Including the Kickstarter and Preorders, we've sold over 1200 copies of Nox Archaist, which must count as some sort of record for a 40-year old computer platform. We've seen tweets by Steve Wozniak, Richard Garriott, Robert Woodhead, Burger Becky, Jason Scott, Matt Barton, and many others. There's cool merchandise in our store, and Nox is coming to Steam. Most importantly, we've got great news on the ship date.

Shipping Update
Work is nearly complete on the floppy version of Nox Archaist. The floppy disk version is in beta and we hope to wrap that up in just a couple of weeks. At that point we'll begin disk duplication and start boxing up games and shipping them to all remaining Kickstarter backers and our first-run Preorder backers. Our plan is to start shipment at the beginning of February and have everything shipped out by the end of the month. We know you've been eagerly awaiting your boxed copy and we'll do our best to ship as soon as possible.

Last Call for Address Changes
If your shipping address has changed, this is your last chance to update it. Please make any address changes by January 22 by contacting us at support@6502workshop.com. After that date, there's no guarantee that we will get the change in time before shipment.

If you backed our Kickstarter, see the Kickstarter version of this announcement for instructions on how to update your shipping address.

Game Update

In addition to fixing bugs, we've also listened to the feedback from the community. One feature request that we heard loud and clear is a way to flee during combat. We're excited to announce that we've now added a way to bravely run away! Look for an email coming soon with a download link. We'll also provide instructions on how to import your saved games to the new version. Moving forward, software updates will be for bug fixes only.

Share the Nox Love - Woz Did!

Were you part of Option2 and received your boxed set? Or do you have screenshots of game play? If so, we would encourage you to share them on social media. It's a great way to show off the game and it helps us get the word out. For Twitter posts, be sure to tag @6502Workshop and #NoxArchaist so we can "like" your post. Here are just a few of the many tweets about Nox:

Spoiler

Steam and GOG

Yes, you read that right. Nox Archaist is coming to the Steam game platform! We have our store page up and are planning to release on January 28. If you know people on Steam who might be interested, please ask them to add it to their wishlist. If you're on Steam, and would like to play Nox within the Steam platform, we'll be making free Steam keys available to all backers - details coming soon!

We're also hoping to get Nox Archaist up on the GOG (Good Old Games) site. But to do that, we need your help. Please head over to the GOG wishlist page and add your vote and maybe even a comment.





Merch!

If you thought the game was cool, wait until you take a look at the merchandise! Head on over to the Shop at Willy's to find adventure journals, posters, t-shirts, hats, bags, and more!


Join the Community

Want to talk about Nox Archaist with other players? Stuck on a quest? Have some advice for new players? If so, head over to the Nox Archaist Discord Server. Over 350 people have joined the Discord - come add your voice!

You can also join the fun by watching one of the many live streams of Nox:

• The Lost Sectors crew of Chris Freeman and Matt Herrick are streaming a full playthrough. Watch the first episode here and subscribe to get an alert for the next stream, Thursday January 24 at 9pm US Central time (GMT -6).

• On twitch, you can join Lady Ailuros as she battles her way through Nox Archaist. Follow her channel for alerts.

For both streams, you'll usually find one or more of the 6502 Workshop developers in the chat channel, giving advice and backseat driving.






As always, thanks for your support of Nox Archaist.

Until next time, keep your sword sharp, your spells memorized, and watch out for the Cult!


-Mark and the 6502 Workshop Team


Website - http://www.6502workshop.com
Discord - http://discord.noxarchaist.com
Twitter - @6502Workshop
Forums - http://forums.noxarchaist.com
Facebook - http://facebook.noxarchaist.com
Kickstarter - http://kickstarter.noxarchaist.com

 

[Hirukai]

Finished the game. My thoughts that I gave earlier in this thread didn't change that much. The game probably took around 50 hours. Part of that was grinding for xp, gold, and SKILLS.

In the end my party was 1 Melee, 3 Ranged, 2 Magic Users. As magic staffs are ranged attacks in this game (and two late game staffs are very powerful), this meant that in combat I had 1 melee and 5 ranged attacks. I probably wouldn't change anything if I did a replay.

Overall, the game was good even if it overstayed its welcome. I hope it does well in terms of sales and, as I said before, if you're intrigued by the screenshots and gameplay that you've seen, pick it up. In addition to the positives I had listed earlier in this thread, there were some nice surprises in the later part including weapons that weren't on the provided weapons sheet and a new method of travel that is hinted at in the manual but I won't spoil here. I also liked the 4 tile boss enemies.

The weakest part of the game was the combat. Melee enemies are never a real threat and your melee characters just aren't that useful either. Here's one example that highlights the issues (very minor spoilers here): On the first floor of the Thieves Guild you fight groups of Assassins. These are ranged enemies that can kill you in one shot with a crit. Maybe I was too underleveled but this was very annoying to fight. Lots of reloads. On the next floor you fight Master Assassins. These are melee enemies that can also kill you in one shot with a crit. Given their name and where you encounter them, you'd expect they'd be more difficult than regular Assassins. However, they are way easier to take out as you can just cast the low-level summon skeletons spell to block their path. They'll spend all their turns attacking the skeletons and never be able to reach you before your ranged attacks take them out. Even without the summon spell, you can usually take most of them out before they reach your front lines.

Other minor gripes and observations:
-The items menu (4) becomes so long late in the game. Would have been nice to have it broken down into categories like keys, books, gems, etc.
-Characters waste MP in quick combat. Aside from some grinding I stopped using quick combat because of that.
-Quitting to reload.
-When portcullises are open there should be an open portcullis tile rather than the portcullis just completely disappearing. This would make certain areas/puzzles less confusing.
-A castle filled with jesters. Ugh.
-The directions from a scroll you find that is key to the plot were a bit confusing even though I knew what location it was referring to. Had to just do a brute force door search.
-Travel just becomes so easy about halfway through the game, you have portals everywhere.
-Spell info doesn't tell you the MP cost.
-No buffs/debuffs aside from Mage Armor.
-A strange thing in this game is that characters get xp even if they're dead.
-The last battle, while slightly more difficult than the other ones, wasn't very interesting.

 

[Abu Antar]

Game is confirmed for GOG release.

 

[Infinitron]

Codex GOTY gets some respect: https://www.6502workshop.com/2021/01/nox-archaist-launches-on-steam-and-gog.html

Nox Archaist Launches on Steam and GOG!



STEAM & GOG LAUNCH
We are pleased to announce that Nox Archaist will launch on both Steam and GOG on January 28th!



Add us to your wishlist to get an alert!



NOX ARCHAIST VOTED IN TOP 10

Members of the RPG CODEX voted Nox Archaist as one of the top 10 RPGs of 2020, which put us in competition with all RPGs not just retro games.






Mark Lemmert on Geek's Guide to the Galaxy

Nox Archaist lead developer Mark Lemmert and David L. Craddock, author of David L. Craddock, author of Break Out: How the Apple II Launched the PC Gaming Revolution are guests on Geek's Guide to the Galaxy Episode 450, which is also discussed in an article on wired.com.

Along with host David Barr Kirtley, they talk about numerous topic including how gaming has changed since the 1980s, the importance of feelies in games, and personal experiences with Oregon Trail, Ultima, and more!

 

[Aemar]

Codex GOTY gets some respect:

It somehow gets respect even though it's not exactly the official poll, as the nominations were put forth only by one person. As I said before, indie devs take pride when their projects get acknowledged, so you people should actually consider organizing a REAL Codex GOTY poll next time. This shit is serious business.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[V_K]

Released on Steam.

 

[Jinn]

And discounted too.

I feel of all places on the internet, here is where something like this should be getting a bit more attention. Who else is getting this today?

 

[Infinitron]

And on GOG too: https://af.gog.com/game/nox_archaist?as=1649904300

 

[680x0]

Picket it up and Yakuza Remastered collection

 

[Bara]

Minor complaint I wish the text didn't have this slight blur to it when using the colored graphics modes. Thankfully black and white text is a lot more legible for me so that fixes it.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Just saw the gog ads. Cool.

 

[Fowyr]

It somehow gets respect even though it's not exactly the official poll, as the nominations were put forth only by one person. As I said before, indie devs take pride when their projects get acknowledged, so you people should actually consider organizing a REAL Codex GOTY poll next time. This shit is serious business.

I especially like that in the original felipepepe's poll this game was absent and added only after Infinitron's ribbing.
BTW, Infinitron, where is Note on the Outskirts' news item? Game was released a month ago.

 

[Sacibengala]

Got it on GOG at last!

 

[Jinn]

More people should be playing this. Definitely the best open world RPG of 2020, and one of the best RPGs of the year for sure. Planning on writing a little mini review for both here and steam soon, but if anyone has specific questions about the game in the meantime, I'd be happy to try to answer them. I've got about 10 hours in my playthrough so far.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

More people should be playing this. Definitely the best open world RPG of 2020, and one of the best RPGs of the year for sure.

"Nox Archaist - 8-bit RPG for Apple II, Mac, and PC"

No support for Commodore 64 or the Amiga.

 

[Jinn]

No support for Commodore 64 or the Amiga.

Yeah, it's a shame, but oh well. The guy wanted to create the kind of game he played when he was younger on the system that he played them on, except better and with some modern sensibilities. He succeeded and it's great. While the platform (or emulator of said platform) is lacking, the content and overall charm is great.