Nox Archaist, an Ultima V inspired Apple II RPG, released today!

Discussion in 'Fire Lotus Tavern' started by Kailef, Dec 12, 2020.

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  1. Kailef

    Kailef Master Bard

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    It's been five years and a lot of work in the making, but I'm really excited to announce that the programming team I belong to, 6502 Workshop, has just completed and released our first game, Nox Archaist.

    The game is written to run on an 8-bit Apple //e, IIc, or IIgs computer, just like the early Ultima games! That said you don't need an Apple II to run it, it comes packaged with an emulator that lets you run the game on a Windows or MacOS based computer.

    Speaking of the early Ultima games, Lord British appears as an important NPC in this game! You may find a number of other familiar faces if you search hard enough. This game looks and feels a lot like what we imagine Ultima VI would have looked like if development continued on the Apple II after Ultima V.

    Anyhow, I'm really proud of this game, and if you hold a soft spot in your heart for the Apple II or the earlier Ultima games, I invite you to take a look! (Besides game design, I also did the vocals for the video trailer below, as well as the in-game vocals. Yes, in-game vocals on an Apple II. Cool, huh?)



    By the way, this isn't a Kickstarter - The game is complete, released, and can be ordered immediately! We've got a digital-only version, as well as a standard and collector's edition boxed set that very much feels like what you'd get off the shelf at your local computer store at the tail end of the 1980s.

    I hope you check it out.
     
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  2. Traveller13

    Traveller13 Bug Hunter

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    Got my KS digital download today.
     
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  3. Wilfred

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    Wow! Can you actually play through this game on a real Apple II ?
     
  4. Kailef

    Kailef Master Bard

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    Yup. It's written in 6502 Assembly and runs on real Apple II hardware! There's probably not too many people who still have an Apple II sitting on their desks, but if they do, it'll work without emulation, straight out of the box!

    This was something I always wanted to do back in the 80s but it just never came to fruition. I loved the early Ultima games so much that I applied (unsuccessfully) for job with Origin Systems once I was old enough. It was my dream work for Lord British and write an Ultima game. Through my work with Portalarium writing music for SotA, and with 6502 Workshop designing Nox Archaist, that dream managed to come true, albeit about 25 or 30 years later than I had hoped. :)
     
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  5. Wilfred

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    Nice!

    That is really amazing! I'll have to pick up a copy. :)
     
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  6. Barugon

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    Who has a working Apple II?
     
  7. Kailef

    Kailef Master Bard

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    Not a lot, when contrasted with the number of people that have a PlayStation, but more than you might think! There's a fairly sizable retro computing subculture out there. I am personally in a FB group of about five thousand Apple II users from around the world. However, since the game come with a custom emulator that runs on Mac or PC, it's certainly not a requirement to have an Apple II.
     
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  8. Floors

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    I love that you can swim right out of the gate. That is a big improvement over the original ultimas.
     
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  9. Ffred

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    Nox Archaist lead dev here - thank you! I'm glad to hear you like that. While standing on the shoulders of giants, there were a number of nice improvements we were able to make including menu driven inventory management, tab-to-switch targeting in combat, both a quick combat and tactical combat option, and more.

    Thanks for your interest!
     
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  10. Floors

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    It's a great game so far ! Nice job. Really enjoying the nostalgia.
     
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  11. Traveller13

    Traveller13 Bug Hunter

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    Raises hand. 37 years and still going.
     
  12. Kailef

    Kailef Master Bard

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    Some of you might find this interesting. This is our intrepid logistics manager Chris Torrence toiling away at the relatively thankless job of assembling, shrink-wrapping, and shipping all of the Nox Archaist boxes. Take a look, I suspect you'll be reminded an Ultima IV or V box!

    [
     
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  13. necronut

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    Not an rpg, and not Apple ][e, but David Murray, "The 8Bit Guy" on youtube, also a Texan, developed Planet X2, a recent game, for Commodore64, and is working on the sequel now, "Planet X3" for DOS. You guys might really enjoy his youtube content, I've been a long time subscriber and can't recommend him enough. https://www.youtube.com/user/adric22
     
  14. Kailef

    Kailef Master Bard

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    David Murray is one of our Kickstarter backers, and we're actually hoping that he does a video about the game. :)
     
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  15. Traveller13

    Traveller13 Bug Hunter

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    I received my sets today. Pictures to follow.
     
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  16. Kailef

    Kailef Master Bard

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    Awesome. What do you think of the overall quality of the box and materials? Personally I think it feels very much like the quality you'd get from an Ultima game from the late 80s or early 90s, but as one of the dev team I'm probably a little bit biased. So, I really like to hear the opinions of others. Can't wait to see the pictures!
     
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  17. Traveller13

    Traveller13 Bug Hunter

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    I opened the standard box, as opposed to the collector's box. All was good. I understand the paper map was a cost savings.

    Standard box unpacked: 4 disks, 1 manual, 1 post card, 1 USB stick, 1 sticker, a paper map. The collector's box is still in the wrapper on the left.
    [​IMG]

    Nox Archaist splash screen on my almost 38 year old Apple //e, displayed on an equally old color composite monitor. This is the first new commercial software to run on the machine since Ultima V in 1988.
    [​IMG]
     
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