In the museum of Nostos, thousands of memories are sealed.
How many stories are hidden, behind the prosperity of Nostos?

Tonight is the night of the Nostos Anecdotes Museum.
Witness the love and enthusiasm in the latest developments from the development team.



Battle system development is strict and dangerous. To develop realistic weapon handling, the Nostos Celestial develop Team has been paying extreme attention to each and every weapon test—
While testing the latest grenade, even the developers were astonished by its explosive power. The grenade exploded into flames 2.6666 seconds after being thrown, the powerful blast it created was capable of sending the nearby vehicle flying back several meters.


Other special weapons, including a flamethrower, are also under development. The flamethrower is capable of launching superheated flames in a wide radius, making it a powerful weapon against Coral Seas and Little Ogens.


An auto-spinning version was developed by the develop team to increase the user’s safety. This version also improved the flamethrower’s stability and flexibility.


We've never stopped exploring the mysterious world of Nostos. To improve the smoothness of the walking system, the developers have put a lot of thought into it.
Once during a movement test — when the developer moved forward, Alniyat suddenly turned into a twisted posture. It was a very interesting development indeed. As the developer stopped moving, Alniyat fell to the ground head first.


The development was not all smooth sailing — in a crash test, the car accidentally ramped into the developer as he tried to shoot it to make it stop, leaving behind a trail of flashing sparks.


One of the developers likes to wander across the plain in his leisure time, he calls it a "romantic experience". Once he unexpectedly ran across a familiar figure — who turned out it to be the producer.


The diversity of species helps to provide a vivid and living Nostos. Sometimes, the develop team may come across surprise findings.
Speaking of which, this is a "swelling" Gnarca. Startled by the appearance of Gnarca, the developer missed his shot and tipped over a cup of coffee at 2 am. This Gnarca then became popular among the team.


Pets can cure our hearts. All the female members of the develop team fell for its tenderness when Lupus smiled. The fatigue of the day seemed to fade away in an instant.


All these tiny miracles have made our Nostos into reality.
We hope Nostos can become a wonderful world in your hearts, Settlers.

If you are a fan of exploring and ready to find out the truth, don't hesitate.
Come to our official website and subscribe for the open beta.
Let’s look forward to exploring Nostos again.

Hi Guys!

It's been a long time!

Nostos will hold a four-day-long Beta Test on both PC and VR platform from September 5, 0AM to September 9,0AM in 2019 [PDT]. And we will pick 5 Beta Testers randomly from the comments of this forum post.


Cross-platform plan for Beta
PC：Steam
VR：Steam、Vive-Port、Oculus Home

Supported Devices (PC&VR Minimum Requirement)

High Quality
i7 9700K + 16G + 1080Ti
Medium Quality
i5 8400K + 16G + 1080
Low Quality
i5 4590K + 8G + 1060



Gameplay
1. Nostos in Alpha Test is more like a sandbox game since players explored the world without a clear and specific aim. We will release 2 main missions (about 2 hours) and expand our map for Beta Test to bring players a richer gaming experience.
2. Other gameplay we promised before like motorbike will come out as well.
3. Some brand-new side missions will appear randomly for every tester!



Graphic
1. Beta Testers could experience the rainy and snowy day like the real world.
2. Lighting will appear randomly which is in conformance with the real life.
3. The graphic in Beta Test is more exquisite and detailed, players could enjoy the clouds, moss and flowers this time, which will do bring them a better gaming experience.





Optimization
1. Fixed problems players met in Alpha Test and updated a series of setting according to their suggestions, like interface interaction, climbing sense of reality and the interaction with in-game NPC.
2. The gaming experience in Beta Test is more immersive. Players could chase after fireflies, observe animals expressions and talk with NPC at this time.




Pre-rigister:
https://nostos.163.com/register/

You can also check more detailed info about Nostos through our social media pages:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Nostosgame
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/nostosgame
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdVw_H_MO-oax619ja-Rngw
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/nostos_vrgame/
Discord:
discord.gg/W5DTR7j



Welcome to enjoy the 10km² immersive open-world on quite different platforms with your friends! And don't forget to leave your comments! Beta keys await!

Based on your comments last time, we chose 'climbing' as the topic for the latest entry of our Developer Update! We recently interviewed Nostos' developers, programmers, and artists about their effort on Nostos Climbing system. This is what they have to say about climbing in Nostos.



Game developers are the designers of Nostos. They are responsible for designing all of the game's parameters, from the overall gameplay to the arc at which an arrow should be shot. They have devoted a huge amount of time to testing and experimenting the most feasible parameters for climbing, including suitable terrain, actions, rules, and speed.

Programmers are the doers and are responsible for making dreams come true. They have committed their energies to figuring out how to technically realize the developer's concept of climbing.



The most challenging issue programmers encountered has been UI interaction, which was also the toughest area that the Nostos team has been working on. The climbing systems on the PC and in VR adopts two different algorithms but shares the same character controller.



Programmers also needs to ensure the two platforms are completely compatible with each other and guarantee gaming fairness and experience on both platforms. In other words, they must ensure that VR and PC share the same functions while retaining VR's features. Therefore, the overall complexity of this endeavor is much larger than that of separately developing two interactive systems.

Recently, many efforts have been made in addressing the issue of multiplayer internet synchronization.

Artists are members of the Nostos family you are probably most familiar with at this stage. They have not only brought us cute animals like Anzu ,Minko, Fennec, but also many intricately designed character actions. For example, how a player's body moves when climbing horizontally and vertically or what movement should the body perform under different situations. After all, moving on a cliff is quite different from walking up and down hills.

The details of the game are more significant in VR perspective! And the artists need to create spontaneous and vivid actions with limited buget at the same time. This is also a big problem the team have to solve for a long time :D







Thanks to all your constant support and excuese for Nostos. As a brand-new game genre, Nostos has a lot of room for improvement. During the course of development, the development team has encountered many unprecedented and challenging problems, which, as we mentioned above is part of the development process.

Your comments and messages on Nostos' social media pages are very motivating. Since Nostos is still in development, we do hope that our players interested in the game can know more about stories behind Nostos with us together.

The Alpha Test will be the first time Nostos meet the public after the Gamescom, we are nerves but expectant for your feedback. We welcome your suggestions to build a better Nostos. Let's create a fun gaming experience tgt.

Dear players,

Thanks for your care and support to Nostos. Below are the answers of the questions and suggestions we collected from our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtue and Steam in this period~ Let’s check them out tgt!

Q: Can we create in-game items by ourselves?
A: Yes, but you need to find the blueprint scattered around the world.

Q: Will Nostos have four different seasons?
A: Yes, the four seasons in game are converted according to the real time.( 1s game time = 1/60s real time).

Q: Are the furniture and weapons you showed represent all the weapons and furniture in Nostos?
A: Nope, we will release more info about other in-game items~ And we also will develop snipers.

Q: Whether players could create our own characters? Like changing the hair, eyes, facial shape and gender?
A: We will consider to add it into further updates, but we wish players could experience the stories we created for specific characters.

Q: Will nostos have trading system? E.g. I can be a someone who create weapons and sell to the people for objects or money if they have in the game
A : We will consider about this suggestion, but the balance of every world should be guaranteed at first.


Q: Is Oculus Quest available when Nostos is released?
A：Nostos will launch on Oculus Store in Q3, while the schedule of Oculus Quest should later than PS4.

Q: Will full-body Vr tracking be achievable?
A: Temporarily no, we will only support the IK of upper body,


Please be free to leave your questions and suggestions in the future, we are always willing to communicate with you!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nostosgame
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nostosgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdVw_H_MO-oax619ja-Rngw
Ins: https://www.instagram.com/nostos_vrgame/
Official site: http://nostos.163.com/index.html

Interviewee: Michi Hana (Lead Artist) and her selfie

“The expression of art is not straightforward or mechanical. I’d like to display Nostos’ look, cultural features, and stories in a pleasant way.”

When choosing the art style, we rejected a realistic style due to the uncanny valley effect and performance consumption of VR and felt that the low-quality model or pixel style lacked sufficient expression. After a period of testing and adjustments, we finally decided to adopt the oriental Animated Film style.

It possesses traditional celluloid graphics and a watercolor-like atmosphere. The bright, fresh colors and wide scenes help to relieve dizziness while playing VR. All of these are perfectly integrated with our team’s original idea about Nostos and corresponds with the player’s experience requirements for VR games.





We created many resplendent scenes in the game to highlight the loneliness felt in this apocalyptic world. In regards to characters, we placed an emphasis on the cultural features of Nostos. Some sci-fi and fairytale elements were added when depicting the historical relics and Celestials. And we tried our best to build and present a complete ecological chain consisting of animals and plants. As we mentioned in the Community’s post, each kind of animal on Nostos has its own habits and even their own natural enemy.



We hope, with these meticulous designs and graphics, to display a vivid Nostos to players, and that the art of Nostos is not a straightforward and mechanical design created to satisfy functional demands but is a unique style that facilitates storytelling.



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nostosgame
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nostosgame
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdVw_H_MO-oax619ja-Rngw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nostos_vrgame/

http://nostos.163.com/index.html

Interviewee: SHUI GE

We have released a series of pictures and details of Nostos on our social media sites; the focus of which has been on the development team and their designs for the game. So, for this installment we have invited the producer from Nosto, SHUI GE to introduce the world of Nostos from within the development team and the content they hope to present to players.

“Nostos is not a typical MMORPG. I prefer to describe Nostos as a multiplayer open-world survival game. The theme of Nostos is ‘EXPLORE’.”

Sandbox games allow players to create content. The high degree of freedom and possibility associated with sandbox games saves game developers time on many details that are not all that important, enabling us to pay more attention on issues like gameplay, which will inevitably improve the gaming experience. We have also realized that VR games, due to their ability to further immerse gamers into the game, are the future of the game.

When I was looking at possible game genres for Nostos, I thought to myself, “Why don’t we combine these two promising game genres together,and present the sandbox genre in a VR environment, creating a fascinating world with a higher degree of freedom?



We chose “EXPLORE” and “SURVIVAL” as the themes for Nostos because we hope players will be able to explore freely in-game and enjoy its content. Nostos focuses on PvE and is set 1000 years after the collapse of human civilization. In a world that is now wild and isolate, players need to explore the land with friends, discover historical sites and the remains of war, build shelters and fight against “Coralseas”, gradually uncovering the truth hidden by time and revealing stories of hope and regret that once took place in this mysterious and desolate land.



We initially considered choosing post-apocalyptic as the game’s theme, which is currently a popular subject. But we wanted to bring a more relaxed, enjoyable gaming experience to gamers instead of the typical dark and depressing elements found in traditional post-apocalyptic game. We decided to incorporate Animated Film to brighten up the world of Nostos.



We are also striving to add plenty of fun gameplay and game modes to Nostos to make exploring more interesting. It is not uncommon for players to be at a loss in some sandbox games, so the game has added a central storyline. In addition, players are free to choose how they develop and how the game progresses.



Randomly occurring events and side-quests, and even the randomly changing ecosystem and the distribution of vegetation will bring a fresh gaming experience to players every time they enter the world of Nostos.

In the future we will share gameplay content on our social media pages, so stay tuned!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nostosgame
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nostosgame
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdVw_H_MO-oax619ja-Rngw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nostos_vrgame/

http://nostos.163.com/index.html

It’s been a while since last Episode of "You Ask, We Answer" was released. Below are the answers of the questions we collected from our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and Steam in this period~ Let’s check them out!


Q: Will this game allow PvP with other players when in the wild?
A: Nostos focuses on PvE more, while we are also planning how to add PvP mode into our gameplay. We are considering adding PVP mode in the middle& later period now. Some players will play as the intruders who enter other players’ world to fulfill some task, and the original players need to stop them. The winners will receive rewards (Still TBD). We are very willing to receive suggestions from you guys.

Q: Are you guys considering making story elements? You know having quests available to everybody, but only one person of the team can complete them, which then changes the story/world slightly?
A: The player who create the world need to achieve your storyline. And other players come to this world could help him/her with that.

Q: Is Nostos a MMORPG? So far third party online sources for the game gave the impression that it was to be more so a MMORPG but then the Q&A says only a max of 20 people.
A: Individual in classic MMO is not very important since they have thousands players in one world. We hope every player in Nostos could enjoy as much recourse as possible.


Q:Will there be a leveling system?
A: Yep, but when you create an new world, everything will be reset~

Q: I assume that the game will feature free locomotion and free rotation with the controllers, right?
A: Yes, rotation relies more on the rotate of the real you, and there will also exist hot key for rotation.

Q: Will the game contain some sort of magic aspect with attacks, buffs, and debuffs?
A: According to the setting of Nostos, we rely on the scientific rather than magic :)

Q: How will you balance different class (like worrier and archer)?
A: We won’t set class limitation, players can use any weapon they like.


Q: Seeing the bike move I felt like it needed a bit more weight on the rear part of it, maybe it's just me?
A: We won’t change the design of this part, as players can carry people or goods through the rear part of it.

Q:Will it be possible to use guns and melee weapons while riding vehicles?
A: Passengers can, but the driver can't use it.


Really thank you for all your patience and attention in this period, and we also hope to receive more feedback from our audience. Please keep being free to leave your questions and suggestions in the future, we are always willing to communicate with you!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nostosgame
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nostosgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdVw_H_MO-oax619ja-Rngw
Ins: https://www.instagram.com/nostos_vrgame/
Official site: http://nostos.163.com/index.html

Hi, everyone!

Today we are going to introduce you the weapons of Nostos! They are important items for exporing and surviving in this world. Let's see what is inside the designers’ weird brains!
https://youtu.be/68O1f9mCCu0

Btw, We will continually reveal more information from the development team and share them with you. So, leave your comments and tell us what you want to know!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nostosgame
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nostosgame
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdVw_H_MO-oax619ja-Rngw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nostos_vrgame/
Official Website: http://nostos.163.com/index.html

Nostos Devs Team

Hi everyone!

We’ve received a lot of questions and suggestions from you on Steam, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Thank you so much for your support! We hope to be sure that our answers reach all of you, so here it is:


Q: Which platforms will Nostos release on? How about cross-platform?
A: Both PC and VR platforms (STEAM VR, HTC VIVEPORT, PSVR and OCULUS STORE). Players can play with others from different platforms no matter PC or VR.

Q: When will Nostos be full released?
A: In Q3 of 2019

Q: Why can’t I find many information about Nostos online?
A: Nostos is still at its early stage which far from full release and extensive publicity. But we has also attended Gamescom 2018 and there were also some professional game media like Gamasutra, VentureBeat, Upload VR and Road to VR reported the news about Nostos before.


Q: What is the open world size? Is there a story campaign?
A: It is 10km X10km and will expanding with the development of this game. And we wish to create an open world for players where you will play the game with some purposes and stories rather than a simple sandbox game.

Q: What is the client and server of Nostos?
A: Our client and server is Unity and SPOS respectively.

Q: What is the version of your unity? Is Nostos built on SpatialOS?
A: Our unity version is 2018.2 currently and will be updated in the future. And yes, it is built on SpatiaIOS.


Q: Nostos is first person or third person game.
A: It is first person VR Game.

Q: How many people can play the game together?
A: Up to 20 people, but we recommend 4 to 6 people team.

Q: Will Nostos offer transportation like airplane?
A: Yes, we will offer players a plethora of interesting vehicles.

Q: Can we fishing, hunting and climbing the tree in Nostos?
A: We will consider fishing in the next period. Hunting and other actions like camping and climbing have already been confirmed to be achieved.

Q: Can I say “Hi” and wave my hand to passengers in other vehicles when I am driving?
A: Yes, you can talk with others at any time and any situation~ while say hello with other players with action can only be achieved on VR platform.

Q: Will blocking and dodging attacks be as important as striking/shooting?
A: Blocking is very important as you can use shield or some other items to block the attack in Nostos. While due to the intense movement in VR game is not easy for players, the effect of dodging will be reduced to some extent.

Q: What does each season mean for the player in the game? Different threats, food matter. Can we find rare items in different climates?
A: There are various seasons in which will influence the growth of plants and even ecosystem. You will also face a serious of problems these season bring to you.

Q: Can we crafting and upgrading weapons and armour?
A: Weapon upgrading will be achieved in the game. We will also provide players a series of armours.

Q: I don't want the combat to be repetitive. Dynamic combat would be better
A: No worries! As we are VR game, the combat is definitely real-time and dynamic.


That’s all for this time! Be sure to follow our social channels:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nostosgame
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nostosgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdVw_H_MO-oax619ja-Rngw
Ins: https://www.instagram.com/nostos_vrgame/
Official site: http://nostos.163.com/index.html

Hi, everyone! We are the development team for Nostos and through this series of Developer Updates, we hope to share with you some of the cool things we are working on as we develop the game. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for coming along for the ride!

Talking about rides, we always planned to add all kinds of vehicles into the world of Nostos, because, let’s be honest, it’s so much fun burning rubber in a VR open world environment! Today, we are giving everyone a sneak peek at our prototype motorbike. Well, it’s actually a maglev bike. Driving a car in VR is one thing, but just wait until you try out this speed demon as you open her up on the open, virtual highway.

The Truck revealed earlier in screenshots.

We absolutely love the end design. It’s a maglev bike that is built using the remains from a plane engine and is stabilized using wood. Well, the explorers are scavengers after all and they probably couldn’t find any masking tape; don’t judge, guys. It’s perfect for our explorers and brings to life the reality of their existence as scavengers; they gotta make use of what’s lying around, right?

The design is looking good and so is our designer

First, we tested the physical mechanics of the bike to make sure that it behaves like a bike in real life.

This image is used only to demonstrate the bike’s controls and does not represent game quality.

Next, we painstakingly transferred this mechanism to the VR platform, including simulating realistic controls and optimizing shock absorption to prevent dizziness. We spent a lot of time tweaking with the mechanics to give the gamer a more natural experience. As of now, our maglev bike is running smoothly in the VR environment and some of our daredevil team members have even performed some challenging maneuvers.

The maglev bike really is a brilliant idea. The feeling of hovering above the ground is amazing. And, after those tweaks we mentioned, you don’t feel at all dizzy.


VR platform demonstration
https://youtu.be/tuDt1spkU2o

The development of the maglev motorcycle is still in its infancy. There are still many resources that need to be created, and details to be adjusted but it is worth it. I’m sure that everyone will love the end product when the game is released!