By Quintin Smith on October 15th, 2010 at 5:50 pm.
It was almost this time last year that we covered indie retro world-building MMOG Neverdaunt 8Bit (or “N8″). Back then I wrote this: “I like that N8′s distinctive and deliberately basic art style allows player-created content to immediately look at home in the world.” Does that sound AT ALL FAMILIAR, readers?
Anyway, N8 and its community have been quietly evolving ever since then. If you haven’t explored this curio yet, there’s no time like the present. Let me tell you about it!
But first I’m gonna save myself a lot of work and make you watch the new trailer. That should give you a sense of N8′s tone and what it’s doing.
The way N8 works is that the whole world is divided into cells, and in each of these cells is a big Japanese-style Shrine. If you can get close enough to attack that Shrine, you gain ownership and editing privileges within that cell, whereupon your first step should be to build some kind of defense so nobody else can easily attack and take it. Your Shrine will also generate Tokens for you, which can be used to buy powers and bombs from the game’s shop.
When I poked around N8 back in 2009, it was comparatively barren to what it’s like now. Between new content ranging from enemies and bosses to fish mines (where you go fishing by breaking fish out of rocks with your sword) and electrical circuitry, simply wandering the world of N8 and seeing what everyone’s made has become even more of a pleasure. The world’s also developing a somewhat skewed, 8bit history, with various ‘Actor Player Characters‘ being described like local legends. At one point I came across a building that was signposted as being from an older version of the N8. In tirbute, it had been kept perfectly preserved. I also came across a building that lured me in and promptly buried me on the underside of the world, but I’d rather not talk about that.
The future developments planned for N8 all sound pretty great. With alliances, ships, shields and guns all being part of the plan, it’s likely that players will break off to develop their own islands and wage war on their neighbours. I think when ships get introduced, I’ll absolutely be starting/joining an RPS clan. If you’re interested, you can start playing N8 right here, and if you’re not a trial-and-error kind of guy then you’ll find the wiki here.
15/10/2010 at 18:10 Jim Rossignol says:
This game is awesome and weird. Everyone should take a look. RPS Army, attack!
15/10/2010 at 18:20 DMJ says:
We obey the Hive Mind.
15/10/2010 at 18:38 Alexander Norris says:
SPAWN MORE OVERLORDS
15/10/2010 at 19:14 Nova says:
We require more minerals.
15/10/2010 at 20:04 Mistabashi says:
What a shame…
15/10/2010 at 20:05 Mistabashi says:
Err, I mean “Your warriors have engaged the enemy!”
18/10/2010 at 17:49 tomwaitsfornoman says:
You must gather your party before venturing forth.
18/10/2010 at 21:49 DJ Phantoon says:
John Walker needs food badly!
20/10/2010 at 16:36 Egg651 says:
It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this comment.
20/10/2010 at 21:06 dragon_hunter21 says:
AIN’ GOT NO PATIENCE FOR SITTIN’ AROUND
15/10/2010 at 19:15 Tusque D'Ivoire says:
more coverage!
this is Beta, i feel like I’ve missed it already.
15/10/2010 at 19:31 Supertonic says:
Hopefully I can find some time away from Minecraft to play this!
15/10/2010 at 19:47 Dominic White says:
I’ve always loved exploring virtual worlds. One that’s entirely player-generated and that users can fight each other for rights over? That’s even cooler. I’m in.
Also, that trailer has some seriously toe-tappy music.
15/10/2010 at 21:22 Eclipse says:
I was in the alpha and this game is way better than Minecraft imo, it’s still sandbox-y enough, but it’s more like a game
15/10/2010 at 21:42 what says:
What is your definition of a game, exactly?
15/10/2010 at 22:52 Araxiel says:
Wait…this is free?
16/10/2010 at 15:49 Delusibeta says:
As far as I can tell, although I expect micro transactions somewhere, considering the “No Cash Advantage” promise on the front page.
15/10/2010 at 23:49 Longrat says:
Getting
Tired
Of
8
Bit
16/10/2010 at 13:54 jeremypeel says:
I don’t share the nostalgia for 8-bit that some have as I’m simply Not From That Time, but there are great advantages to it as a modern aesthetic choice. Namely:-
Low cost, low system requirements
Room for the imagination
Ability to create worlds allowing for easy player creation/destruction
17/10/2010 at 05:19 bjohndick says:
I’m only tired of 8-bit when it’s used in this context; where nothing about the game is actually 8-bit, and it really doesn’t mean 8-bit at all.
19/10/2010 at 00:16 James says:
This doesn’t have amazingly low system requirements; it runs too poorly to be very playable on my Intel integrated graphics card. Which, by the way, runs Guild Wars amazingly. ;-)
19/10/2010 at 10:59 Temple to Tei says:
Thank you for saving me a download -yes, if you are using 8-bit then make it runs on my pants machine (powered by pants).
Minecraft= limited graphics and it runs
Runescape= limited graphics and it runs
City of Heroes= limited graphics available and it runs! And I can fly!
16/10/2010 at 00:50 Consumatopia says:
I guess successful 3D player created content systems will always have to be constrained (in this case, “8-bit”) until we all have 3D cameras that can just take pictures of stuff and import it as 3D models. Players can be expected to stitch pieces together like legos, but if you hand them any sort of more generalized tool then they get frustrated that it’s actually hard to make something look nice.
17/10/2010 at 09:08 harald74 says:
I had an idea for a concept (but no idea how to execute it properly) and it was basically this: Google Sketchup Multiplayer.
Just think about it.
20/10/2010 at 00:18 ShawnClapper says:
Second Life has a pretty robust 3d design option that you can use for free. On that note I find it too much like work and less like play.
16/10/2010 at 02:20 DJ Phantoon says:
RPS, UNITE! We shall carry war in our banners, victory in our weapons, and courage in our hearts!
16/10/2010 at 04:05 niffk says:
i can imagine the community for this game being shockingly bad, but that’s not going to stop me from playing it.
16/10/2010 at 06:10 somedude says:
It’s like someone took the ideas of what a virtual world would look like from the 80s and then made a game out of it. Cool. :)
16/10/2010 at 07:40 Saucy says:
This game is all about the jumping, oh yes it is.
I wish all games had the jumping that this game does.
17/10/2010 at 23:21 TWeaK says:
Unfortunately what it lacks (and really needs) is double jump!!
See what I did there?? Double exclamation mark. I think that proves double is always better.
I’d get my coat, but I’m already wearing it. But wait – double coats!!
16/10/2010 at 17:17 DrazharLn says:
It won’t work on my PC, gives some .NET error
I have the latest version of .NET, oh well. I’ll try again once I’ve installed Windows 7 on this box.
17/10/2010 at 21:49 Max says:
I tried the beta when it was first opened and I just logged back in. Am I the only person missing the point of this? Is is still just a building game, or is there more to it yet?
29/10/2010 at 05:07 Aion says:
Unlike most games, N8 lets you make your own point. In that way its more like a toy then a game. Kinda like Sim’s or Minecraft is a toy… you don’t win at Sim’s or Minecraft, you give yourself goals and those become your games that you play using that toy. A ball and a bat is a pretty lame game, but you can play games with them that.. no forget that analogy, i don’t really like baseball. What I am trying to say is, N8 has different elements that you can use to play some cool games. And yeah, there is more to it then building. Login, open the radio (assuming your online when there are a good handful of players online) and ask them what their is to do… also, read the guide.