Knights of Bytes | 72 Posted August 14, 2023 Author Share Posted August 14, 2023 Sam-Themed NES Controller Available! Hi there, video gamers! Want to enhance your Sam's Journey experience? With this NES controller, you're invincible! Get it at poly.play:https://www.polyplay.xyz/search/?lang=eng&qs=sams+journey+nes Never heard of Sam's? Please find information here:https://www.knightsofbytes.games/samsjourney/nes Stay tuned for more updates! Chester Kollschen Knights of Bytes Website · Facebook · Twitter · YouTube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumez | 2,951 Posted August 14, 2023 Share Posted August 14, 2023 Preordered What's the purpose of picking NTSC or PAL? If it is programmed to consider the timing difference, shouldn't the game just auto-detect it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knights of Bytes | 72 Posted August 14, 2023 Author Share Posted August 14, 2023 20 minutes ago, Sumez said: Preordered Awesome, thanks for your support! 21 minutes ago, Sumez said: What's the purpose of picking NTSC or PAL? If it is programmed to consider the timing difference, shouldn't the game just auto-detect it? The NTSC version and the PAL version of Sam's Journey are built with completely different physics so that the perceived gameplay speed is virtually the same on both systems. We made a little video to demonstrate this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNZtc_fNe8s If you have further question, please don't hesitate to ask. --- Chester Kollschen Knights of Bytes Website · Facebook · X · YouTube 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knights of Bytes | 72 Posted August 15, 2023 Author Share Posted August 15, 2023 Soundtrack Available! Hi there, video gamers! Listen to "Under Deck", a groovy and piratey NES chiptune from Sam's Journey! sams-journey-soundtrack-10-under-deck.mp4 The entire soundtrack features 19 beautiful and versatile tracks plus an additional bonus track. It's available on CD, MC, and even LP at Poly.Play: https://polyplay.xyz/search/?lang=eng&qs=sams+journey+nes The Ultimate Edition of Sam's Journey comes with the CD included! Stay tuned for more updates! Chester Kollschen Knights of Bytes Website · Facebook · X · YouTube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knights of Bytes | 72 Posted August 18, 2023 Author Share Posted August 18, 2023 Game Manuals Arrived! Hi there, video gamers! Fresh from the print shop: The Sam's Journey game manuals arrived at poly.play! Stay tuned for more updates! Chester Kollschen Knights of Bytes Website · Facebook · X · YouTube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knights of Bytes | 72 Posted August 20, 2023 Author Share Posted August 20, 2023 Soundtrack On Vinyl In Stock! Hi there, video gamers! The Sam's Journey NES Soundtrack on Vinyl arrived at poly.play! This LP is limited to 300 pieces - and 18 fans of 8-bit chiptunes have already secured their copy! Want one as well? Get it here:https://polyplay.xyz/search/?lang=eng&qs=sams+journey+nes Stay tuned for more updates! Chester Kollschen Knights of Bytes Website · Facebook · X · YouTube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaverBoy | 20 Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 Will there be an NES rom available for purchase and download? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knights of Bytes | 72 Posted August 21, 2023 Author Share Posted August 21, 2023 3 hours ago, WaverBoy said: Will there be an NES rom available for purchase and download? Yes. As soon as the physical editions are complete and sent to the pre-orderers, the game will go on regular sale with a digital release available as well. Chester Kollschen Knights of Bytes Website · Facebook · X · YouTube 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumez | 2,951 Posted August 21, 2023 Share Posted August 21, 2023 On 8/14/2023 at 9:02 PM, Knights of Bytes said: The NTSC version and the PAL version of Sam's Journey are built with completely different physics so that the perceived gameplay speed is virtually the same on both systems. If you have further question, please don't hesitate to ask. Well, I'm confused why that requires two separate builds. Of course, using variables for things that could be constants can complicate 6502 code, I'm well aware of that, but I feel like anything that could be done as separate builds could at least be replicated via bank switching. I'm not nagging, I was just curious really. Am I correct in assuming the PAL version is the "original" version of the game, and the NTSC one edited to reflect that as closely as possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knights of Bytes | 72 Posted August 22, 2023 Author Share Posted August 22, 2023 On 8/21/2023 at 3:56 AM, Knights of Bytes said: Yes. As soon as the physical editions are complete and sent to the pre-orderers, the game will go on regular sale with a digital release available as well. Oh, and for buyers of a physical edition, the digital release will be included. Those who order a Standard Edition will be provided with a URL to the game files, and those who go for the limited Ultimate Edition will even find an SD card in their box. Chester Kollschen Knights of Bytes Website · Facebook · X · YouTube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knights of Bytes | 72 Posted August 22, 2023 Author Share Posted August 22, 2023 (edited) On 8/21/2023 at 8:13 PM, Sumez said: Well, I'm confused why that requires two separate builds. Of course, using variables for things that could be constants can complicate 6502 code, I'm well aware of that, but I feel like anything that could be done as separate builds could at least be replicated via bank switching. You are absolutely correct, and there is certainly more than one way to handle the NTSC/PAL differencies. In our case, a lot of calculations and conversions are done in the data export step of the build process. We do this at build-time to gain performance at runtime. The downside is system-dependent game data, and there's a lot of it in the game! To solve this, we chose the easiest and least expensive way: different builds for NTSC and PAL. On 8/21/2023 at 8:13 PM, Sumez said: Am I correct in assuming the PAL version is the "original" version of the game, and the NTSC one edited to reflect that as closely as possible? Yes, the C64 version of Sam's Journey was initially created with the European audience in mind as they make the bigger part of today's C64 community despite the C64's origin in the US. When we decided to have Sam attend his journey on the NES as well, we knew we would want to handle both fractions equally and offer properly adjusted versions. Chester Kollschen Knights of Bytes Website · Facebook · X · YouTube Edited August 23, 2023 by Knights of Bytes added paragraphs to improve legibility 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knights of Bytes | 72 Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 Hi there, video gamers! It's been some time since our last update, and we apologize for that. Does that mean the project is dead? On the contrary: It's very much alive - and finally complete! We added the final touches, performed the final tests and created the final builds: Sam's Journey on the NES has been submitted to our partner and retro game publisher poly.play for reproduction! Sam's Journey NES Gold Master The very first cartridge to contain the finalized game And the guys over at poly.play haven't been lazy either! The first batch of boxes complete with cartridges, manuals and a whole lot of goodies has already been produced! The very first cartridges have just been flashed, assembled and labeled by poly.play We would like to thank all those early birds who placed their order during the pre-order campaign. Sam's Journey on the NES has finally begun - and he will come to your place very soon! Ready to be wrapped and shipped! The official public release is incredibly close. Stay tuned! Chester Kollschen Knights of Bytes Website · Facebook · X · YouTube 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumez | 2,951 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Got a shipping notice yesterday. Looking forward to trying this 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knights of Bytes | 72 Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Sumez said: Got a shipping notice yesterday. Looking forward to trying this That's great news! Please let us know of his safe arrival by posting a picture. Edited March 7 by Knights of Bytes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svambo | 9 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Finally ... that's awesome news 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dockvalentine | 23 Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 Got my shipping notification the other day too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3quit4s | 4,097 Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 Are there plans to get a US distributor? $85 for a CIB with shipping is a bit steep for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumez | 2,951 Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 Can't wait to try this out tonight Really nice production quality too, the cardboard, manual, etc. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knights of Bytes | 72 Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 Hi there, video gamers! According to poly.play, more than 100 units of Sam's Journey for the NES have already been sent out! Sam is coming to you as well? Please let us know of his safe arrival by posting a picture. On 3/8/2024 at 5:02 AM, a3quit4s said: Are there plans to get a US distributor? $85 for a CIB with shipping is a bit steep for me. Not yet, but we might consider this in the future. For now, maybe you can find some fellow NES fans who are interested in Sam's Journey as well and then do a bulk order? Your other option would be the Download Edition which we are going to add to to the online store very soon. 1 hour ago, Sumez said: Can't wait to try this out tonight Really nice production quality too, the cardboard, manual, etc. Awaiting your first impressions. Happy retro-gaming! Chester Kollschen Knights of Bytes Website · Facebook · X · YouTube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumez | 2,951 Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 13 hours ago, Knights of Bytes said: Awaiting your first impressions. Busy with other games, so only played around on the first two stages. I try to support any promising looking homebrew, but I'd say so far Sam's Journey has been a very positive surprise regardless! Easily in the upper echelon of NES homebrews. I'm not a big fan of C64 games, but I do love the C64 look, right down to the music and color palette. And even the attract mode is a loving callback to the C64/Amiga era of European video games. I watched some footage from the C64 version, and obviously the NES one seems to mimick it very closely, just with somewhat more detailed graphics. The platforming and enemy design so far feels a bit pedestrian, but where the game really shines is how cleverly the secret collectibles are hidden, making good use of thinking slightly outside the box, and maintaining the various skills you can pick up throughout, even on the very first stage finding 100% was very satisfying. The aggressive vertical scrolling was a bit uncomfortable to me at first, but I got used to it really fast. I do wish the various powerup pickups had had a different sprite indicating which power you get, instead of having to remember which similar color is which. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svambo | 9 Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 The release trailer is out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsBnlkQHkpA You can buy the game from: https://www.knightsofbytes.games/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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