NoX Core test build, 2026-10-31, build 1 (commit 349705b)

  Unofficial fan project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Electronic Arts or Westwood
  Studios. Nox is a trademark of Electronic Arts Inc. Needs your own copy of the game; no game
  files are included. Licence: GNU GPL v3 or later (LICENSE); see NOTICE.txt and
  THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.txt. Source code: https://github.com/mordentral/NoXCore

SETUP
  Unzip anywhere and run noxcore.exe: the game's own main menu (Multiplayer, pick or create a
  character, Options). No install needed; the Visual C++ runtime DLLs are included.

  noxcore.exe isn't signed yet, so Windows may warn about an unknown publisher. On the blue
  "Windows protected your PC" screen choose More info, then Run anyway. To avoid the
  "Open File - Security Warning" on every start, right-click the downloaded zip before
  unzipping it, choose Properties, tick Unblock and press OK.

  NoX Core finds your Nox install by itself, as OpenNox does: GOG (Galaxy or the offline
  installer), Origin, Nox Reloaded and the original CD install, through the registry and their
  usual folders. To use another copy, set the NOX_DATA environment variable to its folder (the
  one with GAME.EXE, video.bag, thing.bin), or start noxcore.exe with --game-dir FOLDER.

  It looks in its own folder first, so you can also unzip it straight into your Nox folder.

  Each run writes noxcore-log.txt next to noxcore.exe; it says which Nox folder was used and why. If
  nothing happens, look there first, or start DebugRun.bat, which shows the log in a window as it
  runs; send noxcore-log.txt with any report.

  The HD images are a separate download on the website: unzip it next to noxcore.exe
  (README-HD-images.txt, in that download, says more). Options' "Use HD Images" turns them on.
  They're only updated when the art changes, so keep them when you get a new build (this build
  uses the HD images of 2026-10-26, build 2). The HD
  images of 2026-10-13 and later need this build or a newer one (older builds show the original
  art with them).

  Also in this download:
    noxcontent.exe  the NoX Content Editor, for advanced users: the game's images and HD images, and
                    its data, texts and sounds edited into content packs (CONTENT_EDITOR.txt says
                    how; it never writes into your game folder)
    mods\          game-mode mods (Game Modes and Host Custom list them); one comes with this build,
                    deep_delve: Deep Delve, an action-RPG mode for NoX Core players, still a work in
                    progress. (If you unzip over an older build, delete mods\arena_ref and
                    mods\ctf_ref: those two example mods are gone.)
    DebugRun.bat    starts NoX Core with a window showing its log as it runs

  Files NoX Core writes in your Nox folder:
    nox.cfg      when you close Options: the game's own settings and key bindings, in the
                 game's format (the original game reads it too)
    noxcore.cfg  NoX Core's own switches (frame rate, bloom, lighting, smooth effects,
                 smoothing, brightness, the kill feed, mouse acceleration and speed, display, vsync,
                 and a game you host's update rate and map vote)
    noxcore_keys.txt   your keys for servers that keep characters (Deep Delve on the bot server):
                 keep it with your characters; without it the server can't tell they're yours
    Save\*.plr   characters you create; "<name> (Co-op).plr", your character from a friend's
                 co-op campaign (the one you joined with is left as it was)
    Save\Coop\   the co-op campaigns you host: their saves, laid out as the solo game's, with
                 the party's characters beside them
    maps\<map>\user.rul, <name>.rul   a game you host's rules (Server Settings' Go and Advanced)
    maps\DEL_LOB, maps\DEL_1   a Delving Mode game you host: its generated lobby and level,
                 deleted again when the game ends
    maps\UTD_LOB, maps\UTD_1   an Undead Tide game you host: the same
    maps\<name>\<name>.map   maps you save from the Map Editor (it never saves over the game's own maps;
                 its own settings and layout are kept in %APPDATA%\noxcpp\noxsdl\editor)
    maps\DD*     a Deep Delve game you host: its generated areas, deleted again when the game ends

  And next to noxcore.exe:
    moddata\     what mods keep between games, such as Deep Delve's characters, stash and progress
                 in the games you host


NEW IN THE FIRST BUILD OF 2026-10-31

  Deep Delve: Act 2 now climbs out through the Old Workings and the Cave Mouth and ends at the
    Barrow Mound with its own boss, Vorthane the Barrow-King; the weather changes each visit; click
    an item's name (gold and potions too) to pick it up; endgame expeditions from the map table in
    town; a warrior gets the pickup hand over anything Deep Delve lets them take.
  Co-op campaign: party members' names over their heads, in the party's colour.
  Game list: a padlock at the right of a game that needs a password.
  Conversations: dialog text wraps as in the original at every window size.
  The spell book on a new spell stays shut while a menu is up; its sounds play as in the original.
  As in the original: a warrior can't pick up mana potions in an arena game (co-op, the Delve,
    Undead Tide and Deep Delve still allow it); an item's name sits under the pickup hand; a lost
    round chakram can be picked up again. Thanks to smackysnacks for these fixes.
  Mods: clickable world labels, a pickup call, text in four sizes.

NEW IN THE SEVENTH BUILD OF 2026-10-30

  Obliteration (Mana Bomb) now hurts its caster too when it goes off, as in the original. Thanks to
    smackysnacks for the fix and Ephreaym for the report.

NEW IN THE SIXTH BUILD OF 2026-10-30

  Under the hood: how the game keeps track of which object is which was reworked so the mix-ups behind
    the recent lift, scripted-group and staff bugs can't come back; nothing plays differently.
  Map editor: lifts, shafts and teleport pads placed live link up with their partners at once.
  A crafted talk request can no longer reach things that aren't creatures (as in the original).

NEW IN THE FIFTH BUILD OF 2026-10-30

  Weapons and quivers picked up in the campaign now stay in their secondary-weapon slot when you go
    through an exit; things you carry keep who they are from map to map, as in the original.
  Fixed a minimap mark that could jump to an unrelated object after an exit, and a charmed creature
    brought from another map making the new map's generator spawn one creature too many.

NEW IN THE FOURTH BUILD OF 2026-10-30

  Fixed a weapon picked up in the campaign (such as the flare staff in Galava's tavern) refusing to
    fire after going through an exit, and showing two staves in hand after a weapon swap.

NEW IN THE THIRD BUILD OF 2026-10-30

  Deep Delve: the town portal and waypoints now have their own glowing rings on the ground (violet
    portal, cyan waypoints); new levels every time a game starts afresh; Act 2 has its own town, the
    hamlet of Low Barrow. Deep Delve now needs this build or newer.
  Mods: game modes can draw glowing pictures on the ground (rings, marks), turning, pulsing or
    following a character.

NEW IN THE SECOND BUILD OF 2026-10-30

  Mods: a game mode's server scripts are no longer cut off when the computer briefly stalls (as on a
    busy or virtual machine): their time limit only counts once a script has done a lot of work, and
    a 3-second backstop still stops one that's stuck. Deep Delve hosts were the most likely to see
    it, as an area failing to build.

NEW IN THE BUILD OF 2026-10-30

  Deep Delve: named monsters show their name above their head (champions orange, rares gold, the
    boss red) instead of calling it out.
  Deep Delve on the bot server now has its own leaderboard on the website (noxhub.net, Leaderboard,
    Deep Delve tab): server characters ranked by level, experience and the deepest act reached.

NEW IN THE SECOND BUILD OF 2026-10-29

  Deep Delve on the bot server: characters are kept on the server; link a second PC with a one-
    time code from the Characters window; the Character window sits in the top-left corner with
    your buffs below it and the party beside it; broken barrels and taken potions no longer come
    back. Deep Delve now needs this build or newer.
  Spells and walking aim at the creature under the cursor even when you point at its body, as in
    the original, and Magic Missiles home on the enemy you're pointing at (also when cast on
    yourself) and skip creatures that can't be targeted.
  NoX Core keeps a per-server key for games that keep characters on the server, in
    noxcore_keys.txt next to noxcore.cfg: keep it, or that server won't know your characters.

NEW IN THE BUILD OF 2026-10-29

  Fixed cave lifts (like the first wizard map's) looking frozen after loading a save: the lift's
    stone ring is no longer drawn over the moving platform.
  During a cutscene, clicking an NPC no longer starts their dialog (and the cursor offers no talk,
    trade, pick-up or use while the letterbox bars are up), as in the original game.
  When you're given a spell or ability, the spell book shows its page before the icon flies to
    your spell bar.
  NoX Core now asks for the password when you join a private game (before, it could not join one).
  Co-op campaign: everyone's summoned and charmed creatures show the team-coloured friend dot on
    every player's screen (the story's characters and allies still don't). The host can open
    Server Settings from the in-game menu (Gameplay Controls) to rename the game and password-
    protect it; the map, bot and arena options are greyed out.
  New Options switch "HD Spell FX" (More page, off by default): the poison cloud as soft billowing
    clouds and Force Field as a glass barrier. Smooth FX keeps the sparks and rays.
  Linux hosts: mods now reload by themselves when their scripts change between games, and "mode
    reload" sends players a mod's changed pictures and sounds.
  Fixed a server crash a mod could cause by giving a player over 9000 health or mana.
  Deep Delve:
    Act 2 begins: beat the Act 1 boss to open a gate to the Barrow Fields, outdoors with weather.
    An easier start: fewer, weaker monsters in the first areas, led by bats, rats and spiders, no
      zombies by the entrances, level 2 sooner, a passive point at level 1; health and mana now
      regenerate, with new Renewal nodes in the tree.
    The party is one team (the host's team options are locked off for it): no friendly fire, your
      own Fireball no longer burns you, and spells and creatures no longer pick party members.
    The passive tree has art and draws faster; take nodes from other
      classes' trees (their spell if your class can cast it, otherwise a bonus); give back a single
      node anywhere for gold; new keystones Measured Words and Thin Bonds; conjurers can learn Charm
      Creature (bosses can't be charmed). Fireball at tree levels 4 and 5 is bigger.
    A waypoint window; click a party card to see that player's sheet; pick up any item to sell it;
      the Character window sits in the screen's corner on wide screens.
  Mods: windows can sit in a corner or edge of wide screens; a mod can lock the host's team
    options, let players pick up any item, make creatures uncharmable and set its own spell costs
    (mana or health).

NEW IN THE SIXTH BUILD OF 2026-10-28

  Fixed the pit spikes in Wiz10a and the street lamps in War06a and Con06a, which switched items
    held by creatures instead of themselves.
  After loading a save, moving blocks keep working, and items brought from another map and dropped
    no longer take over signs, levers or scripted groups that share their number.
  Fixed a way for a modified client to move things around a game it had joined.

NEW IN THE FIFTH BUILD OF 2026-10-28

  Fixed elevator pits and teleporter pads not working after loading a save, when an item brought
    from another map had been dropped there. A resting elevator now waits a second after a load
    before it moves, as in the original.
  Much faster map downloads between NoX Core players and servers (Deep Delve's areas load in a
    blink); the original game and older NoX Core clients get maps as before. Mod windows and their
    pictures are paced so a busy mod can't stall a connection.
  Delving Mode: the run map shows on long runs (past about 22 acts), and the records table with
    big parties.
  Deep Delve: the passive tree has art (icons for its classes, notables, keystones, stats, spells,
    abilities and summons over a carved stone backdrop, icons in tooltips, class icons on the party
    strip). Fireball at tree levels 4 and 5 is bigger, easier to hit with and has a wider burst.
    Loot names stay when you walk away and back, and the party strip only takes clicks where it's
    drawn. Deep Delve now needs this build or newer.
  Mods: windows can show the game's own spell icons, run on a timer, have click-through areas
    and keep labels on items; mods can draw a thing larger, enlarge a missile's hit area and burst,
    and ask for a minimum NoX Core client (older ones get the update notice).

NEW IN THE FOURTH BUILD OF 2026-10-28

  Options: Screen Resolution is now a drop-down, with a new ultra widescreen choice, 1376 X 576
    (21:9), for 3440 x 1440 and 2560 x 1080 screens. It shows about as much of the world as
    1024 X 768: more to the sides, less above and below. The widescreen choices say their shape:
    1024 X 576 (16:9) and 1376 X 576 (21:9).
  Deep Delve: party play. A party strip at the top, monsters scale with the party, the party
    votes to change area, anyone can use an open portal, each player has their own vendor stock,
    and Alt shows loot names. Changing area asks everyone, including players in town. The party
    strip hides when you're alone. The Character window has an option to always show loot names,
    and a portal stays open for the party after its owner leaves, until the map changes.

NEW IN THE THIRD BUILD OF 2026-10-28

  Solo campaign: after dying and loading the autosave, your spells are no longer greyed out and
    you can pick up, use and talk again.
  Solo campaign: a solo game now plays only on this computer, on a free port, so a server or
    another game already using port 18590 can no longer take your join (which showed as "join
    refused" and dropped you back to the menu). A game you host moves up a port if 18590 is
    taken, as the original does, and says so in the console.
  Fixed a crash when loading a game after playing one.
  Campaign NPCs no longer get the friendly dot over their heads (the solo campaign shows none, as
    in the original).
  Talking to things, picking things up and using them follow the original's targeting exactly:
    the thing's own extent, the same distances, a Use hand for a mimic still pretending to be a
    chest, and no pick-up hand while you're dragging an item.
  Mods: lines, tooltips, drag, mouse-up and wheel, windows without a frame, click-through and
    HUD windows, and labels over things in the world.
  Deep Delve now runs on its own spell book: the passive tree gives your spells, abilities and
    creatures. Earth's first spell is Meteor; Magic Missile and Pixie Swarm unlock at level 1,
    with a bigger first node; spells cast at the level the tree gives them.

NEW IN THE SECOND BUILD OF 2026-10-28

  Conjurers can charm creatures again in arena and CTF games: every network game starts with the
    full creature guide, as in the original.
  Mods can now control which spells, abilities and creatures players have. In such a game NoX
    Core players see only what they've been given in their book, bars and summoning list, and
    summon those creatures without needing Summon Creature.
  Deep Delve: conjurers get a fourth branch in the passive tree, Beasts, which gives summons from
    the bat up to the stone golem; a warrior's new ability goes straight onto the bar.
  A creature added to your field guide without a fanfare now shows in your book, as on the
    original client.


NEW IN THE BUILD OF 2026-10-28

  Deep Delve (work in progress), an action-RPG mode for NoX Core players, written as a mod: Game
    Modes and Host Custom list it. A town with a stash, a vendor and a passive skill tree that
    gives your spells and abilities; act 1, seven generated areas with waypoints, a town portal
    and a boss; monsters in tiers and loot by rarity; a character kept between games.
  Mods can show windows with pictures and sounds from their assets folder, answer keys and both
    mouse buttons, and bring weather: rain, snow, storms and wind (Options, "Weather Effects":
    On, Reduced or Off).
  A mod can be for NoX Core only; players on the original game who try to join are told why.
  Mod projects in the Map Editor (the Mod menu): make a mod, write its scripts with checks as you
    type, test it with Play Mod (it reloads when you save), preview its windows and export it as
    a zip. The "Game Mode Mods" videos on the website show how.
  More for mod scripts: saving data between games, items with chosen modifiers, events for kills,
    damage, pickups and equipping, generated maps with teleport pentagrams and lights, timers, and
    granting spells, abilities and creatures.
  Content packs can add new object types based on existing ones; a new weapon or armour piece
    works and looks like the one it's based on. Joining a game whose packs add types needs the
    same packs, and you're told which.
  The game list marks games that need a newer NoX Core ("Update needed") and explains instead of
    a failed join. Joining games on the original game is as quick as before.
  Trap glyphs fade with distance as in the original.
  Safer games: a map script that loops forever is stopped instead of freezing the server; a server
    can no longer make your game read or write files outside its maps folder; damaged or hostile
    files and network data are refused instead of crashing the game.
  A game you host takes about a third less time per frame.
  Delve: barrels hold the gems they were meant to (a wrong name kept them empty).
  The example mods arena_ref and ctf_ref are gone: Deep Delve takes their place.


NEW IN THE BUILD OF 2026-10-27

  Mana obelisks: in games NoX Core hosts, an obelisk's picture no longer gets stuck at the wrong
    charge. After a far player's Drain Mana ray touched it, it could keep its old look for good
    while its mana and sound still worked.
  The rolling boulders turn as they roll, as in the original (they showed one fixed picture).
  Monster generators show their damaged looks as they're hurt, and the animation over them, as in
    the original.
  With no red potions, the health potion slot (X) takes meat, else a red apple, as in the
    original, shown with its own picture. Each potion slot's number is its first stack's, as the
    original shows.
  Co-op Campaign, and quests with more than one player: a player in a conversation, a shop or a
    story scene no longer vanishes for the others, players on the original game included. (The
    original game stops sending a player while they're held still, which no one saw alone.)


NOT DONE YET
  Save Character in the in-game menu, its Vote on servers running the original game (the kick
  vote), the world map for picking a chat map when hosting, latency compensation's hold (its
  switch is there), some sounds in games you host, the quest's lives display and game-over
  screen, the chat's Find / Page, Options and user menu, and the rest of the HD art (the
  players and monsters, among others).
