NosTalgia Encyclopedia!
The first day of my new blog.

I would have never guessed that I’d create something
in just a couple of days that would bring me so much joy.
After about 20 hours of work over two days, I managed to put together a blog that,
I hope, faithfully reflects the spirit of NosTalgia. Today, I’d like to write about it symbolically.


Where Did the Idea Come From?
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From the start, I’ll admit I was never much of a fan of building my own websites. I knew that someday I’d have to do it, but I kept putting it off endlessly. The idea for the blog came from my attempt to redesign the book mechanic I had in the game. I really liked the thought of a player being able to hover over any item in the game and see information about it, like in an encyclopedia but in practice... it was a nightmare to code every single item one by one.

F11 and a New Purpose for the Book
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So I came up with the idea of keeping the book in the game, but only as a quest item. The thought that it’s an artifact the player obtains in the first TimeSpace is just too good to give up. Instead of a complex in-game mechanic, the idea is simply to cleverly encourage the player to press F11. Opening the NosTalgia Guide would launch the encyclopedia - this blog! So I want the blog to be a permanent part of the whole project, which also has a soul and a purpose. Step by step, I intend to implement here all the items and quests from the game, to make exploration easier for the players.

Why Is the Wiki So Important?
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And here’s an important thought. NosTalgia is not NosTale. They are two completely different games. NosTalgia is a separate game, created only with the spirit and of course the engine of NosTale. That’s why the wiki is so important. In NosTalgia, a typical NosTale player will feel like they’re no longer in their comfort zone. Everything will be rebuilt from scratch both narratively and gameplay wise so I believe the encyclopedia will be like a lifeline, helping players find their way around.

 Minimalism and Heart
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Honestly, just two days ago I wouldn’t have thought I’d suddenly create a website. What I had in mind was mostly solving the issue of the “Heart of Knowledge,” because that mechanic was pure hell whenever I tried to add even a single new item to the game. Everything had to be coded with custom descriptions… and I really thought I wouldn’t pull it off. But I gave it my ALL. And when you truly want something and keep pushing, sometimes a miracle happens. For me, that little miracle is the NosTalgia Encyclopedia. I chose minimalism because with my skills, I wouldn’t have been able to create a modern website anyway. But that’s actually better. What I really wanted was to achieve that 2010–2015 vibe with a subtle touch of modernity. I hope I pulled it off, and that people will enjoy it.

This blog is also a good way for me to organize my own thoughts… I won’t hide that the posts might seem like they’re written as if I were talking to myself. It’s like a journal or a diary of my work on NosTalgia. This is where I’ll probably post lots of leaks and updates on what I’m currently working on. I’ll also add notes on what’s been added to the site itself - for example, new items and quests.


 AI as My Helper
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As you can see, AI is not something foreign here. All those lovely images of Mimi, the Adventurer, etc. are generated by ChatGPT. And is there anything wrong with that? - No. I know some people don’t like it, but here’s how I see it - AI-generated images are there to quickly illustrate our thoughts. For example, when generating today’s Mimi, I had in mind that the theme of the post was her, in her mentor tone, talking about building websites and how this blog became an inseparable part of the server project. We should look at AI images not as art, but as visualized thoughts - like telling the chat what’s on my mind, and having it show me what that looks like. It really helps. Imagine how this site would look without AI - would I just use the same Photoshop-made image over and over? Boring. That’s why I say - let’s embrace AI as a clever helper and move on.


 In Closing
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What excites me the most is the possibility of taking things one step further. The encyclopedia is part of the whole. For example, when I add new quests, I won’t just do it technically like in NosApki - “kill the chicken” and that’s it. I intend to write what I had in mind, what message the quest carries, attach an AI image showing what I envisioned narratively, etc. It’s as if the whole site were a kind of book of my server - and that’s exactly what I want to achieve.

And that’s all for today. I’m happy with the results of my work… Sure, it could probably be done better, more modern, differently than in Blogger form - but it is what it is. The most important thing is to put your heart into it. Then it truly becomes something meaningful.

Until next time~