Frequently Asked Questions
1) When does Carpe Noctem release? Carpe Noctem is still in pre-alpha development. The studio started working on this project in 2023 and continues to this day. We are targeting our Pre-Alpha testing in multiplayer for Summer of 2026 with the hopes of doing Kickstarter Christmas of 2026. This will allow us to move into Alpha multiplayer testing and accelerate development of server infrastructure. Upon a successful conclusion to Alpha, we will move into Beta in 2028 with full release scheduled for 2029.
2) How will Carpe Noctem release? The release will not be staged as a typical launch day where we as a studio guess how many people will play and then hope our servers can withstand the hundreds of thousands of additional players that come. As long time online gamers ourselves, we've seen what happens, which is usually a complete meltdown of the servers and authentication process. This results in 50% of the player population or more not able to login with the other 50% stuck in games with horrible desync issues, DDOS attacks etc.. Instead, we will release Carpe Noctem in stages. During Early Alpha and Alpha, we will be hand picking testers to help provide honest and claritive feedback. Once Beta testing arrives, we will introduce our early supporters/Kick-Starter community in waves. This will allow for us to understand issues with our servers and fix those as we increase our player base. Upon release of the game, we will give our current Alpha & Beta testing community two new account keys that they may give to friends or family. These keys will allow new players to purchase the game and play. After this first wave of new players, we will ensure that server stability and gameplay mechanics remain solid before again, giving all existing players two invite keys to allow for new players to join. This method of controlling influx of new player populations allows a small indie studio as ourselves to ensure that server stability, quality gameplay, and other unknown contingencies are manageable. As a studio, we would rather have a smaller population of players having an A+ experience rather than a large population having a mediocre game experience.
3) What Distribution Platforms will Carpe Noctem release on? Our initial release will be targeted to PC only and distributed solely through Epic Games for the first several months. This is due to game development being done via Unreal Engine which has synergies with the Epic Games platform for distribution. This will also provide us time to monitor and fix any issues with servers as we scale our player base. After this, we will expand to Steam. Upon raising the required funding necessary, we will work on down-scaling/optimizing more for console play to include Playstation and XBox. In the distant future, we will also release a mobile version of the game that allows players to play the mini-games such as Blackjack and Poker, as well as maintain their player islands remotely, but not full access to dungeons etc..
4) How much will Carpe Noctem cost? For our Alpha testers, nothing. For our Beta testers, they will get an account for the game based on their level of donation done via the Kickstarter campaign we do. For release, we are targeting a $50.00 USD price point for the game. We contemplated utilizing a free to play model with cosmetics such as skins being the way to fund our game, but decided against that free to play model for several reasons. 1) We did not want our servers flooded with more players than our servers could handle. That is the prime reason we are going with a controlled release system. 2) If we charge for game accounts, that will discourage rampant cheating as our anti-cheat enforcement protocols will be stringent and swift. If we were on a free-to-play platform, it encourages cheaters to cheat, get caught, and then rinse and repeat without a cost. Incurring a $50 fee eventually has a sting that discourages many repeat offenders from continuing their behavior.
5) What is the Targeted PC Hardware requirement? Answer to this right now is pending. As we work through development and figure out requirements for gameplay in balance with optimization, we will provide more clarity on this in future updates.
6) Are there classes? There are no classes per se. There are limits on what type of armor and weapons you can utilize based on your player's stats. Adjusting these stats will adjust the range of equipment available to you and that equipment will determine what type of gameplay style you are able to pursue effectively.
7) Is there Magic? There is no magic in the traditional sense. In the middle ages, people of the time did not believe that there were wizards who cast fireballs from their eyes or bolts of lighting from their behind. What did exist however was the belief in both folk-lore and religious/spiritual warfare. This concept is heavily integrated within Carpe Noctem in both the combat systems as well as the storyline. "Magic" will be the praying to various Saints/Angels to intercede on the player's behalf. This will include defensive buffs as well as offensive abilities that ONLY affect PVE. Reasoning being that praying to friendly (Holy) spiritual entities will allow for those spiritual entities to dispose of enemy (Demonic) spiritual entities such as the undead or super-natural. An example would be calling down the Arch Angel Michael to smite an undead legion with his flaming sword. The Arch Angel would not attack a living (natural) creature such as a bear or another player.
Other forms of "Magic" will include Alchemy, which was the belief that by mastering the elements, wise Alchemists could brew potions of powerful potency that could effect the environment around them. For example, one of the baseline potions will be "Al-Barud" which was one of the early Arabic names for Gunpowder during the times of the Crusades. This potion will act similar to a modern day grenade, allowing for players to create destruction within the dungeon environment. Other offensive type Alchemist potions would include Greek Fire, Poisons, Acid to melt locks, Smoke Bombs, etc..
