Welcome to my adventure - day eight

The End

Welcome to the eighth, and final, instalment of my adventure through the virtual cosmos. Yep, this will be the last time you hear me blabbering about this game. I am ending this run with my final thoughts.

Okay, Cosmos Chronicles may look like Ultima but it is a different game. It may have a Sundog vibe but it is a different game. You may think you're piloting an Eagle Long Range Fighter but it is a different game. A generous slice of each classic is used for a fantastic result. Regardless, make no assumption, it isn't a ripoff.

As in Frontier, this is a fantasy adventure living an alternative lifestyle in cyberspace. Virtual reality is constructed within 2MB RAM on an Atari ST/e (Blitter support). Facts like that never cease to impress me.

This game is ginormous with near-limitless possibilities. There are "open world" games with immense possibilities but this is better described as an "open universe". After considerable time, I learned much but still feel I've only scratched the surface of this tremendous adventure. I wonder what else is still awaiting me!

Fancy a recap? Well, here are all the other web pages from my playthrough...

Reference pages of previous articles...

---

Original Preview     - New game released with the download. [ link ]

My Adventure Day 1   - Storyline and keyboard controls. [ link ]

My Adventure Day 2   - The quest begins, and we eat meat! [ link ]

My Adventure Day 3   - I created a map of the spaceship. [ link ]

My Adventure Day 4   - Learning how to fight! [ link ]

My Adventure Day 5   - Health and trade. [ link ]

My Adventure Day 6   - Wealth. [ link ]

My Adventure Day 7   - A diary of progress. [ link ]

My Video Recording   - I made a brief recording for newcomers. [ link ]

The CryptO'pinion?

By now, you must know how much I've positively enjoyed this game as it provides countless opportunities to travel, trade, battle, and explore. If not, where have you been all month?!! I'm eager to give my opinion but I won't go over topics like controls, stats, trade, etc. These have already been covered (above).

Cosmos Chronicles offers an unrestricted adventure like few can. Not only that but I appreciate anything that grants the player freedom to do "his own thing" alongside the primary objective - so the plot never gets in your way. By that, I mean the storyline isn't something to blindly follow like a trail of breadcrumbs.

There are no restrictions so take a breather and make money, enjoy a beer, meet girls or do something even sillier like skimming by the edge of a black hole. You might learn how to freely replenish essential supplies using a planet? Why not go cave diving or roam the plains of a remote planet looking for monsters - all whilst watching day turn into night in real-time. Such immense opportunities constantly amaze me.

However, I have some quibbles (oh, here he goes!!). Remembering this isn't an RPG, the stats are overkill. The main stats for health, fatigue, hunger, etc work well but there are extra layers for battles. Not only for bravery, strength, etc but the weaponry held/not held. Far too much so I ignored them!! Also, character communication needs to be fully implemented rather than meaningless one-line responses. I would prefer the ability to "talk" removed as it's pointless unless that character is part of the storyline's chain of events.

My other grumble (the weakest) is the sound. Sure, a game like this doesn't require flashy effects or a chiptune. Nevertheless, I would love to walk a planet and hear its weather. I've endured an alien planet's wind and rain many times hungering to hear anything but silence. That DMA audio is gagging to be used :)

Cosmos Chronicles is remarkable; star-hopping through the galaxy takes hours of dedication with near-unlimited destinations to investigate. Each is unique with different planets, people, wildlife, towns, and monsters. Make no mistake, this is a roguelike stuffed to the brim with adventure. And what an adventure it is!!

Laurent must be proud of Cosmos Chronicles and I'm sure his heart and soul went into making a 16-bit universe. This game is instantly playable and never overly convoluted with a hideous difficulty. Considering the time and effort I've put into it, I could live another 50 years without fully exploiting every possibility. I hope he completes the remaining English translations and improves the audio (oops, there I go again).

Thoroughly enjoyable far beyond my meagre words, and my rating is an exceptional 95%.

Many star systems were searched beyond The Runaways system.
Eventually, I managed to find a church in a small town.

Inside that church, people are friendly with information.
Pray using the floor tile near the altar.

Another church this time on Vaticum One (458096-563905).
Lo and behold, it's Shaoth!! And he's a priest. :o

Unfortunately, he is only willing if we complete a side quest.

Mercenaries are approaching the village of Donbas...

...And you know what that means, don't you?

That's right, save the game before you go looking for a fight!

On returning, Shaoth tells us of a planet called Athanor (ohh, nice name lol)

Let's head out there and see what we can find?

Orbital views show nothing but something glints in the north.
Father's ship!! But now I must find someone called Tot to decode the black box...

A fella called Tot has the skills to help but he is far away in the Canna system.
After a long journey, we are finally here but............!!!

The ship malfunctions and crashlands on Amestradh!
Wilson provides the coordinates of a signal but it's quite a dangerous walk.

The planet is full of nasty monsters but I finally found Tot's house.
(He decodes the box and provides a boost for my ship)

The walk back to the ship is another exhilarating experience.
Monsters chase, so use rocks or trees whenever possible and RUN!!

Having left Tot, I've returned to my ship with a new mystery task.
How can I reach 470733-551942... I'm stuck & need to think about this!

La fin

Well, this month has been a blast and I'm about done with the writing - which takes me a long time! I now need to play and dedicate my time to completing this journey. I hope this month has been as much fun for you as it has been for me? Don't forget to vote using the link at the top of this web page (completely free).

My greetings to Laurent who I've enjoyed talking with. He has exciting plans for the future!!

Cosmos Chronicles - the video

I've made a thing!

Gamopat's Cosmos Chronicles is a fantastic #roguelike so I recorded a quick video of the opening scenes to give you an idea of what it's like. It's not a "long play" and there is no serious gaming here!! I simply intended to demonstrate the basics; in the hope you buy & play this excellent game. Please note, that there are spoilers so beware before viewing.

• My addiction began here: https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/2023/08/cosmos-chronicles.html
• And if you visited AtariCrypt over the last few weeks, you will know all about my "daily" playthrough? At the moment, I'm up to Day Four and you can read everything written so far by clicking here: https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/search/label/Quest%20-%20Cosmos%20Chronicles
• AtariCrypt YouTube Channel that needs your subscription: https://www.youtube.com/@AtariCrypt

Credits

---

Laurent Fontaine aka. Dr Floyd - Programming
Eric Damain aka. Shaoth - Additional Programming
Lonny Pursell - Additional Programming
Jean-François Pino aka. Grostonton - Graphics
Nic Alderton aka. Count Zero - Music
Terry King - Music Driver
https://www.atarilegend.com/games/cosmos-chronicles

Welcome to my adventure - day one

The trouble with me is...

Wow, where do I begin with that one? I better not! Anyhow, with regard to the ST and AtariCrypt, I'm a bit daft and usually annoy myself. I always have far too many games on the go! I hardly ever finish writing before moving on to the next. Sigh, I'll never change but I have decided to try and concentrate on one game. Something that I find truly fascinating.

Cosmos Chronicles

If you're sitting there - bored stupid - wondering what Cosmos Chronicles is then you're either dead, been in a coma, or just insane. I previewed it yonks ago, perhaps you should check that link out? This is such an engaging adventure, a unique mash of ideas and somewhat a futuristic Ultima you might say - with touches of Sundog and Frontier!

So, I figured it would be a great game to feature my progress - as and when it's made. Kinda like I did for Atari's Super Pack and when mapping Sword Of Kadash. However, this time, with smaller posts I can knock out quicker (he says). However, note that I'm no expert rogue slayer! I'm merely an ST Dude having fun with a wonderful new game :)

The game

We are a young chap called Floyd Cooper and we live on Acriel, a small rock orbiting a larger planet called Nova. Here we work the land as a farmer with my Auntie and Uncle Vetea. Long story, cut short, the military turned up and killed them! Our father's spaceship is inside the barn and a friend is located northwards. Better check all that out, eh?

Exploring Acriel is easy; similar to what you would have seen in the Ultima games. Move using the cursor keys and enter a building (like the farmhouse) by walking up to it and tapping the 'up arrow' to enter. Once inside, explore as you did outside. Additionally, to interact and select/talk/pickup you should hit the 'Return key'. The cursor keys are now used to select items in the inventory plus relevant actions. Hitting "backspace" cancels and returns to the game.

Interestingly, Cosmos Chronicles supports the Blitter Chip so will feel faster on the Atari STe.

Additionally, backspace will be used inside the Cosmos to take off and enter space. The 'spacebar' is also used but more on that later in this series. Finally, the 'ESC key' can be used to quit. Are you a quitter boy??? I expect not!

"Day one"

For those who read what I previously published, this appears a repeat? It is. Apologies but I decided to restart from the beginning again - which makes perfect sense for this run of articles covering my progress. I hope!

The initial parts of this tragic storyline are perfect for learning the gameplay basics. It allows easy learning of the interface, exploring, collecting items, using the radar, and interacting with the soldiers (ie, learning how to fight). The interface is straightforward - top/right is the planet's conditions under the radar. Further down are details on health, fatigue, food and water. Under the play area, is your inventory and an area for messages/communication.

I'll no doubt die and restart multiple times but, I hope this will be an enjoyable adventure to document. Perhaps this might inspire you to buy the game for yourself? Please note that this isn't a walkthrough - not possible - it's merely an enjoyable romp through a fantastic adventure. Wish me luck - my only wish is not to embarrass myself (too much).

I would love to hear from anyone who is playing this game.

How deep into it are you?

Share your tips!

Okay, are you ready? Let's view the trials and tribulations we must go through before the game properly begins...

We've been rumbled! Skiving under a tree, we hear a distant noise at the farm.
(Note the radar, top/right, this helps to show where the farm is)

Heading northwest, we arrive at the farm but our uncle has a worried look on his face!
(Hey, there's a field of food... I wonder what is inside that barn?)

Of course, we decide to check out the farmhouse first... Ah, a weapon!
(Note the inventory - food/water. On the right are your stats)

Those soldiers are cruel. At least they didn't kill that cute cow!
(Mmm, there's nothing tastier than a big, juicy steak)

This takes us into our first battle. Note the new options and helpful info on the right.
(Your first battle is confusing - choose to arm yourself first and then attack)

Buried them quick, didn't I? Anyhow, our uncle survived long enough for a few final words.
(You could walk north, it's not far. But you have a spaceship now...)

We're scared but bravely head northwards into unknown lands.
We find food, animals, and a house. Let's investigate inside that house!

Brace yourself for the second daring part of my adventure...

Cosmos Chronicles

Floyd is back!!

Did you think you had seen the last of Cosmos Chronicles on AtariCrypt? Ha, no way!! If you remember, on day eight I was close to the end. However, I hit a brick wall because the distances were too great for my fuel supply options. That was a cluster of embarrassment easily solved by something I had overlooked (DOH!).

So I returned with a fresh mind and continued my voyage. As you may recall, I was heading to a "mystery destination" at coordinates 470733-551942? What a ginormous journey through the heavens; fraught with much danger. Eventually, I made it. The ending scenes and battles were like nothing I expected.

If my play-through didn't convince you, maybe this final post has? Download Cosmos Chronicles on itch.io. It's free but, don't be a lamer and spend a few quid to support Gamopat and the Atari ST scene.

I don't want to spoil the ending - so stop scrolling now if you are still playing...

Reference pages of previous articles

---

Original Preview - New game released with the download. [ link ]

My Video Recording - I made a brief recording for newcomers. [ link ]

My Adventure Day 1 - Storyline and keyboard controls. [ link ]

My Adventure Day 2 - The quest begins, and we eat meat! [ link ]

My Adventure Day 3 - I created a map of the spaceship. [ link ]

My Adventure Day 4 - Learning how to fight! [ link ]

My Adventure Day 5 - Health and trade. [ link ]

My Adventure Day 6 - Wealth. [ link ]

My Adventure Day 7 - A diary of progress. [ link ]

My Adventure Day 8 - The CryptO'pinion. [ link ]

Eventually, after enduring the journey, we arrived. Hang on, what's that?

It's a monolith, so let's land on it...

A virtual entity appears and it's talking to me with precious information!!

I needed to tell someone I trusted about this news. Lord British, of course!

I have the coordinates of a prison planet where my father might be held captive.

The space station was a Hegemony ambush! Let's head to the planet instead...

Manually scouring an apparently abandoned planet was tough going.
Eventually, I found the prison!! Can you see it?

What, my father has been inside that prison all these years??

I killed the guards and then the prison boss (that green mess!).

It's a stupid story but, I won and am reunited with good old Dad.

Yes, I really did complete the game!! #HappyMoment

Cosmos Chronicles

Gamopat goodness!

It's always exciting to hear of new games being released for our amazing Atari ST/e. Sadly, it always feels that other vintage computers get the support that our 16-bit fuji lacks (hey, whatever happened to AGT). Anyhow, I've been following the Cosmos Chronicles on/off for many moons but it's originally a French Gamopat game - that means I understood now't as I know little beyond "bonjour" and "jeu"! So I eagerly awaited an English version I could playtest.

Well, you knew this was coming... Wait no more, the international edition of Cosmos Chronicles is finally out. It's beta v0.95 so it may feature a few problems in translation - but that's nothing your feedback cannot fix! I've played a little after work today and I must say it's impressive. You might say it's Ultima-impressive so very much worth the wait!!

The game was coded in GFA Basic, a tool that never ceases to impress. The full credits are:

    Programming: Laurent Fontaine [Dr. Floyd]

    Music: Nic Alderton [Count Zero]

    Sound effects: Laurent Fontaine [Dr. Floyd]

    Visuals: Laurent Fontaine [Dr. Floyd] & Francois Pino [Grostonton]

Wanna see a couple of screenshots about the background story? Yeah, come on and gander at these babies...

It's a bit "empty" and soulless I thought. Are you still interested?

I'd say so! This is a strange baseline but carry on scrolling...

Frontier, Ultima, Sundog, whaaaaat?

I instantly got that Ultima V vibe, which is excellent! However, there is more to this game than first meets the eye. Roguelike comes to the Atari ST yet again and what's more, it looks the part with a style I love. Yes, it does draw heavily on the imagination but that's the best way - I don't want anything "better" as this would bloat and spoil the whole experience. Also, I cannot help but mention the audio surprise when first booting up - thank you Count Zero!!

Okay, this #roguelike is completely free to download. However, please consider contributing a little of your hard-earned cash to help support Dr Floyd/Gamopat for all the hard graft that's obviously gone into the production of this tremendous game. I truly mean this, because the game is very promising!! I'm hugely excited about it :)

Here is the download link with a copy & paste of the basics along with some of my fabulous screenshots...

The whole universe in your ATARI ST: 200 billion galaxies, hundreds of billions of stars and planets in each galaxy (*), the possibility of visiting every patch of grass or rock on every planet, houses, caves, the ultimate open world. The ability to eat, drink, poop, shower, repair your ship, booze in the pub, fight in arenas, play in casinos and arcades, pray to the Gods, buy condoms, go on space trips, slalom between asteroids, see things no one has ever seen at the edge of space, to infinity and beyond.

The uncompromising #ROGUELIKE

- Persistent universe

- You only have one true life

- There's no going back. You die, it's over... just like in real life ;)

A combined tribute to the following

- ULTIMA IV and V, for gameplay & visual rendering (which draws heavily on the imagination)

- ELITE and ELITE FRONTIER (for the open world and space trading)

- SUNDOG (for futuristic adventure and numerous gameplay possibilities/interactions)

Atari computer compatibility

- ATARI STF

- ATARI STE (supports Blitter)

- ATARI MEGA ST

- ATARI MEGA STE 8-16Mhz

- ATARI TT (a little fast)

- FALCON 030 (too fast?)

So, first things first, we need to seek out the farm as there's trouble afoot!

As you can see, these aren't friendly soldiers at all and kill your family.

Look inside the house for a weapon and let's kick their arse!

The English breaks up a little in places but you get the general gist. Hey, check out that rabbit!

The family are slain but there's no time to mourn as we go looking for anything useful.

Yeah, I found a cave and hoped for treasure but all I found were demons!

Welcome to my adventure - day five

A bit of business

Welcome to the fifth instalment of my adventures through the cosmos (all other articles are here). Today I'll go over the raw basics of trade and supplies. You won't need to hyperspace to any distant planets because the basics can be learnt from the start on Acriel. This may come as a shock but two main things require care. You and your ship!

Cosmos Chronicles had been designed in such a way that makes it dead easy to get into. The early parts are ideal for learning the basic mechanics so experiment with traders, stock up supplies and put fuel in the ship's tank. Only when meeting Grostonton do the adventures begin, thanks to his gift of hyperspace. In the meantime, build credits, trade wisely and it might be a good idea to purchase a better weapon for when you explore a planet's wastelands.

Let's take a look at what you, and your fancy new spaceship, may require...

Floyd Cooper

---

Food - As you can imagine, filling our big fat belly is always important. So look around the farmstead as there are plants growing and cute animals grazing. Walk over to any plant and press the <return> key to rip it out of the soil. Now you can chomp on it to see your hunger levels improve a little bit.

Similarly, animals can be killed as there's nothing better than red meat, The wastelands of most planets has something to slaughter. Although our adventurer doesn't seem to bother cooking!!

Towns are often host to a variety of shops and bars. These are great places to immediately enjoy food and drink. Also, traders supply large quantities that we can store in the ship's cargo hold.

Not every planet has towns but that doesn't mean you should leave. Land the Cosmos and go for a walk in the wastelands. Many animals can be found happily going about their business. Some are too quick but slower creatures are perfect food. However, beware of the scary creatures!

Water - It's not whiskey but our ship has a tap with fresh water. You can replenish yourself at any time.

Most planets with towns have a bar offering your favourite tipple (and girls). As with food, shops/traders are worth visiting if you're in immediate need. Otherwise, use the ship itself (see below).

Rest - Catching your Zzz's is as important as eating and drinking. You don't wanna be fatigued or feel dozy during a fight!! Sleeping is free within the safety of your spaceship but some towns have hotels.

Care - Injuries will happen and bandaids aren't free but a trader is more than happy to help.

Cosmos

---

Deuterure - basically, this is petrol and can be topped up in towns and on also space stations. Of course, there is always a freebie way using certain planets (hint, hint). Saves spending valuable credits, eh?

Water - Likewise, water levels will need to be maintained. The process works exactly the same as with Deuterure and that even includes a possibility of a free source (same process as above).

Oxygen - Hey, don't choke and watch these levels when out in the darkness of space or poisonous planets.

Hull - Sheilds are great but damage isn't. Maybe you've been in many battles and the scars are showing? There are repair shops which is quite costly but he can return the ship back into fighting condition.

Parts - Most towns have stores to help with replacement parts for the ship's modules.

Inventory - The ship has a huge pantry to store items, including food and module parts.

Cargo - Large volumes of supplies can be sold by traders and stored in the cargo hold. Additionally, nothing is preventing you from using some of the items. This is why early trading is advantageous with food, water, medical supplies. Profits won't be as good as other supplies but these will help to keep you alive.

I hope this guide is helpful? When I began playing, I didn't know about Deuterure. It wasn't until I ran out of the stuff that I realised!! There I was, left in the wilderness of a remote planet - waiting to die! Not exactly a proud moment.

Once you have the spaceship fired up, go and explore the planet of Acriel. Both the apparent "empty" wastelands and busy towns are worth exploring. Once you are ready, jump into the Cosmos and head into space. Journey "south" to the space station, put some fuel in the tank, and see a chap called Grostonton. Now begins your adventure!

Let's view my screenshots from a nearby town I found, Titatown. I kid you not...

When you first jump into the Cosmos, you realise it's not in great condition. Can this be fixed?

As you can see, much is still in French. For example, coque is the ship's hull.

Plus it's love on Deuterure fuel. Perhaps I should figure out how to fix that!!

(Towns and a nearby space station will help early in the game)

If you find the right type of planet, refuelling is free.

Why pay when you can suck it up straight into your fuel tank!

I genuinely didn't notice the town's name when I took this screenshot lol.

(Weirdly, the people have little to say so don't expect any chat or side quests)

The first place I stopped was JD Wetherspoon for a couple of beers!! YEAH :D

Look at my stats on the right, I'm very hungry and thirsty!

Hey, what's that in the back of the bar? Well, the missus will never find out...

For different results, talk to her from an adjacent tile or on top!

Sobered up and went looking for spare parts in this garage.

Garages are great, walk over to the right for more services and repairs.

Ah, the same applied in the electronics store. Repairs ahoy!

(The game is quite vague when it comes to ship parts)

Traders are promising and I sold a load of fish before he shut up shop! (Tip: use spacebar)

Credits are low at the start so don't buy too much until you've more money.