Nock: Hidden Arrow

Released: Apr 17, 2019
Platforms: Windows
Last updated: 04 Sep 2026, 02:59 GMT

Updates & announcements

20 posts

19 Apr 2019Developer post
Where does this road lead?
I've been trying to figure out what to do with Nock for quite a while now. I got my Vive shortly after release, and almost immediately I was hooked. Before I knew it, I was building this game. I had a lot of fun putting Nock together, and I'm really happy with a lot of the things
02 Jul 2017Developer post
Update 11 - Locomotion
Update 11 is live. Yes, that's right, the long-awaited locomotion update is here! I've added three locomotion variants, and a comfort feature called FoV Reduction. Here are the details: New Locomotion Methods Touchpad: This is touchpad locomotion similar to what you'd see in othe
Update 11 is live. Yes, that's right, the long-awaited locomotion update is here! I've added three locomotion variants, and a comfort feature called FoV Reduction. Here are the details: New Locomotion Methods

Touchpad: This is touchpad locomotion similar to what you'd see in other games like Onward. Touch the touchpad to walk in any direction. Move your thumb, or turn the controller, to change direction. The farther from the center you touch, the faster you move. Touch to walk, push down to run.
Armswinger: Another popular locomotion method, for this you push down on the touchpad and move your controllers up and down. You'll move in whichever direction you're pointing. The faster you move the controllers, the faster you move. This allows a lot of control, and feels very natural with a bit of practice. Moving your head up and down adds to your movement too (though it's not necessary).
Headbob: This is an armswinger variant I thought felt very natural and sneaky. As with Armswinger, press down on the touchpad to enable movement. Bob your head up and down to move. I like to use a slightly exaggerated Ace Ventura-style sneaking motion - makes me feel very stealthy as I creep through the halls to shoot goblins in the back.
FoV Reduction By default, a vignetting effect now dims out the edges of your vision while moving. This helps many people with comfort while using artificial locomotion methods. If you don't want or need this, you can turn it off in the menu. Adding these locomotion methods required me to rebuild all the game levels with new collision geometry. It was a lot of work, but I think it was worth it. I know some of you have been waiting for this for a long time. Please let me know what you think - I want to make sure I'm giving you guys the best experience possible. Movement direction is determined by the controller you push the touchpad on, so you can move your other hand freely without affecting your movement direction. Cheers!
Original post
02 Jul 2017Developer post
Update 11 - Locomotion
Update 11 is live. Yes, that's right, the long-awaited locomotion update is here! I've added three locomotion variants, and a comfort feature called FoV Reduction. Here are the details: New Locomotion Methods Touchpad: This is touchpad locomotion similar to what you'd see in othe
Update 11 is live. Yes, that's right, the long-awaited locomotion update is here! I've added three locomotion variants, and a comfort feature called FoV Reduction. Here are the details: New Locomotion Methods

Touchpad: This is touchpad locomotion similar to what you'd see in other games like Onward. Touch the touchpad to walk in any direction. Move your thumb, or turn the controller, to change direction. The farther from the center you touch, the faster you move. Touch to walk, push down to run.
Armswinger: Another popular locomotion method, for this you push down on the touchpad and move your controllers up and down. You'll move in whichever direction you're pointing. The faster you move the controllers, the faster you move. This allows a lot of control, and feels very natural with a bit of practice. Moving your head up and down adds to your movement too (though it's not necessary).
Headbob: This is an armswinger variant I thought felt very natural and sneaky. As with Armswinger, press down on the touchpad to enable movement. Bob your head up and down to move. I like to use a slightly exaggerated Ace Ventura-style sneaking motion - makes me feel very stealthy as I creep through the halls to shoot goblins in the back.
FoV Reduction By default, a vignetting effect now dims out the edges of your vision while moving. This helps many people with comfort while using artificial locomotion methods. If you don't want or need this, you can turn it off in the menu. Adding these locomotion methods required me to rebuild all the game levels with new collision geometry. It was a lot of work, but I think it was worth it. I know some of you have been waiting for this for a long time. Please let me know what you think - I want to make sure I'm giving you guys the best experience possible. Movement direction is determined by the controller you push the touchpad on, so you can move your other hand freely without affecting your movement direction. Cheers!
Original post
02 Apr 2017Developer post
Update 10
Update 10 is live. This update is mostly bugfixes. Several bugs (may introduced in update 9 - oops!) have been fixed. I now know to test things extra thoroughly after API updates. ːsteamfacepalmː Details Upgraded to SteamVR 1.2.1 Decoys should no longer spawn for a single frame a
Update 10 is live. This update is mostly bugfixes. Several bugs (may introduced in update 9 - oops!) have been fixed. I now know to test things extra thoroughly after API updates. ːsteamfacepalmː Details

Upgraded to SteamVR 1.2.1
Decoys should no longer spawn for a single frame and disappear
Decoys and arrows won't fade out while still being held
Goblin sling stones hit the player again (they'll be much harder now - sorry!)
Teleporting in combat isn't free anymore
Menus are working properly again
Dropped DirectX 9 support (everything is DX11 now)
Enabled error reports for enhanced troubleshooting
Thanks to those who reported issues so I could fix them. Hope you enjoy!
Original post
02 Apr 2017Developer post
Update 10
Update 10 is live. This update is mostly bugfixes. Several bugs (may introduced in update 9 - oops!) have been fixed. I now know to test things extra thoroughly after API updates. ːsteamfacepalmː Details Upgraded to SteamVR 1.2.1 Decoys should no longer spawn for a single frame a
Update 10 is live. This update is mostly bugfixes. Several bugs (may introduced in update 9 - oops!) have been fixed. I now know to test things extra thoroughly after API updates. ːsteamfacepalmː Details

Upgraded to SteamVR 1.2.1
Decoys should no longer spawn for a single frame and disappear
Decoys and arrows won't fade out while still being held
Goblin sling stones hit the player again (they'll be much harder now - sorry!)
Teleporting in combat isn't free anymore
Menus are working properly again
Dropped DirectX 9 support (everything is DX11 now)
Enabled error reports for enhanced troubleshooting
Thanks to those who reported issues so I could fix them. Hope you enjoy!
Original post
09 Mar 2017Developer post
Update 9
Update 9 is live! Now with less decimal places! Devlog: Details: This update brings a new activity - the practice range! The practice range is accessible from the main level, and becomes available once you're finished the tutorial. Brush up on your archery skills while you try fo
09 Mar 2017Developer post
Update 9
Update 9 is live! Now with less decimal places! Devlog: Details: This update brings a new activity - the practice range! The practice range is accessible from the main level, and becomes available once you're finished the tutorial. Brush up on your archery skills while you try fo
19 Jan 2017Developer post
Update 0.1.1.1
Update 0.1.1.1 is live! Devlog: Details: Movement changes. Unlimited teleporting when exploring. Movement limited in combat, especially if you enter melee range. This should make exploration feel more free, and combat feel a bit more tense and interesting. Arrow tracers. Optional
19 Jan 2017Developer post
Update 0.1.1.1
Update 0.1.1.1 is live! Devlog: Details: Movement changes. Unlimited teleporting when exploring. Movement limited in combat, especially if you enter melee range. This should make exploration feel more free, and combat feel a bit more tense and interesting. Arrow tracers. Optional
11 Jan 2017Developer post
Update 0.1.1.0
Update 0.1.1.0 is live! Check out the update video here: Details: AI has been completely rewritten. Moved from behaviour trees to Utility AI. The most noticeable difference so far is enemies are a lot smarter about how they approach. As a result, they're a lot harder to hit when
Update 0.1.1.0 is live! Check out the update video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENWho3cjUJA Details:

AI has been completely rewritten. Moved from behaviour trees to Utility AI. The most noticeable difference so far is enemies are a lot smarter about how they approach. As a result, they're a lot harder to hit when they're aware of you. Smaller enemies tend to be more maneuverable and harder to hit as a result. You have to work for your headshots now. Overall this change makes stealth a more attractive option in many cases. The new AI is still a bit rough. Please report any oddities you encounter in your adventures.
Enemy numbers have been reduced in Outskirts and Foothold to compensate for their increased difficulty.
Ingress has been removed from the campaign, as I think the sudden shift from adventure to unforgiving dont-be-seen pure stealth gameplay was a bit harsh. For those masochists who enjoyed this, you can still play Ingress in free play mode.
The completion of the AI conversion frees me up to work on content. Over the next while I'll be adding enemies with different behaviours, that will require different approaches to take down effectively and hopefully make for a more engaging experience. I'll also be working on new maps and missions. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think. Your feedback helps make Nock better. Cheers!
Original post
11 Jan 2017Developer post
Update 0.1.1.0
Update 0.1.1.0 is live! Check out the update video here: Details: AI has been completely rewritten. Moved from behaviour trees to Utility AI. The most noticeable difference so far is enemies are a lot smarter about how they approach. As a result, they're a lot harder to hit when
Update 0.1.1.0 is live! Check out the update video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENWho3cjUJA Details:

AI has been completely rewritten. Moved from behaviour trees to Utility AI. The most noticeable difference so far is enemies are a lot smarter about how they approach. As a result, they're a lot harder to hit when they're aware of you. Smaller enemies tend to be more maneuverable and harder to hit as a result. You have to work for your headshots now. Overall this change makes stealth a more attractive option in many cases. The new AI is still a bit rough. Please report any oddities you encounter in your adventures.
Enemy numbers have been reduced in Outskirts and Foothold to compensate for their increased difficulty.
Ingress has been removed from the campaign, as I think the sudden shift from adventure to unforgiving dont-be-seen pure stealth gameplay was a bit harsh. For those masochists who enjoyed this, you can still play Ingress in free play mode.
The completion of the AI conversion frees me up to work on content. Over the next while I'll be adding enemies with different behaviours, that will require different approaches to take down effectively and hopefully make for a more engaging experience. I'll also be working on new maps and missions. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think. Your feedback helps make Nock better. Cheers!
Original post
24 Dec 2016Developer post
Update 0.1.0.4
Update 0.1.0.4 is live! Here's the update video: I've mostly been working on background AI stuff this week. While that doesn't bring any visible changes, I do have a few things for you. Details: Combat music. When you enter combat now, action music spools up. Play in your own gam
Update 0.1.0.4 is live! Here's the update video: https://youtu.be/FL1L9IzkfFI I've mostly been working on background AI stuff this week. While that doesn't bring any visible changes, I do have a few things for you. Details:

Combat music. When you enter combat now, action music spools up. Play in your own game trailer! Volume controls for this will be coming in a future update.
Improved grab zones for bows, arrows, and decoys. This should feel much more natural now. If you have any troubles grabbing these objects, please let me know!
Improved haptic feedback for bow and arrow. The feedback you get will vary in strength with how fast you pull, and how far you've drawn the string back. I welcome feedback on how this feels.
Haptic feedback for levers (and, later, other objects). You'll now feel it when you pull levers. As with the improved bow feel, this will vary with how fast you pull.
That's it for this week. There won't be an update next week due to the holidays, but I'll be working in the background. The next update will include the completion of the AI overhaul, and see the beginnings of different NPC behaviours. It should be good times. Have a great holiday everyone!
Original post
24 Dec 2016Developer post
Update 0.1.0.4
Update 0.1.0.4 is live! Here's the update video: I've mostly been working on background AI stuff this week. While that doesn't bring any visible changes, I do have a few things for you. Details: Combat music. When you enter combat now, action music spools up. Play in your own gam
Update 0.1.0.4 is live! Here's the update video: https://youtu.be/FL1L9IzkfFI I've mostly been working on background AI stuff this week. While that doesn't bring any visible changes, I do have a few things for you. Details:

Combat music. When you enter combat now, action music spools up. Play in your own game trailer! Volume controls for this will be coming in a future update.
Improved grab zones for bows, arrows, and decoys. This should feel much more natural now. If you have any troubles grabbing these objects, please let me know!
Improved haptic feedback for bow and arrow. The feedback you get will vary in strength with how fast you pull, and how far you've drawn the string back. I welcome feedback on how this feels.
Haptic feedback for levers (and, later, other objects). You'll now feel it when you pull levers. As with the improved bow feel, this will vary with how fast you pull.
That's it for this week. There won't be an update next week due to the holidays, but I'll be working in the background. The next update will include the completion of the AI overhaul, and see the beginnings of different NPC behaviours. It should be good times. Have a great holiday everyone!
Original post
17 Dec 2016Developer post
Update 0.1.0.3
Update 0.1.0.3 is here! Here's the devlog: Details: New play mode Free Play - allows you to play whichever missions you want without completing the story. Choose your favourite mission types. Completely replaced hit detection system. Meshes are used for collision instead of hitbo
Update 0.1.0.3 is here! Here's the devlog: https://youtu.be/42y3bGG8UlM Details:

New play mode Free Play - allows you to play whichever missions you want without completing the story. Choose your favourite mission types.
Completely replaced hit detection system. Meshes are used for collision instead of hitboxes. Much more accurate, and allows better handling for things like hitting flesh vs armor.
Ricochets! Send me your craziest trick shots.
New monster: The minotaur. Much tougher than orcs and goblins. Look for them in Foothold and Not Another Wave Shooter.
That's what we've got for this week. Next week I'm going to start an AI overhaul, which will be the first step toward more interesting monster behaviour than "run toward hunter and swing."
Original post
17 Dec 2016Developer post
Update 0.1.0.3
Update 0.1.0.3 is here! Here's the devlog: Details: New play mode Free Play - allows you to play whichever missions you want without completing the story. Choose your favourite mission types. Completely replaced hit detection system. Meshes are used for collision instead of hitbo
Update 0.1.0.3 is here! Here's the devlog: https://youtu.be/42y3bGG8UlM Details:

New play mode Free Play - allows you to play whichever missions you want without completing the story. Choose your favourite mission types.
Completely replaced hit detection system. Meshes are used for collision instead of hitboxes. Much more accurate, and allows better handling for things like hitting flesh vs armor.
Ricochets! Send me your craziest trick shots.
New monster: The minotaur. Much tougher than orcs and goblins. Look for them in Foothold and Not Another Wave Shooter.
That's what we've got for this week. Next week I'm going to start an AI overhaul, which will be the first step toward more interesting monster behaviour than "run toward hunter and swing."
Original post
09 Dec 2016Developer post
Update 0.1.0.2
Update 0.1.0.2 is here! Details: Changed default graphics settings for improved performance. All the same options are there, but the defaults are more sane. In particular, Ambient Occlusion is very costly in VR, so it's disabled by default for all profiles except Extreme. Campaig
Update 0.1.0.2 is here! Details:

Changed default graphics settings for improved performance. All the same options are there, but the defaults are more sane. In particular, Ambient Occlusion is very costly in VR, so it's disabled by default for all profiles except Extreme.
Campaign discoverability improvement. Once you've completed the tutorial, you'll always spawn into the level select screen facing the campaign teleporters. I'm going to completely rework the level select process (the current setup kind of sucks), but this change should help for now.
Added FXAA Antialiasing (and options to disable/change quality)
Added Mixed Reality support (Forward Rendering). You can enable this in the menu. Note that there are performance considerations, as forward rendering is not as efficient for large numbers of lights. Only use this if you need it. I also recommend disabling bloom when running in mixed reality mode, as it will resolve issues with arrows and decoys having weird halos when in the foreground.
Made bow grab/release require a trigger pull. You shouldn't accidentally put away your bow or swap hands every time you touch your face now.
You can now put away a decoy without throwing it. If you release the trigger button while your hand is motionless (or moving very slowly), the decoy will just disappear instead of being dropped.
Initial work on a new monster (to be included in the next update).
That's it for this week. Next week will be our first content update. I'm planning to add a new monster, new play mode, and maybe even a new mission. Thanks for your support everyone! You're all helping make my dreams come true.
Original post
09 Dec 2016Developer post
Update 0.1.0.2
Update 0.1.0.2 is here! Details: Changed default graphics settings for improved performance. All the same options are there, but the defaults are more sane. In particular, Ambient Occlusion is very costly in VR, so it's disabled by default for all profiles except Extreme. Campaig
Update 0.1.0.2 is here! Details:

Changed default graphics settings for improved performance. All the same options are there, but the defaults are more sane. In particular, Ambient Occlusion is very costly in VR, so it's disabled by default for all profiles except Extreme.
Campaign discoverability improvement. Once you've completed the tutorial, you'll always spawn into the level select screen facing the campaign teleporters. I'm going to completely rework the level select process (the current setup kind of sucks), but this change should help for now.
Added FXAA Antialiasing (and options to disable/change quality)
Added Mixed Reality support (Forward Rendering). You can enable this in the menu. Note that there are performance considerations, as forward rendering is not as efficient for large numbers of lights. Only use this if you need it. I also recommend disabling bloom when running in mixed reality mode, as it will resolve issues with arrows and decoys having weird halos when in the foreground.
Made bow grab/release require a trigger pull. You shouldn't accidentally put away your bow or swap hands every time you touch your face now.
You can now put away a decoy without throwing it. If you release the trigger button while your hand is motionless (or moving very slowly), the decoy will just disappear instead of being dropped.
Initial work on a new monster (to be included in the next update).
That's it for this week. Next week will be our first content update. I'm planning to add a new monster, new play mode, and maybe even a new mission. Thanks for your support everyone! You're all helping make my dreams come true.
Original post
06 Dec 2016Developer post
Trello Board
This is a duplicate of a pinned post in the discussion forums The Trello board for Nock: Hidden Arrow is up. In addition to being a place you can make suggestions and whatnot, this will soon be a place you can go to see what's coming up. Please go there to vote on what you want t
06 Dec 2016Developer post
Trello Board
This is a duplicate of a pinned post in the discussion forums The Trello board for Nock: Hidden Arrow is up. In addition to being a place you can make suggestions and whatnot, this will soon be a place you can go to see what's coming up. Please go there to vote on what you want t
03 Dec 2016Developer post
Update 0.1.0.1 is live
Our first update, 0.1.0.1, is now live for all users. This is a minor patch, including a few tweaks and fixes. Update 0.1.0.1 details Fix issue with dropped weapons thrashing in walls Make levers more responsive (better tracking to hands - they felt like they were moving through
Our first update, 0.1.0.1, is now live for all users. This is a minor patch, including a few tweaks and fixes. Update 0.1.0.1 details

Fix issue with dropped weapons thrashing in walls
Make levers more responsive (better tracking to hands - they felt like they were moving through molasses before)
Adjust Decoy pouch colliders to accommodate more body types. Ideally you'll have an easy time grabbing decoys no matter how short/tall/skinny/huge you are. Let me know how this works!
Stay tuned for more content and fixes next week!
Original post