What is nivplus_win64?

This repository holds launcher scripts and configuration files that make it easier to run the game Noctis IV, and its fan made continuation Noctis IV Plus, on modern 64 bit Windows computers. Noctis IV is an old space exploration game, and this project wraps it so it runs smoothly today instead of requiring manual setup of old DOS era tools. The instructions in this repo work for both the original Noctis IV and the Plus version, though the launcher is built with Noctis IV Plus in mind. Getting it running takes three steps. First, you download the latest release of Noctis IV Plus from its own GitHub page and extract its folders, named things like data, gallery, manual, modules, movies, and source, into the same directory where you cloned this repository. Second, you set up DOSBox-X, which is the tool that actually emulates the old environment the game needs to run in. There are two ways to do this. The preferred way is to install DOSBox-X normally using its official installer, keeping the default install location. The more advanced option is to use a portable version of DOSBox-X instead, which you extract into this repository's folder alongside the game files, without doing a full installation. The launcher script checks for the installed version first, and if it cannot find one, it falls back to looking for the portable version. If neither is found, it shows an error and will not start the game. Third, once the game files and DOSBox-X are both in place, you simply run the file named Launch.bat, and the game starts. The project is a convenience layer: it does not contain the game itself, but it saves you from manually configuring DOSBox settings and folder paths every time you want to play. The README is fairly short and focused entirely on installation and setup steps, without going into detail about gameplay itself.