Greetings Fellow Avatars!
Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:
- Play Release 13 Now and Get Your Grand Tour Yule Hat
- Vote for Shroud of the Avatar as the Most Anticipated MMO of 2015!
- $5 for $5 Holiday Bonus
- SotA Community is Rockin’ It!
- In-game Community Weekend Events
- Steam Access Keys Available for All Backers
- Holiday Specials
- Last Chance Exclusives: Smelting Tongs and Blue Tile Roof Row Houses
- How to Cancel Monthly Payment Plans
- Recruitment Bonus Allocation Expiration
- This Week In the News
- Upcoming Events
Several new creatures made it into the game for the first time in Release 13, including this intimidating Earth Elemental
Please note that December 20 – 28 and January 1 are official company holidays for Portalarium which means there will be no developer presence nor customer support on those dates.
Play Release 13 Now and Get Your Grand Tour Yule Hat
Release 13 successfully launched yesterday, December 18, with thousands of backers downloading, patching, logging in, and checking out the new changes! Lots of new content to explore, including:
- New houses and decorations, including the much requested room dividers and hedges
- 16 new skills, including our first Chaos magic spell
- New consumable crafting recipes, including Smelling Salts, Explosive Potion, and Haste Potion
- New creatures, including Earth and Air Elementals, Imp, Scorpion, and Reindeer.
- New Desert Scenes
- Combat balancing, especially s
o melee fighters aren’t so overpowered - …and more!
o melee fighters aren’t so overpoweredCheck out the Release 13 Instructions update for detailed information about all the R13 content.
The Grand Tour Quest
Just as in our last few releases, we’ve included a Grand Tour Quest designed to guide you through all the new content. And just in time for the holidays, you will be able to get the Yule Hat by completing the Release 13 Grand Tour Quest. This reward can only be unlocked during Release 13 (did someone say rares?), so be sure to log in soon and talk to all the Tour Guides!
If you need help getting your R13 Yule Hat reward, then check out The Mad Hermit’s video guide to completing the R13 Grand Tour Quest:
We need all your help with testing the new patches, putting more stress on our multiplayer servers, and testing the new game content, so please join us in playing Release 13!
If you have not backed the game yet, you will need to register and login at www.shroudoftheavatar.com, select the “Pledge or Send Gift!” button in the right side-bar, and purchase a pledge at the $45 Adventurer level or above. The basic Adventurer level pledge is also available on Steam Early Access.
Release 13 Player Instructions
Release 13 Known Issues
If you are new to Shroud of the Avatar we highly recommend taking a few minutes to watch the excellent New Player’s Video Guide from community member The Mad Hermit:
Click here to check out all of The Mad Hermit’s amazing SotA how-to videos!
R13 Patch Notes
Thanks to all our community members that jumped right into Release 13 and started reporting bugs. We’ve already fixed quite a few of them and pushed out a couple of patches. Click here for the most up-to-date Patch Notes.
December 19, 2014
Build Number 199 (Linux, Mac, PC): 5:30 PM CST (15:30 GMT)
- Augmented Cloth Hood no longer removes facial hair
- Deathfield nerfed slightly
- Obsidian Cloak now displays the proper symbol
- Fixed a logic error that gave you bonuses and penalties to fizzle chances for standing still or moving BUT only if holding a bow. Now will apply those no matter what weapon is equipped. Also, cut the penalty in half.
- Immolation is now enabled in the game (no really, we aren’t kidding)
- Fixed various typos in conversations
- Changed Launcher to default to 64 bit windows build if machine is capable
- Various performance optimizations (should make Owl’s Head play much better)
- Updated the get hit sound effect to something marginally better but still placeholder
- Fixed doorways in desert buildings that were blocking fully scaled avatars
- Books should no longer appear in the equipment tab
- Kobold Mages and Archers should now have the correct names
- Fixed floating fence and boulders in Wynton’s Folly (new desert scene)
- Fixed issue that was causing multiple items to be selected in inventory, even when trying to select single items
Build Number 198 (Linux, Mac, PC): 9:30 AM CST (15:30 GMT)
- Marlene Graff’s quest to recover her necklace is now working properly
- Red Sash Bandits now dropping Red Sashes again
- Fixed text overlap issue in Options UI
- Fixed issues with Blink letting you go through walls of player houses
- Added more footstep sounds
- “Random Encounter!” text replaced with “Prepare to defend yourself!”
- Player placed lights can now be turned off
- Partial fix for the issue that many creatures will run away from you briefly before running towards you when they notice you
- Duke and Baron crows now work properly with hair
- Fixed Grand Tour bug where guides sometimes don’t acknowledge you when you typed the “Progress” keyword
- Visual Effects for Caltrops and Explosive Potions are now in the game.
- Chest Mimics are now working again
- Fixed rock in Link of Hyrule’s yard
- Random Encounters are now flagged as private so they will no longer be filled with dead animals and mined out resources
- Changed Tour Guide names so they have the place name in their name (“say name one more time *********!”)
- Sitting with a torch while AFK no longer burns your nether regions
- Caltrops can no longer be placed in your non-combat bar (which was locking you in place if you tried to use it)
- Spiders in Deep Ravenswood should be more challenging/balanced
December 18, 2014
Build Number 196 (Linux, Mac, PC): 12:30 PM CST (18:30 GMT)
- Mac Build is now working! Thank you for your patience
- New Lord of the Manor Keep should have collision and sound effects on the doors
- Gravity returned to Wynton’s Folly (new desert scene). Fixed floating resource node, floating building and floating tree
- Ladders and stairs in Wynton’s Folly (new desert scene) should now work
- Scorpions now playing spitting animation (yes just what you always wanted, to be covered in Scorpion spit, you are welcome)
- Air Elemental now using lightning instead of ice arrow
- Increased slow effects for Ice Spells and Combos: Ice Arrow, Ice Field, Ice Fist, Icy Puncture, and Icy Thrust
- Players can now use /reportplayer and /reportcontent in the chat window which will send tickets to our Customer Service system for inappropriate content
Please Vote for Shroud of the Avatar for Massively’s Most Anticipated MMO of 2015!
Massively is running a Reader Poll for the the Most Anticipated MMO of 2015, so please click this link to go cast your vote for Shroud of the Avatar!
$5 for $5 Holiday Bonus
If you make any purchase of $5 or more on the SotA website between 12 pm CST December 18 and 12 pm CST January 2 we will make a one-time deposit of an extra $5 into your Store Credit!
[NOTE: The $5 for $5 offer can be exercised only once during the promotion period.
$5 Store Credit should show up in your account within 24 hours of a qualifying purchase]
SotA Community is Rockin’ It!
It’s time again to celebrate the quality and diversity of Shroud of the Avatar music being created by the amazing composers within our community. Enjoy!
Love, by Holt Ironfell: https://soundcloud.
Grandmaster Bard Holt Ironfell provides us with the beautiful feminine version of the “Love” theme, for use in Ardoris, where we will hear both this piece and the masculine form to be heard across the city.
Kobold Invention, by Kailef: https://soundcloud.
Kailef has composed “Kobold Invention” for our pleasure. The kobolds of New Britannia are far more than a simple foe. In fact they created many of the advancements citizens of New Britannia benefit from. Often, this fact is at the root of the difficult discourse between kobolds and humans as they bicker about who steals ideas from who!
Blood River Settlement “Elven Sadness”, by Dougyfresh: https://
Another masterwork by Dougyfresh is “Elven Sadness”, a piece that showcases the softer side of the often maligned Elven race. Most in New Britannia think of Elves as the brutish and warlike race, as they were created by the obsidians ages ago. In fact, since the obsidian wars, elves have struggled to find a place and a purpose in the new world. Suffering and strife is far from unknown in their ranks.
Underground “Deep Dungeon”, by Sharm: https://soundcloud.com/
Sharm provides us the wonderful environmental piece that is “Deep Dungeon”. The depths of New Britannia often hold riches that draw people in to seek them, but just as often the mystery and the beauty comes with less obvious value, and even danger!
Villages “Work & Play”, by Ome: https://soundcloud.com/
Ome The Bard crafted this piece, which is one of my personal favorites, “Work and Play” or “Circle of Stones”, which beautifully encapsulates the spirit of New Britannia, as it both revels in possibility yet must work hard to achieve its goals.
– Lord British
Are you a composer who is interested in helping to shape the sounds of Novia? Then visit our forums (https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/music-submission-process.12808/) to find out how you can get involved!
In-game Weekend Community Events
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Our amazing community has another great lineup of in-game events planned for this weekend. If you missed out on these player events during the previous Releases, we highly recommend you check some of them out this weekend. Here is the latest schedule of player events from the Avatar’s Circle Community Events calendar (http://avatarscircle.com/community-events/):
Friday, December 19
10:00am CST – Dungeon Run – Braemar Cemetery
2:00pm CST – FireLotus Release Party – R13 is here! (Wody’s Tavern, Port Phoenix)
7:00pm CST – Dungeon Run – Braemar Cemetery
Saturday, December 20
9:00am CST – PaxLair Working Hours – Host Winfield (in Valemark)
11:00am CST – Church of the Dark Star – The Monsters that Dwell Within – Greed (PaxLair, Valemark)
12:00pm CST – Welcome Quest in R13 (“/zone Dara Brae” to join; details)
3:00pm CST – Yule Maze (in Owl’s Head or “/zone Net” or “/zone Riya”)
4:00pm CST – Scholarly Lecture – Flora and Fauna of New Britannia (Port Phoenix Fairgrounds, Kingsport, or “/zone Kazyn Phoenixfyre”)
5:00pm CST – PvP Tournament: 1v1 Double Elimination $$$ (Vengeance in The Brave Coast)
Sunday, December 21
5:30am CST – Explore Novia with royalsexy (Owl’s Head entrance)
12:00pm CST – Port Phoenix Storytelling Event! (Port Phoenix Fairgrounds, Kingsport City Center, or “/zone Kazyn Phoenixfyre”)
1:00pm CST – Learn to Gather (Owl’s Head crafting pavilion)
2:00pm CST – Hangout of the Avatar – Economy & Chat systems (details)
4:00pm CST – All Towns Gathering (Dara Brae)
6:00pm CST – Fishing with Winfield (some lake or pond, “/zone Winfield”)
7:00pm CST – PaxLair Meeting (in Valemark or “/zone Winfield PaxLair”)
Steam Access Keys Available for All SotA Backers
SotA successfully launched on Steam Early Access on November 24, and we’ve made Steam Access Keys available to all our backers as part of their basic pledge rewards! Once you’ve redeemed your Steam Access Key you’ll have the option of playing SotA either with the Steam client or the regular game client (or both).
Click here for instructions to redeem your Steam access key and installing the Steam SotA client…
If you play SotA on Steam you can collect the SotA Trading Cards! Collect a full set of SotA trading cards to earn SotA badges, profile backgrounds, and emoticons that help you customize your profile and show off your Shroud of the Avatar gameplay. Check out Steam’s trading card FAQ for more information.
Holiday Specials
Yep, it’s that time of the year again. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve brought back all of your holiday favorites. You can get all 7 of the 2014 holiday items at an even greater savings with the 2014 Holiday Bundle! Includes Taming Turkey Call, Taming Reindeer Call, Cornucopia, Yule Tree, Menorah, Replenishing Fireworks Box, and the Replenishing Snowball Box. Available for a limited time in the Add-On Store.
Last Chance Exclusives
Every week going forward we are removing select items from the Add-On Store, so if you want them you better get them before they are gone! Over the past few weeks we’ve phased out almost 20 items, including such items as the Scissors of Prosperity, Blade of the Avatar Cloak, Shingle-Roof Village Homes. This week, the following items are available for an additional 20% off, and then will no longer be available in the Add-On Store.
The Smelting Tongs of Prosperity
These unique, indestructible smelting tongs increases the quality and quantity of items produced when smelting. While smelting tongs with similar effects can be crafted and purchased in the game these tongs never need repair.
Blue Tile Roof 2-Story Row House
In our line of Blue Tile Roof Row homes is this 2-story, 4-room row house. (NOTE: You will need a Property to place this item in-game)
Blue Tile Roof 3-Story Row House
In our line of Blue Tile Roof Row homes is this 3-story, 6-room row house. (NOTE: You will need a Property to place this item in-game)
How to Cancel Monthly Payment Plans
Remember that Pledge payment plans are not canceled automatically after reaching the desired pledge. You must manually cancel your monthly payment plan, which can be done at anytime on your SotA Account page. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause, but it is a result of how recurring billing functions with PayPal, Amazon, and Stripe (our credit card service).
Recruitment Bonus Allocation Expiration
The Recruitment Bonus Program ended at 12:00 pm CST December 2, 2014, but you will have until midnight CST December 31, 2014 to alter the allocation of your recruitment bonuses on your Account page. After the deadline, the “Recruits” user interface on your Account page will no longer be available, and any unallocated recruitment bonuses will be automatically applied to your pledge (or to your highest valued pledge if you have more than one).
This Week In the News
December 15 – MMORPG.com: Shroud of the Avatar Column: Release 13 – Get Lucky
December 17 – Beboop Podcast – Episode 23: Special Guest Starr Long
December 18 – Massively: Shroud of the Avatar’s Richard Garriott and Starr Long on MMO community
December 18 – Crowd Power: The Future of Video Games
Upcoming Events
2014.12.18 – Release 13 Access
2015.01.06 – SotA at CES
2015.01.22 – Release 14 Access
2015.02.19 – Release 15 Access
2015.03.13 – SotA at SXSW Interactive
2015.03.26 – Release 16 Access
Those elementals are beasty… they even kill people after their masters die!
Awesome stuff! Have a great Holiday break! You guys/gals deserve it!
Be great if i could play it but I can’t.
Merry Christmas to you all
Cristaly great !]]