Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

Boreas Colossus Scene (Unclone)

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Travis “Vas Corp Por” Koleski]

We continue our development of the Colossus scenes with a sneak peek of the second scene, Boreas Colossus! Currently in-game is the Oracle Colossus scene we covered in a recent video in last week’s Update #227. We hope to have the following Boreas Colossus scene in Release 43:

Once again, having taken to the field, I, Earl Greyhot, bring you a first hand account of my extensive travels. This journey has brought me to the site of the Colossus of Boreas. A sleepy fog has taken hold of the mountainside and it begins to rain as I make my way through the many trials necessary to reach the giant statue itself.

I came across strange architecture and flora around every corner…

Today I caught a glimpse of the Colossus itself!

I made camp by the edge of the valley and prepared myself for the trials to come tomorrow…

We hope to have Boreas Colossus introduced into the game in Release 43. I will continue to document my progress of the scene up to the statue!

Travis “Vas Corp Por” Koleski
Level Designer

Libris Ruins Scene Update

[From a Dev+ Forum Post Update by Esteben “SorcerousSteve” Zaldivar]

Hey guys! SorcerousSteve here to give you an update on the Making of Libris Ruins. We first introduced this scene in last week’s Update #229.

To start, here is a look at the ancient prison which consists of three cell blocks and numerous enclosures, torture chambers, and of course traps:

Looking West, in the background the prison can be seen under the morning mist while to the left the ruined court building now lays overgrown.

As the ancient seat of Justice. Libris Ruins was once the site of a prestigious court.

Sky cells are located high up on the cliffs overlooking the Libris Ruins where the most notorious criminals would be brought.

A full view of the prison with the sky cells in the background.

Stay tuned for more progress on Libris Ruins!

Esteben “SorcerousSteve” Zaldivar
Level Designer

Announcing Equity Crowdfunding Campaign

Greetings Avatars,

Shroud of the Avatar is at a very exciting time in development. As you know, we are in the process of putting the finishing touches on the story, polishing the new user experience, and a host of other efforts to prepare the game for a commercial launch of Episode 1 – Forsaken Virtues later this year.

We are forever grateful to our backers who have helped us to reach levels of support that we never dreamed of having. That support has brought Shroud of the Avatar to where it is today. And with a commercial launch now in sight, it’s time to focus more on marketing and user acquisition as we scale up our player base and the service.

As part of that effort, we are transitioning from being exclusively a developer to also being a publisher. This means we need to begin focusing on marketing and user acquisition, as we scale up users and the service. These efforts of course require funds beyond just development.

This has led us to this moment where for the first time we get to offer you the chance to invest in Portalarium through the power of Equity Crowdfunding (aka Regulation CF).

To learn more about how you or someone you know can be part of our future, please visit the SeedInvest website.

Sincerely,

Lord British and the Portalarium Team

*Disclaimer: Portalarium is offering securities under Regulation CF and Rule 506(c) of Regulation D through SI Securities, LLC (“SI Securities”). The Company has filed a Form C with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with its offering, a copy of which may be obtained here: https://www.seedinvest.com/portalarium/series.b

Summer Telethon Success! Thank You Community!

** $115,000 **

FINAL Telethon Funds Raised

For the following Telethon Funding Stretch Goal Rewards, we offered them to any backer that pledged a minimum of $5 from the start of the telethon until the end (Spending Store Credit to make $5 minimum purchase does not apply):

$10,000: /smokevirtue: blow the virtue symbol in smoke from a pipe
$25,000: Balloons: a small cluster of balloons held in your hand. These particular balloons are black with a silver virtue symbol.
$35,000: Miner’s Helmet with flame on top (generates light)
$50,000: Flame Pattern Stained Glass Oil Table Lamp (3 Pack)
$65,000: Fire Elemental Statue with flame effects
$80,000: Flame Shaped Shield and Scimitar
$100,000: Flame Leather Armor

Click here to see what the complete schedule of the telethon included. Recording of the telethon is currently on Twitch and will be uploaded to YouTube in the next few days.

Thanks again Avatars for making this project possible!

Watch live video from shroudoftheavatar on www.twitch.tv

Weekend Flash Sales – Telethon Favorites! Moondials & Statues

To celebrate the success of this past week’s Summer Telethon event, we are putting on sale the Moondials and a collection of Statues at 20% off through this weekend! Here is a list of the items on sale below. Click here to find them in the store!

Ornate Tabletop Moondial (digital)
Ornate Moondial (digital)
Ornate Village Moondial (digital)
Ornate Keep Moondial (digital)
Ancient Wall Sculptures Set (digital)
Ancients Set (digital)
Ancients Tabletop Set (digital)
Chained Obsidian Shard (digital)
Corinthian Columns Set (digital)
Giant Guardian Lion Statue (digital)
Giant Horse Statue (digital)
Giant Lich Statue (digital)
Horse Statue (digital)
Ionic Columns Set (digital)
Large Guardian Lion Statue (digital)
Lich Statue (digital)
Nobles Set (digital)
Nobles Tabletop Set (digital)
Reclining Statues Set (digital)
Reclining Tabletop Statues Set (digital)
Resurrection Ankh (digital)
Resurrection Chaos (digital)
Skeleton 6-Pack (digital)
Smaller Ancients Set (digital)
Sphinx Bookend Statues (digital)
Spider 9-Pack (digital)
Spider Aggressive 3-Pack (digital)
Spider Attack 3-Pack (digital)
Spider Still 3-Pack (digital)
Stone Bear Statue (digital)
Stone Creature Statue 6-Pack (digital)
Stone Dragon Statue City Size (digital)
Stone Dragon Statue Keep Size (digital)
Stone Dragon Statue Town Size (digital)
Stone Dragon Statue Village Size (digital)
Stone Elemental Statue (digital)
Stone Golem Statue (digital)
Stone Kobold Statue (digital)
Stone Satyr Statue (digital)
Stone Zombie Statue (digital)
Tabletop Bear Statue (digital)
Tabletop Creature Statue Pack (digital)
Tabletop Elemental Statue (digital)
Tabletop Golem Statue (digital)
Tabletop Grim Reaper Statue (digital)
Tabletop Kobold Statue (digital)
Tabletop Lich Statue (digital)
Tabletop Oracle Statue Head (digital)
Tabletop Satyr Statue (digital)
Tabletop Skeleton 6-Pack (digital)
Tabletop Stone Dragon Statue (digital)
Tabletop Titan of Courage Statue (digital)
Tabletop Titan of Love Statue (digital)
Tabletop Titan of Truth Statue (digital)
Tabletop Zombie Statue (digital)
Titan of Courage Statue (digital)
Titan of Love Statue (digital)
Titan of Truth Statue (digital)
Titan Statue 3-Pack (digital)
Topiary Bear Statue (digital)
Topiary City Dragon Statue (digital)
Topiary Elemental Statue (digital)
Topiary Golem Statue (digital)
Topiary Keep Dragon Statue (digital)
Topiary Kobold Statue (digital)
Topiary Satyr Statue (digital)
Topiary Statue Pack (digital)
Topiary Town Dragon Statue (digital)
Topiary Village Dragon Statue (digital)
Topiary Zombie Statue (digital)

Community Livestream – Touring Oracle Colossus & Mail!

Travis “Vas Corp Por” Koleski takes you on a tour of the Oracle Colossus scene, and then Joaquin “WizardSmoke” Del Canto updates the community on how Mail works!

Now that all three paths (Truth, Love, and Courage) are playable we have begun work on the plot’s Finale, aka The Path of the Oracle. One of the most important scenes that players will be able to explore is the Oracle Colossus. Well known from its depiction of the Oracle from the concept painting by Stephen Daniele inspired by passages from The Sword of Midras prequel novel by Tracy Hickman, the Oracle Colossus will set players amongst the shattered ruins of Alabastia. From the fire elementals attracted to the shifting lava to the undead attracted to the treasures found within, adventurers must be on their guard for mysteries abound within. Once implemented as a placeholder, this scene is now being polished into its final state.

As mentioned in the Release 42 Instructions post, this scene is now available to play! You may also view previous videos detailing the Oracle Colossus here: https://youtu.be/36BfReqkmsY

For more livestreams, be sure to subscribe to www.youtube.com/portalarium

Trophy Room Contest Winners Announced!

Congrats to all participants of involved, these were some truly amazing entries! We not only had a record number of participants for a contest of this type, but each and every entry was unique and well thought out. Nicely done!

The winners are as follows…

#1 = Datendrache:

#2 = Aseltine:

Runner-Up: Trip0n1n:

Runner-Up: Frostll:

Honorable Mention: “The Hall of Hammers” by Kabalyero:

Honorable Mention: Obsidian Tempest:

Honorable Mention: Rudyard2:

Congrats again to everyone!

Tech Talk Tuesday #6 – Decoding the Oracle

Chris ‘Atos’ Spears talks shop on the Oracle and the general tech behind the game ahead of this past week’s Summer Telethon! The recording can be watched here:

Watch live video from DesronGaming on www.twitch.tv

Upcoming Events Calendar

June 29, 2017 – Release 43
July 27, 2017 – Release 44
Aug 10 – 14, 2017 – Syndcon (Austin)
Aug 31, 2017 – Release 45
Sept 1 – 4, 2017 – Dragon Con
Sept 22 – 23, 2017 – Ultima Online 20th Anniversary Party
Sept 28, 2017 – Release 46
Oct 13 – 15, 2017 – SotA Con – Austin 2017
Oct 26, 2017 – Release 47
Nov 9-12, 2017 – HoBLoTH IV

Visit the official Community Calendar to see the great lineup of activities our amazing community has planned for this weekend! And be sure to check out this month’s Release Events thread in the SotA forums for additional events.

Community Event: A Fishing Derby for the Trevor Project

Community Cause: AERIE Fund – Just 1 Life Community Cause

AERIE Fund’s first Community Cause Project ‘Just 1 Life’ is now live!

From the Trevor Project: “We’re spotlighting an important cause this month: suicide prevention in the LGBTQ community. We’ll be creating awareness around the subject, sharing the experiences of fellow avatars who are directly impacted by this issue, and raising funds to continue good works through gaming. Moreover, we’re supporting The Trevor Project (an AMAZING org) that provides suicide prevention services to those in need.

The theme for this initiative is ‘Just 1 Life’. If we work together and our efforts save ‘Just 1 Life’ then we’ve accomplished our mission. So join us in the fight to make a difference by helping us save ‘Just 1 Life!’”

Community Resources – Players Helping Players

The official SotA New Player Welcome Forum and the Player Created Resources Forum have the best player created resources for Shroud of the Avatar, whether it’s a Player Written Guide, a Video Walk-through, or a Wiki-type Website.

Visit the official Community Resources page for a complete listing of all things community.

Recommended Projects to Back – SotA Con – Austin 2017

SotA Con – Austin 2017 is ground zero for interaction with the developers of Shroud of the Avatar where your ideas and input are on the front lines. Based in the beautiful city of Austin, Texas, Portalarium Inc. is the home of the Shroud of the Avatar development team that are quickly being recognized for ground breaking concepts throughout the industry.

One of the most notable concepts that Portalarium is known for, is the company’s willingness to embrace it’s following as peers and value their ideas for development goals. It is considered by many to be a bold step, that all are invited to be a part of in the industry.

Join us at SotA Con – Austin 2017 and take your place in history!

Backer Shipping Addresses

In preparation for shipping backers’ physical pledge rewards later this year, we have added Shipping Address fields to your Account Profile page. To enter your shipping address, log in to the SotA website, select “Account” in top right corner, then select “Edit Profile” located in top left corner, beneath your Avatar image.

A reminder to be sure that support@portalarium.com is unblocked from your e-mail account!