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:

New Libris Ruins Screenshots & Video!

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

Hey guys! SorcerousSteve here to give you an update on Libris Ruins!

I am approaching completion of the the worldbuilding phase and now with all the major POI’s in place I will begin spawning the map with lots of bad guys and yes, traps.

Looking to the North the ruins of the ancient courthouse are dwarfed by rugged cliffs in the background. To the lower right we can catch a glimpse of the Sanctus River flowing by.

The presence of shards has cause an overgrowth of alien plants near the prison grounds.

Bear traps lay obscured outside the prison grounds ready to snatch at unsuspecting wanderers. Watch your step! Shoutout to ReidtheRollo for his support in making this trap come to life!

A panoramic of Libris Ruins with the ruined courthouse in the far left, and the prison in the far back built on to the cliffs.

Hope you guys are excited to visit Libris Ruins this R43!

Esteben “SorcerousSteve” Zaldivar
Level Designer

New Boreas Colossus Screenshots

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

Travis “Vas Corp Por” Koleski
Level Designer

Story: What “Colossus” and “Titan” Terms Mean

You might see us refer to a scene as having things in it like the “Oracle Colossus” or a “Titan Colossus”, and there may be moments of confusion either because of the ambiguous nature of words like “colossal” and “titanic”, or because the Oracle Colossus doesn’t actually look like the Oracle as often portrayed in our game… so allow me to illuminate!

As for colussus, we have been using that term in the standard way, to refer to any huge statue that is much, much larger than a human being. Any gigantic statue can be referred to as a colossus, but we’ve primarily been reserving the term as capitalized when using it as a proper name, such as “Colossus of Grannus” or “Oracle Colossus”, and then primarily when referring to the largest primary giant statue used as a main point of interest in a scene.

Now, as to why the “Oracle Colossus” found in Hellfire Rift doesn’t look like the Oracle device found in Confirmatories across the world, the explanation is simple! The colossus found in the Rift, based on what is described in “The Sword of Midras”, was a remnant of the ancient world built long before the Cataclysm of the Sundered Moon and the terrible forces that tore the Hellfire Rift itself open…

That enormous statue had once been at the heart of a great city, and the remnants of that place have long since subsided down toward the center of the channel of lava since the rift was opened many, many centuries ago. The craft with which it was made, and its qualities of divine femininity, so impressed the Titans that they were inspired to draw upon the essence of these qualities when setting to the task of creating the Oracle herself, according to legend…

And so, to this day, those who know of this mighty colossus refer to it as the “Oracle Colossus” because of these legends, though it was set into place long before the Oracle was even a gleam in its builder’s eye…

Scott “Scottie” Jones
Senior Environmental Artist

In the News: Massively Overpowered Interview with Richard Garriott

Richard “Lord British” Garriott sat down with Massively Overpowered and talk about Shroud of the Avatar’s plans up to launch, how Portalarium’s SeedInvest campaign is going, and a bunch of other topics! Have a read:

Massively OP: Is the game really ready for a July launch this year [as originally noted by the campaign]? Is that timing influenced by funding concerns? And why announce that so quietly?

Richard Garriott: July is NOT the launch date of Shroud of the Avatar; it is when we hope to have the main story lines fully playable. We plan to launch sometime later in the year. The timing of the “story complete” has nothing to do with finance, nor does our planned ship date. We are raising funds to move from a pure developer to a developer and publisher. The announcement came as soon as the site was live, our press release goes this afternoon!

[Read More…]

Make Your SeedInvest Reservation Official!

Last week we launched the SeedInvest campaign and started taking reservations. Many of you immediately made a reservation (thank you!), but those reservations have yet to be converted to campaign investments. This week the campaign officially went live and started taking investments directly.

Those of you who’ve made a reservation, please convert it to an investment!

To convert, head to the official SeedInvest website, log in to your account, and from there you will see the option to complete your investment.

Thank you Avatars!
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

Community Spotlight: Kahli – Player Owned Town

From the journals of Elbyon, the Ranger of Kahli…

With the skeletons of Ravensmoor closing in upon me, I had no choice. Kahli. Certainly the rumors of peril arising from this land could not be so true, and most assuredly, could not compare to my impending doom by skeletal hand. Holding my panicked breath as if plunging into frigid waters, I ducked into the darkened canyon, descending through twists and turns akin to a maze. Even the undead dared not to follow.

What have I done?

But ahead, a glimmer of light brought me hope. Approaching, there be three disheveled merchants, forlorn, all but emaciated, and with only a paltry amount of supplies for trade.

“Traveler! Come, quickly, to the light of our fire! The night here… it becomes too dark. Do not get lost in that madness. Are, are they gone? The walking bones? Can we finally leave?” implored the raggedy banker, long since away from her comforts and riches.

[Read More…]

Summer Telethon Recording Now on YouTube

During last week’s Summer Telethon we answered tons of community questions, developer deep dives kicked off each hour, and new players won some pretty cool in-game prizes. It was a blast! Thanks Avatars for hanging with us during the event!

Missed the fun? Watch the recording below to see what we talked about with the community!

More vidoes and livestreams on Portalarium’s YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/portalarium

Weekend Flash Sales – Emotes!

To help make this Saturday’s community-run Boat Emote Party a success (see the party details in the community section below), we are putting on sale the store collection of Emotes at 20% off through the weekend! Below is a list of the items on sale. Click here to find these items and more in the store!

*Some items may be rounded to 20% by a few fractions of a percent.

For a complete look at what’s available, visit the addon store!

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: Boat Emote Party

The Boat Emote Event is where you bring your emotes and trade with others on a boat of course. While this will be mostly a dance themed event it is also meant as a community meet and greet for those around the world.

We encourage folks to look at http://sotawiki.net/sota/Emotes and find emotes and bring them to trade. Random COTOs totaling at least 50 will be given away to participants. More depending on turnout. Keep in mind that the game has Emotes on sale at 20% off through this weekend as well!

Bring your emotes to share, or come to learn new dances and emotes with us! Would love to have one LOTM person come and be willing to share the Alms for the Poor unique emote.

Community Contest: RPOTA Monthly $155 Writing Contest

Hear ye! Hear ye! Biographers, Historians, Diplomats, Journalists, Story Writers, Quest Designers, Videographers and Musicians! RPOTA.COM is in dire need of your amazing talents! Role-Players of the Avatar is hosting a monthly contest to award those most famous with their quill, camera, piano or lute! Simply have your creations submitted by midnight of the last day of every month to be eligible for that month’s contest! See Elgarion for (details).

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!