Updates

Free Raffle Tickets in Release 34 Raffle

August 29, 2016

UPDATE: Because the many users had already purchased tickets and the release of these free tickets will change the odds we are delaying the free tickets until Release 34. See updated text below.

As mentioned in the Release 33 instructions we have begun the distribution of in-game Lot Deeds via Raffles. The raffles will be monthly and for this first month’s raffle we will be handing out 75 Place Anywhere Deeds and 600 Player Owned Town Deeds. Raffle Tickets can be purchased from Home Decoration merchants in various locations throughout the game.

For those backers who do not yet own property we are going to automatically enter you into both Raffles in Release 34! Anyone who has game access to Shroud of the Avatar, but does NOT yet own property at the beginning of Release 34 (September 29, 2016), will automatically be given a gift of 1 Raffle Ticket of each type to the First Raffle. To claim your tickets simply login to the game, go to the nearest bank and claim your rewards. The drawings will be held on October 27, 2016 and winners will be announced shortly thereafter. Deeds will be delivered in Release 35.

Backers are not eligible for this gift if they meet the following criteria on September 29, 2016:

Own an Ancestor Pledge or above
Own a Viking 2-Story Row Bundle or above
Own a Kobold 2-Story Row Bundle or above
Own any quantity of Add On Store Deeds
Own any deeds won through previous drawings, contests, etc.

Update of the Avatar #191 – 2016.08.26: Play Release 33 Now!, Summer Telethon Results, $10M Backer Gift, Lot Deed Raffle, Swamp Island POT, and More!

August 26, 2016

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

Play Release 33 Now!

Release 33 successfully launched yesterday, August 25, with thousands of backers downloading, patching, and logging in and checking out the new changes! There’s lots of new content to explore, including:

New uncloned scenes including Port Graff and Estgard
New User Experience Polish, including a reworked Bloodriver
New NPC Behaviors and Polish in Ardoris and Spite
More Random Encounters (dragon!)
Lot Deed Raffle
Portable Aether Vibration Amplifier World Starting Gift
Lots of new emotes
Summer Telethon Part 1 Rewards

…and much more

Release 33 Instructions

August 24, 2016

[A SotA Public Forum post by Starr Long]

Avatars,

Please read this entire message, as well as the linked instructions and known issues.

Thank you for being a loyal backer and follower of Shroud of the Avatar. Release 33 access for all backers at First Responder level and above begins this Thursday, August 25, at 10:30 AM US Central Daylight Time (15:30 UTC).

Impact of Persistence:
Release 33 is our first Release since we went Persistent with Release 32. Being persistent of course has had an impact on the project and how we move forward. We made the tactical decision that the immediate needs of R32 would take precedence over any R33 work. Quality of life, balance issues, exploits, stability, performance, etc. in R32 would be patched regularly, daily if needed, even if it cost us some R33 deliverables. The result of this decision has been incredibly positive. Overall player mood remains high as does our funding, which reached an astounding $10 Million during our Summer Telethon of the Avatar Part 2 (which by itself raised $200K!) This funding will allow us to finish the Roadmap we outlined earlier this year that both finishes our Kickstarter promises, while at the same time polishes the game to a very high standard. Thank you community for your incredibly humbling generosity.

‘Dawn of New Britannia’ Trailer Contest Results!

August 23, 2016

Wow! We had an outstanding community trailer contest this month. All submissions were truly fantastic and a pleasure to watch. Our team struggled mightily in narrowing it down to only three winners, as each entry was done well and were quite unique from each other. In fact, the debate over first and second place continued until the very last moment!

Well done participants! We present to the community the winners of the contest:

1st Place goes to Ember for ‘New Britannia Awaits’:

Ember receives: $1,000 Store Credit, SotA signed t-shirt, Sword of Midras hardcover book, SotA COTOs coin, and a specially signed congratulations letter from Richard Garriott.

2nd Place goes to Net for ‘Experience Shroud of the Avatar’:

Net receives: $500 Store Credit, SotA signed t-shirt, Sword of Midras hardcover book, SotA COTOs coin

3rd Place goes to Selene for ‘Welcome to New Britannia!’:

Selene receives: $250 Store Credit, SotA signed t-shirt, Sword of Midras hardcover book, SotA COTOs coin

You can view all entries in the contest in a playlist at youtube.com/portalarium. Note that the order of the trailers in the playlist is not in order of those we selected, except for the top 3 winners placed at the top of the list.

Congrats again to the winners, and to all that created a beautiful Shroud of the Avatar trailer for the community! For more about the contest, visit the Contest Announcement Article.

The Summer Telethon of the Avatar Part 2

August 22, 2016

Avatars! Are you ready to continue celebrating with us the biggest event to hit New Britannia since the great cataclysm?

At Midnight CDT (5:00 UTC) on August 22, 2016, we are expiring ALL remaining pledges, including: Adventurer, Founder, Royal Artisan, Explorer, Ancestor, Edelmann, Knight Marshal, Lord Marshal, Duke, and Lord of the Manor 2. To commemorate the final expiration of all remaining pledges, we are holding the 12-hour Summer Telethon Part 2, starting at 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC) and running right up to the Final Pledge Expirations at Midnight CDT (5:00 UTC).

You can pre-post your questions right here in the article’s comments section, or post questions during the telethon in Discord chat.*

What exciting events can you expect throughout the day? An array of fun activities and engaging content, many of which you can directly participate in with us in-game! We will also be giving away a ton of fabulous prizes*, and if the following stretch goals are met, we will be adding amazing new content into the game.

Did you see what was unlocked during last month’s telethon? Let’s make it happen again in Part 2!

Help us to achieve the following goals during the telethon!

As a special bonus, we are offering Telethon Funding Stretch Goal Rewards to any backer that pledges a minimum of $5 from the start of the telethon, until Midnight (Spending Store Credit to make $5 minimum purchase does not apply). The Summer Telethon of the Avatar Funding Stretch Goal Rewards are:

Achieved! $10,000: /aeroplane emote
Achieved! $25,000: ? and ! Hats
Achieved! $35,000: Aeronaut Outfit
Achieved! $50,000: Accordion musical instrument
Achieved! $65,000: Mini Automaton Pet
Achieved! $80,000: Baby Clockwork Dragon Pet
Achieved! $100,000: /camera emote with Tin Type Camera (takes tin type black & white screenshots)
Achieved! $130,000: Clockwork Armor (helmet has built in radio)
Achieved! $150,000: Flaming Bagpipes (musical instrument) with Metal and Leather Kilt
Achieved! $175,000: Weather Changing Clockwork Umbrella
Achieved! $200,000: /firedance emote with Leather Outfits

Update of the Avatar #190 – 2016.08.19: Final 3 Days for 15% Bonus & All Pledge Expirations!, Monday Telethon, NPC Submissions, Land Rush Update, and More!

August 19, 2016

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

Final 3 Days for 15% Bonus & All Pledge Expirations!

As we march toward the conclusion of the Great Land Rush, we are preparing for Part 2 of our Summer 2016 Expiration Event and the end of the 15% Summer Bonus Promotion!

Summer 2016 Expiration Event, Part 2

At Midnight CDT on August 22 (5:00 UTC August 23), 2016, we are expiring ALL remaining pledges, including: Adventurer, Founder, Royal Artisan, Explorer, Ancestor, Edelmann, Knight Marshal, Lord Marshal, Duke, and Lord of the Manor 2. To commemorate the final expiration of all remaining pledges, we are holding a 12-hour Summer Telethon Part 2, starting at 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC) and running right up to the Final Pledge Expirations at Midnight CDT August 22 (5:00 UTC August 23).

Get Your 15% Summer Bonus!

If you were thinking of purchasing (or upgrading) a pledge or Player Owned Town before they expire, then now’s a great time to do it! For all new purchases (including pledges, pledge upgrades, add-on items, player owned towns and upgrades, Make a Difference items, and service vouchers) between 12:00 am CDT June 24, 2016 and Midnight CDT August 22 (5:00 UTC August 23) , 2016, we’ll add an additional 15% bonus to your Store Credit!

BETTER HURRY, ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT! Read more…

Richard Garriott Attending Dragon Con 2016

August 17, 2016

Richard “Lord British” Garriott will be attending the Dragon Con convention in Atlanta from Friday to Sunday this coming September 2-4, 2016! He will be available at certain times for autographing, as well as on a number of exciting panels you won’t want to miss!

Weekly Lot Selection Report – Developer, Navigator, and Ancestor Groups

August 15, 2016

Lot Selection is coming up on the last week! We continue to see more beautifully decorated houses going up each day across all of New Britannia. Jump in the game to tour the cities!

This is your group-by-group weekly update on which pledge tiers have already claimed lots, and which groups are about to be able to secure a lot yet this week.

Check the list below to see if your group is coming up!

Interested in upgrading your pledge to claim sooner? You can! Just go to your Account settings and click on the Pledges menu tab.

NEW GROUPS SELECTING LOTS THIS WEEK

DEVELOPER – Groups 64-72:

Royal Founder – Group 64: August 16 at 03:00 CDT (08:00 UTC)
Royal Founder – Group 65: August 16 at 08:00 CDT (13:00 UTC)
Royal Founder – Group 66: August 16 at 13:00 CDT (18:00 UTC)
Founder – Group 67: August 16 at 18:00 CDT (23:00 UTC)
Founder – Group 68: August 16 at 23:00 CDT (August 17 at 04:00 UTC)
Founder – Group 69: August 17 at 04:00 CDT (09:00 UTC)
Benefactor – Group 70: August 17 at 09:00 CDT (14:00 UTC)
Benefactor – Group 71: August 17 at 14:00 CDT (19:00 UTC)
Benefactor – Group 72: August 17 at 19:00 CDT (August 18 at 00:00 UTC)

NAVIGATOR- Groups 73-81:

Royal Founder – Group 73: August 18 at 19:00 CDT (August 19 at 00:00 UTC)
Royal Founder – Group 74: August 19 at 00:00 CDT (05:00 UTC)
Royal Founder – Group 75: August 19 at 05:00 CDT (10:00 UTC)
Founder – Group 76: August 19 at 10:00 CDT (15:00 UTC)
Founder – Group 77: August 19 at 15:00 CDT (20:00 UTC)
Founder – Group 78: August 19 at 20:00 CDT (August 20 at 01:00 UTC)
Benefactor – Group 79: August 20 at 01:00 CDT (06:00 UTC)
Benefactor – Group 80: August 20 at 06:00 CDT (11:00 UTC)
Benefactor – Group 81: August 20 at 11:00 CDT (16:00 UTC)

ANCESTOR – Groups 82-90:

Royal Founder – Group 82: August 21 at 11:00 CDT (16:00 UTC)
Royal Founder – Group 83: August 21 at 16:00 CDT (21:00 UTC)
Royal Founder – Group 84: August 21 at 21:00 CDT (August 22 at 02:00 UTC)
Founder – Group 85: August 22 at 02:00 CDT (07:00 UTC)
Founder – Group 86: August 22 at 07:00 CDT (12:00 UTC)
Founder – Group 87: August 22 at 12:00 CDT (17:00 UTC)
Benefactor – Group 88: August 22 at 17:00 CDT (22:00 UTC)
Benefactor – Group 89: August 22 at 22:00 CDT (August 23 at 03:00 UTC)
Benefactor – Group 90: August 23 at 03:00 CDT (08:00 UTC)

FINAL GROUP!

Secondary Lots – Group 91: August 24 at 03:00 CDT (08:00 UTC)

After all group times have passed, anyone will have a chance to place a lot. Lot selection details and all the group times are listed in the Lot Selection announcement on the main website.

To get daily lot selection updates, follow the game on Twitter at www.twitter.com/shroudofavatar, or keep the above Lot Selection announcement bookmarked for easy access!

Update of the Avatar #189 – 2016.08.12: Port Graff Revisited, Summer Telethon Part 2, Land Rush Update, Password Change Request, Static POT Policy, Community Trailer Contest, and More!

August 12, 2016

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

Port Graff Revisited

Port Graff is a cloned scene based on Kingsport. It is getting rebuilt this release and will go live with Release 33. Note that when we un-clone these scenes we do NOT change lot placements. We only make cosmetic changes of building styles, terrain, and foliage. In the case of Port Graff, it is getting a plot specific additions related to the gem trade between the Graff Gem Mines and Graff Island along with a host of other visual changes.

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

Hey guys, Sorcerous Steve here to give you a sneak peak at the uncloning process for Port Graff!

Port Graff started out as a Kingsport Clone and has undergone major renovations for its R33 release.

Port Graff is located on the western coast of Drachvald and serves as a docking point for the valuable gems coming from the Graff Gem Mines. The gems make their way to Port Graff via cart and are placed on boats for their transport to Graff Island where they are sculpted and added to weaponry and jewelry.

Carts filled with gems enter the Port Graff checkpoint. Port Graff is a mining port town heavy on trade with an abundance of guards protecting valuable shipments of gems.

Password Change Request Due to Other Sites Being Compromised

August 11, 2016

Earlier this year a few well-known games and sites were compromised, and lists of usernames and passwords became widely available. Yesterday, it was revealed that DOTA2 was the latest victim.

We continue to be fortunate enough to not be one of the victims of these attacks. However we are under a hacking attack that is using these leaked username/password combinations to try and login to Shroud and has succeeded several times so far. If you have played one of these games that has been compromised you may be one of the victims we identified today.

You must make sure your username, or at least your password is unique on our site. We insist that you change your password if you have any doubt. FYI, this is good security behavior in general.

For now we have temporarily disabled login to the website until 6:00 pm CDT (11:00 pm UTC). When we bring it back up, please login to the website, click on “Account” to go to your Account Page, click “Edit Profile” link beneath your profile image, and enter a new password on your Profile Settings page.