Updates

Update of the Avatar #177 – 2016.05.20: New Community Manager, Duke Roundtable Recap, Female Avatar Revamp, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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


New Female Avatar

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Kevin “Uglyfist” Wells]

Hello again everyone. First, I want to give many thanks to the community for the flattering and constructive feedback from my last post about the male avatar update. It was a great experience and totally made the work feel worth it with all the positive feedback.

It’s player character polish debut time again, and I’m very excited to say that the female avatar has been updated. Much like the male avatar update, I started from scratch and built and integrated the character over a two-release period.

With this update, the idea was to take what we had, and without completely changing the aesthetic, remake the art in a way that improves the quality but doesn’t completely change the look and feel with which players are already so familiar. Basically, the goal was to keep the female avatar looking as she was before, but with more polish and bit of a push toward an athletic look.

Also, as with the male avatar update, I have to give thanks to Matt Schmitz and Fletcher Kinnear for helping me get this new character working well with animations and all the many equippables.

I hope you guys love it and I can’t wait to hear back from everybody.

2

Read more…


Update of the Avatar #176 – 2016.05.13: Final Pledge Expirations Parts 1 & 2, Elad’s Lighthouse, Brittany Fields, Revamped Headgear, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

  • **** UPDATE: Summer 2016 Expirations ****
  • The Halls of Artifice (A Work In Progress)
  • The Making of Brittany Fields
  • Elad’s Lighthouse
  • Revamped Headgear
  • The Bear, the Bare, and the Maiden, Faire (a Community Event)
  • Balloon PoT Connections
  • Silver Serpent Pendant Available in a Variety of Metals
  • Community Resources – Players Helping Players
  • In-game Community Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Backer Shipping Addresses
  • Recommended Projects to Back

timeIsRunningOut6

**** UPDATE: Summer 2016 Expirations ****

In order to give our backers the opportunity to upgrade their pledges once they’ve experienced the game post-wipe (see Final Wipe and Lot Selection milestone), we have decided to split the Summer 2016 Expiration Event into Two Parts!

Summer 2016 Expiration Event, Part 1

  • At Midnight CDT (5:00 UTC) on July 27, 2016, we are expiring the homes and basements from the Ancestor, Edelmann, Knight Marshal, Lord Marshal, Duke, and Lord of the Manor 2 pledges. We are also expiring new Player Owned Towns (upgrades of existing POTs will continue to be available). All other rewards (including tax free property deeds) that are currently available in the remaining pledges will continue to be available. The final wipe of all game data will also occur at Midnight CDT (5:00 UTC) on July 27th. To commemorate this momentous milestone, we are holding a 12-hour Summer Telethon Part 1, starting at 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC) and running right up to the Final Wipe at Midnight CDT (5:00 UTC).

Summer 2016 Expiration Event, Part 2

  • 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 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 (5:00 UTC).

Read more…


Update of the Avatar #175 – 2016.05.06: Spring Telethon Results, Making of Valhold, Halls of Artifice, Brittany Fields, Merchant Outfit Revamp, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

  • The Making of Valhold (Castle Interior)
  • The Halls of Artifice (A Work In Progress)
  • The Making of Brittany Fields
  • Merchant Outfit Revamp + Fortified Cloth Gloves & Boots
  • The Spring Festival of the Avatar Telethon Results
  • Shroud In The News: Richard Garriott and Personal Rapid Transport
  • Summer 2016 Expirations
  • New Kobold Furniture, Pavers, Streelamps, and Gazebo
  • In-game Community Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Backer Shipping Addresses
  • Recommended Projects to Back

The Making of Valhold (Castle Interior)

This is the continuing update on the progress on Valhold. Valhold is scheduled to go live in Release 30.

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Richard “RrMatey” Matey]

Hey guys, I have returned to Valhold after creating the Crypt of the Avatar scene. So the last thing that needs to be completed for Valhold is the interior of the palace. This section of the game is a solo instance and will change depending on the story points of the game. So here are some screenshots of the interior.

Valholdinterior3

Read more…


The Spring Festival of the Avatar Telethon!


A heartfelt thank you, from the entire Dev Team, to all of you, our backers, that have contributed to the development funding of Shroud of the Avatar! Today’s Telethon was yet another example of your amazing support and contributions! We sign off for the night and will update this page tomorrow with the final numbers as of Midnight, May 2nd!

Again, thank you, and good night…

** $67,500 **

Current Telethon Funds Raised
(Dev Team shots/songs/dance every $2500 increment)

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 May 2 (Spending Store Credit to make $5 minimum purchase does not apply). The Spring Festival Telethon Funding Stretch Goal Rewards are:

  • Achieved!  $10,000 – /Flowers Emote (rains flower petals)
  • Achieved!  $25,000 – Flower Crown (increases length of /flowers emote)
  • Achieved!  $50,000 – Giant Butterfly Pet
  • Achieved!  $60,000 – Giant Dragonfly Pet
  • $70,000 – Giant Ladybug Pet

We have decided to hold a 10 hour Spring Festival of the Avatar Telethon from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM Central Time (5:00 PM UTC to 03:00 AM UTC) on May 2nd, and to extend our Spring 2016 Bonus and Pledge Expirations from 10:30 AM until the end of the telethon at 10:00 PM CT. As we march toward the Final Wipe and Lot Selection milestone in July, we are permanently expiring almost half of all 15PercentPledgeBonus_left_smallpledges during the Spring 2016 Pledge Expiration Event, at 10:30 AM 10:00 PM Central Time (5:00 PM UTC to 03:00 AM UTC), May 2, 2016.

If you were thinking of purchasing (or upgrading) a pledge before they expire, or purchasing an add-on item, player owned town, service voucher, or Make A Difference item, then now’s a great time to do it! Thru 10:30 AM 10:00 PM CT, May 2, 2016 we’ll add an additional 15% bonus to your Store Credit! (Read more…)

The Spring Festival of the Avatar Telethon will include deep dives, lots of prize giveaways* (like coins, t-shirts, store credits, even pledges!), and even some surprises, so you don’t want to miss a moment of it!

 

SotA_PG13

Warning: Telethon is Rated PG-13 for Alcoholic Content
(might get upgraded to Rated-R depending on rate of pledges)

StarrDancingDrinking / Dancing / Singing Rules:

  • For every $2500 spent (new money only) Chris, Richard, and Starr (and other Devs that choose to participate) have a choice of 1 of the following:
    • 1 Shot/Sip
    • 1 dance (audience suggestions considered)
    • 1 verse of a song (audience suggestions considered)

 

And as always we will be answering your questions during the telethon. You can pre-post your questions right here in the comments section or post them live in IRC during the Telethon

Here is the current schedule of events (times and content subject to change):

  • 12:00 pm CDT: R29 Post Mortem
  • 2:00 pm CDT: Story, NPCs, & Companions
  • 3:30 pm CDT: Player Housing and Player Owned Towns
  • 4:30 pm CDT: Crafting, Food, Agriculture & Economy
  • 6:00 pm CDT: Combat, Resistances, Targeting
  • 7:30 pm CDT: PVP
  • 8:30 pm CDT: Players vs. Devs PVP Deathmatch Brawl in Chaos Caverns
    • Every Virtue is Lasting is proud to present the Spring Telethon Duel With The Devs PVP Tournament. Have you ever wanted to do battle with Darkstarr, show Lord British who’s the boss or teach Atos a thing or two? Well now is your chance in this not to be missed team PVP challenge where anything goes! Upon arrival at the Chaos Caverns, Avatars will be assisted in the creation of a team to do battle with Lord British, Atos and Darkstarr. Be the talk of the town and receive developer crafted equipment stamped with their very own unique makers mark. Defeat more Devs to receive more loot! So don’t delay, make your way to the Chaos Caverns situated underneath Virtue Oasis on the Hidden Vale and become a legend! Transportation Avatars are Jar Laxle and EVL.
  • 10:00 pm CDT: Goodbyes and Thank Yous with everyone still standing!

* There will be some really awesome prizes awarded during the telethon, but you have to be present in the IRC chatroom to qualify for each drawing.

** This post will be opened for questions as soon as it is updated to include the segment schedules. Please keep in mind that questions and feedback related to each segment will be given priority and really verbose questions may be skipped, as they can be a challenge to shorten and summarize live on the air. In brief… please keep your questions… brief.


Update of the Avatar #174 – 2016.04.29: Final 3 Days for 15% Bonus & Pledge Expirations!, Duel with Devs During Spring Festival Telethon, Play Release 29 Now, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

  • Duel with the Devs During The Spring Festival of the Avatar Telethon!
  • Final 3 Days for 15% Bonus & Spring 2016 Pledge Expirations!
  • Play Release 29 Now!
  • Brittany Video Walk-through
  • Crypt of the Avatar
  • Meet the Companions (Offline Feature)
  • New Player Run Towns: Coastal and Interior Forests
  • Shroud In The News: R29 and Richard Garriott at PAX East 2016
  • Finn Staber at the Unity Roadshow
  • Final Weekend for The Emperors’ and Empresses’ New Clothes
  • New Furniture, Trees, In-Door Plants, and Torture Devices
  • In-game Community Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Backer Shipping Addresses
  • Recommended Projects to Back

The Spring Festival of the Avatar Telethon!

For the final day of the 15% Bonus and Spring Expiration Event we are holding a 10 hour Spring Festival of the Avatar Telethon, from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM Central Time (5:00 PM UTC to 03:00 AM UTC) on Monday, May 2nd. We decided to extend our Spring 2016 Bonus and Pledge Expirations from 10:30 AM until the end of the telethon at 10:00 PM CT.

Read more…


Release 29 Instructions


[A SotA Public Forum post by Starr Long]

Darkstarr

Greetings 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 29 access for all backers at First Responder level and above begins this Thursday, April 28, at 10:30 AM US Central Daylight Time (15:30 UTC).

As we move ever closer to Final Wipe and Lot Selection, we are rapidly expanding the content and feature set of Shroud of the Avatar. We are also critically appraising our feature set and making sure each and every feature is as it should be for those critical events of Release 32. With those thoughts in mind, we looked at a few key aspects of the game related to housing, crafting, and targeting and made some important changes in Release 29. These changes were not easy, nor were they without controversy, but we believe they are changes that need to be made for the long term health of the project.

brittanyquinnspeak
One of the main square’s called Quinn’s Peak in Brittany

Read more…


Update of the Avatar #173 – 2016.04.22: Armor Revamps, LotM Dinner, Leostorm’s Church, 10 Day Expiration Countdown, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

  • Male Cloth Armor Revamps
  • Reconnecting with Underground Scenes
  • The Halls of Artifice (A Work In Progress)
  • Final Lord of the Manor Dinner and Tour
  • Richard Garriott in “Streets by VICE: Austin (6th St.)”
  • Leostorm’s Church of the Darkstarr
  • New Home Decorations
  • 10 Day Countdown for 15% Bonus & Spring 2016 Pledge Expirations!
  • In-game Community Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Backer Shipping Addresses
  • Recommended Projects to Back

Male Cloth Armor Revamps

As part of our rework of the Avatars we are steadily progressing through many of the clothing and armor items to improve their visual quality. We periodically update the progress of this effort.

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Fletcher “Skullmuncher34” Kinnear]

Hey everybody! More revamps! This time I worked on cloth outfits.

Here is the Epic Cloth Chest Piece, Gauntlets, Leggings, and Boots:

Shroud_Epic Cloth screenshot

Read more…


Update of the Avatar #172 – 2016.04.15: New POT Village Deeds, R28 Postmortem, Brittany, Lot Deed Sale, Gallery of Horrors, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

  • Making of Central Brittany
  • Hangout of the Avatar ~ Release 28 Postmortem
  • Richard Garriott at Cartoons on the Bay (Venice, Italy)
  • Richard Garriott at the Explorer’s Club
  • New (Old) Player Homes
  • New Boat Decorations
  • Lot Deed Sale and Player Owned Town Lot Deeds
  • SeleneNoctua’s Video Walkthrough of Skrekk
  • The Gallery of Horrors
  • Longfall’s R28 End of the World Party
  • 17 Day Countdown for 15% Bonus & Spring 2016 Pledge Expirations
  • Community Resources – Players Helping Players
  • In-game Community Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Backer Shipping Addresses
  • Recommended Projects to Back

The Making of Brittany

This the continuing update on progress on Brittany. Central Brittany is scheduled to go live in Release 29.

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

CITY OF BRITTANY LAYOUT

Hey guys, SorcerousSteve here to give you an update on the City of Brittany!

As Brittany approaches its final stages, I have compiled a map with all the current player lot locations and interesting locations you will find in the city. In designing Brittany I wanted every section of the city to feel unique, below you’ll see names of neighborhoods and streets that not only give an identity to the different sectors but I hope will help you guys, the players in establishing your homes and identifying with specific areas.

brittanymap

Read more…


Update of the Avatar #171 – 2016.04.08: Male Epic Plate Armor Revamp, 15% Spring Bonus!, Hospitallers, R28 Postmortem Invite, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

  • Announcing the 15% Spring Bonus!
  • Male Epic Plate Armor Revamp
  • The Halls of Artifice (A Work In Progress)
  • Making of Valhold
  • Invitation to Release 28 Post Mortem
  • Lot Selection Groups
  • Hospitallers – Players Helping Players
  • Runic Teaching Game
  • 24 Day Countdown to Spring 2016 Pledge Expirations
  • Backer Shipping Addresses
  • In-game Community Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Recommended Projects to Back

Announcing the 15% Spring Bonus!

If you were thinking of purchasing (or upgrading) a pledge before they expire, then now’s a great time to do it! Between now and the Spring 2016 Expiration Event, we are offering a 15% Bonus on all new purchases! Here are the details:

For all new purchases (including pledges, pledge upgrades, add-on items, player owned towns, player owned town upgrades, Make a Difference items, service vouchers, and monthly plan payments) between 12:00 am CT April 8, 2016 and 10:30 AM CT, May 2, 2016, we will add an additional 15% bonus to your Store Credit! You can use your Store Credit toward additional purchases (which includes pledges, pledge upgrades, add-on items, player owned towns, and player owned town upgrades).

[NOTE: The 15% bonus is calculated every day at 1:00 pm CT for any purchases within the previous 24 hours and added to your Store Credit account; Any monthly payments paid during the promotion period also receive the 15% bonus; Store Credit cannot be applied toward the purchase of Service Vouchers or Make a Difference items]

You can use the 15% Bonus to save on your next purchase! For example, if you have the $45 Adventurer pledge and really want to upgrade to the $90 Royal Artisan pledge, you would normally pay the extra $45 for the upgrade. But using the 15% bonus you can immediately save $5. To do so, you would first purchase $40 worth of Store Credit Gift Coupons (via PayPal, Amazon, Bitcoin, or credit card; excluding existing Store Credit) then use the “Convert to Credits” option on your account page to transform the Store Credit Gift Coupons into Store Credit. Within 24 hours an additional $6 bonus ($40 x 15%) would be applied to your Store Credit account, bringing it up to $46. You would then use $45 of your Store Credit to upgrade to the $90 Royal Artisan pledge.

Read more…


Hangout of the Avatar ~ Release 28 Postmortem


Screenshot by BalandarPlease join us Wednesday, April 13th at 3:00 PM Central (20:00 GMT) for our monthly Hangout of the Avatar! Richard, Starr, and Chris will be chatting about Release 28 and looking ahead to Release 29! And as usual, FireLotus will be taking your questions and feedback live in the chat-room and also in advance right here in the comments section.*

We will be giving out some really awesome prizes during the 90 minute extended Hangout, and all you have to do to qualify for one is to come hang out with us in the IRC chatroom during the broadcast. Be sure to join us!

*Please keep in mind that questions and feedback related to Release 28 specific topics will be given priority and really verbose questions may be skipped, as they can be a challenge to shorten and summarize live on the air. In brief… please keep your questions… brief. ;)