1. Here you will find official announcements and updates. These announcements are also linked in the Official SotA Discord server.
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First Quarter 2015 Schedule Update

Discussion in 'Announcements' started by DarkStarr, Dec 18, 2014.

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  1. DarkStarr

    DarkStarr Executive Producer SOTA Developer

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    Greetings Avatars,

    As we stated in previous posts, our goal is to once-per-quarter post an updated schedule for our monthly releases. Even though these goals will likely change somewhat as we react to feedback, we feel it is important to provide you an updated road-map periodically.

    Our goal continues to be to deliver our backers content each and every month so that we can get feedback, and use it to iterate improvements. This has already paid off, with additional game features like jumping and swimming, as well as improvements to systems like crafting, conversations, and combat. Meeting that monthly goal is our highest priority, but we require flexibility in our deliverables to meet that goal. As you have seen in previous releases, sometimes we push things out, but we also often pull new things in.

    As always, all dates, durations, and deliverables are subject to change as we adjust our designs based on direct feedback from you, our backers.

    RELEASE 14, January 29, 2015
    • Scenes: Brightbone Pass and Blackblade Pass Entrances will expand the mainland while another Desert scene will expand the Vale. We will also add the Shardfall biome to the game, along with a shardfall scene (this is the biome for our Open PVP scenes).
    • Unity 5: We will begin transitioning the project to the latest version of Unity. For R14, it will most likely be a separate build, purely for testing.
    • Banks: Players can now start storing things in the bank. This is also where all your pledge rewards will be at the start of the game, so you won’t start so encumbered that you cannot move.
    • Encumbrance: The weight of items will now factor into how much you can carry. Your carrying capacity will be derived from your Strength stat.
    • Pledges Tied to Game Account: Your pledge will now be tied to your game account. This means you will start the game with your pledge rewards in your bank storage.
    • Customization: A pass will be made to improve hair and facial hair.
    • Combat: Various skills will be added to finish out Earth, Water, Ranged, Blades, Bludgeon, Tactics, and Heavy Armor schools.
    • Housing: Lot Deeds will be introduced to the game so property claiming will first require purchasing a lot deed in the game (or receiving one via pledge rewards). Also, more basements will be available.
    • Crafting: We will also be adding more Cooking and Alchemy recipes and ingredients including the ability to put magical enchantments and stat enhancements (durability, weight, value, etc) on gear.
    • Shopkeepers: Prices will now fluctuate based on available stock, and each vendor will have “I will buy” and “I will sell” lists. This means that the fruit vendor might not be interested in buying that sword from you.
    • Creatures: Our bestiary will expand to include Man-Eating Plants, Water Elementals, Greyhounds, and various Human Enemies (mages, archers, etc.).
    RELEASE 15, February 26, 2015:
    • Maps: We will continue to expand the mainland scenes to include Resolute, Xenos, Desolace Town, The Necropolis, and the Verdantis Shardfall.
    • Spells & Skills: Sun and Moon Magic will expand to include more spells. The combat schools of Shields will also expand, and more combos will be added to the game.
    • Housing: Property ownership will now incur regular fees (unless you are using a tax free deed from a pledge). If the fees are not paid, the player will lose their claim, and their possessions (including the house and decorations) will be moved to their bank.
    • Crafting: Crafting skills will start to come online, and be used during crafting to modify results.
    • Creatures: Our creature list will continue to expand with the Fauns, the Phoenix and Wisps.

    • Combat: Stealth mechanics will begin to appear.
    • Customization: Clothing and Armor will now be dye-able.
    • Overworld: Roving encounters (patrolling creatures) will now appear on the overworld map and can be engaged (pulling you into a scene) or avoided if you wish to sneak past. We will also have the first pass of the Novia map.
    • Player Titles: Players will now be able to display their title in the game.
    • Emote “Teaching”: Emotes will now be teachable to other players. Some emotes (like the ones tied to pledges) will only be teachable by the original owner. For now, “teaching” will be trading a consumable item that adds the emote via secure trade.
    RELEASE 16, March 26, 2015
    • Steam Achievements: Players will now be able to earn Steam Achievements
    • Maps: Mainland scenes will continue to come online including Blood River Village, Vertas, and the Grunwald Shardfall.
    • Spells & Skills: Chaos Magic will expand to include more spells, and more combos will come online.
    • Housing: Permissions for property will greatly expand to better support groups sharing of property, including tools to rent rooms and set “per area/room” permissions.
    • Crafting: Crafting will now have events that occur during the crafting process that the player can interact with to influence the results.
    • Creatures: Our creature list will continue to expand with Emps and Chaos Demons added to the game.
    • Combat: The cover system will be introduced that modifies attack and defense values when you (or your target) are behind cover.
    • Customization: New armor and clothing items will appear in the game.
    • Player Made Books: Players will be able to write in blank books in the game, and share them with other players.
    • Localization: We will begin crowdsourcing the translation of the game into various languages
    We continue to be incredibly thankful for the support we receive from this amazing community. While the funding you provide makes all of this possible, it pales in comparison with the faith you have in us, the feedback you provide us, and the content you are making for everyone to enjoy. We are humbly grateful, and we cannot wait to see you again in New Britannia!

    Before I go, I wanted to include an excerpt from my original post about our Early Release Schedule that is important to set the framework for our ongoing schedule:

    As a crowd funded and crowd sourced project, we feel it is incredibly important that we provide our backers with information and access well before game studios would normally do so in a traditional development model. Traditionally, the players are given information and access only after the development team has already decided exactly how things will be done, and at times, even after it has already been implemented. By the time the public normally has access to the product, there is usually no time to meaningfully react to the public feedback.

    Shroud of the Avatar is different than the traditional model, as we intend to offer our backers extremely early access to information and even the game itself. With that said, we also want to be very careful that we only provide access to portions of the game when they are ready for a wider range of feedback. If we can play it internally and we know it is not ready, then there is nothing to be gained by having a wider audience come to the same conclusion. In fact, it could be quite damaging to do so.

    Our strategy over the next few months is to provide you with focused and iterative releases of content. Your feedback during these releases will be critical to making the final product the best it can be, and we appreciate that you are all so willing to devote your time to helping us. With each release, we will have specific tests we will ask you all to make. As we get closer, we will send instructions on how to download, install, report bugs, etc. After each release we will review the results and reevaluate the plan including the duration of availability of each release. Please note that game data will be wiped periodically during early access.

    It is important to note that all dates, durations, and deliverables are subject to change.

    Sincerely,
    Starr Long
    Executive Producer
    Shroud of the Avatar
     
  2. NRaas

    NRaas Avatar

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    To the new year, and beyond! :D
     
  3. Sindariya

    Sindariya Avatar

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    Much too late
     
  4. Duke Death-Knell

    Duke Death-Knell Avatar

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    I'm excited to see what unity 5 has to offer.

    And I'm really glad to see the bank and encumbrance activated during the same release.
     
  5. licemeat

    licemeat Avatar

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    Man-Eating Plants - I'd buy an Audrey II from the store.
     
  6. Gabriel Nightshadow

    Gabriel Nightshadow Avatar

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    What?! :eek: No more Chaos spells until R16 :(

    Looking forward to banks and pledge rewards in R14 :D Not so sure about encumbrance :oops: (What are I am supposed to do with these 2,000 arrows o_O if I don't have a donkey or llama to carry them around for me? :eek:)
     
  7. Chris

    Chris Tech Lord Moderator Ambassador SOTA Developer

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    We'll almost certainly sneak more in before then. :) Just weren't comfortable enough to say we were doing so in writing because we're so far behind on visual effects.
     
  8. Keira OFaolain

    Keira OFaolain Avatar

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    Get a quiver that has weight reduction to carry them. :)
     
  9. enderandrew

    enderandrew Legend of the Hearth

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    I know this has been planned since day one, but this scares me. As it stands, I'm carrying a ridiculous amount of weight and I try to sell anything I don't really need to carry.

    Let's say I want to adventure at launch. I need to carry at the very minimum:

    * A full suit of epic plate mail
    * A full second set of epic plate mail because any piece of it can be looted by a PvPer
    * 2 weapons in case one breaks or one is looted
    * Probably 8 repair kits just in case
    * All my gathering tools
    * Potions
    * Reagents
    * Maps
    * Potentially tons of arrows
    * Any crafting mats I've picked up while adventuring (wood and ore can be very heavy)

    That isn't counting picking up any loot from mobs I kill or chests, etc.

    Right now the economy operates off the costs to repair goods which works because as I'm taking damage to my armor, I'm also getting money back by looting all the mobs. What happens when I literally can't afford to pick up loot?

    Either we need the pack animals (despite not unlocking the goal), we need an easier way to unlock that goal, or we may have to rethink encumbrance.
     
  10. Gabriel Nightshadow

    Gabriel Nightshadow Avatar

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    Would be really nice if such a thing existed...(hint, hint) :rolleyes: Archers tend to go through arrows really fast....
     
  11. Jack Knyfe

    Jack Knyfe Avatar

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    Especially if they could be crafted by tailors...:rolleyes::rolleyes:

    (EDIT: or tanners, as they'll probably be made with leather, but the whole point was to poke at craftable bags / backpacks / etc with varying degrees of weight reduction, because we will want those in game ASAP! :D)
     
  12. rune_74

    rune_74 Avatar

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    I love that the shopkeepers will have fluctuating prices depending on stock, something I have been lobying for awhile now, this will help stimulate crafters to have varying prices to compete with shopkeepers....plus allow the characters to have access to varying prices in offline single player.

    No information in regardes to companions in there, is there any new info on that?

    Also, with what is written and the last time you mentioned a release date does it still jive for late spring early summer?
     
  13. Keira OFaolain

    Keira OFaolain Avatar

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    Yes it would but i have faith everything will be fine we had encumbrance in UO and they had it balanced well. Im sure it will be so here as well.... or atleast will be.
     
  14. Lord_Darkmoon

    Lord_Darkmoon Avatar

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    Looking Forward to Q1 2015 :)

    Any news on when we can expect the weather system?
     
  15. enderandrew

    enderandrew Legend of the Hearth

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    UO also let you gate/recall and had pack animals.

    SotA is not expected to have either at this point.

    That can't be overlooked.
     
  16. Myrcello

    Myrcello Avatar

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    Did not see soundeffects?

    Looks like more months with our favorite hit sound. Smiles




    Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk
     
  17. Lordy2

    Lordy2 Avatar

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    Chris,
    technically speaking...moving on to U5, it's a huge work for you guys? Did you already try internally?

    (Lordy)
     
  18. Chris

    Chris Tech Lord Moderator Ambassador SOTA Developer

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    I'm just about to switch this out! :p
     
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  19. enderandrew

    enderandrew Legend of the Hearth

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  20. Chris

    Chris Tech Lord Moderator Ambassador SOTA Developer

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    So the project to U5 is not huge in itself. The bigger time sink is updating build processes, dealing with how we handle people working while we move (U5 projects can't be opened on U4), updating materials, and then dealing with the bugs.

    The biggest time sink though is updating things to improve the look! Just putting the game on U5 won't make it look significantly better, it just opens up more features for us to use to make it better.
     
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