1. Here you will find official announcements and updates. These announcements are also linked in the Official SotA Discord server.
    We encourage comments from the community! To keep the announcements official, we ask that comment threads be created in the General forums for player input.

                                                 Thanks!

Roadmap

Discussion in 'Announcements' started by DarkStarr, Jun 2, 2016.

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  1. DarkStarr

    DarkStarr Executive Producer SOTA Developer

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    The following is an excerpt from my Final Wipe and Lot Selection Post where I listed all the items we are planning on having in the game for Release 32 and all the items that will be in the game after that time. However each Post Mortem players ask questions about items on this schedule which made me realize that players may not even remember that this Roadmap even exists inside that post! So I have pulled that section out, updated it with the latest information, and posted it here as it's own post. I will try to keep this updated as questions are

    Here is the focus of our current efforts:

    Pre-Wipe Focus:
    • Performance: We will be spending a great deal of each release making improvements to performance via optimizations and fallback routines.
    • New User Experience: This part of the game will be much more guided and instructive. It will also be better paced with a bigger feeling of accomplishment when leaving the starting areas and having completed the beginning of the game.
    • Story: The Love storyline will be polished and playable from beginning to end, with all characters and quests complete. The Courage storylines will also be completely explorable.
    • Character Art: Major focus will be put on upgrading the visuals of the characters, with special attention paid to wearables, skin, hair, and face.
    • Animation: Polish passes will be done across all animations in the game with emphasis on speeding up the combat animations to feel MUCH more responsive.
    • Combat Balance: Through a combination of regular internal play sessions, community feedback, and metrics analysis, we will be balancing combat across all levels of difficulty, magic/combat schools, gear equipped, PVP, and PVE. We will also finish the last few gaps in skill trees (Shields, Ranged, and Chaos) and will add the ability for unlearning skills from trainers.
    • Economy / Crafting / Loot Balance: Through a combination of regular internal play sessions, community feedback, and metrics analysis, we will be balancing crafting across all levels of difficulty and crafting schools. This includes tuning resource generation (with higher yields in PVP areas), vendor pricing, success chances, and loot. We will also flesh out the crafting skill trees for more breadth and depth to allow for more specialization within schools (ex. Weaponsmith vs. Armorsmith).
    • NPCs: Polish passes will be made across the characters and creatures, with special emphasis on human NPCs. You can expect much more polished heads (for example, starting with Arabella). The Wisp will also finally make an appearance as the second support pet (Water Elemental was the first).
    • Fast Travel: Crafted magical fast travel items created through crafting will appear in the game to replace the /zone currently in game.
    • Item Use Logging: Players will be able to view which players have used interactive items on their player property including doors, chests, and perhaps books.
    • Single Player Offline Features: Single Player Offline will differ from Online play in the following ways.
      • Companions: Various characters will adventure with you.
      • Save Games: Players will be able to create multiple save games.
      • NPC Economy: The economy in offline mode will be tuned so that creating and selling items to NPCs will be profitable.
      • Spawn Rules: In Offline Mode, some scenes will never respawn creatures and resources (clearing a dungeon for example). The scenes that do respawn may do so on a very slow timer, or only if there is a game state change that requires them to respawn (ex. a Town Siege by the Undead). We will balance this to make sure the game feels like it is reacting to the player but is also providing enough resources for crafting.
      • All Items Available: After positive response from a recent poll with our backers, we have decided to make all items from pledges and add-ons available in game through crafting or gold purchase.
    • Sorting Algorithms for Multiplayer: Algorithms to support sorting players into instances with “people they know” will be polished and iterated.
    • Novia Overworld: A major polish pass will be made across the Novia Overworld map to better align locations and shapes to the original cloth map drawing, while simultaneously normalizing the scales of objects.
    • Tier Markers and Enemy Consider System: All adventure scenes that are directly accessed from the overworld will have tier markers near the entrance to indicate difficulty. We will also be introducing a consider system for enemies so you will know approximately how hard they are in relation to your level.
    • User Interface Polish: A pass will be made through the UI to make improvements on visuals, usability, and customizability
    • Lot Selection Sequence: This will allow us to sequence players for lot selection without having to limit who can play the game. Players will be able to view their group and start time on their account page. See separate post for the details about how lot selection sequence will work and the start times for each group.
    • Physical Goods: As soon as the Novia Overworld task listed above is complete we will begin manufacture and shipping of the physical goods with the goal to have this completed by the end of 2016.
    Pre-Wipe Feature / Content:

    This is a complete list of all content and features that we plan to have present in the game by Release 32.
    • Combat:
      • Use Based Advancement.
      • Classless System with fully customizable builds from all schools.
      • 7 Combat Schools with 65+ Combat Skills.
        • Blade
        • Bludgeon
        • Heavy Armor
        • Light Armor
        • Polearm
        • Ranged
        • Shield
      • 9 Magic Schools with 85+ Magic Spells.
        • Air
        • Chaos
        • Death
        • Earth
        • Fire
        • Life
        • Moon
        • Sun
        • Water
      • 4 Strategy Schools with 35+ Skills.
        • Focus
        • Subterfuge
        • Tactics
        • Taming
      • Free Attack and Auto Attack options.
      • Fixed Hotbar and Dynamically Dealt Deck options.
      • 20+ Weapon Types: Swords, Daggers, Polearms, Axes, Hammers, Bows, Staves, Wands, etc.
      • 12+ Armor Types: Cloth, Leather, Augmented Leather, Chain, Plate, Epic Plate, etc.
    • Movement: Walk, Run, Sprint, Jump, Swim, Tumble.
    • World & Story: 150+ scenes.
      • 75+ Outdoor Adventure Scenes.
      • 25+ Dungeons & Sewers: All connected as one vast Underworld.
      • 40+ Towns.
      • 6 Control Points that block access to different parts of the map until taken (or snuck through).
      • 10 Open PVP Areas: Obsidian Ruins, Shardfalls, etc.
      • 2 Overworld Scenes.
      • 12+ Random Encounters.
      • 100s of unique NPCs with names, conversations, and schedules.
      • 10+ Merchant Types.
      • 100s of quests.
      • Love Storyline Complete and polished.
      • Truth and Courage Storylines fully explorable
      • Minimaps for starting scenes and the Love storyline scenes.
      • Journal.
    • Creatures: 30+
      • Bosses: Dragons, Trolls, Phoenix, Daemons.
      • Magical: Elementals, Golems, Chest Mimics, Barrel Mimics, Imps, Wisps, Slimes, Maneaters, Flesh Flayers
      • Undead: Skeletons, Zombies, Liches, Ghosts.
      • Humanoids: Elves, Kobolds, Bandits, Satyrs, Fauns, Reshapers.
      • Creatures/Animals: Bears, Wolves, Corpions, Spiders, Deer, Rabbits, Cats, Dogs, Horses, Llamas, Chickens, Donkeys, Turkeys, Ravens, Eagles, Automaton Cats/Dogs/Ravens, Crocodiles, Pigs, Sheep
    • Character Customization:
      • Facial Feature Morphing, Hairstyles, Skin Tone, Eye Color, Hair Color.
      • 85+ Emotes including emotes that can be taught/traded between players.
      • 9 Slots for Gear: Head, Chest, Arms, Legs, Feet, Finger, Neck, Back, Musical Instrument.
      • 100s of Wearables including dresses, masks, hats, cloaks, and armor.
      • 20+ Pets including eagles, rabbits, cats, dogs, lynx, etc.
    • Crafting
      • 100s of recipes for gear, decorations, potions, food, etc.
      • 100s of modifiers on crafted gear based on materials, critical success, location, and enchantments.
      • Recipes that can be found, purchased, or discovered.
      • 50+ materials to be gathered.
      • Classless crafting system that can be freely mixed with combat skills.
      • Public and Player Vendors to sell goods.
      • Purchase Order system to buy goods through vendors.
      • Specialized Trainers to teach skills.
      • Regional Economies with relative abundance/scarcity of goods.
      • Player created books and book printing.
      • 6 Schools of Gathering with 20+ Skills.
        • Agriculture
        • Field Dressing
        • Fishing
        • Foraging
        • Forestry
        • Mining
      • 5 Schools of Refining with 5+ Skills.
        • Butchery
        • Milling
        • Smelting
        • Tanning
        • Textiles
      • 5 Schools of Production with 15+ Skills.
        • Alchemy
        • Blacksmithing
        • Carpentry
        • Cooking
        • Tailoring
    • Housing
      • 6 Lot Sizes: Row, Village, Town, City, Keep, Castle.
      • 50+ different houses.
      • 50+ different basements.
      • 100s of decorations including furniture, walls, fences, paintings, rugs, food, trophies, statues, trees, etc.
      • Detailed decoration system to make your place truly unique.
      • Land Tax System.
      • Housing Permissions so multiple players can share the same land.
      • Dynamic Player Owned Towns where owners can customize lot placement and town decorations.
      • Servants and house pets.
      • Public Cache Chests.
    • Social / Misc
      • Friends.
      • Guilds.
      • 5 Musical Instruments (Lute, Drum, Piano, Harp, Flute) with songs played via ABC/MML files including ability to play as a synched group.
      • Text Chat with multiple channels (guild, party, private).
      • Radio linked to customizable webstreams.
      • Banking System.
      • DnD 1 playable on a teletype machine.
    Post-Wipe Schedule:

    By now you might be asking yourself “but what about feature X?” With this focus on polish and functionality, it is indeed true that some features and content will be going live after the final wipe. We intend to continue monthly updates for the life of the project, so nothing about that will change with the wipe. Please rest assured that we are still planning on getting the content and features below in those monthly releases. Here is the list of Post-Wipe features and content. As before, we will be releasing quarterly schedule updates for when these will go live. Please note that our plan is to complete all of the below before starting work on Episode 2.
    • Player Housing
      • Magic Movers: Store/move a house/basement with all decorations intact.
      • Fencing/Wall Tools: Snapping together automatically and selecting complete sets to surround your lot.
      • Gear Decorations: Placing armor, weapons, etc., as decorations in your home.
      • Spawner Decorations: Placeable items that spawn a certain number of creatures like spider eggs / webs that spawn spiders and coffins that spawn skeletons.
      • Renting Rooms: Players can rent rooms to other players within their homes and basements.
      • Container Permissions: Ability to set permission levels for chests, including deposit only
      • More Housing Permission Levels: More permission levels for housing with greater granularity.
    • Player-Owned Towns: Please note that following R26 we will have a thread in the forums to discuss PoTs and address specific questions about Static vs. Dynamic (among other things).
      • Multiple Templates for each Biome: For the final wipe, we will have at least 1 template for each biome. Post-wipe, expanding each biome to have 2-3 template options will be our highest priority for housing.
      • Custom Static Player Owned Towns: As soon as we have multiple templates, we will begin working down the list of players who wish to have custom static towns. Order will be based on size and purchase date (i.e. the oldest and biggest will be built first). Please note that as long as you have filled in your form with a town name and template selection by 10:30 CST on May 27, 2016, your POT will be in the game as a dynamic POT.
      • POT Blessings: Blessings from objects placed in the town that scale based on occupancy.
      • Dynamic Overworld Indicators: Dynamic visuals that reflect occupancy (total and current) including the presence of nested PoTs.
      • Dynamic Resource Spawners: Spawners that scale based on total population. The more lots placed the less resources (critters, minerals, and plants).
      • Offline POT: Ability to access your POT in offline mode
      • Tools:
        • Snap-to-Adjacent-Lot for Lot Markers: Tool to allow you to place lots directly adjacent to each other and have them align automatically (useful for row lots in particular).
        • Start Point Selection Tool: Allows owners to pick from a set of start points.
        • POT Connection Tool: Allows players to define connections between adjacent POTs.
        • “Lawn Mower”: Clears foliage and trees.
        • Water Lot Placement on Docks: Allows placement of water lot markers on manmade structures like docks and waterfronts (not just beaches).
        • Island Water Lot Placement: Allows placement of Duke and Lord of the Manor Island lot markers.
    • Player Customization:
      • Armor Enamels and Leather Dyes: Ability to add enamels of different colors to metal armor and dye leather armor.
      • Custom Duke and Lord of the Manor Heads: As soon as we finish with overall character polish, we will begin work on these custom heads and the tech to allow them to be used instead of the heads from character creation.
      • Custom Family Crest (aka Heraldry): Unique art that can be displayed in game on shields, cloaks, and banners.
      • Multiple Characters: Multiple characters on a single account with shared property ownership, bank inventory and reputation.
    • Crafting:
      • Alcohol: Brewing beer and distilling liquor which has mixed effects on the player.
      • Teachable Crafting Recipes: Teaching recipes to other players, much like emotes.
      • Public Gardens: Rentable planting beds in public areas for those who don’t own land but want to do agriculture.
      • Player Made Items in Loot: Crafted gear sold to NPC Merchants will have a chance to appear as loot on humanoid enemies.
      • Agriculture & Fishing: Skills and Improvements to these crafting schools
    • Combat:
      • Item Reputation & Affinity: Items will gain a reputation and affinity to the player wielding them after repetition of certain actions. That reputation will be represented by a name and an effect. For example, after killing 1000 dark elves, your trusty long sword is now called “Elf Bane” and deals an extra 2% of damage against dark elves.
      • Castle Defense Scenarios: PVP variations of control points.
      • Town Sieges: Story-related towns will periodically come under siege by the Cabalists. While under siege, the town’s functions will be affected.
      • Cover: The cover system will modify attack and defense values when you (or your target) are behind cover.
    • World/Story:
      • Weather Game Effects: Weather will affect game conditions including watering plants for agriculture, damaging gear (rust), and slowing movement rates when raining or snowing.
      • Roving Encounters: Roving encounters (patrolling creatures) on the overworld map can be engaged (pulling you into a scene) or avoided if you wish to sneak past.
      • Shipping Lanes: Boats will become more than just teleporters to different scenes. They will have schedules and a chance to have random encounters while at sea.
      • Theater System: Rentable theater spaces with paid seating and audience rules.
      • Unique Scene Visuals: Once we get Novia filled with all the needed scenes (some created by cloning existing scenes), we will circle back and start modifying all cloned scenes to be visually distinct.
      • Unique NPCs: Once we get Novia filled with all the story-related NPCs and generic clones for all other NPCs (guards, merchants, etc.) we will circle back and add unique names and conversations for all the non-story-related NPCs
      • Player-Designed NPCs: Some of these will be present by the final wipe, but this backer reward won’t be entirely fulfilled until we complete the “Unique NPCs” task above,
      • Place Items Anywhere: Being able to drop items anywhere in the world, not just player property is a hallmark of Ultimas and we hope to support this as well. Please note that this may only be available in offline mode.
      • Truth and Courage Storylines: Truth and Courage will be fully explorable by wipe, but not in a polished state.
      • Shroud Finale: The culmination where all three storylines come together
      • Minimaps: While the system will be complete and in place, we may not have maps generated for every scene prior to wipe. Pre-wipe priority will be placed on starting scenes and Love storyline scenes. Post-wipe we plan to have minimaps for every scene.
      • NPC Conversation UI: A different interface for interacting with NPCs
    • Social:
      • Voice Chat: We will integrate something like Teamspeak into the game to allow for voice chat between players
      • Leaderboards: These track player rankings in PVP, Guild Warfare, House Decoration (determined via voting), etc.
      • Name on Tombstones: Player names displayed in the Brittany graveyard and on the Ancestor pledge reward.
      • Name in Domesday Book: Player names displayed in the Domesday Book.
      • Mail: Players will be able to mail each other (or themselves) items for a fee. This might also be the way we deliver some content like vendor sale proceeds.
      • Looking For Group: A semi-automated way for players to find each other
     
  2. Lord Andernut

    Lord Andernut Avatar

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    Where on this map is the Duke & LotM Islands in NPC towns?

    When this reward was offered it was never stated that you could only get that pledge reward (Island Castle with Keeps!) by purchasing a POT or by having an owner consent to loan you a spot that large in their POT.
     
  3. DarkStarr

    DarkStarr Executive Producer SOTA Developer

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    We are working on it. It is not a POT only feature.
     
  4. Ice Queen

    Ice Queen Avatar

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    Aren't there suppose to be blessings in Npc towns as well? :)
     
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  5. Bushmaster

    Bushmaster Avatar

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    We are getting closer!
     
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  6. Drocis the Devious

    Drocis the Devious Avatar

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    When will we get a priority list for the Post-Wipe features?

    Do not say "post wipe". :)
     
  7. Bushmaster

    Bushmaster Avatar

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    Would love to get an ETA on farming and fishing.
     
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  8. GreyMouser Skye

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    Gantt chart maybe? :) But I am halfway serious.
     
  9. Rufus D`Asperdi

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    @DarkStarr, on this bit:
    Is the system under development designed to include separate permissions for the House/Lot, and the Basement?

    Will someone be able to make their Lot, and whatever might be on it Public, and reserve the Basement as Private, restricted to the Owner, and his or her Guests and Kindred?
     
  10. Rufus D`Asperdi

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    Gantt Charts are of limited applicability to Agile Development... The best he might be able to do, were he so inclined, is to publish a list of those features that are intended to be addressed by Sprint/Release.
    But then he would open himself up to the inevitable backlash of the masses when their pet feature slipped a sprint.

    So say I, who's been managing Agile projects for the last 15+ years. :p
     
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  11. Drocis the Devious

    Drocis the Devious Avatar

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    I was thinking he could just continue with his monthly forecast....if your item didn't make the list, it's not the next priority.

    Obviously these would be at the top of the list. :)
     
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  12. Isaiah

    Isaiah Avatar

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    Gantt chart with milestones, and the number of bear hours per task.
     
  13. Drocis the Devious

    Drocis the Devious Avatar

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    lol

    A bear giving a PowerPoint presentation called "2016 Post Wipe Priority Forecast". And some guy in the crowd asks, "How many bear hours until lunch?"
     
  14. Mandalar

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    Thanks for the post Starr... Keep working it, the team has my support.
     
  15. Waxillium

    Waxillium Avatar

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    Cool. Just noticed this on the second read. That's amazing. I was wondering where new creature content was but I see it's probably e2?
     
  16. Miracle Dragon

    Miracle Dragon Legend of the Hearth

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    umm.. 'Pre-Flush'? :p
     
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  17. Rufus D`Asperdi

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    I wonder if I can get my team to start referring to Story Points as Bear Hours...
     
  18. Miracle Dragon

    Miracle Dragon Legend of the Hearth

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    Hmm.. based on Ultima Lore, shouldn't the Wisp be less of a support pet, and more of a 'chaotic' entity? They were custodians of inter-dimensional trade, with little understanding of life/death and the natural progression of time in our world. I just don't see them choosing to follow us around and help us. What is their motivation? (intrigued)
     
  19. Nhili Dragon

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    • Single player:
    • All Items Available: After positive response from a recent poll with our backers, we have decided to make all items from pledges and add-ons available in game through crafting or gold purchase.
    • So we have to either make or buy what we have gotten in the multiplayer version ?
     
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  20. DarkStarr

    DarkStarr Executive Producer SOTA Developer

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    No. If you have it in your pledge you will get it for "free".


    See this post for clarification: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/final-wipe-and-lot-selection.44430/

    Finally, we are going to be making almost all the add-ons and pledge rewards (except tax free lots) available through gameplay in single player offline mode. Players will still have to earn enough gold to purchase them, or gather enough resources to craft them in-game. For reference, the cost to purchase a Castle Deed in Offline Mode will be at least $120 million gold and it will have a very high tax rate. Players that purchased add-on items and received pledge rewards will start the game with them, just like they do now.
     
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