Easter Eggs & Real World References (Spoilers!)

Discussion in 'Player Created Resources' started by Rinaldi, Sep 5, 2016.

  1. Dermott

    Dermott Avatar

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    Real World Reference: Bermuda Islands history
    Location Penmawr Island

    Also known as the Sommer Islands, Bermuda was discovered in 1505 by Juan de Bermudez en route to the West Indies and later shipwrecked there in 1532 en route to Cuba. On the latter voyage, his cargo contained numerous black hogs and sows which made it to shore and ran wild. These hogs were later used as food stock by British colonists as the hogs had multiplied across the island. In 1609, the first true exploration of the island occurred when George Somers (or Sommers) set sail for the Virginia colony and was forced to land due to damage from a hurricane. (Incidentally, this event inspired Shakespeare's The Tempest) The Sommer Islands are also the first area in the New World where English settlers commissioned coinage in the form of crude silvered/brass coins known now as Hogge Money (which is where my interest comes in).*

    In the hills towards the central area of Penmawr Island you will encounter numerous Large Wild Boars. Since the island is patterned off of Carribean islands and pirates, I can only assume that someone on the Dev Team has read a bit of history!

    *Source: Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of US and Colonial Coins
     
  2. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Eggs - multiple references to Zombie movies, comics, & TV series.
    In Eastmarch

    Thanks @Sea-Wolf creating for these surprises!
    Thank you @Alley Oop for helping find and decipher these Easter eggs.

    1. Undead Captive - reference to the movie "28 Days Later"
    In the Movie:
    Peace activists release a monkey from a top secret British lab. The monkey is infected with contagious test virus, which subsequently spreads throughout the UK. Infected humans become raging murderous zombies.
    In the movie, Private Mailer, a military officer that becomes an infected zombie, is chained-up outside army headquarters. Mailer pukes blood in the scene below:
    In Game:
    A zombie named Private Mailer is outside and confined in a cage, and he pukes blood. His cage shows up as a point of interest called "Undead Captive" (Location: -309.7, 40.6, -488.4).
    [​IMG]

    2. Thrawls of the Swordswomen - reference to the "Walking Dead" comic and TV series
    In the Comic & TV series:
    In the Walking Dead story-line, Michonne is a non-zombie survivor, who perfected her swordsmanship with a Katana to become a ruthless anti-zombie warrior. While she was away, two of her associates were bitten by zombies, and therefore, became zombies themselves. When Michonne returns, she survives attacks from the two zombie associates. Then, she amputates their arms and lower jaws, and then chains them up by the neck. She traveled with these 2 chained zombies at all times to help make others believe she was a zombie also.
    In the Comic:
    [​IMG]
    In the TV series:
    [​IMG]
    In the Game:
    There are two skeletons who are chained by the neck, missing their jawbones, and missing their arms. These skeletons show up as a point of interest called "Thrawls of the Swordswomen" (Location Area -223.506, 65.623, 542.719), although in this case, I think "thrawls" is misspelled, since "thralls" means servant or slave.
    [​IMG]

    3. Abandoned House - reference to the movie "Return of the Living Dead"
    In the movie:
    A group of people go into a mortuary and then board-up the doors and windows to protect themselves from the attacking zombies. A female zombie breaks through one of the boarded-up windows and begins to crawl through the window. But, the humans hack the zombie in half, so that her upper body falls inside. The humans take the partial zombie and tie her down on a table. The clip below shows this scene (warning: adult content and adult language in the video below):

    In game:
    There is a point of interest called "abandoned house" (location 454.534, 79.024, -253.045). The house has boarded-up windows. Inside the house is the upper part of a skeleton that is strapped to a table.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    4. Oldfield Ranch - reference to the movie "Black Sheep"
    In the movie
    In the movie Black Sheep, a young Henry Oldfield lives on a sheep farm in New Zealand. Henry leaves the ranch, but returns 15 years later to find out that his brother is conducting genetic experiments that change docile sheep into ferocious carnivores. When a human is bitten by the ferocious mutant sheep, the human transforms into a half-sheep zombie-like creature. In the opening scene, there is a sheepdog herding the sheep. In one scene, people find a partially-eaten dead body in the farm house.
    .
    In Game:
    There is a point of interest called "Oldfield Ranch" (Location -517.736, 46.68, -510.614). In front of the ranch are some sheep, and a sheepdog watching over them. Inside the barn there is a collection of bones inside one of the stalls.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    5. General Zombie references in Eastmarch
    • There are zombies inhabiting a point-of-interest called "Eastmarch Cemetery" (Location: 409.561, 75.81, -395.953).
    • Most of the coffins in Eastmarch cemetery have been dug up and opened, implying that dead people have escaped their graves.
    • The cemetery entrance is boarded-up to prevent the zombies from escaping the cemetery.


    Addendum 7/2021:
    6. Shaun of The Dead reference
    @Alley Oop found another zombie reference in Eastmarch.
     
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2021
  3. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Real World Reference: the writings of several famous philosophers
    Zone: Shaminian Hills

    While solving the puzzle in Shaminian Hills (see this post for the puzzle solution - Spoiler!), you find 3 tomes. Each tome is essentially a quote from a famous philosopher. These tomes can be placed as a decoration.

    Tome of Greatness
    The text in the blue box was written by Aristotle.
    The text in the green box is often incorrectly attributed to Aristotle, but was actually written by Will Durant in The Stor
    y of Philosophy [see this link to view the relevant part of Durant's text].
    [​IMG]

    Tome of Friendship
    The text in this tome was written by Aristotle. Here is a link to Aristotle's text - see the 3rd section (minor differences maybe noted because of variations in translation).
    [​IMG]

    Tome of Death
    The text in this tome was written by Epicurus. Here is a link to Epicurus' text - see the 3rd paragraph (minor differences maybe noted because of variations in translation).
    [​IMG]

    Also see these additional Easter eggs in Shaminian Hills.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2019
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  4. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    In-game Memorials to Helen Walker Garriott

    Helen Walker Garriott, beloved mother of Richard "Lord British" Garriott, passed away in September 2017.
    This post was created to honor Helen, to help ensure that players recognize the special significance of Helen when they encounter her in-game, and to share player-created in-game memorials for Helen.
    Thank you to Richard "@Lord British" Garriott who expressed support for this tribute.

    Helen in Real Life
    Helen grew up in Enid, Oaklahoma. She married Owen Garroitt (Richard's father), who was also from Enid. Together, they moved to Texas because Owen was an astronaut and needed to be near Houston. While in Texas, Helen obtained a masters degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in ceramics. She was a professional artist, a dedicated mother, a supporter of her community, and a philanthropist.

    Helen taught painting and pottery, but she also created her own works of art. Her art workshop provided summer jobs for her own children and for other children in the community. Helen believed in the importance of inspiring children through art and science. This belief, along with a strong motivation to give back to the community, led her to co-found Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse in Enid Oklahoma. Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse is a world-class children's museum with hands-on art and science exhibits that are dedicated to enriching and inspiring children of all ages. Helen shared the hope that Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse would "excite both the excellent student and the struggling or unmotivated student in the adventure of discovery, raise self esteem and turn them on to the fun of a productive life."

    If you would like to help support Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse, please see the end of this post for ways you can donate.

    Despite her amazing contributions to the community, Helen said her greatest accomplishment was raising her kids. Helen's children explained "...Mom expanded our minds, taught us that we could be anything we wanted to be, and filled our home and hearts with love." Undoubtedly, Helen had a profound influence on Richard and helped shape his career.

    Helen shared her love of art with Richard, and helped hone Richard's creative instincts. Every summer, she taught Richard a new form of art: painting, pottery, silversmithing. During one of those summer art sessions with his mother, Richard (11 years old at the time) created the silver snake pendant which he still wears around his neck. That Serpent would become a recurring motif in the Ultima Series.

    Helen also hosted many of Richard's Dungeons & Dragons sessions. These sessions would become one of the major inspirations for the interactive worlds and role-playing within Richard's computer games.
    As Richard began to program on his Apple computer, Helen helped Richard design the first-person 3-dimensional perspective used in the dungeon regions of Akalabeth (Richard's first commercial game). Helen also created the first cover of Akalabeth. When Richard formed his first gaming company (Origin), Helen was appointed art director and helped create the manuals for many of Origin's games. As Richard said “...if you go all the way back to Origin’s first published products — those would be Ultima III and Caverns of Callisto — the manuals for those games, the illustrations in those manuals, the layout of the text, that was all done by my mother.” Helen also created the concept for the Ultima 3 box cover. Denis Loubet adapted her concept to create the final version. The pictures shown below are from one of Richard's tweets, with Helen's original artwork on the left and Denis Loubet's adaptation on the right.
    [​IMG]


    Helen In-Game
    If you go Brittany Graveyard, Helen's Mausoleum is a hill (and shows as a point of interest on the compass).

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Outside the mausoleum is a smelting table (which represents a kiln used to make ceramics).

    [​IMG]

    Inside the mausoleum you meet a peaceful ghost named Helen who was an artist and pottery maker.

    [​IMG]

    Helen responds to some words that are not on the list of keywords in the chat box.
    If you type "Lord British", Helen responds:

    [​IMG]
    .
    If you type "Owen", Helen responds:
    [​IMG]
    Owen was Helen's husband, and Richard's father.
    Owen also has a
    memorial in-game.
    .
    .
    In Helen's Mausoleum, you will find the SOTA Crafting Sigil on the wall (a reference to Helen's love of crafting) and the "Earth Rise Pot". If you speak to Helen, she will offer to make you an Earth Rise pot if you give her the necessary ingredients and a small payment.

    [​IMG]

    The Earth Rise Pot in Real Life
    Helen began making the Earth Rise pots around 1970 when the United States was sending men to the moon. Her husband, Owen, suggested that she make “something about space”. Helen may have been inspired by "Earthrise", a famous photo taken on the Apollo 8 mission in 1968 (the first manned mission to orbit the moon). The photograph shows the Earth rising above the surface of the moon and surrounded by the darkness of space.​

    [​IMG]

    Helen's "Earth Rise" pot design was meant to simulate the view in the picture above: the view of a person standing on the moon, who was looking across the darkness of space at the tiny, distant earth. The main gray portion of the pot represents the moon, the black part of the lid represents the darkness of space, and the handle on the lid represents the earth. She added a few space-suit footprints at the Apollo 11 landing site (where man first walked on the moon). The basic design of the pot remained the same, but over time she added a tiny rhinestone at each of the 6 manned landing sites.

    Helen’s earthrise pot started as a token of friendship given to her neighbors. Ultimately, several thousand Earthrise pots were produced and sold. They were all handmade.

    In the picture below, the left side shows one of Helen's earlier Earth Rise pots from 1970, which depicts the footprints, but the rhinestones had not been added to the design yet.
    The right side of the picture shows the Earth Rise pot in SOTA, which shows Helen's later design that included the footprints (where man first walked on the moon) and the rhinestones (marking each of the 6 manned landing sites).
    [​IMG]


    Other in-game Tributes & Memorials to Helen

    ● Helen Garriott Memorial Library in Veritas Sanctuary (created by @Dereck Visaard)
    Please see Dereck Visaard's post for detailed pictures of the inside and the outside the library.

    [​IMG]
    .
    ● Helen Garriott Garden in Immortal City, which is nested inside Silverdale Market (created by @Alleine Dragonfyre). The garden's center-pieced is a statue. Richard Garriott was so moved by this tribute that he changed the generic name of the statue to "Helen Mary Walker Garriott" (the name is permanent, so this statue is unique and there is only one in the game).
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    .
    ● Helen Garriott Memorial Tombstone in Port Phoenix [created by Kazyn Phoenixfyre (in-game), @WrathPhoenix (in forums)]
    [​IMG]
    .
    [Note: if you have a memorial that you want added to this list, please let me know]​

    Share Helen's Dream: Support Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse
    You can help support Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse by the following methods:
    1. Donate directly at Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse website.
    2. Purchase in-game replica's of Helen's art (Skylab Dish or Exodus Cover Art Concept) and a portion of the proceeds will go to Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse.
    Farewell To Helen
    By all accounts, Helen was an amazing person. Her influence has been felt in the worlds of art, computer gaming, and education. Although most of us did not have the privilege of knowing Helen, she is one of the major reasons why the Ultima and SOTA communities exist.
    With respect and appreciation, Rest in Peace Helen.
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2019
  5. Alley Oop

    Alley Oop Bug Hunter Bug Moderator

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    norgard fens: the never-ending story

    atreyu's horse, artax, drowning in the swamps of sadness
    [​IMG]

    horse stuck in the morass of wretchedness, with child (named Artie) nearby urging it on
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2018
  6. Arya Stoneheart

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    Fiona Fitzowen has a dialogue reference to Ultima 1 - Iolo has the key.

    [​IMG]


    Fiona can be found in Ardoris in the Peladjar Inn.

    She says this if you have her in your party in the offline game.

    In the video, Richard Garriott says that Iolo has the dialogue hint - I have the key, meaning that Iolo is the jester from Ultima 1 and has a key needed to free the princess in each castle.

     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2018
  7. Arya Stoneheart

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    Bushwood Sporting Club in Brittany Estates sounds like a reference to Bushwood Country Club in the movie Caddyshack.
     
  8. Floors

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    \

    Game has come a long way from that prototype, lol
     
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  9. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Egg: Equipping certain items alters how you communcate in chat

    .
    .
    The Cutlass of the Swashbuckler is an artifact (blade weapon) that has the following properties:
    • +25% Sneak Attack Boost
    • -25 Pick Pocket Cooldown Reduction
    • Alters your chat communication

    If you type certain words in chat with this artifact equipped, when you press enter/return, your words will be translated into pirate terminology:

    • "loot" and "treasure" are translated into "booty"
    • "cheat" is translated into "hornswaggle"
    • "friend" is translated into "matey'"
    • "Hello" and "Hi" are translated into "Ahoy"
    • "woot" is translated into "shiver me timbers"


    [​IMG]

    Note: These translations are case sensitive and only occur when you type the word as shown above.

    Although the following words currently do not translate, I suggest adding these additional words (@DarkStarr, @Chris, @Lord British)

    • "wow" &"omg" & "holy cow" translate into "blimey"
    • "damn" and "darn" translate into "Arrr!"
    • "yes" translates into "aye"
    • "stop" translates into "belay"
    • "back" and "rear" translate into "poop deck"
    • "yay" & "cheers" & "huzza" & "yippee" translate into "yo ho ho!"
    • "d-ck" and " jerk" translate into "scallywag"

    The Necklace of Civility is an artifact that has the following properties:
    • +5 Adventurer Level
    • Alters your chat communication
    If you type certain cuss words in chat with this artifact equipped, when you press enter/return, your words will be translated into more civil terminology:
    • "suck" and "Suck" are translated into "help"
    • "sh-t" and "Sh-t" are translated into "stuff"
    • "f-ck" and "F-ck" are translated into "golly"
    • "lol" and "LOL" are translated into "I am figuratively laughing out loud"
    • "noob" and "Noob" are translated into "inexperienced player"
    • "newbie" and "Newbie" are translated into "inexperienced player"
    • "b-tch" and "B-tch" are translated into "classy lady"
    • "d-ck" and "D-ck" are translated into "Richard" :eek:
    I cannot type the curse word in the forum, so when in chat, replace the "-" with the appropriate vowel.
    These translations are all case sensitive and only occur when you type the word with the lower case or upper case shown above.

    The Ring of Cat's Grace is an artifact that has the following properties:
    • +50 safe fall
    • Alters your chat communication
    If you type certain words in chat with this artifact equipped, when you press enter/return, your words will be translated into feline terminology:
    • "now" is translated into "meow"
    • "very" is translated into "meowy"
    • "human" is translated into "cat"
    These translations only occur when you type the word in all lower case.

    Possible Inspiration for the Cat Talk
    @Brugas pointed out this scene from the movie Super Troopers, where the officers play the Cat Game and replace the word "now" with "meow".
    .


    Thanks @Calan Caitin and @Alley Oop for bringing these to my attention!
     
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2022
  10. 3devious

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    That is funny. Imagine what the Ring of Caska(tm) would make you say!
     
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  11. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Real World Reference: Saturday Night Live (SNL) skit called "More Cowbell"

    "More Cowbell" was a comedy skit from Saturday Night Live (SNL) that aired in April 2000.
    The skit is a fictional, behind the scenes account of the band Blue Öyster Cult recording the song "(Don't fear) The Reaper".

    During the recording session, the cowbell enthralls the producer so much, that the producer keeps wanting "more cowbell".
    The cowbell player is wearing a tight shirt that it too short (so his belly shows), has a funky curly hairdo, and he dances around wildly when playing his bell.
    Here is the video of the skit:



    Darkstarr announced the cowbell in March 2018. As part of this reference, the following items were added to the game: a cowbell, a shirt recipe, and a curly hairdo. The shirt recipe and the cowbell will drop as loot from the reaper. The curly hairdo was added as an option that can be chosen during creating or changing the appearance of your avatar.

    In SOTA, the reaper drops 2 rare and unique loot items:
    • A tight, short shirt recipe (the "Short Medieval Shirt") - the shirt has no special properties, but is similar to the type of shirt worn by the bell player in the SNL skit.
      [​IMG]

    • A Cowbell of Reaping (note that it "leaves you wanting more cowbell" in the description below) - when the cowbell is played, it buffs the avatars in the party and it debuffs reapers, plants, and mushrooms (see below).
      [​IMG]

    When you equip the cowbell and play some music on it, your avatar dances around wildly just like the bell-player in the Saturday Night Live skit.
    Here is an example (note that the bell player is wearing the "Short Medieval Shirt" and has the curly hairdo, just like in the SNL skit):


    Effects of Playing the Cowbell
    Playing the cowbell results in:
    • Buff on the avatar: +10 attack speed for 30 seconds (effects all members of the party)
      [​IMG]
    • Debuff on the enemy: confusion & -50 attack speed for 30 seconds (only effects reapers, plants, and mushrooms)
      [​IMG]
    So, when using the cowbell, don't fear the reaper!
    .
     
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2020
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  12. Floors

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    :eek:
     
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  13. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Real World References to Star Trek The Next Generation ("Ugly Bags of Mostly Water") and to developer Fletcher Kinnear
    In Lost Vale


    In the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, there was an episode called "Home Soil", in which an alien life form described humans as "ugly giant bags of mostly water". Here is the video:


    In SOTA, there is a creature in the Lost Vale named Rehctelf who says "I'd call you an ugly bag of mostly water..."

    [​IMG]
    One additional hidden surprise: "Rehctelf" is Fletcher backwards. This may be a reference to Fletcher Kinnear, a SOTA alumnus who did character artistry for Portalarium.

     
    Last edited: May 26, 2019
  14. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Two Easter Eggs & Real World References:
    1. In-game replica of Richard Garriott's Property in Austin, Texas (Zone: Northwood)
    2. Reference to Dale Flatt, the caretaker of Richard Garriott's Property in Austin, Texas (Zones: Northwood & Elad's Lighthouse)

    Background
    The property in Lake Austin had several unique structures that were created by Garriott (@Lord British).
    1. Britannia Manor - some of the decorations inside included crossbows, swords, armor, dinosaur fossils, and human skulls. The house also contained traps, secret passages, a wine cellar, and a domed observatory with a telescope. The house was sold in 2014 and torn down a few years later.
    2. Castleton - a medieval village that included a light house, a wooden sailing ship, a fort, and a big chess set.
    3. The Curtain Theatre - this is an outdoor theater, named after the "Curtain Theatre" (an Elizabethan playhouse constructed in London in 1577)
    The structures listed above are recreated in-game within the city of Northwood.
    The Approach to Garriott's Property

    As you approach Garriott's property in real-life, there is a sign post at a crossroads that provides directions to special locations. In SOTA, there is also a sign post at the crossroads as you approach the special locations.

    [​IMG]

    Britannia Manor In SOTA

    In-game, this building shows up as a point of interest called "Britannia Manor."
    Here are some things that were inside Britannia Manor in real-life and are also inside Britannia Manor in-game (comparison pictures are presented).​
    1. The house itself
      .
      You can see the domed observatory in both pictures below.
      .
      [​IMG]
    2. Traps, human skulls, dinosaur bones, a wine cellar, and other collectibles.
      In real life, Britannia Manor had dinosaur fossils, human skulls, traps, collectibles, and a wine cellar (I could not find real-life pics). The pics of SOTA displayed below show a dinosaur fossil, a human skull, a trap (pressure plate that triggers a fire arrow), collectibles, and a wine cellar.
      [​IMG]
    3. Crossbows on the wall near a staircase
      [​IMG]
    4. Domed observatory with telescope
      [​IMG]
    5. Swimming pool beside the Manor
      [​IMG]
    In-game, Britannia Manor also has other Garriott-related items including a DND Teletype, a picture of Garriott as Lord British, Ultima & SOTA art, and Helen Garriott's Earthrise pot.​

    Castleton

    Here are some things that were inside Castleton in real-life and are also inside Northwood in-game (comparison pictures are presented).​

    1. A small waterway in front of the buildings that is crossed by wooden bridge.
      [​IMG]
    2. A fort
      [​IMG]
    3. A wooden sailing ship
      [​IMG]
    4. A big chess table
      .
      In the picture on the right, you can see a bridge in the background that connects two trees (see #5 below).
      .
      [​IMG]

      Another real life pic:
      [​IMG]
    5. A rope bridge
      .
      In real-life Castleton, this was an elevated rope bridge that connected two trees.
      .
      [​IMG][​IMG]
    6. Stockade outside one of the buildings
      In real life:
      [​IMG]

      In SOTA:[​IMG]
    7. Outdoor Chapel
      .
      The in-game shrine area in Northwood was inspired by the real-life outdoor chapel in Castleton.
      Real-life Outdoor Chapel:
      [​IMG]

      The Northwood Shrine in SOTA:[​IMG]
    The Curtain

    Here is a comparison of the Curtain Theater in real-life and in-game. Note: In-game, this theater shows up as a point of interest called "The Curtain".

    [​IMG]
    Here is another reference to The Curtain.
    Here is a video walk through of "The Curtain" in real life.
    Dale Flatt

    Dale Flatt is a real-life friend of Richard Garriott and was caretaker of Castleton. Dale built the lighthouse in Castleton (see pic here). Dale is present in-game as the grounds keeper of Britannia Manor in Northwood. His conversation, which is shown below, mentions that Lord British oversaw the building of Britannia Manor (just like in real-life). Dale also mentions that Lord British's father inspired his fascination with the sky (Garriott's father was an astronaut in real-life and inspired Garriott to fly into space also).​

    [​IMG]


    The Lighthouse
    The lighthouse of Castleton is not in Northwood, but it is in a zone called Elad's Lighthouse. There is also a reference to Dale in Elad's Lighthouse. Elad is Dale spelled backwards. In real-life, Dale built the lighthouse in Castleton (so effectively it is "Dale's lighthouse"). "Dale's Lighthouse" in real-life became Elad's lighthouse in SOTA. You can find the character Elad inside his lighthouse (which is in the city of Elad's Lighthouse).
    If you look closely at Elad's desk, you will see a chess board with a note next to it:​

    [​IMG]

    Although it is not one of the key words listed in the dialogue box, you can type the word "chess" when talking to Elad. Here is Elad's response:
    [​IMG]

    The note on the table is written in Runic, which can be translated to:
    E. -
    Bg5 O-O
    Quite tricky, Queen's Gambit!
    - L.B.

    In the note, "Bg5" means the bishop is moved to space g5 and "O-O " means kingside castling (this is chess lingo that describes certain movements of the chess pieces, and it reflects the actual position of the pieces on the in-game chess board).
    "E" refers to Elad (Dale Flatt), and "LB" refers to Lord British (Richard Garriott).
    In regard to the real-life chess interactions between Garriott and Dale, Garriott stated "While we don't play chess, we do constantly set up games for each other." And this was the inspiration behind the note and the chess board in Elad's lighthouse.

    Inside Elad's Lighthouse on the second floor, there is a break-able crate. Inside the crate is a small model ship. In the real-life lighthouse in Castelton, there is also a box with a ship in it (thanks @Minerva & the Order of Chivalry for revealing this!)​

    [​IMG]

    The character Elad also appeared in Ultima 6 and Ultima 7.
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2020
  15. Icetears

    Icetears Avatar

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    I don’t think anyone noticed, but there is an Indiana Jones reference.

    In the movie, Indiana Jones (or “Indy”, for short) replaces an artifact on a pedestal with a sack of dust (sand maybe?). Failing to get the right weight, Indy then runs for his life with a boulder chasing him. In SOTA, one of the eyes for the totem puzzle is on a pedestal. You need to use a sack next to a skeleton (which for some reason looks almost like the sack in Indiana Jones ) to get the eye. Failing to do so will result in almost the same result of getting crushed by a boulder. Inhaling poisonous gases. (DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN!!!)
     
  16. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Egg: Reference to the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Zone: Blood River Forrest

    I am not sure who created the zone the zone, but the pyramid area seems to have many references to Raiders of the Lost Ark, in addition to the one pointed out by @Icetears in the post above.
    For brevity, I will refer Raiders of the Lost Ark as ROTLA.
    1. Spider webs and spiders near the entrance of the cave
      In both SOTA and ROTLA, spider webs cover the entrance to the cave.
      In SOTA, the spiders are in the eggs (see red arrows in pic below) until you pass close by, then the spiders pop out and attack.
      In ROTLA, the spiders near the entrance to the cave climb onto Jones' back.

      [*][​IMG]
      [​IMG]
    2. A trap with wooden spikes that sweep in from the wall
      In SOTA, the wooden spikes are triggered by a pressure plate, whereas in ROTLA they are triggered by breaking a light beam.
      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
    3. A pit that you have to jump over, that also has a vine dangling into it that allows you to pull yourself from the pit.
      In SOTA, there is a vine that crosses over the pit (red arrow), whereas a piece of wood crosses over the pit in ROTLA.
      In both SOTA (see blue arrow) and ROTLA, there is a vine that can be used to pull yourself from the pit.

      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
    4. Traps that fire arrows when a pressure plate is stepped on
      In SOTA, a pressure plate shoots fire arrows.
      In ROTLA, the pressure plates shoot metal arrows.

      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
    5. Placing a weighted sack on a pressure plate to stop activation of a trap
      In SOTA, when you pick up the amethyst eye from the pedestal, nozzles in the hallways behind you will spray poison gas. However, you can turn off the poison gas: next to the altar with the amethyst, there is a skeleton and a sack on the ground (red arrow). Grab the sack, put it in your inventory, and then click the pedestal (where the amethyst was) to place the sac on the pedestal. Weighing down the pedestal with the sack will turn off the poison gas nozzles (see also the Puzzle Thread for more details).
      In ROTLA, the sack is used to replace the golden figurine, but ultimately the traps are activated when the sack does not weigh the correct amount.

      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
    6. A stone door that slides to open/closed
      In SOTA, this door opens by sliding upward (seen during opening in the pic below). The door opens when you solve the puzzle (see Puzzle Thread).
      In ROTLA, the door slides down after Jones triggers the weight trap described above.

      [​IMG] [​IMG]
    7. A golden statue
      In SOTA, there is a big golden jaguar (that cannot be taken and does not trigger a trap).
      In ROTLA, there is a small golden figurine that triggers a pressure trap when moved.

      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]

    @Alley Oop pointed out that the rolling stone trap is present in Blood River Outskirts.

    All of the elements described above can be seen in this clip of ROTLA:

     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2018
  17. Sephald

    Sephald Avatar

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    In the famous Poet’s Circle guildhouse, there is a book called The Sorcerer’s Daughter. Maybe this is a reference to C. S. Lewis’s The Magicians Nephew? (Sorcerer = magician, daughter = nephew (they’re relationship names))
     
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  18. Icetears

    Icetears Avatar

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    Thanks for referencing my chat @Rinaldi .
     
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  19. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Real World Reference to Shooter Jennings
    In Multiple Zones including Soltown, Resolute, and Etceter

    Shooter Jennings is a singer-songwriter whose music is primarily in the outlaw country and Southern rock genres. He is the son of country music legends Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter.

    The Shooter Fan NPCs
    Shooter launched 2 of his albums in SOTA during release parties. During the in-game release party for his album "Shooter" (SOTA Release 56), there were multiple “Shooter fans” scattered around Novia (these were NPCs whose dialogue indicated they were fans of Shooter). The "Shoot fans" were part of a special quest. The first 25 players who completed the quest were placed on the secret guest list and received prizes directly from the real Shooter Jennings. The prizes were Shooter heraldry items and wax cylinders of songs from the Shooter album. The "Shooter fan" NPCs were in-game for about one year (release 56 through release 66), and most of them were removed in July 2019* (the Shooter Fan in Eteceter was still present as of August 2019). For historical reference, here are pictures & dialogue from some of the "Shooter Fans":

    In Soltown, a character named Shooter Jenkins was in the Soltown Inn & Tavern (Location -15.5, 28.0, 23.6). He intermittently played a lute.
    [​IMG]
    When you talked to him, Shooter Jenkins said he should not be confused with Shooter Jennings the musician.
    Jenkins also said he went to one of Jennings' parties (this refers to Jennings' album release parties that occurred in-game).

    [​IMG]

    In Etceter, a character named Shooter Jordan was inside the Tavern. Shooter Jordan said he changed his name to honor Jennings and he was Jennings' biggest fan.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    In Resolute, a character named Shooter Janes was inside the Tavern (Location 21.5, 77.6, -240.7).
    Janes had essentially the same dialogue as Jenkins as shown above.

    [​IMG]

    * From the patch notes for Build Number 1005 on July 4, 2019, "...Removed Shooter fans from Brittany Alleys, Aerie, Resolute, and Soltown. (Players cannot start the associated quest, but those who haven’t finished it can still do so.)"
    Shooter's Album Releases in-Game & related items
    Shooter Jennings had 2 album launches in SOTA, including the albums "Countach" & "Shooter"

    "Countach" Album
    The announcement of the album release and in-game party was made on 2/17/2016 on the SOTA website. In that announcement, Shooter shared the story behind how he decided to have his album launch within SOTA.
    The entire announcement can be found here.
    [​IMG]
    The entire announcement containing Shooters' text can be found here.

    When news recently got out that outlaw country musician Shooter Jennings, son of the country music icons Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, planned to hold the World Premier of his new album, Countach, inside of the fantasy role-playing game Shroud of the Avatar, one news outlet dubbed it “…arguably the weirdest gaming event of all time.

    When asked why he chose such a unique venue to unveil his latest album, this is what he had to say:


    As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized I’m a man of familiar comforts. I often find true happiness in the delights of my childhood. But, I find myself trying to give back to the things that gave me such happiness as a kid. When I was 7 years old, my dad bought the family an Apple IIe. Just the sheer possibilities blew my mind and the computer quickly became my favorite tool. The greatest tool.

    It was with this computer that my imagination was captured and taken to great heights. Early computer games were, and still remain my favorites. The games Sierra made, Broderbund, all these early titles held a very special place in my heart. But it was with the Ultima series that I found a different kind of kinship. I would have to say, I tinkered a bit on the first few games, but when Ultima V and VI came along I was ready for their epic challenges. Lord British was my J.R.R Tolkien, giving me my first broad magical adventure where morality and intellect really played a major role.

    As I got older I played every single Ultima game that was released, even poisoning the bread in Ultima IX. Then Ultima Online took me and my friends to another world, allowing us to live a real alternate life. What a brilliant development!

    By this time Kurt Cobain was minutes from death and my 386 sat on a small table in my bedroom. I was running a BBS and connecting to very early forms of the internet. Nine Inch Nails’ the Downward Spiral had captured my ears, changing my perceptions of music forever.

    It was with these computers that I began to make music. I understood computers, but up until my discovery of Trent Reznor, I had not found a link between music and computers that resonated with me. After this point I began recording my own songs at home, learning and crafting, crafting and learning. It was a cathartic experience that eventually led me to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in rock and roll full time.

    I spent a lot of time drinking, and going out. Trying to out-Bukowski Bukowski, I guess. I kinda put my years of computing at bay, performing with my band on the Sunset Strip, and trying to make up for all the lost nerd years with the ladies. But I kept a copy of Ultima IX on my machine in my first LA bedroom. Every once in a while, my friend John Shahan and I would revisit Britannia and beat the game again. It was like a warm blanket I brought from my childhood home. When being an adult got to be too much, I could always go poison Lord British’s loaf of bread and get a laugh.

    All of this leads to a certain point. I remember looking online and reading about Shroud of the Avatar and getting very excited. It had been a long time since I’d heard the name Lord British, and it was like John Lennon all of a sudden coming out with a new Plastic Ono Band album. I immediately found the Kickstarter and made my pledge. I could not wait to play this game. I had played some of the other MMOs, and while fun, they never captured the sense of adventure that the Ultima series did, online or offline. I was so excited to see this come out that I just could not wait.

    After jumping in SOTA, in a very early release, I got very excited for the potential. It felt like UO, but also felt like a wide open adventure unlike anything I’d ever seen. Over the months, I would check in release-to-release as the game started to take major shape. I was inspired by the fact that they allowed players to be a part of the game as it was built. It felt like I was a part of something really special.

    Fast forward about a year, and I found Richard Garriott on twitter. I reached out to him, mainly because I was a fan. I thought SOTA was amazing and I think I initially offered to help with score. It has always been a dream of mine to score a game, and I never got that opportunity (well, until I eventually got to put some music in SOTA!). Lord British himself wrote me back and I was just floored. I would keep in touch here and there by retweeting or talking about Ultima games. It was easy, they meant that much to me.

    Fast forward again and I’m half way through the recording of my new album ‘Countach’. I was recording the song ‘Chase’. The song, originally from the Midnight Express film, was also used as a theme song for my favorite radio program, Coast to Coast AM. As a kid, I would listen to Art Bell explore the unknown every night with this song as the backdrop. I knew this had to be on the album but I wanted to make it more than just an instrumental. That’s when the idea hit me to ask Richard Garriott to do a voice-over. Here I was doing this record, a tribute to Giorgio Moroder, a man who basically took electronic tools that most people didn’t even understand yet and made wild, lush adventures for people to forget their troubles to. Sounded just like Lord British, so I felt if I just could get Richard talking about his life, exploring, creating worlds, it would make absolute sense. And it did. I was floored when he did it. It was a dream come true.

    After we got done with the record, I got to meet Richard Garriott and Starr Long in Los Angeles, and found myself among folks that I really felt I could have a deep conversation with. Again, going back to feeding back into my childhood, I realize that we are all the most responsible for what we have learned from life, and for giving it back to the rest of the world. Much as Richard and Starr have done the same by creating the worlds they have, they gave it back to me. And then through my love of their art, I am trying to give back to them, and give to future generations of the lore of (new) Brittania and the innovations of its creator’s.

    Having created a system where you can not only listen to streaming radio inside the game, but also having the ability to collect wax cylinders with audio stored on them which you can play on in-game phonographs, it seemed like a no-brainer to be able to share music inside Shroud of the Avatar. So I suggested we do a listening party in the game. If there was one album where this concept fit, it was this one! Hell, I think I even hid some Ultima 7 music on the record somewhere. And Lord British himself is on the record. So we set it up and the unbelievable community in Shroud immediately jumped up and have prepared an incredible quest-driven party. The quests are being executed by the New Britannia Theater Troop, who are an in-game, live group of actors. Some of the great building constructors and creators are crafting custom locations and clothing for the event. Avatars Radio is going to stream the album in-game. And both Starr and Richard (Darkstarr and Lord British) have given it their blessing and are going to attend.

    Now, going back to that 14 year old kid on the 386 in his room. Lonely and looking for adventure. Imagine what he would say right now? Probably something along the lines of “f**k yeah future Shooter, way to f**king go!
    .
    With the release of Countach, Shooter donated several in-game items to the Make A Difference Store on the SOTA website to help support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. These items include: wax cylinders (which contain songs from the album), a decorative picture with the Countach album cover art, pink dye, and phonograph with pink highlights that can play wax cylinders.
    There are 7 cylinders, and each cylinder contains one song. Six of the cylinders contain a song from the album (there are 9 songs on the album, but only 6 are on the in-game cylinders). The 7th cylinder contains a song called "The Death of Lord British", which was only released in-game on the cylinders and was not on the album. Also, one of the songs ("Chase") features the voice of Richard Garriott (on the album and in-game). These wax cylinders include the following songs:
    • From Here to Eternity
    • I’m Left You’re Right She’s Gone
    • Born to Die (featuring Steve Young)
    • Chase (featuring Richard Garriott de Cayeux)
    • The Neverending Story (featuring Brandi Carlile)
    • Cat People (featuring Marilyn Manson)
    • The Death of Lord British
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    .
    "Shooter" Album
    The announcement of the album release and in-game party was made on 7/13/2018 on the SOTA website.
    The entire announcement can be found here.
    [​IMG]
    During the in-game release party for his album "Shooter" (SOTA Release 56), there were multiple “Shooter” NPCs scattered around Novia who had a special quest - see the initial part of this post for a detailed description of the "Shooter" NPCs.
    With the release of Shooter, Jennings donated an item to the Make A Difference Store on the SOTA website to help support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. This item was the Shooter Jennings Heraldry Art.
    [​IMG]
    The post-party recap (including pictures of the event) can be seen in the Update of the Avatar #291 from 8/3/18.​
    .
    Shooter Emote
    During the release party for the Countach album, a series of riddles were given. Those who solved the riddles received wax cylinders of the album and an exclusive Shooter emote. There were 26 winners.

    Note: if anybody made a video of the Shooter emote, please send me the link so I can add it here!
    Shooter Created the Death Music in SOTA
    When your avatar dies in-game, the music that plays while you are a ghost was composed by Shooter Jennings (the music is called "Death"). You can purchase a wax cylinder of "Death" using in-game gold at most NPC book merchants in SOTA. The wax cylinder can be played on a phonograph. Here is how the cylinder appears when you play it on a phonograph:

    [​IMG]
    Here is a pic of Shooter's post where he states that he made the Death tune.

    [​IMG]
    .
    Shooter at the SOTA Launch Event
    Shooter Jennings played live music at the official SOTA launch event in March 2018. So, SOTA helped launch 2 of Shooter's albums, and Shooter helped Launch SOTA!

    Visit @Shooter Jennings website: www.shooterjennings.com
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2020
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  20. Icetears

    Icetears Avatar

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    Easter Egg: Music Reference to Ultima 4
    Zone: Everywhere in game.
    One of the songs that plays in the background is a slowed-down variation from a song in Ultima 4.

    The original plays at 4:40

    This is the song on Shroud.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2019
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