Take a guess when the game will launch...

Currently Portalarium is forecasting early 2016

 

Yep, they've been making games long enough they should have a fairly good idea barring any major obstacles.

Think about where we were 1 year ago: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/release-4-update-instructions.8519/

or.. look at release 3. https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/release-3-instructions.7490/

just 14 months ago.

 

Well,when you put it that way, it actually does seem like they're "rushing it".

 

Keep in mind, they have different systems in development that haven't launched because it isn't ready for us to play with. They've had weather effects and roaming encounters in in-house testing since kickstarter.

 

nice!

 

I hope that the game launches when it is finished whenever that may be. I want this game to succeed. I leave my launcher open almost constantly to help with uploading, I'm always checking the store for things to pledge towards. One day it will launch and I will play it Yup thats right I've clocked about 6 quests in the newb zone and logged out. That was all I needed to know if I'm ever going to play another MMO again it's going to be this one.

 

ya that's the biggest reason i don't play that much having to regrind every wipe for a lot and house if only we could keep a house and lot deed between wipes then have them go poof on the final wipe but i love the progress they have done on the game game so far there is almost enough stuff to keep people bussy for cpl months before they run out of content

 

can you believe its already April 2015? time is going too fast! waiting for the future is consuming me. when we get SotA it will mean that much time has passed while i have sit chewing on my fingers! and then release! i spend another 5 years as my avatar! 5 years flash before my eyes! and what next? faster and faster! and then its 2021! faster and faster! hold on! NO! faster and faster! wait! i can't stop this car! it is 2030! i am clawing at the slope of time. the cliff at the end is inevitable. i see it, it sees me. an open mouth of oblivion!
yeah so im thinking April 2016

 

Two and a half weeks from tomorrow.

 

I don't even care to be honest heh. I have allot of fun as it is now, just want wipes to stop so the hoarding can commence.

 

I am happy with the release as long as the good work continues after releasing game.

 

I believe that Portalarium has been quite clear on this:

• The game will launch when it is ready and not before.

So, rather then pressuring them on the release date, we should be testing features and finding some bugs for them to squash. Lets help the devs knock this one out of the park.

Cypher Black

 

Q3 2016 at the latest. The gamble at putting SOTA on Steam has really payed off funding wise.

And - unlike some other player funded games I can mention - Portalarium did it right. They made Steam keys available to all backers as early as possible.

 

I think it's just as important to say what you think is a final release ("launch") in addition to when.

For example, your definition may include one or more of the following, or even none of it:
- All features and stretch goals achieved during the Kickstarter, functional across all game modes and supported platforms
- All POTs purchased pre-launch are implemented
- All in-game rewards and add-ons implemented and available
- Physical rewards completed and ready to ship to backers
- The single player campaign (40+ hour estimated) can be completed in all game modes
- No Ep1 placeholder content (e.g. all the estimated 40-50+ story-driven towns completed with all NPCs, both story-driven and the 2600+ player NPC rewards implemented, etc.)

To say that "launch" will be merely when they stop wiping the servers/characters implies none of the above need necessarily be true. If you're comfortable with that, it's all good.

 

And if the game to which you are referring to is the one I think it is then it cost me £100 when I was in beta which was twice a typical AAA title's price and I should have been given one as soon as it was announced, the main forum post on steam for that game was at 1700 unhappy posts last count lol... They really know how to make someone feel l33t *winks*

The SOTA devs on the other hand have been very transparent in their dealings with the community and have provided steam keys, account merges, etc already to the community.

 

For me, launch is when they open up permanent housing after the last wipe. Anything else could be 'in-progress' and updated with patches, but the moment I can go through the lunar rift and live my life in New Britannia, permanently, is the moment it has launched in my book.

 

I'm assuming you believed this during the Kickstarter as well, when they estimated an October 2014 release. I understand development issues arise, but saying they have enough experience from releasing games previously to accurately predict when they'll be ready for final release is a point that was made moot long ago. No doubt they will continue to work hard, but if you're trying to make the case that they are or were aware of an approximate time this game would launch based on their experience, you are mistaken. They badly misjudged when the game would launch, not bothering to mention that the October 2014 date was slipping until last summer, a few short months from their predicted launch. Their combined experience led them to estimate a very short pre-alpha which has moved to a protracted 16 month odyssey with no scheduled end. Excuses can be made for this, switching engines and the like, and if people find that acceptable that is their prerogative. However, with their 20 years of experience, they should have known issues arise and their original projected release date was completely unobtainable.

I'll guess Q2 2016 and stretching farther than that may strain funding, so I don't suspect it'll go much farther and potentially be released in an less than finished state. I've my doubts whether an episode 2+ will ever see the light of day, but time will tell.

 

Since funding is not an issue, the beta launch date will be dependant on the progress made as well as when the developers determine that enough has been done. put me down for Q2 2016 for beta launch and the full release to be Q4 2016.

 

I personally believe the dates that were released in the past were based loosely on what was in their budget to afford labor wise. Every time a release date was mentioned, it included a note that the game would not launch until it is ready. Keeping a 'reachable goal' keeps backers excited, but the monthly iterative process seems to keep most development focused on the current quarter. I believe this is why the 'missed' launch date wasn't announced until it was a quarter away.

In the end, I think the openness and daily communication the team has kept up with their community will keep everyone's eyes on target for a great release when the game is feature complete, polished, and thoroughly beta-tested.

 

Nope, during kickstarter I assumed they were a year off, i was expecting oct 2015. Starr Long is in charge of making sure the game gets released at a reasonable time. That basically means deciding which features will make episode one and which ones will wait till after launch. They have a plan and a list of features. Dev+ section has more details than the general forums on this topic. But even Dev+ people aren't privy to all the details. They are pushing for a 2015 release date.