MMORPG: SotA Release 18 - Return to Immersion

MMORPG has a new article up about Release 18, titled "Return to Immersion"

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/935/feature/9720/Release-18-Return-to-Immersion.html/page/1

A few teasers:
- The solution was to implement skills that allow you to lock abilities to specific slots, but still get the random draw aspect from the existing mechanic....Basically you can choose to add specific runes to specific slots as you build your deck, and then when those runes are dealt, they appear in that slot.
- New players leaving the enflamed Solaace Bridge and taking a boat to Soltown will now arrive on the banks of a marsh and find the tents of refugees a head of them. Talking with NPCs in the campsite will introduce the player to a number of quests and game mechanics, teaching new players how to better interact with the game world.
- They're adding in the astrology system in this pass, but a lot of other systems will be tied to it later. Crafting will use astrological periods to apply additional bonuses to custom gear, along with bonuses for specific material, and even location-based bonuses in some cases.

Check it out and discuss below!

 

A good read. Thanks!

 

Appreciate that... I enjoyed it. I look forward to looking at the night sky some more in this game. I also see that see this astrology system is going to be interesting. After reading, it seemed the vibe was that R18 is going to make significant progress. I am ready for the ability to dye armor/ clothes. As far as the combat system, I can say that I am not disappointed as most people are. I guess that is because this is going to be the first real MMO that I am going to invest time in. I played a little GW2, but it didn't hold my attention for too long because I was more of a console gamer at that point.

On another note, I was motivated to donating money for the water package after reading this article. Even though it was quite expensive (as most of the add on items I feel are), I like the idea that Portalarium is donating half to a noble cause. I like the idea that I have donated money towards a world problem; I would just rather give my time than money to help out whatever good cause.

 

I won't lie, I bought the wishing well because I saw the desert version of PaxLair and some of the early desert-themed player housing.

Let's just say I'll be purchasing a town lot once the new houses are on the market. =)

And by the way, my humble attempt at describing the majesty of the coming astrological system falls significantly short. While a lot of what they intend it to do eventually isn't actually making it in this patch, the promise of it is enough that this is my favorite release, hands down. I can't stop talking about how insanely awesome what they're doing here is going to be.

 

While the changes to the deck system are nice, it still doesn't address the fact that many of the active skills are not useful or even interesting. I've tried so many of them and most just seem like a waste of points.

 

I read the release notes. Did locked decks get any love? Did i miss that part?

 

On the astrological crafting resulting in items having special magic abilities. I find it very interesting. I've never heard of this existing in a game. This is the video-game equivalent of actual astrology based magick (black magick), I would know, I just read 2 books on the subject. I'm not a fan of practicing it, but I'm interested in esoteric stories so in actual medieval astrological magickal workings if you create X magic wand on X day it is 'infused' with the power of one of the 7 astrological powers at the time, mercury, venus, the moon, mars, jupiter, saturn, etc. I don't believe in it, but it is an obscure medieval astrology belief that is cool to see existing in a game. Just one more reason for someone to claim the game is evil though, heh. I would say it is innovative and would make the crafting system more immersive than any other game from that one tiny detail alone.

 

Definitely provide specific feedback on how to make the active skills more useful or interesting:
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?forums/release-18-feedback-forum.336/

Yeah, I hope they revisit the unnecessary and lame penalties on fully locked deck users.

I'm definitely looking forward to this! It was talked about many moons ago and seemed like it wouldn't make Ep1, but now it seems we'll have it. This will make crafting really interesting, since we already have material qualities, enchantments, and perhaps location-based where certain items can only be forged at certain locations. And now astrological qualities. Fantastic!

 

Yeah were gonna lose alot of players over this matter.

For me its a matter of disability (not trying to politicize the matter in any way). I have a nuerological disease (epilepsy) which doesnt allow me to to view moving glyphs over a long period of play without serious ramifications (hospitalization).

And whilst I love the game, I will always be at a disadvantage because they want to make you look at a hotbar (you still have regardless of what they think they changed (a joke really).

It's Shroud of the Avatar but with an unlocked deck its still Shroud of The Hotbar...

 

If one reads what Chris said about combat scrum, and listen to the last hangout etc.
Then between the lines it seems that R18 was a first pass at fixing some of the bigger issues with combat. So tinkering and trying things out.
The R19 would have improvements mostly on random and hybrid.
Then finally R20 would have balancing for locked visavi the other types.

So maybe after summer then.

 

Great!

When is r19 btw?

 

I usually check here:
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/?page_id=35475

 

Thank you Spoon.