Update on Physical Goods?

Hey All,
Been away for a while due to work and other gaming adventures. I see now that the story is going to be "finished" in July. Has Port mentioned anything about ship dates on physical goods yet?

TYIA

 

Not until commercial release or after and July is not it. It's stated that will be later in the year when the game is ready.

 

Wow. Such an incredible disappointment to hear nothing new has been said about this in the last three months since I took a break. We are now over 4 years in from KS...two months from a complete story...I'm starting to lose faith that these will ever ship.

 

Hi @Koldar , see here my thoughts about that issue -> https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...of-july-launch-later.91124/page-3#post-820116

 

Well in the meantime we get a lot of game. Yes it's been a long journey for all of us even for those who have lost faith or will lose faith before waiting it out to completion. Really this game will get the things it needs to release which is better performance optimizations, uncloned areas completed, main systems completed and the reason to play added to the game. The progress in the last months has been amazing far above what I could have imagined would happen. Surprises with new tech that moves your character so we can have boating and elevators, flying machine ability, mount ability and traps are found all over the world. Tightropes to walk, floors that fall in, mountains that fall. Now to just tie it all in a satisfying way. If we don't like how something plays out, now is the time to provide that feedback because if it is not a satisfying experience to us the testers, then it won't be to the public. I am here for that and I will fight the good fight for another year.

Does the game have all it needs now to release, no of course not, but we keep on keeping on, well those of us who will. Physical rewards will get to us when they get to us. To me the game is more important, but that is just me. I put 4 years of my life here and not to just quit. I am not satisfied with everything we have in the game or how everything is working in the game at the moment but I will not stop giving honest feedback to be heard to make this a better game.

 

http://ultimacodex.com/2017/06/correction-shroud-of-the-avatars-full-release-isnt-this-july/

 

While I appreciate your attempt to turn my frown upside down, the game does very little for me at this point. I remain hopeful that someday, someone will create a game that rivals U7. But the direction this game has taken assures me that U7 still has no rival.

I just want my physical rewards so I can finally conclude this transaction with Port and we can part ways. I won't say this was a bad venture, it was just one of the longest and most emotional I have been involved with. It has left me skeptical about backing any KS projects.

Thanks for the thoughts @Sir Cabirus . As soon as they started separating final wipe from launch (and now story completion from launch), they began to obfuscate the completion of episode 1. What stage are we in right now anyway? I've completely lost track. Post-final-wipe-but-still-beta-with-economics-exploits-almost-story-complete-but-there-is-still-no-"launch"-date? I can't keep up. I must lol to keep a smile on my face.

 

Port has decided to change the direction of SotA from a story based CRPG like Ultima 7 - which you can play online together with some friends or other people if you like - to a full-fledged MMO with a flange-mounted story which is only an addition. The focus lies clearly on the MMO sandbox aspects.

So Port got some new friends who don't know the Ultima series and also kept many of the UO veterans. For the price that they lost most of the Ultima single player story fans. Even if SotA cannot be 'my' game any longer I wish it all the best. But I have no big hope, because the MMO market is oversaturated and in general nearly dead.

 

With the game we have now I cannot see how they will ever manage to create a great offline single-player experience that can come close to U7.
The underlying MMO systems prevent this.
So I want to get my physical rewards and like Sir Cabirus have the transaction done.
I also agree that most of the single-player fans have been alienated by now. But ok, if they don't want to have this part of the gaming community then so be it.

 

The physical goods budget was made back in 2013.

"Pledge $150 or more
COLLECTOR

Get the full experience with the Shroud of the Avatar Collector’s Edition! In addition to the cloth map, you also receive a physical copy of the Runic Language Translation Print and an official Collector’s Coin. Includes Explorer Level Rewards

ESTIMATED DELIVERY Oct 2014"

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-the-avatar-forsaken-virtues-0?ref=nav_search

People didn't "Pledge $150 or more" for strictly digital goods. They did it for the famous Ultima trinkets. If there's one way to tick off every Ultima fan world-wide, it would be to refuse them their rightful trinkets, lol. Speaking of world-wide, "SHIPS TO Anywhere in the world".

 

Any words from the DEVS would be great.
Tell us your plans, your objectives, the way you see that. ... In the absence of open communication, a snowball effect of negative actions can result.

 

They've answered this <expletive deleted> question repeatedly.

The Physical Goods will be shipped shortly prior to, and in conjunction with the Commercial Launch of the game, which will be defined by the investment in an Advertising Campaign when the game is deemed ready to a large influx of new players... They've set no hard date, but the most recent notion is Q4 2017 or Q1 2018. It will launch when it (in the opinion of the Development Team) it's ready to be launched.

 

Maybe this is never the case

 

I am one of the early KickStarter backers out there that backed 1/2 due to the single player story Ultima games out there and guess what. I still LOVE SOTA!

I started with Ultima 3 way back in 1983 and then played Ultimas 1, 2, 4 - 9. Plus playing UO since it's inception 20 years ago on EA's Lake Austin.

I think the Single player story is good. I like the ability to use my brain to look at the visuals, read the text, see all around me to get the whole picture. Reading just a book of text for each conversation really died back in 1990's. Now with much improved graphics (over 1990 PC graphics style) the single player story can be visually stimulating with words supporting them. I support this approach. I think Portalarium really did a great job with the art in the game!

We will get the physical collector's boxes.

This is what happens with game development - start with an idea - finish with a slightly different and better game. Even the Ultima single player games changed during the many years of development of each of them.

Give Portalarium a break.

EDIT - toned it down a bit

 

Possibly... but that should have been accepted going in... The greatest threat to never launching I see is a small number of inflexible backers who must must must have their pet feature implemented to their specifications or they will burn down the house.

 

Its interesting how perspectives differ. In my eyes, the greatest threat and delay to the game we were promised is an epic amount of scope creep, whereby the game has become larger and more complex than anyone ever asked for.

 

I don't get what you mean. Please explain.

 

No. It would be a violation of the posting rules.

 

No surprise, I already thought that.

 

They were shipped with after they had implemented to conquering of cities and trade route building. Just check your mail!

All jokes aside on the horrible community management and customer service they provide... usually those things are a huge drawback on your funding. Meaning you wont see any of it, until the game makes some profit... Right now it can stay afloat and development can continue... but like in the SeedInvest description is it likely the company may never succeed... so I guess our Kickstarter promises are uncertain... just like the features promised there are not seen as mandatory, because development changes