Updates

Release 24 Instructions


[A SotA Public Forum post by Starr Long]

Darkstarr

Greetings Avatars,

Please read this entire message, as well as the linked instructions and known issues.

Thank you for being a loyal backer and follower of Shroud of the Avatar. Release 24 access for all backers at First Responder level and above begins this Thursday, November 19, at 10:30 AM US Central Time (16:30 UTC).

Has it really been two years and twenty four releases? Were we really so crazy as to let our backers in before we had all the features in place, much less the content? Have we really been able to work together as a community of backers and developers to make something this special? It is a big resounding YES to all of those questions, and we have each of you to thank for it. Thank you for being patient with us as we try this new way to make games. Thank you for allowing us to take more time, and yes, spend more money. Thank you for letting us make some mistakes and then letting us try to correct them. Thank you for letting us balance fulfilling our kickstarter and pledge promises against making changes we all feel will make a better game. Thank you for understanding when at times we have had to make some painful compromises. Most of all, thank you for being here with us.

Release 24 was supposed to be a short release where we didn’t add very much content and we focused almost entirely on fixing bugs, polishing content, and optimizing performance. As you will see below, that is not really what happened. Instead we ended up delivering a lot of new content and delaying most of the polish and performance work we had originally planned. A big part of why we did this was because we started working on our Alpha Punch List while we were finishing R23. SotA_RoyalArtisan_Clockwork_Dog_Pet1This list of course contained all the systems and pledge rewards we wanted to have complete by Alpha, and was mainly fed from our Kickstarter goals. Once we had that list, we looked at what items we could get in place quickly and realized there were a few that could happen as soon as R24; including Localization, more Story Maps, Guild Housing, Clockwork Pets, Talking Mirror, and extensions to the Weather System.

This just opened the floodgates, and R24 quickly became a tide of new content with multiple new scenes, a Pickpocket skill for the Subterfuge combat tree, more musical instruments, Mystery Boxes, snowball throwing, NPC renaming (pets, vendors, etc.), and more feminine clothing options. We are incredibly excited to share all this new content with you, but we do know that we still have a lot of performance and polish to do before we are ready to launch next year. In the meantime, however, enjoy the new content and give us your feedback!

Yet again I want to express a huge amount of gratitude to our Dev+ backers who tested all of the below on the QA server and uncovered lots of bugs. They also provided editorial feedback on this post, so they are a big reason that this post actually matches what is in the game and that it is easy to read.

While we are getting closer to launch, we are still in a constant state of change, and we do not yet have in-game systems to inform players of these changes, or to share ways to help them to explore new content and systems. This means we rely entirely on this message, and the linked instructions and known issues to convey the current game state. We regularly have to answer questions or filter bug reports because some players elect not to read this valuable information. By taking a few moments to read through this information, a great deal of our time and efforts can be redirected to focus on new “unanswered” questions,SotA_PlayerEventsBook and addressing critical issues impacting each release. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to review this post, and for all the truly valuable feedback you continue to provide.

Also, remember that while we are providing new content with each release, our community is working overtime to make new events for you to enjoy. So, be sure to check out a couple of the Community Events Calendars run by our community members (via in-game book or the player run websites Avatars Circle Community Events and Events of the Avatars calendar).

Without further ado, here are the R24 deliverables.

Read more…


Update of the Avatar #151 – 2015.11.13: North Naryad Pinelands, R23 Postmortem, Pilgrim Bonnet, Flute, Radio Free Britannia, Hot Air Balloon, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

  • The Making of North Naryad Pinelands – Part 2
  • Hangout of the Avatar ~ Release 23 Postmortem
  • Release 24 Grand Tour Quest Reward: Pilgrim Bonnet
  • New Musical Instrument: Flute
  • NBNN’s Radio Free Britannia
  • All Player Towns Gathering for Release 23
  • Clockwork Pets
  • Hot Air Balloon
  • Shroud of the Avatar Soundtrack Volume 1 – Wax Cylinders
  • 52 Day Countdown for Winter Reward & Price Expirations
  • Get Your 15% Black Friday Bonus
  • In-game Community Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Recommended Projects to Back


The Making of North Naryad Pinelands – Part 2

[Continuation of a Dev+ Forum Post by Esteben “SorcerousSteve” Zaldivar]

Hey guys, a few days ago I introduced you all to a new level I am working on called the North Naryad Pinelands! Below are some screenshots of my updated progress:

SotA_NorthNaryad_u151_1

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Update of the Avatar #150 – 2015.11.06: Hilt, Mariah Overlook, North Naryad, NPC Requests, Extra Life, Winter Expirations, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

  • The Fortress at Hilt in Nightshade Pass – Part 4
  • Mariah Overlook Teaser
  • The Making of North Naryad Pinelands
  • NPC Submissions Requested for Etceter
  • Thou are Invited to the Release 23 Postmortem!
  • Extra Life. Play Games. Heal Kids.
  • Avatars Radio Race Challenge for Extra Life
  • 59 Day Countdown for Winter Reward & Price Expirations
  • Get Your 15% Black Friday Bonus
  • In-game Community Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Recommended Projects to Back


The Fortress at Hilt in Nightshade Pass – Part 4

[Continuation of A Dev+ Forum Post by Scottie Jones]

And so here we are with the final series of images from the completed exterior of Hilt Fortress and Nightshade Pass…. Quite a few last-minute touches carried the end of this one past our big office move, but it was certainly worth the extra time spent! In this first image below you can finally see, with terrain decorations complete, one of the great scenic views of the fortress from the opposite side of the valley on the trail leading past the travelers’ encampment as it heads toward the forgotten exit near the volcano itself.

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Hangout of the Avatar ~ Release 23 Postmortem


Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Thou hast been invited to the Release 23 Postmortem!

Halloween Party 2015

Please join us Thursday, November 12th at 3:00 PM Central (20:00 GMT) for our monthly Hangout of the Avatar! Richard, Starr, and Chris will be chatting about Release 23 and looking ahead to a very special release indeed; Release 24!  And as usual, FireLotus will be taking your questions and feedback live in the chat-room and also in advance right here in the comments section.*

We will be giving out some really awesome prizes during the 90 minute extended Hangout, and all you have to do to qualify for one is to come hang out with us in the IRC chatroom during the broadcast.  Be sure to tune in… the link to the hangout will be posted here directly before the hangout begins.

*Please keep in mind that questions and feedback related to Release 23 specific topics will be given priority and really verbose questions may be skipped, as they can be a challenge to shorten and summarize live on the air. In brief… please keep your questions… brief. ;)

Update of the Avatar #149 – 2015.10.30: Play R23 Now!, Underground Biome, Beran’s Reach, Extra Life, 3 Days Till Reward Expirations, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

  • Play Release 23 Now!
  • The Traditional FireLotus Release 23 Party!
  • R23 Patch Notes
  • New Player Owned Town Template: The Underground Biome
  • Player Owned Towns of Beran’s Reach – Capital of The Beran League
  • Extra Life. Play Games. Heal Kids.
  • Localization Leaders Needed
  • R22 Halloween Decoration Contest Winners!
  • Pianist Bernie Katzman Joins Markee Dragon Playing Shroud of the Avatar
  • Last 3 Days for Fall Reward & Sale Expirations
  • Get Your 15% Black Friday Bonus
  • In-game Community Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Recommended Games to Back


Play Release 23 Now!

SotA_FireLotus_ReleaseParty_R23_4

[A scene from the FireLotus Release 23 Party!]

Release 23 successfully launched yesterday, October 29, with thousands of backers downloading, patching, logging in, and checking out the new changes! Lots of new content to explore, including:

  • Massive changes to combat
  • Tons of Halloween content
  • Expansions to Fishing and Taming
  • New Scenes including the Highvale Battle single-player starting scene, Jaanafort, and Vertas
  • Placeable servants, house pets, and town NPCs
  • New Player Owned Town Underground Biome Template
  • …and more!

Read more…


Release 23 Instructions


[A SotA Public Forum post by Starr Long]

Darkstarr

Greetings Avatars,

Please read this entire message, as well as the linked instructions and known issues.

Thank you for being a loyal backer and follower of Shroud of the Avatar. Release 23 access for all backers at First Responder level and above begins this Thursday, October 29, at 10:30 AM US Central Time (16:30 UTC).

Release 23 is all about moving, literally and figuratively. In fact we literally packed up and moved our entire office during the release! Thanks to our amazing community though, we did not do it alone, and minus the packing, unpacking, and setup it only took us three hours to relocate everything.
When we announced we were going to save money and move ourselves we had no idea the response we would get from all of you. I keep thinking I will start becoming used to what an incredible community we have and then they remind me again with something like this. We are so grateful to have this community supporting us in all ways.

The move almost overshadowed my favorite holiday: Halloween! For as long as I can remember I could not wait to dress up in costume and run around our neighborhood. I actually did not care as much about the candy as I did the pretending that was involved.

I think many of us on the team have that same love of the holiday and as promised, we delivered a plethora of spooky content. As we have done in the last few releases, we are trying to better balance how much content we put in the add on store versus in the game as craftable goods. SotA_Jack-o-Lantern-6Pack_smallBecause we are still actively raising funds, we still lean heavily towards the add on store but we are making more effort to always try to include at least one item of the type we are selling inside the game.

We continued the work of the last few releases on massive changes to combat in an effort to make it more balanced, playable, and interesting. The biggest change is an entirely new combat tree that players have been asking for; Subterfuge! This tree will eventually encompass a well rounded set of rogue-ish skills that mixes new skills (Poison Weapon) along with moving skills from other trees (Silent Movement). We also did a complete rebalance and recalculation of how armor works and completely revamped how resistances work with something we call Attunement. Finally, we continued to expand my favorite magic tree: Chaos!

Read more…


Update of the Avatar #148 – 2015.10.23: Hello One Far West, BMC Convention, NBNN at Portalarium, Sprichst Du Deutsch?, Pianist Bernie Katzman & Markee Dragon, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

  • Hello One Far West
  • Britannian Mining Company Convention
  • NBNN at Portalarium
  • Water Gets an Experimental Makeover in Release 23
  • Sprichst Du Deutsch? Ou peut-être français?
  • Small and Subtle: Tier Markers
  • Starr Long Intel Buzz Presentation: Design Vision vs. Feedback: Developing in the Open
  • Pianist Bernie Katzman Joins Markee Dragon Playing Shroud of the Avatar LIVE
  • Halloween Party with Costume and Music Contests!
  • 17 Day Countdown for Fall Reward & Sale Expirations
  • Get Your 15% Black Friday Bonus
  • In-game Community Weekend Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Recommended Games to Back


Hello One Far West

Last week we bid farewell to the Greystone One office building, where we’ve been officing since the completion of our Kickstarter campaign in 2013. As we mentioned before, we moved ourselves in order to conserve our backer funding. Fortunately for us, the BMC was holding their first annual Convention here in Austin on that very same weekend, with BMC guild members coming in from all points of the country.

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Mail Server Issues ~ 2015.10.19


Greetings Avatars! We are currently investigating some technical issues with our mail service. As a result of these issues, there may be delays in signup confirmation emails, lost password requests, and similar activities. We appreciate your patience while we work to resolve the problem.

Update: We’re back up and running, Avatars! Thanks for your patience. :)


Update of the Avatar #147 – 2015.10.16: Farewell Greystone One, Eniko’s Musical Showcase, Vertas, Etceter, Hilt, Gallery of Horrors, Spooky Bundles, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

  • Farewell Greystone One
  • Eniko’s Musical Instruments Showcase
  • Vertas
  • Etceter
  • The Fortress at Hilt in Nightshade Pass – Part 3
  • The Gallery of the Wonderful Horrors
  • Think Small!
  • Spooky Bundles
  • Things are Heating Up!
  • The Blocks are Back
  • 17 Day Countdown for Fall Reward & Sale Expirations
  • Get Your 15% Black Friday Bonus
  • Auto-Canceling Monthly Layaway Payment Plans
  • In-game Community Weekend Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Recommended Games to Back


Farewell Greystone One

Farewell_GreystoneOne

In May 2013, just a few weeks after our successful Kickstarter campaign for Shroud of the Avatar, we moved in to Suite 300 of the Greystone One building, nestled in the hills and trees of north-central Austin. It is hard to believe that two and half years have passed since that move. It has been a tremendously exciting journey we’ve traveled with all of you during this time! We’re on the verge of launching our 23rd monthly Release, our backer community has grown from the initial 22k to over 56k, and the ongoing backer contributions have fueled our team growth over the years, not all of who are still with us, but whose contributions will live on forever!

Read more…


Update of the Avatar #146 – 2015.10.09: DND1, Highvale Village, Jannaford, NPC Submissions, R22 Postmortem, Combat Chat, Craftable Items, Halloween Specials, and More!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

  • Play DND1 on the SotA Teletype
  • Highvale Village
  • New R23 Scene: Jannaford
  • NPC Submissions Requested for Jaanaford!
  • Hangout of the Avatar ~ Release 22 Postmortem
  • Combat/Skills/Spells Video Chat
  • Craftable Items
  • Wax Cylinder Phonographs
  • Ornate Skull Candle
  • Wolves, Bears, and Zombies! Oh My!
  • Halloween Specials
  • 24 Day Countdown for Fall Reward & Sale Expirations
  • Get Your 15% Black Friday Bonus
  • Auto-Canceling Monthly Layaway Payment Plans
  • In-game Community Weekend Events
  • Upcoming Events
  • Recommended Games to Back


SotA_DND1_Teletype

Play DND1 on the SotA Teletype

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