Greetings SotA Backers!  We’re making history this month by being one of the first (if not the first) game developer/publishers to make game assets available to other developers for use in their own games, before the release of our own game! Traditionally, most big publishers would never allow the public release, or use, of game assets before, during, or after a game launches, for fear it would impact their sales or IP value.  We believe just the opposite! We believe that by pre-releasing game assets for other creator/developers to use we will increase our own game’s success, while helping our fellow developers at the same time!

We first wrote about crowdsharing our game assets in SotA Update #21 (Apr 3):

• “With Shroud of the Avatar, our team is breaking new ground in…the crowdsharing of assets to help build a powerful community! During the prototyping phases of SotA we found the Unity asset store immensely valuable.
• “Our goal is…the addition of monthly Unity asset packs that include a variety of SotA in-game art assets…to get professional game assets in the hands of our most ravenous fans and indie game developers…this gives them access to a stream of top quality fantasy content for their own creations.
• “The assets will be usable and royalty free in any project the backer is directly involved in and will only carry the requirement that Portalarium is listed in the credits!”
• [*These game assets are include in the basic rewards for all backers at the Developer Pledge Tier, or higher]

SotA Dungeon Kit Unity Assets Now Available for Download

Our first game assets for crowdsharing is the Dungeon Kit used for the prototype we demonstrated during the RoosterTeeth eXpo earlier this month. Check out this Dungeon Kit video that our very own Tech Director Chris Spears put together (the video starts playing in the final minute to showcase the finished look of the assets; Reset the 6-minute video to the beginning for a more complete walkthru of the assets and how to use them in Unity):

View Dungeon Kit Video on YouTube

Dungeon Kit Available Now for Developer+ Backers!

If you pledged at Developer level or higher ($400+), you can visit the Developer+ Depot to immediately download your Dungeon Kit.

There is still time to upgrade your pledge to Developer+ and receive these FREE Asset kits which can be used in your own personal or professional Unity projects. There will be more kits coming, so it’s a great way to get your hands on some GREAT assets!

Show us your Dungeons!

We’re looking for dungeons that could potentially be used in some fashion in SotA, so we’d love to see the dungeons you create with our Dungeon Kit! Here is the link where you can submit your work: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1278170/Shroud-of-the-Avatar-Crowd-Sourcing.

Check out these Dungeon Kit testimonials from some of our Dev+ Backers:

• “Thanks to you and the whole team. Seriously. It’s like a high class incarnation of Neverwinter Nights 1“
• “VERY cool! Thanks! I didn’t realize my pledge level got me all this!“
• “Fantastic! There goes the rest of my summer.“
• “That’s a fantastic collection indeed. Thank you so much! I’m using the models in Maya, which works nicely using the Collada exporter in Unity.“
• “@Portalarium, the dungeon kit looks amazing. I wasn’t expecting the snap-to-grid to be given to us as well, that’s amazing. Looking forward to all the future content to come our way“
• “Ooo now I’m torn.. Shadowrun returns or play with dungeons? life has too many hard decisions.“
• “Just ran around my first lit hallway. The plug and play aspect of what you guys have provided us is pretty astounding! I absolutely can’t wait for the other packages.“

More Dungeon Kits Please! No, wait, more Characters & Creatures! Oh, and Houses too!

Over a hundred Dev+ Backers downloaded the Dungeon Kit in the first couple of days, which required them to complete a short survey. In answer to the question “How likely are you to use the assets?” a staggering 80% stated they plan to use the assets in some way, with 46% stating they wish to make content for SotA!

In response to the question “What kind of assets are you most interested in seeing going forward?” there was an almost equal split between Dungeon Kits, Characters/Creatures, and Houses/Decorations, with Code systems trailing the pack:

Dungeon Kit Available Soon in the Unity Asset Store!

Some of the game assets available to Dev+ Backers will also be made available to the general public in the Unity Asset Store. The Dungeon Kit has been submitted to the Unity Asset Store and is awaiting their approval. Look for it in the store sometime this week (Category “3D Models:Environments:Dunegons”)!

I’m a Unity Noob! How Do I Get Started?

If you don’t already have Unity, you can download a free Windows version. Once you have Unity installed, Chris Spears recommends watching this Unity tutorial video, Part 1 and Part 2.

Our own Dungeon Master Bill Kirkman (level designer) put together this Google doc that provides tips for planning your dungeon layout and scene editing, as well as a “Unity Editor How To Mini-Guide“

There is also a great thread going on the Developer+ Forums where community members are providing more tips and tricks for using the SotA Dungeon Kit assets.

Less Than Three Days Left To Get Your Darkstarr Moondial and Metronome!

As reported in previous updates, we celebrated Starr Long joining the SotA team by memorializing his Darkstarr online persona with some cool, in-game stuff, most notably the Darkstarr Moondial and Darkstarr Metronome!

These exclusive Darkstarr rewards are only available thru July 31st (less than 3 days)!. The Darkstarr Moondial is included in the Citizen Pledge Tier and the Darkstarr Metronome is included in the Virtual Collector Pledge Tier, only available to Backers who pledge any amount by July 31, 2013. These items are also available in the new Add-On Store until July 31, 2013.

The Darkstarr Moondial 3D Model (WIP)

Video of Animating Darkstarr Moondial (WIP)

The Darkstarr Metronome Concept Art

The Darkstarr Metronome 3D Model (WIP)

Checkout Update #34 for in-depth coverage of the inspiration, brainstorming, and collaboration that went into the crafting of the Darkstarr Moondial and Metronome.

Show Us the Armor/Wardrobe You Want to See!

Geoff Mellon, one of our character artists (known as Qball on the forums), is running a community collaboration event over on the forums, asking members to post images of the armor/wardrobe types they would like to see in the game. You will have until this Friday, August 2, to post your suggestions, then Richard “Lord British” Garriott will select all the pieces that will go into a survey for our community members to vote on. We will then create concepts inspired by the top 3 winners in each category.

Please Register on SotA and Link Your Kickstarter Account!

Stay on top of all the latest game development news by registering on our website, https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com. And if you have not already done so, please be sure to Link your Kickstarter Account, so we can ensure that you receive all of your backer rewards as soon as they are ready to roll out!

[This edition of Update of the Avatar written by Dallas Snell, COO/Executive Producer]