Shroud of the Avatar – Update of the Avatar #83

by GolemDragon · Published July 25, 2014 · Updated April 20, 2015

Greetings Friends and Avatars!

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

It’s PvP Time – Play R8 Now!
The Mad Hermit’s Video Guides to Release 8 Combat
Shardfall Ruins – Open PvP Zones
Starr Long shows off Release 8 with MMORPG!
Sequanna, The Titan of Love
~~Never~~ Always Read the Comments
Lord Marshal Drinking Horn
Underground Player Towns
Alienware Sponsors 1000 Access Keys and Prizes for Release 8
World Builder/Level Designer Job Opening
This Week In The News
Upcoming Events

It’s PvP Time – Come Play Release 8 Now!

Release 8 successfully launched yesterday, July 24th, with thousands of backers downloading, patching, logging in, and checking out the new changes! I personally got a chance on Wednesday during the Dev+ test to do some PVP and combat tests with some community members. I hope to do more again sometime during this test phase. R8 is mostly about the combat system and PvP. New content includes:

Open PvP areas – Deathmatch modes in 7 PvP Zones
Combat systems updated – Including positioning and line of sight
20+ New skills added – including fire magic, water magic, blades, heavy armor and focus skills
Glyph combat and deck building – a completely new way to fight in an RPG
New adventuring scenes on the main continent including Ferig’s Battle Camp
…and more!

The Mad Hermit’s Video Guides to Release 8 Combat

Shroud of the Avatar has developed a new combat system that combines elements of card combat systems with traditional RPG combat systems. The SotA dev team has provided the player with an elaborate system that allows you to configure your combat system in a multitude of ways.

Community member, The Mad Hermit, has created several how-to videos that ease you into the new deck-based combat system. If you want to jump start your combat deck building skills and get a leg up in your PvP (or PvE) combat encounters, then we highly recommend you take a few minutes and let The Mad Hermit guide you through the new combat system, including building your deck, setting up a traditional combat bar (referred to as “Dallas Mode” after a certain old-school RPGer), and building a hybrid deck that combines elements of both the old and the new.

Release 8 Patches

We’ve already pushed out several new versions of Release 8 since first releasing it to the Dev+ backers earlier in the week. Click here to see the complete list of patch notes.

We need all your help with testing the new patches, putting more stress on our multiplayer servers, and testing the new game content, so please join us in playing Release 8!

If you have not backed the game yet, you will need to register and login at www.shroudoftheavatar.com, select the “Pledge or Send Gift!” button in the right side-bar, and purchase a pledge at the $45 Adventurer level or above. For a limited time, you can get the Adventurer pledge for only $25 with the Alienware Pledge Upgrade Coupon (see details below).

Shardfall Ruins – Open PvP Zones

Shroud of the Avatar will have several open PvP zones scattered across New Britannia. Some of those zones will be contained in the aftermath wrought by the cataclysmic storm, Shardfall. Stephen Daniele recently posted some concept art to the public forums illustrating the history of the PvP zones in the Shardfall Ruins:

From an age past, the birth of Daedalus and the end of two celestial beings. A cataclysmic storm descends upon New Britannia…Shardfall! The world forever changed as celestial debris rained down upon the surface…

What strange secrets will be unlocked within the craters of Shardfall? The Obsidian Order understood the power unleashed and sought to harness it. Mutation, corruption and blight…

Shards, Redthorn, flora…wildlife?

The Island of Novia will have a number of open Player Vs. Player (PVP) zones. Shardfall Crater, a fantastical landscape set within a massive crater. Shardfall Ruin, a ruined town were the fool hardy once sought to harness the power of the Obsidian Order.

Starr Long shows off Release 8 with MMORPG!

Sequanna, The Titan of Love

“After the moons collided and civilization fell, three great and powerful leaders rose to become the Titans of Truth, Love and Courage, the surviving principles of the times before the fall. Great are they, and great are the monuments built to them. While the Titans themselves may no longer exist, we are still inspired by colossal statues in their likeness, occasionally found throughout New Britannia.” – Lord British

The below image shows Stephen Daniele’s original concept art for Sequanna (leftmost image) and the in-game WIP version by Andy Cortez. You’ll be able to see the Titan of Love in-game in Release 9 next month:

~~Never~~ Always Read the Comments

The Shroud of the Avatar community is, without a doubt, one of the most awesome communities any of us have ever had the pleasure to be a part of. We’re always eager for the passionate and insightful feedback our community provides us. But even Sequanna, the Titan of Love, would admit that sometimes tough love is needed, and some community members don’t hesitate to share their tough love!

We think Jimmy Kimmel’s Mean Tweets are hilarious and decided to make our own version of Mean Tweets called “Always Read the Comments“. Watch team members read some of our favorite “over-the-top” comments (Note: video contains a bit of explicit language):

Please not that the “Cult of Spears” that I started made it’s way into the video…. This made me very happy after a long, busy, stressful week. Thank you Portalarium!!!! <3

Lord Marshal Drinking Horn

Included in the Lord Marshal pledge rewards is this unique vessel to hold thy lordly drinks!

Underground Player Owned Towns

Player Owned Towns continue to be quite popular, with 46 of them already pledged for! Players have proposed some great ideas such as the larger Metropolis and being able to set the PvP status. This week, community member KillingJoke requested an underground Player Owned Town that he could place beneath his above ground Player Owned Town. This was an intriguing idea so the devs huddled up and discussed the feasibility of it. In short order it was decided to do it, so now players will be able to chose an underground or above ground version of their Player Owned Town (or, like KillingJoke, one of each)!

Alienware Sponsors 1000 Access Keys and Prizes for Release 8

1000 members of Alienware’s Shroud of the Avatar Group have been granted early access to Release 8 (July 24-27). Hurry over and join the Alienware Shroud of the Avatar Group so you don’t miss out on their next Weekend Access Giveaway: http://na.alienwarearena.com/giveaways/shroud-of-the-avatar-release-8-key-giveaway

In addition, Alienware is sponsoring prizes to be given away to players that log in to Release 8 during the weekend access period. We’ll randomly select players from each of the four days R8 is open (Thu, Fri, Sat, & Sun) to receive an Alienware prize (such as a gamer mouse, keyboard, headset, or laptop messenger bag).

Alienware Sponsors $20 Pledge Upgrade Coupon

Alienware’s powerful gaming rigs are a perfect match for Shroud of the Avatar! To show their support, Alienware is sponsoring $20 SotA Pledge Upgrade Coupons to members of their Alienware Arena community!

These coupons can be used to start a SotA pledge account (for new backers), or to add $20 to an existing pledge account. If, for example, you have a $90 Royal Artisan Pledge, you can use the Alienware coupon to bump you up to a $110 Virtual Collector Pledge.

Pretty sweet deal, right? So, hurry over to the Alienware Arena website and get your $20 Pledge Upgrade Coupon now!

[NOTE: Only one Alienware Pledge Upgrade Coupon can be used per account. Coupon does not apply to Add-On Store items]

World Builder/Level Designer Job Opening

Portalarium currently have an opening for a mid-level to senior-level World Builder/Level Designer for Shroud of the Avatar. Qualifications for the “ideal candidate” are:

Minimum 3 years industry experience (preferably on a shipped game)
Unity experience
Scripting ability
Experience building, texturing, and decorating natural, terrain based exterior environments
An eye for detail, with strong scene compositional skills

If you’d like to join the Portalarium Tribe working on the ground-breaking Shroud of the Avatar, please submit your resume to jobs@portalarium.com. Provide links to your work (if possible), either as actual game play or in document form including images, maps, and event descriptions.