Shroud of the Avatar – Update of the Avatar #95

by GolemDragon · October 17, 2014

Good Evening Friends and Fellow Avatars!

I have a short post today for with my my highlights from this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

Chess, Anyone?
R11 Steam Access Keys Now Available for All Backers
The Release 11 Grand Tour Quest Reward
Solace Bridge
Navigator Pledge Reward: Phonograph
Tabletop Gaming with Wil Wheaton
Upcoming Events

Chess, Anyone?

Invite your friends over for a friendly (or not so friendly) game of chess on this life size chess set, gloriously crafted by Scottie Jones. Available now in the Add-On Store, this decoration comes complete with board and individual chess pieces and fits nicely in a yard, game room, or deck.

Release 11 Steam Access Keys Now Available for All SotA Backers

SotA will not be available for purchase on Steam Early Access until November 24, but all our backers can use Steam to play Release 11 by redeeming their Steam Access key, which we made available yesterday. You won’t be able to play until Release 11 is launched next week (Oct 23), but you can install it now to help make sure the Steam access/installation process is bug-free. Here are the instructions for redeeming your Steam access key and installing the SotA client:

If you are not currently a backer of SotA you will need to purchase a pledge. Click here for more information about our pledges.
Log into SotA and go to your Account page
Scroll to the bottom of the page and you’ll see a box on the right side labeled “Play SotA through Steam”. Click on the link that reads “…click here to redeem an access key by signing in through Steam!“
You’ll be instructed to Sign in through Steam
Click the “Allow” button to redeem and activate the SotA key on your Steam account
You’ll see a SotA “Congratulations” message confirming successful Steam activation. Click the “account page” link to return you to your SotA Acccount page.
Scroll to the bottom of your account page and you’ll see “Play SotA through Steam” box now states that your Steam access key has been redeemed, and displays the Steam Account it is associated with.
You will need to launch your Steam desktop client to see Shroud of the Avatar in your Steam Library (because SotA is not yet available in the Steam Store to the general public, it will not show up in your library if you view your Steam account through a web browser)
Select Shroud of the Avatar in your Steam Library and click on “INSTALL”
Follow the Steam installation instructions and once the download is complete you will be able to launch SotA from Steam (but remember, you won’t be able to play SotA until Release 11 launches next week, Oct 23).

Let us know if you have any problems and thanks for helping us test the Steam Access key redemption and download/installation process!

The Release 11 Grand Tour Quest Reward

Release 11 is only 6 short days away and we’re pretty excited about all the new content! Just as in our last release, we have included for us, a Grand Tour Quest, designed to guide you through all the new content. And just in time for Halloween, you will be able to get the Tricorn Hat with Carnival Mask by completing the Release 11 Grand Tour Quest. This reward can only be unlocked during Release 11 (did someone say rares?), so be sure to log in to R11 (Oct 23-26) and talk to all the Tour Guides!

Solace Bridge

One of the new areas to explore in Release 11 (and included in the R11 Grand Tour Quest) is Solace Bridge. It is one of the very first examples that shows how the dev team plans to dynamically change the state of scenes in the game either through random events, player actions, or updates to the world. There are two versions of this scene that can be visited in R11. The first version, the Battle of Solace Bridge, depicts the aftermath of a village defending itself against an undead army. This post-battle state of the scene will be players first view of Solace Bridge when they start the game. When/if players return to this scene later during gameplay, there may be another pitched battle between villagers and undead already underway (which is another game state). Solace Bridge is the version of this area that players will usually see if/when they return later, and represents the Solace Bridge scene sometime after the battle when things have been rebuilt and the land has recovered a bit. Both versions (Solace Bridge and The Battle of Solace Bridge) can be accessed via the Lunar Rift in Owl’s Head. Note that in R11 the war torn version is flagged as an Open PVP area.

Solace Bridge is where one of the three working Lunar Rifts can be found on the mainland, and is thus a key strategic location for the Perennial Coast of Novia, and one of the three common entry points for “outlanders” from Earth. Normally the Perennial Coast is considered a region that celebrates the Principle of Love, however the Perennial Coast leaders in nearby Ardoris are rumored to be discordant. This discord could not have come at a worse time because undead hordes have been pouring South from the Drachvald region. The armies of Ardoris do their best to repel these armies, but perhaps only Outlanders can turn the tide…

Navigator Pledge Reward: Phonograph

Community member Bubonic posted this beautifully crafted Phonograph unity asset which is a unique, in-game item that plays wax cylinders of recorded music (included in the Navigator pledge rewards).

[Check out Bubonic’s forum post and let him know what you think]

Only 45 Days left to get your 15% Black Friday Bonus!

If you were thinking of pledging your support to the development of Shroud of the Avatar, upgrading your existing pledge, or purchasing an add-on item, player owned town, or stretch goal item, now’s a great time to do it! From now thru Black Friday Weekend we’ll add an additional 15% bonus to your Store Credit! Here are the details:

For all new purchases (including pledges, pledge upgrades, add-on items, player owned towns, and stretch goal items) between 12:00 am CST October 10, 2014 and 12:00 am CST December 2, 2014, we will add an additional 15% bonus to your Store Credit! You can use your Store Credit toward any additional purchase (including pledges, pledge upgrades, add-on items, and player owned towns).

[NOTE: The 15% bonus is calculated every day at 1:00 pm CST and added to your Store Credit account; Store Credit cannot be applied toward stretch goal items]

For example, if you have the $45 Adventurer pledge and really want to upgrade to the $90 Royal Artisan pledge which includes Episodes 2 and 3 as pledge rewards, you would normally pay the extra $45 for the upgrade. But using the 15% bonus you can immediately save $5. To do so, you would first purchase $40 worth of Store Credit Gift Coupons (via PayPal, Amazon, Bitcoin, or credit card; excluding existing Store Credit) then use the “Convert to Credits” option on your account page to transform the Store Credit Gift Coupons back into Store Credit. Within 24 hours an additional $6 bonus ($40 x 15%) would be applied to your Store Credit account, bringing it up to $46. You would then use $45 of your Store Credit to upgrade to the $90 Royal Artisan pledge.

Tabletop Gaming with Wil Wheaton

Richard “Lord British” Garriott recently visited with Wil Wheaton and guests to play Five Tribes board game on Wil’s Tabletop show. Fun times!

Wil later blogged about it:

In the afternoon, I played my favorite worker placement (or displacement, if you prefer) game of the year, Five Tribes, with my friends Jenna Busch and Satine Phoenix, and Richard Garriott. Yes, that Richard Garriott, as in: the guy who basically invented the MMO, and who has been to freaking space.

Upcoming Events

2014.10.23 – Release 11 Access
2014.10.24 – SotA at Captivate
2014.10.29 – Monthly Video Hangout: R11 & R12 Discussion
2014.10.29 – SotA at Paris Games Week
2014.10.31 – SotA at PAX Australia
2014.11.03 – SotA at GDC Next
2014.11.14 – Duke & Lord of the Manor VIP Design Roundtable with Lord British and Portalarium Studio Tour
2014.11.15 – HoBLotH II: Legends of the Hearth
2014.11.20 – Release 12 Access
2014.11.24 – SotA launches on Steam Early Access
2014.11.26 – Monthly Video Hangout: R12 & R13 Discussion
2014.11.27 – SotA at Dreamhack (Sweden)
2014.12.18 – Release 13 Access