Shroud of the Avatar – Update of the Avatar #97

by GolemDragon · October 31, 2014

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

$5M Raised!
Release 11 Impressions
R11 Firelotus Party
Community Screenshots
Upcoming Pen of the Avatar
Get Your 15% Bonus
Holiday Specials
Upcoming Events

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Thanks to community member Sindariya for sharing this spooky image in the Release 11 Screenshot Gallery

$5M Raised!

This week SotA reached $5M in total pledges raised yesterday, a year and a half after starting down this incredible journey! Congratulations to our community for making Shroud of the Avatar one of a very small handful of games that have crossed the $5M mark in crowdfunding! It is a testament to this incredible community and the incredible game we are creating together!

All of the dev team at Portalarium continue to be overwhelmed by the outpouring of support that all of you so generously contribute! Because of the community, we are able to continue to strive for Shroud of the Avatar to be so much more than we could have ever imagined. The dev team are honored to be able to share this once-in-a-lifetime journey with each and every one of you!

Several community members were dancing all night in celebration of this amazing community achievement, such as this party at Avatar’s Radio Tower in Port Phoenix:

Release 11 Impressions

[A Public Forum post by Richard “Lord British” Garriott]

Wow! Where do I start with R11? While I think the team did some great work for this release, the real joy of R11 for me came by seeing what the community was doing with the resources you have been given. I was thrilled to observe simulcast events such as the Bear Tavern Brawls. Sadly I missed the Chaos Sermon, though I would likely have objected or walked out had I attended. I ran, and completed 3 amazing mazes, a record for me! These were all elegant, complex, subtle and huge fun. The player designers have learned a great deal over the last few releases. The clever “jump” across lot boundaries, and multi-floor construction was phenomenal. When a group of us stood atop a wind generator atop a Dukes Keep in Ardoris to watch the sun rise…

Wow, just Wow.

I visited player run cities, like the always amazing PaxLair, but also saw how our largest structures could indeed be decorated in a manner worthy of their fine stature. This is something I was worried about, as some homes are really, really big, so this was great to see.

Finally, with advancement and leveling, we are seeing people invest more carefully in their skills and glyph deck building. And we are beginning to see level gradation between zones, demanding either a party or high level characters to tackle them. This made the Tour Quest particularly fun!

While the team still has a lot of work to do (many dozens of maps to build, skills to flesh out, recipes to integrate, ingredients to build, etc.), we can definitely see now what this game is becoming. And while our fine team has done a lot of heavy lifting, it is clear that it is ultimately your world and it will be what you make of it. So far, I love what you are making!

I am eager to get MUCH more crafting in the game for R12, I feel we have not made nearly the progress in this area as some others. I am also happy to see more interactive obstacles as well, for similar reasons. The Obsidian Keep is evolving into a showcase for players needing to solve (not just battle) their way through maps.

There is indeed more great stuff to come!

– Lord British

During this week’s Hangout of the Avatar, Richard, Starr, and Chris chatted about Release 11, recounting their favorite moments, while also looking ahead to Release 12.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2fcyIOUa-w?feature=oembed]

FireLotus Release 11 Party

The FireLotus Release Party has now become a monthly tradition. The R11 party was held at Fire Lotus Tavern in Owl’s Head. Community member Myrcello created this very touching video of the party, complete with meaningful quotes. Myrcello said “Do not ask me why I made this. I do not know.”

“I can only guess as to your motivation, Myrcello, but I can tell you that I’ve watched this video several times now, and I get emotional every time. The scenes you captured, and the wisdom contained in many of the quotes you shared, awakened in me the realization that this game is accomplishing the very purpose for which we founded Portalarium, which is to make a difference in the world by fostering community, good will, and people playing together.” – Dallas

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7KzgXEAiDk?feature=oembed]

Release 11 Screenshot Gallery

There were many, many more wonderful community events and unique player experiences in R11, and many of those moments were shared by players on the Release 11 Screenshot Gallery forum. Here are some samples:

Check out the rest of the awesome player posted images in the Release 11 Screenshot Gallery!

Pen of the Avatar: The Tower of the Shuttered Eye!

Join Concept Art Lead, Stephen Daniele and Community Manager/Writer, Gina Dionne, on November 4th at 1:30 pm CST, for Pen of the Avatar: The Tower of the Shuttered Eye! As always, Stephen shares his passion for creating art through insightful demonstration of tools and techniques in a fashion easily accessible for novices and professionals alike. Pen of the Avatar is live and unscripted, and community involvement is a must as input and commentary are shared throughout the show. We will be focusing on the Tower of the Shuttered Eye, so join us for our next show and add your voice to the creative vision of Shroud of the Avatar!

If you missed any of the Pen of the Avatar episodes, you can watch them all at: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/?cat=9

Only 32 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.

Holiday Specials

Yep, it’s that time of the year again. Halloween marks the beginning of the Fall holiday season, so it’s time for our seasonal specials!

Black Cat

The Black Cat is our most popular pet, and in celebration of Halloween you can get your very own Black Cat for an additional 20% off! Better hurry because this offer only lasts one week!

Taming Turkey Call

Need a turkey for your Thanksgiving feast, or maybe you’ve always wanted your very own pet turkey? Then you need the Taming Turkey Call! This unique indestructible item can be used to call a Turkey which is then automatically tamed. While items with similar effects can be crafted and purchased in the game this particular call never needs repair. Get your Taming Turkey Call in the Add-On Store now at 33% off!

Cornucopia

No holiday table would be complete without its own cornucopia centerpiece! But it is more than just an attractive table decoration, this Horn of Plenty generates a random edible item or ingredient per day (food, fruit, berries, mushrooms, flour, egg, etc.). During the Fall and holiday seasons there is a percentage chance of other kinds of items being generated. Get your Cornucopia in the Add-On Store now at 33% off!