Starr Long has posted the instructions for Release 20, Shroud of the Avatar’s twentieth pre-alpha test release. Unfortunately, for those of you who are looking for more indications of single-player content (and, in particular, the game’s story), this release is still very much focused on the world simulation/online experience:

Release 20 is probably one of the biggest releases we have made so far. It includes a wealth of new content that gets us that much closer to Alpha. The Troll expands our ability to support very large creatures, and therefore, more thrilling combat. That thrilling combat is expanded with Taming, allowing players to harness the power of wild animals. And the creativity of our players will certainly shine in Player Owned Towns, thanks to the incredibly flexible Dynamic Lot Placement tool. The Player Driven Economy is also taking real shape as we push more content towards crafting and away from Merchant sales, while at the same time providing Player Owned Vendors for pledge holders.

We know many of you have been waiting for more visible focus on the story versus the simulation. As we have said before, we have to build the entire simulation first and then put the narrative over that foundation, so the story has had to wait until that time. And we know that the length of time it has taken us to reach that stage is frustrating for many of you; and we completely understand! We are frustrated too!

The good news is that we are now within sight of the time which story progress can begin in earnest. Now, the only remaining issue is creating the spaces for the story to happen in, and that is why you have seen us ramp up hiring. For R20, we focused our story energies on the Tower of the Shuttered Eye. We hope that the mystery, challenge, and detail there will reflect well on how we want the whole game to be.

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).

There are a couple of neat changes in this release that I think are worth calling out in particular:

• Swaying Signs & Lanterns: Hanging signs and lanterns now sway in the wind and sway a little more when interacted with. When weather comes online, you will see high winds make them swing even more! Ultima fans may remember this type of little detail that set Ultima apart from the other CRPGs of the time. Portalarium are as devoted to this type of detailing now as Origin were then!
• Overworld: Novia is now completely opened, with all parts of the map accessible. Portalarium also made roads much clearer and added lights along the roads and at points of interest (towns, dungeons, etc.).

Swaying signs were only ever a feature of Ultima 9, but you may all recall that Bill Randolph was, in particular, quite fond of the feature. (He was the one that implemented it, after all.)

And it’s nice to see that all of Novia is now open to be wandered…at least in the overland view. I don’t doubt that many points of interest and areas still need to be built, but this is still a significant world-building milestone for Portalarium to have reached.

You can check out a summary of the changes that Release 20 brings to Shroud of the Avatar at its event entry here, or a complete list of change notes in Starr’s post on the game’s website.