Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

• The Making of Brittany
• The Making of the Halls of Artifice
• New Male Avatar – Very Exciting!

The Making of Brittany

This is a continuation of a post from last week…

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Esteben “SorcerousSteve” Zaldivar]

SNEAK PEEK PART 2: CAPITAL OF NOVIA

Hey guys! SorcerousSteve here to give you an update on Brittany!

*Everything that has been shown so far is to be contained in the scene Brittany (Central).
Last week I showed a screenshot of the South Portside Gate, this week we can see more of the Portside as it will appear from the ocean. Including one of Brittany’s main roads, the road that leads straight to Castle Brittany from the Port of Brittany. From the Port of Brittany to the Castle it is 5 blocks of dedicated area where you’ll find player housing. Taking this screenshot below into consideration we are still only seeing about 40% of Brittany (Central).

This week I began construction on one of Brittany’s most affluent districts, located on the city’s North Gate. This is where a good number of the city’s town, city, and village lots will be located. A short walk away from the heart of Brittany, (Brittany Castle and the Oracle Temple), its comprised mainly of stone architecture, its gardens are tended, and its inhabitants live a more refined life style. If you got the money you definitely want to consider setting up a home here.

Also on the works this week, is the Southern most part of Brittany Central. Unlike the latter, its is one of the cities poorest districts and in close proximity to the agricultural area of Brittany (Central) including the Brittany Dam. Many of its inhabitants live in shacks and ramshackles in muddy streets.

That’s it for now folks! Stay tuned for more on the City of Brittany as it unfolds!

Esteben Zaldivar
Level Designer

The Halls of Artifice (A Work In Progress)

This is a continuation from a post from several weeks ago…

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Scottie Jones]

As I return to work on the wondrous Halls of Artifice, I begin by designing the first of the three primary halls that are accessed from the main Entry Chamber. Each of these are themed upon the ideals of pleasure and bounty as personal paradises shared with only those lucky few who have already found their way here, and remain to enjoy their chosen state of bliss. An indication of what awaits within can be seen spilling out into the entry vestibule as one approaches the first of these enticing halls that I have created.

Behold a chamber of sensual opulence, where exotic, overstuffed furnishings upon which one may sit and lay can be found on every side. Rich, warm light spills into the hall from velvet-curtained stained glass windows on every wall, and luxurious veils of red muslin hang from the ceiling, giving the chamber the feeling of grand comfort and intimacy that even a sultan’s harem would envy! This is the Hall of Youth and Vigor, and one can only imagine the pleasures to be shared with those deemed worthy of its offerings. Here and there, mirrors, vanities, shelves, and dressers tucked away in the shadowy recesses, offer the perfect gentle glow where an adherent to such joys might admire the perfection of one’s own visage, or discreetly gaze back on the activities of others.

At the far end of the hall, below a dim lanthorn, a small circular table has been placed, upon which rests a strange object, like a hexagonal chest. What mysteries does it contain, and by what secret methods might it open? Is it, perhaps, a reliquary? The shadows around it are deep, and it will not be even nearly as enticing as the sights and sounds that will surround you once this chamber is adorned with the beautiful denizens that will welcome you to join them in their endless ecstasies.

Turning back, one can see the golden doorway through which this hall was achieved. Could it be possible that each of the other doors leads to equally opulent and enchanting luxuries? If so, there can be little doubt that leaving this place of miracles might be the last thing you’d ever want to do! Ah well, as tempting as the glowing portal may be, the youthful beauties splayed conveniently upon nearby beds and couches,…or even the ones admiring themselves in the grand mirrors,…are far more tempting still. Perhaps they would enjoy some company?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this first taste of Paradise!

More to come…

Scottie ^_^

New Male Avatar

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Kevin Wells]

Hey everybody! My name is Kevin and I’ve been doing character art for Shroud of the Avatar for the past few years.

It’s been a blast building content for the game. In my time here, I’ve worked on a variety of content; from creatures to armors, hats, and masks. It’s been a long road shaping and creating the many assets for the characters, but I’m very excited that now it’s time to revisit and push out a big polish pass on all the character assets.

We decided to start at the beginning, and I’m proud to say that I was given the opportunity to kick off our character polish pass with the male player character. The new male avatar will debut in Release 28, and I can’t wait for everyone to get a look.

I basically started over from scratch and built the avatar with an aesthetic that I felt best fit into the Shroud universe. And except for finer, more subtle details (particularly texture details in areas like the eyes and mouth) I’m calling the new avatar complete! As an artist, I never stop wanting to push the visual quality, but we absolutely wanted to get this guy updated as soon as possible.

I also want to shout out a huge thank you to both to our animation lead Matt for marrying the new avatar to our existing rig and animations, and our newest character art department addition Fletcher, who helped in getting the many player wearables fit to the updated avatar silhouette. I’m thrilled to have the chance to make this update and I hope everyone likes the new male Avatar!

I grabbed the following shots from a variety of maps to show him in different lighting scenarios