Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

• Moondial Effects First Look Video
• The Making of Sequanna Colossus (Unclone)
• Blood Bay Puzzles & Treasure

Moondial Effects First Look Video

Here is a video of the Ornate version of the Moondial that was in last week’s update. This moondial version will go in the Add On Store and will come in a variety of sizes ranging from tabletop to a giant version that you can walk under! These versions are due to make an appearance in Release 42.

With the completion of the last details of the models, the textures, and the core functionality, it was finally the time to take the Ornate Moondials to the next level! Utilizing new additions to our particle shader, as well as numerous VFX online, the devs gave these assets a final makeover and last-minute polish pass. Once you have a chance to approach one of these works of art, you’ll be able to witness first-hand the way these new VFX work together!

Having worked up the code that allows the constellations in the night sky to shimmer and seemingly animate, this same code was added to the existing particle effect shader to open up new doors for the devs when creating the kinds of ambient energies that might surround or emanate from objects.

The Making of Sequanna Colossus (Unclone)

[A Dev+ Forum Post by Chris “Sea Wolf” Wolf]

Hey folks,

I have a few screenshots to share today of my progress on the uncloning of Sequanna Colossus. The map features a few scattered ruins, a village oasis (part of which has sunken into a sinkhole), a bandit camp (whether or not they are actually bandits is tbd) and a nomads camp. Some of the inspiration for this map comes from the Rub’ al Khali in Saudi Arabia, and Goblin Valley Utah.

This map is still a work in progress, and still needs to undergo a visual effects pass. We hope to have it in the game sometime soon after Release 42 (which will have the uncloned Oracle Colossus scene). As always, feel free to leave feedback on what you see!

Sequanna Colossus

The Ruins

The Village Oasis

The Barren Foothills

The Mesa Pillars

Chris Wolf
Level Designer

Blood Bay Puzzles & Treasure

[A Dev+ Forum Post by Travis “Vas Corp Por” Koleski]

Explorer extraordinaire, Earl Greyhot reporting from the field once again. My latest trek brought me to the fabled Blood Bay, where I heard tale that a once famous pirate captain had left a trail of clues leading to his forgotten treasure.

I could not puzzle out the function of these ruins found along the northern beachhead. HAH, did you catch my jest?

I nearly broke my leg ascending this odd ruined structure.

I thought I had found the treasure in an old pirate hideout, but alas, found only more clues.

I decided to seek out the Pirate King’s vessel for any useful information. The HMS Peaches was in a good state despite its abandonment.

What is booty compared to the unforgettable adventure that brought me to it? I think these pirate relics will find a home in the University’s museum.