Shroud of the Avatar – Update of the Avatar #299

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Greetings Friends! Thanks again for the amazing comments on various places online in regards to my recent article, regardless whether positive or not.  I know I didn’t go as harsh as many expected, nor did I polish the article as much as I wanted, but I will admit that I did mellow myself and step back, in hopes to reach those who sadly are blind to the issues in regards to Portalarium, as well as the issues with the game itself.  I know some of you believe this is a lost cause, but sometimes a “hail mary” works.  The feedback is always appreciated, whether email, direct message, comments on the article, reddit, forums, etc.  The confirmation on one thing in particular made me happy to know.

We have a couple bits of new this week with Shroud of the Avatar.  So here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

 

Play Release 58 Now!

Release 58 launched September 27, with some new content to explore, including:

Check out the Release 58 Instructions update for detailed information about all the new content.

Release 58 Player Instructions

Release 58 Known Issues

Wyverns

Wyverns are live in Release 58! As the devs put it: These dragonkin are generally smaller than their full-size cousins and the smaller versions can be tamed. Rumors abound that the Dragon clan of the Norgard Barbarians has done this very thing, so beware if you encounter them! While dragons are more solitary and intelligent, Wyverns are more communal and pack-like (similarities to wolves have been made) so be careful when you find a Wyvern, there is likely to be more than one around! Also, beware of the poisonous stinger on their tail which can drain the health of even the strongest warrior. Red, Purple, Orange, and White Wyverns have been spotted in the Northwest of Novia but tales are told of other colors as well (although these other colors have not yet been added to the game).

Q4 2018 Schedule Update

As always Starr Long posts Quarterly Schedule Updates for fans, backers, etc.  Here we have his post from Wednesday, September 26th. Personally, I find this schedule to be a bit hilarious in my mind.  Things such as statements like the prioritizing polishing and improving system is taking priorities over new systems, is something that should have been done well before even Release.  Polishing existing UI that, in all honesty, needs an overhaul instead, is something too that just makes me shake my head.  The performance optimization of the game is still being sugarcoated by Starr as being less of an issue than it actually is, as well.

Greetings Avatars,

As 2018 comes to a close we can reflect on what an amazing year it has been! We moved out of Early Access in March and Collector’s Boxes shipped in Q3! As we have finished our Kickstarter promises we have been able to focus on polish and serious improvements to quality of life! The final quarter of 2018 is going to be amazing with Player Made Dungeons, Fishing Phase 2, Seasonal Content, and more polish!

PLEASE NOTE: The last two releases of the year (Nov/R60 and Dec/R61) will be very early in their respective months so that they are released well ahead of the US winter holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas).

Q4 is just a warmup for 2019 which will be an amazing year for Shroud of the Avatar players! Crafting specializations (choose your effects!), Grandmaster Craftsman only effects, more loot improvements, more expansions to the fishing system, better boss fights and more! 2019 will of course culminate with Episode 2 which will have a new story, new lands, a revamp of the Quest and Journal system, a Theater System, Treasure Hunting with treasure maps that show up as loot, Item Affinity, Taming system expansions, Customizable NPCs, and expanded permissions for containers and doors!

As we have stated previously, we intend to publish quarterly schedule updates detailing our monthly releases and those monthly releases will continue just as before, on the last Thursday of each month. Even though the goals outlined in these schedules are likely to change somewhat as we react to feedback, we feel it is important to periodically provide you with an updated roadmap.

Our priority continues to be to deliver new content to our players regularly, so that you can give us feedback that will help us iteratively improve Shroud of the Avatar. This collaborative process continues to benefit the game, and often results in sweeping changes such as the recent balance passes to combat. As you have seen in previous releases, the flexibility inherent to this process means that we sometimes push things out, but we also often pull new things in.

Q4 Top 10 Priorities: As mentioned previously we keep a running list of our Top 10 priorities at all times that we use when building our schedule and prioritizing where to allocate our team’s resources. We often refer to it when making decisions about the project. While it has a VERY strong influence on what we work on at any given time, it does not mean that we only work on something that is on the list. It just means that if someone can assist with something that will help address an item on the list, then we will make sure they do that first before working on anything else. Sometimes team members cannot assist with anything on our top priorities, so they work on other tasks such as visual polish, combat balance, or content that helps us raise funds. Q4 will focus on lots of polish including systems, user interface, bug fixing, loot, performance, new user experience, as well as continued improvements to quality of life. We will also be upgrading the Fishing system, adding seasonal content for Halloween and Winter, and adding the new Player Made Dungeon feature.

  1. Quality of Life: Midway through Q3 we shifted focus to general improvements to quality of life by starting to remove slowdowns and annoyances in gameplay. We will continue this effort in Q4.
  2. Systems Polish: Polishing and improving existing systems will continue to be a major focus of Q4. This will take priority over new systems.
  3. Bug Fixing: We will continue to focus more on fixing bugs versus new content and new features.
  4. Performance: While the game is much more playable now we feel there is still more to be gained so in Q4 we will continue making code and content changes to improve performance.
  5. User Interface Polish: In Q3, we polished various UI elements and we will continue to do so during Q4.
  6. Seasonal Content: Content to support Halloween and Winter festivals (Christmas, etc.) will be created.
  7. New User Experience: We will be revisiting the starting areas and new user experience to adjust balance, fix bugs, and generally improve the overall experience for new users. We will also be updating the website.
  8. Improved Reward Cycle: Q4 will focus on a systemic and game-wide upgrade to the quality and quantity of loot.
  9. Fishing & Player Made Dungeons: Fishing Phase 2 will go live including new water types, new fish, and more skills. We will also introduce the new Player Made Dungeons feature.
  10. Shipping Phase 2: Collector’s Boxes will start shipping to those who did not get theirs in the first round and Retail boxes will be available on Amazon along with a limited run of signed retail versions on our website.

As always, all dates, durations, and deliverables are subject to change as we adjust our designs based on direct feedback from you, our players.

RELEASE 59, October 25, 2018

  • Story: Each harvest season, Novians warn their children to not go into the fields at night because of Pumpkin Head! The starting areas will be improved with the addition of a new tutorial focused area on the Isle of Storms.
  • Performance: Performance work will mainly focus on improving frame rate and reducing hitching during gameplay. Work will also continue to be done on load time reduction on the few outstanding scenes that are not meeting our 15 second load time target.
  • Bug Fixing: Time will be allocated to a general sweep through all systems, features, and content to reduce overall bug counts.
  • Crafting & Economy: The fishing system will be expanded to include different water types (fresh vs. salt), more fish types, more loot, and other improvements. Additionally there will be systemic and game-wide upgrades to the quality and quantity of loot.
  • Player-Made Dungeons: We will continue to expand and iterate on the system that allows players to place and customize dungeons on their properties. Blueprints and recipes for these dungeons can be found in loot, purchased from in-game merchants, or purchased from the store and then used to craft the various dungeon pieces needed to assemble these dungeons.
  • Player Towns & Player Housing: Updates to Dynamic Player-Owned Towns (POTs) that have locked submission forms will appear in the game.

RELEASE 60, November 15, 2018

  • Performance: Performance work will mainly focus on improving frame rate and reducing hitching during gameplay. Work will also continue to be done on load time reduction on the few outstanding scenes that are not meeting our 15 second load time target.
  • Bug Fixing: Time will be allocated to a general sweep through all systems, features, and content to reduce overall bug counts.
  • Crafting & Economy: We will continue expansions to the fishing system. We will also dramatically increase the salvage rates for in-game patterns (common patterns will be almost 100%). Additionally we will continue systemic and game-wide upgrades to the quality and quantity of loot.
  • Player Towns & Player Housing: Updates to Dynamic Player-Owned Towns (POTs) that have locked submission forms will appear in the game.
  • Livestream and Seasonal Content: We will add recent livestream stretchgoal items and 2018 Winter items.

RELEASE 61, December 13, 2018

  • Story: Have you been naughty or nice? The Krampus doesn’t care! He and his captured minions will eat you either way!
  • Performance: Performance work will mainly focus on improving frame rate and reducing hitching during gameplay. Work will also continue to be done on load time reduction on the few outstanding scenes that are not meeting our 15-second load time target.
  • Bug Fixing: Time will be allocated to a general sweep through all systems, features, and content to reduce overall bug counts.
  • Crafting & Economy: Back slot items (cloaks, wings, backpacks, etc.) will now be able to have stats, enchantments, and masterworks associated with them. We will also continue expansions to the fishing system. Additionally we will continue systemic and game-wide upgrades to the quality and quantity of loot.
  • Player Made Dungeons: More features and content will be added to the Player Made Dungeon System.
  • Player Towns & Player Housing: Updates to Dynamic Player-Owned Towns (POTs) that have locked submission forms will appear in the game.
  • Livestream and Seasonal Content: We will add recent livestream stretchgoal items and more 2018 Winter items.

We continue to be incredibly thankful for the support we receive from this amazing community. While the financial support you provide makes all of this possible, it pales in comparison with the faith you have in us, the feedback you provide us, and the content you are making for everyone to enjoy. We are humbly grateful, and we are always excited to see you each month in New Britannia!

And remember Q4 is just a warmup for 2019 which will be an amazing year for Shroud of the Avatar players! Crafting specializations (choose your effects!), Grandmaster Craftsman only effects, more loot improvements, more expansions to the fishing system, better boss fights and more! 2019 will of course culminate with Episode 2 which will have a new story, new lands, a revamp of the Quest and Journal system, a Theater System, Treasure Hunting with treasure maps that show up as loot, Item Affinity, Taming system expansions, Customizable NPCs, and expanded permissions for containers and doors!

Sincerely,
Starr Long
Executive Producer
Shroud of the Avatar

Signed Boxed Edition (limited time)

 

We got an update that, of course, Portalarium will be selling signed retail box editions of SotA.  With many backers still upset that Collector’s Editions had Richard Garriott’s signature on stickers that were then placed on items, instead of just a normal signature on the item directly, this limited time offering has many backers frustrated with the continued “thumbing it in the nose of backers” as some have put it.  There are still a number of backers who have yet to even get their collector’s box and of course all backers of Citizen or higher have yet to even get the print signed copy of the book, we were promised.  Which, btw, We still have yet to get any update on if it is the “Blade of the Avatar” version or the “Sword of the Midas” version, because of Starr Long’s inconsistency of language on this with his recent posts vs old updates.

If you wish to purchase one of these for your “game dev autograph”: collection, they are available for purchase directly from the Shroud of the Avatar website, and not from Amazon like the normal Retail Box version. There is a massive wait time to get them, but this is because Richard will sign them whenever he next visits Austin.  This edition includes:

Physical Goods:

  • Game Box signed by Lord British*
  • Game Manual
  • DVD in case
  • Runic Translation Card
  • Ankh Trinket
  • Cloth Map

Digital Items:

  • Digital Download of Shroud of the Avatar, Episode 1 (Full Game Access)
  • 30 Bank Slots to store your gear
  • 1 Gold Crown
  • Pick 1 Obsidian Potion
  • Digital Download of Shroud of the Avatar, Episode 2 (Full Game Access when released)
  • Exclusive Title: Visionary
  • Exclusive Emote (exact emote to be created at a future date)
  • Early access to Episode 2 content as it is released

*NOTE: The exterior of the Game Box is the only item that will be signed by Lord British.

UO 20th Anniversary GDC Postmortem (video)

Earlier this year Starr “Darkstarr/Blackthorn” Long and Richard “Lord British” Garriott joined Raph “Designer Dragon” Koster and Rich “Dupre” Vogel at the annual Game Developer’s Conference to give the Ultima Online 20th Anniversary Postmortem. This week GDC was kind enough to post the talk to the free section of their vault on the 21st anniversary!

 

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