Update of the Avatar/Update 248

Avatar's Update #248, posted October 6th 2017

Avatar’s Update #248: R46 Postmortem Telethon and SotA Con Next Week[edit]

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

Game Development

Making of North Midmaer Way and North Quel Way
Updates to New Content Threads: More SeedInvest Items, Bierkrugs and New Fall Items

News Announcements

R46 Postmortem Telethon Next Week
Nightmares of New Britannia – A Spooky Halloween Contest
Cyber Monday Crown Bonus Continues
Weekend Flash Sale: Weapons
SotA Con Austin 2017 Next Week
Richard Garriott’s Interview and Panel at IgroMir Expo
Livestream: Celebrating Release 46
Upcoming Events Calendar

Community Updates

Spotlight: Veritas Sanctuary Player Owned Town
Event: R46 Welcome Quest in FinDupre
Resources: Players Helping Players
Recommended Project to Support: Brightlocker CrowdEquity Campaign

Making of North Midmaer Way and North Quel Way[edit]

We have been focusing many of our scene rebuilds (aka “un-clones”) on the lower tier scenes near the cities along the paths of Truth and Courage. These are all Tier 1 – 3 scenes that players encounter near the beginnings of their play experience. In addition to being rebuilt, we are also adding side quests to them.

In Release 47 these scenes include North Quel Way and North Midmaer Way. North Quel Way is a forested road in the Quel region that features a caravan trading post that has been overrun by undead. North Midmaer Way is a spider infested densely packed forest of old growth trees in the Midmaer region.

North Midmaer Way

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

Some more preview shots:

Thanks for following our progress!!

Travis “Vas Corp Por” Koleski
Level Designer

North Quel Way

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

Hey guys! SorcerousSteve here again to give you an update on the making of North Quel Way!

Below we can see the abandoned graveyard in North Quel Way, it is from here where waves of undead rose from the ground and descended upon the valley below attacking innocent wayfarers.

Beware of the gargoyle statues for they may hide a surprise…

Dumphry Castle now lays in ruins amidst the mountainous terrain with its drawbridge lays up. Gargoyles can still be seen perched up on its crenelations and a mysterious atmosphere lingers through the mist.

The North Quel Way trading post (seen for the first time in last week’s update) still bears the signs of the recent undead attack.

Numerous zombies now lay dead, but can we expect to see another wave of undead soon?

The valley as seen from across Sweetwater Creek and the now ruined trading post.

See you next time!

Esteben Zaldivar
Level Designer

Updates to New Content Threads: More SeedInvest Items, Bierkrugs and New Fall Items[edit]

As mentioned in a previous update we created several new threads to show off content that we have been creating for SeedInvest Perk Packs, Telethons, and the Holiday Season. We will be making and posting in these kinds of threads going forward so that our players can stay up to date on the latest images of these items as we make them. In the case of the Telethon and holiday content they will first go in Dev+ and then later be included here in the Weekly Update. Last week we created a thread about the new Bierkrugs. This week we have added more content to the SeedInvest thread and created a thread for the Fall items.

SeedInvest Perk Pack Rewards:

[From a Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long*#93;

Here is another round of SeedInvest items we have been working on:

Golden Lord British Throne:

Golden Ornate Streetlamp:

Golden Ornate Iron Fence:

Golden Remote Bank Device:

Golden Viking Palisade Walls:

[From a Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long]

Kevin @UglyFist Wells has been super busy working on all the Golden character items and here they are!

Golden Clockwork Dog:

Golden Clockwork Cat:

Golden Automaton:

Golden Lord British Helmet:

Golden Trimmed Tuxedo:

Bierkrugs:

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Scott “Scottie” Jones]

Popularly known as “steins” or stein krugs, these wonderful and fancy drinking mugs are a step above those tawdry wooden things found scattered across stained tavern tables! Fit for festivals of all kinds these have arrived just in time to become available by the end of October.

Hello all! Scottie here!

I was hoping to get these finished last week, but a series of unfortunate events regretfully delayed their completion. However, I’ve just finished the modeling and texture-mapping of them, and am finally ready to bring them into our editor, and massage all the wonderful materials I’ll create for them so that they can glisten and gleam like real burnished metal, painted ceramic, and glazed earthenware!

The ones you can see below fulfill the four initial version requests I was given (the Telethon Virtue version, the two “Ornate” versions to be sold in the store, and a Craftable version). I dug deep into a variety of references for numerous different fabrications styles of steins to create the four initial unique shapes and substance looks displayed here. There is already talk of more versions in the future!

The word “stein” is of German origin. The etymology of the word is either from “Stein Krug” (meaning stone jug/mug) or from “Steingut” (meaning stone goods). They can be made of earthenware, pewter, wood, ceramics, crystal, porcelain, creamware, silver, or glass. They have a handle and a hinged lid, are decorated and sometimes hand-painted. As I mentioned above, I’ve made four initial versions (with 4 different visual styles) named in some cases to help link them to the areas and cultures of our world…

The first is the Silver Virtuekrug, designed by master silversmiths of Port Graff in honor of the Virtues and Principles of New Britannia… Once I’ve applied all the proper material shaders to it, the surface will shine and gleam like pure silver! Its dull looks now are merely a temporary byproduct of a quick, “in-progress” working render in Max. Eventually there may be a shining gold version of this richly-detailed piece as well.

The second is the Ornate Porcelain Brittany Stein seen below, honoring that city by showcasing colorful vignettes of various picturesque views within the city walls. Designed by master porcelain artisans in Regalis, there may be more of these eventually made to honor other cities of New Britannia… Once I’ve applied the correct material shaders to this one in Unity, the surface will have the glossy look of fine glazed porcelain, with a bit more vibrancy to its colors!

The third is the Ornate Saltglaze Drachvald stein, designed by masters of ceramic pottery that dwell in and around the area of Eastmarch. It is said that the old baron of that region long ago commissioned a piece much like this, causing the development of a unique pottery technique called salt-glazing which set a new standard in striking beauty for this style of ceramics… (I found a wonderful antique reference piece for the delicate figures from our own mundane world old enough to be in the public domain to closely emulate, since I was very much taken by how lovely it was). Like the piece above, the surface will eventually have the glossy look of fine glazed ceramics!

The fourth one is the Craftable Earthenware bierkrug, with variations of this theme made by crafters throughout all of New Britannia! Though it is meant to represent the basic craftable version, I wanted this one to be something I would be proud to own myself…talking the time to lovingly decorate it as would a creative artisan in any village or town. It may be made from baser materials compared to the ornate versions, but these (and any like it) will never be available in our store, and instead must be purchased from those who take the time to craft it in-game. Its surface will eventually have the rough gloss of lightly-glazed earthenware, with more evident cuts in the design due to the use of decent normal maps I’ll create.

Also,… I spoke with our wonderful animator Matt and the hinged lids that open when you drink from them are a GO! Check it out!!! ^_^

I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek at my most recent “in-progress” labor of love! Look for more images next week, after I finalize all their materials, and show them as decorations within the game environment!

Scottie ^_^

And so here are all the steins rendered in our game engine, with all their proper Unity shaders and mapping! You can see how they look in broad daylight, how they look at night (it’s amazing how much detail you can still see), and lastly how they look with a bit of warm firelight shining on them in the evening hours… I was dubious about how well the details would hold up, but I’m very pleased with how they turned out.

And of course they will be items you can equip as well as decorate with. Hopefully these are keepsakes you will feel proud to have adorning your shelves and mantelpieces! Even while visiting the dinner parties of your neighbors, stein in hand, the lovely look and details of these collectibles will be something to be admired…

Take care everyone!

Scottie ^_^

Fall 2017 Items

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long]

This year we are making a handful of Fall themed items to celebrate the harvest time of year which also happens to be around the same time as U.S. Thanksgiving. These items will only be available for a limited time in the Add On Store.

2017 White & Black Banded Turkey Pet:

2017 Fall Wreath:

R46 Postmortem Telethon Next Week[edit]

Greetings Avatars,

This release’s Postmortem Telethon is going to be Halloween themed! Expirations are back, new stretch goal items are ready to be achieved, and themed contests are kicking off this month to celebrate Release 46!

LIVESTREAM SCHEDULE (Central Time Zone)

Telethons are livestreamed on Twitch and include answers to your gameplay questions, world building tours, prize giveaways, sales on items, and more! See what we have planned below beginning at 3:00 PM CT on October 12:

3:00 PM: Introductions
3:30 PM: R46 Postmortem Q&A
4:30 PM: World Building Tour
5:30 PM: Postmortem Q&A Continues
7:00 PM: End of Telethon!

Schedule is subject to change. Check back here before the livestream begins!

EXPIRING ITEMS

Ghost Pets
Juggle Skulls Emote
Zombie Wings
Demon Wings
Zombie One-Eyed Mask

Zombie Mask
Ornate Skull Candle
Spider Still 3-Pack
Spider Aggressive 3-Pack
Spider Attack 3-Pack
Stone Zombie Statue

STRETCH GOALS (Spooky Themed!)

As a special bonus, we are offering funding rewards to any backer that pledges a minimum of $5 for twelve hours during the day of the telethon, on October 12 from 12:00 PM to 11:59 PM CT (Spending Store Credit to make $5 minimum purchase does not apply).

NOTE: While the livestream ends at 7pm CT, everyone will have until 11:59 PM CT to spend $5 to get the stretch goals. We will announce the final total on the following day.

$10K: Skull Cloak
$25K: Prisoner’s Mask
$35K: Torn & Tattered Wedding Dress & Tuxedo
$50K: Spooky Fountain
$65K: Dead Hedge Fence Set
$80K: Nightmare Statue with flaming mane and glowing eyes

CHEER ON THE DEVS!

For every $2,500 donated, all developers on camera have to either dance, sing, or drink a shot of alcohol.

Additionally, we will be spinning the Wheel of Fortune! The wheel will have 12 different categories of sales plus the Lord British and Darkstarr wildcards where they get to choose any category! Each time a category comes up it will go on sale at approx. 20% off for 1 hour.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE FLASH SALES:

Outdoor Decorations
Property Deeds, POT Upgrades, Homes and Basements
Pets and Music
Emotes and Fireworks
Wearables, Dyes, and Patterns

WIN THESE GREAT PRIZES!

Halloween goodies!
Bank Upgrades
COTOs
Store Credit
RelicsbyRild.com merchandise
and a bunch of items we will announce on the livestream!

We will be giving prizes away on an hourly basis with many being given away multiple times. If you wish to win prizes during the event, be in Discord chat! We will be active on Twitch and YouTube chats as well, but they will not be our portal for prize giveaways.

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS!

We will be answering questions throughout the livestream, so submit them in the comments section for the original post here or on Discord chat during the event. Questions and feedback related to each segment will be given priority and really verbose questions may be skipped, as they can be a challenge to shorten and summarize live on the air. Please keep it to 3 total questions in the comments section below.

Keep an eye on @ShroudofAvatar for updates before, during, and after the livestream. See you on Twitch at 3:00 PM CT on October 12!

[Read More…]

Nightmares of New Britannia – A Spooky Halloween Contest[edit]

BOO! Spooky content abounds in New Britannia this Halloween season, some of old, some of new! Here’s your chance to show it off to the rest of the community in your own unique style!

We’re announcing today a two-part challenge of decorating a home or property in a spooky theme, or wearing a themed costume. You can submit an entry for both segments, though you are only eligible to win in one of them. As we get entries, we will announce on social media the latest entries in a Facebook gallery. You will also be able to view the entries as they are posted in the forums.

Submit your entries in a single post reply to this forum thread. Deadline to submit is Tuesday, October 24 at 12pm (Noon) CT, so get those spooky ideas started now!

[Read More…]

Cyber Monday Crown Bonus[edit]

‘Tis our favorite time of year: the holiday season! It is that special time where you purchase gifts for the ones you love (including yourself) and it is that special time where we release all sorts of fun holiday goodies for Halloween, Fall, and Winter.

To celebrate we are rewarding all purchases of $15 or more with a bonus of Gold Crowns. The amount of crowns awarded will be approximately 15% of the purchase value.

Here is the exact award chart:

$15 = 2 Gold Crown
$35 = 5 Gold Crowns
$70 = 10 Gold Crowns
$165 = 25 Gold Crowns
$325 = 50 Gold Crowns
$665 = 100 Gold Crowns
$1665 = 250 Gold Crowns
$3325 = 500 Gold Crowns
$5000 = 750 Gold Crowns
$6665 = 1000 Gold Crowns

The above will be awarded for all new purchases (including bundles, bundle upgrades, add-on items, player owned town upgrades, and Make a Difference items) between 10:30 AM September 28, 2017 and Midnight CST, November 27, 2017 (6:00 UTC, November 29, 2017). NOTE: This will not count for purchases made with store credit.

[NOTE: The crown bonus is calculated every day for all purchases within the previous 24 hours and then added to your account]

Original post here.

Weekend Flash Sale: Weapons![edit]

In honor of all 7 new swords we added as in-game loot, plus the 2 spooky themed scythes, we are putting these weapons on sale this weekend! Get a look at the lineup below. Additional related items can also be found in the Add-On Store:

Ornate Elven Mage Staff (digital)

2017 Ornate Scythe Pattern Pack (digital)
Ornate Vile Halberd Pattern Pack (digital)
Ornate Dagger Pattern Pack (digital)
Lord British Shield Pattern Pack (digital)
Darkstarr Shield Pattern Pack (digital)
Ornate Basket Hilt Sword Pattern Pack (digital)
Ornate Elven Mage Staff Pattern Pack (digital)
Ornate Satyr Bardiche Pattern Pack (digital)
Ornate Glaive Pattern Pack (digital)
Ornate Bastard Sword Pattern Pack (digital)
Ornate Viking Short Sword Pattern Pack (digital)

*Some items may be rounded to 20% sale price by a few fractions of a percent.

SotA Con Austin 2017 Next Week[edit]

We are excited to be attending the upcoming community driven fan event, SotA Con! The first event of its kind, SotA Con will be held right here in Austin where Portalarium and our team resides. We look forward to everyone visiting in just a couple of weeks!

The main part of the convention will be at the Renaissance Austin and SpringHill Suites Austin North/Parmer Lane.

Renaissance Austin: 9721 Arboretum Blvd Austin, TX 78759

SpringHill Suites Austin North/Parmer Lane: 12520 North IH-35 Austin, TX 78753

Here is the complete schedule for SotA Con Austin 2017:

Thursday 10/12/2017

10/12/2017 @ 6:00am CT – Advance party starts to arrive

Friday 10/13/2017

10/13/2017 @ 8:00am CT – SotA Con – Austin 2017 Opens (Spring Hill Suites)
10/13/2017 @ 8:00am CT – Registration Open (Spring Hill Suites)
10/13/2017 @ 8:30am CT – Breakfast Served For Hotel Guests (Spring Hill Suites)
10/13/2017 @ 9:00am CT – Registration Open (Renaissance Austin)
10/13/2017 @ 10:00am CT – Hospitality Room Opens / Open Bar Available (Spring Hill Suites)
10/13/2017 @ 10:00am CT – Richard Garriott (Lord British) & Starr Long (Darkstarr) Welcome to Sota Con Intro (Renaissance Austin)
10/13/2017 @ 11:00am CT – Robert Thompson (Dr. Bob) ,Richard Garriott (Lord British) and Mathew Anderson (Berek) Astronomy Panel (in-game and real life topics) (Renaissance Austin)
10/13/2017 @ 12:00pm CT – Lunch Break (On Own)
10/13/2017 @ 1:00pm CT – Scott Jennings (Lum the Mad) with Story Line (Renaissance Austin)
10/13/2017 @ 2:00pm CT – Damien Foletto (Puuk) & Scott Jennings (Lum the Mad) Questing & More (Renaissance Austin)
10/13/2017 @ 2:00pm CT – VIP Portalarium Tour hosted by Lord British (Portalarium)
10/13/2017 @ 3:00pm CT – Keith Quinn and Dan Brennan “What The Puzzle?” Puzzles & SotA (Renaissance Austin)
10/13/2017 @ 4:00pm CT – Sarah Dworken (Serafina), Rhys Romero (The Attenwood), Andrea Vinyard (Lexie) QA team: “This Game is Broken!” (Renaissance Austin)
10/13/2017 @ 5:00pm CT – Happy Hour / Dinner – The County Line BBQ Map (On Own) (Additional event optional not included in ticket price)
10/13/2017 @ 7:00pm CT – The Baron’s Men Curtain Theatre – The Dead of Winter – Tickets – Map (Additional event optional not included in ticket price)
10/13/2017 @ 930pm CT – Moonlight Cruise – Lone Star River Boat – Tickets – Map – (Additional event optional not included in ticket price)
10/13/2017 @ 11:00pm CT – SotA Con – Austin 2017 Closes Day 1 – Hospitality Room Closes (Spring Hill Suites)

Saturday 10/14/2017

10/14/2017 @ 8:00am CT – SotA Con – Austin 2017 Opens – (Spring Hill Suites)
10/13/2017 @ 10:00am CT – Hospitality Room Opens / Open Bar Available (Spring Hill Suites)
10/14/2017 @ 8:30am CT – Breakfast Served For Hotel Guests (Spring Hill Suites)
10/14/2017 @ 10:00am CT – Travis Koleski (List Rostov), Chris Wolf (Sea-Wolf) & Steve Zaldivar (SorcerousSteve) in a Deep Dive In World Building With Q&A Part 1 (Renaissance Austin)
10/14/2017 @ 11:00am CT – Travis Koleski (List Rostov), Chris Wolf (Sea-Wolf) & Steve Zaldivar (SorcerousSteve) in a Deep Dive In World Building With Q&A Part 2 (Renaissance Austin)
10/14/2017 @ 12:00pm CT – Lunch Break (On Own)
10/14/2017 @ 1:00pm CT – Momento Mori guild sponsored visit to St. David’s Children’s Hospital – Map (Additional event optional )
10/14/2017 @ 2:00pm CT – Chris Spears (ATOS) & Starr Long (Darkstarr) Topic(s) of their choice (State of SotA with Q&A ) (Renaissance Austin)
10/14/2017 @ 3:00pm CT – Chris Spears(ATOS) & Starr Long (Darkstarr) Topic(s) of their choice with Q&A (Sota Con Post Mortem Q&A ) (Renaissance Austin)
10/14/2017 @ 4:00pm CT – SotA Con – Austin 2017 Dance Party Setup (Renaissance Austin)
10/14/2017 @ 4:30pm CT – The King’s Feast – Catered by Nik’s Italian (Spring Hill Suites)
10/14/2017 @ 6:00pm – 9:00pm CT – SotA Con – Austin 2017 Dance Party With Mathew Anderson (Berek) & Sarah Dworken (Serafina) (Renaissance Austin)
– Guild Introductions Meet & Greet
– Meet The Devs / Avatars
– Music with DJ Justyn of WRFB Radio Free Britannia
– Costume Contest / Cosplay (Costumes Judged by Port Dev’s) PRIZES!!!
– Fan Fiction Contest
– Raffle 50/50
– Cash Bar
10/14/2017 @ 10:00pm CT – Scare for a Cure – RETURN TO MUTANT WASTELAND – Tickets – Map (Additional event optional not included in ticket price)
10/14/2017 @ 11:00pm CT – SotA Con – Austin 2017 Closes Day 2 – Hospitality Room Closes (Spring Hill Suites)

Sunday 10/15/2017

10/15/2017 @ 12:00pm CT – Farewell Lunch – (Location To Be Announced – Map To Be Announced (Additional event optional not included in ticket price)
10/15/2017 @ 2:00pm CT – Advance party departs from Austin, Texas

See the official forum post for details on SotA Con Austin 2017!

Richard Garriott’s Interview and Panel at IgroMir Expo[edit]

Richard Garriott recently attended the IgroMir Expo in Moscow, Russia and had a lot to share with their quickly growing base of MMO and RPG gamers! Here’s an interview and panel Richard was involved in while at the show:

Interview (in Russian):

Panel:

Livestream: Celebrating Release 46[edit]

We kicked off the livestream with updates about Release 46 and details on the next quarter of development. Then Hutch and Fletcher gave a sneak peek of some of the new items they worked on for the release, including the very cool Scythe weapons!

Subscribe to Portalarium’s YouTube channel for more videos and livestreams: www.youtube.com/portalarium

Upcoming Events Calendar[edit]

Oct 4 – 25, 2017 – New Free Trial
Oct 12, 2017 – R46 Postmortem Telethon
Oct 13 – 15, 2017 – SotA Con 2017 (Austin)
Oct 26, 2017 – Release 47
Nov 16, 2017 – Release 48
Dec 14, 2017 – Release 49

Visit the official Community Calendar to see the great lineup of activities our amazing community has planned for this weekend! And be sure to check out this month’s Release Events thread in the SotA forums for additional events.

Spotlight: Veritas Sanctuary Player Owned Town[edit]

This week’s Player Owned Town spotlight takes us to Veritas Sanctuary nearby the Longfall region. Here is the town’s story as told by governor Dereck Visaard:

We are happy to announce a new town on the Path of Truth, Veritas Sanctuary. The town, released in R45 and located in the Longfall region of Novia adjacent to Blood River and Blood River Outskirts, is devoted to the search for Truth in a forsaken land.

Veritas Sanctuary has a rich history dating back prior to the Obsidians’ rise to power when a band of humans and elves allied to escape their former masters from the north and find sanctuary and a new life in the Longfall area. Ruins of the ancient settlement still exist in town and can be seen in the northern and southern residential areas. In fact, an ancient wizard’s tower has been restored and is available for rent for those who dare to tempt the ancient magic that still lives there.

Most recently, the town has been settled by an active group of avatars who hail from Earth as far west as Western Canada and as far east as Prague. Most residents are online and in town daily.

Our mission in Veritas Sanctuary is to create a unique, active, and engaging community for new and established residents and visitors while providing a strategic base of operations for players on the Path of Truth and an excellent sales location for discerning vendors. To that end, the town council has master-planned the community to cater to all playing styles and will continue to invest in the town as it grows. The town is also guild-neutral, meaning that anyone is welcome to take up residence, whether solo or a member of any guild.

[Read More]

R46 Welcome Quest in FinDupre – Saturday, October 7 at 12pm CT[edit]

You are invited to join the Welcome Quest in Release 46! It will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2017 starting at 12pm (noon) central time/new britannian time and lasting an hour. It is added on the Avatar’s Circle community calendar. Plus it is in your in-game Events book.

Resources – Players Helping Players[edit]

The official SotA New Player Welcome Forum and the Player Created Resources Forum have the best player created resources for Shroud of the Avatar, whether it’s a Player Written Guide, a Video Walk-through, or a Wiki-type Website.

Visit the official Community Resources page for a complete listing of all things community.

Recommended Project to Support – BrightLocker Crowdfunding Campaign[edit]

BrightLocker is a revolutionary platform that enables gamers to connect with their favorite developers and gain exclusive access and interaction as they make upcoming games.

Gamers receive exclusive content, such as unique in game items, physical rewards and more whilst also enjoying revolutionary and unique studio interaction. This interaction comes in all varieties, from forum chats with developers to livestreams of games while they’re being made.

Backer Shipping Addresses[edit]

In preparation for shipping backers’ physical pledge rewards later this year, we have added Shipping Address fields to your Account Profile page. To enter your shipping address, log in to the SotA website, select “Account” in top right corner, then select “Edit Profile” located in top left corner, beneath your Avatar image.

A reminder to be sure that support@portalarium.com is unblocked from your e-mail account!

External Links[edit]

Avatar's Update #248: R46 Postmortem Telethon and SotA Con Next Week