Update of the Avatar/Update 253

Avatar's Update #253, posted posted_on::November 10th 2017

Avatar’s Update #253: Armors of Courage and Love
Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

Game Development News Announcements Community Updates
 * Armors of Courage and Love (Full Sets)
 * Scottie’s Yuletide Objects of 2017 (cont)
 * Winter 2017 and R46 Telethon Items (cont)
 * Movember Bundle Additions
 * Community Wellness with the Meretz Fitness App
 * Release 48 Major Artifact Changes Reminder
 * UO 20th Postmortem at GDC 2018 + Care & Feeding of Wild Fansites Video
 * Portalarium at SXSW 2018
 * Free Trial Test – Nov. 1-15
 * Cyber Monday Crown Bonus Continues
 * Russian Version Launch Sale Week 2: Homes & Basements
 * Upcoming Events Calendar
 * Event: Bare Knuckle Brawl
 * Extra Life – Virtue vs Chaos – Results!
 * Resources: Players Helping Players
 * Recommended Project to Support: Shadow’s Kiss Vampire MMO



Armors of Courage and Love (Full Sets)
Last week we showed off the first pieces (helms and chest pieces) of the armors of the three principles of Truth, Love, and Courage. Over the next few weeks we will be showing you the full sets of those armors.

&#91;A Dev+ Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long&#93;

''The helms and chest pieces will be going live in Release 48 as part of quests in the Outskirts (helms) and the new mines (chest pieces). Starting in Release 49 the remaining pieces of the armor (gloves, leggings, and boots) will start to appear as rewards for other quests. ''

Plate Armor of Courage Full Set:



Leather Armor of Love Full Set:





Scottie’s Yuletide Objects of 2017 (cont)
&#91;A Dev+ Forum Post by Scott “Scottie” Jones&#93;

''So! For today’s post in this ongoing thread I get to show off the 2017 Yule Stockings I mentioned I was working on! As has been my recent trend, You can see them as they appear in Max, and I’ve arranged them so that you can see the comparison between last year’s and this year’s… There’s even a new Craftable version in a beautiful blue variation!''



''Once I get them in the Unity Editor I base their material on the one used for 2016 to maintain consistency, but of course the variations in both the 3-D mesh as well as the new texture set I’ve created allows for some fun differences in look and feel! For me, it’s hard to break away from the “crocheted” style (since that’s the kind my mom used to make), but this year, instead of the more triangular dags with bells on the stocking cuffs, I’ve opted for a gentler “wave” pattern with dangling “pom-pom” puff-balls! Last year sported the whole striped look, while this year features swaths of solid color with three new designs; a smiling Sun (Sol Invictus!), Moon, and delicate snowflakes (at least as delicate as the simulated hand-stitching can manage)… A differently-configured and textured set of goodies inside helps complete the new look!''



''After seeing them displayed starkly in Unity’s broad daylight, it’s now time to throw them into my cozy little Yule scene, with its roaring fire and properly festive surroundings. This is honestly where they were meant to be seen, and the various elements begin to take on the life they were meant to have as the candy glistens, the silver bells shine, and the holly takes on its natural waxy characteristics… Here, with closer, interior lights shining upon them, the details generated by the normal map I created help make the crocheted weave really stand out and sell the illusion of its somewhat rustic, hand-made appearance…''





''Hopefully you’ve found the look of this year’s stockings delicious! My goal was to compliment last year’s in a way that would warm your heart as you present your guests with any of these variations side-by-side…''

Up next I’m beginning work on some completely new Yuletide decorations in the form of a set of Garlands to compliment our existing holiday wreaths!

Scottie ^_^

&#91;Dev+ Forum Post by Scott “Scottie” Jones&#93;

Hello Everyone!!!

''Today I was able to finish a new category of Yuletide decorative item that folks have been asking for! Allow me to present, the Yuletide Garlands!''

''There are two sets I’ve created for 2017, based on this year’s Yule Wreath created by Reid. There will be two set versions; the Ornate Garland set and the Craftable Garland set. Each set is composed of two kinds of elements (the shallow, U-shaped “Swag”, and the slightly fancier hanging “Ribbon Strand”) in two different sizes (small and large). You can see these below, having been completed in Max.''



''They will be made to function in the same way as the wreaths, in that they are made to be hung on the walls (and other vertical surfaces large enough to accept them) to accompany wreaths from either this year or last year. This initial image below shows three pieces from the small Ornate set used in conjunction with this year’s wreath!''



''And this image displays three large Ornate pieces set in a similar configuration! Of course, once these are made into proper deco items that I can give my character, I’ll be able to test their collision to make sure they do what I want them to do in a “live” house on an actual plot using the Deco Interface (as I tested the stockings and chimneys and such).''



''In this final image for the garlands I’m showcasing the simpler, Craftable versions, and comparing their look with last year’s Craftable wreath. I think they complement each other quite nicely! You can see here that I used five different Craftable Garland pieces to create this arrangement, and in this manner (assuming all the deco tech functions properly), players should be able to adorn the walls of their house all around most rooms!I hope you enjoyed these additions to the Yuletide cheer.''



''Up next, I’ll be designing our first Yule Card you can give to your friends and loved ones! They should function just like our Valentines cards, but with a festive winter theme!''

Enjoy!

Scottie ^_^

''Oh! And as a special, last minute bonus,…here’s the added pieces I created for the Yule Garlands, that allows you to decorate horizontal surface edges (like the stockings can)! You can see them at work here on a fireplace mantel, large and small! Depending on how you arrange them, you might even be able to fit a stocking or two along with them!''



''These are about 1/3rd the size of the small wall garland versions, as requested by Dallas, to allow for multiple garlands on such shelf-like edges, so you can trim a table, bookshelves, mantels. and any surface that has been given a horizontal collision shape…''

Enjoy!

Scottie ^_^

&#91;A Dev+ Forum Post by Scott “Scottie” Jones&#93;

''OK! So here I am at the last moment before Lockdown sneaking in my final Yuletide asset just before midnight! As promised, I was able to barely squeak by with my time and cram in everything I was hoping to accomplish, including the final hoped-for item,…the Yule Card!!!''



Here it is laid down in broad daylight in the game, for comparison against the detail level and size of the earlier Valentines Day cards…



''Rich in color and detail, the 2017 Yule Card can has general winter-themed designs of a classic style with illuminations reminiscent of medieval fashions mixed with vintage painted borders and holly border elements. As such it could be easily labeled by a player to be used for all sorts of winter-themed holiday festivities…''



And once you invoke its interface, either in one’s inventory or by double-clicking on it in the game environment as a deco, you can enjoy seeing its illustration in even greater detail as you compose the perfect season’s greetings!



''Assembling this one from antique references was quite the chore, but well worth it… It’s going to be hard for me to top the beauty of this one for next year! ^_^''



Hopefully you’ve enjoyed checking out all the Yule celebratory items I cooked up for this 2017 season… Thank you so much to everyone who inspired and urged me to push that extra few steps forward to make these new items a reality!

I’ll be talking about all of these in the upcoming Live Stream!!!

Take care, my friends!

Scottie ^_^



Winter 2017 and R46 Telethon Items
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.

This week we continued adding images to the threads about R46 Telethon items and the Winter 2017 items.

Winter 2017 Items

''&#91;From a Dev+ Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long&#93;

''This year we are again making Winter themed items to celebrate this festive time of year. These items will only be available for a limited time in the Add On Store.''

Ornate Sleigh (Winter Recurring):



Sled (in-game craftable):



Ornate Sled (Winter Recurring)



Release 46 Postmortem Rewards (Spooky)

''&#91;From a Dev+ Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long&#93;

We have now begun working on the R46 Postmortem rewards which were Spooky themed.

Prisoner Mask:



Dead Hedge Set: note how the gate is a skull!



Nightmare Statue: note the vfx on the mane are not visible in this render but are super cool trust me!





Movember Bundle Additions
Last week we mentioned that once again we have reformed our Movember team Moustache of the Avatar and that we are creating two new items for the Movember store (Lord British Follicular Reliquary and the Darkstarr Follicular Reliquary). Note that we have already sold the Cloth Map Prototype Bundle!

&#91;From a Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long&#93;

'''In addition to the individual items we are creating mentioned above we are going to be making some changes and additions to the 3 Movember bundles in Release 48. First of all for all three bundles you now have the option to choose what bundle theme (Viking, Shogun, etc.) you wish instead of the default theme that they come with. Also we are adding the following items to each bundle:'''

Lord British Original Shroud Cloth Map Prototype #1 Bundle – Movember Charity (digital)


 * Moustache Helm
 * Moustache Cloak
 * Framed Cloth Map with Lord British Crest
 * Lord British Moondial


 * [[Image:Framed-Cloth-Map.jpg|800px]]

Lord British Follicular Reliquary Bundle – Movember Charity (digital)


 * Moustache Helm
 * Moustache Cloak
 * Lord British Follicular Reliquary (in game reproduction of the physical asset)
 * Lord British Moondial


 * [[Image:Follicular-Reliquary-Lord-British.jpg|800px]]

Darkstarr Follicular Reliquary Bundle – Movember Charity (digital)


 * Moustache Helm
 * Moustache Cloak
 * Darkstarr Follicular Reliquary (in game reproduction of the physical asset)


 * [[Image:Follicular-Reliquary-Darkstarr.jpg|800px]]



Community Wellness with the Meretz Fitness App


We strongly believe in promoting well-being in each and every member of the community, and their extended network of family, friends, and associates. We are partnering with Meretz, a free and unique way to transform your physical activity into virtual fitness currency. They are hooking in Shroud of the Avatar to their app so we can get you in-game rewards for using it!

To help promote awareness and recognition of wellness behavior and events, we came up with the Wellness Cloak, similar in concept to the Clasped Gauntlets Cloak for community events. For joining the effort, users of the Meretz app will get this Wellness Cloak that you can wear in-game as a symbol of your wellness goals.



You can redeem Meretz Points for in-game Obsidian Potions. There are currently 7 potion options:


 * Potion of Capacity: Increases carrying capacity
 * Potion of Conservation: Reduces reagent use chance
 * Potion of Expedience: Swift gathering on all gathering skills
 * Potion of Precision: Increases Meticulous Collection to all gathering skills
 * Potion of Preservation: Reduces armor and weapon damage
 * Potion of Reclamation: Increases Salvage and Repair to all production skills
 * Potion of Stamina: Decreases focus use from sprinting

How it works:


 * Download the Meretz app
 * Connect to Apple Health, Google Fit, or Fitbit
 * Earn Meretz Points for being active
 * Connect Meretz to Shroud – get the free exclusive Meretz Cloak!
 * Use your points to buy Shroud potions and other game items

Other Meretz related in-game wellness items are being considered, so stay tuned for future updates! 

Release 48 Major Artifact Changes Reminder
&#91;From a Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long&#93;


 * Artifacts will undergo a major refactor in Release 48 in order to better align them with the rest of the economy. In order to not have them directly compete with crafted goods they can no longer be repaired like regular items. Instead they will only be able to be repaired by salvaging other artifacts to get “Artifact Essences” that will be used in Artifact repair. This will cycle Artifacts out of the economy and require players to re-acquire them periodically or destroy other artifacts (thereby simulating “production”).  Additionally we will make Artifacts a bit more dynamic by giving players the ability to enchant and masterwork them.  ADDITIONAL NOTES:


 * Cabalist Gear (hoods and weapons) are becoming artifacts.
 * Dread Artifacts (Heart of Sorrows, Scepter of Dread, Bone Steel Crown) remain quest items and are not being changed by this.



UO 20th Postmortem at GDC 2018 + Care & Feeding of Wild Fansites Video
Portalarium’s Starr Long and Richard Garriott will be joining Raph Koster to give the 20th anniversary postmortem of Ultima Online at GDC 2018.


 * Kal Ort Por! The death of Lord British. Simulated ecologies. Playerkillers. The Bank of Britain. City sieges. Weddings. Sports events. Players who were orcs. Living the Virtues. In September 2018, we marked the 20th anniversary of the launch on Ultima Online, the pioneering massively multiplayer RPG that changed online gaming forever. Join three key members of the team as they talk about the things that went wrong and right: Richard Garriott de Cayeux, the legendary Lord British and producer on the game; Starr Long, the original director; and Raph Koster, the creative lead.



And as a special treat GDC just posted the panel Starr Long was on last year at the GDC Community Summit to their youtube channel!





Portalarium at SXSW 2018
SXSW (March 9 – 18) in Austin, TX, has made programming announcements for 2018 and Portalarium will be there! Starr Long is moderating a panel during SXSW Gaming entitled “The Ever Evolving Nature of Game Crowdfunding”:


 * Working with communities has expanded beyond mere feedback loops between developers and players. It has formalized with the growth of Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and marketplaces like the Unity Asset Store and most recently equity ownership via platforms like Seed Invest. Attendees will gain expert knowledge about all the various options and platforms available in this constantly evolving world using real examples from industry veterans Mary Flanagan, Starr Long and Gordon Walton.

Richard Garriott is participating in a panel during SXSW Interactive about the future of mass transit entitled “Overhead Transit: Cable, Hyperloop, PRT & Drones”:


 * Urbanization is creating a congestion crisis in and between cities. But when we go to add mass transit we find little usable eminent domain. The streets and highways are full. Yet if we look up we find space in fields or between buildings & above streets. This session will examine technologies that can add mass transit in that overhead space. Urban Cable, Personal Rapid Transit, Hyperloop and Aerial Taxis. The technology amplifies other modes leading to Smart Transportation Cities.

Stay tuned for exact dates and times as they are revealed.



Free Trial Test – Nov. 1-15
This latest Free Trial Test runs from Nov. 1-15. As with our previous tests this will let us continue to gather data about uptake, drop-off, conversions, etc. These tests are invaluable for us in order to improve the New User Experience and the Free Trial System.

Free Trial access allows you to play the entire game in any of the Online modes with a few key differences in game play. You will be able to explore hundreds of scenes, talk with thousands of players, adventure through the opening quests, and gain experience and skills as you get used to the world of New Britannia!

Join us in New Britannia for free!



Cyber Monday Crown Bonus Continues
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:

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.

&#91;NOTE: The crown bonus is calculated every day for all purchases within the previous 24 hours and then added to your account&#93;

Original post here.



Russian Version Launch Sale Week 2: Homes & Basements


In honor of our partners Black Sun launching the Russian version of Shroud last week, we are coordinating a three week long series of sales that represent some of our biggest sales with some of our deepest discounts ever!

Tune in each Friday to find out what will be on sale. We are now on Week 2 (Nov. 10-16) and all of the game’s Houses and Basements are on sale!

Houses


 * Adobe 2-Story with 3-Level Terrace Village Home (digital)
 * Adobe Brick 2-Story Keep with Courtyard City Home (digital)
 * Adobe with Roof Access Village Home (digital)
 * Ancient Columned City Home (digital)
 * Blue Tile Roof 4-Story with Balcony Row House (digital)
 * Elven 3-Story with Dual Cabanas Town Water Home (digital)
 * Elven Peaked-Roof Village Home (digital)
 * Elven Village Home (digital)
 * Elven Village Inn (digital)
 * Gothic Mansion 3-Story with Widow’s Walk Village Home (digital)
 * Gothic Village Inn (digital)
 * Haunted Gothic Village Inn (digital)
 * Kobold 2-Story with Rooftop Deck Village Home (digital)
 * Kobold 3-Story Tower Village Home (digital)
 * Kobold 3-Story with Left Alcove Row House (digital)
 * Kobold 3-Story with Open Deck Town Home (digital)
 * Kobold 3-Story with Right Alcove Row House (digital)
 * Kobold 4-Story Great Hall City Home (digital)
 * Kobold Dual Spire Village Home (digital)
 * Kobold Dwelling Village Home (digital)
 * Obsidian Tower Town Home (digital)
 * Obsidian Tower Town Water Home (digital)
 * Obsidian Tower Village Home (digital)
 * Obsidian Tower Village Water Home (digital)
 * Obsidian Village Inn (digital)
 * Ornate Greenhouse 4-Story Row House (digital)
 * [[Ornate Two-Story Shogun Crafting Pavilion (digital)
 * Pirate Galleon City Water Home (digital)
 * Pirate Galleon Dry Dock City Home (digital)
 * Pirate Galleon Dry Dock Town Home (digital)
 * Pirate Galleon Town Water Home (digital)
 * Pristine Gothic Mansion 3-Story with Widow’s Walk Village Home (digital)
 * Pristine Gothic Mansion Town Water Home (digital)
 * Rustic 2-Story with Loft Town Home (digital)
 * Rustic 3-Story Village Home (digital)
 * Rustic 3-Story Village Water Home (digital)
 * Shogun 1-Story Village Home (digital)
 * Shogun 3-Story Keep Village Home (digital)
 * Shogun Lighthouse Village Water Home (digital)
 * Shogun Ship City Dry Dock Home (digital)
 * Shogun Ship City Water Home (digital)
 * Shogun Village Inn (digital)
 * Stone 2-Story Keep with Corner Turret Village Home (digital)
 * Stone 2-Story Keep with Courtyard Town Home (digital)
 * Stone 2-Story Round Tower Village Home (digital)
 * Stone 3-Story Prison Row House (digital)
 * Viking 1-Story Village Home (digital)
 * Viking 2-Story Stronghold Village Home (digital)
 * Viking 2-Story Village Home with Dual Balconies (digital)
 * Viking 3-Story Stronghold Town Home (digital)
 * Viking 4-Story Row House (digital)
 * Viking Great Hall City Home (digital)
 * Viking Village Inn (digital)
 * Viking Village Water Home (digital)
 * Wood & Plaster 3-Story Village Home (digital)
 * Wood & Plaster 4-Story with Balcony Row House (digital)
 * Wood & Plaster Village Inn (digital)
 * Wood & Stone 2-Story Guard Tower Village Home (digital)

View all homes in the Add-on Store!

Basements


 * Castle Stone & Timber Split-Level 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Castle Stone 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Castle Stone Arena Basement (digital)
 * City Stone & Timber Split-Level 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * City Stone 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * City Stone Arena Basement (digital)
 * Keep Stone & Timber Split-Level 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Keep Stone 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Keep Stone Arena Basement (digital)
 * Row Prison 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Row Stone & Timber 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Row Stone 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Town Stone & Timber Split-Level 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Town Stone 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Town Stone Arena Basement (digital)
 * Village Mine 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Village Stone & Timber Split-Level 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Village Stone 5-Story Basement (digital)
 * Village Stone Arena Basement (digital)

View all Basements in the Add-on Store!

 * Some items may be rounded to 35% sale price by a few fractions of a percent.



Upcoming Events Calendar
Nov 1 – 15, 2017 – Latest Free Trial Nov 10 – 16, 2017 - Russian Version Launch Sale Week 2 Nov 16, 2017 – Release 48 Nov 17 – 23, 2017 – Russian Version Launch Sale Week 3 Dec 1, 2017 – R48 Postmortem Telethon Dec 14, 2017 – Release 49 Mar 9 – 18, 2018 – SXSW Mar 21 – 23, 2018 – GDC

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.



Bare Knuckle Brawl – Saturday, Nov. 11 at 1pm CT


From Sheamus McGuinness: ''The first rule about BARE KNUCKLE BRAWL IS… don’t miss it! Join me for a “Punches ONLY” PVP Tournament that works JUST like it sounds. That means no skills from any skill tree are allowed! No potions, no armor, just 2 Avatars in the ring with BARE KNUCKLES fighting to the death for top prizes!''

''Fights are to the death and it is a single elimination tournament. Nothing but punches are allowed. No Magic. No Skills. No Healing. Fortune & Glory goes to the last Avatar standing and they will also walk away with 100,000 gold!''



Extra Life – Virtue vs Chaos – Results!






THANK YOU to the streamers, viewers and supporters who made Extra Life 2017 a SUCCESS!



Resources – Players Helping Players


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.

<hr style="margin: 2em 0 2em 0;">

Recommended Project to Support – Shadow’s Kiss Vampire MMO
'''True Blood, Twilight, and Vampire the Masquerade have proven to us that Gothic fantasy is incredibly popular, yet there is no online world for fans of the genre to play in. Do you want to play a space captain… or a wizard… or a mech pilot… or even Batman? If so, there’s an online game for that. But if you want to play online as a vampire or werewolf, as a fallen angel or an insatiable monster, well, you’re out of luck.''

''We at Clockwork Throne have seen that glaring hole in the Massively Multiplayer Online game market. We’ve watched as not one decade, but two decades, have gone by, and the big publishers have not stepped up. They don’t understand this dream, but like you, we’ve dreamt of ruling the night ever since our first encounter with the undead, in an RPG, on the pages of a book, or on the silver screen. They don’t get this dream. They won’t build it for us, so we’ll build it ourselves.''

Check out Shadow’s Kiss Vampire MMO on Kickstarter!

<hr style="margin: 2em 0 2em 0;">

Backer Shipping Addresses
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 [mailto:support@portalarium.com support@portalarium.com] is unblocked from your e-mail account! <br style="clear:both;">