Update of the Avatar/Update 254

Avatar's Update #254, posted posted_on::November 17th 2017

Avatar’s Update #254: Play Release 48 Now!
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
 * Play Release 48 Now!
 * Winter 2017 and R47 Telethon Items
 * Release 48 Postmortem Telethon – Dec.1
 * Release 48 Major Artifact Changes Clarifications
 * Survey: Your Shroud of the Avatar Gameplay Experience
 * BrightLocker’s Crowd Equity Campaign Shroud of the Avatar Perks
 * Community Wellness with the Meretz Fitness App
 * Cyber Monday Crown Bonus Continues
 * Russian Version Launch Sale Week 3: Home and Outdoor Decorations
 * Livestream: Scottie’s Yuletide Gifts
 * R47 Lot Deed Raffle Winners
 * Upcoming Events Calendar
 * Contest: The Avatar’s Guide to Knowledge and Virtue
 * Party: Portalarium Studio Grand Holiday Party – Jan. 12
 * Event: R48 Welcome Quest in Veritas Sanctuary
 * Resources: Players Helping Players
 * Recommended Project to Support: Underworld Ascendant



Play Release 48 Now!


Release 48 successfully launched yesterday, November 16, with thousands of backers downloading, patching, and logging in to check out the changes! There’s lots of new content to explore, including:


 * Reduced Load Times
 * Volumetric Lighting
 * Story Polish
 * More Side Quests
 * Solace Bridge Outskirts Polish
 * 3 New Tier 2 Mines
 * Artifacts Enchantable/Masterworkable
 * More Unique Components
 * Virtue Gear
 * UI Polish
 * Combat Balance
 * Winter Holiday Items
 * R46 Telethon Items
 * Movember Make A Difference Items
 * Audio Polish
 * VFX Polish
 * POT Tree & Grass Removers
 * POT Deco Limits Increased
 * R47 Lot Deed Raffle Winners
 * R47 QA Testing Incentive Winners

…and much more

Check out the Release 48 Instructions update for detailed information about all the new content.

We need all your help with testing the new patches, putting more stress on our multiplayer servers, and testing the new game content, so please join us in playing this Release!

If you have not backed the game yet, go to www.shroudoftheavatar.com and click the “Play Now” button. Game Early Access is also available on Steam Early Access.

Release 48 Player Instructions

Release 48 Known Issues



Winter 2017 and R47 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 thread about the Winter 2017 items and started the thread about the R47 Telethon 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.''

Winter Pattern Glass Floor Lamp (Winter Recurring)



Winter Pattern Glass Ceiling Lamp (Winter Recurring)



Gingerbread House (in-game craftable): This will be a cooking recipe for a small home tabletop decoration that will first require you to make gingerbread!



Release 47 Postmortem Rewards (Icy)

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

We have now begun working on the R47 Postmortem rewards which were Icy themed.

Ice Bow:



Winter Pattern Glass Oil Table Lamp:



Ice Staff:





Release 48 Postmortem Telethon – Dec. 1


Greetings Avatars,

The next Postmortem Telethon, for Release 48, is already fast approaching! The winter season has fully set in and we’re celebrating with holiday stretch goal items ready to be achieved. This telethon is on December 1!

The R48 telethon is going to mark a new format for some items. We will be somewhat going back to briefer Deep Dives. Also, we will be focusing more on related questions to those Deep Dives. Please see below on what questions we will and will not be taking.

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 December 1:


 * 3:00PM: Introductions and Postmortem Q&A
 * 3:45PM: Deep Dive 1: Advanced Combat, Skills, Leveling
 * 4:30PM: World Building Tour
 * 5:30PM: Deep Dive 2: Economy, Crafting, Artifacts, Loot
 * 6:15PM: Postmortem Q&A Continues
 * 7:00PM: Ending Announcements

''There are NO expirations this telethon. Schedule is subject to change. Check back here before the livestream begins!''

STRETCH GOALS (Frosty 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 December 1 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: Icicles Pattern Cloak
 * $25K: Ice Hot Tub
 * $35K: Ice Elemental Statue with icy effects
 * $50K: Ice Sword & Ice Shield
 * $65K: Ice Crown, Ice & Snow Themed Gown, and Ice Wand
 * $80K: Ice Dragon Statue with icy effects

CHEER ON THE DEVS!

For every $2,500 donated, all developers on camera have to either dance, sing, or perform some other act of amazement.

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:


 * Viking Bundles
 * Obsidian Bundles
 * Kobold Bundles
 * Elven Bundles
 * Shogun Bundles
 * Make a Difference
 * Home Decorations
 * Outdoor Decorations
 * POT Upgrades, Homes and Basements
 * Pets and Music
 * Emotes and Fireworks
 * Dyes, and Patterns

WIN THESE GREAT PRIZES!


 * Frosty 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 of the original post or on Discord chat during the event.

 Please do NOT post: 


 * More than 3 questions in total
 * Bugs or other problems best posted in the bug forums
 * “When is this coming”, “Why isn’t this in the game yet”, or anything related to schedule (for those answers please refer to our quarterly updates or our post release plans)
 * Questions with more than a couple of sentences. Please keep them brief! We will likely understand the context of your interest, so just ask the question and we’ll be able to respond.

For bug reports and extra idea suggestions, please use forums for this purpose.

Keep an eye on @ShroudofAvatar for updates before, during, and after the livestream. See you on Twitch at 3:00 PM CT on December 1!



Release 48 Major Artifact Changes Clarifications
As mentioned previously we have made various changes to the way Artifacts work in R48. We have made a couple of clarifications in the original post.

&#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.
 * No Gem Socketing (new 11/16/17): At this time Artifacts are not eligible for Gem Socketing. This is unlikely to change.
 * No Belts (new 11/16/17): Since belts do not yet exist in the crafting system artifact belts are not yet eligible for any enchanting nor masterworking. This will not change until belts can be crafted.
 * Max Repair via Crowns (new 11/17/17): After much feedback and consideration we are going to re-enable Max Repair via Crowns in an upcoming patch (watch the patch notes). Current Durability will still need to be repaired via Artifact Essences (not repair kits).



Survey: Your Shroud of the Avatar Gameplay Experience
We invite you to participate in a survey we’ve created with support from our partner, Travian Games, to help us better understand your gameplay experiences and expectations.

Check your email inbox for “Your Shroud of the Avatar Gameplay Experience” from us to complete the survey!

Please fill out the survey by November 21, 2017.

As a thank you for providing your feedback, we will award all completed survey accounts 1 COTO, and include your account in the chance to win one of the following great prizes:


 * Elven Elite Archer Armor
 * Sigil Fur Cloak Pack
 * Lord British Shield
 * Darkstarr Shield
 * Viking 3-Story Stronghold Town Home
 * Village Tax Free Bundle of choice (First Level only)

This prize list is specific to this survey. If you’ve participated in other surveys, you will be entered into a separate prize pool for that survey. In future weekly updates you can expect to see a more broad survey being introduced beyond this Gameplay specific one.

We thank you very much for your valuable feedback! 

BrightLocker’s Crowd Equity Campaign Shroud of the Avatar Perks
We are providing BrightLocker’s crowd equity campaign on StartEngine with some special in-game Shroud of the Avatar items! Support BrightLocker and you can receive the following bundle, along with many of their other offered Perks:

 Golden Viking 1-Story Village Home (this is NOT the same as the one for SeedInvest)
 * Shroud of the Avatar Game Access
 * Golden Viking 1-Story Village Home
 * Tax Free Player Owned Town Village Lot Deed





Tax Free Player Owned Town Village Lot Deed



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.

At present, BrightLocker has over a dozen games hosted on the platform. 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.

Visit the official BrightLocker campaign page to learn more on how their unique platform works.



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!



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 3: Home and Outdoor Decorations


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

We are now on Week 3 (Nov. 17-23) and all of the game’s Home and Outdoor Decorations are on sale!

Featured Home Decorations:


 * Burled Wood Antique Furniture Set (digital)
 * Gift Boxes 3-Pack Assortment 1 (digital)
 * Glowing Mushroom Pack (digital)
 * Ornate Tabletop Moondial (digital)
 * Sigil Tapestry Set (digital)
 * Tabletop Tree Pack (digital)
 * Wall Clock Set (digital)

View dozens of more home decorations in the Add-on Store!

Featured Outdoor Decorations:


 * Bamboo Tree 6-Pack (digital)
 * Music Sign 9-Pack (digital)
 * Ornate Bone Chimes (digital)
 * Ornate Gazebo (digital)
 * Ornate Prison Cage (digital)
 * Topiary Statue Pack (digital)
 * Viking Palisade Castle Walls (digital)

View dozens of more outdoor decorations in the Add-on Store!

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



Livestream: Scottie’s Yuletide Gifts
A great deal of content is being planned for Release 48 in the form of yuletide seasonal decorations and other placeable or wearable items. Scott “Scottie” Jones was on last week’s livestream to show off new gift boxes, stockings, and more that he’s designed. Reid Rollo and Bob Cooksey also made an appearance to talk about their own Yuletide items going in R48.



For more livestreams and gameplay videos, be sure to subscribe to www.youtube.com/portalarium!



R47 Lot Deed Raffle Winners
The latest Lot Deed Raffle was drawn with deeds awarded to the following lucky winners! 

There were two raffles, one for each lot type:

Place Anywhere Deeds: 10 Total


 * Row: 5
 * Village: 3
 * Town: 1
 * City: 1

Player Owned Town Deeds: 10 Total


 * Row: 5
 * Village: 3
 * Town: 1
 * City: 1

Raffle tickets grant the holder a chance to win deeds of any size (Row, Village, Town, or City). Raffles will be held monthly (total deed numbers may vary each month). Winners can claim their deed(s) simply by logging into the game and claiming rewards at any bank.

Release 48 Lot Deed Raffle has begun! Details in the forums.



Upcoming Events Calendar
Nov 17 – 23, 2017 – Russian Version Launch Sale Week 3: Home and Outdoor Decorations Nov 22 – Dec 13, 2017 – Next Free Trial Dec 1, 2017 – R48 Postmortem Telethon Dec 14, 2017 – Release 49 Jan 12, 2018 – Portalarium Grand Holiday Party 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.



Contest: The Avatar’s Guide to Knowledge and Virtue


Do you have in-depth knowledge on a feature in the game that new players should know more about? Would you call yourself an expert in a particular field of gameplay? This is your chance to create a valuable how-to video that can be shown to the entire community (and help grow your channel as well!)

The ‘Avatar’s Guide to Knowledge and Virtue’ video contest kicks off today. You have from Nov. 17, 2017 to Jan. 15, 2018 to design a walkthrough video for all New Britannians to use as a resource for making their way successfully in the game.

When you have a video to submit, please post it in This Thread. You are allowed to edit your posts up until the submission deadline on Jan. 15, 2018 at 11:59 PM CT (Jan. 16 at 5:59 AM UTC). We will be posting all final videos on Portalarium’s YouTube channel in a Playlist after the contest ends.

Below are the details of the contest, including what you can win!

&#91;Read More…&#93;

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Party: Portalarium Studio Grand Holiday Party – Jan. 12


Let it be known far and wide that a Grand Holiday Party will be held at the Portalarium Studios and in Shroud of the Avatar on Friday, January 12, 2018 at 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM Central Standard Time (US)(2300 UTC to 0400 UTC).

We are going to have a lot of fun and activities for people attending in Austin AND also all those online from around the world:


 * Meet the Developers
 * Plenty of Drinks and Food
 * White elephant gift exchange
 * Games, Storytelling and Jokes
 * Live in-game party in Shroud of the Avatar
 * Video live stream
 * Live music
 * Twitch streaming
 * Audio streaming
 * Discord chat

Visit the discussion forums for details on this community hosted party!

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Event: R48 Welcome Quest in Veritas Sanctuary


You are invited to join the Welcome Quest in Release 48. It will be held on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017 starting at 12pm (Noon) CT and lasting an hour. Greagoir Pendragon will be active 30 minutes before the event and during the event. We are traveling to the town of Veritas Sanctuary. Located southeast from Blood River.

Exciting stuff! Are you with us?

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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.

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Recommended Project to Support – Underworld Ascendant
We’ve been following the development of Underworld Ascendant for a while now, ever since it appeared on Kickstarter. New updates have been posted as the game approaches a launch in the second half of 2018:

''Underworld Ascendant is the next-generation follow-up to Ultima Underworld, the critically acclaimed series credited with creating the ‘Immersive Sim’ genre and influencing such game series as Bioshock, Deus Ex, Dishonored, Elder Scrolls, and even Minecraft. OtherSide Entertainment, which includes original creators of the Ultima Underworld series, is innovating upon the series’ signature player-authored gameplay in bold new ways.''

Underworld Ascendant will be published on Steam for PC. Players can Wishlist the game now at: http://store.steampowered.com/app/692840.

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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;">