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

Female Peasant Wearables

In Release 50 we replaced all the art for our female peasants to upgrade the visuals and in Release 53 we did another iteration on their faces for further improvements. For Release 55 we are making wearable versions of the Female Peasant clothing that will be available in-game as either recipes or patterns. There will be eight dresses, two hats, and three shoes. All of the cloth items will be dye-able.

Plaid Shawl Peasant Dress

Short Sleeved Barmaid Dress

Long Sleeved Barmaid Dress

Shawl and Apron Peasant Dress

Apron Peasant Dress

Shawl Peasant Dress

Short Sleeved Pockets Peasant Dress

Long Sleeved Pockets Peasant Dress

The Making of Shaminian Hills (cont.)

This hilly Tier 3 scene in the Midmaer region is filled with giant outcroppings of blue crystals. It is also the site of an ancient open air cathedral and a monastery, both long abandoned but still possessed of ancient power. Ebon Dawn Cultists are rumored to be here trying to unlock the mysteries of this place and where the Ebon Dawn are the undead are often nearby as well.

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

I have a few more screenshots to share. Temple Ruins Obsidian camp Wilderness Chris Wolf

Level Designer

Heraldry Items (cont.)

We continue to expand the number of items that you can use to show off your heraldry. This week we added a Heraldry Basement Hatch.

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

Heraldry Basement Hatch: For Release 54 we are finally making a variety of basement hatches. Reid Rollo has made hatches based on our various bundle themes (Viking, Elven, etc.) as well as Darkstarr and Lord British hatches. Of course we wanted to make one where you could show off your heraldry! Meanwhile players continue to post pics of their heraldry in the thread they started a few weeks ago and the results are still wonderful! We also started a new thread to help players with heraldry creation. Here are some of the latest player pictures:

Release 54 on the QA Server

An very early version of R54 went live on the QA server this week for compatibility testing on a new version of Unity. Today we also posted an early version of the R54 post for review and feedback.

R54 is full of new content most of which is now on the QA server for early testing.

Performance Improvements

Scene Rebuilds: Westend (town), Shaminian Hills, Upper Tears

New User Experience Polish: More Hints

Companion Behavior & Abilities Polish

Scene Polish: Brittany NPC Convos, Wandering Merchant Encounter

Virtue Effects for Gear

Side Quests: Companion Gear, Emotes, Soltown Sewers

Heraldry Items: Chest, Basement Hatch, Standing Banners, Gloves, Boots

Recipes: Bathtubs, Tea Service, Elven Lights, Crate, Barrel, Cloak, Recorder

Housing & Decorations: Storefront Homes, Basement Inns, Basement Hatches, Standing Banners

User Interface Polish: Containers in Containers, Field of View

New Plunderer Skeletons

R52 Livestream Items: Obsidian Order!

and more!

Testing on QA makes you eligible for Testing Incentive Rewards including gold crowns, the Ant Farm, Antennae, Bug Cloak and Paintings.

NPC Submission Requests: Central Brittany

Earlier this week Scott “Lum” Jennings posted our latest request for NPC submissions for Central Brittany. This is for Developer+ level backers who are eligible for the “Design an NPC” reward “Help create and name a character in the game”.

For reference here is our current status on which towns we have done this work on and which towns remain to be done:

Done:

Aerie

Ardoris

Braemar (no backer NPCs)

Brittany Wharfs

Desolis

Estgard

Etceter

Graff Island

Jaanaford

Kiln

Kingsport (no backer NPCs)

Northwood

Owl’s Head (no backer NPCs)

Resolute

Solania (no backer NPCs)

Soltown (no backer NPCs)

Spite

Xenos

Yew

In progress:

Central Brittany

To be done:

Bramble

Brittany Fields

Broochash

Brookside

Celestis

Eastmarch

Elad’s Lighthouse

Fortus End

Goti

Mud

Noreach

Point West

Port Graff

Storm’s Reach

Westend

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Scott “Lum” Jennings]

Thank you for your continuing support of Shroud of the Avatar! This month, we’re seeking entries for what many of you have been waiting for – the very center of Novia, and home to Lady Arabella and the Oracle, the central district of the jewel of New Britannia, Brittany!

Because of Brittany’s size, this will be the only area we are adding backer NPCs to for this release. If you do NOT want your backer NPC to be in central Brittany for whatever reason, or if you absolutely have a character who should be in a given city not named Brittany, you should wait until we advertise for that city. We do plan on eventually populating every city in the game with unique NPCs!

First, some brief notes:

Brittany has many NPCs which are not currently unique. Thus, the NPCs are already in the game, but we can change appearance (to a degree, as seen below), gender, etc. to suit your request. If you want to pick a specific NPC (for example, one near your own house) we will do our best to accommodate you but may not be able to.

NPC visual customization, as you may have noticed, is still at a very early stage in development. Right now for the backers who want to be added to Brittany, we cannot offer any visual customization options beyond our standard gallery of NPC models. (Do note, however, that we frequently add to that gallery – the pool has doubled over the past 6 months, for example.) If you would like to have input over the visual customization of your NPC, you can wait for further releases when we can offer this. We will also allow a one-time visual re-customization once customization has been added if you would like to add your NPC now.

There are MANY NPCs within Brittany’s walls. Although we will be accepting submissions on a first come first serve basis, if you are a Developer+-tier backer (as in, you can see this post), you are welcome to submit an NPC of your own design, but people who have not yet submitted an NPC will take priority over those who have. If your NPC doesn’t appear in central Brittany, feel free to respond again in future posts. We still have quite a few towns and cities to populate!

When responding, please list a first and second choice for profession.

Due to the great number of NPCs to populate this release, the amount of custom dialog we can add will by necessity be limited. If you would like specific custom dialog added for your NPC, it would help us GREATLY if you could submit in the form of [keyword that triggers a response] [the response desired] so that we have a better idea of how you would like that NPC implemented. We reserve the right to edit or change any dialog submitted, or not use it if we feel it inappropriate for the NPC or the game in general.

Things that will cause Lum to send you a regretful message saying we can’t use your NPC’s background: if your NPC has a backstory that contradicts the lore of the game (“my grandfather helped Aren Bennis win the Obsidian Wars”), thinly-disguised advertisements for your player-owned town or guild, references to races or major events that do not appear in-game (“my mother was an orc”), or a name that is an obvious reference to a real person, popular fictional character, or historical figure.

This is currently for the central district of Brittany ONLY. We will be opening all of Brittany for NPC placement in stages. (There are MANY NPCs in Greater Brittany!)

As central Brittany is so large, if you would like to note which district the NPC is in, that would be a fantastic help to us! (Note that obviously if all the NPCs in that district/street are taken, we’ll let you know. Also, not all NPCs listed appear in all districts. Please ensure a given NPC is in a district chosen if you choose one to avoid your selection being turned down.) The districts of Brittany are: South (near the Alleys, near the Fields), the Docks, Northeast (near the Wharfs, near the Estates) , the Castle, and North (near the Graveyard).

NPCs for Brittany should be human only, please.

Still with us? Great! Here’s what we need for central Brittany:

49 46 guards

46 guards 4 3 nobles

3 nobles 31 27 citizens/travelers

27 citizens/travelers 1 guild registrar

2 bankers

2 town criers

2 public vendors

2 1 combat trainers

1 combat trainers 1 crafting trainer

2 1 bakers

1 bakers 1 butcher

3 1 fishermen

1 fishermen 1 alchemist

1 magic supplies salesperson

1 cooking supplies salesperson

6 4 farming supplies salespersons

4 farming supplies salespersons 1 textiles salesperson

2 weapons salespersons

1 crafting supplies salesperson

2 1 housing decorations salespersons

1 housing decorations salespersons 2 1 housing deeds salespersons

1 housing deeds salespersons 1 tavernkeeper

If you’d like to have your namesake be a resident of central Brittany, please respond via private message on this forum to me (Lum) using the following format:

NPC name:

NPC gender:

NPC profession (first choice):

NPC profession (second choice):

District NPC appears (optional):

NPC background (optional): A paragraph on whom your NPC is, how they would respond to nosy outlanders poking about their business, what brings them to Central Brittany (or keeps them there), or anything else you’d like to add. We may or may not use this background, and reserve the right to edit and/or reject any background that does not fit the lore and setting of the game.

Please specify in your submission that this NPC is for Central Brittany.

We will respond if: your NPC is used; if it is rejected for whatever reason (such as an inappropriate name); if a supplied background is inappropriate, or if your NPC missed the cutoff for this release.

Thanks for your support, and the Lady Arabella welcomes you to Brittany!

Portalarium is Hiring: Web Developer

We currently have an opening for a Web Developer for Shroud of the Avatar. Qualifications for the ideal candidate are:

Minimum 5 years industry experience

*nix experience (OpenBSD or Linux)

CSS

Web development experience (PHP, web services, JavaScript)

Relational database architecture experience (MySql preferred)

Server deployment and cluster orchestration (virtual and/or dedicated machines)

Server load balancing, traffic prioritization, etc.

Extensive experience with server security

Strong debugging skills

Ability to work in unstructured, non-hierarchical environment

BONUS SKILLS (any one or more of these): NoSQL experience Strong C#/C++ skills Windows programming experience ASP.NET Mac development MMO game development experience Minimum of at least 1 shipped game



If you’d like to join the Portalarium Tribe working on the ground-breaking Shroud of the Avatar game, please submit your resume to jobs@portalarium.com. Provide links to your work (if possible), including gameplay, video footage, and document forms (images, maps, and event descriptions).

Weekend Flash Sale: Statues

In Release 53 we added six new Elf Statues. In honor of those new statues all statues, big and small, are on sale the weekend!

Visit the Main Store to view more items! Also, you’ll want to explore the game in detail for many more craftable items available!

Upcoming Events Calendar

May 31, 2018 – Release 54

June 4, 2018 – R54 Livestream: Tropics!

June 28, 2018 – Release 55

July 6, 2018 – R55 Livestream: Lord British’s Birthday!

July 26, 2018 – Release 56

Aug 10 – 11, 2018 – Syndcon

Aug 21 – 25, 2018 – Gamescom

Aug 30, 2018 – Release 57

Aug 30 – Sept 3 – Dragon Con

Sept 27, 2018 – Release 58

Oct 11-13, 2018 – SOTACON Austin 2018

Oct 25, 2018 – Release 59

Nov 15, 2018 – Release 60

Dec 13, 2018 – Release 61

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.

Livestream: Looking For Group & Heraldry

We kicked off the show with a look at the new Looking For Group (LFG) feature!

After looking for a group, we then showed a bunch of cool stuff about heraldry, including visiting a player town to have a look at some of the existing community heraldry on display.

Don’t know what heraldry is all about, or how to submit your designs? We explained this on the livestream as well!

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

Elaina’s Lost Bow Quest

So… what is “Elaina’s Lost Bow”? In short I’ve started to create a set of bows attuned to each of the magic disciplines (Fire, Water, Air, etc). One day I accidentally sold my Atenism (Sun) bow (it will have Masterworks/Enchants on it) to one of the vendors… So some fortunate Avatar may find it as a loot drop from one of the mobs out there in the land… And I would like it back. And as a reward for finding my lost bow!

Details in the forums!

Rauchbier Platz – Virtue, Chaos and Brewing Quests

Rauchbier Platz is proud to present three ongoing quests that all are welcome to attempt. These quests will test your virtuous (or not so virtuous) nature, and will have lasting effects when you visit our town. These are “self-service” quests, in that you can do them at your leisure (apart from a portion of one quest described below).

Oh, and there are rewards for completing the quest line and ongoing chances for rewards based on how you complete them!

What are the quests and how do I find them?

Three quests have been constructed in the player owned town of Rauchbier Platz (see the end of this post for directions to town). All three quests begin in the Walhalla Museum of Virtue, Chaos and Brewing; signs and notes in town and just inside the museum will help guide you to the start of the quests. Three books inside the museum will start the quests.

Virtue Quest – A Friend’s Sacrifice

A woman needs your help to try and steer her friend back onto the path of the virtues, will you sacrifice your own things or will you push her toward the path of chaos?

Chaos Quest – An Opportunity for Chaos

A theft of invaluable treasure has occurred in Rauchbier Platz. Recover the treasure and confront Hannah Alpenglow in the most chaotic spot in Rauchbier Platz. Will you return the treasure to its rightful owner or invoke chaos? (Hannah will be role playing here – A PVP duel with Hannah may occur based on the path you choose!).

Brewing Quest – Strange Brew

Dark forces are threatening the Alpenglow’s brewing livelihood – can you follow the clues, solve the mystery and save the day? Will you choose the virtuous path or cover things up to acquire more wealth?

(The Strange Brew quest is likely the longest, but the other two are fairly quick, assuming you can flag me down for the chaos quest.)

Details in the forums!

Win a $50 Gift Card to RelicsbyRild.com!

Enter today (and every day this May!) for a chance to win a $50 gift card to @relicsbyrild to snag some sweet, sweet Shroud of the Avatar merchandise!

Relicsbyrild.com is an entirely community run website and service. See what else they offer players!

Recommended Projects to Support – Wasteland 3

Our friends over at inXile are well on their way to developing Wasteland 3! The game is a party-based role-playing game with complex story reactivity and strategic combat. It also features an engaging story utilizing a newly-revamped dialog tree system from Torment: Tides of Numenera!

By including vehicles, environmental dangers, and a revamped action system, inXile is evolving on Wasteland 2’s deep tactical turn-based combat and unique encounter design. Play solo or with a friend in story-driven synchronous or asynchronous multiplayer. Choices open or close off mission opportunities, areas to explore, story arcs, and lots of other content.

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.