Author Archives: Berek

Berek

About Berek

Senior Community Manager for Shroud of the Avatar.

Release 38 Offline Data Format Change – Character Preservation Notice

Greetings Avatars,

For Release 38, the Offline Mode save game format is changing to support new and upcoming gameplay features.

Here’s what you need to do in order to preserve your Offline Mode save games and characters:

  • Patch your game client to Release 38.
  • Load each saved game and then re-save. This will convert your save file into the latest format.
  • If you do not convert your saved games during Release 38, your saved games (from releases prior to R38) may not load.

If you do not convert your saved games during Release 38, your saved games (from releases prior to R38) may not load in releases after Release 38. In other words we cannot guarantee the ability to load pre-R38 saves after R38.

Our sincere apologies if this change causes any disruption in your gameplay. We always make every attempt to avoid having to make these kinds of requirements of our players when we make changes like this. After very careful consideration, we’ve deemed this change, and the accompanying requirement, as necessary. Please note that this change will not affect the online game or characters in any way.

As a reminder, Release 38 starts on January 26 and runs through February 22.

Please let us know if you have any questions on this update!

Thanks,
Berek


The Making of Brookside (with video sneak peek)

From last week’s Update of the Avatar #210:

Brookside is located in the Drachvald region in the northwest of Novia directly south of Spite. It is the hometown of Samael and was overrun by the Undead armies of Anapa not long ago. Players will encounter this town when following their quests along the Path of Love.

Brookside started as a cloned scene using one of our PRT / POT templates based off of the Forest 02 POT template (a forested variation of the Grasslands POT template). In Release 38, it is being rebuilt with new flora, new atmospheric settings like permanent fog, a graveyard, and other unique features. Note that when we un-clone these scenes, we do NOT change lot placements. We only make cosmetic changes of building styles, terrain, and foliage.

This week instead of screenshots Esteben “SorcerousSteve” Zaldivar created a short video that shows a little bit of what it takes to build a map like Brookside. In the video, SorcerousSteve is working on Brookside Manor. He writes:

“The town of Brookside has a history of being overrun by the undead, it is a dark foggy town nested in pine forest filled with wary town folks and decrepit buildings. This abandoned manor, once a luxurious estate, now lies in ruins just north of Brookside, a remnant of the undead overrun. The locals are careful not to get too close…”



Community Spotlight: Chateau du Lys – Player Owned Town

This week’s Player Owned Town spotlight features Chateau du Lys, brought you by your wood elf druid, Berek! A magnificent and thriving metropolis led by Duke Dariuss, Chateau du Lys is located on a spacious island near Kingsport in the Hidden Vale.

Chateau du Lys is a safe haven for people who like to be next to important cities such as Kingsport or Owl’s Head, and at the same time, to live in a peaceful, natural, beautiful environment. The town is based mainly on French culture and that reflects into their merchant NPC names and also by the PoT name itself. Many of the members are bilingual and love to share and learn with people from different cultures. It’s an amazing experience to live.

The island is also the home and headquarters of the guild Gardiens du Lys. It is connected to BattleDale PoT, which is accessible by boat from the main port. Chateau du Lys is a unique place in the Hidden Vale for people who like a variety of activities and locations to meet their needs.

Right from the entrance of the island, you can notice the natural beauty that nature in New Britannia can offer you. From the main port, you can see the warmth and welcoming path ahead, waiting for you to explore its mysteries. This is where I came in and began to explore the town around me.

Read more…


Community Spotlight: Styx – Player Owned Town

This latest Player Owned Town spotlight explores the Crossroads Village of Styx. Styx is a small island located off of the shores of Elysium, and is a short boat ride from the bustling city of Xenos.

Styx has only a short history as small but vibrant farming community, delivering much needed supplies to the resource heavy southern isle. It offers respite to travel weary adventurers and exhausted miners.

With the late Duke Kharon’s passing, his merchant son Kastagir returned from sea to assess his newly acquired estate and title. It had been many years since he had called this land home, and the island felt almost unknown to him upon his return.

Kastagir Kharon, the town Governor, waved from the city wall as I disembarked the mainland ferry. The journey was short, but the sea was choppy due to the storm and I was glad to be on dry land.

“Hello! Welcome to Styx!” Kastagir exclaimed as he shook me by the hand. “Come, you must be soaked? I have arranged food and board at the Ferryman Inn. We can see the sights in the morning when the weather has cleared. It’s going to be a fine day tomorrow!”

It was almost pitch black when I first arrived during the storm. I could barely make out the path beneath my feet, and a handful of faint silhouetted buildings as I was led to the inn. Sure enough, morning came and the storm lifted. We met back at the main gate and began the tour.

Read more…


The Making of Brookside

The last several weeks have seen Brookside scene development come to life. See below what level designer, Esteben Zaldivar, included in last week’s Update of the Avatar #208!

Brookside is located in the Drachvald region in the northwest of Novia directly south of Spite. It is the hometown of Samael and was overrun by the Undead armies of Anapa not long ago. Players will encounter this town when following their quests along the Path of Love. Brookside started as a cloned scene using one of our PRT / POT templates based off of the Forest 02 POT template (a forested variation of the Grasslands POT template). In Release 38 it is being rebuilt with new flora, new atmospheric settings like permanent fog, a graveyard, and other unique features. Note that when we un-clone these scenes, we do NOT change lot placements. We only make cosmetic changes of building styles, terrain, and foliage.

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

Hey guys, SorcerousSteve here once again to give you the latest scoop on my most recent map!

The town of Brookside is a village located in Drachvald between Spite and Rhun. It is the site where Samael lost his family. The village has a history of being overrun by the undead, it is a dark foggy town nestled in pine forest filled with wary town folks and decrepit buildings.

Inspiration shot after chatting with Art Lead Michael Hutchison.brookside1
Read more…


From Release 37.5: New Water Houses, Shogun Houses, Shogun Wearables, and New Emotes!

Just before the holidays we released a major content patch that included new homes that can be placed on water lots, new wearables and houses from our upcoming Shogun Bundles, and new emotes players can learn in the  game. Have a look below at what was added!

  • Shogun Wearables: These outfits were originally developed for the city of Ardoris and will be featured in the upcoming Shogun bundles. You can purchase these in the Add On Store and when molds launch in Q1 you will even be able to craft limited numbers after purchase.
    • Ardoris Guard Armor: This samurai inspired armor consists of 5 pieces including chest, helmet, gauntlets, boots, and legs.sota_ardoris_guard_armor_front
    • Ardoris Shogun Armor: Shogun Siranto who co-rules Ardoris from the Palace of the Mountain wears a version of this armor that players can now also wear. It comes in 4 pieces including chest, helmet, gloves, boots and legs.
    • Ardoris Priestess Robes: Priestess Khasi who co-rules Ardoris from the Palace of Winds wears these elegant robes and elaborate headpiece that players can also now wear. It consists of two pieces including robes and a headpiece.sota_ardoris_priestess_outfit_front

    Read more…


The New Britannia Carolers – Creative Writing Contest!

Sing along with us! The contest is simple and fun – for the next two weeks, from December 20, 2016 to January 3, 2017, we want to see what songs, poems, and other holiday stories you can come up with that are related to Shroud of the Avatar. Can include videos too if you like!

When you have something you wish to submit to the contest, post it in This Thread! You are allowed to edit your submission up until the end of the contest on January 3, 2017.

THEMES

Similar to the house decorating contest, we will be judging entries based on the following themes:

  • Most inventive…
  • Romantic theme
  • Holiday theme
  • Adventure theme
  • Character/NPC theme
  • PvP/Combat theme
  • Town/Scene theme
  • Funny TIP (see below for details)
  • A surprising theme! (please keep it clean and to the Community R&G)

Also like the house decorating contest, if a theme doesn’t get any entries, we will remove that theme and add a second winner to a theme that has multiple entries up for consideration.

Do not copy from existing copyrighted works! These must be original writings or video works. Please limit entries to no more than 800 words and 3 pages with up to 4 images (if you need imagery), or 3 minute videos or less. Shorter is usually better, so don’t feel you need to max out these limits!

YOUR FUNNY TIPS!

Thank you community for submitting over 400 loading screen tips so far! We need more though! This time we want your funny and witty tips. They should still be useful, accurate, and factual, but with a funny or witty twist added to them.

Learn about the tips initiative and how to submit yours here.

PRIZES

Each theme winner will be awarded $20 worth of in-game credit, as well as the 2016 Winter Holiday Soundtrack – Wax Cylinders (digital) store reward! Perfect for replaying those holiday tunes well into the 2017 new year.

Have fun being a creative writer, Avatars!

RULES & GUIDELINES

Since this is a value based contest, a committee of judges will be formed at Portalarium, and any tie breakers will be resolved by the committee. Any disputes or disagreements in the community on who ultimately won will NOT be tolerated as an open discussion in the forums. Please PM Berek in the forums instead.

Anyone attempting to subvert the contest in any way is subject to an immediate suspension and disqualification from the contest. Inappropriate/Vulgar submissions are prohibited and will also result in immediate disqualification.

  • Submissions containing any of the following are considered inappropriate:
  • Sexual content or references
  • Disparaging race/gender/group of people
  • Drug/alcohol abuse
  • Death/suicide of persons real or fake
  • Graphical bugs
  • Depicting the state of the game in a negative manner

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON, PLEASE SEE COMPLETE RULES FOR OTHER RESTRICTIONS. THIS IS A SKILL-BASED CONTEST. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. AFFIDAVIT OF ELIGIBILITY / RELEASE OF LIABILITY / PRIZE ACCEPTANCE AGREEMENT MAY BE REQUIRED.


Hangout of the Avatar ~ Release 37 Postmortem

UPDATE! Livestream has concluded. You can now watch the recording on YouTube here:

Original Announcement:

Join us Tuesday, December 20th at 3:00 PM Central (21:00 UTC) on Twitch for our monthly Hangout of the Avatar! The team will be chatting about the upcoming Release 37, the recent holiday events, and looking ahead to what’s going on in the next year!

As always, we will be giving out rare Lord British artifacts of immense power and glory, and answering your latest questions. For a chance to win an artifact, or to speak your voice on the latest game changes, be in Discord chat during the livestream. There will be multiple chances to win throughout the broadcast!

Read more…


Release 36 Lot Deed Raffle Winners

Yesterday we had the drawing for our latest Lot Deed Raffle and awarded 170 lot deeds to lucky winners whom are being announced today. There were two raffles, one for each lot type:

  • Place Anywhere Deeds: 20 Total
    • Row: 10
    • Village: 6
    • Town: 3
    • City: 1
  • Player Owned Town Deeds: 150 Total
    • Row: 80
    • Village: 40
    • Town: 20
    • City: 10

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 will vary each month). Place-Anywhere Deed raffle tickets are more expensive but will have fewer deeds in each raffle than POT raffle tickets, which are more affordable and will have many more deeds in each raffle. This means your chances to win a POT deed are much greater.

This is the first raffle where we limited winners to one deed per raffle type. Visit the forums to read more about this recent change.

Below is a complete list of the winners for this release’s raffle. Winners can claim their deed(s) simply by logging into the game and claiming rewards at any bank.  A reminder that you may have received multiple deeds to claim if you received tickets for a guild or other group.

If you wish to review all of your account rewards outside of the game, you can do so by going to the Account menu on the main website and then selecting the ‘Special Rewards’ tab in the page menu.

Listed below are the winners:

Read more…


Community Spotlight: Numinous Gleann – Player Owned Town

Today’s community spotlight explores the metropolis of Numinous Gleann. Adjoined to Ardoris, the city of Love in the South, you will discover that Numinous Glenn is but a nice weekend trip from many other nearby towns.

We are touring all kinds of towns and talking with guilds and other groups throughout this spotlight series, brought to you by Berek, your community wood elf druid.

Entering from the main bridge, I saw the prominent Statues of the Virtues guarding the town center. Just beyond the statues was a farm of greenhouses for as far as the eye could see. Already in awe of the great sights I was witnessing, I knew I was going to enjoy my time here.

As I walked across the main bridge, I was greeted by a Town Crier, who welcomed me to Numinous Gleann and quickly introduced me to govenor Frederick Glasgow.

Frederick escorted me to the the town’s common crafting area, located in the shadows of the Statues of the three Virtues. The members of the Numinous Gleann Merchant Society are just a few steps away under a row of awnings and ready to assist everyone that comes on by.

Read more…