Greetings Fellow Avatars!
Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:
- Raise the Underworld
- New Pledge Rewards: Bank Slots
- Receiving Pledge Rewards and Add-On Items in Release 14
- Time.com includes SotA in Top 50 Most Anticipated Games of 2015
- The Release 15 Grand Tour Silver Jester Carnival Mask
- Limited Edition Jester Carnival Mask
- Massively Overpowered Kickstarter
- $10 for $10 Bonus Promotion
- Novia Overworld Work-In-Progress
- Changes to Store Credit Conversions
- In-game Community Weekend Events
- Last Chance Exclusives
- Steam Access Keys Available for All Backers
- How to Cancel Monthly Payment Plans
- This Week In The News
- Upcoming Events
Otherside Entertainment launched their Underworld Ascendant Kickstarter campaign this Wednesday, February 4th. They got off to a great start and have almost reached half their funding goal in just a few short days!
As we described last week, our long-time friend and former Origin protégé, Paul Neurath, is rebooting the legendary Ultima Underworld games. It has been more than a decade long wait, but the stars have aligned and Paul has long last freed the rights to move forward with the franchise. We’re especially excited that, just as the original Ultima and Underworld shared a connection on backstory and fictional elements, so too will Shroud of the Avatar and Underworld Ascendant.
Additionally, we are teaming up with Underworld so that backers of both games can get special in-game items. Here’s the description from the Underworld Kickstarter page:
Shroud of the Avatar Special Item
To celebrate our history with the realms of Lord British, we’re teaming up to prepare a special
item for backers who also support Shroud of the Avatar. Watch this space to learn more soon.
We’ll announce in an upcoming update what the special Underworld/SotA co-backer item will be, so stay tuned!
Be sure and check out the Underworld Ascendant Kickstarter site, and if you are as excited about it as we are, then show your support and make a pledge to Raise the Underworld!
For more information on Underworld Ascendant, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Richard Garriott (Ultima, Shroud of the Avatar) – “For those of us lifelong gamers that go back to the early days of the Underworld franchise, created by Paul Neurath, it represented a watershed event on what an immersive 3D true role-playing game could be. Personally I am as excited about Underworld returning as any game I can imagine.”
Chris Roberts (Star Citizen, Wing Commander) – “Underworld was the first truly 3D textured first-person game… it influenced pretty much all first person 3D games that came afterwards.”
“Most modern gamers probably don’t realize how much their favorite games owe to classic first-person RPG Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss, which laid the foundations back in 1992 for games as diverse as Deus Ex, Bioshock and the Elder Scrolls series.” – GameWatcher, January 2015
“But to cast the game as a distant godfather of modern gaming is to misunderstand it: Underworld isn’t done. Looking Glass’ first series was ended prematurely – and Paul Neurath intends to finish it.” – PCGamesN, January 2015
“After 20 years of trying –– and finally succeeding –– to acquire the franchise rights from Electronic Arts, Neurath said the decision to fund the project through Kickstarter has a number of appealing possibilities for the team –– artistic independence, creative leeway and transparency for backers”. – IGN, January 2015
New Pledge Rewards: Bank Slots
Release 14 included Bank storage as a major new feature. For that initial release, we gave everyone a fixed bank size that could hold 1000 items. Starting with Release 15, initial bank size will be based on pledge level. The bigger the pledge the more bank slots you will start with. We came to the starting number by looking at the number of items a starting player begins with and then we rounded that up to the nearest integer of 5 and then doubled that number. This means you will start with a little more than double the number of slots you need. For our highest three tiers we increased beyond that by several orders. Current thinking is that players will be able to purchase additional slots with in-game gold (up to a limit) and expansions beyond that will be purchasable through the add on store.
Please note that the exact numbers for bank slots will be iterated on over the next several months, but we believe these numbers are a good first approximation. Over the next week we will add the numbers to each pledge so you can view on our website exactly how much you get with each pledge. Here, for example, are the starting bank numbers for Benefactor-era backers:
Receiving Pledge Rewards and Add-On Items in Release 14
As mentioned in previous updates, backers will start receiving their pledge rewards and Add-On items in-game when they log into Release 14, which launched January 28. For all the previous Releases we would freely populate these reward items throughout the game for anyone to find. But those reward items are no longer be freely available. Instead, you will be able to find your Add-On items and the rewards included in your pledge tier at the new banks. In R14, there will be a banker NPC in every map where there is player housing because when you switch houses or unclaim a lot, all the decorations will go to your bank. In most locations the Town Crier is now also a banker.
Banks are local only. You can see your items in other bank locations (they appear in location tabs), but you can only access the items in the bank you are currently at. Pledge rewards are an exception to this and can be accessed from any location.
(NOTE: there are some Add-On and Pledge reward items that have not been built yet so you may notice some of your items not showing up in your bank. If you delete your character, all equipped and inventory items, including pledge reward items, will be deleted and cannot be recovered until the next wipe).
Time.com includes SotA in Top 50 Most Anticipated Games of 2015
We were excited to see Shroud of the Avatar included in the Time.com Top 50 Games for 2015 across every major gaming platform!
“These are the 50 most Anticipated Video Games of 2015. Check out the biggest games coming to PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U and 3DS this year…” – TIME.com
Release 15 Grand Tour Quest Reward: Silver Jester Carnival Mask
Just as in our past several releases, we’re including a Grand Tour Quest in R15 designed to guide you through all the new content. Just in time for the Carnival season, you will be rewarded with a Silver Jester Carnival Mask when you complete the R15 Grand Tour Quest. This reward can only be unlocked during Release 15 (did someone say rares?), so be sure to log in to R15 starting February 26 and talk to all the Tour Guides!
Time is Running Out to Get Your R14 Grand Tour Quest Reward
Better hurry if you want to add the Hennin Hat to your collection because the R14 Grand Tour Quest ends on February 26 when we launch Release 15. If you need help getting your R14 Hennin Hat reward, then check out The Mad Hermit’s video guide to completing the R14 Grand Tour Quest:
Special Edition Jester Carnival Mask
In celebration of Carnival season, this Special Edition Jester Carnival Mask is available in the Add-On Store until March 31st! Get yours while they’re available!
Massively Overpowered Kickstarter
We recently reported the very sad news that Massively was being closed down, and that we were including a tombstone for them in SotA. We’re now excited to report that Massively has started a Kickstarter campaign to keep their site going! Here’s an excerpt from their Kickstarter page:
Since 2007, gamers have been relying on Massively.com to deliver independent news and editorials about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) genre. But in early 2015, in spite of the site’s strong and diverse audience and traffic, our corporate overlords decided to sunset the profitable Joystiq network and other enthusiast blogs, jettison the veteran staff with little notice, and archive our 20,000+ articles.
The former Massively crew is not giving up so easily. We provided a unique lens through which to view MMORPGs, with diligent editorial oversight, honest opinions, and truly independent coverage, and we did so sustainably. We’d like to keep on doing what we were doing only better, not just because we love MMO blogging but because we know that our community and the greater MMO fandom is unique and worth serving.
Now we’re turning to our readers and fans and the genre itself to ask whether or not this is something you love and want as badly as we do. If it is, we will deliver it to you from our new MMO site: Massively Overpowered on massivelyOP.com.
So, head on over to the Massively Overpowered Kickstarter site and if you like what you see then pledge your support!
Only 3 Days Left to get Your $10 for $10 Bonus
If you make any single purchase of $10 or more on the SotA website between 7pm CST January 30 12 am CST January 31 and 10 am CST February 9 we will make a one-time deposit of an extra $10 into your Store Credit! [UPDATE: Due to some confusion over the starting time of the promotion, we moved the starting time 5 hours earlier. Anyone who made a qualifying purchase between 7 pm and midnight on January 30 will see the $10 bonus has now been added to their Store Credit]
[NOTE: The $10 for $10 offer can be exercised only once during the promotion period. $10 Store Credit should show up in your account within 24 hours of a qualifying purchase]
Novia Overworld Work-In-Progress
For the last few weeks we’ve been showing you glimpses of Abe Robertson’s work on the Novia Overworld. Abe’s been busy over the past week and has some updated images of his Novia Overworld work-in-progress (which we hope to include in Release 15):
Changes to Store Credit Conversions
If you wish to convert any of your purchased Add-On items to Store Credit, you will need to do so before logging into Release 14.
The instant you log into R14 all of your available Pledge reward items and available Add-On items will be flagged as “claimed” and deposited in your in-game bank. Once the Add-On items are “claimed” they cannot be converted to Store Credit until the next wipe (which is currently unpredictable). After you’ve logged into R14, the “Convert to Credits” button on your account page will be deactivated for all those items available in the game, so if you had any plans to sell back some of your Add-On items, make sure you do it before you log into R14!
We intend to change the claiming process in an upcoming Release so that items are not automatically claimed when logging in, but will require you to actively claim them in your bank before they can be used.
If you purchase any new Add-On items, or upgrade your Pledge tier, those new items and upgraded rewards will automatically appear in your in-game bank the next time you log into the game (providing those items are available in the game).
In-game Weekend Community Events
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Our amazing community has another great lineup of in-game events planned for this weekend. If you missed out on these player events during the previous Releases, we highly recommend you check some of them out this weekend. Here is the latest schedule of player events from the Avatar’s Circle Community Events calendar (http://avatarscircle.com/community-events/):
Saturday, February 7
9:00am CST – PaxLair Working Hours – Host Winfield (Valemark)
9:300am CST – All Player Towns Gathering – templates (PaxLair, Valmark; “/zone Winfield”; details)
11:00am CST – Church of the Dark Star – Saturday Service – Topic: Accountability – subset of Honor (PaxLair, Valemark)
12:30pm CST – MGT R14 Grand Tour Quest (Braemer, or “/zone Erik OConnor”)
2:00pm CST – Bear Tavern Brawl – Tag Team! R14 (Location TBD; “/zone Balec deCani”, or “/zone Archaon Avenguard”; details)
Sunday, February 8
5:30am CST – Explore Novia with royalsexy (Owl’s Head entrance)
7:00pm CST – PaxLair Meeting (Valemark, or “/zone Winfield”)
8:00pm CST – Fishing with Winfield (some lake or pond, “/zone Winfield”)
Last Chance Exclusives
Every week going forward we are removing select items from the Add-On Store, so if you want them you better get them before they are gone! Over the past few months we’ve phased out over 35 items, including such items as the Scissors of Prosperity, Blade of the Avatar Cloak, and Shingle-Roof Village Homes. This week, the following items are available for an additional 20% off, and then will no longer be available in the Add-On Store.
The Mortar & Pestle of Prosperity
This unique, indestructible, mortar & pestle increases the ability to make higher quality alchemical creations (potions, poisons, etc.). While mortars & pestles with similar effects can be crafted and purchased in the game this particular mortar & pestle never needs repair.
The Loom Shuttle of Prosperity
This unique, indestructible loom shuttle increases the quality and quantity of items produced when weaving. While loom shuttles with similar effects can be crafted and purchased in the game this loom shuttle never needs repair.
Steam Access Keys Available for All SotA Backers
SotA successfully launched on Steam Early Access on November 24, and we’ve made Steam Access Keys available to all our backers as part of their basic pledge rewards! Once you’ve redeemed your Steam Access Key you’ll have the option of playing SotA either with the Steam client or the regular game client (or both).
Click here for instructions to redeem your Steam access key and installing the Steam SotA client…
If you play SotA on Steam you can collect the SotA Trading Cards! Collect a full set of SotA trading cards to earn SotA badges, profile backgrounds, and emoticons that help you customize your profile and show off your Shroud of the Avatar gameplay. Check out Steam’s trading card FAQ for more information.
Monthly Payment Plans: How to Cancel and What In-Game Rewards to Expect
Remember that Pledge payment plans are not canceled automatically after reaching the desired pledge. You must manually cancel your monthly payment plan, which can be done at anytime on your SotA Account page. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause, but it is a result of how recurring billing functions with PayPal, Amazon, and Stripe (our credit card service).
If you are on a monthly payment plan, the rewards you receive in-game may not reflect the final pledge tier you are making payments toward, but will reflect the rewards for the current pledge tier that your cumulative monthly payments have reached (your current pledge tier is shown on your Account page on the SotA website).
This Week In the News
January 30 – Austin360: Richard Garriott at PAX South
February 2 – SotA Makes the Time.com Top 50 Most Anticipated Video Games of 2015
February 2 – Independent Indie Interview: Richard Garriott and Starr Long at PAX South
February 3 – Gamona Interview: Richard Garriott Discusses SotA
Upcoming Events
2015.02.26 – Starr Long delivers Keynote at ICPHSO’s 2015 Annual Meeting and Training Symposium
2015.02.26 – Release 15
2015.03.06 – SotA at PAX East
2015.03.10 – IGDA Austin Meetup at Tech Ranch
2015.03.13 – SotA at SXSW Interactive
2015.03.26 – Release 16
2015.04.03 – Duke & LotM VIP Design Roundtable w/Lord British and Portalarium Studio Tour (it was such a big hit last year that we are again inviting our guests to attend Portalarium’s Family Easter Celebration in Castleton (Richard’s lakefront property on beautiful Lake Austin)
2015.04.23 – Release 17
2015.05.21 – Release 18
Great Update, might look into getting the Jester mask
Thanks for another great update, the overworld map is really taking shape.
The color on the Special Edition carnival mask doesn’t look very “special” to me. It looks kind of plain. More Colour!!!
The addition of limited edition items is a great way to get more of my money. (but only if you don’t restock the items). Please make limited and rare mean that you will never sell them again.
That map is looking ridiculously good.
\o/ YAY!!! Massively!! \o/
I *love* *love* *Love* the R15 hat/mask! –
The over world is truly coming along beautifully. I am still one who misses the paper map. However, this is a map I can truly get behind! Great work by Abe. Truly Beautiful!
Another great Update! Thank you Dallas!
As a native of New Orleans, I’m loving the Carnival Mask! Mardi Gras and SotA have one great thing in common: leaving the real world behind for awhile and having fun!
Guilds with a lot of bank slots could make a lucrative business out of loaning slots to other players. You know, ask for a lower amount of gold than what the banks would usually offer then charge interest. Sure, you’d lose money to make money but there would be so much money.
Please, please, please, give us extra bank slots for add-on store (and stretch goal store) items as well.
Agree, please add slot to the add-on store.
Do not quite understand the numbers though: a lord (founder) starts with approx. 150 items, so he should get 300 slots?
I think I’ll store everything at home, that way I know where it is.
Love the idea behind the bank slots. Makes sense to tie it to the pledge level.
I agree. As long as people can still have the option of buying bank slots individually via the add-on store or with in-game gold, it seems like a very balanced way to give people a valuable perk based on their pledge level.
How about we make it so pledge items and addon store items were placed in a separate bank tab, with infinite storage (people can take the rewards OUT of this tab, but can’t put them back in), and then pledge tiers will have no bearing at all upon the amount of bank slots we need to start with.
So, make a bank tab for pledge rewards and addon store purchases – call this tab REWARDS tab – and the contents of this tab do not count towards bank item limit (this tab has unlimited storage as it only holds rewards until they are removed from the tab, and they cannot be put back into this tab). Then give everyone the same number of regular bank slots to start with. I suggest at least 100 slots.
If they made it so there was a REWARDS tab that held all pledge items and addon store items until we picked them up, so that pledge tiers were not a reason to have starting bank space increased, then I also wouldn’t mind how much bank space we all started with. So while it isn’t a concern for any of us with house space, for the new people to game it will be. Remember housing is supposed to be a “rare” thing, so there will be a lot of new people struggling a great deal at the start, and they would need much more than 20 to start with, so I would suggest all people start with at least 100 slots (though I would like to give everyone more like 200-300 slots to start with, to make everyone feel good about their starting position in the game world). The number matters less if the cost in game currency or in real currency is not too prohibitive – the main point is that we all start on equal footing in this game when it comes to non-fluff items.
There would be no need to treat addon store items and pledge items as a different kind of thing from any other items if we instead use the REWARDS bank tab simply as a delivery system from the server. In this system items are sent by the server directly to this tab, which you access through the bank NPC.
The tab is effectively a mailbox, and only official mail goes to it (addon store items and pledge items), so every time a player buys something from the addon store, or upgrades his pledge and gains more pledge rewards, it will go into this tab (which is effectively a mailbox, so things are just taken out, same way you send a message or item to a player in any other game).
That way we can still start everyone off with equal bank slot amounts, and there is no issue with pledge items or addon store items not having a slot to go to, at any time (both at game start and later in game when people have filled their bank tabs yet still wish to buy something from the addon store).
They are basically already doing this right now.
I love the new Jester’s masks…Question: Will we be able to hang hats on the wall…it would make for excellent decoration when they are not being worn.
I loved playing the Underworld games. I remember getting a sound card was a really big deal when the first Underworld came out. Been wanting something like this again with today’s graphics. Thanks for doing this!
The Underworld backer item – please don’t let it be another cape