Update of the Avatar #146 – 2015.10.09: DND1, Highvale Village, Jannaford, NPC Submissions, R22 Postmortem, Combat Chat, Craftable Items, Halloween Specials, and More!

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

• Play DND1 on the SotA Teletype
• Highvale Village
• New R23 Scene: Jannaford
• NPC Submissions Requested for Jaanaford!
• Hangout of the Avatar ~ Release 22 Postmortem
• Combat/Skills/Spells Video Chat
• Craftable Items
• Wax Cylinder Phonographs
• Ornate Skull Candle
• Wolves, Bears, and Zombies! Oh My!
• Halloween Specials
• 24 Day Countdown for Fall Reward & Sale Expirations
• Get Your 15% Black Friday Bonus
• Auto-Canceling Monthly Layaway Payment Plans
• In-game Community Weekend Events
• Upcoming Events
• Recommended Games to Back

---

Play DND1 on the SotA Teletype

Last April we announced a contest to recreate Richard’s very first role playing game from 1977, entitled DND1, that he developed for a teletype machine while he was still in high school.

Last June we announced the winners with the Unity version prize going to Richard Fleming.  In May this year we unveiled the Teletype Add-On Store item that will allow players to play DND1 inside the game.

Dev team member, Joaquin Del Canto, got this working this week, and in Release 23 players will be able to play Richard’s very first game inside his most recent! How meta is that? In celebration of this meta event we are putting the Teletype on sale in the Add-On Store through the end of Release 23 opening weekend, November 2, 2015.

---

Highvale Village

Last week we showcased Esteben Zaldivar’s work on the battle-ravaged, single-player scene, Highvale Village Battle. This week, Esteben shared some work-in-progress images of Highvale Village as it will appear when players come back later:

---

New R23 Scene: Jannaford

The team has been working on Jannaford, a new scene for Release 23:

Jaanaford is a small riverfront town on the southern side of Paladis, just east of Longfall. The town sees a few fauns sent by their satyr overlords to trade with the local humans for fish and crafted goods. The local inn is popular among travellers, but overall it’s a quiet place and prefers to stay that way.

Richard Matey, who joined the SotA Dev Team a few weeks ago as a level designer, has been working on Jannaford. Some of you may recall that Richard Matey was the 1st Place winner of our very first Unity Scene Jam over two years ago (see Update #41). Here are a couple of work-in-progress images from Richard:

---

NPC Submissions Requested for Jaanaford!

The Founder Developer rewards (and above) includes naming an NPC in the game. Scott “Lum” Jennings has posted the following NPC submission request on the Dev+ the forums:

Thank you for your continuing support of Shroud of the Avatar! This month, we’re seeking entries for inhabitants of the quiet fishing village of Jaanaford.

First, some brief notes:

• 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 Jaanaford, we cannot offer any visual customization options beyond our standard gallery of NPC models. If you would like to have input over the visual customization of your NPC, please wait for further releases when we can offer this.
• Response to this will be on a first-come first-served basis for each call for responses. Jaanaford in particular is a small town (about the size of Braemar) so there will not be many NPCs. If your NPC doesn’t appear in Jaanaford, feel free to respond again thereafter. We have quite a few towns and cities to populate! (There may even be more towns this month…)
• When responding, please list a first and second choice for profession; all of these are going to be very limited in number.
• NPCs for Jaanaford must be human.

Still with us? Great! Here’s what we need this month (this is the low end of what we expect to need; we’ll take submissions on a first-come first-serve basis):

• 4 merchants
• 3 resident fisherfolk
• 2 visiting traders
• 1 guard

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

• NPC name:
• NPC gender:
• NPC profession (first choice): Guard / Merchant / Fisherfolk / Visiting Trader / Travelling Banker
• NPC profession (second choice): Guard / Merchant / Fisherfolk / Visiting Trader / Travelling Banker
• 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 Jaanaford (or keeps them there), or anything else you’d like to add. We 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 Jaanaford.

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

Thanks for your support, and see you in Jaanaford!

---

Hangout of the Avatar ~ Release 22 Postmortem

We had a great Hangout of the Avatar this week, with Richard, Starr, and Chris chatting about Release 22 and providing a sneak peek at Release 23. FireLotus fielded lots of questions and feedback live in the chat-room and from the original post! Here’s the video in case you missed it live:

---

Combat/Skills/Spells Video Chat

[From a public form post by Chris Spears]

Chris “Dippy Dragon” Spears fielded combat/skill/spell questions during a 90 minute video chat this week. Check it out!

---

Craftable Items

There are several new craftable items in Release 23 (launching October 29), including:

Bear and Wolf Hats

 

Skull Candle

Add a touch of class to any room with this craftable skull candle.

Craftable Wooden Phonograph

Listen to your favorite wax cylinder music recordings on this craftable wooden phonograph.

---

Wax Cylinder Phonographs

In addition to the Craftable Wooden Phonograph (shown above) is this Dark Wooden Phonograph, included in the Navigator pledge rewards (now expired):

And we also added this Ornate Metal Phonograph to the Add-On Store. Includes one recorded wax cylinder.

---

Ornate Skull Candle

Give your room that perfect ambiance with this ornately carved skull candle, available now in the Add-On Store!

---

Wolves, Bears, and Zombies! Oh My!

For those wanting to wander around New Britannia disguised as a wolf, bear, or zombie, well now you can with these realistically modeled masks, available now in the Add-On Store!

---

Halloween Specials

We’ve added more Halloween items to the Add-On Store, which will be available for a limited time only! Including Jack-o-Lantern Masks, Day of the Dead Masks, and a Headless Mask!

---

24 Day Countdown for Fall Reward & Sale Expirations

As we approach the last quarter of 2015, and major milestones such as Alpha and Beta are looming ever closer on the horizon, we are announcing the Fall Reward Expiration Event that occurs at Midnight CST, November 2, 2015. This event includes the following reward expirations:

• Future Episodes 2,3,4 & 5 of Shroud of the Avatar
• Additional Character Slots 2 & 3
• Waterfront Homes & Lots (including Cabana, German Cabana, Lighthouse, Houseboat, Galleon, Castle, and Castle with Keeps)

In addition to the pledge reward expirations, the sale will end on November 2nd for the following Add-On Store items and they will revert to their regular prices (as displayed in the item description): Battle Banner, Tower Village Home, Tower Town Home, Druid Town Home, Airship City Home, Row Lot Property Deeds, Village Lot Property Deed (SOLD OUT), Town Lot Property Deeds, and City Lot Property Deeds

[More Fall Reward Expiration details…]

---

Get Your 15% Black Friday Bonus Starting Now!

Last year we extended our Black Friday Promotion to give you 8 weeks to take advantage of our Black Friday 15% Bonus, and we’re doing it again this year! This is especially helpful for backers that intend to pledge or upgrade prior to the Fall Reward & Sale Expiration Event ! Here are the details:

For all new purchases (including pledges, pledge upgrades, add-on items, player owned towns, player owned town upgrades, stretch goal items, and Make a Difference items) between 12:00 am CST October 2, 2015 and 12:00 am CST December 1, 2015, we will add an additional 15% bonus to your Store Credit! You can use your Store Credit toward additional purchases (which includes pledges, pledge upgrades, add-on items, player owned towns, and player owned town upgrades).

[NOTE: The 15% bonus is calculated every day at 1:00 pm CST for any purchases within the previous 24 hours and added to your Store Credit account; Any monthly payments paid during the promotion period also receive the 15% bonus; Store Credit cannot be applied toward the purchase of stretch goal or make a difference items]

You can use the 15% Bonus to save on your next purchase! For example, if you have the $45 Adventurer pledge and really want to upgrade to the $90 Royal Artisan pledge, you would normally pay the extra $45 for the upgrade. But using the 15% bonus you can immediately save $5. To do so, you would first purchase $40 worth of Store Credit Gift Coupons (via PayPal, Amazon, Bitcoin, or credit card; excluding existing Store Credit) then use the “Convert to Credits” option on your account page to transform the Store Credit Gift Coupons into Store Credit. Within 24 hours an additional $6 bonus ($40 x 15%) would be applied to your Store Credit account, bringing it up to $46. You would then use $45 of your Store Credit to upgrade to the $90 Royal Artisan pledge.

---

Auto-Canceling Monthly Layaway Payment Plans

We implemented the ability to automatically cancel monthly layaway payment plans, no longer requiring you to cancel them manually. Starting September 7, 2015, any payment plans that reach their desired pledge level will be canceled automatically. You are still able to cancel your plan manually at anytime by going to your Account page.

There are several payment plans that have exceeded their designated pledge level that have not been manually canceled by their account holder. The backers of these payment plans will have until October 15th to contact our customer service department at support@portalarium.com to let us know that they would like for the payment plan to continue, or they will be automatically canceled on October 15, 2015.

---

In-game Weekend Community Events

Our amazing community has another great lineup of in-game events planned for this weekend. Special thanks to community member SpookyJenny (aka Jenny Phoenixfyre in-game) for her help in compiling the latest schedule of player events from the Avatar’s Circle Community Events calendar and the Events of the Avatars community calendar:

Recurring Events

• RPOTA Monthly $150 Writing Contest – October is Horror, Mystery & Thriller Month
  • Here ye! Here ye! Biographers, Historians, Diplomats, Journalists, Story Writers, Quest Designers and Videographers! RPOTA is in dire need of your amazing talents! Role-Players of the Avatar is hosting a monthly contest to award those most famous with their quill or camera! (details)
• R22 Deco Contest – Halloween!
  • Who can create the spookiest Halloween scene in their home, basement or yard? Get your entry in by October 15th! (details)
• Bilbo Baggins Decoration Contest
  • Community member Myrcello is offering $50 Store Credit to the player that comes closest to recreating the interior of Bilbo Baggins house (details)
• Musician’s Contest
  • Community member Violation is sponsoring a Musician’s Contest. Chance to win a Lute! (details)
• Where in the World is Weinie?
  • Community member Weins201 (forum name) is wandering around and taking pictures of 50 different places, and is offering a $25 Store Credit (plus other gifts) to the player who can identify the most places (deadline for entries is the launch of R23; details)
• The R22 Unreliable Travel Guide
  • The Unreliable Travel Guide, created at the SotA Writing Round Table, is not an event, but a collection of hilarious short stories published by two drunken layabouts who have nothing better to do than try to derive a dishonest income from newly arrived avatars. (details)
• Avatars Radio (Daily Programming)
  • Welcome New Britannians to Avatars Radio – Radio of the Avatars. Rocking your socks off from the town of Radio City with the Terrestrial and New Britannian bards together under one roof through the power of the Moon Towers.  Check out their daily program of amazing DJs:  http://avatarsradio.info/schedule.php
• NBNN Lunch with Lazarus (Weekdays, 12pm CST)
  • Join Lazarus every weekday for the daily goings on in SOTA. Calendar updates, relevant issues happening in the days news, chat about upcoming events and general information. Feel free to call in or join us in team speak and tell us WHAT YOU THINK. http://www.twitch.tv/nbnnnews
• Daily War Time PVP Event (Daily, 8pm CST – 9pm CST)
  • Invitation to all guilds, PK hunters, PVP’rs or players interested in PVP training to come to Chaos Crossroads (Located at the crossroads outside of Kingsport on the road to Owl’s Head). PVP Event rules: None! Use whatever spells you want, kill in mobs or solo, group with new allies and defend your territory, lure newbies into the town and wack them! (details)
• Daily Breakfast Club – 12am CST (London UK); 6am CST (Central US); 3pm CST (Sydney Australia)
  • Breakfast Clubs offer a time when people from around different time zones can gather. (Wody’s Pub, Paxlair)
• “The Tavern Respite” RP Event (Mondays, 8pm CST)
  • The tavern door opens before you, and the scent of pipe and stew waft outwards with a wall of warmth from the hearth. Join in with the patrons of the Bear Tavern as they share tales of their adventures amid endless mugs of ale, legs of mutton, and merriment unbounded (The Bear Tavern in PaxLair; /zone Elgarion De’Khali; details)!
• Challenge Dungeon Run (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 7pm CST)
  • This is a self-host event, meet at the Braemar Cemetery and organize into groups to take on the infamous Chillblain’s Compendium of Pain & Suffering!
• PaxLair Working Hours – Host Sean Silverfoot (Tuesdays, 2pm)
  • PaxLair town and community “working hours” are for anyone interested in PaxLair. We will be in New Britannia doing things as a town when many people can work together. Sean Silverfoot hosts this working period. / zone Sean Silverfoot
• Novian Academy – New Citizen Help Hours (Tuesdays, 6pm CST)
  • /zone Kazyn Phoenixfyre of Novian Academy in Soltown as they provide guidance to those new to the world of New Britannia.
• Phoenix Republic Open Mic Night (Wednesdays, 7pm CST)
  • Join the Phoenix Republic as we explore a weekly series of shared creativity, stories, songs and music. We will have entertainment and dining, dancing and socializing with our friends. Those who wish to share in their creativity can take to the stage and show off their newest creative endeavor!
• Happy Hour Wednesdays (Wednesdays, 8pm CST)
  • Otherwise known as “Spend Stryker’s Gold” – Stryker will open a bar tab at one of the local Novia taverns for an hour or so for drinks, stories, news, critique of the arts, dancing, and otherwise unplanned mayhem. Zone /Stryker Sparhawk or watch this thread for locations each week!
• Storytime with royalsexy (Thursdays, 7am CST)
  • Join royalsexy in Radio City for stories and chats. /zone royalsexy or hike aaaaalll the way to Radio City to join in. Also live on Avatars Radio http://avatarsradio.info
• Gladiator Wars (Thursdays, 7pm CST)
  • A call to all fighters PVE and PVP! Would you like to participate in the “Gladiator Wars” PvP Tournaments? Registration starts at 6pm CST. (Finchfield; /zone Pestilence; details)
• Phoenix Republic PVE Nights (Thursdays & Fridays, 7pm CST)
  • Join the Phoenix Republic as we send our weekly foray into the control points, dungeons and other of the most dangerous locales. Each week we will depart to a different PVE locale to help train our combatants. Contact Kazyn Phoenixfyre or Malakas for more info!
• Novian Academy – Role Play Courses (Fridays, 7pm CST)
  • Luka Melehan is hosting RP classes and practice sessions. (/zone Luka Melehan)
• Shardfall Madness (Fridays, 6pm CST)
  • A PvP event. Contact Wind Silvermoon for details.
• Vengeance Madness (Fridays, 7pm CST)
  • This is an Open PvP event where everyone fights it out in a royal rumble to see who the ultimate death dealer is! (City of Vengeance; /zone Bambino LudoVate)
• Astronomy Event (Fridays, 8pm CST)
  • Interested in New Britannia Astronomy? Just enjoy gazing at the stars? Join us every week as we explore the night sky above New Britannia. (Player Town of Caer Dracwych; details)

Saturday, October 10

• 9:00am CST PaxLair Working Hours
  • PaxLair town and community “working hours” are for anyone interested in PaxLair. (/zone Winfield)
• 11:00am CST Church of the Dark Star – Saturday Service
  • Join Lady Amber Raine, High Priestess of the Church of the Dark Star along with Kazyn Phoenixfyre of the Church of the Sun, as they bring another thought provoking service. (PaxLair; details)
• 7:00pm CST Port Phoenix Social Nights
  • Come out and join the Republic in one of many potential events (chosen new each week). Each week we get together for everything from fishing, to music, to gustball, to PVE duneoneering and adventuring. (Contact Kazyn Phoenixfyre for more details!)
• 8:00pm CST Vengeance 1v1 Tournament
  • The longest running Player vs Player tournament in Shroud of the Avatar. (City of Vengeance)

Sunday, October 11

• 6:30am CST Explore Novia with royalsexy (Dancing Rock, Owl’s Head Entrance, /zone royalsexy)
• 8:30am CST PaxLair Meeting
  • Come see what PaxLair is up to in Novia and other town areas! Many people also attend from towns and guilds for a bit of a weekly wrap-up and what’s happening. Good discussions! (PaxLair, /zone Winfield)
• 11:00am CST Phoenix Republic Town Weekly Teamspeak Meeting
  • A Gathering of members of the Phoenix Republic to cover important topic areas of the month. It is here that the republic shall discuss new event types, ideas on new laws and other concerns effecting the Phoenix Republic. (Republic Town Hall, Port Phoenix, teamspeak at ts3.portphoenix.com)
• 1:00pm CST Serenite Shopping Extravaganza
  • Serenite Shopping Extravaganza at the Selfridge Mall. Crafters will be available for special orders.
• 3:00pm CST Gustball
  • Two teams are pitted against each other in a sporting event not dissimilar from soccer, football, and basketball. The object of the game is to Gust a Gustball around the field and into your opponent’s goal (/zone Bambino Ludovate, details)
• 5:00pm CST BMC Grid Iron Feast and Registration
  • Register to compete in the BMC Gridiron and mingle with other participants and spectators before the big fight! (Blackrock Point on Novia near Etceter Crag Mines, details)
• 5:30pm CST BMC Gladiator’s Grid-Iron
  • The BMC is proud to present the nastiest, the foulest, the most feared arena in all of New Britannia! The Grid-Iron is equipped with a pit-style arena, locker rooms, a VIP round-table, betting & vendor booths, and all the blood-sport you can handle. (Blackrock Point on Novia near Etceter Crag Mines, details)
• 7:00pm CST PaxLair Meeting
  • Come see what PaxLair is up to in Novia and other town areas! Many people also attend from towns and guilds for a bit of a weekly wrap-up and what’s happening. Good discussions!  (PaxLair, /zone Winfield)
• 8:00pm CST Fishing (and Music) with Winfield
  • Come sit with Winfield on a log or rock to hear some fish tales or tell your own. Chat about anything from the moons to the earth worms. Spend a relaxing day in nature near a stream or lake — bring insect repellent or a sword.  (some fishing spot or pond, /zone Winfield; details)

Be sure and check out the Release 22 Events thread in the SotA forums for additional events that may not be included here.

---

Octobre Creation Contest: Horror, Mystery & Thriller Month

[From a Release 22 Forum post by Elgarion De Kahli]

Here ye! Here ye! Biographers, Historians, Diplomats, Journalists, Story Writers, Quest Designers and Videographers! RPOTA is in dire need of your amazing talents! Role-Players of the Avatar is hosting a monthly contest to award those most famous with their quill or camera! $150 Store Credit Prize!

---

Welcome to the R22 Deco Contest – Halloween!

[From a Release 22 Events Forum Post by Edward Newgate]

This release we want you to decorate your houses and lots for Halloween!

Get your entries in by 15th October.

Judging will begin on 18th October.

---

Upcoming Events

2015.10.15 – Intel® Buzz Workshop
2015.10.29 – Release 23
2015.11.19 – Release 24
2015.12.17 – Release 25
2016.01.28 – Release 26
2016.02.25 – Release 27
2016.03.17 – SXSW Gaming

---

Recommended Games to Back

Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut – Coming October 13, 2015!

Our friends over at inXile have updated and expanded their Kickstarted game, Wasteland 2, for the new Director’s Cut version. With a massive number of new additions and improvements, the Director’s Cut is the ultimate edition of Wasteland 2, available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

• Complete graphics overhaul. Upgraded to the newest version of the Unity 5 game engine, featuring totally redone environment art and character models, and physically-based rendering for more natural light and shadowing.
• Quirks. This new set of personality traits and characteristics for your squad have both positive and negative qualities, giving you gameplay modifiers for a more unique experience and more replayability.
• Perks. New bonuses you to pick for your Ranger squad as they level up. Perks provide benefits depending on your characters’ skills, and can offer new abilities, better combat effectiveness, or mastery in overcoming challenges.
• Precision Strikes. This combat technique allows you to you target enemy body parts to inflict debilitating effects and injuries. Shoot an enemy in the leg to knock them over, fire on their arm to blow their weapon to bits, tear up their armor to leave them defenseless, or aim for the head to inflict critical damage.
• Expanded voice over. The Wasteland is full of unique characters, and with over 8,000 new recorded lines of voiced dialog, the Director’s Cut is more immersive and engaging than ever.