Update of the Avatar #167 – 2016.03.11: Brittany Sneak Peek, The Making of Malice and Skrekk Part 3, Sandillox Wrestling Federation, and More!

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

• Sneak Peek: Brittany, Capital of Novia
• The Making of Skrekk – Part 3
• The Making of Shores of Malice – Part 3
• Sandillox Wrestling Federation
• EVL Saint Patrick’s Day Pre-Party
• 52 Day Countdown to Spring 2016 Pledge Expirations
• Backer Shipping Addresses
• In-game Community Events
• Upcoming Events
• Recommended Projects to Back

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Sneak Peek: Brittany, Capital of Novia

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

Hey guys, SorcerousSteve here to give you a teaser shot of the upcoming city of Brittany!

Captured below is the South Port side Gate. A hub of commerce and trade, its streets are littered with cargo from afar, muddy sludge from the wagons covers the cobblestone, and the stench of fish penetrates the air. Not the classiest part of town but home to some quite rugged folks. From here we can catch a glimpse of Brittany Castle in the far left, home to Lady Arabella, wife of the King of New Britannia, Lord British! If you look to your right, you can also catch a glimpse of a lighthouse, that section is currently under construction and will lead to the North Port side Gate. To put things into perspective, in this frame is one of the five city gates that will feed into Brittany Central, 4 of which will come from surrounding neighborhoods/suburbs and 1 which will lead in from the Brittany Graveyard.

Stay tuned for more progress on the City of Brittany!

Esteben Zaldivar
Level Designer

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The Making of Skrekk – Part 3

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Richard Matey]

It’s been some time but I feel confident with finishing Skrekk from a world building aspect. Scottie Jones was nice enough to help build up the kobold motif and making it feel like a very unique race / environment in the game. So here is a collection of screenshots from the main section of Skrekk. Expect to see even more locations and nooks to explore while playing the game.

RrMatey
Level Designer

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The Making of Shores of Malice – Part 3

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

Hey folks SorcerousSteve once again to give you the latest on Malice!

Malice Throne Room: Home to the Throne of Malice and the center of the Undead Army.

The Halls of Malice are filled with chambers that served as a final resting place. Above is a huge furnace room that lies in the heart of Malice where bodies would have been incinerated.

A laboratory where bodies would have been experimented on and prepared for their eternal rest.

At the entrance of Malice you catch a glimpse of the teeming life located just above on the surface. A direct contrast to the dungeons of the City of the Dead.

Just as a refresher for all you guys this is what the exterior map/entrance to Malice will look like: aka Shores of Malice.

The Well of Sorrows, a pivotal moment awaits the Avatar here that may forever change his life.

Esteben Zaldivar
Level Designer

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Sandillox Wrestling Federation

The Sandillox Entertainment Guild started the Sandillox Wrestling Federation, which they describe as a mix of PvP and Entertainment. They held their first wrestling event on February 27th (our apologies for not pre-announcing this cool event, but it somehow escaped our attention). They constructed an awesome wrestling ring at their beautiful Windy Fields Stadium, located in the metropolis of Rift’s End.

Thanks to community member JoBeDream for capturing the event on video! Very entertaining!

According to the Sandillox website, they plan to have quarterly SWF events. Interested in becoming a SWF competitive wrestler, hosting an SWF event, or becoming a member of the SWF Development Team? Checkout their website or send them an email at SandilloxEnt@gmail.com for more information.

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EVL Saint Patrick’s Day Pre-Party

[From a Release 27 Events Forum post by Kendric Darrow]

[EVL] would like to cordially invite you to a St. Patricks day Pre-party in the city of Owl’s Head.

Dress in your greenest gear and join us for dancing and drink a plenty! We will have some green give-aways PLUS we have hidden a “Pot-o-Gold” in a secret location in Owls Head. We will give out clues to all in attendance and the lucky avatar that finds the Pot-o-Gold will get 100,000 gold! Lets celebrate in style!

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52 Day Countdown to Spring 2016 Pledge Expirations!

As we march toward the Final Wipe and Lot Selection milestone this summer, we are permanently expiring almost half pledges during the Spring 2016 Pledge Expiration Event, which will occur at 10:30 AM CST, May 2, 2016 (following the next wipe for Release 29). The remaining pledges, as well as new Player Owned Towns, will be expired during the Summer 2016 Expiration Event.

Spring 2016 Pledge Expirations

The following pledges will no longer be available for purchase or upgrade after May 2, 2016:

• Immortal Adventurer
• Virtual Collector
• Collector
• ** Navigator [originally expired August 31, 2015 for backers below Patron level]
• ** Developer [originally expired August 31, 2015 for backers below Patron level]
• Citizen
• Knight
• Lord
• Baron 1/2/3

[More Spring 2016 Expiration details…]

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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:

For country and regional tax assessment purposes, our tax accountants have requested that we start collecting a buyer’s physical/shipping address for all purchases, whether digital or physical. We’ve tried to streamline that process as much as possible, such that once you’ve entered a physical address we will pre-populate the address fields with your default address.

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In-game 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 schedule of player events from the Avatar’s Circle Community Events calendar and the Events of the Avatars community calendar:

Recurring Events

• RPOTA Monthly $170 Writing Contest
  • 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)
• The 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 Laz & Jack (Weekdays, 12pm CST)
  • Join NBNN every weekday for Lunch With Laz & Jack. They will be covering the daily goings on in SOTA. Calendar updates, Relevant issues happening in the days news. Come chat with us about upcoming events and general information. http://nbnn.info
• EVL R27 Hat Quest (Mondays, 7pm CST)
  • Every Virtue is Lasting [EVL] would like to tip their hats to the developers for providing the community with a cool hat for the last seventeen releases, and have decided to carry on the tradition and run the R27 Hat Quest every Monday at 7pm NBT (CST). Everyone who successfully completes the Hat Quest by touring several of the new zones will receive a legendary bucket helm as a reward (Soltown Tavern, /zone Gnick Gnack; details)
• “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 first Monday of each month, the event returns to Bear Tavern, where it all began. If no locations are scheduled, the event will take place at Fire Lotus Tavern, by default. (/zone Elgarion De’Khali; details)!
• Order of Vengeance Guild Meeting (Mondays, 9pm CST)
  • Held at the Guild Hall in Vengeance
• Challenge Dungeon Run (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10am & 7pm CST)
  • This is a self-host event that meets at the Braemar Cemetery. Join whoever can make it for a dungeon run, adventure or something along those lines. Come prepared for combat. Learn how to set up your combat system if you need help.
• PaxLair Town Manager Hour (Tuesdays, 2:00pm CST)
  • Join PaxLair’s Town Manager, Sean Silverfoot, to ask questions about PaxLair, being a Citizen, holding a lot and any other questions concerning PaxLair or any of it’s boroughs (Dragons Watch, Tenakill, Lockbrier, Island of Wonders, Knowhere, Sea Nymph Grotto & Serentiy Isle)
• EVL Dungeon Crawl (Tuesdays, 7pm CST)
  • Every Virtue is Lasting will be holding a dungeon crawl every Tuesday to provide fun and experience for our members and guests. All are welcome! The meeting point is in Owls Head at the center of town near the trainer.
• Wednesday Knights (Wednesdays, 8pm CST)
  • This will be mainly an impromptu event but on occasion I may plan on doing something ‘knightly’. All will be welcome. Some possibilities include RP, boss hunts, gathering materials & crafting, hat quests, hanging out or whatever people feel up for. (Caer Dracwych; /zone Bowen Bloodgood; details)
• EVL Virtue League PVP Tournament (Wednesdays, 7pm CST)
  • Looking to break into the PVP scene but don’t want to be placed against established god-like players? We have you covered with two divisions, one for the newer, less experienced player, and one for the cream of the crop who have something to prove! (The Underworld at Aschfahl Festung; details)
• Stryker Sparhawk’s Happy Hour Wednesdays (Wednesdays, 8pm CST)
  • Stryker will travel to one of the local Novia taverns for an hour to open a bar tab for drinks in hopes of sharing stories, news, critique of the arts, music, dancing, and otherwise unplanned mayhem. Zone /Stryker Sparhawk (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!
• Thursday Night Throwdown (TNT) a PVP Event (Thursdays, 10pm CST)
  • PvP fight night – Come Watch or Participate. Team and individual fights. This is a no pressure event. This is for fun and for people to try their hand at PVP. The group matches allow newer players a chance get a taste of battle. Jam out as Apollox Evanheart plays the hardest music on Avatars Radio from ringside. (Obsidian Caverns; details)
• Novian Academy – Role Play Courses (Fridays, 4pm 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, 7:30pm 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, /zone Bowen Bloodgood; details)

Saturday, March 12

• 6:00am CST Wake Up New, Britannia!!! With Woftam and Selene
  • Woftam and Selene Noctua broadcast on AvatarsRadio from the Wake Up New Britannia Studio in Owlshead (right behind the crafting pavillion). Includes Interviews with the Community, Contests for in-game Gold, What’s new for the week in New Britannia, and your Best Bets for SotA weekend events! (details)
• 9:00am CST PaxLair Working Hours
  • Come to PaxLair and see what’s happening! For two hours (more or less) we work together on projects, create ideas and have fun together. It’s sort of a weekly time to gather and do things together. Everyone in Novia is welcome! (PaxLair, /zone Winfield or Sean Silverfoot)
• 11:00am CST Church of the Dark Star – Saturday Service
  • High Priestess of Chaos, Amber Raine, and the Dean of the Novian Academy, Kazyn Phoenixfyre, welcome you to the Church of the Dark Star. A shared project, built upon equality, where all are welcome. Services range from what is Chaos and Order to how they affect different aspects of our life. The path you choose is yours. (PaxLair)
• 2:00pm CST Beran League Construction – Harvest & Craft
  • A weekly craft & harvest event for the purpose of supporting all towns, guilds and player run establishments within the Beran League! All harvested materials, crafted items and decorative items purchased will be collected and sorted in a specially designated warehouse. Town owners, guild leaders and proprietors of the Beran League (and those designated by them) will have access. (Meet at the Bear Tavern in High Rock or /zone Bowen Bloodgood; details)
• 6:00pm 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 details)
• 8:00pm CST Serenite Auction
  • Join us in Serenite, next to Vengeance east of Grunvald Shardfall and Desolis, for a monthly Auction for all the best wares. Minimums are allowed but all bets will start at minimums if they exist. (Auction Hall in Serenite, East of Grunvald)

Sunday, March 13

• 5:30am CST Explore Novia! with royalsexy
  • Starting at the entrance to Owl’s Head, come explore the wide world of Novia – for people on our side of the clock!
• 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; teamSpeak: 43.245.163.15:10099)
• 2:30pm CST Gustball Training
  • Want to learn how to play Gustball? Need some tips on how to improve your deck or hone your skills on the field! Join Coach Sheamus McGuinness of EVLs for a 30 minute Gustball lesson and practice session just before the big game at 3pm (/zone Sheamus McGuinness)
• 3:00pm CST Gustball
  • The game of Gustball is a great community event, not dissimilar from soccer or football, where Avatars of all levels & skill can compete in a fun, friendly game that uses the Gust skill (1st level Air Magic spell) to blow a Gustball into your opponents goal. (/whisper or /zone Sand, Sheamus McGuinness, or Bambino Ludovate, details)
• 5:00pm CST EVL Saint Patrick’s Day Pre-Party
  • EVL would like to cordially invite you to a St. Patricks day Pre-party in the city of Owls Head. Dress in your greenest gear and join us for dancing and drink a plenty! We will have some green give-aways PLUS we have hidden a “Pot-o-Gold” in a secret location in Owls Head. We will give out clues to all in attendance and the lucky avatar that finds the Pot-o-Gold will get 100,000 gold! Lets celebrate in style!
• 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 Cove 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 Cove 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 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 27 Events thread in the SotA forums for additional events that may not be included here.

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Upcoming Events

2016.03.16 – GDC 2016
2016.03.17 – SXSW Gaming
2016.03.31 – Release 28
2016.04.15 – Final Lord of the Manor Britannia Manor Visit & Dinner
2016.04.22 – PAX East
2016.04.28 – Release 29
2016.05.13 – Final Duke Roundtable and Portalarium Office Tour
2016.05.26 – Release 30
2016.06.01 – The Hearth of Britannia: Legends of the Hearth III
2016.06.30 – Release 31
2016.07.28 – Release 32

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Recommended Projects to Back

Recap’s Second Album: “Pronoia”

We’re back!

It’s been over 2 years since our last album, “Neon Milk”, was successfully kickstarted, and we officially became “Recap”. In the time since, we’ve grown in countless ways both as artists and as people.

We’re incredibly excited to have the opportunity to show you just how far we’ve come, and want to thank each and every one of you for your love and support as we went through all the growing pains of bringing this unique band to life. We’re Kickstarting our next rap-powered electric rock album, “Pronoia” – A puzzle box that pieces together the dual-nature of everyday life!

They met their $5k funding goal in just 2 days and are now working on their stretch goals, including: $6k Epic custom album artwork created by Tortoise & Hare Creations’ Indi Martin, $7k Official “Pronoia” drink recipe & pint glasses from Relics by Rild for $25+ pledges, and more! Please check out their Kickstarter campaign and back them if you like what you hear!