Update of the Avatar #168 – 2016.03.18: The Making of Brittany, The Halls of Artifice (A Work in Progress), RizeUp Cystic Fibrosis Charity Drive, Plus New Male Avatar

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

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

• The Making of Brittany
• The Making of the Halls of Artifice
• New Male Avatar
• RizeUp Cystic Fibrosis Charity Drive
• 45 Day Countdown to Spring 2016 Pledge Expirations
• Backer Shipping Addresses
• In-game Community Events
• Upcoming Events
• Recommended Projects to Back

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The Making of Brittany

This is a continuation of a post from last week…

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

SNEAK PEEK PART 2: CAPITAL OF NOVIA

Hey guys! SorcerousSteve here to give you an update on Brittany!

*Everything that has been shown so far is to be contained in the scene Brittany (Central).
Last week I showed a screenshot of the South Portside Gate, this week we can see more of the Portside as it will appear from the ocean. Including one of Brittany’s main roads, the road that leads straight to Castle Brittany from the Port of Brittany. From the Port of Brittany to the Castle it is 5 blocks of dedicated area where you’ll find player housing. Taking this screenshot below into consideration we are still only seeing about 40% of Brittany (Central).

This week I began construction on one of Brittany’s most affluent districts, located on the city’s North Gate. This is where a good number of the city’s town, city, and village lots will be located. A short walk away from the heart of Brittany, (Brittany Castle and the Oracle Temple), its comprised mainly of stone architecture, its gardens are tended, and its inhabitants live a more refined life style. If you got the money you definitely want to consider setting up a home here.

Also on the works this week, is the Southern most part of Brittany Central. Unlike the latter, its is one of the cities poorest districts and in close proximity to the agricultural area of Brittany (Central) including the Brittany Dam. Many of its inhabitants live in shacks and ramshackles in muddy streets.

That’s it for now folks! Stay tuned for more on the City of Brittany as it unfolds!

Esteben Zaldivar
Level Designer

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The Halls of Artifice (A Work In Progress)

This is a continuation from a post from several weeks ago…

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Scottie Jones]

As I return to work on the wondrous Halls of Artifice, I begin by designing the first of the three primary halls that are accessed from the main Entry Chamber. Each of these are themed upon the ideals of pleasure and bounty as personal paradises shared with only those lucky few who have already found their way here, and remain to enjoy their chosen state of bliss. An indication of what awaits within can be seen spilling out into the entry vestibule as one approaches the first of these enticing halls that I have created.

Behold a chamber of sensual opulence, where exotic, overstuffed furnishings upon which one may sit and lay can be found on every side. Rich, warm light spills into the hall from velvet-curtained stained glass windows on every wall, and luxurious veils of red muslin hang from the ceiling, giving the chamber the feeling of grand comfort and intimacy that even a sultan’s harem would envy! This is the Hall of Youth and Vigor, and one can only imagine the pleasures to be shared with those deemed worthy of its offerings. Here and there, mirrors, vanities, shelves, and dressers tucked away in the shadowy recesses, offer the perfect gentle glow where an adherent to such joys might admire the perfection of one’s own visage, or discreetly gaze back on the activities of others.

At the far end of the hall, below a dim lanthorn, a small circular table has been placed, upon which rests a strange object, like a hexagonal chest. What mysteries does it contain, and by what secret methods might it open? Is it, perhaps, a reliquary? The shadows around it are deep, and it will not be even nearly as enticing as the sights and sounds that will surround you once this chamber is adorned with the beautiful denizens that will welcome you to join them in their endless ecstasies.

Turning back, one can see the golden doorway through which this hall was achieved. Could it be possible that each of the other doors leads to equally opulent and enchanting luxuries? If so, there can be little doubt that leaving this place of miracles might be the last thing you’d ever want to do! Ah well, as tempting as the glowing portal may be, the youthful beauties splayed conveniently upon nearby beds and couches,…or even the ones admiring themselves in the grand mirrors,…are far more tempting still. Perhaps they would enjoy some company?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this first taste of Paradise!

More to come…

Scottie ^_^

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New Male Avatar

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Kevin Wells]

Hey everybody! My name is Kevin and I’ve been doing character art for Shroud of the Avatar for the past few years.

It’s been a blast building content for the game. In my time here, I’ve worked on a variety of content; from creatures to armors, hats, and masks. It’s been a long road shaping and creating the many assets for the characters, but I’m very excited that now it’s time to revisit and push out a big polish pass on all the character assets.

We decided to start at the beginning, and I’m proud to say that I was given the opportunity to kick off our character polish pass with the male player character. The new male avatar will debut in Release 28, and I can’t wait for everyone to get a look.

I basically started over from scratch and built the avatar with an aesthetic that I felt best fit into the Shroud universe. And except for finer, more subtle details (particularly texture details in areas like the eyes and mouth) I’m calling the new avatar complete! As an artist, I never stop wanting to push the visual quality, but we absolutely wanted to get this guy updated as soon as possible.

I also want to shout out a huge thank you to both to our animation lead Matt for marrying the new avatar to our existing rig and animations, and our newest character art department addition Fletcher, who helped in getting the many player wearables fit to the updated avatar silhouette. I’m thrilled to have the chance to make this update and I hope everyone likes the new male Avatar!

I grabbed the following shots from a variety of maps to show him in different lighting scenarios

 

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RizeUp Cystic Fibrosis Charity Drive

Our friends at RizeUp Gaming are working through the weekend to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis. You can help them make a difference.

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45 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 CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • Held at the Guild Hall in Vengeance
• Challenge Dungeon Run (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10am & 7pm CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • Luka Melehan is hosting RP classes and practice sessions. (/zone Luka Melehan)
• Shardfall Madness (Fridays, 6pm CDT)
  • A PvP event. Contact Wind Silvermoon for details.
• Vengeance Madness (Fridays, 7pm CDT)
  • 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 CDT)
  • 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 19

• 6:00am CDT 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 CDT 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 CDT 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)
• 1:00pm CDT Diamond Fields Putt Putt Golf Tourney
  • When I say Kilt you say Scotland, when I say Scotland you say Golf! Therefore Prism and Diamond Fields invite you to come challenge our putt putt golf course On March 19th at 1pm NBT. Participants will receive kilts and the winners will receive the infamous New Brittania Masters Green Jacket, which just happens to coincide with the Irish St. Patrick’s celebrations. Store credit prizes for the lowest scores across all the holes for will be given out. 1st 20$, 2nd 10$, 3rd 5$ We will also have the balloon jump contest again for spectators with cash prizes for that as well. Pictures of the progress of the course build will be coming. Kilts, Golf, Beer (since no Scotch in game), and Green are the keywords for this event.
• 3:00pm CDT 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)
• 3:00pm CDT Bear Tavern – BannerBrawl!
  • The Bear Tavern proudly presents: BannerBrawl 2v2! The rules are simple. Get all 4 banners simultaneously to your team’s color…over your opponents dead bodies, if necessary. Check out the full post.
• 6:00pm CDT 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 CDT Vengeance: PVP FFA/Brackets Tournament
  • Meet in Vengeance and we’ll plan a location for a FFA or Brackets tournament

Sunday, March 20

• 8:30am CDT 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 CDT 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 CDT 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)
• 4:00pm CDT EVL The Gauntlet
  • The GAUNTLET is basically a combination of American Gladiators & American Ninja Warrior. This timed obstacle course is run by a single Avatar and the fastest time is the overall winner of a full suit of CRITED chainmail armor! Runner up prizes will include a Ferocious Red Spider and more top gear.
• 5:00pm CDT 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 CDT 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 CDT 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 CDT 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

2016.03.31 – 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

Crowfall

In this Throne War Simulator, characters are persistent but the campaign worlds are not, thanks to voxel technology which enables fully-destructible settings. A seamless blend of an MMO with a large-scale strategy game, players are immortal champions, traveling between realms to fight in an eternal War of the Gods.