Avatar’s Update #300: More Fish & Livestream Today

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

Game Development

News Announcements

Community Updates

Fishing Phase 2 Updates: New Fish & Scaling

Fishing Phase 2 is going to include some amazing expansions to the fishing system and we outlined these during the Release 57 livestream as well as our recent weekly livestreams. In weekly update 298 we also revealed the Lava Fishing Rod made by our very own Scott “Scottie” Jones!

This week Damon Waldrip has been busily prepping over 30 new fishes that will be going into the game as part of Fishing Phase 2 over the course of Q4. Here’s a sneak peek of some of the fish for Fresh, Salt, and Fetid water.

Saltwater Fish

Freshwater FishFetid Water Fish

Joaquin “Wizardsmoke” del Canto and Brandon “Bzus” Cotton have also been working on the scaling for trophy fish and have proven it out using pumpkins! You can see here an array of “trophy” pumpkins that were harvested. These can be used to make Jack O Lanterns that have this same scale so this tests out the loop of catching a scaled trophy fish and then making a scaled up decoration trophy out of it.

Scaled “Trophy” Pumpkins:

Here’s a list of some of what Fishing Phase 2 includes and will be appearing over the course of Q4 this year:

  • 4 Different Water Types: Fresh, Salt, Fetid (Swamp, Dungeon, Sewer), and LAVA!!!!
  • More Fish: New fish types to go with the new water types including more rare and fantastical fish (rainbow trout that have actual rainbow coloring).
  • More Loot: We will add more random loot to fishing.
  • Different Bait and Lure Types: Different lures/baits work better/worse with different water types and for catching different fish. Gems are the only lure that works in Lava.
  • Bait as Active Skill: To use all the different bait types this will now become an active skill, much like seeds are the active skill in Agriculture
  • Trophy Data: You will now have a chance to catch a “trophy fish” that will have extra data on it including information like Weight, Who Caught, When Caught, etc. We will also scale the fish based on this trophy data.
  • More Recipes: More recipes using the new fish introduced as well as new recipes using original fish.
  • Group and Social Bonuses: Randomly selected Player Owned Towns with water will get a short fishing bonus. We will also be introducing an experience bonus for fishing while grouped.

Livestream Today

Since we did a big livestream yesterday (Thursday) we will be doing a shorter version of our weekly Community Livestream today (Friday October 5) at 4 PM CDT on Twitch!

As announced during the Release 58 Livestream we decided to leave the big sales and stretch goal eligibility open for 36 hours this time! So all purchases from noon on Thursday to midnight on Friday count towards the Release 58 Stretch Goals (see below) which are dragon themed in honor of the Wyverns which are live in Release 58!

We will be giving out prizes at 4:15! To be eligible all you need to do is either make any purchase in the store or log into the game and type “Light it up” in the chat window (no purchase necessary).

Watch on Twitch today (Friday) at 4 PM CDT!

Physical Goods Address Verification Update

[Forum post by Serafina]

Greetings Avatars!

The address verification system we’ve had in place on the account page is not working the way we intended. With that in mind, we’ve decided to remove the verification system. This will probably be removed next week.

If your address is currently in a confirmed state, our work will not unconfirm your address, but simply remove the verification state.

As we expect to ship physical goods with Phase 2 later in Q4, there is nothing you need to do right now with your address. More information will be coming next week as we complete the work.

We will extend the Oct 19 deadline by two weeks to November 2.

Thank you for you continued patience!

Release 58 Livestream: YouTube & Stretchgoals

The Release 58 Livestream was incredible! We had two great deep dives about Player Made Dungeons and Seasonal Content, we handed out tons of dragon themed prizes, we answered questions and we hit several more of our Dragon themed stretchgoals! These stretchgoals are in honor of the Wyverns which went live in Release 58. Sharkstarr also appeared again and a few lucky winners will receive Signed Box Versions!

  • ACHIEVED $10K: Dragon Egg Decorations
  • ACHIEVED $25K: /breathefirespiral
  • $35K: Dragon Skin Rugs (2 colors)
  • $50K: Dragon Dungeon Entrance Pattern
  • $65K: Dragon Bow & Dragon Plate Helm
  • $80K: Dragon Sword & Dragon Polearm
  • $90K: Dragon Mask Set (multiple color variants) with smoke VFX
  • $100K: Unique Dungeon Dragon Encounter Room

In a surprise move we decided to leave the big sales and stretch goal eligibility open for 36 hours this time! So all purchases from noon on Thursday to midnight on Friday count towards the Release 58 Stretch Goals!

In case you missed it you can now view it on YouTube:

Signed Boxed Edition (limited time)For those of you who missed the opportunity to purchase the Collector’s Boxed Edition of Shroud of the Avatar during the Kickstarter (expired on January 4, 2016) you will be able to purchase the retail Boxed Edition from Amazon very soon. We are excited to announce that for a limited time we are also offering a signed version of the retail Boxed Edition (see above) for purchase directly from our website! This edition includes:

Physical Goods:

  • Game Box signed by Lord British*
  • Game Manual
  • DVD in case
  • Runic Translation Card
  • Ankh Trinket
  • Cloth Map

Digital Items:

  • Digital Download of Shroud of the Avatar, Episode 1 (Full Game Access)
  • 30 Bank Slots to store your gear
  • 1 Gold Crown
  • Pick 1 Obsidian Potion
  • Digital Download of Shroud of the Avatar, Episode 2 (Full Game Access when released)
  • Exclusive Title: Visionary
  • Exclusive Emote (exact emote to be created at a future date)

Taming Livestream (YouTube)

Last week we had a fantastic livestream about Taming with Chris “Atos” Spears, Brandon “Bzus” Cotton, and Keith “Sannio” Quinn. They showed us the taming system works and tamed some Wyverns!

In case you missed it you can now view it on YouTube

Shroud of the Avatar Rewards Program

The Shroud of the Avatar Rewards Program lets you earn the best rate on purchasing Gold Crowns, AND receive rare stretch-goal items from our monthly livestreams! This program automatically enrolls you in the monthly livestreams (counts as the $5 minimum purchase) along with other perks.

For the low price of $9 USD per month you will receive the following:

  • 9 Gold Crowns of the Obsidians every month
  • Automatic Participation in the Monthly Livestream Stretchgoals (counts as the $5 minimum purchase)
  • Exclusive Title every 3 months
    • 3 Months: Keeper of the Faith
    • 6 Months: Keeper of the Word
    • 9 Months: Keeper of the Vow
    • 12 Months: Keeper of the Flame
  • Pick any Dye 12 Pack every 6 months
  • Pick any three of the 7 Obsidian Potions every month, including:
    • Potion of Capacity: Increases carrying capacity
    • Potion of Conservation: Reduces reagent use chance
    • Potion of Expedience: Swift gathering on all gathering skills
    • Potion of Precision: Increases Meticulous Collection to all gathering skills
    • Potion of Preservation: Reduces armor and weapon damage
    • Potion of Reclamation: Increases Salvage and Repair to all production skills

Weekend Flash Sale: Dragons

In Release 58 we added a new Dragon type: Wyverns! These dragons are generally smaller than their full size cousins and the smaller versions can be tamed! In honor of Wyverns being added to the game all dragon and fire related items (including fireworks) are on sale this weekend!

Follow the links to learn more about each item. Also, you’ll want to explore the game in detail for there are many more craftable items available!

Upcoming Events Calendar

Oct 11-13, 2018 – SOTACON Austin 2018
Oct 25, 2018 – Release 59
Nov 2, 2018 – Release 59 Livestream
Nov 15, 2018 – Release 60
Nov 30, 2018 – Release 60 Livestream
Dec 13, 2018 – Release 61
Dec 21 or Jan 4, 2018 – Release 61 Livestream

Visit the official Community Calendar to see the great lineup of activities our amazing community has planned for this weekend! And be sure to check out this month’s Release Events thread in the SotA forums for additional events.

Community Event: 4Brain – Where is Net? 

[Forum post by Net]

When: 2018-09-28 18:00 – 2018-10-26 18:00 UTC (The event ends October 26th 1pm CDT)

What: Some of you have wondered where was Net in Riya’s event last month. I was busy exploring all the wonderful mazes in the Novia and preparing myself for the new events. Since preparation of in-game events takes time (and resources), here is a fun maths and exploration event for you to keep you busy this month.
You have to solve one simple equation to win this event. 1st person to solve it correctly will win the Ornate Cornucopia 2016 and 5 golden crowns, however everyone successfully finishing the event in time will also get uniquely numbered 4Brain book with cool puzzles and stuff.

So, without further ado, here is the simple equation you have to solve:

W=X-Y-Z

Now, to find the values of X, Y, Z there are three more equations for you:

X=5×a-5×b+2×c

Y=(-17×f-28×d)/(29×e-46×d)

Z=15×i-10×g+h

To get the values of a-i, you will have to explore Novia a bit and find the locations where I was in the pictures below. If you find the exact spot I was in, you can use the /loc command to get the coordinates in the form (x, y, z), you should ignore decimal places (e.g. for loc (20.9, -15.4, -196.6) the x = 20, y = -15, z = -196).

You will find the loc (a, b, c) in this place.You will find the loc (d, e, f) in this place.You will find the loc (g, h, i) in this place.Prizes:
1st place – Ornate Cornucopia 2016 and 5 golden COTOs
2nd-5th place – 1 golden COTO
Everyone successfully completing the event – 1st edition of the upcoming 4Brain book (details TBA, but it will contain at least one brain melting puzzle)
Everyone finding at least one location – gets a chance to win a filled spirits cask with the 4B heraldry

Community Event: Novia Market R58 Grandmastery Bundles

[Forum post by ldykllr]

NoMa Grandmastery Bundles (R58)
Every month we are offering four professional-grade bundles:

  1. Adventurer’s Bundle – some of the highest grade gear available in the land, ready to take a novice adventurer to the journeyman level! This month we are featuring armor from Grizelda TheHag (@Grizelda TheHag )
  2. Crafter’s Bundle – Are you an aspiring Tailor? The Tailor’s Starter Kit comes complete with all the items you will need to get started!
  3. Custom Bundle – This is something new we are offering. This is NOT geared towards the beginner player, this is for all the veterans out there. Ever want to get a set of custom armor made? Well here is your chance! These tickets will go for 20,000gp for a shot at getting a FULL set of armor and a weapon (Tier 2 mats only, no rares – this excludes Bone Armor, Obsidian Armor, Mossy Handles, Unicorn materials, etc). Your choices will be from the following types — Bronze, Meteoric, Constantin, White Iron, Fustian, Carapacian, Supple, Hardened, etc). NOTE: It can take from 2 weeks to 1 month for your custom armor to be fulfilled to your specifications.
  4. Consumable Bundle – Our consumable bundle this month includes a set of consumables (food and potions) sponsored by Zeetocht (@Zeetocht — Combat Consumables).

These bundles will be raffled on October 26th (the day after R59 release). Tickets are on sale now and priced especially for beginners at 500gp each bundle (with the exception of the Custom Bundle – see above). No matter how many tickets a character purchases, they will only get a single chance at winning that bundle – so purchase only one ticket per bundle!

We are hosting the ticket vendors and a display table of what each bundle entails at Market Square, at the south end of NoMa (if you check in with the town crier, it is the only City lot in town and under Governor Robyn Hood’s name). As you wander past all of our merchants, please do some window shopping and take a look at what all of our residents have to offer!

(Screenshots below to help you find your way).

Cheers,

Ben & Robyn

Screenshots

Location of the Market Square in Novia Market

Meretz: Win a Gothic Village Inn

Win a Gothic Village Inn & earn free SotA in-game items daily!

Whether you move a little or a lot, as a Meretz user you rack up valuable Meretz Points (MPs).
The more MPs you have, the more stuff you can buy!
Think: in-game SotA goodies, Sweepstakes entries, Relics by Rild giveaways, and tons more.

With Meretz, we launch several sweepstakes every month.
This month, we’re giving away a Gothic Village Inn – valued at $100!
You can also enter to win a Relics By Rild $50 Gift Card, SOTACON Austin 2018 tickets, and other cool prizes.
AND, use your MPs every day for in-game items like potions and emotes.

What’re you waiting for? Download Meretz TODAY!

Meretz: Win a Pair of SOTACON 2018 Tickets!

SOTACON Austin 2018 is giving away a pair of tickets and t-shirts to SOTACON Austin 2018!

Enter daily to win! To enter, get the Meretz App: https://www.meretz.com/promo/sotaconaustin

Or watch Lunch with Laz & Jack Daily for additional entries, as well a chance to win a weekly prize of a Custom SOTACON t-shirt!

Project to Support – Through the Moongate Kickstarter

“Through the Moongate: Richard Garriott, Origin, and Ultima” a book by Andrea Contato.

Richard Garriott, Origin Systems, and the legendary CRPG series Ultima are central to the history of video games. This is their story.

If you have played a computer role-playing game (CRPG), chances are Ultima played a part in its inspiration. Created by visionary Richard Garriott, and produced by his company Origin Systems, Inc., Ultima is one of the most important and influential CRPG series in the world. Through the Moongate illuminates the path of the Ultima games’ history and the creative people behind this landmark series. It also covers some of Origin’s other games, especially Wing Commander, and touches on several contemporary titles. Many of these tales have never before been told.

Join the Kickstarter now!

Project to Support: King’s Dinner at SOTACON

[Forum Post by Winfield]

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

Announcing a Spectacular Event to
Dine with Lord British and Darkstarr
King’s Dinner 2018 Web Page

October 12, 2018 at 5-8 PM CDT
Tickets on sale through October 8, 2018

Purchase Cloaks, Tickets, and Sponsorships Here

Anyone may attend!
Anyone may buy exclusive cloaks or be a sponsor!

Developers, past developers, family,
players, new players, and guests are all welcome!

Friends of Ultima, Ultima Online, Shroud of the Avatar and more!

Come dine with us!​

This event is in conjunction with SOTACON – Austin 2018
SOTACON tickets are not required to attend this dinner.
See SOTACON Schedule

This dinner is not included in the SOTACON – Austin 2018 Ticket
except for SOTACON VIPs

Buy your tickets early before the seats fill up!​

KING’S DINNER 2018 AUSTIN
Featuring
Richard Garriott “Lord British” and Starr Long “Darkstarr”
at a medieval-themed all-you-can-eat BBQ dinner

Special Guests
David Watson “Iolo”
Scottie Jones “Lord Nimrond Ionescu”
Stephen Daniele

King’s Dinner Web Page
Guest List | Sponsor List

County Line on the Lake Restaurant
5204 FM 2222, Austin, Texas

Can’t attend? See Sponsorship ideas farther down

Purchase Cloaks, Tickets, and Sponsorships Here

All Attendees and Sponsors get Exclusive Coins and Cloaks
Cloaks also sold separately!

SPONSORSHIP IDEAS FOR YOU
All funds help reduce dinner ticket prices & add SWAG, gifts, and entertainment​

YOU DON’T NEED TO ATTEND THE EVENT TO BE A SPONSOR!​

CAN’T ATTEND THE DINNER AND STILL WANT THE COIN?

Sponsor at the Baron level to get your name in the Program, we mail the Coin to you anywhere in the world, and deliver the Cloak in game. Your contribution goes to shipping costs and supporting the event.​

WANT TO BE RECOGNIZED AS A SPONSOR AT THE DINNER?

Sponsor at the Baron level for your Dinner ticket, Coin, Cloak, plus your name, guild, player town, or company in the Program (Guest List and Sponsor List). Increase your level of Sponsorship and get more!​

 

ADVERTISE YOUR GUILD, PLAYER TOWN, OR COMPANY!

Sponsor at the Viscount level to get your name, promotional paragraph, and web link in the Program (Guest List and Sponsor List). Also get Dinner, Coin and Cloak. You don’t have to physically attend to Sponsor.​

 

SPONSOR AT HIGHER LEVELS FOR MORE RECOGNITION, MEMENTOS, AND THANKS!

SPECIAL NOTICE: After Dinner on October 12, many of us (including Lord British) will drive 8 minutes to Richard Garriott’s Curtain Theater to see the Baron’s Men Theatrical Production of Shakespearean “Henry IV Part 1”. Ticket box office opens at 7:00 PM, Theater opens at 7:30 PM, Play starts at 8:00 PM. Get tickets ahead of time or at the box office there. Continue a Grand Evening with us!


Scene from “Dead of Winter” (October 13, 2017)
Featuring our friend Scottie Jones (audience left in the chair)

Resources – Players Helping Players

SotA_NewPlayerWelcome_Forum

The official SotA New Player Welcome Forum and the Player Created Resources Forum have the best player created resources for Shroud of the Avatar, whether it’s a Player Written Guide, a Video Walk-through, or a Wiki-type Website.

Visit the official Community Resources page for a complete listing of all things community.

 



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