Updates

Play Release 121!

December 13, 2023

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 121 goes live December 14th at 10:30 AM CST.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 121 (R121), we offer frigid and feathered little ankle-biters.

For those wishing to participate in any community activities, upcoming one-time and recurring community events have been announced! Be sure to also review the Player Guide and Known Issues for additional information on recent changes and upcoming fixes.

News Announcements

Community Updates

Mysterious Portal Appears in Novia

There have been reports of a portal that has started to appear at random locations all over Novia. We have sent Wladziu, our Senior Field Investigator, to explore and report on what this phenomenon is. Word is that the portals have been seen in every region of Novia, but only in one location at a time. The portal does not seem very stable and we suspect it will not be accessible for long. If any courageous adventurers happen upon this portal, please look for signs of our dear Wladziu and the team; we have not heard back from them since they set out to investigate.

Sneak Scene Preview

In some taverns, rumors are shared of a place where specialists in stealth hone their craft. Drunken whispers have overshared that those frequenting this “sneak scene” will claim avoiding combat is more important than direct confrontation. Some people might suggest this place is neutral ground, with both assassins and spies putting aside their differences in order to make use of these elaborate training facilities, but you didn’t hear it from me!

Release 121 Patch Notes

Below are a list of the updates that are live as of Release 121 in the game of Shroud of the Avatar! R121 is a polish month. Content, additional improvements, and bug fixes are inbound for R122 in the new year. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 121!

Play Release 120!

November 15, 2023

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 120 goes live November 16th at 10:30 AM CST.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 120 (R120), we offer bronze and golden threats.

News Announcements

Community Updates

Ten Years of Monthly Releases

We are fast approaching the ten-year anniversary of Release One. December of 2013 marked the appearance of The Chicken Room, the first scene players were able to access while the game was in early development. Last Spring on April Fools’ Day, we resurrected the room for that one day, playing a trick on anyone who logged in during that 24-hour period by redirecting their login choice (no matter what they selected) to go to an updated version of the room. We added a secret door that led down to a door which took the player to wherever they had originally chosen upon login. There were Easter eggs to find, some literal and some not: some came away from the experience with a new pet chicken while others had chicken for dinner that night.

Next release, we are planning an extended livestream to celebrate the ten years of monthly updates. We hope to have some guests on the stream to share memories and regale us with stories and lore in addition to the usual release update information, special sales, and contests! Word is that the chicken room may make an appearance as well! No, we aren’t going to redirect players into the scene (this time.)

We look forward to everyone joining us on December 15th for this very special livestream!

Play Release 119!

October 25, 2023

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 119 goes live October 26th at 10:30 AM CDT.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 119 (R119), we offer treasure for the coffers, treasure for the mind, and a nice place to go back to when you’re done gathering them.

News Announcements

Community Updates

Find a Treasure Map and Set Off for Adventure

In the coming days, you may find a mysterious map along your travels: perhaps on an enemy, in a chest, listed on a player vendor, or given to you by some kind and/or baffled guild-mate. Junior Treasure Hunters across Novia all know to go to Selleck, to be found along the Port Harmony docks, to learn about seeking what it leads to! There’s a guy who really knows where his shovel is. He’ll make sure you know how to use one before sending you out with some helpful hints. There may be valuables ne’er seen before! There may be guardians to battle! It’s a good thing that explorer’s shovel is a weapon…

This first round added to the game includes decrepit maps that will lead you into low-tier zones accessible to players of every level and blood-stained maps that will lead you into zones frequented by players hunting other players. Be sure you trust your party members!

Be Transported to a New Tutorial Encounter

Helpful Automatons now have an inventory-themed tutorial they can provide to any Avatar.

The tutorial is a series of one-on-one lessons in a solo scene which any Helpful Automaton can teleport you to upon request. It’s primarily informational, but there are some basic activities which shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. If needed, though, a teleporter at the site will allow you to return to town at any time, even before the tutorial is concluded, and you can always return to the tutorial scene and continue where you left off. Students who complete the tutorial are given a reward.

Helpful Automatons can be found in Soltown, Castle Atos, Kingsport, Port Harmony, and other NPC towns around the world, and more units will be added to other cities over time.

Play Release 118!

September 27, 2023

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 118 goes live September 28th at 10:30 AM CDT.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 118 (R118), we offer an improved shopping experience, but not in Jotungrund.

News Announcements

Community Updates

Support Breast Cancer Research with New Make a Difference Items

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and, going live October 1st, our Make a Difference Store is having a few items added to its breast cancer charity section. Catnip Games donates 20% of the net purchase price of items in this section to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Starting on the first of the month, a Pink Fireflies 3-Pack will be added!

October 1st also heralds the return of the Pink Katana, which was removed from the in-game store when the Make a Difference store relaunched; a new Pink Katana Pattern 6-Pack has been created to go with it.

Our own reminder, as the month is about awareness, not just donations: despite all the pink, breast cancer is not ONLY a woman’s disease. Men have vestigial breast tissue and can develop cancer as well. It’s rare, but they tend to have worse outcomes because it’s not something they are routinely screened for and so it’s generally caught later in the disease process. If you’re a man who’s noticed any odd changes to your chest, please don’t ignore them!

Improvements to the Vendor Listings in Zone Window

The Vendor Listings in Zone window has seen some performance and usage improvements from DevilCult this month:

The window will no longer be destroyed when closing it; it will now just be hidden. A message will appear in chat upon opening the list informing you that you may close the window and let it load in background. While the list continues loading, it might still affect the game a little depending on how many vendors and items are being loaded. Once the list finishes loading, another chat message will appear showing the number of items loaded and the number of vendors in the town, letting you know that it’s ready for use.

Data caching for the vendors (though not the listed items) has been added: when leaving a town and then returning within an hour, that list will still be downloaded but will need to repopulate the items, which can still take some time.

The scroll bar will now resize correctly with the window. Finally, the dark ‘loading’ overlay has been enlarged so players can’t click the columns to sort or the refresh button until the whole list is loaded, which was delaying its completion.

We hope these changes help you search for that rare conversation piece or deadly dagger!

Play Release 117!

August 30, 2023

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 117 goes live August 31st at 10:30 AM CDT.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 117 (R117), we offer challenges and coins. En Garde!

News Announcements

Community Updates

Courage Club: New Arena, New Challengers, New Rewards

Courage Club has gotten a series of improvements! Note that some of these were suggested and encouraged by players, but things got a little out of hand and we added some extra bells and whistles.

Courage Club is a secret fight club where avatars can prove their mettle by fighting several enemies, one at a time, in a small, private arena. There are Courage Clubs in Aerie, Central Brittany, Mud, Resolute, Valhold, and Westend; talk to the local guards to get a Courage Club Key and find a hatch to enter, generally near the guard offices.

After some heavy excavation, the Club has expanded its small boxy fighting pit into a bigger, rounder arena. This improved space has attracted more and tougher participants:

Previously, players would fight five enemies of random capabilities and ever-increasing threat and the last enemy was a champion with a unique name. Now, that’s Bracket 1! (You only need to complete Bracket 1 to receive the Banner of Valor. Also, completing or slinking away from Bracket 1 will now modify your virtue once a day, rather than only the first time.)

The NEXT three enemies, Bracket 2, are tougher, with a named and possibly uniquely-styled champion as the third opponent. Then there’s Bracket 3: three of the toughest competitors, with the final being a champion with a unique name AND appearance.

Remember to ransack the fallen: the defeated of Bracket 1 drop Courage Club Bronze Coins, Bracket 2 drops Courage Club Silver Coins, and Bracket 3 drops Courage Club Gold Coins. Make sure you collect them for a bonus reward! The referee will trade ten Bronze Coins, seven Silver Coins, and/or seven Gold Coins for a reward.

You can choose to trade the coins in for gold and experience once a day, as three separate daily quests, OR trade them for decorative versions of the same coins as often as you have enough: a Commemorative Courage Club Bronze Coin, Silver Coin, and Gold Coin. These coins are always slowly spinning on their edges and have a visual effect glow (but are not a light source).

(Known issue: for now, you’ll need ten each of gold and silver coins to trigger the turn-in for these commemorative coins, even though you only need to hand in seven.)

There are four new leaderboards to track these underground feats: a main one for Courage Club fight totals but also ones tracking fights against the final champions of each bracket.

Perhaps this is why the Oracle knows about Courage Club! If you participate in Courage Club and then ask the Oracle about courage, she might have some feedback on your performance. Who doesn’t like to watch a good fight? I wonder who she roots for…

Release 117 Patch Notes

Below are a list of the updates that are live as of Release 117 in the game of Shroud of the Avatar! R117 is a polish month. Polish, additional improvements, and bug fixes are inbound for R118 next month. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 117!

Play Release 116!

July 26, 2023

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 116 goes live July 27th at 10:30 AM CDT.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 116 (R116), we offer intruders that are not supposed to be in the water and animals that are.

News Announcements

Community Updates

Something is Amok in Port Harmony Cistern!

Port Harmony’s underground cistern is at the heart of the Port Harmony water system. There are numerous pipes that run underground and all of them intersect within the cistern. It filters debris from their water, distributes clean water to certain locations, manages waste, and can even convert salt to fresh water. Its functions are a combination of small miracles! Lately, though, the water pressure has not been at the expected strength.

As the city’s Watersmith, Annora Jenkins maintains the canals and water management systems. If you’ve already completed all the tasks in Port Harmony that Jenkins needs help with, she will send you into the cistern to do repairs and find the cause of the low pressure. It might be sabotage! Who would do such a terrible thing?

New Creatures Spotted in Swampy Areas!

The warm spring has awakened some unusual creatures in East Sanctus Forest, East Veiled Swamp, Midras Ruins, and Tanglemire. The smallest of them seem harmless enough, but the larger ones are quite territorial!

From all reports, most frogs are green, but a few sightings of Red Poison Dart Frogs and Brown or Pale Frog Goliaths have been confirmed. It is even rumored that there are Blue Poison Dart Frogs, but that has not been verified as of this writing. Perhaps some ~~hapless wanderer~~ intrepid adventurer will ~~stumble across~~ track them down them in the coming months.

The tamers of New Britannia have managed to break Poison Dart Frogs to their will, but Frog Goliaths seem to be just too stubborn. Fortunately the chefs of New Britannia have stepped up and made alternate plans for them: general merchants in Tanglemire and Solania and a wandering merchant in Mistrendur now sell a recipe for fried frog legs.

At this rate, they’ll invade more wet areas soon! Perhaps someone should start a Cult of Anura just in case… not the chefs, though.

Play Release 115!

June 28, 2023

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 115 goes live June 29th at 10:30 AM CDT.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 115 (R115), we offer more words, floating beacons of menace, and birthday cake.

News Announcements

Community Updates

Lord British Birthday Bash: R115 Livestream

Join us on July 7th at 4 PM CDT for our annual Lord British Birthday stream! We will be talking about Release 115 and replying to questions both from the streaming audience as well as from the askadev postings and the devs will set out into the game world teaming up with players to go adventuring!

We will be starting the stream at our usual time, but we expect that the stream will extend past the usual length (more prizenings!)

More info is below.

The Great New Britannia Mapping Project Update

This month our team of cartographers has completed maps in South Paladis, bringing ten maps online. Next, we are sending our team into Quel and possibly mounting an expedition into the vastness of Verdantis. Though we have lost personnel there before, we will yet again attempt to document these lands.

Play Release 114!

May 24, 2023

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 114 goes live May 25th at 10:30 AM CDT.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 114 (R114), we offer a few new quests in Port Harmony and a few old beings who resent have been awakened.

News Announcements

Community Updates

Release Day Work Window Changes

[From a Forum Post by Ravalox]

Starting with this release, we will be taking the game server offline at 08:00 AM CT instead of 9am as in the past. This is mainly to streamline the time used for the work window and prevent our maintenance from extending further into the day when additional maintenance is required.

Shifting our work windows to start at 8am better syncs with our pre-scheduled database backups (preventing us from having to execute a second backup when we take the server down) and provides more time to perform any additional maintenance steps, including database migrations, while still returning the server to operation by 10:30 AM CT.

Our published work window will be from 08:00 AM CT to 10:30 AM CT, but we will bring the server back up as soon as work is completed if earlier than the end of the work window. This means that, for most release deployments, the work should be completed and the server restored to service by 09:30 AM CT instead of the usual 10:30 AM CT.

In the event we have a larger deployment, we will still advise the community of any extended outage times well in advance of the scheduled work day/time.
– Ravalox

Play Release 113!

April 26, 2023

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 113 goes live April 27th at 10:30 AM CDT.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 113 (R113), we offer the new scene of Port Harmony and newly-tameable reef spiders.

News Announcements

Community Updates

New Scene: Port Harmony

The Ministers of Port Harmony welcome all outlanders to their growing seaside community!

With direct access by galleon from both Novia and Hidden Vale, and acting as a cultural hub for all of Mistrendur, Port Harmony is a thriving New Britannian colony with something for everyone. Shop in our bustling dockside marketplace, stroll past the fountain in the nearby town square, wander into our charming residential neighborhoods, chat with our friendly residents, or just relax on a lazy gondola ride in the canals. Our Virtuous city offers many of the amenities of the largest southern communities, including a hospital, a New You pavilion, and a militia that keeps everyone safe both inside our borders and out in the surrounding territory.

So what are you waiting for? Come to Port Harmony, your home in Mistrendur!

Port Harmony is a new Tier 8 adventure scene, available to Episode 2 players, featuring a large city with merchants, crafting stations, and quests.

2023 Roadmap Update

So far we are pretty much on track to keep the roadmap schedule.

The one item we have a delay on is implementing Unity 2021. We are now in process of migrating servers and applications to new Virtual Machines as well as adding new internal build and Dev/QA environments. This will eliminate the process bottleneck we currently have and allow for the parallel development work on our current Unity 2018 platform and Unity 2021 until it is ready to be deployed into production.

The first phase of our Treasure Map system is currently in development. Devilcult is doing a great job of prototyping the maps and setting up the tech and systems that we will need to move forward with more advanced features.

As detailed farther down in these release notes, we are in the final push to get the in-game scene maps completed. There is still much work to be done to catch up but we have met our commitment to ensure that any new qualifying scene released will have a map on day one. Work on the SotaMap server is still on the schedule as well but is blocked by server and infrastructure updates being done to our website datacenter. This will be an ongoing project and updates will be provided as we reach the next stage.

Episode Two work continues and is progressing beautifully! Sannio (Keith Quinn) has created a unique and bright town in Port Harmony that will greet players as they first arrive on Mistrendur. Sannio has outdone himself again!

Look for more roadmap updates at the end of June!

– Ravalox

Play Release 112!

March 29, 2023

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 112 goes live March 30th at 10:30 AM CDT.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 112 (R112), we offer a preview of Port Harmony, where is not appropriate to throw eggs at your friends.

News Announcements

Community Updates

Sneak Preview: Port Harmony

Port Harmony is not yet open to Outlanders, but Sannio has provided a few preview images.

Release 112 Patch Notes

Below are a list of the updates that are live as of Release 112 in the game of Shroud of the Avatar! R112 is a polish month. Content, additional improvements, and bug fixes are inbound for R113 next month. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 112!