27 December

Update of the Avatar #105 – 2014.12.26

Happy Holidays from the Shroud of the Avatar Team!

Greetings Fellow Avatars! Here's what we have for you in this week's Update of the Avatar: The Space Bards' cover of Iolo's "Stones", Scepter of Dread Artifact, First Quarter 2015 Schedule Update, In-game Community Weekend Events, Holiday Specials, Last Chance Exclusives: Smithing Hammer of Prosperity and Village Pavilion, and More!

The Space Bards' cover of Iolo's "Stones"

One of the backer rewards for The Space Bards (aka Recap) Neon Milk album Kickstarter was "Set our course by having us cover any song of your choice". Richard "Lord British" Garriott's requested cover song was "Stones" by David Watson (aka Iolo).

"We Recapped the hell out of this one for you," said Space Bards Dom, Dan, and Steven. "Pray Iolo doesn't decide we should awaken with a few bolts in our chest for it."

Here, for your listening pleasure, is The Space Bards cover of Stones (opb. David Watson A.k.a. Iolo)

Scepter of Dread Artifact

Legend says the Scepter of Dread will cause all who gaze upon it to fall to the ground in fear. Others claim that if such an artifact existed, then the Obsidians of old, would have wielded it to consolidate their dominion over Novia. Since none have seen it, it remains the stuff of legend and rumor.

First Quarter 2015 Schedule Update

As the fourth quarter of 2014 draws to a close it is time to look ahead to what we have planned in the coming year. Here is Starr Long's public forum post where he outlines the First Quarter 2015 Schedule Update:

Greetings Avatars,

As we stated in previous posts, our goal is to once-per-quarter post an updated schedule for our monthly releases. Even though these goals will likely change somewhat as we react to feedback, we feel it is important to provide you an updated road-map periodically.

Our goal continues to be to deliver our backers content each and every month so that we can get feedback, and use it to iterate improvements. This has already paid off, with additional game features like jumping and swimming, as well as improvements to systems like crafting, conversations, and combat. Meeting that monthly goal is our highest priority, but we require flexibility in our deliverables to meet that goal. As you have seen in previous releases, sometimes we push things out, but we also often pull new things in.

As always, all dates, durations, and deliverables are subject to change as we adjust our designs based on direct feedback from you, our backers.

RELEASE 14, January 29, 2015

Scenes: Brightbone Pass and Blackblade Pass Entrances will expand the mainland while another Desert scene will expand the Vale. We will also add the Shardfall biome to the game, along with a shardfall scene (this is the biome for our Open PVP scenes).
Unity 5: We will begin transitioning the project to the latest version of Unity. For R14, it will most likely be a separate build, purely for testing.
Banks: Players can now start storing things in the bank. This is also where all your pledge rewards will be at the start of the game, so you won’t start so encumbered that you cannot move.
Encumbrance: The weight of items will now factor into how much you can carry. Your carrying capacity will be derived from your Strength stat.
Pledges Tied to Game Account: Your pledge will now be tied to your game account. This means you will start the game with your pledge rewards in your bank storage.
Customization: A pass will be made to improve hair and facial hair.
Combat: Various skills will be added to finish out Earth, Water, Ranged, Blades, Bludgeon, Tactics, and Heavy Armor schools.
Housing: Lot Deeds will be introduced to the game so property claiming will first require purchasing a lot deed in the game (or receiving one via pledge rewards). Also, more basements will be available.
Crafting: We will also be adding more Cooking and Alchemy recipes and ingredients including the ability to put magical enchantments and stat enhancements (durability, weight, value, etc) on gear.
Shopkeepers: Prices will now fluctuate based on available stock, and each vendor will have “I will buy” and “I will sell” lists. This means that the fruit vendor might not be interested in buying that sword from you.
Creatures: Our bestiary will expand to include Man-Eating Plants, Water Elementals, Greyhounds, and various Human Enemies (mages, archers, etc.).

RELEASE 15, February 26, 2015:

Maps: We will continue to expand the mainland scenes to include Resolute, Xenos, Desolace Town, The Necropolis, and the Verdantis Shardfall.
Spells & Skills: Sun and Moon Magic will expand to include more spells. The combat schools of Shields will also expand, and more combos will be added to the game.
Housing: Property ownership will now incur regular fees (unless you are using a tax free deed from a pledge). If the fees are not paid, the player will lose their claim, and their possessions (including the house and decorations) will be moved to their bank.
Crafting: Crafting skills will start to come online, and be used during crafting to modify results.
Creatures: Our creature list will continue to expand with the Fauns, the Phoenix and Wisps.
Combat: Stealth mechanics will begin to appear.
Customization: Clothing and Armor will now be dye-able.
Overworld: Roving encounters (patrolling creatures) will now appear on the overworld map and can be engaged (pulling you into a scene) or avoided if you wish to sneak past. We will also have the first pass of the Novia map.
Player Titles: Players will now be able to display their title in the game.
Emote “Teaching”: Emotes will now be teachable to other players. Some emotes (like the ones tied to pledges) will only be teachable by the original owner. For now, “teaching” will be trading a consumable item that adds the emote via secure trade.

And much, much more! Click here to read the rest of Update of the Avatar #105...

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Luci(Xeno)fuge

113 products in account

Recommended

70.7 hrs on record

Posted: 30 November

Disclaimer# Early Impressions!

I play several MMO's(Darkfall, Secret World, Elder Scrolls and Archeage) as well as having played tons more over the 15 years Ive been interested in this type of game.

I picked up SotA last night and after 5 or so hrs figuring out the basics and getting some grouping in here are my thoughts.

Graphics are good IMO, they are not ground breaking but the enviroments, weapons and textures all give a pleasing medievil aesthetic. The animations could use improvement and since this is prealpha im sure they will get love.

The combat at first wasnt exciting, dying to small spiders and wolves.. or getting over run by skeletons. The TAB target combat with auto attack feels like a updated Everquest. The combat in a group was considerably more fun, 4 of us where fighting 4+ skeletons at a time.. good healing and timely dodges!

The combat system is unique and I found it refreshing. You have decks that you equip.. You have 7 hotbar slots and while in combat your abilities will be drawn from your deck. They fade away if unused in a certin amount of time. You can also make fixed decks where you know what abilities will come up. This comes with a penalty that increases focus cost ( focus = Mana).

Character creation was better then say Darkfall.. hardly any options.. but way short of Elder Scrolls or Archeage. You have some hair and can adjust basic features.

The world Map is something people may or may not like, It reminds me of old JRPG/CRPG which is a great thing. You leave an area and you switch to a map with a isometric angle to travel to the next hub.

The skill based deck system is where the variety will come in. The short time I played I was able to build a deck, with summon skeleton and two drain lifes. Im hoping im otw to Shadowknight/Deathknight!

The sounds effects range from average to good, the music is great and really sets the mood.

Performance issues have been mostly choppy animations and occasinal warping. So far I havent experinced any client crashed while playing. Some standard mmo bugs have happened.. Unkillable monster.. sometime when things die near walls they can be hard to skin.

Is it an MMO?

Technically IDK, I play online and have grouped with people etc, I see people houses they have placed on plots and I can hear people in chat. Its close enough for me.

Plus you will be able to play the game offline singleplayer or with friends in a private game. Choose to make the server PVP or not..

Is it worth it? Yes , its fun, nostalgic and full of potential awesome.

Was this review helpful? Yes No

Breeze[FIN]

107 products in account

115.0 hrs on record

Posted: 14 December

With build 12 it's an MMO with most of the elements which made Ultima Online great. Amazing community, housing, crafting and exploring, they're all there and improving. The game may feel rough at first, but worth the effort. Quite amazing accomplisment with pre-alpha and the devs are patching every week, there's also game and community events weekly. Highly recommend, just don't expect it to play like other MMO's: the game doesn't hold your hand if you play it.

s3rgio27

21 products in account

219.8 hrs on record

Posted: 2 December

I can't beging to explain what this game is. Yes its an mmo but its more. I log on and the people that play. Are not trying to get to level 10,000 and have the best EPIC items! There are no L33TD00DZ. There is actually a large RP community that has invested ALOT of money into this game to bring it to life.

This is something different and it will shake the MMO foundation at its core. Now only can you play the game but you can create dungeons that if chosen can be part of the game. Right now there are commuities of game developers playing the game AND making content for it. You meet the most interesting people here its crazy!

No other game will be like this because its the people that are attracted to this game IS what makes it so good.

No WoW kiddiez either!!

I found HOME! We are in pre-alpha so lots of work to do.

4bit

217 products in account

Not Recommended

0.6 hrs on record

It was a game full of potential, but it somehow lost itself along the way. I backed it in Kickstarter above Citizen level, and watched it intently for some time. Much of the old school vibe has been softened leaving it in a state that doesn't appeal to purists hoping to recapture that vibe, or new players looking for a more modern experience. A good example is that they've changed the conversation system from being purely text and parser to a click on the highlighted words while leaving the text box. That sounds great, but it ends up really being the worst of both worlds. The interesting part of figuring things out is removed, but you're still having to do most of the work to get things out of people without a journal.

If they'd stuck to their convictions, they'd have had a much better game.

But what really kills it for me, is the combat system. While the devs publicly ask for patience about it, the truth is not enough meaningful change will happen because it will be tweaked, but not abandoned at this point. The concept of randomly determining what skills I can use sounded like something that should make you pay more attention, but since you're not setting up for your next attack (as you don't know what's comming) you end up actually being less interested in things, and just click through as fast as things pop up because that's the key.

Many backers complained about this early, as it hurts the game from both a Role-play and PvP stand point, but were driven out of the forums by people who refused to hear anything bad about the game, and devs who kept saying their prognosis was wrong.

The take away for the devs is, in an RPG, I'm already not in control of many of my successes because of random numbers, but if you're going to take the one thing I can do which is pick my characters actions, and take those away for random numbers as well, then screw it. I'll play something else.

It truely embodies how this supposedly old school game has latched on both hands to the flash in the pan modern mechanics in an attempt to be different, abandoning it's core message, and attempting to solve a problem that never existed.

It's a dirty shame. Garriott had talked about something amazing in the early days. No health bars, just role-played action in combat. Getting rid of hotbars completely. This is the opposite of that.

Some people like that, and I'd recomend watching some videos to see if it's something you like, but for me, it's such a huge turn off, I've just moved on to other games.

EDIT: For those who did not find this review helpful, please feel free to comment bellow what other information you'd like me to add to feel like it helped guide your purchase.

Nuku

1,369 products in account

2.5 hrs on record

I helped funding this game when it was around pre-alpha release 3, so far only playtested releases 5, 6, 7 and 11 and i must say it's been improving alot along the development time, especially between releases 6 and 11 imho.
I can see where RG wants to go with this and i hope he makes it true, i do wonder how well the single player aspect will work out tho as this is a very mmo style based game.
Keep it up RG.

DavenRock

9 products in account

144.3 hrs on record

Posted: 16 December

There are so many things to say here. I've been a backer since the Kickstarter, and before when it was mysteriously named "Ultimate RPG."

Describing the broad spectrum of capabilities that I prefer would be commonplace, however I would like to express how deeply satisfied I am with how SotA (Shroud of the Avatar) has become so far in this pre-alpha release 12. Patienty awaiting the next release 2 days away.

Community:

One thing that stands out over all the things anyone could possibly say about this game is that the community that comes with it is simply AMAZING. So many helpful souls combined in one place. Don't get me wrong, there are still PKs out there :P. But everyone is always bringing up great ideas and squashing some, welcoming newcommers, starting events, answering questions, etc.

Game Experience:

Take all the basic skills you gained from playing all those years of UO and bottle them up, look inside and what do you see? Not SotA. This game's skill system is 'currently' level and skill-tree based, along with card combat and two types of draw/deck systems. The combat feels very deliberate, as if every hit is meant to be the way you thought it would isntead of just button mashing. PvP is intense, the possibility of there being hardcore pvp/full loot as an option is something i hope is going to make it's way into the game.

SotA isn't even close to being done yet and they have nearly perfected the combat system to work in such a smooth and synergetic way, it feels great. I have actually been against the card combat idea before, but it the skill system ties very nicely into a unique combat/armor/weapon/skill relationship/synergy.

My sub-par laptop can run this game with 2-20 fps.

Great game and alpha development experience thus far! Being a part of this game's development, growing with the game, is another experience entirely that humbles me to think of being given the opportunity. Support this game! :)

GraveDancer

94 products in account

44.2 hrs on record

Posted: 29 November

If you played the ultima series or Ultima online MMO, This game is for you! If your a lover of MMOs, with crafting, optional pvp, guild wars, and home ownership. Get this game!

wordpoet

5 products in account

71.0 hrs on record

Posted: 6 December

Shroud of the Avatar boasts a team of serious and professional game designers with years of experience under their belts and it shows. Each month the progress and change is amazing and the game continues to grow and become one of the best that I've seen in a long time. Considering it is crowd funded and has a small budget to work with, the team is building incredible works of art with the mediocre tools at hand.

What's also impressive is the community and it dedication to making this game a complete experience and not just a bunch of digital pixels. Many groups and individuals have dedicated their time and talent, both in game and out, to helping develop a world that players can visit and enjoy.

In short, I am excited, not only about the work that has already been done but also about the potential that this game has to offer. The cost of this game is well worth the money and a lot less than some of the disappointing software I've purchased in the past. Keep in mind that the cost is not only for access to the pre-alpha but also for full access to the final release.

I've played this game for a while, long before it was on Steam, and enjoyed the game and comraderie so far. I hope you will feel the same. See you in game.

erich26

95 products in account

32.3 hrs on record

Posted: 1 December

I know this may sound odd, but the thing that grabbed my attention, that I have been looking for what seems like forever, is the ability to play in a full-fledged MMO (housing, roleplaying, combat, deep crafting, harvesting, etc.), and play a game that is constantly being developed, but play solo or just with my small group of friends.

I know this goes against what many people think an MMO was made for, but I truly feel this game shines because of the freedom they allow players in choosing who they are going to play with. In game, you can choose to play solo online, friends only, or full multiplayer. If you play solo (like I do mostly), you no longer have to compete for mobs or harvesting mats. You get your own instanced area of the region you are in, and can hop in and out of multiplayer at will, with a simple reload being all that is necessary.

If you have been looking for an online game that gives you everything you see in newer MMO's, but would like the option to play by yourself or with friends and not be interrupted by other players constantly, this is the game for you. Although it is in preAlpha, it is very playable. Recommend wholeheartedly.

155 products in account

13.8 hrs on record

Posted: 13 December

To be honest when i first heard of this i thought to myself "YES!!!! Ricard Garriott is..... oh I forgot about ultima 8. And 9.... hmmmm"

I backed the project in hopes that maybe some of those aspects that made me love the earlier ultima games would be back, but also realise that Richard Garriot has no longer got control of that intellectual property. This shouldnt be a deterent though. This game is in Pre Alpha, which means there is still a heck of a way to go. So far it is looking pretty interesting. I have only played a couple of hours but can see great promise in this game. A bit disappointed in the overland map, and would be good to have landmarks marked on explored area.

That being said there are other parts I think will shine through. I love the crafting system they have implemented so far. It is still early stages, but enjoyable.

I think the other good thing about having open pre alpha allows feedback from a large group of people instead of the few that pass through registration. People can buy this now, test it and give their opinion.

BrowncoatJayson

44 products in account

99.1 hrs on record

Posted: 7 December

A new roleplaying game experience from Richard Garriott, the creator of the Ultima series. Features Selective Multiplayer, allowing you to choose who you encounter in the single, massive world. The main story was developed by Richard Garriott and Tracy Hickman, to co-author of the Dragonlance series, who is also writing a trilogy of novels as a prequel to the events in the game (the first novel is available on the SotA website, and will be available in bookstores soon).

Shroud of the Avatar takes the standards of RPGs, such as combat, crafting and quests, and reimagines them as a mix of old-school nogstalia and cutting edge gameplay. There can be thousands of crafting recipes due to the simple but elegant system, each of which will contribute to the player-driven economy of the game. Combat goes beyond the traditional MMO hotbar by allowing you to customize your abilities, combine them into devastating combos, and make use of timing. And quests are not just meaningless text from a character with an exclaimation point above them, but subtle clues leading to unique adventure.

Shroud of the Avatar is currently in Pre-Alpha, so many of the things you see are placeholders or incomplete, such as stubs for NPC conversation and incomplete quest chains. The graphics have not been optimized, nor has any post-processing effects been added, so those looking for cutting-edge graphics should wait until closer to launch. But for an Early Release game, Shroud of the Avatar is amazing.

Join us in New Britannia!

Naberius

60 products in account

15.7 hrs on record

This game has the potential to be a very good game and I hope it does get there. At the moment though it is very limited in
capabilities, this I would expect from an alpha. If you like classic style gameplay and artwork to match buy this game and support its development.

Avatar

391 products in account

12.4 hrs on record

Posted: 10 December

I didn't think there would ever be a game that might outdo Ultima Online, but from what I've played so far, this is doing a really, really good job of it.

A lot of the great things from the single player Ultima games are here (NPC conversation, quests that aren't WoW-style). An ingame journal replaces the typical quest log, and it's done in a way that makes you want to read the backstory. No "go kill 10 murlocs" garbage here.

Combat isn't yet balanced, and isn't a matter of combat mode on/off, and isn't like your usual MMO combat where you have your abilities and use what you want - there is a knack to using it that I haven't worked out yet. It's deck-based combat, but there are ways to "lock" abilities in your bar.

Housing is in. In UO, you could purchase a house outside of town, set up a vendor, put chests in it, and that's about it. Here, you purchase a house within towns, you can have group ownership or you can rent rooms to people. I've seen chess sets, baths with seats, grandstands, theatre stages and probably more I can't remember.

Crafting works like this: each "skill" has a specific crafting table. You have your ingredients, go to the table, put each item on the table, and if there's a recipe for it, you now have that item, and the recipe is in your book. Each subsequent time you craft it, you just go to your book and make it automatically. You can also find or buy or trade recipes throughout the game so you never need to guess or wiki them if you don't want to. Skills for crafting aren't in yet, so this might be a little more restricted later, I don't know.

The community is what really makes the game. While you can play solo, this game has a lot more to do with getting and giving help to and from other people than it is about completing quests and levelling up. I really don't know how they did it.

Vwafflehaus

66 products in account

9.5 hrs on record

For a Pre-Alpha game, this sure has alot of content. IT is actually very fun. If you enjoy rpg or sandbox games, you should buy this. You won't regret it.

zeapo

50 products in account

29.2 hrs on record

I have been playing since pre alpha release 2. The game has been turning out higher than my expectations on each release. I cant wait for the game to launch.

GuidoDeVille

10 products in account

49.8 hrs on record

I've been a fan of Lord British since I stumbled upon Ultima IV in the computer lab at my junior high school. When Garriott "left" Ultima Online, the game's soul seemed to leave (for me, at least) and I moved to freeshards. Then to WoW & countless single-player RPGs, but I never quite found what I was looking for.

I backed this project on day 1 and have played every pre-alpha release. At times I've been disappointed with a feature or two, only to log in to the next release and see my concerns addressed. The game is still in active development. You can buy it and play it WHILE they're building it, which just might be crazy.. but it's also pretty cool to see how the world evolves. Every single month I see the great progress that has been made and am astounded. Not everything works. Many features aren't implemented yet. You're only able to run around on what will eventually be 'newbie island.' BUT.. it's already fun.

If you buy the game, look for "Guido DeVille" running around and buy him a beer.

pacati

45 products in account

2.1 hrs on record

Posted: 3 December

This is the game I've been waiting for for years. Hopefully will get more time to play in a couple months.

Viaxus

34 products in account

4.3 hrs on record

Posted: 4 December

Already the MMORPG besides UO and LOTRO that feels the most alive and has a soul. Still in early phases, but quite a lot to do, and the community is amazing.

Rikard

78 products in account

24.6 hrs on record

Posted: 20 December

Pre-alpha, means bugs, unfinished areas, lacking content, crashes, and many, many more problems that would drive a casual gamer crazy. SoTA pre-alpha is more impressive than some complete greenlight projects I have seen. This game has an amazingly sturdy and expansive foundation for the devs to build on. They have promised some impressive things, but unlike most pre-release games I see on steam I feel no fear that they will not complete everything they say AND more. This game is a win just for what they have built so far. Pick it up, play it a bit, if your not impressed, take a breath, wait a month or two and come back to it. I promise if you don't enjoy the game now, you will later. The curve from improvment is so substatial.

oKupado

106 products in account

22.6 hrs on record

Posted: 26 December

If you expect a finished game dont buy it, but if you want to see the progress of one of the best mmorpg coming in the next year buy it! You wont be dissapointed, too good already for pre-alpha. !!