Get those eye popping video ideas ready, Avatars! Like last year’s trailer design contest, this is your chance to show that Shroud of the Avatar is both the game, and community, that new players will want to play to launch and beyond.
The ‘Welcome to New Britannia’ Community Trailer Contest kicks off today!
You have from July 13, 2017 (Now) to August 18, 2017 (11:59 PM CT) to design a video trailer for all New Britannians to admire. Capture shots of key city districts, bustling player-owned towns, luxurious houses, intense combat, majestic outdoor scenes, crafting valuable goods, or any of the other amazing features of our game that you think will help sell the game to other players.
Key features to highlight include:
- Sandbox RPG
- Selective Multiplayer: Offline Plus 3 Online Modes (Single, Friends, & Open)
- Multipath Story by Richard Garriott and Tracy Hickman
- Classless Character System
- Dynamic Combat with Customized Decks
- Player Driven Economy
- Deep Crafting System
- Player Owned Housing
- Housing Decoration System
- Player Owned Towns
- etc…
Below are the details of the contest, including what you can win!
SELECT A THEME
Theme 1: Complete 1-2.5 minute trailer. There’s so much content one could add to such a trailer of this length, but most importantly, it should all be of high impact value. The more exciting and powerful it is for broad audiences that don’t already know what Shroud is about the better!
- Example 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv4nPNagoT4
- Example 2 (using Animoto): https://youtu.be/AL4SUG-UKPs
- Example 3 (w/voiceover): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbN6aqgGtuc
Theme 2: Short 30 seconds or less advertisment video. For such a short video, high impact and quick to understand imagery is going to bring your video to life.
- Example 1: (different game theme, focus on the camera cut style, and don’t forget to
include an exit slide!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yptYN0hT1Q - Example 2 (similar to above): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAC0YF2iM2c
- Example 3 (combat focus): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68wCCTPhFE8
- Example 4 (textual teaser): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtIDkKKg7Q4
Also, we recommend you check out all the videos from the previous contest! http://bit.ly/2ujj1VI
Examples are of the highest quality, so don’t worry about trying to duplicate them. They are only basic guides. Some of the ways you record footage will be limited to our camera system. Do the best you can and have fun with your own ideas on what a trailer should include!
Both themes can contain textual cut-scenes and audio explanations if you wish, though we suggest limiting these and letting the scenes explain the game itself. This includes carefully selecting what kind of Shroud approved music (anything from our game or is completely free for public use) works with the visuals.
Please be sure to mention in the submission post which theme your video is designed around.
WINNERS & PRIZES
Trailers will be judged by a team at Portalarium on the following merits:
- Keeping to the Shroud of the Avatar world (Only SotA footage)
- Overall originality and artistic flair (Don’t overdo it! Simplicity can work wonders)
- Diversity of in-game areas presented (Outside scenes, inside homes, dungeons, etc.!)
- Overall flow from opening scenes, buildup of in-game footage, and end scene
- Seamless transitions, consistency, and smooth gameplay throughout
- Will it make a fan shed a tear in joy? Brownie points here!
Theme 1 Prizes:
- Grand Prize: $1,000 Store Credit, an in-game title, and a thank you letter from Lord British
- 2nd Place: $500 Store Credit, an in-game title
- 3rd Place: $300 Store Credit, an in-game title
Theme 2 Prizes:
- Grand Prize: $250 Store Credit, an in-game title, and a thank you letter from Lord British
- 2nd Place: $150 Store Credit, an in-game title
- 3rd Place: $100 Store Credit, an in-game title
* Can redeem up to $85 in COTOs
All Other Submissions: Everyone else that submits an eligible and feature complete trailer will have theirs included in a contest playlist on the official Portalarium YouTube channel for proudly submitting their work.
Final entries and winners will be mentioned and shown on the Community Livestream on August 18! Keep watch on the main website and the game’s social channels for details and updates.
SUBMITTING A VIDEO
Requirements:
- Resolution: 1920×1080, or 3840×2160 if all scenes play smoothly at 30fps or higher
- Runtime: 1-2.5 minutes for Theme 1, 30 seconds or less for Theme 2
- Assets: May only use SotA graphics, music, or your own customized assets. NOTE: If you use your own assets you must have all rights to those assets and you must assign us perpetual non-exclusive rights to those assets so we can use them as part of the trailer when we use the trailer for promotional purposes.
- Quality: For optimal game recording quality, set all game settings to their max
Scale back game settings if framerate drops consistently below 30fps - Audio: Must have at least some music, sound effects only at the intro and exit scenes as needed, and voiceovers are not necessary. Also consider keeping gameplay sound effects low, or turning them off entirely. Music is usually the only main audio you need.
- Contains a “Created by:” message at the end scene, as well as a Shroud of the Avatar logo either in this same scene or elsewhere.
- Must list the official website URL at the end of the video: www.shroudoftheavatar.com
Your video must be shareable on YouTube. Submit your trailer in the community forums with a title, description, why you created it, and a YouTube link to the trailer.
VIDEO RESOURCES
There are plenty of tools out there to use to put together a gameplay trailer! Some online web suggestions would be Animoto.com, Flixtime, and Stupeflix. Production tools include Adobe Premiere, Cyberlink Director, and Sony Vegas. As long as the trailer adheres to the contest requirements, you can use any software at your disposal.
There are many ways to create great trailers! We recommend you start by considering if you want any graphics at the beginning of the trailer to introduce it, as well as exit slides (including the “Created by:” message in the end scene). One of the examples we provided above is a super duper fancy Animoto.com version, so don’t feel obligated to abide by that structure.
Click here to download our Media Kit that includes additional logos and items for your video.
You are also required to save raw footage in case we would like to reuse the footage in future videos. Please do not send raw footage until we ask though, unless it is via an easy to use link that downloads the footage in one path.
CONTEST RULES
Since this is a skill based contest, a committee of judges will be formed at Portalarium, and any tie breakers will be resolved by the committee. Any concerns and disputes on who won must be sent to [email protected]. Do not post in the submission thread or other public areas any disputes or challenges about the winners.
Inappropriate/Vulgar submissions are prohibited and will result in disqualification.
Submissions containing any of the following are considered inappropriate:
- Any disparagement of a race/gender/group of people or ideals
- Drug/alcohol abuse, sexual connotations, and other derogatory or disturbing imagery
- Graphical bugs, or otherwise depicting the state of the game in a negative manner
- Anything that would be a violation of the common Community Rules & Guidelines
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE AGE 13 OR OLDER. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON OR HOUSEHOLD.
THIS IS A SKILL-BASED CONTEST. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. VIDEO FOOTAGE CAN BE FROM ANY SOURCE AVAILABLE TO YOU, INCLUDING YOUR OWN GAME ACCOUNT AND THIRD PARTY SOURCES. ASK FOR PERMISSION WHERE APPROPRIATE. AFFIDAVIT OF ELIGIBILITY / RELEASE OF LIABILITY / PRIZE ACCEPTANCE AGREEMENT MAY BE REQUIRED.
ALL SUBMITTED VIDEOS ARE ABLE TO BE USED AND COPIED BY PORTALARIUM FOR PROMOTING SHROUD OF THE AVATAR AS PORTALARIUM AND ITS PARTNERS SEES FIT.
Good luck Avatars, and have fun creating an amazing video!
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