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
More Make a Difference, R45 Telethon, Halloween, and SeedInvest Item Screenshots
As mentioned in a previous update we created several new threads to show off content that we have been creating for SeedInvest Perk Packs, Telethons, and the Holiday Season. We will be making and posting in these kinds of threads going forward so that our players can stay up to date on the latest images of these items as we make them. In the case of the Telethon and holiday content they will first go in Dev+ and then later be included here in the Weekly Update.
Last week we created a thread about the R45 Telethon items and we added more items to the SeedInvest thread. This week we started a thread about some new Make a Difference items we are working on for Water.org and Children’s Hospitals / Doctors without Borders.
Make a Difference:
[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long]
Greetings Avatars,
As part of Portalarium’s founding purpose to promote good will and make a positive difference in the world, we’ve provided these “Make a Difference” charity items as a channel through which our community of backers can contribute to causes they support. For each of these items purchased, Portalarium will donate up to 50% of its share of the purchase price to the designated charity (see each item for percent contribution). By purchasing these items you get to have fun with them in Shroud of the Avatar, as well as make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.
We are excited to be adding more items to the store this year including a whole new section in support of Children’s Hospitals/Doctor’s without Borders (this will also be in support of Xtra Life).
Water.org
First up is an ingenious contraption that brings bodily evacuations indoors through the clever use of Kobold technology. This is in support of Water.org’s World Toilet Day on November 19, 2017.
World Toilet Day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. Today, 4.5 billion people live without a household toilet that safely disposes of their waste. The Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure everyone has access to a safely-managed household toilet by 2030. This makes sanitation central to eradicating extreme poverty. In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated November 19 as World Toilet Day. World Toilet Day is coordinated by UN-Water in collaboration with governments and partners.
Kobold Indoor Toilet
Children’s Hospitals/Doctor’s without Borders:
The items in this section of the Make a Difference Store will all be hospital themed and will include various hospital decorations as well as a doctor and nurse outfit.
Wheelchair
This will function as a chair for now but perhaps in the future when we get mounts might move around.
Hospital Cloth Room Divider
Release 45 Postmortem Rewards (Oktoberfest):
[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long]
We have now begun working on the R45 Postmortem rewards which were of course Oktoberfest themed in honor of our partnership with Munich based Travian games.
Virtue Dirndl
Virtue Bierkrug
Halloween 2017 Items:
[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long]
While we added most of the Halloween items in R46 there are a few more craftable and loot items we are adding in R47.
Prison Cot (recipe)
Wall Shackles (recipe)
Skull Goblet (recipe)
SeedInvest Perk Pack Rewards:
We added a couple of new houses and we updated the original post with all the items so they can all be viewed in one post.
[From a Forum Post by Michael “Hutch” Hutchison]
We just finished setting up the Golden Viking Village home, and here it is!
Golden Viking Village Home
…and a shot of the interior
Golden Gothic Mansion
[From a Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long]
Golden Obsidian 4-Tower Keep City Home
R46 Postmortem Telethon Results
Watch R46 Postmortem Telethon – Oct. 12 from shroudoftheavatar on www.twitch.tv
Our Release 46 Postmortem Telethon was a huge success and we all of our Stretch Goal Rewards! A heartfelt thank you from the entire Dev Team to all of you, our backers, that have contributed to the development funding of Shroud of the Avatar. Thursday’s Telethon was yet another example of your amazing support and contributions!
The total as of 07:00 PM CDT, October 12th, was an amazing:
As promised, Telethon Funding Stretch Goal Rewards will be rewarded to any backers that pledged a minimum of $5 from 12:00 PM CDT to Midnight October 12th (Spending Store Credit to make $5 minimum purchase does not apply). These rewards should show up on your account page within the next couple of weeks and will begin showing up in the game over the next few releases starting as soon as Release 48.
NOTE: We stopped tracking towards stretch goals at the end of the telethon at 7:00 PM CDT.
We had world building tours, answered questions, danced, sang, did shots, spun the Wheel of Fortune for flash sales, and handed out tons of prizes!
Did you not get your question answered? Fret not! Starr “Darkstarr” Long (with help from the rest of the team) will answer some of the questions that we did not have time to answer during the telethon at SotA Con on Saturday and any others will be posted to the forums early next week!
SotA Con Austin 2017 This Weekend
We are excited to be attending the community driven fan event, SotA Con! The first event of its kind, SotA Con is being held right here in Austin where Portalarium and our team resides. By the time you read this newsletter, we will be hanging out with all of the great community members attending the event! Keep watch on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for photo updates.
The main part of the convention will be at the Renaissance Austin and SpringHill Suites Austin North/Parmer Lane:
Renaissance Austin: 9721 Arboretum Blvd Austin, TX 78759
SpringHill Suites Austin North/Parmer Lane: 12520 North IH-35 Austin, TX 78753
Visit the forums for the complete schedule for SotA Con Austin 2017.
Nightmares of New Britannia – A Spooky Halloween Contest
BOO! Spooky content abounds in New Britannia this Halloween season, some of old, some of new! Here’s your chance to show it off to the rest of the community in your own unique style!
This month is a two-part challenge of decorating a home or property in a spooky theme, or wearing a themed costume. You can submit an entry for both segments, though you are only eligible to win in one of them. As we get entries, we will announce on social media the latest entries in a Facebook gallery. You will also be able to view the entries as they are posted in the forums.
Submit your entries in a single post reply to this forum thread. Deadline to submit is Tuesday, October 24 at 12pm (Noon) CT, so get those spooky ideas started now!
[Read More…]
Cyber Monday Crown Bonus Continues
‘Tis our favorite time of year: the holiday season! It is that special time where you purchase gifts for the ones you love (including yourself) and it is that special time where we release all sorts of fun holiday goodies for Halloween, Fall, and Winter.
To celebrate we are rewarding all purchases of $15 or more with a bonus of Gold Crowns. The amount of crowns awarded will be approximately 15% of the purchase value.
Here is the exact award chart:
The above will be awarded for all new purchases (including bundles, bundle upgrades, add-on items, player owned town upgrades, and Make a Difference items) between 10:30 AM September 28, 2017 and Midnight CST, November 27, 2017 (6:00 UTC, November 29, 2017). NOTE: This will not count for purchases made with store credit.
[NOTE: The crown bonus is calculated every day for all purchases within the previous 24 hours and then added to your account]
Original post here.
Community Livestream: North Quel Way First Look
This latest livestream starts a couple of minutes into the video. For this episode, we brought back the ever popular Esteben “SorcerousSteve” Zaldivar to show off the upcoming R47 map – North Quel Way. He’s put a ton of work into this map, so there’s much to see.
And as usual we gave away some prizes of the spooky and ghoulish type! Have a look:
Subscribe to Portalarium’s YouTube channel for more videos and livestreams: www.youtube.com/portalarium
Upcoming Events Calendar
Oct 4 – 25, 2017 – New Free Trial
Oct 13 – 15, 2017 – SotA Con – Austin 2017
Oct 26, 2017 – Release 47
Nov 16, 2017 – Release 48
Dec 14, 2017 – Release 49
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.
Event: Think Pink – Organized Chaos Grand Capture Fair
Another great Think Pink event, the Grand Fair in Constitutio Chaos will have a main event of a 14 to 14 player capture the flag competition. We will also have a fair grounds with game booths and vendor space rentals by donations to the Aerie Fund. The Sara and Andar show will also hopefully be live during the event on Radio Free Britannia.
Thanks so much, Andartianna and Organized Chaos! We hope to see everybody there (wearing pink, of course). Event hosted by community Leader: Andartianna Zazeriz
Complete event schedule posted in the forums.
Resources – Players Helping Players
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.
Recommended Project to Support – Underworld Ascendant
We’ve been following the development of Underworld Ascendant for a while now, ever since it appeared on Kickstarter. New updates have been posted as the game approaches a launch in the second half of 2018:
Underworld Ascendant is the next-generation follow-up to Ultima Underworld, the critically acclaimed series credited with creating the ‘Immersive Sim’ genre and influencing such game series as Bioshock, Deus Ex, Dishonored, Elder Scrolls, and even Minecraft. OtherSide Entertainment, which includes original creators of the Ultima Underworld series, is innovating upon the series’ signature player-authored gameplay in bold new ways.
Underworld Ascendant will be published on Steam for PC. Players can Wishlist the game now at: http://store.steampowered.com/app/692840.
Backer Shipping Addresses
In preparation for shipping backers’ physical pledge rewards around the game’s launch period, on your Account Page, please 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.
A reminder to be sure that [email protected] is unblocked from your e-mail account!
Continue reading...
Game Development
News Announcements
- R46 Postmortem Telethon Results
- SotA Con Austin 2017 This Weekend
- Nightmares of New Britannia – A Spooky Halloween Contest
- Cyber Monday Crown Bonus Continues
- Community Livestream: North Quel Way First Look
- Upcoming Events Calendar
Community Updates
- Event: Think Pink – Organized Chaos Grand Capture Fair
- Resources: Players Helping Players
- Recommended Project to Support: Underworld Ascendant
More Make a Difference, R45 Telethon, Halloween, and SeedInvest Item Screenshots
As mentioned in a previous update we created several new threads to show off content that we have been creating for SeedInvest Perk Packs, Telethons, and the Holiday Season. We will be making and posting in these kinds of threads going forward so that our players can stay up to date on the latest images of these items as we make them. In the case of the Telethon and holiday content they will first go in Dev+ and then later be included here in the Weekly Update.
Last week we created a thread about the R45 Telethon items and we added more items to the SeedInvest thread. This week we started a thread about some new Make a Difference items we are working on for Water.org and Children’s Hospitals / Doctors without Borders.
Make a Difference:
[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long]
Greetings Avatars,
As part of Portalarium’s founding purpose to promote good will and make a positive difference in the world, we’ve provided these “Make a Difference” charity items as a channel through which our community of backers can contribute to causes they support. For each of these items purchased, Portalarium will donate up to 50% of its share of the purchase price to the designated charity (see each item for percent contribution). By purchasing these items you get to have fun with them in Shroud of the Avatar, as well as make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.
We are excited to be adding more items to the store this year including a whole new section in support of Children’s Hospitals/Doctor’s without Borders (this will also be in support of Xtra Life).
Water.org
First up is an ingenious contraption that brings bodily evacuations indoors through the clever use of Kobold technology. This is in support of Water.org’s World Toilet Day on November 19, 2017.
World Toilet Day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. Today, 4.5 billion people live without a household toilet that safely disposes of their waste. The Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure everyone has access to a safely-managed household toilet by 2030. This makes sanitation central to eradicating extreme poverty. In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated November 19 as World Toilet Day. World Toilet Day is coordinated by UN-Water in collaboration with governments and partners.
Kobold Indoor Toilet
Children’s Hospitals/Doctor’s without Borders:
The items in this section of the Make a Difference Store will all be hospital themed and will include various hospital decorations as well as a doctor and nurse outfit.
Wheelchair
This will function as a chair for now but perhaps in the future when we get mounts might move around.
Hospital Cloth Room Divider
Release 45 Postmortem Rewards (Oktoberfest):
[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long]
We have now begun working on the R45 Postmortem rewards which were of course Oktoberfest themed in honor of our partnership with Munich based Travian games.
Virtue Dirndl
Virtue Bierkrug
Halloween 2017 Items:
[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long]
While we added most of the Halloween items in R46 there are a few more craftable and loot items we are adding in R47.
Prison Cot (recipe)
Wall Shackles (recipe)
Skull Goblet (recipe)
SeedInvest Perk Pack Rewards:
We added a couple of new houses and we updated the original post with all the items so they can all be viewed in one post.
[From a Forum Post by Michael “Hutch” Hutchison]
We just finished setting up the Golden Viking Village home, and here it is!
Golden Viking Village Home
…and a shot of the interior
Golden Gothic Mansion
[From a Forum Post by Starr “Darkstarr” Long]
Golden Obsidian 4-Tower Keep City Home
R46 Postmortem Telethon Results
Watch R46 Postmortem Telethon – Oct. 12 from shroudoftheavatar on www.twitch.tv
Our Release 46 Postmortem Telethon was a huge success and we all of our Stretch Goal Rewards! A heartfelt thank you from the entire Dev Team to all of you, our backers, that have contributed to the development funding of Shroud of the Avatar. Thursday’s Telethon was yet another example of your amazing support and contributions!
The total as of 07:00 PM CDT, October 12th, was an amazing:
** $80,000 **
As promised, Telethon Funding Stretch Goal Rewards will be rewarded to any backers that pledged a minimum of $5 from 12:00 PM CDT to Midnight October 12th (Spending Store Credit to make $5 minimum purchase does not apply). These rewards should show up on your account page within the next couple of weeks and will begin showing up in the game over the next few releases starting as soon as Release 48.
- ACHIEVED! $10K: Skull Cloak
- ACHIEVED! $25K: Prisoner’s Mask
- ACHIEVED! $35K: Torn & Tattered Wedding Dress & Tuxedo
- ACHIEVED! $50K: Spooky Fountain
- ACHIEVED! $65K: Dead Hedge Fence Set
- ACHIEVED! $80K: Nightmare Statue with flaming mane and glowing eyes
NOTE: We stopped tracking towards stretch goals at the end of the telethon at 7:00 PM CDT.
We had world building tours, answered questions, danced, sang, did shots, spun the Wheel of Fortune for flash sales, and handed out tons of prizes!
Did you not get your question answered? Fret not! Starr “Darkstarr” Long (with help from the rest of the team) will answer some of the questions that we did not have time to answer during the telethon at SotA Con on Saturday and any others will be posted to the forums early next week!
We are excited to be attending the community driven fan event, SotA Con! The first event of its kind, SotA Con is being held right here in Austin where Portalarium and our team resides. By the time you read this newsletter, we will be hanging out with all of the great community members attending the event! Keep watch on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for photo updates.
The main part of the convention will be at the Renaissance Austin and SpringHill Suites Austin North/Parmer Lane:
Renaissance Austin: 9721 Arboretum Blvd Austin, TX 78759
SpringHill Suites Austin North/Parmer Lane: 12520 North IH-35 Austin, TX 78753
Visit the forums for the complete schedule for SotA Con Austin 2017.
Nightmares of New Britannia – A Spooky Halloween Contest
BOO! Spooky content abounds in New Britannia this Halloween season, some of old, some of new! Here’s your chance to show it off to the rest of the community in your own unique style!
This month is a two-part challenge of decorating a home or property in a spooky theme, or wearing a themed costume. You can submit an entry for both segments, though you are only eligible to win in one of them. As we get entries, we will announce on social media the latest entries in a Facebook gallery. You will also be able to view the entries as they are posted in the forums.
Submit your entries in a single post reply to this forum thread. Deadline to submit is Tuesday, October 24 at 12pm (Noon) CT, so get those spooky ideas started now!
[Read More…]
Cyber Monday Crown Bonus Continues
‘Tis our favorite time of year: the holiday season! It is that special time where you purchase gifts for the ones you love (including yourself) and it is that special time where we release all sorts of fun holiday goodies for Halloween, Fall, and Winter.
To celebrate we are rewarding all purchases of $15 or more with a bonus of Gold Crowns. The amount of crowns awarded will be approximately 15% of the purchase value.
Here is the exact award chart:
- $15 = 2 Gold Crown
- $35 = 5 Gold Crowns
- $70 = 10 Gold Crowns
- $165 = 25 Gold Crowns
- $325 = 50 Gold Crowns
- $665 = 100 Gold Crowns
- $1665 = 250 Gold Crowns
- $3325 = 500 Gold Crowns
- $5000 = 750 Gold Crowns
- $6665 = 1000 Gold Crowns
The above will be awarded for all new purchases (including bundles, bundle upgrades, add-on items, player owned town upgrades, and Make a Difference items) between 10:30 AM September 28, 2017 and Midnight CST, November 27, 2017 (6:00 UTC, November 29, 2017). NOTE: This will not count for purchases made with store credit.
[NOTE: The crown bonus is calculated every day for all purchases within the previous 24 hours and then added to your account]
Original post here.
Community Livestream: North Quel Way First Look
This latest livestream starts a couple of minutes into the video. For this episode, we brought back the ever popular Esteben “SorcerousSteve” Zaldivar to show off the upcoming R47 map – North Quel Way. He’s put a ton of work into this map, so there’s much to see.
And as usual we gave away some prizes of the spooky and ghoulish type! Have a look:
Subscribe to Portalarium’s YouTube channel for more videos and livestreams: www.youtube.com/portalarium
Upcoming Events Calendar
Oct 4 – 25, 2017 – New Free Trial
Oct 13 – 15, 2017 – SotA Con – Austin 2017
Oct 26, 2017 – Release 47
Nov 16, 2017 – Release 48
Dec 14, 2017 – Release 49
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.
Event: Think Pink – Organized Chaos Grand Capture Fair
Another great Think Pink event, the Grand Fair in Constitutio Chaos will have a main event of a 14 to 14 player capture the flag competition. We will also have a fair grounds with game booths and vendor space rentals by donations to the Aerie Fund. The Sara and Andar show will also hopefully be live during the event on Radio Free Britannia.
Thanks so much, Andartianna and Organized Chaos! We hope to see everybody there (wearing pink, of course). Event hosted by community Leader: Andartianna Zazeriz
Complete event schedule posted in the forums.
Resources – Players Helping Players
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.
Recommended Project to Support – Underworld Ascendant
We’ve been following the development of Underworld Ascendant for a while now, ever since it appeared on Kickstarter. New updates have been posted as the game approaches a launch in the second half of 2018:
Underworld Ascendant is the next-generation follow-up to Ultima Underworld, the critically acclaimed series credited with creating the ‘Immersive Sim’ genre and influencing such game series as Bioshock, Deus Ex, Dishonored, Elder Scrolls, and even Minecraft. OtherSide Entertainment, which includes original creators of the Ultima Underworld series, is innovating upon the series’ signature player-authored gameplay in bold new ways.
Underworld Ascendant will be published on Steam for PC. Players can Wishlist the game now at: http://store.steampowered.com/app/692840.
Backer Shipping Addresses
In preparation for shipping backers’ physical pledge rewards around the game’s launch period, on your Account Page, please 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.A reminder to be sure that [email protected] is unblocked from your e-mail account!
Continue reading...