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Xbox's new avatar options include prosthetics and a baby bump
Haven't given your Xbox Live avatar much thought lately? Neither have I, and that's probably why Microsoft is taking action on that front. Yesterday the company announced that the avatar system will get a major overhaul sometime in fall 2017.
'Avatar' sequels start arriving on December 18th, 2020
James Cameron has spent years drumming up hype for his Avatar sequels with little to show for it (the first sequel was originally due this December). However, his team is finally ready to commit to specific release dates -- for all the new movies. The production team has revealed that Avatar 2 should arrive on December 18th, 2020, with the rest staggered throughout the next few years. The third movie is slated for December 17th, 2021. There will be a 3-year gap between that and the fourth movie, which debuts on December 20th, 2024. The fifth and final (?) title will appear on December 19th, 2025, 16 years after the first.
Ubisoft is building a game in the 'Avatar' universe
Alongside this week's Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, Ubisoft announced its next AAA-project: a new experience set on the moon Pandora from James Cameron's Avatar universe. The game is being developed by Massive Entertainment, the Ubisoft studio behind last year's fast-selling The Division.
'Avatar' attractions are coming to Walt Disney World in May
Disney CEO Bob Iger has announced that the entertainment giant will soon be opening a park based on James Cameron's Avatar. From May 27th, visitors to Disney World Orlando will be able to explore a large area based on the hugely successful sci-fi movie, imaginatively entitled "The World Of Avatar". Based in the park's Animal Kingdom, fans of everything blue will be able to experience the family-friendly water ride "Na'vi River Journey" and motion simulator ride '"Avatar Flight of Passage" as well as Avatar-themed bars, restaurants and gift shops.
James Cameron: High frame-rate cinema is 'a tool, not a format'
Sadly, James Cameron is going to probably retire making Avatar sequels that focus more on technology than story or his trademark action-flick set-pieces. Armed with $2.8 billion in box office receipts from the first movie, Cameron's been on a technology sojourn. He's been extremely vocal about his support for high frame-rate (HFR) cinema and stereoscopic 3D for filmmaking in the past, but it seems like he's changing his tune slightly these days.
Bjork avatar appears in London via Icelandic mocap
Björk is continuing her "Vulnicura" exhibition at London, but the fact that she's in Iceland didn't stop her from appearing at Somerset House cultural center. In glorious Björk fashion, she beamed into the press conference as a colorful digital avatar to take questions alongside Somerset Director Jonathan Reekie. Meanwhile, she was back at the Icelandic Media College in Reykjavik wearing a motion capture suit, with her movements transferred to the Avatar digitally via Autodesk and Unity tech.
'Ready Player One' filmmakers want your 3D avatars
A bulk of Ready Player One takes place in a digital universe known as the OASIS, a utopian society filled with 3D models of people plugged into the MMO world. Steven Spielberg is directing the film adaptation of Ernest Cline's novel and he's looking to bulk out OASIS with 3D avatars from digital artists around the globe. Anyone with the right skills and determination can submit a 3D avatar via Talenthouse, and Spielberg and co. will choose at least five winners to place in the movie.
Oculus wants to help VR avatars look normal when they talk
Remember all those Hong Kong kung-fu movies with really poor dubbing so the actors' mouths would keep flapping after the words had stopped? That was charming. What's less charming is the possibility of stone-faced avatars poorly mouthing dialogue, detracting ever so slightly from the immersive power of virtual reality worlds. That's why we're all slightly excited that Oculus released a beta Unity plugin called OVRLipSync.
Apple buys motion-capture company that worked on 'Star Wars'
Apple's latest startup pickup is Faceshift, a company that specializes in facial motion capture -- often doing it without any need for physical "markers" on the model's face. Cupertino confirmed the deal to Techcrunch, which also discovered that several Faceshift employees are already working for Apple in Europe. While a lot of Faceshift's technical demos have focused on real-time animation based on camera-based motion capture, it also works on improving facial CGI animation in movies and other media. (That's where the Star Wars connection comes in.) It's a bit of a reach to figure out exactly how the startup's work will dovetail into Apple's machinations for the future -- but at least it's something a little more interesting than another map company.
Shroud of the Avatar's release 14: FREE HAT
If you want a silly-looking pointed hat in Shroud of the Avatar but don't know how you could possibly get one, then the latest development update will make you extremely happy. It tells you how to get just that. Yes, you can have a new hat as a reward for finishing another installment of the Grand Tour quest. So you get up to speed on all of the new features of the patch and you get a hat along with it. Everyone wins. The development update also contains a look at more of the overland modeling going on behind the scenes, some of the in-game books being deployed, and a new Kickstarter project for the spiritual successor to the Ultima Underworld games. There's also the usual assortment of discounts and items that will soon be leaving the game forever. Check out the full update for the in-game and community details.
PAX South 2015: Garriott and Long talk Shroud of the Avatar
In 2013, Ultima Online creator Richard Garriott took to Kickstarter in the hopes of funding an old-school, sandbox-y MMO. Titled Shroud of the Avatar, the new project would be built in Unity and aimed squarely at those MMO fans who longed for the days of player-driven economies, crafting as a focus instead of a side activity, and the ability to impact the game world in a real way. The plan worked. Shroud of the Avatar pulled $1.9 million on Kickstarter alone, almost doubling its $1 million funding goal. Since then, the team has been hard at work bringing Garriott's vision to life (and keeping backers happy). I spoke with Garriott on the PAX South 2015 show floor about crowdfunding, loot, and the mistakes of the modern RPG. I also got to play a bit of SOTA with the help of executive producer Starr Long, who kindly did not make fun of me when I was killed by the second mob in the demo.
Get the lay of the land in Shroud of the Avatar
If you're looking for a "high-level overview" of Shroud of the Avatar's game world, this week's newsletter has you covered. It features a three-and-a-half minute video showing the current in-game world, both from map and player perspectives. The newsletter also engages in a team post-mortem of Release 13, mentions the game's upcoming PAX South appearance (at booth #1343), and shows off a couple of new creations: the Flesh Flayer plant and Geothermal Steam Catchers. You can watch both the lay of the land and the Release 13 post-mortem videos after the break.
Shroud of the Avatar's elementals run (not so) wild
The elemental forces of nature are one of many inhabitants of Shroud of the Avatar that can be either friend or foe, depending on the situation -- and the binding. In a recent newsletter, the devs showed off several of the elementals and golems in both bound and unbound varieties. Mages will be able to use magic to subdue and order these beings to protect and serve. The newsletter also showed the progress being made on Dragon Pass and promoted the Release 14 grand tour quest reward, which is a very pointy hat called a Hennin. You know you want to wear a princess hat, you pretty little thing. Well, you'll get your chance when that update comes out on January 29th.
Report: Xbox avatars to get a facelift on Xbox One
Xbox avatars may soon return in an upgraded form on the Xbox One, PC platforms, and mobile devices, a pair of recent Microsoft job postings indicate. "As we cross the threshold to a unified operating system and product experience across Microsoft, it is time to for Xbox avatars to also advance to the next level," the latter posting reads. "Come with us, as we take Xbox avatars on their biggest adventure yet in new Xbox experiences. You will be part of the broader Xbox Experiences team, which owns the Xbox One Shell, and the Xbox experiences across console, desktop, slate, mobile, iOS, and Android." Created by Microsoft-owned studio Rare, Xbox avatars made their debut as part of an Xbox 360 firmware update in 2008, allowing Xbox Live members to associate digital characters with their gamertags. Though avatars and purchasable customization items remain a focus on the Xbox 360, the characters aren't currently given the same treatment on the Xbox One, where they only appear as part of a gamerpic photo app. "We're always looking for talented people to innovate now and in the future," a Microsoft spokesperson told Eurogamer in response to a request for clarification. "We don't have any further comment on this or any other job posting." [Image: Microsoft]
The Daily Grind: Have you played Shroud of the Avatar yet?
I'm itching to play Shroud of the Avatar. I haven't yet, and every time I see a related news blurb I feel a tiny bit guilty because it's a sandboxy title from one of my favorite developers. I'm keeping it at arm's length, for the moment, mainly because of the pre-beta fatigue brought on by my way-too-early experiences in Landmark, Star Citizen, and other titles that currently feel more like work than play. What about you, Massively readers? Have you tried SotA yet? If so, what did you think? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Shroud of the Avatar shows off zone diversity
If this week's Shroud of the Avatar newsletter is any indication, there will be something interesting to look at in this game no matter which direction you take. The team showed off several different areas and biomes in the letter, including the undead realm of Brightbone Pass, the craters of Shardfall, the graveyard of Wyrmsands, and the desolate Dragon Pass. The Shardfall biome will be available for the first time in-game with the upcoming Release 14. Shroud of the Avatar will be on the floor at CES in Las Vegas next week as part of a partnership with Plantronics.
Shroud of the Avatar lays out plans for early 2015
If stated plans are any indication, Shroud of the Avatar is in for a busy first few months of the new year. In a recent newsletter, the team recapped the "flexible" schedule for the game's early 2015 updates. January's Release 14 will expand zone connections, add in the Shardfall biome, begin testing on a new version of Unity, and add things like player banks, an encumbrance system, and in-game pledge rewards. February's Release 15 has its eye on several new mainland areas including the Necropolis, more magic spells, housing fees, dyeable outfits, teachable emotes, and crafting skills. Finally, March's Release 16 is going to add Steam achievements, a cover system in combat, and localization. The team also released one of the backer rewards, a cover version of the classic Ultima Stones theme by the band The Space Bards, and you can listen to it after the break!
Shroud of the Avatar's Richard Garriott and Starr Long on how SOTA wins at player-generated content
When you sit down to talk with Portalarium's Richard Garriott and Starr Long about Shroud of the Avatar, you hear much more than can possibly fit in just one article! Even though its currently in development, there's a lot to this title. Last week's Some Assembly Required focused on the upcoming sandbox's community aspect; as promised, this week's edition delves into SotA's amazing player-generated content capabilities. It's not surprising that PGC would be so prevalent in-game when these two devs have emphasized the importance of making a living, breathing, immersive world for players. When you get a great community together and then give it tools and freedom to create, what happens is phenomenal. As Long put it, "It's really humbling for me and the team to see what these players are willing to do... what they're doing with what we're giving them." Read on, my friends, and see why Shroud of the Avatar may very well be the reigning king of the PGC hill even before it actually releases! (There might be a few morsels about upcoming development thrown in as well.)
Shroud of the Avatar drops Release 13 for the holidays
The team behind Shroud of the Avatar has headed home for the holidays until December 28th, but a little present has been left behind for fans just the same. The latest update for the game is live on the servers, and it allows you to pick up a seasonal Yule Hat just for stopping in and checking out the new content. Also there is a whole lot of new stuff to play through, so a hat is probably not your primary incentive here, but the point is that the hat exists just the same. To be fair, stopping in and checking out the content requires going through the game's Grand Tour quest, which will lead players through all of the new bits added in this update. That includes new crafting, new creatures, new skills, and new areas. Check out the full update for patch notes, details on how to clear out the Grand Tour, and upcoming community events.
Shroud of the Avatar's Richard Garriott and Starr Long on MMO community
If you've been making a list of sandbox features and checking it twice, chances are you'll find many of those items in Shroud of the Avatar. And if player-generated content and a great community are near the top of that list, then this crowdfunded title might very well be the present you want to get yourself! While still under development, this sandbox has already grown exponentially from its humble beginnings of a chicken in a room to a current state that includes a bevy of features -- with more arriving like clockwork every monthly update. And plenty of those features are tools and systems that allow players to make the game a personalized experience for themselves and others. What about Shroud of the Avatar makes it so great for player-generated content? What makes the community great? And how has Steam affected the game? I sat down with Portalarium's Richard Garriott and Starr Long to talk about the move to Steam, updates, PGC, and the amazing community that's supporting the game. These guys had so much to share that this is only part one!