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E3 2014: Shroud of the Avatar's Garriott and Long emphasize immersion
Touted as the spiritual successor to Ultima Online by its creators, Shroud of the Avatar aims to fill a sandbox-shaped void in the modern MMOverse. Judging by the successful crowdfunding campaign and continued support by backers, I know there are plenty of players who are eager for that to happen and believe SotA is the game to do it. Are backers getting what they paid for? One weekend every month they can jump in and experience a new release of the game and offer feedback to the development team. And thanks to E3 2014, I also got to jump in and get some hands-on time with the latest release of the game. On top of that, I spoke with Richard Garriott and Executive Producer Starr Long about everything from player economy and pay-to-win concerns to combat, immersion, and player-contributed content.
Shroud of the Avatar sells player-owned towns for a steep price
An "epic" Shroud of the Avatar update this week revealed that Portalarium is making significant changes to its pledge tiers and store offerings. These changes include the ability to obtain more than one character per account, two additional pledge tiers, and a stretch goal store with horse mounts. Portalarium also showed off the new row house, concept art for the city of Ardoris, and announced the ability to purchase player-owned towns. These towns won't come cheap, however: Prices start at $750 and go up to $4000 for the privilege. Shroud of the Avatar will be re-opening Release 6 for play from June 9th through June 13th.
Garriott bringing SotA to E3
If you'll be in Los Angeles for E3 next week, you'll probably want to check out Richard Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar. If you won't be there, don't sweat it because Massively will be, and we'll also be chatting up Lord British and getting our hands on the fantasy sandbox's latest demo. Portalarium is hard at work on SotA, as you can see by the recent Q3 update notes. [Source: Portalarium press release]
Perpetuum playerbase trending upward, game enhancements coming
The Perpetuum team released a new dev blog this week, the better to remind players of where the sci-fi sandbox stands after its payment model switch and its Steam launch. The post says that the game's average player count is nearly five times higher than it was before, and that's with a Steam Early Access tag scaring people away. The blog doesn't disclose financial details, but it does say that the game is succeeding. "After months (years?) of worrying about what to put on your plate tomorrow, it's a liberating feeling to have that off of the list of things to worry about, and being able to just focus on making the game better," the post explains. With that in mind, it's time to delve into improvements. Those mentioned include a gamma revamp, quality-of-life upgrades, an assignment system revamp, and more! [Thanks Zoltan!]
Shroud of the Avatar announces Release 6 access for this weekend
Shroud of the Avatar's Release 6 access has begun today at 11:30 a.m. EDT for all who backed the game's Kickstarter at the First Responder level and above. This game access period will end on Sunday, May 25 at 11:00 p.m. EDT and will be the first in a series of once-per-quarter releases that focuses on polish and iteration. You can read the complete patch notes from Executive Producer Starr Long at the official site.
Shroud of the Avatar's Release 6 brings better visuals and combat
Shroud of the Avatar's Release 6 is set to roll out this Thursday with a host of new goodies for backers to enjoy. Release 6 includes visual improvements, player-to-player secure trade, additional crafting animations, combat improvements, looting fixes, revised animals, a new iteration of the overworld map, and a "sanity pass" on NPC dialogue. The weekend's website update was primarily focused on the improvements being made to the game's housing system, including larger abodes and even new types of homes. The Founder Lord Town Home was scaled up to include more rooms and even a secret hiding spot. Meanwhile, the Benefactor Town Home was displayed in all of its glory, boasting several rooms (including another secret one) and twin decks. If living the high life isn't for you, the team also made a rustic barn house featuring two stories and four rooms.
Shroud of the Avatar opens up access to Release 5
It's time to get skilled in Shroud of the Avatar's combat system. That is, it's time to actually have access to the skills that will eventually be in the game. Release 5 is now open to the game's backers, and it brings with it 35 of the 171 skills that will eventually be in the full game. Some skill lines are more fleshed out than others; while the Death line has access to death in both touch and ray form, Water is currently limited to Ice Fist and nothing else. But that will change. Aside from this major addition, the new release will also see the first wave of potential backers admitted into testing with keys that have been given out via an Alienware Arena promotion. There's also a new lighting model in place and a variety of functionality updates. Whether you're in the early access period or just want to keep an eye on the development, check out the full list of Release 5 notes for more details.
Make My MMO: April 13 - April 19, 2014
MMO crowdfunding news this week centered on industry titans Richard Garriott and Chris Roberts, as well as The Secret World's new ARG companion game called The Black Watchmen. The title kicks off in September and is currently being funded through a Crowdtilt campaign that still has 49 days left to run. For more info on the title, click past the cut or check out Massively's Black Watchmen interview.
Richard Garriott holds contest to recreate his first teletype RPG
Before Tabula Rasa and even before the Ultima games, Richard Garriott made a teletype game he called D&D #1. A high school student at the time, Garriott built the RPG after his astronaut dad told him he'd split the cost of an Apple II as incentive. D&D #1 eventually branched out into 27 more versions of the game, with D&D #28 being rewritten as Akalabeth, his famous first money-maker sold in plastic Ziploc bags. But now Garriott wants fans of his work to play that first D&D #1 game once again. No, not on a teletype machine, but from within his upcoming Shroud of the Avatar MMORPG. Starting today, a new contest will reward the best version made on Unity and the best version made as a plug-in browser port. Winners will receive the Citizen-level Kickstarter pledge reward ($550 value) and both runners-up will receive the Collector's level pleadge reward ($165 value). If this sounds like something up your programming alley, snatch up the original code for the game at Shroud of the Avatar's official site.
The Game Archaeologist: The danger of expecting lightning to strike twice
It's no secret that many of the more successful Kickstarter projects over the past few years have heavily capitalized on player nostalgia, brand names, and former dev gods who are back for another round. The formula for drawing in the big bucks seems to be the following: Take something players hugely loved back in the day, dangle the concept of a sequel (spiritual or otherwise), and promise some measure of iterative improvement. I once wrote about how we really can't go back again to recreate a particular game experience because it was usually a confluence of several factors that were related to where the industry was then and where you were then. I'm not saying that there isn't value to retro gaming, playing classic MMOs, or involving the past in future development! But there is a danger in how we as gamers become so beholden to our nostalgia that we dare lightning to strike twice -- and we're paying big bucks to see that happen. But can we? Will it?
Perpetuum announces April 23rd Steam launch
Avatar Creations' sci-fi sandbox Perpetuum might have a few years under its belt now, but that doesn't mean it's too proud to set up shop on Steam, and on April 23rd, that's exactly what it will do. In a dev blog posted today, the studio outlined what the Steam launch and gamma reset will mean for the existing playerbase: Those who already own the game are now able to link their Perpetuum and Steam accounts on our website and receive a free copy of the game on Steam. We have set up a new Account connections section under account management where you can do this. [...] Future purchases of Perpetuum on our website will not mean that you will also get a Steam key. Since Steam is not a requirement to access the game and will not give players any in-game benefits, we will still be offering Perpetuum through our own store as well. Perpetuum already dropped its subscription fee earlier this month in preparation for the relaunch.
Shroud of the Avatar has raised $3.7 million to date
Shroud of the Avatar hasn't launched yet, but Portalarium is celebrating its anniversary nonetheless. The studio pointed out that next monday, April 7th, is the title's one-year mark since it concluded its $2 million Kickstarter campaign. Portalarium is throwing several promotions for the anniversary, one in particular being a last chance to get or upgrade to the founder level at the original Kickstarter prices. Other anniversary events include developer hangouts, special access to Release 4, and prize giveaways. Shroud of the Avatar has gathered more than $3.7 million in crowdfunding to date and is eyeballing a late 2014 launch window. [Source: Portalarium press release]
Shroud of the Avatar's Release 4 starts today, combat added
Shroud of the Avatar backers, don't forget that Release 4 access begins today at 11:30 a.m. EDT. Portalarium producer Starr Long says that the dev team is "going to deliver almost every single Release 4 item and a few extras," and he provides an extensive list including the first pass at combat, resource gathering, and persistent player housing. Read all about it at the official SotA website.
Perpetuum is dropping its sub fee on April 2nd
As Perpetuum approaches a rebranding of sorts with a new player experience and a new early access status on Steam after a successful Greenlight, the dev team at Avatar Creations has one more thing it'd like to announce: a payment model change. Starting April 2nd, Perpetuum will be dropping its subscription payment model to move forward with a single-purchase buy-to-play model priced at 28.99 USD/EUR. There will also be in-game item purchases that will include "previously unavailable services and cosmetic upgrades." As a special bonus for anyone who has ever paid for at least three months of the game's subscription, the game will be completely free. Be sure to check out the most recent blog post for more details on this new payment model and changes coming to the game with this Steam launch on April 2nd. [Thanks to Fredrik and Zoltan for the tips!]
Shroud of the Avatar celebrates one-year Kickstarter anniversary with giveaways and events
Shroud of the Avatar is bearing down on its one-year anniversary since the title was successfully funded on Kickstarter, and Portalarium has several giveaways and events planned for the occasion. The events planned include several hour-long developer hangouts, an all-day hangout telethon on April 7th, and access to Release 4 for backers on the 7th as well. The studio will be giving away an Alienware gaming laptop, a trip to Austin to visit with the team, Founder adventure pledges, and weekend passes for Release 5. Portalarium also announced that it's creating a fourth housing lot size to fit castles for Lords of the Manor. It's a four-fold increase in size over city lots and even comes with a moat -- because why have player housing if you're not able to drown your visiting friends?
Perpetuum Online plans a Steam-based marketing push via Early Access
While Perpetuum Online has already been Greenlit on Steam (and was launched almost four years ago), a recent forum post by DEV Zoom states that the team plans to re-brand on Steam as part of the Early Access program. This has caused a bit of a stir in the forums as some players believe this will send the wrong message. "Since the game's been released for 3-4 years or whatever," player Norrdec observes, "isn't going early access kinda... fraudulent?" DEV Zero later clarifies: "The main reason for it is because we have no idea what to expect regarding player numbers and how the servers will take it. We need to warn people that there can be server issues, lag, etc., in the beginning and stuff can break badly. And right now on Steam, being early access is the best way to bring this to people's attention. Obviously we'll tell them this in the developer's notes box and that we've been out for years already." Be sure to check out the entire thread for more on the Early Access plans and a proposed Gamma wipe in the near future. [Thanks to Anon for the tip!]
Shroud of the Avatar eyeing PvP balance while placating its 'large segment' of PvEers
The 63rd edition of Shroud of the Avatar's Update of the Avatar is a biggun. It covers topics ranging from upcoming events to the latest chapter of the Blade of the Avatar novel to current dev thinking on various game mechanics. One of those mechanics is PvP, and executive producer Starr Long's treatise touches on the fact that the team wants to a) have PvP, b) have PvP that isn't segregated via dedicated servers, and c) avoid forcing PvP on the "large segment of the community" that doesn't want it. Some of his proposals include PvP zones, duels, and guild warfare. Click through the links below to read more details.
WoW Moviewatch: ABATAP
This is more than just a movie we wanted to be made. It was a movie that had to be made. ABATAP is an Azerothian remake of Avatar, featuring all the blue-skinned trolls you could ever want. Somewhere between an epic remake of an awesome movie and a giggle-worthy parody of Azeroth's environmental issues, this might be the finest thing I've seen the week. Take some time, check it out, and let us know what you think! Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding February 9 - 22, 2014
In the world of MMOs, no news is not necessarily good news -- especially when it comes to crowdfunding. Silence often denotes a lack of progress on a game, and that can certainly make investors nervous. Thankfully, many games provide players with updates that we, in turn, provide for you here. If no news is bad, then news is good, right? Unfortunately, this doesn't hold true. In the case of Star Rider and Hot Rod Hustle, the news is that neither met its funding goals. So we say farewell to these two games from Make My MMO. And Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen's campaign was chock-full of news, but in the end, its Kickstarter didn't succeed either; Pantheon, however, is continuing the fundraising effort on its official site. At least some news is good! War of Omens also leaves this round up, but for different reasons: Players can hop in and play the game! Likewise, HEX: Shards of Fate and StarCraft Universe move on now that both have moved into testing. Another sandbox, Terrayn, also joins the Kickstarter ranks. To hear other good news, keep reading.
Shroud of the Avatar adds multiplayer features for release 3
If you backed Shroud of the Avatar chiefly to play around with its semi-online functionality, the newest release of the game should make you happy. The third test release features several of the multiplayer functions of the game, including chat, emotes, and friend lists. Combine that with the addition of a crafting system and new merchants, and the whole thing is closer than ever to being a fully featured online-but-not experience. The third test session will also feature a village, Braemor, expanding the amount of land that players have to explore and work within. Obviously, this test will be available only to backers of the game, but you can still jump on that through the game's official site if it sounds like something you want to play. For more details on the improvements as well as how to get into the game if you are a backer, take a look at the full release notes. [Source: Portalarium press release]