Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues

[Regolyth]

Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues

Lord British returns to his fantasy RPG roots with Shroud of the Avatar, hearkening back to his innovative early work.

Richard Garriott, the award winning designer and creator of the Ultima franchise, makes his triumphant return to the genre that earned him a place in the Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award. Shroud of the Avatar is the first installment of Richard’s new vision and represents the reinvention of the classic, fantasy role-playing which he pioneered. A fantasy role-playing game that will focus more on player choices and discovery than on level grinding.

Greetings and Salutations from Lord British!

On behalf of my team, I want to sincerely thank all of you for pledging your support for Shroud of the Avatar and deciding to embark on this journey with me. We have been inspired by the passion this community has shown for this project, and are thrilled by the wealth of feedback and suggestions we have already received in such a short time. And we are only just beginning! I feel confident that, with all of you beside me on this journey, Shroud of the Avatar will pave the way for a whole new generation of great role-playing games!

Richard "Lord British" Garriott




Richard Garriott Reddit Thread




No one tell my wife I donated to the kickstarter program.

[Morreion]

Haha! How awesome is it that we both posted about the same game 10 minutes apart! ;D

Keeping an eye on this one for sure!

[Here's what I posted literally 10 minutes after Rego posted the above post:]









Shroud of the Avatar official site

Shroud of the Avatar Kickstarter page

Richard Garriott kickstarting Shroud of the Avatar multiplayer RPG (Massively)

Richard Garriott is officially returning to his RPG roots with a new project called Shroud of the Avatar. Lord British has launched a Kickstarter project, and while the FAQ reveals that the new title isn't an MMO, it will have some sort of co-op/multiplayer component. As you might expect, it's a fantasy world with a heavy emphasis on sandbox elements, exploration, combat, and storytelling...Garriott is looking to raise $1 million...

Ultima creator launches Kickstarter for RPG sequel (SlashGear)

There are so many aspects to Shroud of the Avatar that make it sound like a promising RPG. Currently, the Kickstarter campaign has reached $557,600 in funding from 9,136 backers. There are still 28 days left, and it’s very likely that they will meet and beat their goal.

Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar to feature 'personalized multiplayer' (Massively)

Garriott also says that while you can play Shroud of the Avatar offline, it will still be persistent. "Everyone's in the same world," he notes. "If you log on just once a month, you'll have downloaded the current state of affairs of ownership and the current blueprint of people's houses. Everyone who has a shop that sells things, whatever it is that has been built up in the world you'll get to see. Your world will advance because of the contributions of other players."

Garriott's new RPG is "the antithesis of MMOs"(GamesIndustry)

The game will have many of the classic Garriott touches, including a character system without classes, a virtue system and consequences that follow from player actions. Players will be able to create housing, and various kinds of crafting will be available. The range of activities is sufficient that some players may even enjoy the life of a homesteader, either in settled lands or on the frontier, according to Garriott. The setting is a fantasy one, but with touches of steampunk to create an intriguing blend of capabilities.

Shroud of the Avatar promises offline mode with no DRM (Massively)

Other words of comfort include the promise that Shroud of the Avatar "will not use any form of DRM" for its offline mode and that the single-player version won't be littered with microtransactions.

Tracy Hickman tapped for writing duties on Shroud of the Avatar (Massively)

If you were a fan of fantasy games in the 1980s, you know Richard Garriott from the Ultima series. (Our younger readers are more familiar with him as someone who went to space.) Odds are good that you were also familiar with Tracy Hickman, co-author of the popular Dragonlance novels during the '80s. And if that sounds like two great tastes that taste great together, you'll be happy to know that Tracy Hickman has been announced as the lead story designer for Garriott's upcoming Shroud of the Avatar.

Richard Garriott explains why Shroud of the Avatar is on Kickstarter (Massively)

Richard Garriott has been to space, but his upcoming game, Shroud of the Avatar, is not in space. It is on Kickstarter, and according to Garriott himself in a recent interview, that's because it allows him to release a game without oversight. Garriott claims that the unnamed games he's released to sub-par reception have been chiefly the result of publishers meddling with the finished product, whereas the games he has been allowed to finish his way have been classics.

Shroud of the Avatar tops $1 million in funding, adds stretch goals (Massively)

Lord British's Shroud of the Avatar Kickstarter project has officially surpassed its $1 million funding goal with 19 days to go. That means stretch goals and bonus rewards, and the project website has been updated with a listing that includes a pet system (both social- and combat-focused) and seasonal weather functionality.

Shroud of the Avatar gets serious about housing (Massively)

Houses in Shroud of the Avatar are purchased with in-game currency, exist in a shared space, and can be traded between players. Unlike early-era Ultima Online, Shroud won't render you vulnerable to burglars and thieves; house items will remain safe, although sometimes the house itself will be taken out of commission during a siege.

There are several different types of player houses, from city houses to village cottages, that can be decorated on both the inside and the outside. The team decided to go with a deed system that will allow players to buy, sell, and trade the land on which houses are built. If a deed is acquired through the Kickstarter campaign, the house will be maintenance-free for life.

Garriott talks Shroud of the Avatar story, questing, and mechanics (Massively)

Lord British has a lot to say over the course of the hour-long show, including some elaboration on Shroud's curious is-it-or-isn't-it-an-MMO design structure. "While most people will probably play in what I call the default setting of the open world, you can also turn it down to the other levels of comfort or safety that might prefer," he says.

Richard Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar: What's the big idea? (Eurogamer)
Why he needs Kickstarter, the project's origins, clever bits, persistence, online elements, housing, PVP and combat.

Friends Play Online allows you to play the game with your friends. Open Play Online opens you up to everyone. But everyone doesn't mean everyone. Shroud's world exists on a cluster of servers that make up a whole, rather than there being lots of smaller separate servers like in World of Warcraft. So in that sense everyone is together, but Shroud caps the amount of people you can be with in one area/scenario/instance. That cap isn't set, but 50 "is about right", apparently. "I would say that's a good guess. Until we actually have it running with that many people in it it will be hard to know whether that's a little conservative or a little light or heavy. But that's probably a pretty good target."

I stressed you because in Shroud of the Avatar players' computers host the scenario/instance/area and not the central servers. The 50 people in the scenario/instance/area will be relative to whoever is hosting based on an algorithm that has Friends at the top, and then guildmates, people you've grouped with, people you've interacted with, people you've sent tells to, people who've set their PVP tag and, finally, people similar in power.

[Loendal]

I'm liking the fog of war and the details inside the instances. Those look nice. I'm not sure about the combat system though, it looks like a cross between traditional RPG's and Diablo-style (Wop... wopwop, wop wop.. Oppa Diablo-style!). I don't know if I am ready to slip back into the old-school click and wait for cool-down timer mode while standing and stabbing baddies in the face thing. I know it's still early on and with Lord British at the helm, perhaps it'll get better.

One question I would have (Perhaps it's been answered already and I'm just too lazy to watch the interview thing) is about housing and such. If I plop down my home, get it all fancied up and spend countless hours decorating and then connect to the Online mode where someone else has already built THEIR home on that same spot will it download the online home over top of mine? I hope at least they are considering this.

It might be nice to get back into the old-school again. I've slipped out of RPG/MMO games for a while now.

[Regolyth]

Loendal, being so early in the process of game development (2014 release date? LOL), I think they still have a ways to go before things such as housing and how it works, are solid.

Also, this is Richard Garriott we're talking about here. He's a very innovative man. I have faith that he'll create a combat system that will be up to date and engage the user.

[Morreion]

Keeping in mind this is very early gameplay footage, I get a distinct UO vibe here! And you can sit in chairs you make- funny how that's rare these days. Having an actual conversation with NPCs to get non-explicit quests is refreshing.





Rewards expand for backers of Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar (Massively)

The $50 reward tier now includes a special Immortality Fruit, a special title, and early access to your surname. At $60, you also get a special tunic, weapon, and pet. The new $80 tier adds in future access to episodes 2 & 3 of the game, an indestructible starter tool, and the ability to tame an elusive monster out in the wild (assuming the game reaches its stretch goal for the taming system). Those who have already donated will receive the rewards as well, but there are several more expanded tiers that might convince fans to bump in a few more dollars.

Shroud of the Avatar is well and truly Kickstarted (Massively)

Time has run out for the Kickstarter campaign for Richard Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar. The closing tally for the campaign was $1,919,275, raised over a humble $1,000,000 goal. When you throw in the donations made through the game's site rather than Kickstarter, the whole effort raked in just over two million dollars.

Shroud of the Avatar team adds Starr Long to the mix (Massively)

Fans of the Ultima series should be happy to hear that Shroud of the Avatar has added Starr Long to its roster as executive producer. Don't recognize the name? You should; according to Richard Garriott, Starr Long is the reason that Ultima Online existed in the first place.

Garriott and crew show off early Shroud of the Avatar gameplay (Massively)

Garriott's presentation started with a historical look at roleplaying games and the game industry as well as insight into his plans to leverage crowdfunding and community involvement to reinvent the genre. Aside from the early gameplay footage, Garriott also had plenty of interesting anecdotes to share about the gamemaking process, including the differences between traditional development -- where you can "smoke and mirror" the unfinished bits until you're ready to launch -- and crowdfunded work, which is done largely in full view of potential customers.

Shroud of the Avatar unleashes its content creation kit (Massively)

Executive Producer Dallas Snell introduced the Dungeon Kit: a Unity-based content creation tool that is now available to all Developer-Level ($400+ pledge tier) backers. This tool not only lets you build assets for SotA, but it also allows you to build assets for any Unity-based game that you may be working on. Snell reports that this may be the first time that something like this has been made available to other game devs or publishers before the game is even released.

Before You Drop Money on Richard Garriott’s Shroud of the Avatar… (TechLand)

I don't mean to sound like a curmudgeon, except yes I do: Being Richard Garriott isn't enough to persuade me to hand someone cash to make a game.

Shroud of the Avatar makes progress on homes and cloth armor (Massively)

Two updates this month have highlighted several projects that the team's been tackling. First up are the four home models that will go in the game, including ones for founders, benefactors, and those who shell out $50 for a giant Viking home. Floorplans, exterior shots, and interior views are all included.

Shroud of the Avatar dev update shows off Unity scene jam winner, collectors coin (Massively)

The blog introduces the Sigil of Magic, which is an artistic representation of the way Shroud of the Avatar's nine schools of magic interact with one another, along with a new official collectors coin, which will be sent out as a reward for those who backed Shroud of the Avatar at the Early Founder Collector Pledge level or above. Additionally, the blog leaps into each of the game's different crafting tables and talks a bit about their artistic influence.

Shroud of the Avatar presents founder town home and female armor (Massively)

If you wanted to be the envy of all of your virtual friends by living in the swankiest house in the neighborhood, chances are that you chipped in to become a founder for Shroud of the Avatar. Assuming that this is the case, the devs have a few impressive interior and exterior screenshots of the Founder Lord Town Home to show you. After all, who wouldn't want to live in a castle in their neighborhood?

Update of the Avatar – 10/10/13: Combat Sigil, Story Sneak Peek, Basements, Druid Home, Bonus Rewards, & More! (SotA)

During a problem solving session about cutting holes in terrain last month Starr Long proposed the notion of player basements. That night, Rick Holtrop found he needed a spot to place all the crafting stations he was working with, so he laid out a quick basement just to store his crafting stations for easy access when he needed them for scene creation. The next morning he showed his makeshift basement to Starr, who got pretty excited when he saw it, and started a thread on the Dev+ Forums to get the community’s feedback...

Garriott talks 'selective multiplayer' at NYCC (Massively)

He compared SotA's blueprint with traditional MMOs, which typically feature large numbers of players who either ignore each other or who are sharded away from one another on different servers. Garriott's aim is to make a single shard game that fills player instances first with preferred friends and then with strangers, while maintaining "ad hock private instances for storytelling."

Update of the Avatar – 10/18/13: Lord of the Manor Home, Crafting Sigil, Story Sneak Peek #2, Avatar Outfits, Basements, Scene Jam Results, & More! (SotA)

Here is a side-by-side view of the Lord of the Manor City Home, the Lord Town Home, and the Shingle-Roof Village Home (that comes standard with a Village Lot Property):

[Regolyth]

I"m really excited about this game. I totally forgot to back the game back in March/April. I was still able to get in on the backing, so I just did it.

[Morreion]

You and me both, Rego! I backed them yesterday.

I'm getting a 'UO 2' vibe from this game! Skill-based, sandboxy, comprehensive house decoration...even the UI.

I like the single shard with different levels of play- solo offline, solo online, friends only, multiplayer...will be cool to see how this turns out. Also, houses in cities and towns are a big thumbs up.

[Regolyth]

I was over at the SotA website, looking at their early access release schedule and what it contained, and I found some very interesting tidbits. It seems to me that Richard Garriott is making UO2. ;D Although I am sad to see questing in the game, although it'll be different than the questing you're used to.

Update of the Avatar 11/08/13

House Claiming: Players will be able to select a house from the entire list of player houses (even Lord of the Manor!) for free so that we can test out the various size houses on the lots and allow players to test drive the various houses so they can have a better idea of which they ultimately want to own.

House Decorating: Chests full of furniture and decorative items will be provided so you can stress test the decoration system and try out various styles of interiors. Help us figure out all the ways you can break things! (Look forward to screenshot contests on this!)

Crafting: We will be opening up crafting for testing with more than 100 recipes. Chests full of crafting resources will be provided. Crafting will initially focus on refining and production for smithing, tailoring, and carpentry.

Crafting: Resource Gathering will be added to crafting including resource nodes placed in the world. Item wear begins happening and in turn, Repair will now be available. Item enhancement will now also be possible, allowing upgrading of items to more powerful versions. On top of all that, more recipes will become available

Player Housing: The housing system will be relaunched with persistence in the online space. Housing choices will now be based on backer level, add on purchase, or what can be bought in the game. Waterfront housing will also come online.

There's a lot more too.

[Morreion]

That's the impression I had too, Rego- woohoo! ;D

[Regolyth]

I'm crossing my fingers for treasure hunting to make it into the game. I'd like stealing, but I don't think it's going to be implemented. But come on~ treasure hunting!