It's a great game. Has a lot going for it. There has been tons of content added as they move towards the launch date this month. As for an mmo, its completely different than everything else out there. You can choose multiplayer mode, friends only mode, or single player offline mode (which takes away all the player town stuff to make if feel you're in your own world). As far as population numbers go, there are always hundreds of people playing. Sure, thats not WoW numbers, but it's not WoW either. Some may never see anyone if they are in friends only mode or in their own instance. The game has a "friend" system where you can friend everyone you meet and then see them online and where everyone is at. It also helps the travel system as you can teleport with scrolls to their location as well. This definitely helps world travel. But, since i've been adding more and more players, i can see just how many people really are online at any time and Im still seeing tons of players ive never seen or friended before.
There are plenty of events and it really helps if you get in and join a friendly guild that helps you out in the beginning especially with Q&A as the game has a steeper learning curve than most. Its not just some hack 'n slash game. There are a lot of social people as well and people that take in anyone, guilded or not, to raids, events, charities, etc. I've recruited players who thought the game was devoid of players as well... until I showed them. Just gotta friend everyone, realize there are certain places that turn into a "solo/group" instance when you're there, and know where people go. They have constant live streams and radio from various dj's that help broadcast info as well. So the community is there, you just have to look. It's not old school EQ where everyone logs in to a newbie zone with hundreds of players fighting over the same stuff. While there is content where many players can meet up or zone in together, most swap to a friend's only instance to do their thing then back to multiplayer when done when they don't want to resource/spawn share, etc.
The game has a nice combat system that can be catered to your play style as well. The crafting system is pretty deep and has only gotten more-so. The housing, decorating, taking world loot, crafted items, etc and placing them in your housing is bar-none the best out there, and they keep updating the content, items, etc and the graphics as well. So its only getting better.
Haters are gonna hate and trolls will troll. This may not be the game for you but it's probably as close to old school Ultima Online as you can get right now with a more modern 3D engine. It's not entirely the same due to copyrights still held by EA, but its awesome nonetheless continuing the Ultima series from IV, if I recall correctly. Any way, try it and and see for yourself. It may take some time to get used to, but it's worth it. Also, don't be shy and try and hook up with some other friendly players/guilds out there. There is a VERY helpful & friendly community in the game as well as tons of old UO players, guilds, and communities that still live on and play within Shroud of the Avatar. Check it out and see.
It's a great game. Has a lot going for it. There has been tons of content added as they move towards the launch date this month. As for an mmo, its completely different than everything else out there. You can choose multiplayer mode, friends only mode, or single player offline mode (which takes away all the player town stuff to make if feel you're in your own world). As far as population numbers go, there are always hundreds of people playing. Sure, thats not WoW numbers, but it's not WoW either. Some may never see anyone if they are in friends only mode or in their own instance. The game has a "friend" system where you can friend everyone you meet and then see them online and where everyone is at. It also helps the travel system as you can teleport with scrolls to their location as well. This definitely helps world travel. But, since i've been adding more and more players, i can see just how many people really are online at any time and Im still seeing tons of players ive never seen or friended before.
There are plenty of events and it really helps if you get in and join a friendly guild that helps you out in the beginning especially with Q&A as the game has a steeper learning curve than most. Its not just some hack 'n slash game. There are a lot of social people as well and people that take in anyone, guilded or not, to raids, events, charities, etc. I've recruited players who thought the game was devoid of players as well... until I showed them. Just gotta friend everyone, realize there are certain places that turn into a "solo/group" instance when you're there, and know where people go. They have constant live streams and radio from various dj's that help broadcast info as well. So the community is there, you just have to look. It's not old school EQ where everyone logs in to a newbie zone with hundreds of players fighting over the same stuff. While there is content where many players can meet up or zone in together, most swap to a friend's only instance to do their thing then back to multiplayer when done when they don't want to resource/spawn share, etc.
The game has a nice combat system that can be catered to your play style as well. The crafting system is pretty deep and has only gotten more-so. The housing, decorating, taking world loot, crafted items, etc and placing them in your housing is bar-none the best out there, and they keep updating the content, items, etc and the graphics as well. So its only getting better.
Haters are gonna hate and trolls will troll. This may not be the game for you but it's probably as close to old school Ultima Online as you can get right now with a more modern 3D engine. It's not entirely the same due to copyrights still held by EA, but its awesome nonetheless continuing the Ultima series from IV, if I recall correctly. Any way, try it and and see for yourself. It may take some time to get used to, but it's worth it. Also, don't be shy and try and hook up with some other friendly players/guilds out there. There is a VERY helpful & friendly community in the game as well as tons of old UO players, guilds, and communities that still live on and play within Shroud of the Avatar. Check it out and see.
This. Our community is getting ready to join in April. Looking forward to it!
It's a great game. Has a lot going for it. There has been tons of content added as they move towards the launch date this month. As for an mmo, its completely different than everything else out there. You can choose multiplayer mode, friends only mode, or single player offline mode (which takes away all the player town stuff to make if feel you're in your own world). As far as population numbers go, there are always hundreds of people playing. Sure, thats not WoW numbers, but it's not WoW either. Some may never see anyone if they are in friends only mode or in their own instance. The game has a "friend" system where you can friend everyone you meet and then see them online and where everyone is at. It also helps the travel system as you can teleport with scrolls to their location as well. This definitely helps world travel. But, since i've been adding more and more players, i can see just how many people really are online at any time and Im still seeing tons of players ive never seen or friended before.
There are plenty of events and it really helps if you get in and join a friendly guild that helps you out in the beginning especially with Q&A as the game has a steeper learning curve than most. Its not just some hack 'n slash game. There are a lot of social people as well and people that take in anyone, guilded or not, to raids, events, charities, etc. I've recruited players who thought the game was devoid of players as well... until I showed them. Just gotta friend everyone, realize there are certain places that turn into a "solo/group" instance when you're there, and know where people go. They have constant live streams and radio from various dj's that help broadcast info as well. So the community is there, you just have to look. It's not old school EQ where everyone logs in to a newbie zone with hundreds of players fighting over the same stuff. While there is content where many players can meet up or zone in together, most swap to a friend's only instance to do their thing then back to multiplayer when done when they don't want to resource/spawn share, etc.
The game has a nice combat system that can be catered to your play style as well. The crafting system is pretty deep and has only gotten more-so. The housing, decorating, taking world loot, crafted items, etc and placing them in your housing is bar-none the best out there, and they keep updating the content, items, etc and the graphics as well. So its only getting better.
Haters are gonna hate and trolls will troll. This may not be the game for you but it's probably as close to old school Ultima Online as you can get right now with a more modern 3D engine. It's not entirely the same due to copyrights still held by EA, but its awesome nonetheless continuing the Ultima series from IV, if I recall correctly. Any way, try it and and see for yourself. It may take some time to get used to, but it's worth it. Also, don't be shy and try and hook up with some other friendly players/guilds out there. There is a VERY helpful & friendly community in the game as well as tons of old UO players, guilds, and communities that still live on and play within Shroud of the Avatar. Check it out and see.
The downside to using instances is the world seems overly deserted. SotA seems to suffer heavily from this, from what I've read here.
The Minute you say this is the minute no one is going to listen to you period. People on these forums and on the SOTA forums explained time and time again what needs to be done to fix this game. These people who want to see things fixed get shouted down as haters and trolls. I paid for the game and I regret doing so. The Combat sucks, I cannot stand playing a game where combat is based on random card drawn from a deck of cards. If the game just gave you abilities like current UO I would be happy with that.
Also people like myself hate the cash shop. While you say its not P2W to charge someone $12,000 for a player run city, I can tell you there are a lot of people who will not play because of this garbage. Just make the game B2P with an optional sub like ESO if you dont want to be full P2P.
Also dont get me started on the world. Just make the whole world and open world, not a world you move from instance to instance. This makes the world fell empty and uninspiring.
Yet like the people on the forums you will throw close minded hate towards people who do not like what the game has become because this is no where near UO. Hell I just recently been playing UO and the game plays better than this recently developed game. LoA looks better than SOTA as well. But dont listen to potential players about their feelings and thoughts just listen to people who are in their echo chamber who in the end will wonder why the game is dead. Then they have to come here and defend there game.
It's a great game. Has a lot going for it. There has been tons of content added as they move towards the launch date this month. As for an mmo, its completely different than everything else out there. You can choose multiplayer mode, friends only mode, or single player offline mode (which takes away all the player town stuff to make if feel you're in your own world). As far as population numbers go, there are always hundreds of people playing. Sure, thats not WoW numbers, but it's not WoW either. Some may never see anyone if they are in friends only mode or in their own instance. The game has a "friend" system where you can friend everyone you meet and then see them online and where everyone is at. It also helps the travel system as you can teleport with scrolls to their location as well. This definitely helps world travel. But, since i've been adding more and more players, i can see just how many people really are online at any time and Im still seeing tons of players ive never seen or friended before.
There are plenty of events and it really helps if you get in and join a friendly guild that helps you out in the beginning especially with Q&A as the game has a steeper learning curve than most. Its not just some hack 'n slash game. There are a lot of social people as well and people that take in anyone, guilded or not, to raids, events, charities, etc. I've recruited players who thought the game was devoid of players as well... until I showed them. Just gotta friend everyone, realize there are certain places that turn into a "solo/group" instance when you're there, and know where people go. They have constant live streams and radio from various dj's that help broadcast info as well. So the community is there, you just have to look. It's not old school EQ where everyone logs in to a newbie zone with hundreds of players fighting over the same stuff. While there is content where many players can meet up or zone in together, most swap to a friend's only instance to do their thing then back to multiplayer when done when they don't want to resource/spawn share, etc.
The game has a nice combat system that can be catered to your play style as well. The crafting system is pretty deep and has only gotten more-so. The housing, decorating, taking world loot, crafted items, etc and placing them in your housing is bar-none the best out there, and they keep updating the content, items, etc and the graphics as well. So its only getting better.
Haters are gonna hate and trolls will troll. This may not be the game for you but it's probably as close to old school Ultima Online as you can get right now with a more modern 3D engine. It's not entirely the same due to copyrights still held by EA, but its awesome nonetheless continuing the Ultima series from IV, if I recall correctly. Any way, try it and and see for yourself. It may take some time to get used to, but it's worth it. Also, don't be shy and try and hook up with some other friendly players/guilds out there. There is a VERY helpful & friendly community in the game as well as tons of old UO players, guilds, and communities that still live on and play within Shroud of the Avatar. Check it out and see.
Welcome first time caller to the MMORPG.com forums.
Good info, stop back with a post launch update if you can.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I'm still trying to understand what it means for this game to be "released."
As pointed out, the last wipe was over a year ago, so what makes March 27th special in any way really?
Just another day right?
Yeah color me confused as well. It seems to me that the people who are really set on playing this game, already are so an "official release" doesn't mean much. Still, we could be surprised so I guess we wait and see.
Well "launch" is when the "magic patch" which fixes everything right before go live, so perhaps thats what is coming.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I'm still trying to understand what it means for this game to be "released."
As pointed out, the last wipe was over a year ago, so what makes March 27th special in any way really?
Just another day right?
Well what it means is, that up until now.. it's still not the product they want for release. They have certain goals and promise to backers to meet and they are putting all that in for the Episode 1 portion of the game which will be in at "release". Up until now we just play with each publish and add our thoughts and ideas and they change them as needed. There is a test server but so much more gets discovered when the majority of the players get to try it out and they can see the numbers in the background like with the economy, *sinks* within the game, etc. They keep upgrading the engine and graphics as well as content. So while there has been persistence for over a year, there was still much to do. Having persistence helped much more than remaking a character each month after a wipe in the early days.
It doesn't take much to follow whats going on and whats been poured into their game. Just go to SotA's main site and look at the releases. They go into great detail about everything they push into a release/publish as well as the things that didnt make the cut and what some problems are still persistent that they are working on.
Release date's Episode 1 is just the beginning and a major part is getting all the original backer's promised put in. After that they are free to work on other great things and they've already laid out plans for what they have in mind for the future. You can also check out all the telethons they stream on YouTube if there is anything in particular from a release you'd like to know.
The Minute you say this is the minute no one is going to listen to you period. People on these forums and on the SOTA forums explained time and time again what needs to be done to fix this game. These people who want to see things fixed get shouted down as haters and trolls. I paid for the game and I regret doing so. The Combat sucks, I cannot stand playing a game where combat is based on random card drawn from a deck of cards. If the game just gave you abilities like current UO I would be happy with that.
Also people like myself hate the cash shop. While you say its not P2W to charge someone $12,000 for a player run city, I can tell you there are a lot of people who will not play because of this garbage. Just make the game B2P with an optional sub like ESO if you dont want to be full P2P.
Also dont get me started on the world. Just make the whole world and open world, not a world you move from instance to instance. This makes the world fell empty and uninspiring.
Yet like the people on the forums you will throw close minded hate towards people who do not like what the game has become because this is no where near UO. Hell I just recently been playing UO and the game plays better than this recently developed game. LoA looks better than SOTA as well. But dont listen to potential players about their feelings and thoughts just listen to people who are in their echo chamber who in the end will wonder why the game is dead. Then they have to come here and defend there game.
And yet you and they listened Haha
Its ok, we get that you hate everything about the game and don't want to spend money and hate that people do. Apparently this game is not for you.
This game looks far, far, far better than UO so i'm not sure what you're trying to say other than troll and do flame wars on a game you sound like you're paid to hate??? Hmm If you think old UO looks better than SotA then you must be playing on an old 486 with a VGA monitor. The graphics are wonderful especially if you have a decent video card and monitor that can support the resolutions, saturations, and lighting effects.
A lot of the stuff that you point out has been worked over many times. Seems you do not know anything about the latest versions of the game. Perhaps you should try it. But if you're pouting because its not an FPS shooter and you keep posting that you want combat to be that way on the forums does not mean its not a good game nor does it mean they don't listen to their player base. This is probably one the best development groups that listens to players.... ALL THE TIME. They are constantly bending over backwards to please everyone.
Anyways, good luck and I hope you find the game you're looking for and it's everything you wanted it to be.
This is like launching a rocket that is already in orbit or a ship that is already in the ocean.
They are not launching anything. Why not just say it's leaving early access?
No seriously wtf are they launching? It isn't the game that's been on steam that has been pay and playable with no wipes for over a year.
I guess "launch" and "release" among other things are just when the devs say so, not when actual events occur in reality.
Umm no.. they have constantly created and expanded zones since persistence went live. This is a completely unrecognizable game from what was originally out there, even from Release 12... This is more like a rocket being assembled and tested prior to launch with constant updating of systems and added payloads. It would be more like a ship in drydock being assembled and tested and reconfigured and updated with new systems than what you have stated.
As stated in above posts, they are LAUNCHING the complete Episode 1 package which includes everything they promised backers at launch and what their stretch goals were for Ep1. The game has constantly evolved and there is constantly new content being added. Seriously, check their pages for each release... R1 through R51 and you will have an idea about "what is being launched!?"
The downside to using instances is the world seems overly deserted. SotA seems to suffer heavily from this, from what I've read here.
This is true, it can seem that way. Be prepared for most places to only have a few players. It's not like some mmo's where you'll have hundred and hundreds of people bustling around one area. There are times where there are a lot congregated but usually for events, vendor shopping, etc and not gonna be hundreds. A lot choose to wander in their own instances or Friends Only mode and forget to swap back over to Multiplayer. If you keep "nearby players" turned on as well, you can see everyone in a certain radius of the map (within "x" of cities & adventure zones away) as you travel and not just those listed on your friend's list (which is another good way to see where everyone is). It's just different and I think people should know that going in and don't be quick to take it as a sign of a bad game. It can be very rewarding if you give it a chance.
This is like launching a rocket that is already in orbit or a ship that is already in the ocean.
They are not launching anything. Why not just say it's leaving early access?
No seriously wtf are they launching? It isn't the game that's been on steam that has been pay and playable with no wipes for over a year.
I guess "launch" and "release" among other things are just when the devs say so, not when actual events occur in reality.
Umm no.. they have constantly created and expanded zones since persistence went live. This is a completely unrecognizable game from what was originally out there, even from Release 12... This is more like a rocket being assembled and tested prior to launch with constant updating of systems and added payloads. It would be more like a ship in drydock being assembled and tested and reconfigured and updated with new systems than what you have stated.
As stated in above posts, they are LAUNCHING the complete Episode 1 package which includes everything they promised backers at launch and what their stretch goals were for Ep1. The game has constantly evolved and there is constantly new content being added. Seriously, check their pages for each release... R1 through R51 and you will have an idea about "what is being launched!?"
What specifically is "launching" on the 27th that isn't available "today" were I to log in under the free trial?
I'm starting to believe you don't really know.
Or perhaps the answer is...nothing really?
Here, I'll show you how it's done, and what I'm asking for...this here is from the Ark Survial Evolved release.
Ark: Survival Evolved Officially Launches Today
It exits early access with some new content.
Ark: Survival Evolved has been playable since 2015, but it's been in Early Access for that entire time. Today, it finally launches in full on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, and Studio Wildcard is throwing in some new content to mark the occasion.
Alongside its release, Ark is getting a substantial content update. This includes a full orchestral soundtrack, a new storyline, new end-game content, otters and phoenixes, and the Ragnarok DLC pack. Ragnarok is a free expansion that was built by community modders and adds a huge new island."
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I think you just don't really want to look, to be honest. Its far more than i can type or even copy/paste. Go look at the main site and the forums for the Release notes for every Release especially since R42 to R51. The list what they are pushing to have by release date and all the things they are working on. It's simple really:
Start down at the section where it says: "Q1 2018 Schedule and Candidate Launch Date
We are excited to announce a candidate launch date for Shroud of the Avatar! On Tuesday March 27, 2018 (Release 52), we are planning to launch out of Early Access!
So what does that mean exactly for a game that has been both persistent for over a year and been doing monthly releases for over 4 years? Well, for us it means that we are delivering the list of features, including physical goods, promised during the Kickstarter albeit with a few exceptions and/or replacements (see below). It also means that we are going to grow our community through marketing campaigns
As we have stated previously, we intend to publish quarterly schedule updates detailing our monthly releases and those monthly releases will continue. Even though the goals outlined in these schedules are likely to change somewhat as we react to feedback, we feel it is important to periodically provide you with an updated roadmap."
This is like launching a rocket that is already in orbit or a ship that is already in the ocean.
They are not launching anything. Why not just say it's leaving early access?
No seriously wtf are they launching? It isn't the game that's been on steam that has been pay and playable with no wipes for over a year.
I guess "launch" and "release" among other things are just when the devs say so, not when actual events occur in reality.
Umm no.. they have constantly created and expanded zones since persistence went live. This is a completely unrecognizable game from what was originally out there, even from Release 12... This is more like a rocket being assembled and tested prior to launch with constant updating of systems and added payloads. It would be more like a ship in drydock being assembled and tested and reconfigured and updated with new systems than what you have stated.
As stated in above posts, they are LAUNCHING the complete Episode 1 package which includes everything they promised backers at launch and what their stretch goals were for Ep1. The game has constantly evolved and there is constantly new content being added. Seriously, check their pages for each release... R1 through R51 and you will have an idea about "what is being launched!?"
It's already launched. It's been taking money and providing a game with no more wipes.
This is not drydock they are assembling it in the ocean.
"You CAN'T buy ships for RL money." - MaxBacon
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
This is like launching a rocket that is already in orbit or a ship that is already in the ocean.
They are not launching anything. Why not just say it's leaving early access?
No seriously wtf are they launching? It isn't the game that's been on steam that has been pay and playable with no wipes for over a year.
I guess "launch" and "release" among other things are just when the devs say so, not when actual events occur in reality.
Umm no.. they have constantly created and expanded zones since persistence went live. This is a completely unrecognizable game from what was originally out there, even from Release 12... This is more like a rocket being assembled and tested prior to launch with constant updating of systems and added payloads. It would be more like a ship in drydock being assembled and tested and reconfigured and updated with new systems than what you have stated.
As stated in above posts, they are LAUNCHING the complete Episode 1 package which includes everything they promised backers at launch and what their stretch goals were for Ep1. The game has constantly evolved and there is constantly new content being added. Seriously, check their pages for each release... R1 through R51 and you will have an idea about "what is being launched!?"
It's already launched. It's been taking money and providing a game with no more wipes.
This is not drydock they are assembling it in the ocean.
It has not launched yet. What are you talking about? It's been an early access game with everything laid out as to not only what it is and what they're working, but what they fully wanted when the game goes live at release. There is no advertising or marketing at the moment other than word of mouth and game reviewers. When it is released, that will change.
The money earned has been used to pay for the game and staff and they have a transparent layout of all the costs. I do not think you know what you are talking about and are just complaining to be complaining about a game which you neither understand nor like. If you are really concerned or wanted to know, you'd go to their site, read, and brush up on some knowledge of the game before making trollish statements.
This is like launching a rocket that is already in orbit or a ship that is already in the ocean.
They are not launching anything. Why not just say it's leaving early access?
No seriously wtf are they launching? It isn't the game that's been on steam that has been pay and playable with no wipes for over a year.
I guess "launch" and "release" among other things are just when the devs say so, not when actual events occur in reality.
Umm no.. they have constantly created and expanded zones since persistence went live. This is a completely unrecognizable game from what was originally out there, even from Release 12... This is more like a rocket being assembled and tested prior to launch with constant updating of systems and added payloads. It would be more like a ship in drydock being assembled and tested and reconfigured and updated with new systems than what you have stated.
As stated in above posts, they are LAUNCHING the complete Episode 1 package which includes everything they promised backers at launch and what their stretch goals were for Ep1. The game has constantly evolved and there is constantly new content being added. Seriously, check their pages for each release... R1 through R51 and you will have an idea about "what is being launched!?"
It's already launched. It's been taking money and providing a game with no more wipes.
This is not drydock they are assembling it in the ocean.
It has not launched yet. What are you talking about? It's been an early access game with everything laid out as to not only what it is and what they're working, but what they fully wanted when the game goes live at release. There is no advertising or marketing at the moment other than word of mouth and game reviewers. When it is released, that will change.
The money earned has been used to pay for the game and staff and they have a transparent layout of all the costs. I do not think you know what you are talking about and are just complaining to be complaining about a game which you neither understand nor like. If you are really concerned or wanted to know, you'd go to their site, read, and brush up on some knowledge of the game before making trollish statements.
Oh my mistake, I can't wait for this to launch and go live on release, I was under the impression it was taking money and providing a game with no wipes for a over a year because it already launched.
"You CAN'T buy ships for RL money." - MaxBacon
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
all you "i want old school back" people, lets see if i was right about your "old school mmorpg" not working on the same level as a new school "mmo".
So many of you love to say if there was a "old school" style game the "legions" of you who want that, would support it and help it succeed. Well lets see if that happens. You have your old school back now.
"Beliefs don't change facts. Facts, if you're reasonable, should change your beliefs."
"The Society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools."
Currently: Games Audio Engineer, you didn't hear what I heard, you heard what I wanted you to hear.
So, it has launched but not released? Or has it been released but not launched? Or has it launched in EA but not official release? Or is it the other way around? So.... confused.....
/Cheers, Lahnmir
'the only way he could nail it any better is if he used a cross.'
Kyleran on yours sincerely
'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'
Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...
'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless.
It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.
It is just huge resource waste....'
Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer
Omg seems every game's got it's own looney to blow the trumpet just like Elirion over at StarCitizen.
Yes because it's 'looney' to like a game and talk about it in a flattering light in lieu of all the trolls trying to flame or the people that just want to be negative about something. Some people actually want to know about the game... that's why MMORPG.COM exists... not for people to troll the comment sections but you see where that has gone.
As for the rest, ignore the trolls and give it a decent try and make your own decisions.
all you "i want old school back" people, lets see if i was right about your "old school mmorpg" not working on the same level as a new school "mmo".
So many of you love to say if there was a "old school" style game the "legions" of you who want that, would support it and help it succeed. Well lets see if that happens. You have your old school back now.
Er, the old school MMORPGs I played didnt have card based combat, I'm still struggling with that in a big way.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I think you just don't really want to look, to be honest. Its far more than i can type or even copy/paste. Go look at the main site and the forums for the Release notes for every Release especially since R42 to R51. The list what they are pushing to have by release date and all the things they are working on. It's simple really:
Start down at the section where it says: "Q1 2018 Schedule and Candidate Launch Date
We are excited to announce a candidate launch date for Shroud of the Avatar! On Tuesday March 27, 2018 (Release 52), we are planning to launch out of Early Access!
So what does that mean exactly for a game that has been both persistent for over a year and been doing monthly releases for over 4 years? Well, for us it means that we are delivering the list of features, including physical goods, promised during the Kickstarter albeit with a few exceptions and/or replacements (see below). It also means that we are going to grow our community through marketing campaigns
As we have stated previously, we intend to publish quarterly schedule updates detailing our monthly releases and those monthly releases will continue. Even though the goals outlined in these schedules are likely to change somewhat as we react to feedback, we feel it is important to periodically provide you with an updated roadmap."
And continue reading... bunch there as well
There we go, finally got the answer I was seeking.
Basically what is different is the new incremental Release 52 content, backer rewards will be sent out and marketing in earnest begins.
As I find the list below a bit unremarkable and you may note "launch" is appended as a footnote to the release it really has little impact or appeal to players like me who have been holding out so far.
I need to see a good reason to join in, and nothing yet including release 52 has enticed me.
The 2018 schedule was a good read and it seems the game I might want to play is still a year or so away.
Which is how I feel about most games, I rarely play them at launch, preferring to wait a year or two post "release" so the plus side is now the clock can start.
Thanks for linking this, not easy to navigate web sites with a cell phone, which is what I do most of my reading on.
RELEASE 52, March 27, 2018 <LAUNCH CANDIDATE> Note that R52 launch date is a Tuesday vs. a Thursday due to Easter weekend.
Story: We will continue to work on adding side quests and polish to the Paths of Truth, Love, and Courage. We’ll continue to add and update maps for the in-game map system. Additionally, we’ll continue doing polish work focused specifically on the starting scenes. Finally, some adventure scenes in various regions of Novia will be rebuilt from scratch.
Frame Rate Increase: Performance work will focus on improving frame rate and reducing hitching during gameplay.
Names on Brittany Graveyard Tombstones/Domesday Book/Credits Page: Players will be able to select what name they wish to display in these locations via a name entry function on their account page.
Player Towns & Player Housing: Updates to Dynamic Player-Owned Towns (POTs) that have locked submission forms will start appearing in the game again. Additionally, the globe decoration that replaces the Map Atlas reward will appear in the game. Finally in-game Lot Deed Raffles will resume.
Crafting & Economy: We will continue adding more loot to the game including unique components for crafting.
User Interface Polish: We will provide more feedback about locations on the compass and map for quests, services, points of interest, etc.
Multiple Characters: Players will now be able to have multiple characters on a single account. Note that these characters will share virtue and will have a common bank account. Characters will also share guild membership and land ownership ( including lot access permissions and rentals).
Physical Goods: Physical goods including the cloth map, box, trinket, manual, lot deeds, etc. (and the signed versions of each) will begin shipping.
Localization: All interface text and quest dialogue will be fully translated into our launch languages including English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.
Launch: Yes, you read that correctly, we are launching out of Early Access with a candidate build at the beginning of 2018! So what does that mean exactly for a game that has been both persistent for over a year and been doing monthly releases for over 4 years? Well, for us it means that we are delivering the list of features, including physical goods, promised during the Kickstarter albeit with a few exceptions and/or replacements. It also means that we are going to grow our community through marketing campaigns.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Yeah and it really depends on when you were asking that question, as R51 update was already put out, you'd just be waiting for R52 and whatever else they'd try to throw in. But if you were waiting since Jan 2017 then there was quite a bit added, even more so for those that just tried it out in 2015. It's been a continued work in progress which started out as a simple island landmass of Hidden Vale in 2014 to a series of continent including the very large continent of Nova (when compared to the original state of Hidden Vale).
So there is quite a bit that was put in very frequently. R51 itself was a pretty huge update and introduced skill specializations as well.
I have not played the game straight since my initial back. Been coming back over and over through the years. When i really got into it, I didnt realize it had finally went into a state of persistence. But it's still good and as a community driven game it's always getting changes and polish.
I haven't seen anyone mention the asteroid that's been getting closer for the last couple of months, and is now huge and spewing meteors non-stop. Something big is happening soon.
I see they promise to improve FPS, but until it doubles, i can't see myself playing. Checked yesterday, and game still runs like ass on lowest settings.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Comments
There are plenty of events and it really helps if you get in and join a friendly guild that helps you out in the beginning especially with Q&A as the game has a steeper learning curve than most. Its not just some hack 'n slash game. There are a lot of social people as well and people that take in anyone, guilded or not, to raids, events, charities, etc. I've recruited players who thought the game was devoid of players as well... until I showed them. Just gotta friend everyone, realize there are certain places that turn into a "solo/group" instance when you're there, and know where people go. They have constant live streams and radio from various dj's that help broadcast info as well. So the community is there, you just have to look. It's not old school EQ where everyone logs in to a newbie zone with hundreds of players fighting over the same stuff. While there is content where many players can meet up or zone in together, most swap to a friend's only instance to do their thing then back to multiplayer when done when they don't want to resource/spawn share, etc.
The game has a nice combat system that can be catered to your play style as well. The crafting system is pretty deep and has only gotten more-so. The housing, decorating, taking world loot, crafted items, etc and placing them in your housing is bar-none the best out there, and they keep updating the content, items, etc and the graphics as well. So its only getting better.
Haters are gonna hate and trolls will troll. This may not be the game for you but it's probably as close to old school Ultima Online as you can get right now with a more modern 3D engine. It's not entirely the same due to copyrights still held by EA, but its awesome nonetheless continuing the Ultima series from IV, if I recall correctly. Any way, try it and and see for yourself. It may take some time to get used to, but it's worth it. Also, don't be shy and try and hook up with some other friendly players/guilds out there. There is a VERY helpful & friendly community in the game as well as tons of old UO players, guilds, and communities that still live on and play within Shroud of the Avatar. Check it out and see.
Also people like myself hate the cash shop. While you say its not P2W to charge someone $12,000 for a player run city, I can tell you there are a lot of people who will not play because of this garbage. Just make the game B2P with an optional sub like ESO if you dont want to be full P2P.
Also dont get me started on the world. Just make the whole world and open world, not a world you move from instance to instance. This makes the world fell empty and uninspiring.
Yet like the people on the forums you will throw close minded hate towards people who do not like what the game has become because this is no where near UO. Hell I just recently been playing UO and the game plays better than this recently developed game. LoA looks better than SOTA as well. But dont listen to potential players about their feelings and thoughts just listen to people who are in their echo chamber who in the end will wonder why the game is dead. Then they have to come here and defend there game.
Good info, stop back with a post launch update if you can.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Well what it means is, that up until now.. it's still not the product they want for release. They have certain goals and promise to backers to meet and they are putting all that in for the Episode 1 portion of the game which will be in at "release". Up until now we just play with each publish and add our thoughts and ideas and they change them as needed. There is a test server but so much more gets discovered when the majority of the players get to try it out and they can see the numbers in the background like with the economy, *sinks* within the game, etc. They keep upgrading the engine and graphics as well as content. So while there has been persistence for over a year, there was still much to do. Having persistence helped much more than remaking a character each month after a wipe in the early days.
It doesn't take much to follow whats going on and whats been poured into their game. Just go to SotA's main site and look at the releases. They go into great detail about everything they push into a release/publish as well as the things that didnt make the cut and what some problems are still persistent that they are working on.
Release date's Episode 1 is just the beginning and a major part is getting all the original backer's promised put in. After that they are free to work on other great things and they've already laid out plans for what they have in mind for the future. You can also check out all the telethons they stream on YouTube if there is anything in particular from a release you'd like to know.
And yet you and they listened
Its ok, we get that you hate everything about the game and don't want to spend money and hate that people do. Apparently this game is not for you.
This game looks far, far, far better than UO so i'm not sure what you're trying to say other than troll and do flame wars on a game you sound like you're paid to hate??? Hmm If you think old UO looks better than SotA then you must be playing on an old 486 with a VGA monitor. The graphics are wonderful especially if you have a decent video card and monitor that can support the resolutions, saturations, and lighting effects.
A lot of the stuff that you point out has been worked over many times. Seems you do not know anything about the latest versions of the game. Perhaps you should try it. But if you're pouting because its not an FPS shooter and you keep posting that you want combat to be that way on the forums does not mean its not a good game nor does it mean they don't listen to their player base. This is probably one the best development groups that listens to players.... ALL THE TIME. They are constantly bending over backwards to please everyone.
Anyways, good luck and I hope you find the game you're looking for and it's everything you wanted it to be.
They are not launching anything. Why not just say it's leaving early access?
No seriously wtf are they launching? It isn't the game that's been on steam that has been pay and playable with no wipes for over a year.
I guess "launch" and "release" among other things are just when the devs say so, not when actual events occur in reality.
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
Love Minecraft. And check out my Youtube channel OhCanadaGamer
Try a MUD today at http://www.mudconnect.com/As stated in above posts, they are LAUNCHING the complete Episode 1 package which includes everything they promised backers at launch and what their stretch goals were for Ep1. The game has constantly evolved and there is constantly new content being added. Seriously, check their pages for each release... R1 through R51 and you will have an idea about "what is being launched!?"
I'm starting to believe you don't really know.
Or perhaps the answer is...nothing really?
Here, I'll show you how it's done, and what I'm asking for...this here is from the Ark Survial Evolved release.
Ark: Survival Evolved Officially Launches Today
It exits early access with some new content.
Ark: Survival Evolved has been playable since 2015, but it's been in Early Access for that entire time. Today, it finally launches in full on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, and Studio Wildcard is throwing in some new content to mark the occasion.
Alongside its release, Ark is getting a substantial content update. This includes a full orchestral soundtrack, a new storyline, new end-game content, otters and phoenixes, and the Ragnarok DLC pack. Ragnarok is a free expansion that was built by community modders and adds a huge new island."
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ark-survival-evolved-officially-launches-today/1100-6452962/
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Example:
R51 Instructions:
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/?p=83067
R50 Instructions:
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/release-50-instructions.108621/
Just go to announcements section and look for all the Release XX Instructions and see:
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?forums/announcements.15/
LAUNCH:
On this page...
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/?p=80681#Schedule
Start down at the section where it says:
"Q1 2018 Schedule and Candidate Launch Date
We are excited to announce a candidate launch date for Shroud of the Avatar! On Tuesday March 27, 2018 (Release 52), we are planning to launch out of Early Access!
So what does that mean exactly for a game that has been both persistent for over a year and been doing monthly releases for over 4 years? Well, for us it means that we are delivering the list of features, including physical goods, promised during the Kickstarter albeit with a few exceptions and/or replacements (see below). It also means that we are going to grow our community through marketing campaigns
As we have stated previously, we intend to publish quarterly schedule updates detailing our monthly releases and those monthly releases will continue. Even though the goals outlined in these schedules are likely to change somewhat as we react to feedback, we feel it is important to periodically provide you with an updated roadmap."
And continue reading... bunch there as well
This is not drydock they are assembling it in the ocean.
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
Love Minecraft. And check out my Youtube channel OhCanadaGamer
Try a MUD today at http://www.mudconnect.com/The money earned has been used to pay for the game and staff and they have a transparent layout of all the costs. I do not think you know what you are talking about and are just complaining to be complaining about a game which you neither understand nor like. If you are really concerned or wanted to know, you'd go to their site, read, and brush up on some knowledge of the game before making trollish statements.
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
Love Minecraft. And check out my Youtube channel OhCanadaGamer
Try a MUD today at http://www.mudconnect.com/So many of you love to say if there was a "old school" style game the "legions" of you who want that, would support it and help it succeed. Well lets see if that happens. You have your old school back now.
"The Society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools."
Currently: Games Audio Engineer, you didn't hear what I heard, you heard what I wanted you to hear.
/Cheers,
Lahnmir
Kyleran on yours sincerely
'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'
Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...
'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless.
It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.
It is just huge resource waste....'
Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer
As for the rest, ignore the trolls and give it a decent try and make your own decisions.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Basically what is different is the new incremental Release 52 content, backer rewards will be sent out and marketing in earnest begins.
As I find the list below a bit unremarkable and you may note "launch" is appended as a footnote to the release it really has little impact or appeal to players like me who have been holding out so far.
I need to see a good reason to join in, and nothing yet including release 52 has enticed me.
The 2018 schedule was a good read and it seems the game I might want to play is still a year or so away.
Which is how I feel about most games, I rarely play them at launch, preferring to wait a year or two post "release" so the plus side is now the clock can start.
Thanks for linking this, not easy to navigate web sites with a cell phone, which is what I do most of my reading on.
RELEASE 52, March 27, 2018 <LAUNCH CANDIDATE> Note that R52 launch date is a Tuesday vs. a Thursday due to Easter weekend.
Launch: Yes, you read that correctly, we are launching out of Early Access with a candidate build at the beginning of 2018! So what does that mean exactly for a game that has been both persistent for over a year and been doing monthly releases for over 4 years? Well, for us it means that we are delivering the list of features, including physical goods, promised during the Kickstarter albeit with a few exceptions and/or replacements. It also means that we are going to grow our community through marketing campaigns.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
So there is quite a bit that was put in very frequently. R51 itself was a pretty huge update and introduced skill specializations as well.
I have not played the game straight since my initial back. Been coming back over and over through the years. When i really got into it, I didnt realize it had finally went into a state of persistence. But it's still good and as a community driven game it's always getting changes and polish.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon