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Release 28 - Hard Work-Work

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
edited March 2016 in News & Features Discussion

imageRelease 28 - Hard Work-Work

After missing last month’s update, Red Thomas double-timed it up to Austin to find out what he missed, and what to expect in the 28th Release for Shroud of the Avatar.

Read the full story here



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Comments

  • postlarvalpostlarval Member EpicPosts: 2,003
    Not a single comment on this yet and it has been up for hours. Is there nobody on mmorpg.com interested in this game other than the author of this article?
    No one at MMORPG.com has enough disposable income to buy into this money sink.
    ______________________________________________________________________
    ~~ postlarval ~~

  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    Not a single comment on this yet and it has been up for hours. Is there nobody on mmorpg.com interested in this game other than the author of this article?
    I'll be straight up frank,if it was anyone else perhaps i would be,even so the monetary cash shop is a joke,no way could i support that no matter how good the game is.

    They would have to pay me a 1000 bucks and even that would go fast with this lame CS.

    I know i said i am interested in COE but in general cash shops and crowd funding turn me right off,there is so much wrong with the ideas i could not support it and feel good inside.

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • ShadowsladyShadowslady Member UncommonPosts: 148
    Meh. I'd love it if my game looked like any of their screen shots. instead, its clunky, ugly and slow.

    Just so tired of them posting screenshots of a game I've never seen despite constant logging in.

    Shadowlord Sage
    CmdrAkbar

    Napa Valley, UO, 1997.

  • postlarvalpostlarval Member EpicPosts: 2,003



    Just so tired of them posting screenshots of a game I've never seen despite constant logging in.



    Believe me, it's all orchestrated. Take a nice long read of Red Thomas' Twitter feed and you'll see what I mean. Or better yet, try a search of Red Thomas + Richard Garriott or Red Thomas + Portalarium and all will be made clear.

    Total fanboy. He's never going to say a single negative thing or show a single unflattering image of his beloved SotA.
    ______________________________________________________________________
    ~~ postlarval ~~

  • khameleonkhameleon Member UncommonPosts: 486




    Not a single comment on this yet and it has been up for hours. Is there nobody on mmorpg.com interested in this game other than the author of this article?


    No one at MMORPG.com has enough disposable income to buy into this money sink.



    I got to the $150 level totally free.... lots of giveaways, twitch and stuff like that.

    GAME TIL YOU DIE!!!!

  • Red_ThomasRed_Thomas Member RarePosts: 666



    Just so tired of them posting screenshots of a game I've never seen despite constant logging in.



    Believe me, it's all orchestrated. Take a nice long read of Red Thomas' Twitter feed and you'll see what I mean. Or better yet, try a search of Red Thomas + Richard Garriott or Red Thomas + Portalarium and all will be made clear.

    Total fanboy. He's never going to say a single negative thing or show a single unflattering image of his beloved SotA.
    Your google-fu is weak: http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/935/feature/10569/ECON-4024-MacroEconomics-in-Virtual-Environments.html

    And that was just the last article I wrote.  I've been critical of Shroud several times.  I questioned their combat system a lot in earlier articles, for instance.  I also flat out told the guys that I didn't like their not going for a more skill-based progression.

    That said, yeah.  I'm a fan.  You're no super sleuth for figuring it out.  I kind of make it a point to say it pretty often so that folks aren't confused.  These aren't review articles, they're updates and informational.  I'd probably ask someone else to write the review when the time comes because I am definitely biased.  I consider a lot of these guys friends, and even though I have plenty of experience from my military days of taking emotions out of providing assessments, it would be a little unethical to write that sort of article myself.  That's my opinion, anyway.  Other writers may feel differently in similar situations.


    ..and RE: my Twitter feed...  lol  Nope you like NASA and space stuff.  Most of my posting is RTs of that stuff.  =)


    btw, @Shadowslady I actually made a comment along those lines when I was up there last week.  I know they're taking these screenshots in-game, but I can never get mine to look quite that good either (though, I really admit that I haven't tried TOO hard).  I THINK part of it may be that the images you're seeing are smaller than the screen size you usually look at the game in, so that probably makes a difference.  I do intend to make a bit more of an effort to figure out the settings and get a better looking game, though.  If I don't get it figured out, I'll hit up the devs to find out what settings their using and report back.

  • Red_ThomasRed_Thomas Member RarePosts: 666
    Torval said:
    I would like to see a couple of reviews. I don't mind reviews from fans because I want to hear from someone who likes that gameplay style why they like it. A review from an FPS CoD fan for Black Ops will mean more to me than a review from a Dota 2 moba player who doesn't like or play FPS. Another review from someone who likes that sort of game but hasn't been following the game day in and day out is a great contrast to that. It can let you know how outsiders might receive and perceive the game.

    That's fair.  I do try to be subjective, but you probably won't see a lot of actual reviews from me.  Frankly, I do these because I enjoy it and I'm not really trying to make a living at it.  That gives me the luxury of writing about the things I want to write about, and I not having to worry about click bait.  

    In fact, I specifically don't write about stuff I don't like.  Negativity is kind of easy.  That's why you see so many of the less intelligent members of our species engaging in it so often.  I'd rather invest my time in promoting something I think is more worthy, which is why I really try to focus more on the indie and crowd-funded projects.  So, if you see an article from me, it's probably because I'm a fan of the project.  =)

    The MMORPG.com folks are actually kind enough to even run some of my stuff that they know won't get many clicks, like my Econ article and some of the other think-pieces.  You guys should actually give them some props for that.  A lot of publications really only care about page views, and not about supporting the industry or about promoting some of the deeper articles.  In the end, it's a business, so that's fair.  Still, think it's cool to see there are places like that around.
  • sevitothsevitoth Member UncommonPosts: 375
    What's so bad about the cash shop? 

    Currently Playing: DAOC Uthgard

    Previously Played: UO, DAOC, Shadowbane, AC2, SWG, Horizons, COX, WOW, EQ2, LOTRO, AOC, WAR, Vanguard, Rift, SWTOR, ESO, GW2.

  • UnleadedRevUnleadedRev Member UncommonPosts: 568
    Dont care until it is released and reviewed.
    I played it since Alpha and its just ok......nothing jaw dropping yet.
  • jtripperjtripper Member UncommonPosts: 115

    btw, @Shadowslady I actually made a comment along those lines when I was up there last week.  I know they're taking these screenshots in-game, but I can never get mine to look quite that good either (though, I really admit that I haven't tried TOO hard).  I THINK part of it may be that the images you're seeing are smaller than the screen size you usually look at the game in, so that probably makes a difference.  I do intend to make a bit more of an effort to figure out the settings and get a better looking game, though.  If I don't get it figured out, I'll hit up the devs to find out what settings their using and report back.




    Taking screenshots in-game? Really now...in that "screenshot" of the character model, since when did SotA have depth-of-field?
  • Red_ThomasRed_Thomas Member RarePosts: 666
    jtripper said:
    Taking screenshots in-game? Really now...in that "screenshot" of the character model, since when did SotA have depth-of-field?  

    Hint:  Since this release.

  • jtripperjtripper Member UncommonPosts: 115



    jtripper said:
    Taking screenshots in-game? Really now...in that "screenshot" of the character model, since when did SotA have depth-of-field?  



    Hint:  Since this release.




    Ok...I'm looking at Release 28 and don't see any DoF effects or anything in the options referring to it, and I don't see it mentioned in the R28 Instructions.
  • Red_ThomasRed_Thomas Member RarePosts: 666
    jtripper said:


    Ok...I'm looking at Release 28 and don't see any DoF effects or anything in the options referring to it, and I don't see it mentioned in the R28 Instructions.

    You're correct, I apologize.  I expected it to be in the character creation screen, but the old models and effects are still there.

    They may have had issues getting it rigged in or something, but I'll look into it and check on why we're not seeing it when I get a chance.  I'm certain it'll be there at some point, though.  Chris Spears and I specifically talked about how a better looking avatar was critical to the new-player experience, and how the new models would allow new effects and not look as flat.  They even brought in a new guy on the team just to get that piece of the game up to spec.
  • Red_ThomasRed_Thomas Member RarePosts: 666
    Ah, looks like they didn't get it completed in time for R28, that's why it's not there.  Notes mention more work to be done on the male avatar, and then female to follow.

    It's likely they meant that they were working on it, not that it would be in this release, and I misunderstood.
  • postlarvalpostlarval Member EpicPosts: 2,003
    edited April 2016
    jtripper said:
    Taking screenshots in-game? Really now...in that "screenshot" of the character model, since when did SotA have depth-of-field?  

    Hint:  Since this release.

    jtripper said:

    Ok...I'm looking at Release 28 and don't see any DoF effects or anything in the options referring to it, and I don't see it mentioned in the R28 Instructions.

    You're correct, I apologize.  I expected it to be in the character creation screen, but the old models and effects are still there.
    So, the "screenshots" were....???
    ______________________________________________________________________
    ~~ postlarval ~~

  • postlarvalpostlarval Member EpicPosts: 2,003
    khameleon said:




    Not a single comment on this yet and it has been up for hours. Is there nobody on mmorpg.com interested in this game other than the author of this article?


    No one at MMORPG.com has enough disposable income to buy into this money sink.



    I got to the $150 level totally free.... lots of giveaways, twitch and stuff like that.
    Congratulations. You're now at the pledge level where the whales only spit on you when no one is looking. Another $1,450 and you won't have to wipe it off your face any longer.
    ______________________________________________________________________
    ~~ postlarval ~~

  • Red_ThomasRed_Thomas Member RarePosts: 666
    jtripper said:
    Taking screenshots in-game? Really now...in that "screenshot" of the character model, since when did SotA have depth-of-field?  

    Hint:  Since this release.

    jtripper said:

    Ok...I'm looking at Release 28 and don't see any DoF effects or anything in the options referring to it, and I don't see it mentioned in the R28 Instructions.

    You're correct, I apologize.  I expected it to be in the character creation screen, but the old models and effects are still there.
    So, the "screenshots" were....???
    In game.  Just not in the release build.  They branched the code and will merge when they're done with the new assets, or will just plug in the new assets when they're done.  I don't know enough about the visual side of development to know if this is the sort of thing to get it's own branch or not, but it'll be something along those lines.  

    Just because you can't access something in the build you downloaded from Steam, doesn't mean it's not in the game.  It's just not enabled, or maybe not compiled into, the build you're running.  If you had access to their repository (... think I remember them saying they used Forge, maybe?  Whichever one they're using...), you could build the same version they used and run it.
  • Red_ThomasRed_Thomas Member RarePosts: 666
    Where do YOU think they're taking the screenshots if you don't think it's in the game client or the Unity workspace?  I'm not sure where else they'd do it.  It's not like these are artist renderings of in-game assets.
  • postlarvalpostlarval Member EpicPosts: 2,003
    jtripper said:
    Taking screenshots in-game? Really now...in that "screenshot" of the character model, since when did SotA have depth-of-field?  

    Hint:  Since this release.

    jtripper said:

    Ok...I'm looking at Release 28 and don't see any DoF effects or anything in the options referring to it, and I don't see it mentioned in the R28 Instructions.

    You're correct, I apologize.  I expected it to be in the character creation screen, but the old models and effects are still there.
    So, the "screenshots" were....???
    In game.  Just not in the release build.  They branched the code and will merge when they're done with the new assets, or will just plug in the new assets when they're done.  I don't know enough about the visual side of development to know if this is the sort of thing to get it's own branch or not, but it'll be something along those lines.  

    Just because you can't access something in the build you downloaded from Steam, doesn't mean it's not in the game.  It's just not enabled, or maybe not compiled into, the build you're running.  If you had access to their repository (... think I remember them saying they used Forge, maybe?  Whichever one they're using...), you could build the same version they used and run it.
    So, you are showing screenshots that aren't actually in-game yet. Gotcha.

    Will they be in before or after full single-player? Just curious how many more years I'll have to wait for the game to look like that. Episode 5? Oh what am I saying. This refuse pile isn't going to make it to Episode 2. Never mind.
    ______________________________________________________________________
    ~~ postlarval ~~

  • Red_ThomasRed_Thomas Member RarePosts: 666
    Torval said:
    And this is why we can't have nice discussions like I said early on in the thread. Eventually someone has to come in as the "indignant victim" commonly know by gamers as "butthurt mode" and just spitefully troll any and everything said. And this is why I often just read the article and pass on the angry people. They're not worth wasting time with.
    And thus, precisely why we don't have children.  I have no idea how to move the conversation forward after comments like that.  =P
  • postlarvalpostlarval Member EpicPosts: 2,003
    edited April 2016
    Torval said:
    And this is why we can't have nice discussions like I said early on in the thread. Eventually someone has to come in as the "indignant victim" commonly know by gamers as "butthurt mode" and just spitefully troll any and everything said. And this is why I often just read the article and pass on the angry people. They're not worth wasting time with.
    Spoken like a true whale.

    Circle the wagons, boys. Don't want anyone to know what a mess SotA really is. Protect that overpriced investment.
    ______________________________________________________________________
    ~~ postlarval ~~

  • postlarvalpostlarval Member EpicPosts: 2,003
    Torval said:
    I'm not the one who paid $1600 and then lied about "selling" it for $1800. I think i paid $35 on a Steam sale over the holidays which is about what I would pay for most games early on. Who's the whale now? See, like I said you bring nothing of value to the discussion. Lots of interesting stuff to discuss but you just want to spew vitriol.

    Red, I do enjoy reading the articles and the news. I don't frequent their site often so it's nice to get your news reports.
    Sales pitches...not news.

    Goodbye for now. :-)
    ______________________________________________________________________
    ~~ postlarval ~~

  • fyerwallfyerwall Member UncommonPosts: 3,240
    Been playing since release 15 and have been enjoying the game so far. The community in game is great. It's also nice to be able to chat with the devs in game and see how excited they are about the game. I will say I am happy with the $22 purchase.

    I remember winning one of the early release invites from this site (think it was like release 3 maybe) and not really liking the look and feel of the game. But I kept an eye on it and saw the progress it was making. Grabbed the game at a steam sale and have been playing since.

    There are 3 types of people in the world.
    1.) Those who make things happen
    2.) Those who watch things happen
    3.) And those who wonder "What the %#*& just happened?!"


  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,901
    Will have to try it before I buy it.
  • Red_ThomasRed_Thomas Member RarePosts: 666
    Torval said:

    Red, I do enjoy reading the articles and the news. I don't frequent their site often so it's nice to get your news reports.
    That's greatly appreciated, man.  Writers really rarely get positive feedback, so it's even more appreciated when we do.

    Thanks!
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