KickStarter Shroud of the Avatar - Lord British's Not-Ultima Online 2

[Beastro]

Not to mention the general funding strategy, it is also quite amazing how incredbily ugly this game manages to look. It looks like they went for the AAA stylized look, but the blend of ultra generic fantasy and low budget makes a world where everything looks plastic. It is a game where you don't even need motion to feel in uncanny valley. The lighting is off, the assets look like they are from the unity store even though they are probably not. Amazing. It must have taken some effort to make it look this bad.

They should have gone with a cartoony touch that evoked the old games aesthetics.

 

[Aildrik]

This is a common thing among most of our old heroes. I've said before that their genius lay in them working with the limitations of the times and knowing exactly what is important to the game experience and what is superfluous. Games were lean but crammed with as many features as they could be and the majority enhanced the experience far beyond what was normally possible. Where cuts had to be made, additional information, lore etc. would be in printed form to further increase the 'immersion' into the world etc.

This is all well and good, but if you read a lot of their interviews then and since, they often come up with really shockingly retarded thoughts about what they'd have liked to add (like full VO, cutscenes, simplified gameplay, RT combat etc.) but couldn't due to the limitations they faced hardware wise. So it's a mix of ability and the happy coincidence of low power hardware that helped create the great stuff we grew up with.

'Lord' British is just one in a long line unfortunately...can go to JVC, Molyneux, Meier, Roberts, Spector, Bradley and so on....

I am very fascinated by this particular topic; that is, how many of these devs that we think of as rock stars of the golden era of CRPGs have stepped up to the plate years later and produced duds. I think about the games we played on Apple IIs and Commodore, with very small teams or even designed and produced by one guy (Akalabeth, etc). I can only conclude that it was a different era that required a different skillset. I also think, like you mentioned, that the lower powered hardware meant there was less ..makeup.. for your game to hide behind. It was pure gameplay and it either worked or it didn't. I was personally drawn in by games like Dark Heart of Uukrul, a game that was graphically fairly simple but had deep gameplay, then was subsequently annoyed at the soon to follow era of CD-ROM FMV that tried to hide shit games behind fluffy new tech.

That said, Origin seemed to be really good at adapting new tech in ways that made awesome games. Wing Commander was an amazing game. Ultima 6 and 7 were awesome. Ultima Underworld was another great game. Maybe it was the right combination of people on these teams? Or making games without being so beholden to stock holders? Curious what other people think.

 

[Zep Zepo]

Old men cannot make video games. Trust me, I'm a certified old man.

Zep--

 

[Eggs is eggs]

Take any great artist, musician, etc. Most people tend to accomplish their greatest works when they are young, hungry and talented.

 

[YES!]

This is a common thing among most of our old heroes. I've said before that their genius lay in them working with the limitations of the times and knowing exactly what is important to the game experience and what is superfluous. Games were lean but crammed with as many features as they could be and the majority enhanced the experience far beyond what was normally possible. Where cuts had to be made, additional information, lore etc. would be in printed form to further increase the 'immersion' into the world etc.

This is all well and good, but if you read a lot of their interviews then and since, they often come up with really shockingly retarded thoughts about what they'd have liked to add (like full VO, cutscenes, simplified gameplay, RT combat etc.) but couldn't due to the limitations they faced hardware wise. So it's a mix of ability and the happy coincidence of low power hardware that helped create the great stuff we grew up with.

'Lord' British is just one in a long line unfortunately...can go to JVC, Molyneux, Meier, Roberts, Spector, Bradley and so on....

I am very fascinated by this particular topic; that is, how many of these devs that we think of as rock stars of the golden era of CRPGs have stepped up to the plate years later and produced duds. I think about the games we played on Apple IIs and Commodore, with very small teams or even designed and produced by one guy (Akalabeth, etc). I can only conclude that it was a different era that required a different skillset. I also think, like you mentioned, that the lower powered hardware meant there was less ..makeup.. for your game to hide behind. It was pure gameplay and it either worked or it didn't. I was personally drawn in by games like Dark Heart of Uukrul, a game that was graphically fairly simple but had deep gameplay, then was subsequently annoyed at the soon to follow era of CD-ROM FMV that tried to hide shit games behind fluffy new tech.

That said, Origin seemed to be really good at adapting new tech in ways that made awesome games. Wing Commander was an amazing game. Ultima 6 and 7 were awesome. Ultima Underworld was another great game. Maybe it was the right combination of people on these teams? Or making games without being so beholden to stock holders? Curious what other people think.

Only Bradley was a rpg developer and all his games are pretty good or great. Could DL have been better? Of course, but he couldn't pitch a game that would have been great to publishers, so he had to pitch a game that would get publisher funding and hope he could design something outside of his scope. He did well considering. Do you think W&W would have been RT if publishers didn't make it so? And why would publishers on fund shit games for shitheads? Because those sell, because of all you shitheads and your shit taste.

And the SSI vets are still working on SDS so suck a dick you fucking console, slightly interactive movie loving monkeys. Also, Fargo has released too really good crpgs and how do you monkey's react to that? Just like you did with all of Troika's offerings. Like a bunch of fucking rpg hating short sited future funding destroying nincompoop retards.

It wouldn't be so frustrating if I didn't have to lie down in the bed you idiots made because you are pinning over Bethesda and Bioware's next rpg-lite slightly interactive movie for retards and actual little children or some JRPG or other console trash that is for the same audience of kids and idiots.

 

[grimace]

In the News:

http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/266636129-story

Gamers paradise
By: Esmi Careaga

Posted: Jul 07 2017 11:07PM CDT

Updated: Jul 07 2017 11:10PM CDT

AUSTIN, Texas - Get ready to be schooled on video games.

This year’s epic Rooster Teeth Expo attracted thousands of people from across the globe.
.

Gamer Jack Rowell drove all the way to Austin from Wisconsin to attend R.T.X.

"We drove here 18 hours we got here yesterday. It's pretty cool here in Austin," said Rowell.


This year's newest game is set to be a crowd pleaser Shroud of the Avatar Forsaken Virtues.

"The controls are pretty simple and it seems like it really has a cool story. I'm going to have to check it out," said Rowell.

It’s a role playing video game that takes you on a mystical spiritual journey.

Players will adventure through an interactive world where their choices during ethical paradoxes have consequences.

Portalarium C.E.O Richard Garriott came out to greet fans and give some pointers.

Garriott said it takes around four years to develop a game.

"It's a game that has a lot more depth than just fighting monsters and collecting treasures," Garriott said. “You can actually dial up from a solo player game to a traditional mastered multi player game."


Garriott said the game was crowd funded by gamers and that they raised close to $12 million.

"We are getting a steady stream of people that are all coming up and have either heard of the game and see the name and want to find out more or frankly just as many are looking at the visual and going hey that game looks let me sit down’ and play it,” said Garriott.

He hopes fans like it just as much as he does.

Tickets are still available and the event will go on through Sunday.

 

[sstacks]

Starr Long and Mathew Anderson from Shroud of the Avatar will be on the show today (July 15th) at 1 PM Central.

You can listen live online at http://965fmtheanswer.com. Comment here or tweet me at @shaneplays and I'll do my best to work any questions or comments into the show.

 

[Infinitron]

Starr Long and Mathew Anderson from Shroud of the Avatar will be on the show today (July 15th) at 1 PM Central.

You can listen live online at http://965fmtheanswer.com. Comment here or tweet me at @shaneplays and I'll do my best to work any questions or comments into the show.

 

[Bumvelcrow]

Starr Long and Mathew Anderson from Shroud of the Avatar will be on the show today (July 15th) at 1 PM Central.

You can listen live online at http://965fmtheanswer.com. Comment here or tweet me at @shaneplays and I'll do my best to work any questions or comments into the show.

sstacks , while I will listen to this eventually (the one hour playtime is putting me off), I'm a little doubtful about what can be obtained from interviewing two employees from a company answering questions on a game with such a dubious history. Obviously they're going to big it up as much as possible, and you can't ask anything too probing as you'll want to keep them onside. I'd have thought a followup discussing some of the controversies around the game would give some more balance.

 

[sstacks]

Thanks Infinitron

For me personally, the most interesting thing that came out of the interview was that the SeedInvest is to cover marketing and promotion while the other crowdfunding is for game dev.

I also thought it was cool to give Starr Long some exposure since Richard Garriott gets all the notice... Starr has worked with him forever and was key on Ultima IX and Ultima Online.

 

[sstacks]

sstacks , while I will listen to this eventually (the one hour playtime is putting me off),

So in general the show runs around 52-53 minutes. The first 5-10 minutes is intro and etc. If there is a news segment you can generally jump to about 20-25 minutes for the main interview. If there is no news segment we'll usually get crackin' about 10 minutes in.

 

[Infinitron]

https://gamasutra.com/view/pressrel...ar_as_it_Reaches_Story_Complete_Milestone.php

Travian Games and Portalarium Partner for Shroud of the Avatar as it Reaches Story Complete Milestone

AUSTIN, Texas, July 31, 2017 — Portalarium®, an Austin, Texas based game developer, and Travian Games, a Munich, Germany based publisher and developer, are pleased to announce today a formal partnership to bring Shroud of the Avatar™, the much-anticipated fantasy role-playing game from legendary game designer Richard “Lord British” Garriott to Europe, South America, Central America, the Middle East and North Africa. Travian Games will be coming on board as a partner immediately as Shroud is moving closer to the game’s commercial launch later this year.

“We were looking to for the best upcoming MMORPGs in our industry as well as a strong cultural fit, so we are truly excited about the opportunity to work with Richard and the Shroud of the Avatar team on bringing another great game to our community,” notes Lars Janssen, CEO of Travian Games. “Portalarium’s vision is very similar to ours and we believe this is the start of a long-term relationship between our two teams.”

“Europe has always been a strong market for the Ultima games so we wanted to be sure we found the very best partner who could who truly understands what we wanted to accomplish with Shroud,” explains Richard Garriott.

“Travian Games is that partner because they really understand community and development which has allowed them to build a huge base of millions of players.”

To date, backers of Shroud have logged more than three-million hours of game testing, and the latest update, Release 44, now permits backers to complete the entire Episode 1 story, from beginning to end.

Shroud of the Avatar, the spiritual successor to Garriott’s Ultima series of fantasy role-playing games, is a “selectively multiplayer” game, and includes a deep story crafted by Garriott and New York Times bestselling author, Tracy Hickman ( Dragonlance series). The game combines a detailed sandbox style Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) with a single player narrative mode. With Release 44, players can now complete the paths of Truth, Love and Courage and ultimately discover the secrets of the Shroud of the Avatar.

“The story craft is not at an end,” said Garriott. “More side quests and revisions to improve quality, will continue to be added to the game month after month, yet this is the first time the full plot has been playable, and is among the last major milestones needed for a commercial launch later in the year.”

The remainder of the game is already in what would traditionally be considered a beta state. There are some skill trees and recipes still needing to be completed, and plenty of balance and debugging remains, but Portalarium is now shifting its team and company into the stance of a publisher as the commercial release approaches.

“This marks the 44th monthly release for Shroud of the Avatar,” exclaimed Garriott. “And these updates have occurred on the last Thursday of the month on time, and the servers have had nearly four years of continuous software stability. In Release 45, players actively testing the game will receive the ability to ‘reset’ their story status, and thus be able to get a fresh run through the now completed main quests, without having to start a new character.”

_Shroud of the Avatar’s original crowdfunded campaign began in 2013. Currently with more than $11.8 million in crowd funding, Shroud is the second highest fully crowd funded game ever. More information about the crowdfunding campaign and the game can be accessed at www.ShroudoftheAvatar.com .

Recently Portalarium extended their crowdfunding efforts to include equity crowdfunding using the SeedInvest platform. This allows people to invest in Portalarium while backing the project. To learn more go to www.seedinvest.com/portalarium/series.b .

At this year’s Gamescom in Cologne, journalists have the opportunity to interview Richard “Lord British” Garriott and Lars Janssen about the game and the new partnership.

 

[Bumvelcrow]

I could run out of despair smiles reading that.

We were looking to for the best upcoming MMORPGs in our industry

Shroud of the Avatar, the spiritual successor to Garriott’s Ultima series of fantasy role-playing games

is a “selectively multiplayer” game

Tracy Hickman, good god.

 

[vonAchdorf]

So Shroud found a home at a German browser game studio.

 

[Grauken]

Tracy Hickman, good god.

I remember liking the Deathgate series, though more for the worldbuilding than the actual writing

 

[Bumvelcrow]

I remember liking the Deathgate series, though more for the worldbuilding than the actual writing

Deathgate was what I was thinking about when I made my comment. I've never read Dragonlance, which may be a stunning work of literature for all I know. But Deathgate was cringeworthy at times, despite the interesting worldbuilding. What was most disappointing was how the whole plot was chucked out of the window towards the end, as though Weiss and Hickman wished they were doing something else.

Incidentally, it was the Legend Deathgate game that made me want to read the books.

 

[sstacks]

I remember liking the Deathgate series, though more for the worldbuilding than the actual writing

Deathgate was what I was thinking about when I made my comment. I've never read Dragonlance, which may be a stunning work of literature for all I know. But Deathgate was cringeworthy at times, despite the interesting worldbuilding. What was most disappointing was how the whole plot was chucked out of the window towards the end, as though Weiss and Hickman wished they were doing something else.

Incidentally, it was the Legend Deathgate game that made me want to read the books.

Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends are great world building and characters but the writing itself hasn't aged super well from my high school years to now. Still readable, but when I was a kid they totally sucked me in.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

How do people feel about their in game item 'investments'?

 

[Ahumata]

I'm kinda sad that I can't like this game. I was a major U7 and UO fiend, I threw a bit of handful of money at the KS but I just can't play this. It hurts me to look at it...
and Tracy Hickman, good lord. Why??

 

[Metro]

Ed Greenwood was apparently unavailable.

 

[Ahumata]

Ed Greenwood was apparently unavailable.

So TH was a good old case of "next best thing", huh? Maybe he should have stuck to the same kind of worldbuilding as in the Ultimas, which was pretty simple and worked well... bring in the big DnD authors and automatically you get great titans and sundered worlds and dark elves and what have you.

 

[Jaesun]

I actually have a (free) copy I won for some reason, on STEAM, but keep forgetting to install this....

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Gimme

I actually have a (free) copy I won for some reason, on STEAM, but keep forgetting to install this....

Gimme

 

[thesheeep]

At least this development couldn't be anticipated

 

[Jaesun]

Gimme

I actually have a (free) copy I won for some reason, on STEAM, but keep forgetting to install this....

Gimme

Oh I had already installed it a LONG time ago, so sorry, I can't gift it to anyone. :/

I had a HD crash a while back and when I re-installed STEAM I just keep forgetting to install this game. heh