Welcome to Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues Early Access Release 31! Notes on what is in this release are available here. July 6, 2016 Build Number 440 10:45 AM Changes:

• POTs:
  • Breaker's Landing: Changed biome (from Forest to Mountain). Rotated to -90.
  • Illusive Passage: Changed biome (from Forest to Mountain). Changed location. Removed interconnection between POT Illusive Cavern and POT Finchfield.
  • SilverHold: Fixed bug that was preventing this from showing up on Novia
• Fixed facial hair error
• If the camera would be blocked on the right side of player during conversation, switch to the left side.
• Updating description of Reveal Hidden to note that it only works on Hostile targets.
• Fixed title on Rats Nest POT Custom music
• Change default for "Shift+Alpha" opens chat to off.
• NPCs once again will understand answers to their questions if "Enable Conversation Close-Ups" is disabled.
• Fixed demon skull not being lootable
• Implemented a fix for Resource nodes that were accumulating loot even if interaction was cancelled
• Fixed bugs with The Shingle Roof Two-Story w/ Overhang and Shingle-Roof Two-Story w/ Great Hall
• Fixed bugs with Red Dress
• Added rowboat teleporters to Keep and Castle Island Lots in Aerie and Brittany Wharfs
• Fixed Overworld banners so they no longer disappear against sky
• Knockback (bludgeon) skill now stunning properly
• Fixed multiple issues with Japeth's sad quest of love.
• Added a validation to salvage to ensure that equipable items are never returned
• Public Vendors now disabled in Offline Mode
• Kiln Cistern: Added blockers in various locations to prevent exploits via high jump.
• Fixed bug where Glyphs locked to the combat hotbar remain consistent across all Decks
• Fixed bug where system messages did not appear properly when they forced the chat window to open
• Fix for keeping in combat even if no current target
• Fix for sorting bank inventory by location
• Moving a chest that contains a bag (empty) no longer produces a fail message.
• Novia Overworld: The interaction range for the boat to Hidden Vale has been returned to normal distance.
• Made more explicit that Charlotte's disappearance after quest completion in Solace Bridge is intentional.
• Minor clarifications added to Soltown fire investigation
• Journal message added if Charlotte is left behind in Solace Bridge.
• Hospitaller sign for the add-on store
• Fixed issue with ending of /puke emote
• animated and set up "JuggleKnives"
• Fix lot deed ugprade UI message that got broken in a refactor
• Better handle an exception ocurring during rolling loot for Reward Offers
• Roots, Mezes, Stuns, etc now keep enemy NPCs in combat mode properly so they use properly use in-combat regen.
• Fixed occlusion errors in Solace Bridge and Owlshead that was causing things to vanish at some angles.
• Blacklist update, blocking some data centers and spam hosts
• Some Localization fixes

• Magic Printing Press not working sometimes
• Some sign recipes are showing up as blank signs
• Some bosses in The Rise dungeon cannot be killed
• Any item with Cloth physics attached (cloaks, cloth armor, cloth clothing, dresses, flags, etc.) will cause crashes on scene load. Try disabling cloth in the Options menu and/or removing all cloth items from your character to lower crash frequency
• Broadcast Phonographs are breaking sometimes
• Novia Overworld rework has introduced various stuck spots, incorrect collision and "exit into the air" issues
• Some UI text is not wrapping correctly
• Rain is coming through the roof of some buildings
• The new Targeting system still has various issues that need fixing
• /spyglass effect can be done even if you don't have the spyglass equipped
• Stability: The latest version of Unity we are using has introduced significant stability issues along with memory leaks. We are working with Unity to resolve these as quickly as we can
• Linux: We are experiencing significant issues with the Linux version of the game due to the latest version of Unity. We are working with Unity to resolve these as quickly as we can
  • Avatars don’t idle. Stuck in walking animation.
  • Movement breaks when casting various skills while running.
  • Dying snaps avatars to incorrect position within a scene. Will eventually crash.
  • Using Coconuts in select scenes (like Aerie) will throw the avatar out of boundaries. Will eventually crash.
  • Taking screenshots crashes the client
• Pathfinding is breaking in some houses and basements
• Local chat is failing in some situations
• Many SFX are not properly tied to the sound volume controls.
• Lighting and fog levels are still being tuned to work with the new weather system, expect anomalies
• Death and Resurrection do not work properly in the team arena
• Water lots in Dynamic Player Owned Towns can currently only be placed along shorelines, not on docks
• If you upgrade from a property owning pledge between data wipes you will receive extra lot deeds.
• If your video drivers are out of date characters will appear as if they are covered in triangles.
• Some cities are experiencing performance spikes
• Some pledge, add on, and stretch goal items have not yet been built and/or do not yet have tech support.
• The update to Unity 5 caused a host of general texture and lighting related issues, and not all of these have been resolved.
• Distant tree billboards may have a white outline that is especially noticeable at night, and some trees may shimmer with white at night.
• Skin tone will sometimes not match properly on different parts of the body
• ALT key can no longer be bound. This was necessary to re-enable quick self cast with ALT

• Episodic Content: Shroud of the Avatar will consist of five episodes that will tell a series of virtue based stories created by Richard Garriott and Tracy Hickman. All supported by a series of prequel novels starting with Blade of the Avatar. Forsaken Virtues is the first episode (this is what you are purchasing access to).
  
• Single Player Offline Mode: Players will adventure through over 40 hours of story in an interactive world where their choices have consequences, ethical paradoxes give them pause, and they play a vital part in weaving their own story into the immersive world and lore surrounding them.
  
• Selective Multiplayer Modes: If you want to go through the story online you can play with everyone in a single world with three different online modes (Single Player, Friends, and Open).
  
• Classless Character System: Vast customization options with hundreds of skills and spells in over 20 different skill trees.
  
• Skillful Combat: A new way to prepare and fight in an RPG by building custom decks of skills and dynamically activating them in combat.
  
• PVP: Consensual with Open PVP flags, zones, and Guild Warfare.
  
• Player Housing: Non instanced, finite, and embedded in the world with multiple group living options.
  
• Player Driven Economy: Deep crafting system where the best items are made by players and player items are the main source of loot found in the game.
  
• Pay Once to Play: No subscription fees. Each episode (released approximately annually) is a one time fee and everything in the game can be purchased with in game gold that can be earned (except for some exclusive backer rewards).
  
• Social: Full Guild System, Highly Active Community and Player Owned Towns.
  
• Crowd Sourced & Funded: Support the project by contributing content (and receive compensation) or by pledging (and receive exclusive rewards).
  
• Open Development: Players help shape the game by giving feedback on monthly early access releases, videos, weekly updates, blog postings, forums, chat, etc.

Current Version

• Housing: Purchase property and a wide variety of buildings to place there. These can be customized with hundreds of items (paintings, crafting stations, chairs, tables, food, plants, fountains, statues, lights, etc.). Players can also set permissions that allow them to share this property with other players. Higher level pledges begin the game with property and house deeds. (Find out more at www.shroudoftheavatar.com)
  
• Crafting: Gather and refine resources to craft a wide variety of objects including weapons, armor, potions, food, and furniture.
  
• Player Trading: Trade with each other for items or gold.
  
• PVP (Duels and Zones): Fight other players in Open PVP zones of the map or 1 on 1 duels in any location.
  
• Dual Scale Map: Explore the world by walking across a map (aka The Overworld) like old school RPGs with random and roving encounters mixed among named points of interest.
  
• Combat and Magic Skills: We have over 100 skills in a wide variety of combat and magic schools including Blades, Fire, Water, Life, Polearms, Shields, etc.
  
• Multiple Online Modes: Play how you want in one of two modes: Single Player Online or Open Multiplayer Online.
  
• Character Customization: Customize your character's facial features, hair style, hair color, facial hair, skin tone, and gender. Also express yourself with a vast array of different gear that when equipped shows on your character. (cloaks, armor, weapons, hats, tools, torches, etc.)
  
• AI Behaviors: Archers will try to maintain distance, warriors will try to surround you, Liches will summon skeletal allies, and villagers will turn on lights when night falls.
  
• Advancement: As you gain experience fighting and questing you gain levels which give you skill points that you can use with a trainer to purchase new skills or to raise your attributes.
  
• Hint System: Each time you attempt something for the first time a hint will appear with basic instructions (this can be disabled in options)
  
• Fully Interactive World: Every attempt is made to make the world respond to you. All the lights you see can be turned on and off, doors can be opened/closed/locked/unlocked, objects can be taken from shelves/tables/etc.
  
• Dynamic Lighting: Time of day changes as you play along with all light sources casting light in a realistic fashion.
  
• Summoned Allies: Certain schools of magic can summon allies including Ice Elementals, Fire Elementals, Liches, and Skeletons.
  
• Control Points: Grab control of Vertas Pass and see how long you can hold it against ever increasing waves of Dark Elves.
  
• Emotes: Express yourself with a wide variety of emotes including dances, bows, laughs, bows, yawns, etc.
  
• Guilds: You can form or join a guild
  
• Banks: Store all your gear and loot when it gets too heavy to carry around.
  
• Character tied to Pledge: All versions of the game (aka pledges) come with special rewards (gear, houses, titles, emotes, etc.).
  
• Player Owned Towns: Players can purchase and customize from templates their very own town.
  
• Player Vendors: You will be able to set up NPC vendors to sell the goods you have crafted or found adventuring.
  
• Player Made Books: Write your own book in the game and pay in game gold to have it published widely.
  
• Dye-able Gear: Customize your gear by changing the colors.
  
• Crowd Sourcing Create content for the game (music, sound effects, and art) and be paid for it.

Future Updates

• Story: A rich narrative that presents you with complex moral choices will come online closer to launch.
  
• More Scenes: Many additional scenes will come online including cities, dungeons, deserts, arctic areas, swamps, fortifications, battlegrounds, etc.
  
• Performance: Continued optimizations as well as sophisticated fallback routines will greatly improve performance.
  
• More Magic & Combat Skills: More skills will be coming including the Chaos Magic School.
  
• Localization: Support for multiple languages.
  
• More Creatures: More creatures along with multiple variations and new behaviors.

• OS: Ubuntu 12.04 or newer officially but most linux flavors supported
• Processor: Quad Core 2.4 GHz or fasterMemory: 12 GB RAM
• Memory: 12 GB RAM
• Graphics: DirectX 11 Compatible NVIDIA 960 / AMD 560Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 30 GB available space

• OS: Ubuntu 12.04 or newer officially but most linux flavors supported
• Processor: Quad Core Processor 2.8GHz or fasterMemory: 16 GB RAM
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: DirectX 11 Compatible NVIDIA GTX 1070 / ATI Radeon HD 5870Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 30 GB available spaceAdditional Notes: Performance significantly improved with an SSD