WARNING: THIS GAME IS EARLY ACCESS PRE-ALPHA. PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE IT UNLESS YOU WANT TO ACTIVELY SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF THE GAME VIA CROWD FUNDING, BUG TESTING, AND FEEDBACK. PLEASE ONLY PURCHASE IF YOU ARE ALSO PREPARED TO HANDLE PERIODIC WIPES, SERIOUS ISSUES AND INCOMPLETE CONTENT. PLEASE READ THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS PRIOR TO PURCHASE, MANY OF WHICH WARN YOU OF THE CURRENT UNFINISHED STATE OF THE GAME.

Please read this entire message, as well as the linked instructions and known issues.

Thank you for being a loyal backer and follower of Shroud of the Avatar. Release 32 access for all backers at First Responder level and above begins this Thursday, July 28, at 9:30 AM US Central Daylight Time (14:30 UTC).

One Hour Early: Please note that we are opening the servers one hour early this time to give Group 1 more time to prepare for Lot Selection.

Patch at Midnight: Please also note that we hope to have the first build for R32 available for download to players as early as Midnight, right after wipe so that everyone can be fully patched up in the morning. Also please note that some of the below deliverables did not make the first patch.

History:
On Thursday December 12, 2013 Release 1 allowed our backers to play Shroud of the Avatar for the very first time. Since that very first release, we have provided you a monthly release on the last Thursday of every month for the last 31 months. Thanks to our amazing backers, our game and community have both grown each release to the point that we are now the second largest crowd-funded video game ever. Help us celebrate this historic moment as we move into our next phase with our 12-hour Summer Telethon of the Avatar!

Persistence:
This Release will be different from all of those other releases because we are finally going Persistent. This means that the progress a player makes will no longer be reset every three months. Just because we are persistent, however, does not mean we are going to slow down! We will continue our Monthly Releases just like we always have. We still have features to implement, content to complete (see our Roadmap), and lots (and lots) of balancing to do. Even though this is the “Final Wipe” we are still in Early Access and, if needed, we will do small Rollbacks and/or Partial Wipes if we absolutely need to in order to maintain the health of the product.

New User Experience:
We continued the work we started in Release 31 and polished more of the new user experience in the Isle of Storms, Solace Bridge, Soltown, and even as far as Ardoris. This included a new Oracle in the Isle of Storms, more NPC behaviors, and further transitions of the hints to the new on-screen system.

Balance:
We began what will be multiple releases of balance adjustments to combat and economy starting with major overhauls to Merchant inventories. We have also adjusted starting recipes, starting skills, and starting gear for better balance and better advancement curves.

Yet again, I want to express a huge amount of gratitude to our Dev+ backers who tested all of the items below on the QA server and uncovered lots of bugs. They also provided editorial feedback on this post. So, they are a big reason that this post actually matches what is in the game, and that it is easy to read.

While we are getting closer to launch, we are still in a constant state of change, and we do not yet have all the in-game systems to inform players of these changes, or to share ways to help them to explore new content and systems. This means we rely mostly on this message, and the linked instructions and known issues to convey the current game state. We regularly have to answer questions or filter bug reports because some players elect not to read this valuable information.

By taking a few moments to read through this information, a great deal of our time and efforts can be redirected to focus on new “unanswered” questions, and addressing critical issues impacting each release. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to review this post, and for all the truly valuable feedback you continue to provide.

Also, remember that while we are providing new content with each release, our community is working overtime to make new events for you to enjoy. Be sure to check out a couple of the event calendars run by our community members (via in-game book or the player run websites: Avatars Circle and Events of the Avatars). You can also get the latest official events on the Main Website.

Without further ado, here is a list of what you can expect to see in Release 32.

Full Wipe (except Social): We wiped all player data including inventory and housing. Social information (friends and guilds) will remain intact. If you have Add-On Store items you wish to convert to credit, then you can do so on the Shroud of the Avatar website multiple times this week. Remember to do it before you claim your rewards in the bank (Live or QA) since that will make all add on store items “claimed in game.” Also please note that if you upgraded a property owning pledge since the last wipe, you ended up with extra lot deeds which will have now been wiped (lot deeds do not stack). Your current deed amount will match your purchases when R32 goes live. Please note that because we are wiping offers multiple times this week you will end up with multiple sets of rewards.

Lot Selection: Starting at 11:00 AM CDT, players can begin selecting lots in the game in order of their lot selection group. You can view your lot selection group on your account page. Lot Selection Rules are:
- You may use any ONE deed you own to claim any one unclaimed lot you wish.
- The type of deed, the location of the lot does not matter, all are covered under the same rule. (except Water Lots, see below)
- Any deed may be used to claim a lot of the listed size or smaller.
- The beginning time of the group after yours does NOT affect your ability to claim a lot; if the next group after you has begun their claim window prior to you being able to claim a lot, you CAN still claim a lot. The times listed are Beginning times. Once begun, your ability to claim your one lot does not expire.
- Any remaining deeds in your inventory may be used to claim lots after the beginning of Group 91 at 03:00 CDT on the 24th of August.
- Water Lots can only be claimed using Founder Deeds
- There are no restrictions on location changes. If you change your mind and want to claim a different lot you have that ability.
To claim a lot you must move your Avatar to the location of the lot in the town in the game. There is no lot claiming outside the game.
- As a reminder Lot Deeds are flagged “No Trade” during Release 32.

Brittany Estates: This final neighborhood completes Greater Brittany. It is northwest of Central Brittany on the shores of Lake Equitas in the North Paladis region of Novia. It is filled with manicured gardens, water features, and high end shops surrounded by mostly City-sized lots.


Spite (Unclone): Spite is located on the shores of Stormwater Lake in the Drachvald Region and is a pivotal location in the Path of Love. Spite started as a cloned scene (based on the Forest 01 PRT/POT template, aka the PaxLair template). We completely rebuilt it from scratch in Release 32. The city is now built into terraced cliffs with a beautiful waterfall and has some key landmarks like the Mortuarium. Note that scenes that we unclone after the Final Wipe will NOT get this level of rework, and the placement of NPC buildings and player housing lots in those towns will remain unchanged; only cosmetic changes of building styles, terrain, and foliage will be made.


Xenos (Unclone): Located on the Isle of Elysium, Xenos is where pilgrims stop on their way to Artifice on the Path of Truth. Like Spite, Xenos started as a cloned scene (using our Forest 01 PRT/POT template, aka PaxLair). We used the same base template but modified it heavily to build the new scene.


NPC Behaviors: We greatly expanded NPC behaviors to include Theft Detection, Virtue Reactions, sleep schedule interruptions and other activities.

44 New Crafting Recipes: New decorations, wearables, and armor.

And Much More! Click here for the complete R32 Instructions

[And did we mention that you should read the negative reviews that warn you about the unfinished state of this game before you purchase? Don't buy this game until you read them!]