Shroud of the Avatar

Psychomorph · Nov 3, 2013

I saw the latest Shroud of the Avatar video. It's shaping up, but I don't really like their game-ish approach. You can stuff a whole Guillotine in your backpack and place it somewhere else later.

To be honest I am a bit disappointed about what I see from Garriott. The early content they showed during the Kickstarter also didn't impress me much, which why I didn't backed it. After a couple of seconds into the Sui Generis pitch video I knew I would pledge.

Tessaya · Nov 23, 2013

Have to agree there're some similitudes between the 2, and I too feel much more confident about Sui Generis than SotA.

Kosac · Nov 27, 2013

same as me.. i dont know what Richard makes after UO and was successfull

SotA have some nice ideas but dosnt look so nice as SG maybe Unity is problem i dont know.. maybe its new age where old developers dosnt shine

Psychomorph · Dec 16, 2013

Looks interesting, probably worth trying, but art and style is very MMO/browser-game-ish and not quite that impressive. Doesn't convince as much as Sui Generis (pre-alpha) did.

The inventory menus (bags and chests) look really good though.

Fawz · Dec 16, 2013

Tried it out a bit since I'm a backer. It's still super early and they're not going for that strong a base with their engine. They do have some new ideas for some mechanics though and it looks like by release it'll be a great RPG that's not so visually impressive. Still really worried about their design plans for combat though :S

Dinah · Feb 24, 2014

I've participated in all 3 releases so far, and despite that it is still in pre-alpha, I'm fairly worried at this point. What they've shown in the releases so far has been limited to: crafting; housing showcase/item placement; a "unique" dialogue system; character creation; and multiplayer. All of which just feel bland and uninteresting.

One of the main reasons I backed Sui Generis is the fact that it looks to almost be a spiritual successor to the old Ultima games, specifically U7, one of my favorite games of all time. The progress BM has shown so far has truly exceeded my expectations in every way. On the flip side, to have also backed the TRUE successor to the Ultima series, and have it feel so bland at this point is extremely disappointing. Here's hoping they can turn it around.

Fawz · Feb 24, 2014

It's been the same for me. I tried all 3 Alpha stages and came out extremely disappointed. I think the main issue I have is with how safe their playing it by using a cheap, bland and easy to use engine (Unity). It doesn't help when character control and combat look to be so dated and uninspired. It never felt fun to play the game, and I can't imagine it'll get better. Let's just hope they get exploration, story and characters right.

I really hope they can turn things around in a year or so, but I doubt it. Their focus seems to be on adding all sorts of gimmicky features and customization assets that they can sell on their online store.

Psychomorph · Nov 30, 2014

SoA hit STEAM early access.

Does anyone still think that it still is kind of really crappy? I'm a bit appalled, lol. Maybe there is more substance to it than what it looks like, but I can't shake off that feeling.

Rod_Lightning · Nov 30, 2014

like with 99,9% of every early access game ever. i completely ignore it until it comes out.

And even then I wait a month or so until they patch things (which also always happens after an early access release).

And with this game. I'd give it a full year of further development until they 'release' it. It'll take a whiiiiiile.

Dinah · Dec 1, 2014

Psychomorph said:
SoA hit STEAM early access.

Does anyone still think that it still is kind of really crappy? I'm a bit appalled, lol. Maybe there is more substance to it than what it looks like, but I can't shake off that feeling.

I've tried every release of the pre-alpha (1-12) and quite honestly it hasn't really improved to a point where I can defend it. Comparing their initial kickstarter pitch to the progress they've made, I think they are either way off track from their original vision, or have a long road ahead of them.

Now, the counter argument to that would be to say that it's still pre-alpha. That's true, but the fact is that every release focuses more on their paid add-on-store, and not the interesting quest, dialogue, exploration, and combat systems that they wanted to stand out from other MMO's.

In it's current state, it feels like an extremely bland version of every other MMO out there. It has also made me pick up Guild Wars 2 again, which probably isn't their goal

Psychomorph · Dec 1, 2014

Dinah said:
...and combat systems that they wanted to stand out from other MMO's.

Makes me laugh, because the combat is atrocious.

Dinah said:
In it's current state, it feels like an extremely bland version of every other MMO out there.

That is exactly the though I have and always had with this. The only thing that I like is what comes from the old Ultima games, something you also see in Sui Generis, that is the grid-less inventory placement, but that's about it.

This also shows the sad fact that there is nothing sacred in this world. A childhood idol like "Lord British" (for some anyway) disappoints like this.

Murf · Jan 28, 2015

I also backed this, just yesterday uninstalled it. I'll just wait till it is fully released, just upset me every time I went in to 'test' out a new build. Hopefully they will improve by release time, I would imagine so this being pre-alpha and all.