Update of the Avatar/Update 36
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Update of the Avatar #36 – 2013.08.14: Female Avatar, Community Mission, and Scene Creation Challenge
Update 36 outlined Portalarium's effort to expand the Shroud of the Avatar community, introduced recruitment incentives and a planned scene-building competition, and gave a detailed look at the creation of the game's first female avatar and outfit.[1]
Double Down on Community
Portalarium set a goal of growing from approximately 24,500 backers to 50,000 by May 2014. The studio argued that a larger testing community would provide more design feedback, better server-load testing, and additional development funding.[1]
A Recruit-a-Friend program accompanied the campaign. Eligible backers were offered pledge credit and milestone rewards for recruiting new supporters, with a separate promotion for the leading recruiters through October 31, 2013. These were historical crowdfunding terms, not current game offers.[1]
Challenge of the Avatar
The update previewed the first “Challenge of the Avatar,” a series of 48-hour scene creation jams planned for alternating weekends from September 6 through October 18. Weekly winners and an overall winner were to receive pledge packages and development hardware or software, with the announced prize pool exceeding $10,000. The post cautioned that its dates, rules, and rewards were still subject to change.[1]
Creating the first female avatar
Character modeler Isaac Oster documented the female avatar from reference gathering and sculpting through retopology, textures, hair, and animation. The model was divided into reusable parts to support different bodies, gloves, footwear, hairstyles, armor, and clothing. Animator Bren Wilson then tested it with a bow-shooting sequence.[1]
The same update showed progress on her first outfit and female ranger concept art. The ranger's face was inspired by a photograph submitted by a community member, continuing the issue's theme of involving backers in the game's visual development.[1]
