Good day, Avatars! NEWS ON THE HOUR is broadcast at the top of every hour, Tuesday - Sunday, 24 hours a day. The news we report is available for reading on our Discord server under “Metaverse News.” 

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Written by Alleine Dragonfyre | Reported by Asclepius

Local News

On Saturday October 14 2023, in Shroud of the Avatar, from 10 am to 1 pm Pacific Time, head to the Isle of Light and fast-travel to the Abandoned Mine Fight and Fish dungeon. Seek out Flair Minamoto for a themed uniform, mandatory for participation. Presentation of your outfit to Flair grants your fishing license. Join a party based on your uniform and navigate trolls to reach fishing spots. Prizes await, even a random booby prize. Tune into Flair's Shroud of the Avatar stream and join the game's official Discord server.

Leading up to All Hallow’s Eve, from October 1-31, Vooch invites Shroud of the Avatar Community members for three immersive tours in Sleepy Hollow. Starting at the Tavern, the Sleepy Hollow General Tour has six key locations, revealing the tale of the Headless Horseman. 2017 Developer Grand Prize winner, the Sleepy Hollow Haunted House, features the original audio tour. Bring a portable aether amplifier for optimal immersion. The Haunted Inn, a tour in itself, unveils its story through bulletin board flyers. The Avatars Radio Halloween Masquerade Ball in Sleepy Hollow will be held Saturday, October 28th, 2-6 pm CST or 10 pm-2 am GMT/London time, in Vooch's Castle at Sleepy Hollow. We’ll be simulcasting on the radio with full tv coverage twitch.tv/avatarsradiorocks. Don your best costumes for in-game & real-life prizes!

Community Member Shawn has rebuilt the ever-so-useful Siege Mapper for any Avatars missing it, which is now posted on moongatetravelers.com. This siege mapper gives times and locations for each of the 8 Cabalist-influenced sieges wreaking havoc outside player-owned towns. For your seige needs, please note it -  that's moongatetravelers.com for the Siege Mapper. 

Shawn and Zealot2 have revived a valuable resource for Novian adventurers - ShroudoftheAvatar.net. The receipt system allows users to track transactions and in-game commerce. Sharing data is optional but can boost visibility for vendors across Novia.  ShroudoftheAvatar.net enables players to hunt down vendors, player statistics, and even loot data. The dynamic duo has big plans for the future, including raffles, contests, and expanded API data. Improvements include enhanced town stats, crafting insights, and even glimpses into the eccentric world of farmers and brewers. ShroudoftheAvatar.net is a player-run project not affiliated with the official game. 

Gear up for the weekly Lightbringer Isle Auction, which takes place every Wednesday!  To participate, engage with Hemnu Lightbringer on Discord for item sale discussions. Determine your prices, starting bids, and reserves. Drop labeled items at the Auction House or mail them to Hemnu Lighbringer, along with bid details. Expect a diverse array of offerings for a rich experience. Remember, a 10% commission on the final sale price applies. Seize this opportunity to connect with fellow Avatars and acquire distinctive items.

Lighbringer Isle hosts a monthly fishing contest that invites avid anglers to cast lines for the largest fish in the Isle’s salt and lava waters. Prizes will be revealed monthly for each group, with the ultimate Grand Prize awaiting the angler who nets the longest combination of lava and saltwater fish caught. Winners' trophy fish will be showcased at the fishing shack, while other catches will be returned. Get ready to reel in the biggest fish on this island oasis North of Brittany! 

On October 28th, 7 pm NBT, in Duanor, the Guardians of the Silver Serpent Guild host the inaugural 'Get Your Barbarian On' Costume Party at GSS Great Hall. Plan your attire and join Guardians of the Silver Serpent for music, dance, prizes, and creativity. 

For more information about local events & happenings or to post your own, visit the official Shroud of the Avatar player events forums and the Avatars Radio Events channel in Discord.

Metaverse News…

On December 5th, Fallout 76 unveils the Atlantic City – Boardwalk Paradise update. Bethesda promises new locations, factions, quests, enemies, and rewards. This extensive update will be released in two parts, with ample testing required. Starting October 3, players can preview the content on the Public Test Server. Feedback is sought, especially on the early game experience. The PTS, accessible to PC players with a Fallout 76 copy on Steam from September 28, will also feature a new weather alteration feature in C.A.M.P. Expect Developer Deep Dives on October 2 and 5 for insights. Faction conflicts and mutated creatures pose threats in this new territory. Join the deep dive today on the Public Test Server. Available on all platforms December 5.

Following a turbulent launch, developer Starbreeze addresses concerns with PAYDAY 3. Scheduled maintenance stabilizes matchmaking, with 124,254 concurrent players and 3,167,938 unique logins in September. Recent Steam reviews signal improved gameplay. Commercial efforts for PAYDAY 3 resume after a brief pause. Expect a wave of updates, beginning with 200+ quality-of-life enhancements across all platforms in early October. Winter 2023 sees the release of the "Syntax Error" DLC, available in Silver and Gold Editions.

During Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) in sunny Melbourne, the Australian game development community gathers to celebrate their talent and prospects. Screen Australia unveiled a three-fold approach to game development funding at GCAP 2023: 1) The Games: Expansion Pack fund has evolved into the Games Production Fund, offering studios up to $100,000 for various development aspects, including logistics and investment. 2)The Emerging Gamemakers Fund, providing $30,000 to assist studios in prototyping or micro-scale projects. It promotes diverse voices and welcomes emerging creators. 3)The Future Leaders Delegation fund offers up to $8,000 to five developers, supporting their attendance at GDC 2024, including workshops in Melbourne. For more details on these funds, including application deadlines, visit Screen Australia's website.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of EVE Online, CCP Games’ spacefaring RPG. Despite a slight dip in player population, the franchise boasts a monthly active player count of approximately 1 million. During thenerdstash.com's interview with CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, it was revealed that COVID-19 triggered a 30% surge in player numbers, largely stabilizing over the past 18 months. Pétursson emphasized CCP's focus on player engagement rather than raw numbers. New expansions and ventures like the Havoc expansion, Galaxy Conquest, and Vanguard module promise exciting prospects for EVE Online enthusiasts.

Paradox Interactive is set to publish Foundry, a factory-building sandbox sim by Channel 3 Entertainment. Foundry, already a top seller on itch.io, an open marketplace for independent digital creators, challenges players to construct efficient factories in procedurally-generated sandboxes. Starting from manual resource gathering, players progress to automating production lines. A demo for Foundry will be available during the Steam Next Fest from October 9 to October 16. Players can dive in to create self-sustaining factories, solo or with friends. Patrik Meder, VP at Channel 3 Entertainment, has expressed excitement about collaborating with Paradox.

Today’s PC Game Releases

• 100 Halloweens

• Battle Shapers

• BloodMoon

• Blitz Guard

• Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless

• Expolsive Madness

• Game Dev Masters

• Gehinnom

• Habroxia

• High on Life: High on Knife

• Ignistone

• In His Time

• Internet Addicted Youth 2005

• Iron Dungeon

• Ira

• Only Multiplayer: Up!

• Only Up!

• Ragnarok Survivors: Valhalla

• Silent Hope

• Station to Station

• Survivor: Castaway Island

• Sundermead

• Tatari: The Arrival

• The Lamplighters League

• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2

• Trolley Delayma

ChatGPT was used to assist in writing today’s news.