Shroud of the Avatar: Lord British changes his mind, defends blue glowing NPCs

With the new release 39, the developers of the selective multiplayer RPG Shroud of the Avatar introduced quest markers, which did not please every fan. Even Richard “Lord British” Garriott had to get involved in the discussion.

Richard Garriott, creator of the Ultima series, is not a fan of hand-holding in games. He has repeatedly stated that quest markers like exclamation points over NPCs and automaps spoil the fun of the game and prevent players from exploring the world and figuring things out for themselves. For this reason, he did not want such features in his new game Shroud of the Avatar.

Blue glowing quest markers spark heated discussions

However, with the release 39 of the RPG, which was released on February 23, (optional) quest markers found their way into the game. Not in the form of exclamation points over the heads, but through blue glowing NPCs. This led to criticism from some players and heated discussions, as not everyone found this new game element bad. Accordingly, the forum was quite lively. Until Richard Garriott personally responded. He would still stand by his statement that he does not think such aids are good. However, he himself noticed while playing SotA how difficult it is to follow the quests.

It is necessary to show players where they would receive quests. However, he also admits that such a method with the blue glowing NPCs is not the ideal solution. He is an advocate of “immersion,” atmosphere takes priority for him and he understands that blue glowing NPCs can ruin that atmosphere. Even though the system is only optional and can be turned off at any time, the team is now working on a new solution. NPCs should in the future attract attention by waving and pointing at the player.

However, this is not so easy to implement, as it should still be clear in online mode that the player is the one meant and not another player running past them. Apparently, some kind of phasing is to be used here. The waving will then only be visible to the player who has this quest active – or who has not completed the quest yet.

A phasing system is coming

This phasing could also be used in other areas of the game, for example, to make NPCs disappear or appear. If you save a child, you will see it standing next to its mother, while another player will not see the child if they could not save it. In this way, the development team aims to provide better solutions and a satisfying conclusion for quests. If a murderer is caught, he can be hanged for the players who completed this quest, while the NPC remains available for all those who have not yet taken on this mission.

When this phasing system will be introduced in Shroud of the Avatar is not yet clear. However, the fact that such a thing is planned should reassure all those who are waiting for exciting stories with satisfying conclusions. Episode 1 “Forsaken Virtues” of Shroud of the Avatar is expected to be released in the second half of 2017.

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