The selective multiplayer RPG Shroud of the Avatar is approaching its release in big strides. Roving Encounters are planned for the upcoming update.
What is it all about? The game is divided into scenes and an overland map, although the term map is not really accurate. Instead, it serves as a sort of second view for traveling between the scenes. This is reminiscent of the days of the Ultima games 1 to 5 as well as the Final Fantasy games, where one controlled a large character over a zoomed-out world.
Dangerous Travels
So far, this game mode has been quite sterile. One simply moves from A to B, occasionally being drawn into a random battle. With Release 35, starting this Thursday, October 27, players will see wandering bandits, skeletons, and wolves on the map view. One can either try to avoid them, or one “meets” them, leading to an encounter. Then, one is drawn into a scene and faces bandits, skeletons, or wolves.
This makes the journeys across the overworld significantly more exciting. Moreover, the running speed depends on the surface, and the hero runs faster on roads, but slower in forests or swamps, so a journey should be well planned. If one discovers a “Roving Encounter”, one considers whether to dare the fight or better flee. In case of flight, one must then consider which route to take to get away as quickly as possible.
The overland “map” is becoming livelier
The developer studio Portalarium also announced that these “Roving Encounters” will be further expanded in the future. More monsters are planned, including dragons as well as NPCs like merchants or gypsies who offer goods or potentially even have quests for you. The developers want to make the world livelier by adding animals. For example, deer are planned, which one might even be able to hunt.
The new feature is currently being discussed in the community. Overall, it is well received, but some fear that their activities as crafters or farmers may be affected. So far, one could travel relatively quickly from one place to another. However, this may now take longer, as new routes must be sought and one has to account for the monsters as well as the different surfaces and running speeds. Since weight limit also plays a larger role, crafters and farmers will not be able to gather resources and craft objects as quickly.
More articles about Shroud of the Avatar:
Shroud of the Avatar: Open letter from the community to Lord British
Shroud of the Avatar: Player-driven economy and player-generated quests
