Gold Crowns of the Obsidians

[Balandar]

A post from Darkstarr: We introduced Crowns of the Obsidians (COTOs) as rare items back in Release 28. COTOs drop from almost any activity, with higher occurrences on higher level creatures and resource nodes. They come in several different metal types, and each type can be exchanged for specific types of items. In Release 29, we introduced Potions of the Obsidians that could be purchased with COTOs, and these grant various temporary boosts to things like carry capacity or gathering speed. In Release 30, we added the ability for COTOs to restore Maximum Durability to items and also added Crown Merchants to the game, which allow you to exchange the various COTO types for Obisidian Potions or Gold COTOs. Gold Crowns of the Obsidians are unique in that they can be sold to any merchant in game for gold and now, starting today, they can also be purchased directly from our website or through Add On Store Bundles like the new Viking 2-Story Row Home Bundle.

As you have probably surmised, Gold Crowns function as a premium currency for Shroud of the Avatar. As we expire all our pledges and move towards a commercial launch, hopefully near the end of this year, we must also move to a commercial model of monetization. As promised, we are not going to be adding a subscription nor are we planning to make the game free to play. However, as an online game, we must have a steady stream of income (in addition to base game sales) in order to pay for support of the game including monthly updates, bandwidth, servers, community support, etc. Our analysis shows us that Add On Store item sales will not be sufficient. When we have been asked for examples in the past of models we wish to emulate or that we admire, we always point to Guild Wars as an example of a Pay to Play with an Add On Store as the closest archetype to what we hope to achieve. Selling Gold Crowns and allowing those Crowns to be exchangeable in game for Gold currency and potions with game benefits (like repairing of maximum durability) is something we believe is a good and fair balance of revenue while still maintaining play-ability and player economy. We are working hard to ensure that the purchased items from Crowns are all matters of convenience, not power. For example, the Obsidian Potions do things like small increases to carry weight, slightly longer sprint times, or slightly reduced gear wear. It is of course worth remembering that since Crowns can be earned in game, no player will ever be required to purchase them, making them purely a time saver and convenience.

As part of this introduction, we have added Gold Crowns to all Pledges. The amount of Crowns added to each pledge is based on the size of the pledge and is as follows:

• First Responder, Second Responder, Pioneer, Adventurer: 2
• Immortal Adventurer: 3
• Founder: 4
• Royal Artisan: 5
• Virtual Collector: 6
• Explorer, Explorer - All Digital: 7
• Collector: 8
• Patron: 12
• Ancestor: 15
• Navigator: 20
• Developer: 25
• Citizen: 30
• Edelmann, Edelmann - All Digital: 31
• Knight: 35
• Knight Marshal: 40
• Lord: 45
• Lord Marshal: 50
• Baron, Baron 2, Baron 3: 65
• Duke: 90
• Lord of the Manor, Lord of the Manor 2: 200

We greatly appreciate your support on this new feature. While we know that Crowns have already been discussed in the forums in the past on their purpose, and some may find them less than desirable to have in the store now, please keep your comments and thoughts civil here.