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Bunker C

April 30, 2020

A humid room with a makeshift walkway.

Access to additional rewards requires jumping over lava, from rock to rock.

The only safe way to cross the lava is to walk along the pipes.

Shroud of the Avatar fiction implies there are several ancient bunkers in the world, hidden to all but the most experienced adventurers. Release 77 brought Bunker C to the game as a new underground scene that players could access from a primary scene called the Northwest Blackblade Mountains. Players didn't have to rely on accidentally finding the entrance to Bunker C, as they were directed to this crumbling underground shelter as part of a quest that starts with a talking doe in the Far Hinterlands scene on the continent of Novia.

Entry Highlights

  • Scene creation (includes blockout, final worldbuilding, POI design, compass markers, ambient music, ambient FX, path grid implementation, storycraft, ambient lighting, interactable lighting, swimmable water, etc.)
  • Player spawning design (includes propping for spawn points and resurrection points)
  • Writing and narrative design (includes NPC keyword-and-response dialogue, NPC barks, readable book props, etc.)
  • Quest design (includes plotting, writing, markup-based scripting, NPCs, combat, puzzles, etc.)
  • NPC design (includes creation and placement of enemies, quest contacts, merchants, trainers, tutorial NPCs, and utility NPCs, as well as patrol paths, ambient emotes, and visual variations)
  • Combat design (includes triggered battles, wave battles, boss fights, and quest-related activities, and may include player abilities and NPC abilities)
  • Traps and hazards design (includes implementation of collapsing platforms, explosive objects, lava, poison gas, etc.)
  • Puzzle design (includes physical puzzles [e.g. move through a trapped corridor], mental puzzles [e.g. match 3 symbols], conversational puzzles [e.g. solve an NPC's riddle], Easter eggs, etc.)
  • Utilities design (includes creation and placement of scene exits, teleporters, doors, lights, crafting stations, elevators, etc.)
  • Propping (includes creation and placement of interactables, breakables, secret panels, readable books, player-placeable decorations, flora, rocks, etc.)
  • Rewards and collectables design (includes creation and placement of harvestable resource nodes, incidental gear and treasure, quest collectables, Easter eggs, etc.)

Access to the interior of Bunker C required a player to solve a simple "vault door" puzzle. The bunker shared some common structural elements with a sibling area called Bunker T, but included several unique challenges such as deadly lava hazards, various traps, undead enemies, and elemental threats. An unusual perk for those who dared enter the bunker included a rare opportunity for lava fishing.

Although many players will first come to Bunker C after being directed by a quest, this location has no access restrictions and remains available for all adventures even after the quest has concluded.

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