Player Spotlight: Auraya

This month’s Player Spotlight focuses on a familiar name in Global Chat and on the forums, Auraya. Auraya not only named her daughter after her Illy alt (not the other way around), leads the Quenya and Sindari training alliance and has hosted many fun games on our forums. The dev team and fellow community would like to give a much due shout-out and thank you to one of our friendliest community members. Learn more about the Player Spotlight program at our website and nominate players by sending an email to community@illyriad.co.uk. 

GM Luna

 

Auraya's RL Avatar

What brought you to Illyriad and how long have you been playing?

I’ve been playing since late Oct 2011 so roughly 15 months. Originally, I was part of the game staff for another game. I handed my notice in after I realized some rather dodgy stuff was happening behind the scenes and went on a tour of pretty much every online game I could find! Everywhere I went, the game was lacking in depth or had less social interaction than I was happy with. It actually took me about a year to find Illyriad but I knew very quickly that I had found the right place.

 

Have you played many other online games or been active in other online communities?

I couldn’t name all the other games I’ve played! The ones I’ve stuck around on for more than a year are WoW, Neopets (12 years!), Travian, Tagoria, Eudemons Online and The World Called Hollow (which is little rp game, very small at ~200 players only but lovely community – I still play)

 

Any hidden talents or interesting hobbies outside of gaming?

Quite a few! I play flute and piano. I love reading, especially fantasy, horror, science fiction and some of the more gothic classics such as Wuthering Heights, The Picture of Dorian Gray etc. I also write, some of my poetry is on the nCrow forum and Q&S are occasionally subjected to my fanfics. I cook/bake fairly frequently. I used to make a lot of beaded jewelry however since I’ve had my daughter, I’ve been rather lax in that regard as it’s quite dangerous to have beads around toddlers. I’m just getting into dressmaking and cross stitch again which I used to do as a teenager. I’m quite a ‘hands on’ person generally, I’ll give anything a go! When I was 13, I had a phase of carving vegetables. I can now create carnations out of turnips o.O (Like this)

 

What keeps you playing Illyriad?

The people! I think most people are here for the social aspect despite having such an interesting game. It helps that the game requires a lot of thought and in a way, I think that’s why the community is as good as it is. We all have to communicate and work together to discover the mysteries, discuss strategies, help teach the crazy complex stuff to new players so they don’t get overwhelmed etc. I feel I’ve blossomed as a person since coming here, I’m becoming more patient and understanding with people – both in game and out. A lot of that I owe to Rill and Sa’Belle. Others such as Angrim and Tamaeon have encouraged me to form and express my own opinions rather than adopting them from the people I respect. You wouldn’t think a mere game could provide so much personal development but I’ve really matured in the small time I have been here.

 

What’s your favorite aspect of the game?

Tough question! Probably the chat channels although I love the idea and complexity of sovreignity too. Usually, if a game even has instant messaging, all chat is shown in the same box which can get quite confusing. I like the different windows and the ability to move/resize them. I know it’s a small thing but it makes my life much easier – no switching between the game and skype, for instance.. or posting important alliance info in GC!

 

What’s your proudest achievement in game so far?

I don’t think I have a ‘proudest’ achievement. I was exceptionally proud after founding Q&S, when people I barely knew started promoting my alliance for me and telling elflings what a great place it was. I was very honoured and a bit confused! Graduating my first elfling was very special too, as was being offered (and quite heavily bribed by Tamaeon) the position of Rook in CrowW. I’m quite proud of Auraya generally, I think she has a far better reputation than I could ever achieve irl!

 

What are you most looking forward to for the future of Illyriad?

Combat magic! My magic rank is the highest I have but it seems like a cheat since I’ve simply been blighting myself 😛 Once combat magic is here, it will seem like a much more legitimate specialization!

 

What area of the game do you think needs the most improvement?

I think the game works very, very well as it is.. I’d actually like to see the forum improved rather than the game. Right now, the forum is used largely for politics and not much socialising/fun stuff which I think is a real shame. Forums are a great place to get to know other players! GC moves so fast sometimes and you can only talk to people who are online similar times to yourself.. the forum transcends that. I’d love for it to simply be a place where everyone could chill out and chat about their interests, share recipes or knitting patterns, roleplay, post pictures etc.

 

What advice would you give a new player in Illyriad?

Rill gave me the best advice when I was a newbie, ‘Patience is the key to Illyriad’ – remember saving an hour now could easily mean delaying your development for weeks later on.

General tips.. learn first, do second. Listen to people with experience but also think for yourself. Plan long term and always ask why!

Anyone can mail me for advice, you don’t have to be in Q&S. If I don’t know an answer, I will find out for you and explain to the best of my ability why that is what I recommend as well as any alternatives which you may prefer ^_^

Illyriad at Night

Winter has come. The days have grown short and the nights long.

High above the lands, the atmosphere is almost serene. The wars and daily conflict seem far away; but even here the busy activity and effects of players can be clearly seen!

At night the lights of the settlements and sovereignty glow bright:

Illyriad at Night
Illyriad at Night (click to zoom)

Flying into central Elgea you can see the ring of settlements formed by new players:

Central Elgea (New Player Ring)
Central Elgea - New Player Ring (click to zoom)

Looking to the south-west, the outline of the ocean is visible as well as the smaller settled islands. Also some almost constellation-like joined up lights can be picked out:

South-West Elgea
South-West Elgea (click to zoom)

Turning up the contrast and zooming in shows some interesting player land claims. All over the map an Alliance is claiming road like structures:

Road building?
Road building?

While another owns land in a shape that resembles a person with a hat and a cape?

Man with Silly Hat?
Person with a hat and a cape?

Reviewing the bill of land ownership lodged at King Sigurd’s Council Of Illyria; indeed this land is claimed by the alliances: Fairy Road Authority and Silly Hats respectively. Creative expansion plans!

Academic Aside: An interesting analysis, when just considering player towns (excluding sovereignty), their arrangement resembles a Poisson disk sample. 99% of these towns outside the “new player ring” are consciously placed by thousands of individual players acting independently.

Player Spotlight: Garthen

This month’s Player Spotlight focuses on a familiar presence in GC, on the forums and one of the leaders of the snuggly-est alliance in game, Garthen. Nominated by his fellow players, and appreciated by the dev team, we would like to thank Garthen for all that he brings to Illyriad. Learn more about the Player Spotlight program at our website and nominate players by sending an email to community@illyriad.co.uk. 

GM Luna

Garthen's RL Avatar

What brought you to Illyriad and how long have you been playing?

I found Illy through a Facebook ad. Best thing Facebook has ever done for me! I’ve been playing since June, 2011.

 

Have you played many other online games or been active in other online communities?

I’ve tried a few other free-to-play MMO’s, and if I even got past the first few minutes, I never lasted more than a few weeks. They were either boring or just left a bad taste in my mouth. I certainly have never participated in a game community the way I have with Illy.

 

Any hidden talents or interesting hobbies outside of gaming?

I’m a professional musician, actor and singer… writer, singer/songwriter, composer, etc. I also like to exercise, play basketball and read, sci-fi/fantasy and spirituality being my favorite genres. As I get older, I’ve gotten more interested in Geopolitics, Economics and History. Is a pipe, turtleneck sweater and abundant ear hair the next stage?…

 

What keeps you playing Illyriad?

I love the balance and depth of the game, that every choice has a counterbalance to it, and I can choose how much to interact with any aspect of the game without necessarily “falling behind” overall. There is very little that is “required” in the game, which allows players of all persuasions to find enjoyment. The light-hearted approach the devs have infused alongside their passion adds little moments of surprise and delight, even an occasional lol. With this sort of tone set, I enjoy what we have and look forward to what’s coming.

 

What’s your favorite aspect of the game?

My favorite aspect is that I don’t have a favorite aspect! Seriously, though, there are two parts to my answer, one of which leads to the other.

Firstly, I’m most drawn to works that have an integrity to them, and Illy is the first game of its type I’ve found where such an integrity permeates all aspects, from the original graphics/artwork, to the fleshed-out descriptions and histories, to the intricate battle mechanics. And naturally, I look forward to seeing all of this expanded upon. This integrity is also reflected in the approach to such things as Prestige, which has been set up so there is no way to gain a significant advantage in game solely by spending money. If only the real world worked like that…

Secondly, Illy seems to attract a certain kind of player; no matter what their area of passion is in game –trade, military, diplomacy, hugging…– the majority of players I’ve met are a little brighter, a little kinder, a little more aware. There is a great variety of experiences, interests and passions amongst the Illy community, and chatting in GC can go from uber-silly to educational to entertainingly combative in a wink. Without this great community, I wouldn’t spend nearly as much time in Illy.

 

What’s your proudest achievement in game so far?

Being a part of my alliance, HugCr. I was the second person that Fluffy invited to the alliance (after Ryelle), and I’m still there nearly 18 months later! HugCr is the epitome of “community” to me, and has been a source of kindness, endless laughs, and support whenever it’s been needed. I’m humbled to admit how many of my alliance mates, past and present, I consider real friends, though I may never meet them face to face.

 

What are you most looking forward to for the future of Illyriad?

Hmm, can I say “everything”? Or maybe “anything”? I’d love to see Factions go fully live, preferably along with the implementation of Faction quests; new magic schools would be sweet, preferably along with the implementation of Spell Components, so trade really takes off and I can start selling some of these slowly-rotting rare herbs..

Oh, and the next Tourney can never come soon enough!

 

What area of the game do you think needs the most improvement?

I feel the game (and the community, in particular) would benefit from the incorporation of a “third-party” instigator for conflict and competition between players. Sure, we have tourneys, but those are few and far between, and are “grand” events. I’m talking about something casual, optional and always available. This would give a constant supply of the fun-and-competition-without-hard-feelings that we all appreciate so much during tourneys. GM Stormcrow mentioned to me at one point that this concept might be introduced with Faction Quests. I. Would. Love. This.

As an add-on, I’d be interested to see the active part of the battle system fleshed out a bit, and the ability to modify or add to field orders would be a great development. At this point, it’s all pretty much “send and wait”, with the one possible post-sending option (besides sending reinforcements, etc.) being the use of a Messenger to recall the units.

 

What advice would you give a new player in Illyriad?

Don’t be shy! We don’t bite 🙂 Well, the orcs bite, they’re actually quite fond of elf ears…

Whether you are shy or not, please come say hi in Global Chat for a round welcome and probably more than a couple welcome caravans! Much of the community (besides a few meddlesome rogues :p ) has a tendency to help new players, both with resources and advice. You can also find a certain amount of security in GC, as we don’t take kindly to people picking on newbies!

As an addendum, there’s no need to rush into an alliance; you can consider GC your alliance in your first few days, so take your time and get the lay of the land a bit before making a commitment to a group. There are many great alliances that cater to various playing styles.

Beyond that, I think it’s important to pace yourself and absorb Illy in stages, or layers. The game has been developed to be enjoyable at any pace you desire, so don’t feel forced to learn or explore aspects to which you don’t feel drawn. Learning step by step is the best way to become accustomed to the vast array of options and possibilities in the game. Illy is a game; have some fun!!

Player Spotlight: Durc

This month’s Player Spotlight focuses on Durc, familiar orc-ish voice in global chat and leader of the new alliance The Cave. We all appreciate the perspective and positive attitude that Durc brings to the Illy global chat and game as a whole. Learn more about the Player Spotlight program at our website and nominate players by sending an email to community@illyriad.co.uk. 

GM Luna

What brought you to Illyriad and how long have you been playing?

I was playing a game called Luvina and a couple of the players told me about Illyriad. To be honest, I went to the website and thought that it looked like just another city building game so I did not give it a try then. About a year later I was making a rare visit to Facebook and came across Illyriad again. I decided, what the heck … I will give it a try. That was about 7 months ago and I have been having a blast ever since.

Have you played many other online games or been active in other online communities?

I have played MANY online games and been very active in online communities. I have even been a MOD before. My online history goes back to the days of the 300 baud modems and bulletins boards up to present day. So that spans over 30 years.

Any hidden talents or interesting hobbies outside of gaming?

I have 3 wonderful, hilarious dogs. I also enjoy reading, archery, cooking, music, the arts, photography, gardening, oh and gaming. I hope to return to college next year to complete my degree in Crime Scene Investigation Technologies.

What keeps you playing Illyriad?

First of all, the community is wonderful. Global Chat here is actually tolerable. While some people may feel a bit constrained by the monitoring, I find it to be refreshing. We all should remember that people of all ages and backgrounds play here. This is the first game in well over 7 years that I actually keep global chat open on.

Outside of the community, the option to have a choice of paths in the game is what keeps me here. I admit I was getting a little bored but then the new crafting was released. I thoroughly enjoy making all kinds of things.

I also love roleplaying my Orc character. I sprinkle in a little of the Black Speech in GC from time to time and of course I don’t have to follow proper grammatical rules. I am an Orc after all 😉

Additionally I like that this is not a “coiners” game. The playing ground is pretty level between those that spend and those that cannot. This is rare thing in online games today.

What’s your favorite aspect of the game?

I would have to say the complexity of the game. This is NOT a cookie cutter empire building game. And at my age, I MUST have choices. There is something for everyone. I enjoy discussing or watching discussions of all the aspects of the game. I think the DEVS have created an environment that can be tailored by each player as he or she wishes and this feeds into the wonderful community that Illyriad has.

What’s your proudest achievement in game so far?

Well having not been in game very long, establishing The Cave alliance is what I am most proud of. Also, I almost have my first Legendary City.

What are you most looking forward to for the future of Illyriad?

I am looking forward to the new magic whatever form that my take. I have all these pieces and parts of animals, odd herbs and minerals all of which have very enticing descriptions.

What area of the game do you think needs the most improvement?

I would like to see a recall function for the harvesters like we have for troops and diplomats. I have, more often than I care to admit, sent cotters to a square realizing I was in the wrong town. All I could do was sigh heavily as I watched them embark on a 3 day journey.

Having some more choices in the markets would be nice. Things such as alliance trade only would be great. What would go hand in hand with that nicely would be more trade options based on your alliance’s diplomatic relationships.

I would also like to see more chat options, such as private chat or a private group chat. I think this would be a great way to have discussions that might be a bit out of band for GC in general.

What advice would you give a new player in Illyriad?

First and foremost, relax and have fun!!!! Illyriad is a game that requires patience. Ask questions in Global Chat. You will find the player community here to be the most helpful of any to be found.

Player Spotlight: Tallica

This month’s Player Spotlight focuses on Tallica, helpful global chatter, creator of new player guides and fiction writer in our Traveler’s Tale forum.  Tallica’s fellow players as well as the GMs appreciate his contribution to the Illyriad community. Learn more about the Player Spotlight program at our website and nominate players by sending an email to community@illyriad.co.uk. 

GM Luna

 

Tallica's RL Avatar (With Mrs. Tallica)

I am Tallica, that is my online name and yes it’s short from Metallica and yes I created it when I was in high school. I live in Seattle, WA with my wonderful wife (she’d probably kill me if she knew I was putting her picture here too!) and my odd dog Pearl. I like to think of myself as a down-to-earth, logically thinking type of person and I hope that shows through whenever and wherever you encounter me. I am a very helpful person, but I also like to joke around (sometimes too much :P). Now on with the interview:

What brought you to Illyriad and how long have you been playing?

I came to Illyriad from a game ad banner posted….somewhere (I think on Kongregate Games, but I could be wrong), back in April 2011, so I’ve been playing for a year and a half (though half of it I was on vacation).

 

Have you played many other online games or been active in other online communities?

My first experience with online gaming was playing Diablo 2, my first actual online game was Nodiatis (an interesting game that is now broken, don’t get me started). I play here and there and everywhere, but Illy has been my longest online game.

 

Any hidden talents or interesting hobbies outside of gaming?

Outside of gaming? Well, I have a quite large (yeah, I’m being modest) collection of movies, I play tennis irregularly with my wife, have a quirky dog, and really love the city I live in (Seattle).

 

What keeps you playing Illyriad?

So many things, the community, the dev team, the game, the tourneys, the updates… I love how deep and involved Illy is and I’m hungry for more!

 

What’s your favorite aspect of the game?

That’s a really hard question. There is so much that really sets Illy apart from games of it’s type (are there REALLY any other games of this type?). If Illy had turned out to be another newbie farming game, I wouldn’t have stayed. The community and the game mechanics really make it so that isn’t possible, and makes Illy so great.

 

What’s your proudest achievement in game so far?

My Spider Slayer Award 😛 (see my profile), that was me getting revenge for GM TC. Aside from that, making so many friends in the game.

 

What are you most looking forward to for the future of Illyriad?

Probably the day that the devs implement one of my suggestions! Group mailing? Sequential research queues? Specialized chat rooms? GM Tallica? need I go on?

 

What area of the game do you think needs the most improvement?

Currently, I would say that having pathfinding will be a major improvement, it’s kind of silly that troops can freely cross oceans and such. Also, the factions have been around forever and have very little to do with anything. I know, I know, it’s coming soon.

 

What advice would you give a new player in Illyriad?

Have you read my newbie guides?

Illyriad Shares Some Geek Love

Illyriad designed - Slashdot Logo
Illyriad designed - Slashdot Logo

The last month has been something of a geek-fest for Illyriad’s developers. Between GDC Online in Texas a couple of weeks ago, lots of games industry chat at the Game City events in the UK, Extra Life last weekend and then the Geek Media Expo in Tennessee this weekend, we’re happily talking code, design, and the joys of Illyriad to anyone who’ll indulge us, and having a whale of a time.

And it was great that today we got two nods back from the rest of geekdom.

First, our very own GM Cerberus had a logo design for Slashdot featured. To celebrate, as they put it “15 years of News for Nerds” Slashdot invited readers to submit redesigns of their logo, with selected submissions featured for one day in October. Cerberus’s design has been selected to appear today. It weaves together the conjunction of Saturn with the Sun, a font inspired by NASA, and some astronomical history – and in case you miss it on Slashdot, we’ve grabbed an image from their site, which you can see here.

Second, today we found ourselves prominently featured atop Google’s Chrome Web Store. You can see the banner below. We’d like to heartily welcome all of the new players who have joined us from the Chrome Web Store.

So, congratulations to GM Cerberus for impressing the folks at Slashdot, and many thanks to everyone at Google for featuring Illyriad.

Illyriad - Chrome Web Store
Illyriad - Chrome Web Store

The Illyriad Dark Harvest Tournament is Live

Press Release: October 1, 2012

Illyriad, the acclaimed massively multiplayer online strategy game, launched its 6th server-wide tournament today, entitled Dark Harvest. The tournament marks the celebration of the peaceful druidic Kildarran faction’s “Festival of the Dead” that seeks to honor the lost souls of the dead. In what could only be described as an industrious move, the magical Circle of Five faction have take the opportunity to construct beacons that will attract the wandering souls and harvest them, for unknown purposes.

During this month-long event, players will bind together with their Alliances to compete for control of 37 land squares throughout the expansive world map in order to capture and harvest the souls of the dead. Each week, the 10 “bloodiest” squares, those that have seen the most combat, will be granted a bonus that provides more souls to harvest at that location. Subsequently, the most hotly contested squares will also become the most valuable to hold as the tournament progresses. The Alliances that gather the most souls per region as well as overall will win valuable in-game prizes including:

  • Hundreds of dollars worth of Prestige, in-game currency
  • New military units called Skyclad Warriors
  • A one-of-a-kind tournament sword for use with troops and commanders
  • An Alliance tournament statue to be placed permanently on the world map in game
  • Custom-designed, unique medals to be displayed on the player profiles of each member of the winning Alliances


For EACH SQUARE (most souls gathered throughout the month):
1st Place:
40 Skyclad Warriors and a tournament sword to each participating player in that alliance.
2nd Place:
20 Skyclad Warriors to each participating player in that alliance.
3rd Place:
10 Skyclad Warriors to each participating player in that alliance.

For the OVER ALL winners (most souls gathered in total during the month):
1st Place:
6000 Prestige to the Alliance Prestige pool, an Alliance Tournament Statue, and a tournament victor’s Gold Medal for all participating members of the Alliance.
2nd Place:
4000 Prestige to the Alliance Prestige pool, and a tournament victor’s Silver Medal for all participating members of the Alliance.
3rd Place:
2000 Prestige to the Alliance Prestige pool, and a tournament victor’s Bronze Medal for all participating members of the Alliance.

The tournament will come to a close at midnight on October 31. Full details and rules can be found at the Illyriad official forums.

About Illyriad:

“An epic RTS but with killer lore and an awesome community.” – Massively.com

“I could tell right away that this game was special.” – ThriftyGamer

“Illyriad has a great niche…. There is plenty to do and I would suggest that everyone with a few minutes goes and checks it out.” – Vagary.tv

https://www.illyriad.co.uk/press/Reviews

Illyriad is a browser-based Massively Multiplayer strategy game, in which players take control of cities, engaging in city-building, quests, diplomacy, warfare and trade. Developed by London-based Illyriad Games Ltd., Illyriad went live in 2010 and was officially launched on May 16th 2011.

https://www.illyriad.co.uk/

For further information, please contact: press@illyriad.co.uk

Press assets are available at ftp.illyriad.co.uk , and further assets, quotes, interviews, etc., are available on request.

Player Spotlight: Eaque

This month’s Player Spotlight focuses on Eaque, active Illy player and add-on developer. Nominated by his fellow players, the GMs agree that we all appreciate Eaque’s contribution to the game and community. Learn more about the Player Spotlight program at our website and nominate players by sending an email to community@illyriad.co.uk. Now on with the interview!

GM Luna

Eaque's RL Avatar

What brought you to Illyriad and how long have you been playing?

I discovered Illyriad through the Chrome Web Store, about a year ago and have been playing since. I’m not quite sure what made me sign up as I usually don’t play games, but I’m very happy I did. It was actually my first Illyversary 20 days ago (thanks Vibs for thinking of it).

 

Have you played many other online games or been active in other online communities?

Being a web developer, computers and Internet are a big part of my life, but oddly enough I’ve never been much of a gamer. Illyriad is the first online game I’ve ever played but I’m part of a few online communities regarding technology and programming.

 

Any hidden talents or interesting hobbies outside of gaming?

I play tennis in competition, and regularly other sports: beach volley, squash, surf, cycling etc. I love fantasy litterature… Abercrombie, Rothfuss, Feist, Tolkien are among my favourite authors.

I also play a game every thursday with friends, called “Werewolves and Villagers” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia_(party_game)). I definitely sound like a nerd when I mention it, but it’s a great social game, you should give it a go. Gather a group of friends and start playing, you won’t regret it (rules here: https://www.brenbarn.net/werewolf/rules.html). Even the big shots in the Silicon Valley play it (https://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2010/03/features/werewolf?page=all)

 

What keeps you playing Illyriad?

I keep playing Illyriad because if offers me a great deal of fun and a playground to use my programming skills, all at the same time.

I especially like:

– the depth of the game. I’m quite amazed at the level of complexity existing in Illyriad. It’s also quite well balanced in terms of rules, like the bonus/penalty brought by a new building etc… Kudos to you GMs, must be hell to keep it balanced!

– the dynamic of the community. People are really nice, encouraging, happy to be here and eager to share. I made good friends here and I’m really glad for that.

– the third party tool policy. I just love your position on user-developed tools. You are encouraging developers within the community to create their own addons around Illyriad. This is quite rare and deserves to be praised.

 

What’s your favorite aspect of the game?

Tough question… Probably the evolving nature of the game, and the fact that you can’t buy your way in.

 

What’s your proudest achievement in game so far?

What I’m most proud of is my add-on Illytools (https://www.illytools.net/site/page?view=about). I’m always so happy when I receive ingame mails from players telling me how Illytools is useful to them. And SweetSpot probably saved half the players from blindness when looking for a place to settle a new town 🙂

 

What are you most looking forward to for the future of Illyriad?

I would love to see new continents interconnecting with Elgea. I’m also looking forward to the Faction AI going live, I think it will shake things a bit. (And if possible, more tech blog posts from GMTC explaining the inner workings of Illyriad.)

 

What area of the game do you think needs the most improvement?

Magic could be improved and expanded to be worth specializing in. Terraforming would be really cool, as all the natural good spots are now taken in Elgea.

 

What advice would you give a new player in Illyriad?

I’d say “Be patient, Illyriad unfolds as you grow, don’t expect to have everything right away”. And also “Highly addictive game, there’s a good chance you start waking up at night to send vans out”. 🙂

 

And a big thanks to the community for choosing me for this month’s player spotlight!

Feature Preview: Avatar Customization

It has been a busy time since the July game update that added so many new features to Illyriad. As we continue to work diligently on aspects of that update, I wanted to take a quick break to share with you a little something different.

One of the things that I believe is important in gaming is the ability to put your stamp on the game and world in which you play. Individuality. And while there are a lot of ways to do that in the game world of Illyriad, one area that has been lacking is in the representation of player avatars.

More variety and customizable avatars has been requested by players in the past, and has been a goal of the dev team for some time. We’ve been working with some very talented artists to expand our selection of avatar display choices and have made some significant progress toward finally bringing these options to you in game.

Each race and gender will be able to choose a pose for their avatar as well as choose from a selection of faces, hair styles and colors. You will also be able to purchase  a wide variety of background options for your character that represent different types of environments in the game world, or even choose a favorite color if you prefer a simpler look.

One of our core values with Illyriad is not to add Prestige spend options that give a significant advantage to gameplay. In keeping with those values, vanity items like these new avatars and backgrounds will be available for a small Prestige purchase. We cannot say yet when these will be available in game, but we look forward to hearing your feedback and giving our players more options to customize the appearance of their avatars.

Examples of new avatar options are shown below.

  

  

(Work in progress art may be subject to changes.)

GM Luna

Illyriad is taking part in Extra Life!

For the past 4 years, thousands of gamers have taken part in Extra Life, a 24 hour gaming marathon charity fundraiser. On October 20, gamers from all over the world, including GMs Luna and Cerberus from your intrepid Illyriad dev team, will be playing games for 24 hours straight to raise money to help sick kids. All proceeds raised will go directly to Children’s Miracle Network hospitals to provide comfort and treatment for kids facing all sorts of challenges, all the way from asthma to cancer.

But we can’t do it alone. We need your help. You can take part in 2 ways!

Sponsor Us:

Visit our team’s fundraising page, choose a member from the team to sponsor, click on their name and choose “support me” to sponsor them with your donations. 100% of the money you donate goes directly to the Children’s Miracle Network hospital that the gamer chose to support. Help us meet our initial team-wide goal of $5000 raised!

Join Our Team:

Visit our team’s fundraising page and choose “join this team” to sign up to participate in Extra Life. Once you sign up and join our team, you can help us raise even more money by getting sponsors for yourself to benefit the hospital of your choice. Then, join us on October 20 to play games for 24 hours. Keep in mind, that if you’d like to sign up to play but cannot play on the specified day, or cannot play for 24 hours straight, for any reason, that is OK. You can split the time up however you need that works best for you.

And all IIlyriad players that join our team and earn $100 in sponsorships will receive special prizes both in game and out. You will receive 200 free prestige for your Illyriad account and your choice of a t-shirt from the Illyriad store*.

Leveling Contest:
On the day of the event, GMs Luna and Cerberus will be creating brand new Illyriad accounts and holding a day-long leveling contest. Whichever GM has the highest population at the end of the 24 hour period on their new account wins. Rules include: no special GM powers and no prestige usage (past the initial 25 that comes with the account). Outside resources can be accepted however, so pick your favorite GM and care-a-van away! At the end of the day we will both suspend the accounts and they will be open to any player who wishes to siege them to keep or destroy, your choice.

Livestream:
Throughout the day we will be holding livestream videos on our Twitch.tv channel with updates on our progress with the leveling contest, funds raised and impending exhaustion toward the end of the day. A schedule will be posted on the forums nearer to the event with more details.

We look forward to an exciting year and thank everyone for their support in our participation in Extra Life!

*Prizes require an active Illyriad account and valid mailing address. Contact GM Luna in email, pm or IGM after you’ve signed up to confirm your spot on the team and connect your fundraising page with an Illyriad account. Extra Life is not created by, sponsored by or in any way affiliated with Illyriad Games, Ltd. All donations go directly to the charity involved and are in no way the responsibility of Illyriad Games, Ltd.