AvatarMC Soon™ - Issue 81: The Harvest Is Here!

2021-01-01 03:02:56 +0000 UTC by QuietDove

We are delighted to announce that the Harvest Update is now live and ready to play!

The whole team cannot wait for you to experience our biggest ever update. Massive new builds, new ways of playing, and much more besides, are just waiting for you.


The Agrarian Zone Direct Link

The vast fields of Ba Sing Se's Agrarian Zone are now free to be explored! From well known locations, such as the Zoo and Lake Laogai, to brand new villages and characters to interact with. The Agrarian Zone is full to the brim with new content.

Quests Direct Link

A major part of the new update is the introduction of the Questing system. Players can access their quest interface by using the /q command, this will list all available quests and their requirements.

Four quests will be ready to play as a part of this update. These are:

The Tourist Trap - Help Paiwai in his quest to rid Hekou Village of the tourist menace!

We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Tung, at Ba Sing Se Zoo, is hoping to find a rare species of bear for the zoo to research.

Vigilante Justice - Help out the Ba Sing Se Guard and take out a group of thugs.

Search for the Pet - A Zoo visitor has lost their pet, help them find it.

Mini Dungeons Direct Link

If you're a fan of combat, we have good news! Three new mini dungeons will give you a chance to show off your skills, as well as earn those all important rewards.

Raiding Fields (1—4) - Bandits are trying to steal crops from the field, stop them!

Woodland Lodge (5—7) - Two criminals have been tracked down to a remote lodge, now get in there to apprehend them!

The Fighter in the Fields (Easy: 17—20, Hard: 20—23) - Jun-Fan is looking for any worthy challenger to take him on in one-on-one combat. Are you up for the challenge?

Release Event Direct Link

Of course, a huge release like this needs a suitably impressive event to celebrate.

For the first two weeks after release, a special quest will be available to play, Harvests Across the Agrarian Zone. This quest will see you traveling across the length and breadth of the Agrarian Zone, hunting for trophies. Talk to the Korra NPC at the station to start the quest. Rewards include an exclusive cosmetic and Lotus Tiles; the new name for Tea Leaves!

While you are hunting around for trophies, why not take a second to capture some beautiful screenshots? We are running a screenshot competition on January 1. A special discord channel will be set up for you to submit a screenshot for judging, and get your screenshots in by 21:00 UTC.

Screenshots will be judged on four criteria:

  • Community Engagement: Is it a solo screenshot, or a group one?
  • Creativity: How unique is it?
  • Location: How pretty or cool is the location?
  • Lore: Is it portraying a cool story?

The top three entries will win some items from our store, up to the below prices:

  • 1st Place: $35
  • 2nd Place: $25
  • 3rd Place: $15


Professions Direct Link

The Professions system is a new and exciting addition to the server. This system will give you a brand new way of playing the game, with a focus on gathering resources and using them to create hundreds of new items.

Wiki pages that go through each profession in detail are coming very soon, so you'll be on your own for a little bit! However, each capital has a set of NPCs who will provide you with information and items to set you on your way. Use /nav to find the professions masters in your capital.

You will discover a lot of fun things by exploring things yourself and seeing what the system has to offer.

The four Professions are as follows:

Farming:
The farming profession is the key to gathering the ingredients that are used to cook and brew the large amount of items we've created. Farming requires you to be both patient and observant. The last thing you'd want is a swarm of scorpion bees eating through your precious crops! Don't forget to pick up some fertilizers to help you out!

Fishing:
Hook up some rare fish to either sell or use as ingredients with the fishing profession. You'll notice the harbours in cities are a lot more lively now, with people looking to buy your fresh catches around every corner.

Cooking:
Whether you're frying up some snacks like flaming fire flakes to give you quick boosts of energy, or you're making some longer lasting full meals like roast turtle duck, the foods you make with the cooking profession will keep you feeling healthy along your adventure in the world of Avatar. You could even seek out some of master chefs located throughout the world in pursuit of the more unique food recipes.

Brewing:
Becoming a master tea brewer requires skill and talent. The slightest mistake when brewing tea can be the difference between perfection and mediocrity. I can assure you that all the hard work that goes into brewing a tea is certainly worth it though. The teas that you can make with the brewing profession will provide powerful and long-lasting boosts to your energy based stats.


Bending Changes Direct Link

If you have been playing on the Event server at all recently, then you will already be well aware of the various bending changes that are being added as a part of this update.

Full details of these changes can be found in the following preview posts: Issue 68 and Issue 70.


Resource Pack and Texture Updates Direct Link

Keeping with the farming theme of this release, the four crop types; Wheat, Carrots, Potatoes, and Beetroots have all been given a visual upgrade. Additionally, water blocks and flowing water also look a little bit different now.

Our biggest update to the resource pack is in the addition of SFX for every single bending move. All of the sound effects have been made from scratch are are unique to each move.

Additionally, we have added four new music tracks that will soundtrack your journey through the Agrarian Zone. To hear these, please download and install the Music Pack from this page: https://www.avatarmc.com/help/rp


Cosmetics Direct Link

We have a large number of new cosmetic hats and focuses for you to purchase. These can be found on the server store here: https://shop.avatarmc.com/

Focuses:

  • Earth Royal Palace Guard Spear
  • Mugger's Dagger
  • Jet's Sword
  • A Katana

Hats:

  • The Zhu Li (Hat, Glasses, and combo)
  • Katara's Headpiece (from the Earth King's Party)
  • Pong's Hat (Earth official in Ba Sing Se)
  • Joo Dee's Headpiece
  • The Earth King's Crown
  • The Earth Queen's Crown
  • Longshot's Hat
  • Wu's Tophat
  • The Bard's Hat/Hairpiece


New Limbo Direct Link

This stunning new build is something that you probably never knew you needed! The revamped Limbo features beautiful scenery, hidden locations, and a parkour course. The new Limbo was built by Jtox17.


Thank You! Direct Link

Finally, we would like to say a huge thank you to every team member, both past and present, who has contributed to this release.

It has been a huge part of the last few years and it is thanks to all of you that we are at this stage now.

Have a brilliant new year!

The AvatarMC Team