Richard “Lord British” Garriott and Portalarium’s fantasy MMO, Shroud of the Avatar, raised an extra $333,000 last month, making March the highest crowd-funding month since the successful Kickstarter. The total funds raised now stands at an impressive $3,707,100.
This boost has allowed the team to expand, growing to 31 members, and more content and features can be added as a result. While the studio wanted to add mounts, the budget isn’t quite enough, apparently, so it’s just done what poor, impoverished King Arthur did: use coconuts.
Yep, backers can now wander around the land smashing coconut shells together, simulating the sound of horses hooves. They can even pantomime the act of riding, like the Knights of the Round Table in Monty Python and The Holy Grail.
Sticking with the theme of things you wouldn’t normally find in a medieval fantasy realm, Shroud of the Avatar now has hot tubs as well. An earlier impromptu “pool party” in a river inspired the devs to fashion a wooden hot tub, which players can stick in their garden and host saucy parties in. Unfortunately it’s a limited item that can only be picked up in the add-on store. An exclusive item for those going through a midlife crisis or frats.
Shroud of the Avatar is due out in October this year.