I’m pleased to share a newly created page featuring video clips from my Sanctum of the Archmage game modules.
The Sanctum modules are highly story-based games that emphasize plot, world building, dialogue, and character interaction. In addition to being teasers for the saga, these scenes are intended to showcase my skills as a writer, storyteller, and role-playing game designer.
Here’s an update on recent and upcoming projects in the Sanctum of the Archmage Saga!
Sanctum of the Archmage: The Sight and The Quest, EE Version was published on June 6th! This v5.0 release includes a number of new features, including major custom content updates and re-writes to the XP and crafting systems. The beginning in the forests of southern Carlissa has also been re-built using the excellent Wild Woods tileset, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. This release will only work in Beamdog’s Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition, although I’m planning an update that should work in NWN 1.69 as well.
A Steam release of the EE Version is also planned for later this year. When that happens will depend on how long it takes me to work out how to re-package the modules for it, and/or to get permission to re-post the required custom content projects on Steam. Some folks at the Neverwinter Vault are developing a one-click install solution that would draw directly from its archives, and if I can make that work from Steam that would be the best and easiest solution. I’ll post updates as I learn more. I’ve had information that players are increasingly checking only the Steam workshop for new EE modules, though, so it’s looking increasingly important for me to get Sanctum on it as well.
After that, I’m planning to resume development of Sanctum of the Archmage 3: The Miracle Worker. How much time I’ll be able to devote to it, though, will depend on the level of interest in the re-release of Sanctum 1 & 2. If they do well and there’s a growth in the player base for NWN:EE, then I’ll definitely try to put more of my (sadly limited) time into that effort. If not, then I may need to switch more of my focus back to resuming work on my novel writing projects. And speaking of that …
This is a painful lesson that I learned from last year’s launch of my first novel, Dawn of Chaos. Without the right promotional work, you can write and publish a book, but next to no one will notice (let alone buy) it. It’s also easy to fall into the many pitfalls of modern indie publishing, such as the curse of the polluted also-boughts (which, of course, I did).
I’ve been devoting a lot of my spare time in recent months to correcting those oversights by reading and listening to dozens of books, articles, and podcasts on indie book marketing and publishing. A review of my first novel has also helped me recognize some opportunities I have to improve them. So I’ve decided to make a thorough edit of Dawn of Chaos my next writing project before getting back to finishing my next novel, Wrath of the Peregrine King.
Sadly, thanks to the changes made by Facebook to its algorithms this year, the ability of Facebook pages like mine to reach fans has been steadily (and notably) diminishing. Since a shift to Facebook Groups rather than pages seems to be the becoming the advised way to stay in touch with fans, I’ve gone ahead and created a Sanctum of the Archmage – Facebook Group. If you’re on Facebook, please feel free to visit and join!
That’s all for now. Thanks again for your interest and attention, and stay tuned for upcoming announcements!Sincerely,
I’ve just posted this over on the Beamdog Forums and on the Neverwinter Vault, and wanted to share it on my blog as well. There are screenshots on the Beamdog thread for those who may be interested.
Sanctum of the Archmage: Enhanced Edition
I’ve been working in recent weeks on developing an EE compatible edition of the Sanctum of the Archmage modules. That work’s mostly done now. I should be able to release SotA:EE Edition v1.0 after another playtesting run, probably in a few weeks at most.
I took advantage of the opportunity to add a couple of new features that I had cut for the remake that I released in September. Aside from minor typo fixes and the like, I also did a complete re-write to both the XP and the crafting systems. Players should now be able to advance to level 11 by the end of Chapter 2, and the penalties for using companions and summons have been flattened. Players should also be able to craft many more (and better) items from both mundane and magical materials alike.
I’m not planning to do much more to revise Chapter 1 and 2 for EE, though. The reason is that I’ve decided that any new modding efforts on my part are probably better devoted to resuming development of Chapter 3, which I suspended several years ago to begin writing my Sanctum of the Archmage novels. I’ve opened up the third module again in the EE editor, cleaned it up, and finally finished the extensive scripting needed for the elaborate “flying system” that it will feature. That will likely take a while, given my other commitments (writing, work and life in general). But all of it will be done in and for EE. And I’ll be looking to take advantage of every opportunity I can to include new content and features made possible by the extended edition.
PC Gamer just published a feature on the recently announced Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced edition. I was interviewed and prominently mentioned in the article.
“When Beamdog’s Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition was announced I contacted several prominent community members who all shared a passion for the 15-year-old RPG…
“Donadio’s creation, Sanctum of the Archmage, features a compelling story, impressive visuals, custom scripts, and well-designed puzzles and combat. It’s one of the highest-rated modules on the Neverwinter Vault to this day, and Donadio now writes books based on it…”
“Will this signal a return for famed module builders like Donadio? ‘I would very much like to return to creating new modules,’ he says. ‘The news about NWN: EE certainly motivates me to, and I am seriously considering it.'”
I was inspired this evening to load my unfinished module, Sanctum of the Archmage 3: Mission to Rayche, in the beta version of the upcoming Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition. Here’s a shot of the “Midland Inn” area at night, courtesy of Six’s marvelous Wild Woods tileset.
In case you haven’t heard the news: Beamdog, a company known for updating classic older games to run on modern computer systems, has just announced that it has acquired the rights to the Bioware’s Neverwinter Nights (NWN). Here’s the announcement:
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition!
Many readers of my blog already know what NWN is, but here’s a quick summary for those who don’t. Released in 2002 and containing a pioneering “adventure building toolset,” NWN is a computer-based RPG based around the Dungeons and Dragons (v3.0) rules. The game modules I’ve released, which tell part of the story of the Sanctum of the Archmage Saga, are built using NWN’s Aurora game engine.
NWN has slowly been fading into obscurity over the years after its heyday during the 2000s. A highly energetic modding community developed then around the hundreds of high-quality full-length adventure games built for it by members of its player community. Beamdog is now resuscitating what is probably the most mod-able computer game ever released — updating it to run on modern systems using today’s gaming technology.
This is a BIG deal, and it has too many implications to address in a single post. So I’ll be following up on my blog with additional thoughts over the next few weeks. In them, I’ll try to lay out what I think this may mean — both for the NWN community, and for the future of the Sanctum Saga. Here’s a preliminary start on that for now.
NWN:EE Pre-Order Beta Test is Already Available
Beamdog timed this announcement to coincide not only with the taking of pre-orders for NWN:EE, but with the availability of a new beta test version of it. More importantly, the two are linked: if you purchase the pre-order now, then you can download and install the current beta version. I’ve already done that, and started testing the latest release of the Sanctum modules in it. The visuals are improved, performance is amazing, and except for a few minor issues, they run without even needing to be re-compiled. I’ll try posting some screenshots later to illustrate.
A Renaissance of NWN Modding — Maybe
A lot hinges precisely on what Beamdog does with NWN. But initial feedback from them suggests to me that they actually understand what made NWN special, and are focused on it in their enhancement efforts. (This isn’t entirely surprising, since several of its original developers are on their team.) For example, I had the following brief Facebook exchange with BD CEO Trent Oster, who was also lead developer for the original Neverwinter Nights:
Tony Donadio: I think it’s less about updating the OC [original campaign] than it is about updating the technology. Modding is what made NWN, and it’s what could make a rebirth of it with a (hopefully) updated engine and architecture.
Trent Oster: That was our opinion as well Tony. There is too much content to update it all, but if we can open up the capabilities of the engine and add support for newer types of content we can move the platform forward.
Given that it gave rise to an explosion of indie game creation after its initial release, it’s possible that an enhanced re-making of NWN — especially with the support of a developer prioritizing its use to develop new content — could lead to a genuine renaissance of the game. This is something that no modder, myself included, can ignore or take lightly.
Continuing the Sanctum Mods
As readers can see here, I originally had a fairly extensive plan for developing modules in the Sanctum Saga for Neverwinter Nights. I ended up suspending those plans in recent years, for reasons that I’ve discussed elsewhere (for example, here). In a nutshell, though, I concluded that the demands of earning a living in my profession as a computer scientist, writing and publishing indie novels, and building game mods, all at the same time, was simply unrealistic. And of those three, building mods for a dying game with a shrinking player base, that its developers and distributors had abandoned (sometimes in bad faith), was the obvious one to cut back.
With the coming release of NWN:EE, that assessment may have to change. I don’t want to lead people on, or to promise anything that I won’t end up being able to deliver on. But what is clear is that I do need to re-consider my plans, now, in light of this news. So I will be doing that.
I’m not sure what the outcome of all this will be. But to give some context to my thoughts, let me share an exchange I had with Stephen L. Knowland, aka Savant, author of the Aielund Saga mods for NWN (and now, also, novels). This was on the NWN Community Facebook Page, right after the news broke.
Savant: Yeah HD textures, HDR rendering for really shiny metal effects… you know, if they did this right, I might even be persuaded to do another pass on the Aielund Saga.
Me: I was thinking the same about Sanctum of the Archmage — if I can find the time! It would add motivation to finally try to finish the module series, though.
Savant: Yeah it’s all about finding time these days! I think in about 6 months my schedule clears up a bit, will see how this project goes forward.
I’ve already decided that at the very least, there will be a Sanctum of the Archmage: EE re-release of the first two chapters of the saga. I don’t know yet whether I will be able to put Sanctum of the Archmage 3: Mission to Rayche back on the table as well. But I am thinking about it.
I’m pleased to announce that the long-awaited v4.2 remake of the Sanctum of the Archmage game modules is finally available! Testing is complete, the documentation has been updated, and the files were packaged and uploaded on September 30th.
Version v4.2 represents a significant update to the Sanctum of the Archmage modules. It combines a number of new features in The Sight with a major remake of the previous (v3.4) version of The Quest. Formerly released as “The Miracle Worker: Act I,” The Quest has been unavailable in any form since the loss of the IGN Vault in 2014. Version 4.2 is the first release of Chapter 2 that is compatible with version 4 or later of The Sight.
With the v4.2 update, Sanctum 1 and 2 now use the same custom content architecture and can be played as a unified campaign. As a result, I am releasing them together on my current page for the saga on the Neverwinter Vault. Chapter 2 has been re-written to add new areas, quests, and dialogs, and lore from the Sanctum of the Archmage novels.
I hope you all enjoy the new version, and thank you very much for your interest!
Tony Donadio (Andarian)
Author, Sanctum of the Archmage
I’m pleased to announce that the long-awaited v4.2 remake of the Sanctum of the Archmage game modules is nearly ready for release! Testing is complete and the only remaining tasks are to update the documentation and to package and upload the files. It should be available on the Neverwinter Vault sometime during this weekend (the last of September).
Version v4.2 represents a significant update to the Sanctum of the Archmage modules. It combines a number of new features in The Sight with a major remake of the previous (v3.4) version of The Quest. Formerly released as “The Miracle Worker: Act I,” The Quest has been unavailable in any form since the loss of the IGN Vault in 2014. Version 4.2 is the first release of Chapter 2 that is compatible with version 4 or later of The Sight.
With the v4.2 update, Sanctum 1 and 2 now use the same custom content architecture and can be played as a unified campaign. As a result, I am releasing them together on my current page for the saga on the Neverwinter Vault. Chapter 2 has been re-written to add new areas, quests, and dialogs, and lore from the Sanctum of the Archmage novels.
I will follow up with another announcement — hopefully in another day or two at most — once I’ve finished releasing theupdate. I hope you’ll enjoy the new version, and thank you very much for your interest!
Tony Donadio (Andarian)
Author, Sanctum of the Archmage
I’ve now finished a full playthrough of the soon-to-be-released remake of the Neverwinter Nights module series, Sanctum of the Archmage: The Sight and The Quest. I found a handful of bugs and issues that I still need to resolve, which I’ll need to plan time for over the next few weeks. After one more playthrough to ensure they’re worked out, I should be able to release the remake sometime this summer.
The Sanctum v4.2 update will include a number of new and updated features to The Sight. More importantly, though, it will include a complete remake of the second module in the series, now titled The Quest. Originally released in 2007 as “The Miracle Worker, Act I,” it has never been published in a form compatible with the v4.x remake of The Sight. And it has been unavailable in any form since IGN’s Neverwinter Vault died in 2014.
The second module in the Sanctum series was very well received by the NWN player community of the time, receiving the Bronze Award for Module of the Year and the Golden Dragon Award for Best RPG in 2007. I’m very happy to finally be making the soon to be released (and I think, greatly improved!) version of it available to the Neverwinter Nights player community.
I’m pleased to announce that after a three year break to focus on my career and on writing my novels, I am returning to work on completing the remake of my NWN adventure module, Sanctum of the Archmage 2: The Quest.
Formerly released under the name Sanctum of the Archmage 2: The Miracle Worker, Act I, the second chapter of my adventure module series has been unavailable for the last two years since IGN’s Neverwinter Nights Vault went off-line in the spring of 2014. The most recent version, v3.4, was also incompatible with the v4 remake of Chapter 1 that I released in 2013. I had wanted to release a remake of Chapter 2 as well, but was forced to put that work on the shelf to focus on re-booting my career, and on writing the saga’s novels.
I have worked sporadically on the remake over the last three years, though. And there is still some additional re-work that I want to do, particularly in re-making the “flying areas” at the end using the wonderful “Sanctum Flying Skyscape Tileset” that Estelindis built for the series. But I’ve decided that can wait for a future update. And without those changes, I think that another month or so worth of work would bring it close to a releasable (or at least beta-testable) state. So I’ve decided to move forward with that as a plan.
With that said, my work on the series over the next months should be as follows. In June I expect to be finishing work on The Quest, and completing my full edit of Dawn of Chaos. In July and August I hope to get the novel out for a professional edit and to finish production, and to set up a beta test for the module remake. In September I’m hoping to be able to release both to the public.
After that, I’ll work on remaking the flying areas for The Quest, and getting started on my next projects: producing an audiobook version of Prologue to Chaos, and starting work on my second novel: Wrath of the Peregrine King.
I’m thinking that should keep me busy for a while. 🙂