I’ve been focusing most of my available time this summer on building the Sanctum V4 update rather than blogging about it —  but since it’s been a while since my last post, I thought it was time for at least a quick update. Here are some of the things I’ve been working on and accomplishing recently:

• I’ve now finished a complete re-working of the custom content (CC) framework for Sanctum V4. Among other things this will make it compatible with the latest versions of both CEP and Project Q, integrating and using resources from both along with my own module-specific custom content. This finally brings both Sanctum 3 and the re-writes of chapters 1 & 2 up to using the same CC architecture, making content from both CEP 2.4 and Project Q’s brand new v1.5 release available for me to use in all of my future modding work. When released, it should also provide a useful starting framework for other modders to use in developing CEP and Q compatible modules in the future.
• Aside from some possible tweaks, I’ve now finished the level building and rebuilding for Sanctum 1. This included adding a number of new areas, as well as splitting up and re-making most of the existing ones in the module. Much of the re-making turned out to be a necessary consequence of breaking up the existing areas. That was because I found that in order for them to work well together as pieces, in many cases the logic of what was in them and how they were arranged had to be re-thought. The new layout for some of the areas (the lower ruins south is an especially good example), while still having some familiar encounters, will be nearly un-recognizable in layout to players of previous versions of “The Sight.”
• I’m now working on the last task for the rewrite of Sanctum 1: finishing two new quests that will also potentially extend into the rewrite for Sanctum 2. Once the conversations and quest variable handling for those are finished, and I’ve had a chance to do a full playthrough test and fix any obvious bugs, I should be in a position to get the module out to the community for a beta test. My best estimate right now would be in September.

After that, the next step will be to do the rewrite of Sanctum 2. The good news there is that much of the rework needed for the second chapter will already be done when the first chapter is complete (e.g. the CC framework). The biggest challenge there will be at the end: re-making the flying areas using the new “Sanctum Flying Skyscape” tileset that I’ve been using for Sanctum 3.

I also have a surprise announcement regarding the future of  the Sanctum saga planned for after the Sanctum 1 & 2 remakes are released. More on that to come, though… 🙂