Here at Shattered Sun RTS we have been blessed with the development team taking notice of what the community has been asking for. Developer, Nine2, has been busy letting us know some of the confirmed features for Sanctuary Shattered Sun that people might not know about and might not expect, so without further ado, let's get to it:

Infinite Terrain:​

"Our super genius art peoples have been hard at work delivering infinite terrain - there is no map border. Only part of the map is playable, after that it just keeps going off into the distance, no hard maps edge."

Unlike Supreme Commander, which had a hard and fake looking border, the maps in Sanctuary are much more realistic with the maps simply fading into the distance rather that having a hard wall surrounding the play area.

Whilst this is unlikely to effect gameplay too much it just shows the attention to details which the development team are putting into the game.

It. Will. Be. Beautiful.

Commander Chassis System​

"One of my favourite features is around all the commander upgrade stuff with the seperate chassis system. Players will be able to transfer their commander into a completely different vehicle with completely different specs ... like a bot turning into a tank instead, with slower movement and more hp, but with completely different upgrades. One of the reasons I like this is because it advertises the commander capabilities ... like he is tank mode now so he could have the scary epic gun upgrade. Having the chassis change is like a big warning."

I love this idea. Not only are the Kingpiece (not Commander!) units different for each faction, but they are customisable by changing their chassis. Why is this important? Well each different chassis unlocks a different 'tech tree' such as offensive, builder, intel. The key component of this feature is that the chassis chosen advertises to your opponent how you plan to use your commander. In Supreme Commander, an ACU with double-gun upgrade looked entirely similar to one with T3 engineering suite. In Sanctuary you'll be able to - at a glance - see what the threat rating is of your opponent.

Bridges​

"Our pathfinding is designed to support bridges. Units can travel on top of or below bridges. Bridges can be destroyed which would damage the units above which would take fall damage, and everything below which would get crushed. Perhaps bridges can be repaired, who knows?"

The option to traverse previously in accessible areas of the terrain by building bridges to access them is an interesting inclusion. Destructible and repairable bridges have been a feature of RTS games since - at least - 1995, but being able to build bridges would be an incredible tactical options for players. One thing to consider is the option for air dropping units. Will bridges be required at all? There will need to be some way to incentive the use of bridges to ensure they're a viable alternative to simply flying across chasms and gaps in the map.

Second Wind​

"One of the more controversial features we are talking about is a second wind feature - in team games, when your commander dies, he is downed for a bit and your team mate can come over with his own commander and revive you. In other games - one of the frustrations is being sniped, you've played a game for 20 minutes and you are doing well then just suddenly die. Some people love it, some people hate it. Besides fixing an annoying issue, Second Wind will create lots of super excting gaming moments, where the main player is going really well, but he is downed! and then his teammates come to revive him! but then the area is nuked!

In Sanctuary players will have the option to be able to enable or disable Second Wind, which nerfs snipes a bit and provides excitement."

The death of the Commander Unit is the end of the game in Supreme Commander. In Sanctuary: Shattered Sun there is the option to have your Kingpiece revived by a team-mate to give a player another chance to engage the enemy. The finer details of the Second Wind feature are still to be worked out, but on paper the option to be revived is certainly interesting. Especially when Second Wind has a limited timer. Do you traverse the map to keep you comrade in the game and risk your own Kingpiece to do so? These and other tactical decisions with be the making of Sanctuary: Shattered Sun.

Would you like to know more? Would you like to influence the development of the game? Post your ideas in Sanctuary: Shattered Sun Game Suggestions

The Steam Strategy Fest is underway, presenting an exclusive chance for gamers to gain an early glimpse of highly anticipated strategy games, including Sanctuary: Shattered Sun.

As reported earlier, Sanctuary Shattered Sun will be a part of the Steam Strategy Fest, taking place from August 28th to September 4th.


As a highlight of the festival, the team behind Sanctuary Shattered Sun will be holding a special developers panel. During this session, they will be answering questions and delving into discussions about the game.

Don't miss it! Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 2nd, at 18:00 UTC. The event will be hosted on the official Discord.

Sanctuary: Shattered Sun is coming to the Steam Strategy Fest 2023! The event, running from August 28th until September 04th will feature discounts and sections for games which are 'coming soon' and demos.


At this time the developers of Sanctuary: Shattered Sun remain tight-lipped on what we can expect to see from the game as part of the event. Will there be a demo? Will there be feature reveals? Check back here frequently for further news and reaction to this exciting event!

And in the meantime don't for get to sign up for the beta, wishlist on Steam, and join the official Discord server.

The most recent developer update went up on July 1st and is a fantastic opportunity to take a sneak-peak at some newly added units and environments to fight over.

Hey there everyone!

We've been putting in the hours on Sanctuary: Shattered Sun and we're excited to show you what we've been up to. New units have been added to the game, bringing greater diversity and strategic depth. Here's some images of just some of the units we have been adding:

The Guard faction has had over a dozen units added in recent time, and here are just a couple of them.

The Chosen have also seen some new units, among them is this tier 4 hovering bot! Shown next to the commander for scale!


We've expanded the horizons of our Dyson Sphere with the addition of new environments, like snowy mountains and sprawling deserts. Here's a glimpse:

Sweltering desert is first! This also shows off our decals system which adds a lot of detail. So far we have been making maps without any decals!


And an icy landscape next - This image also shows off our new skyboxes, and infinite terrain technology making it look like the map goes on forever!


Lastly, we have upgraded our existing maps, including better lighting, terrain, and textures. Check out this:


That's it for now, stay tuned for further updates - we have lots of exciting things under wraps that we can't wait to share!

In the meantime, do us a favour and add Sanctuary: Shattered Sun to your Steam wishlist. We appreciate your support more than words can say. And for all the latest news, join us on our Discord. We love to chat and answer any questions you might have.

Thanks for being part of our journey. We can't wait for you to dive into the game with us when its out!

In the video below, StealSpeaks talks to one of the Sanctuary: Shattered Sun Team Leaders, Special Bread.

Sanctuary: Shattered Sun will feature three factions - just like Supreme Commander did. They are EDA (think UEF). The Chosen (I'm feeling the Aeon) and The Guard (giving off strong cybernetic Cybran vibes). Details below:

Earth Defence Alliance

A human-first coalition dedicated to the rights and sovereignty of all of its citizens. Formed over a century of corruption, wealth disparity and a need for unification, the EDA rose up to become the de-facto governing body in staunch opposition to the Chosen. To some, they are oppressive sectarians. To others, they are mankind’s only hope.

The EDA favors efficiency over the elaborate designs of their enemies. Commanding vast human populations and innumerable resources, their might is slow to mobilize but fearsome nonetheless. Favoring a shock and awe doctrine, expect the EDA to decimate their enemies with a plethora of destructive armaments, their brutality matched only by their reliability. Still, necessity breeds invention, and many of their best Sentinels have become masters of guerrilla warfare, using a combination of stealth technology and heavy armor to bring the pain where their opponents least expect it.

The Guard

Sanctuary’s builders, now it's protectors. They wage war for a single purpose: to pacify the other factions and prevent further damage to the Dyson sphere. Reinforced and refitted, the Guard are a cold and calculating machine army that will save their creation by any means necessary.

Nobody knows Sanctuary like the Guard do. Their intel and reconnaissance capabilities are second to none, letting them choose exactly when and where to engage their foes. Lacking the robust designs of EDA military hardware or the advanced shielding of the Chosen, the Guard tend to rely on overwhelming numbers of near-expendable drone vehicles, supported by a smaller complement of unconventional specialist units and powerful Experimentals. The most effective Guard Sentinels are able to keep constant pressure on their enemies, waiting patiently for them to tire before delivering the final blow.

The Chosen

A society of Post-Humans who have transferred their consciousness from flesh to machine. Believing themselves to be the next step in Human evolution, their heightened intelligence is matched only by their aesthetic sense. The Chosen wage war from their super-computer networks, leading armies of killing machines as beautiful as they are deadly.

The Chosen are the most technologically advanced of all three factions, utilizing sleek designs and personal shielding to close the distance and crush their enemies with a deadly array of exotic energy weapons. Their war machines are very specialized, but also expensive. An emphasis on quality over quantity will require managing fewer units to greater effect. Each of their Sentinels houses the consciousness of an individual Chosen, and should it be destroyed the consciousness dies with it. The Chosen are few in number, so utmost care must be taken in protecting these peerless field marshals.

The year is 2758 and the near complete megastructure known as Sanctuary embraces the Sun. This gargantuan, multifaceted metal-platform now shelters over a trillion lives. Alas, Sanctuary is far from the idealised paradise it was meant to be. Great chasms of serrated metal teeth gnaw hungrily into the vast expanse of space – evidence of the Mooncrash and countless ongoing battles. War ravaged shells of cities stand exposed to the darkness of space, looming over scorched earth and barren wastelands – painful reminders of better days, long past.

Despite Sanctuary’s turmoil, not all is consumed by warfare. The vastness of Sanctuary has allowed some of its inhabitants to escape the chaos surrounding them by retreating into unmarred cities of technological marvels surrounded by nature's bounty. Such brilliant havens stand testament to humanity's will to survive.

The seed of this conflict can be traced back to the year 2554. Humanity's past mistakes had chased them to the stars – pollution and overcrowding threatened Earth and its colonies with extinction. IVY, the first artificial sentience, which had originally aided in the colonisation of the solar system, proposed the construction of the Dyson Sphere: a man-made paradise fuelled by the warmth of a star. This synthetic nirvana was named “Sanctuary”.

In 2647 a new subspecies of human, dubbed the Chosen, was created. The Chosen were selected from the brightest and most influential members of society. Remaking their bodies into highly advanced metallic forms, their organic brains were converted to liquid light energy matrices, granting them physical immortality. Intelligent and ambitious, the Chosen came to rule most of humanity with a detached benevolence.

Over the next century, resentment among the natural human citizenry toward the Chosen’s political dominance grew and festered, resulting in protests, social unrest and in some cases, outright civil war. Finally in 2741, a coalition of disenfranchised civilian and military organisations formed the Earth Defence Alliance (EDA) to oppose the Chosen's stewardship. The EDA's fiery rhetoric quickly gained them support amongst the natural human population, causing an even greater divide between the two cultures.

Sanctuary neared completion in 2758 as the ever-growing tensions between the EDA and Chosen reached an all-time high. A controversial and duplicitous plan to move and assimilate the Earth’s moon into Sanctuary was implemented. As the Moon neared Sanctuary, disaster struck. It failed to slow down, continuing unabated on a collision course for Sanctuary. The resulting Mooncrash was catastrophic, extinguishing billions of lives.

Considering the Mooncrash to be a deliberate attack, the EDA and Chosen declared war on one another, sparking the greatest conflict in human history – the Great Solar War. The resulting military action was unlike any other in its savagery, bringing untold destruction and devastation upon humanity’s paradise.
Now, as the stalwart EDA fights tooth and nail against the cutting-edge Chosen, a new threat emerges. Sanctuary’s AI caretaker Ra has repurposed Sanctuary's worker bots to create the Guard, an implacable robotic army determined to protect Sanctuary through the forceful pacification of the warring factions. As the great Solar War reaches its peak, which faction will you pledge your allegiance to? Will you lead your side to victory, or will you face annihilation?