For those of you who prefer to digest information via the written word, here’s a breakdown of what appears in the most recent developer Q&A for Sanctuary Shattered Sun.
As one of the community managers for Sanctuary: Shattered Sun, I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Mike, better known in the community as nine2, to address some burning questions from fans. From release plans to AI development, game mechanics, and customization, we covered a lot of ground. Here’s everything we discussed.
Release Plans: When Can We Play?
One of the biggest questions from the community is, unsurprisingly, the game’s release date. While nine2 avoided locking down a concrete date, he did provide a roadmap. If everything goes to plan, Sanctuary should hit Early Access by July 2026. The team is currently focused on refining a sample campaign mission to showcase for the Kickstarter launch, which is planned for July 2025.
This timeline is flexible and depends heavily on funding. The developers are taking a business-first approach, ensuring that Sanctuary is polished and ready before hitting key milestones. As nine2 put it, “Delays aren’t necessarily a bad thing. They mean we have more time to make the game better.”
AI Development: Smarter Opponents and a Helping Hand
A major concern for players is the AI’s performance. Many RTS veterans have struggled with predictable or passive AI in past games, and the community wants to know what Sanctuary is bringing to the table.
While the developers haven’t officially promised AI, the game already has a functioning system that’s surpassing expectations. There will be different AI types:
- Campaign AI that follows scripted behaviour.
- Skirmish AI that adapts to player tactics.
- Moddable AI, allowing players to tweak behaviours or create custom opponents.
An exciting potential feature is an AI helper. This optional system would let players delegate tasks—setting up bases, defending areas, or managing scouting operations—freeing them up to focus on strategic decisions. Additionally, the team is exploring machine learning to generate dynamic campaign missions on the fly, potentially offering an infinite number of scenarios that respond to player actions.
Weather Mechanics: A Frozen Battlefield
One unique aspect of Sanctuary is its planetary setting, and fans have been asking about weather mechanics. Right now, the confirmed feature is an all-or-nothing freeze mechanic, where the entire map either remains normal or becomes frozen.
However, there are possibilities for future expansions. nine2 floated ideas like temperature fluctuations impacting terrain, evaporating oceans, or revealing submerged pathways. While these aren’t core launch features, they could be explored in mods or DLC.
Customization: Commanders, Clans, and Cosmetics
The question of commander customisation came up, with fans wanting unique visual options like flags, paint jobs, or halos. While customization is on the wishlist, it’s not a priority right now. The focus is on gameplay first, with cosmetics being considered for later updates.
nine2 also touched on potential in-game purchases for cosmetics—strictly optional and never pay-to-win. Things like unit skins, faction emblems, or tournament rewards could help fund game servers and tournament support without impacting balance. He put the question to the community: “Would you be interested in purely cosmetic purchases, or is that a hard no?”
Gameplay Philosophy: Macro Over Micro
Another hot topic was the balance between macro and micro gameplay. Sanctuary is firmly in the macro-focused camp, akin to Supreme Commander and Beyond All Reason. The goal is large-scale strategic control, not high APM micro-heavy mechanics like Starcraft 2.
The team is also implementing innovative UI and automation tools to streamline base and unit management, making it easier to plan long-term strategies:
- Pre-planned build orders for factories before they exist.
- Automated unit commands for units that haven’t been built yet.
- Advanced formation controls inspired by RimWorld, allowing players to seamlessly position and distribute armies.
Chris Taylor and Brad Rebh, the creators of Supreme Commander, have seen some of these innovations and reportedly gave them high praise.
Campaign Structure: Three Faction Stories
Fans wanted to know whether Sanctuary would feature a traditional RTS campaign structure. nine2 confirmed that the plan is to have three separate campaigns, one for each faction, but with a twist—each campaign will be sequential, following on from the events of the previous one.
The current focus is on developing a sample mission to showcase on Kickstarter, with full production of the campaign coming later.
Pricing: What Will It Cost?
No final pricing has been set, but the maximum price is expected to be $50. Whether Early Access will have a different price remains to be seen, but the developers want to ensure value for money.
Commander Chassis: Strategic Specialization
Another question focused on different chassis for commanders and their potential specializations. While no designs are finalized, the idea is to have three chassis per faction, each with a distinct playstyle:
- Combat-focused – heavily armed and durable.
- Construction-focused – optimised for base-building and logistics.
- Support-oriented – offering unique strategic capabilities.
These chassis upgrades will be visual and impactful, changing the commander’s movement and abilities rather than just adding passive stat boosts.
Modding Support: Maps, Units, and Campaigns
Sanctuary is embracing modding from the start. Players will have access to:
- A map editor with built-in sharing and syncing.
- Custom unit creation, with models exported into the game.
- Campaign scripting tools, allowing for custom missions and narratives.
Future updates may introduce a visual unit editor, but for now, modders will be working primarily with LUA scripts.
Co-op and Comp Stomp Modes
Given the popularity of cooperative RTS modes, fans asked about Sanctuary’s plans for co-op and AI skirmishes.
Confirmed modes include:
- Co-op campaign support
- Versus AI skirmishes
- Survival modes
- Modding support for custom modes
nine2 also teased the potential for AI-generated dynamic missions, creating a constantly evolving battlefield experience.
Wrapping Up: More Q&A to Come
The Sanctuary team is open to continued community input. nine2 encouraged players to keep submitting their questions, especially on key topics like Kickstarter rewards—what would be meaningful enough to justify a high-tier pledge?
As always, the focus remains on making Sanctuary the best game it can be, with strategic depth, innovative mechanics, and a commitment to quality. More Q&A sessions may be coming in the future, so keep the questions coming!
What do you think? Would you support cosmetic microtransactions if they helped fund the game? What Kickstarter rewards would be worth a $500 pledge? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
