Sanctuary: Shattered Sun

Escape to Sanctuary Palms

Added 2024-08-02 11:40:07 +0000 UTC

We've added a brand new vacation spot, Sanctuary Palms!

“Discover the perfect holiday destination at Sanctuary Palms, where white sandy beaches meet sapphire seas. Imagine strolling along the sandy shores, with gentle waves lapping at your feet. It’s a far cry from the war-ravaged shells of cities and barren wastelands of the battlefield. Make a reservation and let Sanctuary Palms serve as your escape from the warzone.”

We've been working on improving the water effects in Sanctuary Shattered Sun, and I wanted to share some of the progress that has been made. The team have been having a little bit of fun and Sanctuary now includes realistic wave effects.

These have been added while keeping performance in mind. The tech-wizards in the dev team have used existing texture buffers to allow for dynamic wave effects without impacting performance. Waves are rendered in screenspace which produces detailed visuals without overly taxing your hardware. Some clever recalculations and edge clamping ensure the water looks good enough to swim in. The waves are now calculated based on shoreline shape and wind direction, appearing only where they naturally would, and the generation process has been optimised for smoother gameplay and faster loading times.

Visually, we've expanded the wave area. They start 400 meters from shore and progress about 12 meters inland. We've increased their size and added improved foam textures for a more natural look. It's purely a visual improvement but it didn't take too much time and we think it adds a nice little touch to our maps.

These might seem like small details, but they contribute to the overall atmosphere of the game. We want to refine every aspect of Sanctuary Shattered Sun to create the best possible experience. The irony is, we're putting all this effort into perfecting these subtle touches - all so you won't notice them. Because that's what “immersion” is all about.

Thank you for your support. It’s you who make the development of Sanctuary Shattered Sun possible.