I've now merged the Arcana update I've been working on, link to the PR was here:
https://github.com/chaosvolt/cdda-arcana-mod/pull/179Overall summary of what's added:
1. One of the Arcane Purifiers, who arrive after completing Sofia's last available mission, has a mission chain now available. It starts you off trying to hunt down some information to pick up the trail of a portal research project, which said NPC believes may be useful in the long run to salvage.
2. Bringing this to Nicholas, the NPC in question, prompts a mission to get more information to narrow down the location, essentially figuring out what was shipped where. It's a dialogue mission, nudging you to talk to NPCs who might have science or military connections, in order to find out the needed intell.
3. This lets you do one of several side missions to explore a minor location suspected to have more info that'll help you find what you're after. For technical reasons (i.e. a proper map marker requires the location to be a mission target) each NPC also has some reason they want you to share that info with them when you're done with it, which will entail talking to Nicholas about it after you've brought said intel to him first. There's also one method that can net you the info without any side missions, and I have a few more options I plan to add when I get the chance to.
4. With all that together, Nicholas is able to determine which research facility housed the project he wants you to investigate, sending you to the facility to scavenge a specific vital component suspected to have been integral to the project. It's a fairly large facility, though not as big as traditional labs, and more custom in layout rather than using proc-gen layouts. Hence it formed the bulk of my effort on this update, having to hash out the layout and plan how the map will flow. There are multiple options to get past the main obstacles and security, each with their own different dangers or tools required.
5. The lab also has its own boss monster, which can be avoided entirely if you're willing to deal with some other hazards instead. It's meant to be a reasonably tough nut to crack, but in exchange it's possible to acquire a very useful item that lets you develop some items related to the boss monster if you kill it.
6. The part itself is built into machinery, as the mission dialogue and some notes found in the lab hint at. Deconstructing the obvious centerpiece of the final room is an option, but stepping into it also triggers something fun and nets you the part in a different way.
Planned additions:
1. I have two more options for side missions I planned to cook up, adding four more NPCs as potential sources of the desired intel.
2. I plan for the information and part acquired to culminate in the player being given a magitech alternative to the restored ritual blade, with sealing portals being its main function. I'll have to see if there's any way to implement that in the DDA version, possibly via map regen traps like I've already dabbled in, but having a portable, portal-eating map regen trap spawner is going to be something I want to thoroughly test before I implement it. BN version can rather easily use ARTC_PORTAL as the restored ritual blade does.