I've been working in my head on a replacement for SDL, which uses the vault directly. The idea is to create a set of python-file primitives for use within 3dsmax, so that things like network synchronization, linking, journals, etc, are done for you. This way, the writer does not need to deal with creating SDL nor Python. (Cyan didn't do this, and it's one of the reasons they have the same bugs crop up in dozens of different places.)
Basically, varname->value mappings are stored as chronicles in the Age's vault (not the player's), and there is Python code which listens for changes. There are python files which map from detectors (like clickables and enter/exit regions) to these vars. And there are python files which map from these vars to responders, such as animations(e.g. a door opening). And there are Python files for the logic in between, such as sequence puzzles, formulas, combinations, etc. So you can build puzzles from these primitives by chaining them together without touching any Python code, *and* you get multiplayer and cross-game for free. (Hopefully^^)
I've got some basics working, but I want to do it right the first time, so that there will not have to be a second set of these files in the future. (I.e. UamVars1* and UamVars2*)
One idea is to have type inference so that when you link into the Age it will immediately warn you of typos, etc, in your configuration. Current types include triggers, bools, floats, and strings. An alternative to type inference is to just have varnames because with the type, like bDoorOpen for a boolean, or tFlareFire for a trigger, and so on.
It should be relatively easy to do a number of tasks that are currently fairly difficult. There might be some show-stopper that I haven't encountered yet, but so far it's all looking possible, and feasibility tests have confirmed that.
(P.S. These functions will still be available for Blender/Pyprp users, they just won't have the nice auto-generated GUIs from 3dsmax.)
Any thoughts or examples of puzzles you would like to see supportable in the future?