The Kindness Of Rangers: Wasteland 2

I read all of the Wasteland 2 updates and spend a good five minutes afterwards collecting my belongings and disembarking from the hype train. It's a dangerous vehicle and the rails that it rides take it to the scorched terrain of Disappointment's Desert, wherein lie the ruins of the mighty citadel, Grand Expectations. The Wasteland 2 team are making all the right noises and then transcribing those noises and sharing them on the internet. The latest news coming from the inXile camp comes from the splendidly named Montgomery Markland and contains information about the Wasteland 1 re-release as well as plenty of details about survival and exploration in the sequel. But that's not the best of it - there is a header that reads "Dying of Murder".

The full post is available to read whether you're a backer or not so do take a look when you've absorbed the selected highlights below. Let's start with "dying of murder":

Our random encounter system will throw a wide variety of dangerous animals, mutants, raiders and robots at you. Encounter chances are based on an overall percentage depending on terrain type and the general level of danger in the zone you are travelling.

Certain parts of The Wasteland are populated by particularly dangerous enemies. You are more likely to trigger high-level encounters while travelling in those areas. We do not conduct any form of level scaling in this regard; so if you wander off the beaten path you better be ready for a tough fight.

There is a reason for the phrase "dying of murder". The header follows details of other ways to die in the wasteland, namely 'of dehydration' and 'of radiation poisoning'. Both of these terrible fates are linked to your party's wanderings, with some terrain types causing water to be consumed more quickly and some areas clouded with deadly radiation. Here are some details about water management, which I inexplicably find more interesting than radiation.

You will find water at hidden oases throughout the region. Oases are discovered as you travel the 3D map; you will discover them from greater distances with a higher Outdoorsman skill. Like settlements and sites, oases will reveal themselves in the 3D world map as they are scouted.

Other water sources are also available throughout the game, inside of major locations, such as Ranger Citadel and Highpool. These in-level water sources are automatically accessible if the level is a friendly location. Water sources in neutral or hostile locations generally require a mission or task to unlock. Once such a water source is available, it is always free.

The Wasteland 1 release will be contaminating GOG and Steam in the near future, as well as being delivered free to all backers. It'll include a new Mark Morgan track as well as optional uprezzed portraits.

Oh, and the beta for Wasteland 2 is very close. After a series of offputting early access experiences in recent times, I'm tempted to implement a Finished Games Only Policy for my own personal enjoyment but I don't think any games are ever finished anymore. I'm definitely waiting for Wasteland 2 to be out of beta before I play it though, unless the rest of the RPS gents force me to write hands-on previews so they can preserve the full experience for themselves.

Right. Pack up. The hype train does not depart from this station.