Chapter 94

While Chu Guang was engrossed in his diary, in another world, the official website forum of "Wasteland Online" was bustling with activity.

The seven players who had died in battle logged off one after another and almost simultaneously rushed to the official website to report the latest news to the cloud players and entertainment seekers lurking on the forum.

This battle was far more intense than any they had fought before.

Both sides committed over a company's worth of troops, employing various tactics such as encirclement, fire suppression, and counter-ambushes, which made all the participating players feel extremely exhilarated, exclaiming that dying was worth it!

Especially at the end of the battle.

Fifty rockets covered the battlefield, and the whistling sound prompted everyone to jump out of the trenches and charge forward. The exaggerated and embellished descriptions even thrilled the cloud players watching on the forum.

"Ha ha ha, setting off fireworks was too flashy. The other side must have been stunned. By the way, where did you learn such flashy moves?"

"But the most amazing thing is that the mosquitoes' rockets actually worked? Didn't you say that the flamethrower this guy made last time had insufficient chamber pressure and no backfire valve, so it burned him instead?"

"Goblin technology has redeemed itself. (Funny face)"

"A one-kilogram warhead is still too small! If we can get the hot air balloon working, we can directly use 300-pound bombs, it will definitely work!"

"The hot air balloon might be difficult, it would be a sitting duck in the sky. But you can try to build an engine and make a propeller aircraft. The Mini-Max series planes are made of wood, right? With some effort, it should be possible!"

"Build tanks, tanks are better. But as you said, the respawn points are either in cities or near anti-tank trees, so it might be tough."

"Are you guys really talking about the game? I feel something is off. (Funny face)"

"Cough, we're discussing plastic models, plastic models!"

Although the thread kept veering off, with the constant release of new information, the topic was quickly brought back on track.

Whether it was strategic planning or armchair generalship, both the genuine players who had pre-ordered the game and those just looking for entertainment were most concerned about the outcome of the war.

Although so far everything was going well and under control, what if these beta testers weren't up to the task, or the raiders had some hidden cards?

If they lost, it would be a disaster.

After all, the official announcement stated that if the "Wrath of Winter" expansion failed, the game servers would be shut down indefinitely for re-tuning before relaunching.

As for how long it would be shut down, only the developers knew.

Fortunately, the enthusiastic netizens didn't have to wait long.

As a "fatally wounded" young player was forced to log off, he brought the news of victory back to the forum, finally putting everyone's minds at ease.

Makabazi: "I was finished off by a teammate! But it's okay, it was an epic victory! All 56 raiders, including elites and the boss, were wiped out! Ha ha ha, it was so satisfying! I took out at least three... no, four for sure!"

Quit Smoking: "Then why did you die? (Rolls eyes)"

Yaya: "Weakling! Ha ha ha ha! Dying means you're weak! Ha ha ha ha! o(*≧▽≦)ツ"

Makabazi: "Damn! How can you say that, you didn't even participate! (Angry)"

Yaya: "Hmph, as everyone knows, girls don't fight. I'll join you once I save up enough for power armor. @乛?乛@"

Quit Smoking: "Then why are you even playing?!! Give me your account! T.T"

Ye Shier: "Ha ha ha, I can't take it anymore. Ha ha ha ha cao."

Fairy King Fugui: "Hey, Irena is also spectating? (Funny face)"

Irena: "You two wait, I'm holding a grudge. (`Д′*)9"

Gorge Escaped Mole: "Scared. (Funny face)"

Every time the forum mascot appeared, it brought endless entertainment, and the entire forum was filled with a festive atmosphere, as lively as a holiday.

But this guy was like a mole, leaving after a quick taunt, never staying to give others a chance to mock him.

Perhaps in his world, he was fighting against some dark force.

And those "teasing" and "slandering" him were undoubtedly the forum moderators' alternate accounts.

Quit Smoking: "By the way, where's Garbage? Why haven't we seen him come up to show off?"

Irena: "Yeah, yeah, where's his shovel? (Funny face)"

Ye Shier: "Tsk, thinking of him is embarrassing. The moderators didn't allow us to use fire for warmth, so this guy was shivering in the trench, afraid of falling asleep, and started telling jokes to the people around him. But the jokes were so cold that no one laughed, and he ended up freezing unconscious. We didn't even wake him up after the battle, just carried him on a stretcher as a casualty. He's a real wimp."

Trash Collector Level 99: "Crap, do you think I wanted to? I tried several times, but my character's status was abnormal, and I couldn't log in! By the time I could, everyone was already in the incubation pods!"

Ye Shier: "Anyway, it's embarrassing. (Funny face)"

Trash Collector Level 99: "@#@%!"

WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Ha ha ha ha, I was the MVP of the whole game! Who else? (Proud)"

Tomato and Egg: "Boss 666, goblin technology is unbeatable!"

Debt Big Eyes: "Don't joke, I counted the bodies, only three were killed by explosions, and it's not certain if they were from your rockets."

Ye Shier: "Ha ha ha, confirmed atmosphere booster! But to be fair, the mosquito's weapons weren't very powerful, but they were intimidating. One salvo of rockets and the other side's flag turned white."

WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Damn! You're the atmosphere booster! Your whole family is an atmosphere booster! (Angry)"

Teng Teng: "Don't argue, everyone did great 0.0."

Old Bai: "These clowns aren't arguing, they get along well."

Teng Teng: "Is it that kind of bond between boys?"

Old Bai: "... How should I answer that."

After the exhilarating battle, many players were still excited and wanted to do push-ups to vent their energy.

But unfortunately, their real bodies weren't as strong as their in-game avatars, and the negative effects were just as real. A little exercise made their muscles tired, and those who had forgotten to eat were experiencing low blood sugar and dizziness.

Reality is indeed a lousy game, isn't it?

Fang Chang: "By the way, Mole, did you go to the Blood Hand Clan's camp with the moderators?"

Gorge Escaped Mole: "Yes, but the main force was already wiped out in the park, so there was no fighting. We just went through the plot and looted the camp. I'm not exaggerating, the game's attention to detail is impressive. From the dungeon where captives were held to the raiders' rooms... tsk tsk, I can only say that sending these people to the gallows would be too lenient."

Ye Shier: "What happened, tell us more."

Gorge Escaped Mole: "What's there to tell? You can see it yourself tomorrow. It's like a hell on earth. But this instance probably won't respawn, and any raiders nearby are likely solo operators. By the way, with the raiders at the tire factory taken care of, the nearby map should be open, right? There are many landmarks worth exploring, and you can find a lot of good stuff."

Fang Chang: "This was a great victory, and dividing the loot tomorrow will be even better."

Gorge Escaped Mole: "Technical question, can your brick factory budget participate in the loot auction?"

Fang Chang: "What are you thinking? If we could, it would be a rigged bid."

5000 silver coins indeed had the capital for a rigged bid.

The last auction was only three days ago, and everyone's pockets were still light. The war rewards would be settled after the auction, so many items would likely go unsold this time.

Gorge Escaped Mole: "That's true, no need for 5000 silver, 3000 silver could sweep up 50 pieces of equipment, oh well, can't afford it."

Ye Shier: "It's frustrating, if there were a bank, I'd buy a set of power armor on installment and a fully upgraded +14 automatic rifle."

Fang Chang: "Dreaming is your specialty."

Regardless of how it was divided, this battle was definitely worth it.

Last time, they faced a squad led by a decurion, and each person's share was over 10 silver coins.

This time, they wiped out five full squads and even took out the enemy's base.

Wouldn't it be reasonable to give at least 50 to 100 silver coins and 100 to 200 contribution points?

At the very least, 50 silver coins, no less!

Gorge Escaped Mole: "By the way, isn't anyone curious? B2 is about to open. What do you think will be there?"

Ye Shier: "I have a feeling there will be a major update, probably the Alpha 0.5 version."

Fang Chang: "Your words are like a speech."

Old Bai: "If this feeling were useful, it wouldn't be useless."

Ye Shier: "Damn! Then analyze it!"

Fang Chang: "I'll give you the conclusion. The next update will focus on two aspects. One is the game's system, and the other is the game's content."

Gorge Escaped Mole: "What does Fang Chang think?"

This "Big" title made Fang Chang very satisfied. Currently, the two most popular technical players on the forum were himself and Mole.

Flattered, he typed faster.

"First, let's talk about the game system. The forum has been calling for a simpler attribute interface for a long time. But new players might not know that at the beginning, there wasn't even an attribute interface, let alone a level system. Everything was so realistic that all elements had to be explored by yourself!"

"But soon, we discovered that each player's initial attributes were different. Some were clearly stronger, some had better intuition, and some were faster. After asking the developers, we learned that players have attributes and levels."

"They said it was for realism, but too much realism was a burden. After our strong suggestions, the development team held several meetings and finally integrated attributes and levels into the game as data. The attribute panel you see now was added later, it didn't exist before."

"Then there's currency. At the beginning, there was no concept of currency, and the rewards for chopping trees were all in contribution points. Around the Alpha 0.3 version, the quest system and economic system were overhauled, and we got the silver coins we use now, as well as the citizen level and private land concepts."

"Players who have been playing can feel that the rules of Wasteland Online are gradually improving. The developers are also exploring the balance between realism and gameplay."

"Currently, the currency system is well-developed, and I estimate that the development team will next try to improve the in-game user interface, such as making the 'gene sequence development progress' more intuitive. It would be great to add a progress bar for 'skill proficiency' to make grinding more rewarding."

"Now, about the game content! This is the part I'm most excited about!"

"Many of you have noticed that this time, we not only took over the raiders' equipment but also liberated a large number of captives held by the raiders!"

"These people are mostly survivors who were persecuted by the raiders. They are not just pale names; they have different backgrounds. Some might come from shelters, others from other survivor camps... like the Brown Farm we visited, or the fictional Bet Street and Boulder City."

"In their hometowns, they might have social connections, and somewhere in this wasteland, they might have family."

"These NPCs' backgrounds could become clues to unlock more side quests, and how to properly settle them and build relationships with these NPCs will be a new challenge for our 'virtual community'!"

"So I boldly predict that with winter approaching, the next expansion will focus on this theme!"

Fang Chang's views were widely accepted.

Including by technical players like Gorge Escaped Mole.

At this stage of the game, the number of players far exceeds the number of NPCs. If the player base were to double, relying solely on the moderators and their assistants would make it difficult to handle all the interactions.

If Wasteland Online's ambition is to create a realistic game world and build a human-friendly virtual community, the next expansion will undoubtedly focus on the relationship between NPCs and players.

And these rescued survivors are a good opportunity.

The nearby survivor camps, now free from the raiders' tyranny and harassment, will surely be grateful to this righteous army.

Fang Chang felt he had completely grasped the developers' intentions.

Thinking about it, the sleepy-eyed him sitting in front of the computer couldn't help but smile.

No wonder I'm so awesome!

I'm simply amazing!