Two Point Hospital getting eco-themed Off The Grid expansion next week
UPDATE: Delayed due to technical issues.
UPDATE 17/3/20: Two Point Hospital's eco-themed Off The Grid expansion has been delayed, and is now scheduled to launch on Steam next Wednesday, 25th March.
Developer Two Point Studios blamed the delay on a crash unearthed by QA testers, saying "we're simply not happy to release [Off The Grid] when there could still be a major issue there, it's not fair on you and it doesn't represent the amazing work the team have put into it."
"Naturally we've had the whole studio trying to reliably reproduce this issue," the developer wrote in a new blog post, "It's been a slippery little blighter, but our awesome team believe they've found the cause and are now working on a fix for it, we just need some more time to make sure this issue won't affect anyone."
Two Point Studios notes it will be extending its early adopter discount offer to compensate for the delay, meaning purchasers can get 10% off the expansion's £6.99 price tag until 1st April.
ORIGINAL STORY 11/3/20: Two Point Studios' light-hearted medical management sim Two Point Hospital has been gripped with eco-fever, and it's introducing a host of environmentally minded challenges next week, 18th March, in its newest PC expansion, Off The Grid.
"Tabitha Windsock, Two Point County's ever-present mayor, has put rivers and forests back on the map with her sudden concern for 'green-issues'", explains Two Point Studios in the spirit of scene-setting, and you'll be able to support her eco-friendly initiative by setting your sights on three new locations across Two Point County.
Over in the agricultural community of Wanderoff County Park, hospital funding will be awarded based on a player's Wellness Index score, which can be increased by focussing on improving six criteria: staff and patient happiness, attractiveness, hygiene, reputation, and cure rate.
The quaint, riverside town of Old Newpoint, meanwhile, brings its own green-fingered twist to the usual Two Point Hospital formula. "Keep everyone fed and watered by growing your own fruit and vegetables, and collecting rainwater", explains Two Point Studios - and you'll also need to rely on medicinal Herb Gardens to treat the region's "most herbaceous afflictions".
Last up is Windsock City, a sleek, eco-friendly metropolis. Here, traditional power plants are out and players will need to build their own green energy machines - whether that be wind turbines, solar panel, or hydro-dam - in order to stay switched-on and self-sufficient. Generated power is used to open new rooms in a hospital, or can be allocated to the Patient Flow and Staff Applicants systems, used to influence transport in and out of the city.
Of course, a new expansion means new ailments too, and Off The Grid introduces a range of new visual illnesses - including Harebrained, Root Snoot, and Perforated Thoughts - alongside non-visual variants, such as Bodily Druids, Flappy Hamper, and Tenderbox.
You can also expect a range of (mostly) eco-themed new items to decorate your hospital with, including a rainwater collector, a door between dimensions, and "what can only be described as one of the best butter churners in video games".
Two Point Hospital's Off The Grid expansion comes to Steam next week on 18th March, and will cost £6.99/$8.99 USD. There's also 10% off for those that pre-purchase before launch day.