Having been promised for an age, id Software finally made good last week on a pledge to release a modding tool kit for its ambitious, if slightly wonky 2011 shooter RAGE.

And what a set of tools it is.

If you were hoping for a friendly system full of handy tips and giant buttons, sorry. These are basically the same tools id used to build the game themselves, and carry warnings like the fact this stuff is "not be interpreted as consumer-ready", and that it's "only for the technically sophisticated and adventurous!"

Only serious modders need apply, but then, the payoffs might be worth the toil; RAGE had a ton of potential, especially in terms of its game world, that was capped only by some repetitive action and a pretty terrible ending.

In the hands of someone other than id, with the power of serious tools, who knows...we might get a game built using RAGE's bones, but better. Or not. But hey, it's a nice day outside, given the talents of modders I'm going to be optimistic!

The tools—which are 35GB in size—are available on Steam, with an intro guide below.

RAGE Tool Kit Available Today on Steam [Bethesda]

id's RAGE may have its fans—and I'm one of them—but even they'd admit it never really hit the heights it could, or given the developer's pedigree perhaps should have hit.

Two two things I liked best about the game were its sky (seriously, it's one of the best in video game history) and its characters, which aside from a few ill-attired ladies, was a memorable cast of post-apocalyptic bandits, scientists and fat guys.

This gallery from Duncan "Dead End Thrills" Harris shines the spotlight on these inhabitants of the wasteland, giving them the chance for a little recognition the total package of RAGE's critical and popular reception may otherwise have not afforded them.

Rage: Isolated character examples [Dead End Thrills, via Super Punch]

Well, not just for you. Fans of Wasteland, RAGE, Borderlands or any other game set in a post-apocalyptic desert are more than catered for at Wasteland Weekend, which will be held in the Mojave Desert at the end of the month.

While originally conceived as a Mad Max-inspired event, it's since taken on wider influences, as you can see by the Fallout-esque trailer the organiser's have released.

Note that by themed party, I mean themed party: people dress, hang out and act as though we're already past the end of the world, with the weekend full of stuff like apocalypse-appropriate live music, modified cars and burlesque performances.

Wasteland Weekend [Official Site, via Laughing Squid]

Flipping tables. It's about as perfect a rage moment as you can get. And now, in WoW's upcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion, you'll be able to do it in a video game.

While there's actually a Japanese arcade game centred around this very premise, it's a Japanese arcade game. This will be a little more accessible.

Mists of Pandaria: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ [Massively]

Concept artist Brian Hagan has worked for clients like MMO giant NCSoft, Microsoft, Lucasarts and id Software. Which means he's worked on properties like Star Wars and RAGE.

So let's take a look!

The Star Wars game is actually Star Wars Kinect, which looks stupid in motion, but in terms of art, Brian's done wonders with what little he had to work with. The RAGE stuff is pretty great too.

You can see more of his work at his personal site.

An "undisclosed number" of staff at Doom and RAGE developers id Software have been let go. [Gamasutra]

Rage, id Software's beloved and detested blending of post-apocalyptic combat racing and first-person shooter, finally has a demo.

"The demo presents a slice of the early game, giving players a chance to explore the town of Wellspring and participate in races, games and other attractions. When you've had your fill there, you can head out to deal with some Ghost Clan raiders. Shooting might be involved."

For those of you who haven't picked up the game yet the demo is available now on Xbox Live and will hit the PS3 on Dec. 6. In the meantime check out my review if you want to read my take on the game. I fell into the first category.

RAGE demo up on Xbox Live; PS3 demo coming December 6 [Bethblog]

Here, in this Rage clip, wonky A.I. leads to deadly child's play. Peekaboo? More like peekabang.

Rage was released on Oct. 4. Read Kotaku's review here.

このＡＩは誰得？『RAGE』に登場する最強のチラチラ戦士 [へちま via Atomic Gamer]

Today's Fine Art features two men who worked on RAGE, id's recently-released desert shooter. One helped design (and build) the game's cars. The other, the game's mutants.

Both somehow found the time to draw pictures of pretty ladies as well. Which, given the amount of tiny shorts on display in this post-apocalyptic wasteland, shouldn't be too big a surprise!

The car stuff is the work of Joey Struve, who also did a whole load of the game's installations, vehicles and weapons as well (which you can see in the gallery above).

The character pieces, meanwhile, are from Ben Olson, who in addition to working on RAGE has done art for games like Area 51: BlackSite and the cancelled This is Vegas.

To see the larger pics in all their glory (or so you can save them as wallpaper), right-click on the "expand" icon on the main image above and select "open in new tab".

Rage's Wasteland is a mean bitch. There are essentials you are going to need to survive, like TV remote controls, dirty mags, and firepower. Who better to explain that than Snoop?

The famed rapper talks through what gets him through the Wasteland, as well as gives a rundown of weapons and gadgets. He also drew a picture of a dog with a rifle on its head—as one does.

Snoop also gives shout-outs to his buddies like Mike Tyson and Jermaine Dupree. Follow ya nose, ya nose knows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=LaXt2jDa5Xg