Community Update 14

There's been a fair amount of community chatter about the blueprint plans that Garry posted last week. I'd hoped to include some of the feedback here, to go over the merits of the arguments and suggestions, but boy was there a lot. As I've only had a couple of working days between that post and this post, I'm erring on the side of caution. There's a lot to be said, and has been said, about it, and collating it all in a rush won't help. Garry has dropped a Reddit thread for people to talk it over. We are listening. So we're going to do a standard round-up of community things this week, starting with that strange image on the top of the post.

When I posted about a screenshot that showed an entire server's world, a few people started to talk about in-game maps. With the procedural worlds, there's a sense of adventure on every server. Unless a server seed's shared, no two worlds will have the same shape: mountains, water, islands will sculpt a different space for you to live in. Legacy has only one world, so mapping it was easy. Maps existed out of the game, and with the set landmarks it was easy to find your way around. The challange of a procedural map--and it's a good challenge--is that it's initially unknowable, and that you have to put the work in to feel your way around it. BioClone's thread on the Facepunch forums was about that learning experience, and how it can be captured in a game. You'd start with a blank map, as above, but as you'd play the map would fill in, which is what the top image is showing (sneakily borrowed from Metro 2033). An additional compass completes his plan.

... if you open the map you will just see the areas you already have discovered (after the crafting of the map), but you just see the explored terrain, NOT your location. Once a compass is done, then, every time you open the map you should see on the map: "fog of war" (places not discovered), explored areas and your location.

It's a neat idea, but this is Rust. Why should things be neat? A counterpoint to this comes from the gloriously named grizzlyhuggs: his thread about maps really delves into the sort of detail we like. Going from this: To this: His method requires the player to get outside, but it takes skill and time, and that's the point.

Firstly no games have done creating your own map that I’m aware of. I also think it would feel like such a personal touch. What if you only had one copy of your map and someone stole it how much would you need to track them down if not to kill them then to ask them to make you a copy.

I'm a fan of player made artefacts like this. Something unique to the maker. Particularly with maps, because when that knowledge is so valuable then it can be fought for and lied about.

You people terrify me. Rust is a survival game. It is not meant to be copied, because it is not a nice game. And yet there's never a week when you've somehow brought the game into the real-world and then sent me photograpic evidence. I feel like a colluder. Olle "I rusted in real life for a change" Svensson sent me a pic of his wooden shelter--what Survivorman has taught me is known as a lean-to--and suggests you all try this at least once. I love that he snuck the logo in there. He was joined in the outdoors by Samuel Doleman, who made a torch based on the in-game one. This is going to end with one of you wearing frog boots and smashing somone's skull in with a rock, isn't it? Please don't.

Full disclosure: Argyle has a lovely beard. I also know he's been dying for voice chat to work so he can delve into the game and do his investigative journalisms about NuRust. I particularly like the guy who worries that Argyle's an investigator looking for a murderer, and not an investigative journalist. What does he have to hide? Aside from the murder of a journalist. Warning: has BAD swears. I am so glad we got mouth movement in the game. There's nothing better than the jawy chatterring breaking up the awkward silences.

Got a song, a suggestion, or anything you want to say about Rust? Have you moved into a cave because you played Rust? There's a dedicated forum post, or you can post in inky depths of Reddit. I also shuffle around the the Steam Community, so feel free to show me to things from there. You can follow and respond to Rust on Twitter, and I'm on there as well. We also have a dedicated site for suggestions and bug reporting. I can't respond to everything, but I read every comment and take it all in. Just be nice.