Community Update 58

This community update is about alternate forms of Rust. Largely, it's about servers with different rule-sets and game-modes for you to play. The sort of stuff you'll find in the 'Modded' section of the server browser, the dark basement of the Rust community. There's some cool stuff being built on the bones of Rust. The header image is from the 'Rustomaniacs' server. It's a modded Rust server with a central city. There's a travel system, and the usual modded gathering rates (and active admins - I know because I was banned as I was flying and trying to find the city - if anyone there is reading this, I am very nice), but it's the buildings that are worth visiting for. Take a look. Search the browser for Rustomaniacs, or cut and paste the IP from here.

A look at the many ways mods and server owners have changed base-Rust. For most of these you need to do is hop into the Community or Modded sections of the server browser and search for a keyword, though there are some that won't be online, or are still so experimental that the creator is only hosting as a test. Some only exist on one server, giving the creator exclusivity. I've already covered Battle Royale loads, so it won't be here, but it's the most famous Rust mode there is, and is very much worth playing. Now to the rest.

Battlefield

Oftentimes in Rust, the crack of a gun echoing about the map is something to be feared. You're supposed to be wary, because someone firing a gun could take everything you have, break the doors off your house, and leave a sign portraying your lack of sexual prowess for everyone to see. But on a Battlefield server, that noise is everywhere. Sure, you'll want to run and hide for a bit, but only to get some bearings before you join the fight. You spawn on a beach with a kit of guns, armour, food, and meds. On a normal Rust server you'd be set for life, but on a Battlefield server you're born in the middle of a firefight and you'd better be prepared. There's no respite: the spawn will have people fighting on it, and you'll get dragged in. Those who escape won't wander too far from the area, so expect snipers taking shots at you just for fun. It's tough, but it's also a good place to teach yourself the intricacies of a Rust firefight. Amazingly, people even manage to build on these servers. Have a look. Also, the biggest server uses this as its server image. You'll definitely die a lot in Battlefield, but that's the point: not caring about that is liberating, and respawning with everything you need to get into the fight gives you a sliver of a chance. That's enough to propel you into some awesome, consequence-free firefights. Just search the browser for 'Battlefield' and join a busy one.

Gungame

I played this on the UK Wasteland server, a place known for some creative uses of Rust. PsychoTea has implemented a classic FPS deathmatch mode on the server. It works in an instance on their main server: each player spawns with a revolver, and with each kill they trade the weapon 'up' through Rust's weapon tiers. Your progress can be stopped by dying, or even reversed if you're killed by another player's hatchet. As you can imagine, this ends up in a very frantic shoot-em-up. There's no allies because there's no time to form them, and even if you could there's only one winner. Lives pass in the blink of a shotgun, with bullets coming in from all angles. It's pretty unlike any form of Rust you've ever played. The IP is here.

Red vs Blue

If you see 'TEAM BATTLEFIELD BETA - RED VS BLUE - SAVAS ISLAND' in the server browser, you should hop on. You'll be on Savas Island, pressganged into one of two team vying for control of the central hill, as well as hunting down airdrops and hoping to not anger the attack chopper. Everyone (currently) starts on the opposite side of the map with an inventory full of guns. It's so early that the only video of it is of Let's Player Scardigne not really playing it, but our Petur snuck on this weekend and snapped this screenshot. Scardigne is correct: there's not many team-based servers for Rust. At least not forced, so it's a change of pace. Show the server some love.

Rust The RPG

Playrustpublic moderator Ruigi is the mastermind behind this, turning Rust into something a little less daunting and a little more recognisable as a traditional game. His RPG has pre-made cities with NPC traders, enabling you to buy anything the game has without worrying about being double-crossed. You just visit the relevant trader and stock up. But there's more: the town has a church, art gallery, a hotel, and like all centres of commerce there's an arena where you can earn money to spend in the shops. There's even NPCs who'll hand out quests. To show just how involved he's trying to make it, here's Ruigi on trade routes: 'The easiest way to make money is by commodities trading. OTP&M has a trader in every town where you can buy and sell "commodities" (low grade fuel, oil, HQM and HQ ore). You can buy the raw materials in Twoson so process and sell in another or make a tidy profit buying HQM from up north for cheap and selling it for premium in the desert or the reverse with low grade fuel. You can also sell rare items from hostile NPCs to certain shops.'

Splatoon!

I don't even know where to begin with this one. Splatoon is a Nintendo shooter, but players use paint instead of bullets, and they attempt to cover the map with their team colour. To sort of achieve that in Rust, creator IRLAlex has a building where players are split into teams. Where each player runs they change the ground into either stone or wood, representing the team's 'colour'. If you can't picture that, this is what it looks like. If you want to play it, you're currently out of luck: Creator Alex has whitelisted the server, but he has plans to open it up to the public eventually: 'This event was hosted on my own private white listed server, if you'd like to participate in a similar event and be featured in one of my videos feel free to direct any queries you have @inreallifealex on Twitter. Suggestions for games to recreate in Rust are also very much welcome!'

Think you're working on something awesome? Tell me all about it. Now's the time to share your base designs, or get into the growing Raid Cam business, or share a game-mode your server hosts. There's a dedicated forum post, or you can fish for upvotes in the Subreddit. 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. I can't respond to everything, but I read every comment and take it all in.