The image at the top of the page comes from frank_walls' Ruined Buildings post on the Facepunch forums. I always like to see players inspired by the game, and it's even nicer to see players riffing off each other. Frank's take was inspired by Biolcone's sunken buildings suggestion from a previous post. Frank took that idea one step further, and imagined what the landscape could look like if larger buildings were more heavily buried; skyscrapers poking up through the surface like the broken bones of the world. Frank's plan actually takes into account the rest of the buildings, and though I'm not sure if it's a possible scenario, the idea is great:

The majority of the structure would actually be underground. It would basically be a sunken 10 story building you could go into. Perhaps some floors would have stairs to let you go down, but others would only have a hole with no way up unless you had supplies to build stairs. Imagine climbing down to the bottom and finding a pile of discarded backpacks (like legacy) from people who got trapped in there.

It would look something like this (click for a larger image with lots of parts). It would certainly be a different experience than we currently have in Rust, though it does nod towards the sort of buildings the players build.

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, and have a lovely holiday. I'll see you in 2015.

Buildings are more than just a home in Rust. They're usually a base of operations, a stash for your loot, and a place to harvest the flesh of your enemies to nourish your clan. There's nothing homely about them, really. But from the outside, the wooden logs and the glow of the fires within, they can be almost inviting. Not only to the weary traveller looking for warmth and walls, but to the people who calculate just what they can take. Even the smallest shack might hold something. Alex_the_Link on reddit discovered just a place: a welcoming shack nestled in the hills, but it wasn't what it appeared:

After a few minutes of exploring, we came across a small, 4x4, stone shack with a locked metal door and a wood ramp leading up to its roof. Only three of the four roof tiles were built, leading us to believe the shack had been already raided. However, being naive and curious noobs, we decided to jump in without giving it a second thought. We noticed a couple of boxes filled with human meat and skulls as well as a simple fire pit. Nothing interesting, just a new player starting out. However, after quickly scanning the small room, we realized we were stuck inside, without any easy way of getting out. We couldn't build, there was a cupboard hidden somewhere. The only hope we had of escaping was to take the time to "raid" ourselves out of this place! We took out our tools and started hacking away at the stone wall. Half way through the hacking, my friend stopped to admire a second door that lead to another room somewhere. He looked back at the box of human meat, the stone walls and then yelled "OMG" into his mic. "What is it" I answered. "This is a fucking human trap!"

Read the rest. It's a great little story about the callous meat grinder that could hide in every shack.

Want to help out Rust? We hired an Alex to be our sound guy. He'll turn the soundscape of Rust into something more, er, better sounding? He's a man with ears who listens to all the noises and notices things like the heavy bass on the rock strike, and the wrong crumple at the flap of a chicken's wing. He's promised that he leaves the house with a microphone and makes the sounds you'll be hearing physically, which makes me really worry about any melee impact noise. Have we sent someone out into the world to kill bears with rocks? People? Anyway Alex, being the conscientiousness sort of chap, would like your input on how Rusts sounds. He's started a thread on the forum asking for opinions, so if you have access you're welcome to bend his ear about it. But not too much, as that's how he earns a living.

It's been just over a year since Rust landed on Steam, which means two things: we're close to Xmas, so Facepunch are about to take a well-earned rest to celebrate the birth of Santa; it's also that time of year where a lot of people have time to spare, so I thought I'd recommend some long-form Rust Youtube series. Most of these have all popped up in the community posts from time to time. If Christmas TV is boring, and if you're too bloated from yams to do anything but stare at a screen, click these for fun times.

The Tuna Bandits

My favourite series: starting all the way back in Legacy. Don't be put off by the incredibly loud opening; these guys aren't as loud as they first appear, and their journey through Rust is story of food, Jimmys, and really hilarious slavery.

The Legend Of FastDonkeyNads

This is great: most players who upload to Youtube do it willingly, but FastDonkeyNads had no idea he was being recorded and made into a Youtube star. The real tragedy is that he discovered it so soon, as other players were recognising him from videos he knew nothing about.

Evicting Bandits

Nick sadly didn't make a playlist of Rust videos, but you can click here and see the rest of his videos. This is a really nice short video about evicting bandits. The moment when they turn on each other is hilarious. If you're looking for something more streamy, Steam now has a broadcast feature.