The survival MMO Rust is currently recording a player record on Steam. We take a look at what led to this.
What is Rust? Rust is a survival game that is a bit harsher than genre representatives like Conan Exiles or ARK. This is due to the game’s PvP and the community, which thrives on player versus player combat. They are essentially at the center of the experience, but can be ruthless.
Besides that, Rust offers a player experience that you surely know from other survival titles.
- You start naked (and I mean literally) and have to gather resources to craft items, including tools and weapons.
- Hunger, thirst, and cold play a role. You need to gather food, drink, and warm up by the fire.
- It is necessary to build a shelter that serves as storage and a retreat.
- You can even form alliances with other players and build entire cities together.
Rust is a huge success, thanks to Twitch
What is the current status of Rust? According to Steamcharts, the game had 134,255 simultaneous players in the past 30 days. That is a new record. Thus, Rust was able to dethrone the previous survival leader ARK in the last 30 days.
The ratings on Steam in the past 30 days are 90% positive. However, Rust has been receiving good ratings for quite some time now. The average rating is therefore 85%.
How did this success come about? A big part of the current hype comes from 50 Twitch streamers, including Valkyrae, Pokimane, Myth, and shroud. After Christmas, they started an event in Rust that ran on a private server. This event was so well received by the streamers’ fans that the game experienced a massive increase in players and became a topic in the media again.
Even the Twitch bad boy Félix “xQc” Lengyel joined in, which caused a little drama as he stirred trouble.
Nevertheless, this did not diminish Rust’s popularity. This shows that well-known Twitch streamers can ensure the success of games – just like what happened with Among Us and Escape from Tarkov.
What do players say about Rust? Fans explain that they have a kind of love-hate relationship with the survival game. There are always situations in which frustration dominates. Here, the wipes play a significant role.
Rust occasionally resets the servers, forcing players to start over. Traditionally, wipes are not announced long in advance. These wipes offer new opportunities for players, but also annoy some. But that’s just part of Rust.
- Timm3D writes on Steam: “It’s an absolute love-hate relationship. On one hand, it’s so much fun, on the other hand, you might get unlucky and get wiped, which can drive you crazy.”
- Genghis Khan says: “A very fun game. I only recommend it if you are ready for 7 strokes and 3 heart attacks per wipe. Other than that, it’s a very good game.”
- termo2 loves Rust, but has a problem with it: “The game is a lot of fun, I’ve played it for many hours, but unfortunately I can’t give a thumbs up. Rust has suffered from cheaters and macros since the beginning. Both are equally bad, it is 90% not possible to win a fight against a player, where every shot goes straight.”
Early Access, Electricity, and New Combat System
How has Rust developed over time? Rust launched in December 2013 via Steam as an early access game. It wasn’t until February 2018 that the official release took place. The developers originally aimed to create a DayZ clone with the survival game, which the CEO of the developer studio openly admitted (via garry’s blog).
After the early access launch, updates with new mechanics like hunting were regularly released. The originally included zombies were removed by the team in February 2014 and replaced with mutated animals.
Rust has suffered from cheaters from the very beginning, and they still pose a problem today. However, anti-cheat measures have noticeably improved the situation.
The developers experiment a lot with gameplay mechanics:
- There was an EXP system that was highly anticipated beforehand, but received heavy criticism upon release in 2016, which led to its removal. This shows how closely the developers interact with the community and respond to feedback and wishes.
- The combat system was redesigned, now resembling a traditional shooter more.
- Furthermore, new content is constantly being introduced, such as electricity in an update at the end of December. Accompanying this were innovations such as automated turrets.
- New items continue to be added that players can craft, including weapons and items for a swimming pool.
Rust has a strong and dedicated community, which is considered toxic. Interactions between players can be quite rough. It is necessary to toughen up if you want to play. But that’s also become part of the player experience of the survival MMO.
Rust is listed on MeinMMO as one of the best survival games for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
