1:00pm EST - Our update preview stream from the HDRP branch is live! twitch.tv/rustafied

12:00am EST - The HDRP backport branch is available for testing and it looks great! This article covers the main changes you can expect to see once HDRP goes primetime. Scroll to the bottom for more update news from this week.

Our update preview stream goes live from this branch at 1pm EST. Follow @Rustafied for news throughout the day.

Overview

Live on a separate staging branch, players are now able to test out HDRP for the first time. It’s been a long time coming, as various branches of HDRP have been being worked on for almost 2 years!

If you’re not aware, HDRP stands for “high definition render pipeline.” It’s a feature of Unity (the underlying engine that runs Rust) which allows for higher fidelity graphics at less expense to your PC. It’s been a bumpy ride, but the team is finally ready to let the public test this exciting overhaul.

Long and short: this stuff looks fabulous! Mixed in with a slew of graphical improvements to world elements, many points of interest around the map have shifted. Although the team has noted performance isn’t expected to be better, they don’t envision it being any worse. If testing goes well this month, we can expect a full release with the large monthly update on May 6th.

This article summarizes many of the shifts to the map along with showing off some of the new eye candy you can expect. As always, I’ll do my best to keep this page up to date as changes come in throughout the month.

How to try it out

Want to experience this for yourself? Well you’re in luck! Simply right click your Rust staging branch in your Steam library, select properties, then hit the BETAS tab which shows up. From there select the ‘aux01 - backport’ from the dropdown and run the automatically queued update. Viola, you’re in!

World objects

The most striking thing about HDRP is really just how broad of an improvement it is to the look of the entire game. So many textures and models for all parts of the map have been tweaked, upgraded, and improved - the fidelity has definitely been turned up.

The sheer amount of changes is just too much to list. Ground textures, foliage, resources, mountains, rock faces, ice sheets… all these and more have been improved! Here is an assortment of images which show off just some of the changes.

Satellite Dish

Some monuments have been completely overhauled. First, the Satellite Dish has had quite the facelift. Along with raised platforms connecting each part of the monument, there are now a couple tunnels which feature wooden crates. In addition, a recycler and phone are out in the open next to a new parking lot (a new feature of many of the monuments). Finally, there is still a green keycard puzzle which can be found in a small building off the platform.

Edit: The recycler has been moved to under the base of a broken dish (see last pic below)

Junkyard

Next on the list of completely redone monuments, Junkyard not only features a whole new look, it has some exciting new functionality in the works. This fresh take on Junkyard is much more car oriented. With a static lift in the parking lot entrance along with a magnetic crane and car compactor, players will soon be able to not only work on their cars, but also recycle them for scrap and other materials.

This monument is still a work in progress as the compactor / crane combo doesn't appear to be fully functional yet. That said, it’s safe to say this monument will have much more utility than its predecessor.

Edit: The Magnetic Crane now works and allows for players to drive it around, pick up cars, and shred them for scrap and other resources.

The Dome

Next up we have The Dome. Although the internal and top sections of this monument remain relatively untouched (with the exception of making a critical jump a lot easier), the entire under area has been completely redone. There’s also a new parking lot which has been added.

Edit: There’s also a new CCTV camera on top of dome (code of DOMETOP).

Airfield

The Airfield also received a couple of changes with HDRP. Along with the addition of a good ole’ freight transit line station, all towers have been raised up on concrete platforms and some new entrance features. There’s also a covered Chinook added to the helipad and some updates to the parking lot.

Sewer Branch

A couple things have shifted with the Sewer Branch - all to do with the above ground portions. The main building on the top now has a parking lot area and some new aesthetics. Also, some pipes have shifted location on the topside. As with many other monuments, a FTL station was added nearby. All the under-bits still appear the same.

Train Yard

Several miscellaneous elements of trainyard have been moved around. Also, the inside of the main building has shifted a bit.

Abandoned Cabins

The micro-monument, Abandoned Cabins, has been tweaked a bit with HDRP. Along with some layout / look changes, one of the cabins now has a 2 player poker table in it.

Lighthouses

A feature of HDRP not to be overlooked, Lighthouses now have a rotating ray of light! Although the structure of Lighthouses remains the same, this new effect looks great.

Other things of note

A freight transit line entrance and parking lot have been added to many other monuments
Arch rocks are gone - all 3 popular building “arch” rocks removed
There are tons of new junk vehicle models around
There’s now a second recycler at Bandit

More pictures

Here are some more shots to show off the glory of HDRP.

In other development news

Easter content is being removed today (small client and server update expected)
Fixes for viewmodel floating issues
Fixed poker turn not ending when it should if the last player's action was to fold
Player now needs to hold escape to exit the poker UI (same as space)
L96 Specular setup (no longer uses metallic setup). Now good for skin creators
Disabled incremental garbage collector on macOS again
Fix for audio perspectives sometimes getting mixed up