6:05pm EST - The update just hit and our servers are all up to date. Our main and dev branch servers wiped, check out the new maps here.

5:06pm EST - A couple more bugs, a couple more builds. Update still pending...

4:34pm EST - Update imminent - one final build running through Jenkins now. In the mean time, check out my new mug!

4:20pm EST - Anticipation builds as the update get's closer and closer. Added shots of the new heads below... eesh...

4:07pm EST - The devblog has just been posted.

3:36pm EST - Still no sign of the update... Looks like it'll drop any time now. Due to popular demand, we will be wiping our dev server along with main when the update hits.

2:23pm EST - With the update just hours away, Garry and team continue tweaking and fixing. Earlier today, Garry made it pretty. Here's a look at our new, slightly more saturated Rust:

5:10am EST - Today is the day we've all been waiting for… well, for the last six days at least. An update is dropping along with our weekly devblog fix. Some cool new eye candy sprinkled with performance enhancements and crash fixes; this is an update I’m happy to see go live. As always, I'll keep you posted as the day progresses. Before we get into the horses and headgear, lets touch on the biggest potential game changer of the week...

Decay

As Garry highlighted in last weeks devblog, a decay system is in the works. The first iteration of which is going live with this update. After planting some twig foundations on our dev server and watching them for far too long, I decided to ask Garry directly: How does this new decay system work?

Here’s what I got:

• It works as simply as it could possibly work right now, in a slow manner.
• Ideally it just works in the background, no required tricks like opening and closing a door every 24 hours (oh hi Legacy, I didn’t see you back there…)
• This is a first iteration, the specifics are irrelevant as they will change and evolve rapidly
• Long and short: This is the first attempt at an automated cleanup of abandoned buildings

Look at my Horse, my Horse is Amazing.

Not since chickens have we seen a new animal in the realm of Rust. I’m tired of those cluckity bastards mocking me at night, so I welcome our new nag. Not ridable (yet), these handsome beasts provide wolf meat and all the other fixins you would expect from the Rust wildlife. They behave like a slightly slower, introverted deer, who only stops chasing its own tail to avoid human contact. Here’s some screens and a video:

Burlap headgear

The newest craze in Rust headwear is here: Burlap headgear. Costing 30 cloth and craftable by all, you’re bound to see every Tom, Dick and Newman sporting one. Leave your facemasks and bucket helmets at home, however, this puppy isn't compatible.

Deployable gibs

Several objects such as storage boxes, the furnace, and the repair bench now have gibs. This means they no longer just disappear when destroyed, they now break into pieces. Here’s a look:

New heads

You or your friends may be getting a facelift with this update, 3 new head models have been added to the mix. No visuals on this yet, but be on the lookout for unfamiliar faces.

Update: Here's a shot of the 3 new heads from the devblog.. there are going to be some ugly motherfuckers running around once this update hits...

One line signs

In an effort to become more reliable, signs have been limited to one line of text.

Dropped items

Less and less burlap bags will be seen littering the land; many dropped items now have world models.

Other things in this update:

• New, more hearty and deep, barrel sound
• Thompson fires slower
• Grenade has new effects
• C4 no longer destroys boxes through walls
• Tracers on bullets are back (see raid video below)
• Speedtree optimizations

Collider conclusion

This week we've been testing the limits of colliders on our main server. Just about breaching 200k for both entities and colliders, build physics are still working and gameplay is not totally fucked. That said, client and server performance is significantly less than after a fresh wipe (not shocking). The conclusion being: Thankfully, physics don’t appear to be going batshit crazy around 150k colliders anymore, however, the fact remains: More shit on the map = Lower performance all the way around.

What does that mean for our servers?

• Main: will wipe when the update hits.
• Low Pop: will not wipe (on target to last another week or so).
• Dev branch: Doesn't need a wipe but people are asking for one. Vote on it here.

Freecam raids: So hot right now.

You may have noticed the quality of my screenshots has increased over the past few days, along with some short videos. I’m proud to announce: I am no longer confined to the slideshow gaming prison that was my Macbook Pro. I have (re)joined the master race, and it is glorious! In honor of this, I’ve started recording some gameplay in our servers; boarding the Rust freecam bandwagon before it departs the station. I present: Freecam Raid Footage: Volume 1.

Question? Comments? Join the conversation at Rustaforum.com