6/3 @ 1:58am - Testing out an Ark server. 100 people was too much, lagged to shit. Just lowered to 70. Connect through the server list on steam (view -> servers) under the name Rustafied.com.

3:36pm EST - Live on the Ark hype train. Choo choo! http://www.twitch.tv/rustafied

11:40am EST - Day two of Rust development for the week and excitement builds for the Thursday update. I had a chance to play the development branch for several hours last night; I'm happy to report the updated terrain, improved UI, and HDR effects are all awesome. The team is rocking out some good stuff today, so let's get into it…

Rotate is back

Since the radial menu updates last week, the rotate option has been missing from the hammer menu. Some people were worried it was gone for good, but thankfully, it was just a bug that Garry fixed today. And for a good reason, there is now more than just aesthetic purposes for rotating...

Building damage changes

Garry updated how damage on building parts works, making the outer sides much stronger than the inner. This is a big balance shift back in the favor of homeowners. According to Garry, the changes are as such:

• Melee / bullet damage is a 10th as effective to exterior
• Explosive damage is half as effective

Armor inside

In lieu of these changes to damage of interior vs. exterior parts, Andre has made it a bit easier to tell which is which on the armored tier by adding metals bars to the inside:

Pick up those mushrooms

Mushrooms are no longer just for show, they can now be picked up and eaten, providing a small amount of sustenance.

Night not as dark

One of the big things I noticed last night while playing on the development branch was that nights were almost pitch black. This has been toned down a bit today as Andre made it so nights don’t have a 100% black sky. That said, night still does appear significantly darker than it currently does on the main branch.

Mo' barrels

Another thing we noticed last night was a distinct lack of barrels on the updated terrain. After speaking with him briefly about it, Andre agreed to up the count a bit. Note: Barrels now just spawn close to roads and monuments, you will no longer find them randomly in fields.

Announcing: Arkafied

Just kidding, I’m not launching a new site for Ark. I am, however, lucky enough to have gotten my hands on some early tester keys for myself and my stream team. Therefore, as soon as I get the green light, we’re going to be streaming some Ark gameplay to see what all the hype is about. Follow Rustafied on twitch to know exactly when we go live.

Question? Comments? Join the conversation at Rustaforum.com

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