Hardcore mode live for testing! | Rust Update 19th August 2022
This RUST update video is brought to you by Shadowfrax!
We’re now halfway through the August wipe, so it’s time to start looking toward September’s content update. There’s been a lot happening in the commits lately, but one feature we are particularly excited about is the release of RUST’s second officially-supported game mode: hardcore mode. This game mode is completely optional, and server owners can enable hardcore mode on their servers much the same way as softcore mode, using gamemode.set hardcore.
The RUST Hardcore mode
Running a RUST server in hardcore mode will flip the off-switch on a good majority of the features added to the game over the past couple of years. Features like missions, the MLRS, the Marketplace, RUST+, the Contact System, the Team system, crawling when wounded, and safe zones will be disabled for hardcore mode. Global chat is also removed, but a local chat has been added that players within 100 meters of each other can use to communicate if they don’t destroy each other first.
Additionally, all potential references to the game map are disabled, including client-side commands to render maps of both the world and tunnels. The in-game compass will also be disabled, so pay attention to the sun’s position, folks.
If you’re itching to take a look at the hardcore mode experience in its current state, follow the steps below to opt into the correct staging branch.
How to opt-in to a RUST Beta Branch
- Right-click on the game in your Steam library and choose ‘Properties’ from the context menu.
- Click on the Betas tab to bring up a dropdown that will show which betas you’ve opted in to (default setting to ‘none.’)
- From this list, select ‘aux02 ’ and this will queue your staging branch with the update for the auxiliary branch.
- Install the update and run the game to search for servers that are running the desired update. If you are up to the task, you could even setup your own staging branch server.
Other highlights in this RUST update include:
- Hardcore mode can now be tested on the AUX02 staging branch
- A new Hardcore server tag is being added for use in the server browser
- Turn on hardcore mode right away using the console command gamemode.set hardcore
- Many of the nice-to-have features of the vanilla experience will be removed in hardcore mode
- The mission system will be removed for hardcore mode
- A previously hidden branch called “Caboose” revealed yesterday with mentions of wood interiors and rugs
- Pickup notices will now be a ticker-total, rather than many rapidly appearing and fading notifications
- The furnace UI update is still in the works, with newer visuals being tested out
- A new convar global.consolescale will scale the font size up for those who need it
- The pets branch contains newer commits for adding harnesses for dogs
- The pets branch also makes mention of 3 different varieties of dogs
- The flickering shoreline bug seems to be resolved
Be sure to browse Shadowfrax’s past RUST videos and don’t forget to subscribe to his channel for alerts on his latest work!
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Video Transcript
Greetings, survivors and friends; Shadowfrax here with a quick update today, just to bring you up to speed on the main news from the world of Rust development. But first, if at some point during the video you feel like slapping the like and subscribe buttons, I would very much appreciate it.
So the big news this week is all about the optional hardcore mode, the mode that rips off the training wheels and beats you to death with them, and the fact that you can now inflict your bad selves with it over on the staging aux02 branch.
For details of how to opt-in, I’ll put some waffle in the description. It only takes a jiffy, and if you’re running a server on that branch, you can actually switch over to the hardcore game mode on the fly by running the command “gamemode.sethardcore” in the console. But note: switching back does require a server reset.
On running the command, everyone on the server will be killed and have to respawn, although they do seem to keep their BPs at the moment, and you’ll notice a few changes come into effect, which I’ve mumbled about in previous vids. But to reiterate.
A lot of features will be removed, such as the map in any form and for any reason (no paper maps either, that’s not coming back, you’ll have to use your brain instead, ouch). The contact system is gone, and the TEAM system is gone. No compass, no global chat, but you do get 100-meter range chat.
Also, say goodbye to Rust+, crawling when wounded, and you can only put down a maximum of 5 sleeping bags. You’ll notice with this mode enabled that safe zones are no longer safe, and although the outpost and bandit camp still work and sell you stuff, no peacekeepers or turrets will stand between you and anyone else.
Apart from this, the MLRS is being disabled, mainly because it contains a map, I presume. And BPs will be forced to wipe monthly. There are also plenty of other steps being taken to keep map seeds secret, although my bets are still on someone finding a way around it. Because if you didn’t like a challenge, you wouldn’t be playing on hardcore in the first place.
It looks like this option will be going live in September, and at risk of repeating myself again, it’s just optional, in the same way that softcore mode is optional for all the little survival snowflakes out there.
Bonkety bonk Mcbonk, neigh pang fw-brrrrrr!
Talking of softcore servers, as you can see in the thumbnail, there’s a new reclaim terminal model coming, which is very nice.
The flickering on shorelines seems to finally be fixed! Take that global warming!
There’ll be a change to pickup notices, and instead of multiple notifications when harvesting stuff quickly, they’ll now be collated into one running total. This should help improve that all-important performance, especially when using tools like the jackhammer.
The latest iteration of the furnace UI, which is still SUBJECT TO CHANGE, I might add.. not that many of you take any notice.. is also on this branch, and as you can see, it is looking a lot cleaner.. and works like a flow chart just in case what’s going on isn’t obvious enough.
It’s pretty straightforward, with the number of slots for raw and cooked things changing depending on the thing you’re using, and with large furnaces, for instance, even though only one stack of ore will be used up at a time, it does smelt a lot quicker than the small furnace again. I’ve seen a lot of your comments asking when this is coming in, and I think the answer is next month; not sure. But stay tuned, and I’ll try to confirm that.
And there’s a new convar “global.consolescale” to change the font size in the console window, the default is 12, and it seems to go up to 30.,or you could just move your face closer to the screen.
Over to works in progress where all the exciting stuff is always occurring! And first of all, there’s a lot happening with pets. Seems to be all doggos at the moment, and there are mentions of a GSD, either a German Shepherd dog or geriatric sausage dog; not sure yet. A retriever hopefully, good at collecting vood, and a Mastiff, grrrr. No imagery yet, but there are plenty of examples of the real thing out there if you’re desperate.
Procedural caves are rumbling along, as is the nexus system with work happening to add a new ferry terminal somewhere; there’s mention of a shared map table. I think for the clan system and a new caboose, which I’m guessing is another train wagon type for ferrying zergs around or something.
Oh yes, and modular gun racks and storage lockers in varying sizes are being worked on, but again no piccies yet, but stay tuned.
