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Note: Multiple updates at the bottom.

Sad news, Facepunch are no longer selling the Linux version of their survival game Rust [Official Site] after removing mentions of Linux support yesterday from their Steam page.

Linux support has been available in Rust since 2013, along with continued support during Early Access and after the official release earlier this year. It was a bit of a surprise that we got an email from a reader, to mention that the Steam store page for Rust was no longer showing the SteamOS/Linux icon or listing it in the system requirements.

Thinking it was a mistake, since nothing was announced, I reached to Facepunch to which they replied with:

Hey dude - yeah we stopped selling Rust for Linux.

I did request more information as to why and will update this article if I receive any further information. To be fair, they haven't had a lot of time to respond again yet, but I feel it's important to get the word out.

It's possible it's due to issues with the Unity game engine, which has suffered some nuisance problems with their Linux support lately. We've gone through black screens, no input in fullscreen and the latest being double-input issues—all issues that have plagued a number of games that use Unity. All of which have been solved in updated versions of Unity though. Still, it has become more of a hassle for developers to support us due to issues like this repeatedly coming up.

To be clear on something though, it might only mean that they're not actively advertising it as a Linux supported game, while still allowing Linux users to buy it and play it—something a few other developers do as well. I highly doubt they would actually remove the Linux version, after it being around for so long.

Really sad about this, we have an active community-run server with plenty of people enjoying themselves on it. Sin has livestreamed plenty of it on our Twitch Channel, purchased skins and all. With all the additions to the game, it was really becoming quite interesting. Even I was also going to be jumping back in soon, so this has me a little down as I did quite enjoy the game as well.

As always, please remain respectful in the comments. Issues like this can become quite heated, but let's not go throwing any insults around. Now is a time to show your support, not have a war of words.

Updates

Garry responded on Twitter and said this:

We stopped selling Rust on Linux because we won't/don't give it the QA support it needs. There are situations where there's a Unity Linux bug that pops up, and we ship with it - because it's the right decision for 99.99% of our players.

And while 60% of Linux users are fine with this, they understand their position in this world, it's probably not the right thing to act like it's fine. So while we're still going to ship Linux updates and keep it up to date.. we're not going to sell it anymore.

Also Linux Community - being abusive, demanding, rude to the few developers actually shipping games to your favourite OS isn't the way to go. It makes me regret ever shipping Linux versions.

I've said it before and I will say it again: Developers are human, people do need to understand that and not resort to throwing insults around right away. Even so, if you sell a game on any platform you should be doing QA on it—there's no excuse for not doing it.

Update #2 - Here's what another developer said on Reddit:

Linux is and will still be supported but the decision to remove Linux from purchase was mainly based on multiple issues in the current Unity version (2018.1.4).

We're currently unable to downgrade to a Unity version which corrects these Linux issues and we're unable to upgrade Unity to 2018.2 due to a number of new issues.

Linux is in a state of limbo in which we're unable to resolve, instead of selling a broken platform we decided to remove it from purchase but still offer it to existing players.

Once Linux is in a working state we'll review the decision.

Hat tip to Basiani for letting us know.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Purple Library Guy Aug 2, 2018
Quoting: SalvatosWell, a lot of people here seemed to think he was too honest.
I think there's some disagreement about whether his call-out/s of the Linux community represent abrasive honesty (as Liam does) or are in fact somewhat disingenuous. I'm not sure myself, but I do think we need to start getting away from our half-instinctive idea that abrasiveness == honesty, since many of the biggest and most important liars these days are also some of the biggest trash-talkers.
nox Aug 3, 2018
Quoting: joaojottaCurrent version of Unity?!? Since when did Rust become a stable game?
Update after update Linux users chew their nails in hope for the game to even start.
That sounds like an excuse.
Regret buying the game.

Facepunch (according to their website) have more abandoned projects than finished/under development and prototypes combined so yeah, I’d say there’s more to it than just “Unity is broken for Linux”.

I could be wrong but I think there’s more to it.

Meanwhile, Facepunch Studios is on my black list.

Honestly, a lot of the issues for the past few months has been entirely caused by unity and nvidia issues. That's not on them.
They also don't have a history with linux problems after updates, unless you are talking about the system requirements going up.

Jotta, you are being too negative here.


Don't get me wrong here, I don't know what their long term plans are and I do not know if they'll let quality go even further down, but what you are saying is 1) factually wrong and 2) partially lies.


Last edited by nox on 3 August 2018 at 9:11 am UTC
namiko Aug 3, 2018
Quoting: liamdaweEdit: I've said all I will probably say on this, I don't really have anything to add without repeating myself at this point. People are free to vent a little, because the situation sucks and I really am not trying to be "demeaning" in any way, but we have a certain level of discussion to hold here I just don't want comments to be rammed full of insults :)
Eh, not sure you can avoid that kind of thing if there's a comment section. If it escalates into crazy shit like death threats or suggesting violence, yeah, delete it.

Just don't be surprised at the vitriol. GoL being a place for discussion doesn't make this happen, devs like Garry make this happen, everywhere that people (mostly) speak freely online.

I don't know why you're expecting people to stay nice in the comments when you're reporting on something that you surely must know will piss people off. :/ It isn't realistic.

Nor can you personally be held responsible for the thoughts, feelings, criticisms and anger of everybody here, that just doesn't make sense. *chuckle* If you wanted a place where everyone was always reasonable, why have a gaming website at all? :)

Is it Valve's fault that their forums are full of shitposting? There are also good and valuable discussions there that help people. Should Valve offer forums on Steam at all because some parts of them are full of anger? Is that Valve's fault, or the individuals who use their platforms' fault?

Trying to prevent online conflicts too much just makes people dig in their heels and *insist* they are right to keep being angry, and they stay angry for longer than if left alone (genuinely extreme examples as stated above aside).

Not saying we shouldn't try for decent discussion, that's the ideal, but we can be hotheaded sometimes and think things through calmly at other times. :) It'll all pass with time, just trust us.
joaojotta Aug 6, 2018
Quoting: nox
Quoting: joaojottaCurrent version of Unity?!? Since when did Rust become a stable game?
Update after update Linux users chew their nails in hope for the game to even start.
That sounds like an excuse.
Regret buying the game.

Facepunch (according to their website) have more abandoned projects than finished/under development and prototypes combined so yeah, I’d say there’s more to it than just “Unity is broken for Linux”.

I could be wrong but I think there’s more to it.

Meanwhile, Facepunch Studios is on my black list.

Honestly, a lot of the issues for the past few months has been entirely caused by unity and nvidia issues. That's not on them.
They also don't have a history with linux problems after updates, unless you are talking about the system requirements going up.

Jotta, you are being too negative here.


Don't get me wrong here, I don't know what their long term plans are and I do not know if they'll let quality go even further down, but what you are saying is 1) factually wrong and 2) partially lies.
Wrong? For more than once I had to go on Windows do play Rust. A thing that pushed me away from the game.
That’s true.
A Unity problem? But the game I bought is from Facepunch. I don’t care about what engine they use. My “contract” is with them, not Unity.

What lies are you talking about?
That they have more abandoned projects than completed ones? That the game was never very stable? That updates more often than not actually break the game (OK, I’ll give that one as I stopped playing the game so it could be better now).

Nox, I love you man, but don’t call me a liar. I spoke of my personal experience as a customer and that is what should be considered. I didn’t make up anything.
I don’t even hate them. Just got burned, don’t want to get burned again. That’s why they’re blacklisted for me.

They were failing to deliver. Period.
Let’s just hope they keep supporting the game for Linux long enough to actually bring it back for sale.
Honestly, both for Linux gamers and their business (more sales).
nox Aug 6, 2018
Quoting: joaojottaWrong? For more than once I had to go on Windows do play Rust. A thing that pushed me away from the game.
That’s true.
A Unity problem? But the game I bought is from Facepunch. I don’t care about what engine they use. My “contract” is with them, not Unity.

What lies are you talking about?
That they have more abandoned projects than completed ones? That the game was never very stable? That updates more often than not actually break the game (OK, I’ll give that one as I stopped playing the game so it could be better now).

Nox, I love you man, but don’t call me a liar. I spoke of my personal experience as a customer and that is what should be considered. I didn’t make up anything.
I don’t even hate them. Just got burned, don’t want to get burned again. That’s why they’re blacklisted for me.

They were failing to deliver. Period.
Let’s just hope they keep supporting the game for Linux long enough to actually bring it back for sale.
Honestly, both for Linux gamers and their business (more sales).

Alright, the way you put it made it seem like linux users in general had to hope that new updates didn't make the game worse for them. If that's your personal experience, that's fine, but the way you said it made that statement incorrect.

So; When I said partially lies I was talking about the points where you projected your own personal experience onto other users.

Let me put this straight though: It's not a perfect game, nor a perfect studio. They do have stuff to fix, on all platforms.


Now, regarding unity/Rust, I guess that's a matter of perspective. In my eyes a engine is more like an OS. If that OS ends up breaking something which makes whatever process not run anymore it's likely the fault of the OS and not the devs of the process. Of course, if they could easily work around it and fix it and didn't, then I would agree. But they can't. It's a bug in the engine where they have no way of properly fixing it without waiting for unity updates.
Yes, you did buy the game from them, but you also know about the dependency that is Unity. As a Linux user this should be a pretty common concept.

But, regardless, it's okay to have different opinions and experiences, just don't project them as something everyone experienced.
joaojotta Aug 7, 2018
Quoting: noxAlright, the way you put it made it seem like linux users in general had to hope that new updates didn't make the game worse for them. If that's your personal experience, that's fine, but the way you said it made that statement incorrect.

So; When I said partially lies I was talking about the points where you projected your own personal experience onto other users.

But, regardless, it's okay to have different opinions and experiences, just don't project them as something everyone experienced.
Yes, it’s my experience and I mentioned it as “Linux users” but does anyone believe that I was the only one with those issues? Know what I mean?
I had issue over issue over issue.
As I mentioned I eventually ended up playing the game on Windows (which was a good gaming experience but a terrible OS experience, to be honest).

But yes, not everyone experiences something the same way.
Sadly or not, customer experience is not based on percentage: you evaluate based on YOUR experience, not someone else’s. (;

Just a sidenote:
Do you want or not my aluminum “powered by Solus” sticker? I’ve ordered it for you, bro!
g000h Aug 7, 2018
Quoting: joaojotta
Quoting: noxAlright, the way you put it made it seem like linux users in general had to hope that new updates didn't make the game worse for them. If that's your personal experience, that's fine, but the way you said it made that statement incorrect.

So; When I said partially lies I was talking about the points where you projected your own personal experience onto other users.

But, regardless, it's okay to have different opinions and experiences, just don't project them as something everyone experienced.
Yes, it’s my experience and I mentioned it as “Linux users” but does anyone believe that I was the only one with those issues? Know what I mean?
I had issue over issue over issue.
As I mentioned I eventually ended up playing the game on Windows (which was a good gaming experience but a terrible OS experience, to be honest).

But yes, not everyone experiences something the same way.
Sadly or not, customer experience is not based on percentage: you evaluate based on YOUR experience, not someone else’s. (;

Just a sidenote:
Do you want or not my aluminum “powered by Solus” sticker? I’ve ordered it for you, bro!

Using Debian Linux 9, 10 and Mint Linux 17 - with Nvidia graphics (non-free proprietary driver from non-free repo) - I've had practically zero problems playing Rust on these systems. Also, I'm playing at 4K resolution too on my main rig (i.e. giving the system a lot of work to do).
joaojotta Aug 7, 2018
Quoting: g000hUsing Debian Linux 9, 10 and Mint Linux 17 - with Nvidia graphics (non-free proprietary driver from non-free repo) - I've had practically zero problems playing Rust on these systems. Also, I'm playing at 4K resolution too on my main rig (i.e. giving the system a lot of work to do).
Exactly my point: it's not the same for everyone.
I'm glad to hear that the game works great for you (really, I am - I don't want others to fail just because I do) which makes me wonder why the developer reads bad comments from Linux users - maybe he goes on Reddit.
Know what I mean?
I understand that many users have zero issues but many don't (it's hard to do everything right but they probably won't do everything wrong). And that's why the developer mentions that Linux users are this and that. I don't think he's complaining about only a few users. If so, he's a spoiled brat! ahahah
Orkultus Apr 7, 2019
So if you have noticed by now, i no longer have rust in my steam library...i have this thing called RUST Staging Branch, which crashes every time you join a server...while it's pre-loading assets.
salamanderrake Apr 25, 2019
Garry, who fosters a hostile environment over at facepunch, has always been an arrogant asshole and its kinda funny since his admins on the facepunch forums are notorious for being "abusive, demanding, and rude" themselves that he would even mention what the Linux community does.
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