Don't want to see articles from a certain category? When logged in, go to your User Settings and adjust your feed in the Content Preferences section where you can block tags!
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

For those hanging on hoping Facepunch will go back to officially supporting Linux with Rust, you might want to sit down. They've made a comment on it on their latest blog post.

As a little reminder, back in July last year I reported on how Facepunch removed Linux support and any mention of the Linux version of Rust from Steam. Since then though, they have continued to update the Linux version so people could still play it, it just wasn't advertised any more (you could also still buy it new and play it on Linux). That may be changing, going by what they said as quoted below:

This update brings a new set of fixes for the Linux client that should resolve some of the issues that have been reported. Unfortunately I also have to take this moment to address the future of Rust on Linux. We are currently debating internally whether or not to end Linux support in the near future. There are many reasons for this but the biggest issue right now is the problematic state of Linux support from third parties. Any software that supports Linux faces the same problem of putting in a lot of effort for an extremely small customer base, so we are sympathetic for the decisions our partners have been making. Unfortunately this means we keep encountering problems with Rust on Linux that cannot be solved by us directly and require us to wait around for fixes, which can take months or in some cases never materialize. We have not made a decision on whether or not to continue supporting Linux yet, but we wanted to communicate this process early so the community is aware of it.

I have to say I am still really sad about this. Rust did become my favourite survival game on Linux, we had a good community server going and plenty of people were enjoying it. However, if they're not able to support it due to issues outside their control (like the many issues Unity has had over the last year) it's obviously a big problem for them and somewhat understandable. I also appreciate how they're being a little more open about it now.

My issue is, what happens if/when they do decide to entirely stop supporting Linux? Most people would obviously be way past the usual time for a refund so we would be left with nothing. Steam Play could help in situations like this, if it wasn't for Easy Anti-Cheat not working under Steam Play. Not good.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Misc, Steam, Survival
14 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
29 comments
Page: «3/3
  Go to:

chris.echoz May 3, 2019
I think I will have a hard time getting a refund. I bought Rust when it was still a Unity Web Player game, before it was even on Steam.
mao_dze_dun May 3, 2019
Quoting: salamanderrakeI hope with everything in my heart that Facepunch studio goes under.

Dafuq is wrong with you?
g000h May 3, 2019
As someone who is and has been quite invested in the RUST game (700+ hours play, on Linux), here is my point of view on different things:

1) When I bought the game (some 2 years ago) I got it on sale, so I've had incredible value for my money (Equivalent to 700 hours for $8). Based on this, first I'm thankful to the developers for giving Linux a chance, and second, even if Linux loses the opportunity to play any more I won't be requesting a refund.

2) It is upsetting that Facepunch might completely drop Linux support, but at least it is working for now. Also, if the EAC problem for Steam Play (Proton) gets solved, then there might be an opportunity to play it on Linux even if there is only a Windows version.

3) The monthly wipe - It is quite a good thing in my opinion. It enables the developers to release new features into the game, and there have been stacks of cool things added and balance changes made over the past 2 years. It means that you get a fresh map, other players build bases in different positions, you get to try building a different base design.

3) I actually have been playing the game during the recent "support being dropped" period. Masochistically, I played through the first 3 weeks of April, with the graphical glitches making it extremely hard to do anything. The game worked but whenever the player character used an item, the glitch would obscure the view of the game world. As such, I was wandering around without a weapon or tool in my player's hand, and when I did use a weapon or tool, I was playing blind. In the Last Week of the April Wipe, someone in the Linux community (not Facepunch) released a non-official patch that fixed the "blindness" problem, and the game was okay after this.

4) RUST has just (less than a day ago) had the New Wipe (fresh start) on all the servers. The recent updates have incorporated a partial fix and the game is playing okay under Linux. I have been playing it myself (about 4 hours so far), and there is a bit of graphical slowdown and some weird graphics issues (rainbow colours on some objects), but nothing like as bad as the previous "blindness" problem (April 2019). It is certainly playable, and I expect I'll be going with it some more over the next 4 weeks.


Last edited by g000h on 3 May 2019 at 10:29 am UTC
phalen May 3, 2019
I find it to coincidental that rust broke badly again when they decided to rip out opengl and only support untested[in their product/development] Vulcan support. Windows users were unable to use the --use-vulcan command and I believe it looked alot like the broken ness that linux users had to live with.
dubigrasu May 3, 2019
There's another thing that doesn't make sense in this specific context of the current "Linux issues".

Basically we couldn't play for two months because of two main issues: model/skin explosion and colored flickering textures around monuments.
OK. The skin explosion was fixed on Linux by disabling GPU skinning, while the flickering is still present.
But they are not really Linux issues, but rather Vulkan issues, issues that you can still find in the current Windows build when you switch to Vulkan. So yes, right now on Windows-Vulkan you have the very same skin explosion and texture flickering that prevented us for playing.

Is not that they weren't able to fix the Linux issues, they weren't able to fix the Vulkan issues, yes, even on Windows, so why would you blame Linux specifically?
gradyvuckovic May 5, 2019
My bullshit-o-meter is registering high levels of bull.

Sounds like made up excuses to me.
dubigrasu May 5, 2019
This is interesting and a bit alarming if true, Garry said on redit that the biggest issues is EAC pausing their Linux support:
QuoteThere’s are unity issues, sure, Linux guys are usually understanding about those and find a way around. They’re a pain in the ass but it’s business as usual for Linux/unity development.

The biggest issue as far as I can see is that EAC are pausing their Linux support, which is resulting in an increase in cheaters using the Linux version. This is a huge problem because it affects every other platform.
So these are the problematic third parties after all?
But I thought that things were going good on that front, wasn't Valve in talks with EAC?
Whitewolfe80 May 5, 2019
Quoting: FratmI do wonder about what will happen. In a way, they might be opening them selves up for a lawsuit, if the Linux community steps up and demands refunds and they do not get them. Really is a slippery slope if they drop all support. It basically means Linux users bought software that cannot be run anymore, due to a decision that the publisher made.

I stopped playing after the big patch that broke everything. Just got fed up with their lack of communication on the issues, I also took my server down, which was a thriving server, but if I cannot log into it to play or admin it, what's the point, right?

Facepunch has always been quite negative towards Linux gamers, so this doesn't surprise me, and I also do think I believe them 100% when they blame it on unity. Sure some issues can be Unity, but I also feel they don't want to invest time and money into finding a real solution to the issues, because they really don't give a sh*t about us.

-Fratm

Well yes and no legally you dont own any of your games you have on steam you have a licence for that game which remains property of the game developer. EULA are technically not enforceable legally but there is every chance they would get away with it in court
ElectricPrism May 6, 2019
Quoting: Whitewolfe80Well yes and no legally you dont own any of your games you have on steam you have a licence for that game which remains property of the game developer. EULA are technically not enforceable legally but there is every chance they would get away with it in court

Fuck that. I couldn't give a damn what technical legal bullshittery slingers try to sling at customers. In every industry you exchange money for a good or a service, even a license key is a non-changing string of characters that you literally own.

Over intellectualizing the simple reality of buying goods is bullshit. Sony was sued through the nose when they marketed Playstation as having "Linux OS support" and later pulling the plug on a feature that sold the product.

Lets not be whimps and give off the message -- Look Linux Devs, "We don't mind being cheated and fucked in the ass. We won't stand up for our rights"

We are fucking equals in the industry in all respects and when every other platform fails from disease the Linux sanctuary will still be standing because of the
"nobody owns it" reality.

Quoting: dubigrasuSo these are the problematic third parties after all?
But I thought that things were going good on that front, wasn't Valve in talks with EAC?

If I was RUST as a business venture. I would be alarmed that my software supplier is having technical difficulties and is NOT able to complete the job. If they are having engine vulkan issues NOW, then what BIG problems are on the horizon in the near future.

It sounds like RUST is dependent on a clusterfuck on wheels. They should be VERY concerned at their suppliers unprofessionalism and lack of qualifications as seen in their poor craftsmanship to prevent cheaters and be free of graphical glitches.

Edit: Here we go with the "blame game" and deferring responsibility being being BAD at your job.


Last edited by ElectricPrism on 6 May 2019 at 2:39 am UTC
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.