I finally gave in and bought Rust. After my initial love affair with DayZ and watching play through videos on Youtube I realized it was PC Only. Not a huge issue but it would involve installing Windows on my Mac. So I looked at Rust. It seemed to be geared more towards survival, if not running for your life.
Something I’m used to from years of Serious Sam and generally any first person shooter.
I started life with my rock. It is a good rock. It led to much smashing of things. Other rocks. Trees. Animals.
I spent much of the game running. I ran from wolves, bears, wolves and bears. I started out on an empty server so I could orient myself to the controls without the additional fear of other players.
I did some sight-seeing. I built a hovel. I found some animals. And after eating some raw meat and vomiting to my death, I learned how to cook it properly. Though I never found my original place in the world, I started over and built a new tiny cabin. I had a roof over my head and a door
I felt safe. I cooked some meat. I ate it. I survived. I went exploring and found more meat. More wood. More stone. I built a hatchet. I felt like I had the hang of it. I crafted some pants and a shirt. Then I closed my door, doused my fire and went to sleep.
When you leave a server in Rust, your character goes to sleep.
I joined a bigger server with around 100 people on it. And I encountered my first sleeper.
This server was very similar to my first attempt. I tried to build and I ran into wolves. I tried to explore and ended up in a radiation area. Trying to get through it, I nearly died and attracted a zoo’s worth of angry animals trying to end me. Which they eventually did.
I died a lot. But I’m OK with that. I was out to explore. I wasn’t trying to build a home. I was a traveler. I was sight-seeing.
I saw this mighty tower to the sky. I didn’t approach it since I wasn’t sure if it was inhabited or not.
I found a campfire. I put some wood on it and cooked the raw meat I was able to collect. It was getting towards nightfall. And as the meat cooked and the smoke wafted into the air, I hear footsteps nearby. So I crouched in the corner, clutching my rock, hoping to complete my meal before my life.
Thankfully the footsteps retreated. I quickly doused the flames and collect my now-cooked chicken breast. All animals give you chicken breast. Wild boars. Deer. Rabbits. I did see a chicken but I’ve not been quick enough to catch one. I assume it will also produce chicken breast.
I saw many houses. Some with doors. Some without. I climbed through a few, looking in long-abandoned storage boxes. I found very little to help me. So I kept going.
I saw a man standing on a rock. He didn’t move so I approached slowly. He was staring off into the sky. He didn’t respond to my advance. I didn’t attack. I looked with him. I didn’t see anything. Maybe he had stepped away from his keyboard. Maybe he was having network problems. Perhaps he was just typing to a friend or in another window.
Either way, I spared him and moved on.
After that, I tried to avoid people, as I wasn’t sure of their intentions and I was a lone traveler through their land. Despite a huge map, I did have some close calls.
I heard footsteps coming up behind me. I turned to see a man with a bow and arrow and a full set of clothes. I quickly typed friendly into the chat. Hoping he would spare my life. He looked at me for a moment. Then ran off.
As night fell, I lit my torch cautiously. I didn’t have anything worth stealing, though he didn’t know that. I hoped my newly spawned appearance would work in my favor.
Rounding a bend in the rocks, I saw a man in the distance with his own torch. I quickly extinguished mine and stopped. I stood silently in the pitch black night and waited. Had he seen me? Was he violent?
He didn’t seem to notice me. He was moving away from me. I watched him for a bit and once he rounded a rock out of sight, I lit my torch and took off in the other direction.
Later that night, I found two people around a camp fire.
I stopped. I went dark. I stood motionless. I watched them. They were talking and working together. Though I dared not approach. Never knowing what to expect.
I would welcome an ally in the harsh world. But with nothing to trade and without knowing their intentions, I watched them for a bit then crept away into the darkness.