<s>
Rust	B-Application
is	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
survival	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Facepunch	O
Studios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rust	B-Application
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
early	O
access	O
in	O
December	O
2013	O
and	O
received	O
its	O
full	O
release	O
in	O
February	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rust	B-Application
is	O
available	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
macOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Console	O
versions	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
developed	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
Double	O
Eleven	O
were	O
released	O
in	O
May	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rust	B-Application
was	O
initially	O
created	O
as	O
a	O
clone	O
of	O
DayZ	B-Application
,	O
a	O
popular	O
mod	O
for	O
ARMA	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
with	O
crafting	O
elements	O
akin	O
to	O
those	O
in	O
Minecraft	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
objective	O
of	O
Rust	B-Application
is	O
to	O
survive	O
in	O
the	O
wilderness	O
using	O
gathered	O
or	O
stolen	O
materials	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rust	B-Application
features	O
crafting	O
,	O
though	O
initially	O
limited	O
until	O
the	O
discovery	O
of	O
specific	O
items	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
open	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
stay	O
protected	O
,	O
players	O
must	O
build	O
bases	O
or	O
join	O
clans	O
to	O
improve	O
their	O
chance	O
of	O
survival	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Raiding	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
major	O
aspect	O
of	O
Rust	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rust	B-Application
supports	O
modded	O
servers	O
which	O
can	O
add	O
additional	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rust	B-Application
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
December	O
2013	O
to	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
Early	O
Access	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dangerous	O
wildlife	O
replaced	O
zombies	B-Application
as	O
the	O
primary	O
environmental	O
threat	O
and	O
several	O
fundamental	O
revisions	O
to	O
the	O
crafting	O
system	O
were	O
released	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
general	O
improvements	O
and	O
feature	O
additions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
in	O
Early	O
Access	O
,	O
Rust	B-Application
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Unity	B-Application
5	I-Application
game	O
engine	O
,	O
providing	O
substantial	O
graphical	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
introduced	O
immutable	O
,	O
predetermined	O
skin	O
colour	O
and	O
biological	O
sex	O
tied	O
to	O
players	O
 '	O
Steam	B-Application
account	O
details	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
Rusts	B-Application
alpha	O
release	O
,	O
critical	O
reviews	O
were	O
mixed	O
,	O
with	O
many	O
comparisons	O
made	O
to	O
other	O
survival	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rust	B-Application
was	O
commonly	O
explained	O
as	O
being	O
a	O
mixture	O
of	O
DayZ	B-Application
and	O
Minecraft	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
pre-release	O
phase	O
,	O
critics	O
praised	O
the	O
concept	O
and	O
gameplay	O
and	O
by	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
Rust	B-Application
had	O
sold	O
over	O
five	O
million	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
vs	O
player	O
combat	O
and	O
survival	B-Application
aspects	O
were	O
highlighted	O
by	O
those	O
who	O
enjoyed	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
though	O
reviewers	O
were	O
critical	O
of	O
the	O
harsh	O
beginner	O
experience	O
and	O
the	O
constant	O
need	O
to	O
grind	B-Application
for	O
materials	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
successful	O
post-release	O
and	O
has	O
been	O
listed	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
survival	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
multiplayer-only	O
video	O
game	O
,	O
Rust	B-Application
pits	O
players	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
in	O
a	O
harsh	O
,	O
open	O
world	O
environment	O
with	O
the	O
sole	O
goal	O
of	O
survival	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
limitations	O
imposed	O
on	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
craftable	O
items	O
,	O
with	O
blueprints	B-Application
allowing	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
more	O
advanced	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
must	O
stay	O
fed	O
or	O
they	O
will	O
die	O
of	O
starvation	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rust	B-Application
is	O
sometimes	O
played	O
in	O
a	O
"	O
clan	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clans	O
usually	O
create	O
housing	O
for	O
their	O
members	O
,	O
give	O
items	O
and	O
supplies	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
and	O
partake	O
in	O
organised	O
raiding	B-Protocol
and	O
looting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bullets	O
and	O
other	O
projectiles	O
travel	O
in	O
a	O
ballistic	B-Application
trajectory	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
being	O
hitscan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
player-operable	O
vehicles	O
in	O
Rust	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Airdrops	B-Operating_System
are	O
an	O
important	O
element	O
in	O
Rust	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
can	O
be	O
seen	O
over	O
extremely	O
long	O
distances	O
,	O
sometimes	O
resulting	O
in	O
players	O
running	O
toward	O
the	O
airdrop	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rusts	B-Application
development	O
began	O
as	O
a	O
clone	O
of	O
DayZ	B-Application
,	O
a	O
popular	O
survival	B-Application
mod	O
for	O
ARMA	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
featuring	O
elements	O
derived	O
from	O
Minecraft	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Garry	O
Newman	O
,	O
the	O
CEO	O
of	O
Facepunch	O
Studios	O
,	O
said	O
"	O
Rust	B-Application
started	O
off	O
as	O
a	O
DayZ	B-Application
clone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
then	O
we	O
decided	O
that	O
we	O
are	O
sick	O
of	O
fighting	O
zombies	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Consequently	O
,	O
Newman	O
described	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
being	O
more	O
along	O
the	O
lines	O
of	O
entries	O
in	O
the	O
S.T.A.L.K.E.R	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facepunch	O
released	O
the	O
game	O
onto	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
Early	O
Access	O
program	O
on	O
11	O
December	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
its	O
alpha	O
launch	O
,	O
Facepunch	O
actively	O
released	O
updates	O
for	O
Rust	B-Application
adding	O
mechanics	O
like	O
animals	O
,	O
hunting	O
,	O
armour	O
and	O
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
removed	O
zombies	B-Application
,	O
a	O
temporary	O
enemy	O
,	O
from	O
Rust	B-Application
,	O
replacing	O
them	O
with	O
red	O
mutant	O
bears	O
and	O
wolves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2014	O
,	O
developers	O
released	O
an	O
experimental	O
mode	O
of	O
Rust	B-Application
and	O
ported	O
it	O
to	O
a	O
then-unreleased	O
game	O
engine	O
,	O
Unity	B-Application
5	I-Application
,	O
enhancing	O
the	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
turn	O
,	O
improving	O
the	O
shader	O
mechanics	O
and	O
texture	O
realism	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
allowed	O
for	O
larger	O
procedurally	O
generated	O
worlds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2015	O
,	O
Rust	B-Application
added	O
a	O
feature	O
that	O
decided	O
each	O
player	O
's	O
skin	O
colour	O
based	O
on	O
their	O
Steam	B-Application
ID	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Female	O
models	O
,	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
shortly	O
afterward	O
,	O
were	O
initially	O
only	O
available	O
for	O
server	B-Application
administrators	I-Application
to	O
test	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
rollout	O
,	O
akin	O
to	O
skin	O
colour	O
,	O
players	O
were	O
automatically	O
assigned	O
a	O
biological	O
sex	O
permanently	O
linked	O
to	O
their	O
Steam	B-Application
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
in	O
2015	O
,	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
goods	I-General_Concept
stores	O
selling	O
guns	O
,	O
clothing	O
and	O
other	O
objects	O
were	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Valve	O
introduced	O
its	O
Item	O
Store	O
,	O
Rust	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
to	O
use	O
the	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Steam	B-Application
Community	O
Market	O
was	O
also	O
allowed	O
to	O
sell	O
similar	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
removed	O
blueprints	B-Application
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
core	O
gameplay	O
concepts	O
of	O
Rust	B-Application
,	O
in	O
July	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
,	O
Maurino	O
Berry	O
,	O
the	O
lead	O
developer	O
,	O
mentioned	O
in	O
a	O
Reddit	B-Application
post	O
that	O
the	O
experience	O
system	O
was	O
not	O
permanent	O
and	O
Berry	O
explained	O
that	O
the	O
XP	O
system	O
was	O
praised	O
prior	O
to	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
but	O
then	O
received	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
criticism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
blueprints	B-Application
were	O
reintroduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2017	O
,	O
Garry	O
Newman	O
said	O
that	O
had	O
Steam	B-Application
Early	O
Access	O
not	O
existed	O
,	O
Rust	B-Application
would	O
have	O
been	O
fully	O
released	O
as	O
a	O
game	O
by	O
then	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
Rusts	B-Application
official	O
release	O
in	O
2018	O
,	O
Facepunch	O
have	O
continued	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
updates	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
new	O
weapons	O
,	O
vehicles	O
,	O
NPC-populated	O
locations	O
,	O
explorable	O
areas	O
,	O
and	O
graphical	O
overhauls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Optional	O
paid	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
has	O
also	O
been	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2021	O
,	O
Rust	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
"	O
softcore	O
"	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
third	O
DLC	B-Protocol
,	O
the	O
"	O
Voice	O
Props	O
Pack	O
"	O
,	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
in	O
July	O
2021	O
which	O
included	O
audio-related	O
devices	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
boomboxes	O
and	O
cassette	O
recorders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Console	O
versions	O
of	O
Rust	B-Application
were	O
first	O
announced	O
in	O
2019	O
by	O
Facepunch	O
and	O
Double	O
Eleven	O
at	O
X019	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Xbox	B-Device
announcement	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
Rusts	B-Application
console	O
edition	O
entered	O
a	O
closed	O
beta	O
that	O
players	O
could	O
participate	O
in	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
no	O
specific	O
release	O
date	O
was	O
given	O
until	O
later	O
in	O
March	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
on	O
21	O
May	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rust	B-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
following	O
its	O
alpha	O
release	O
,	O
with	O
many	O
denoting	O
the	O
unfinished	O
nature	O
and	O
lack	O
of	O
polish	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Gamers	O
Andy	O
Chalk	O
said	O
Rust	B-Application
was	O
a	O
great	O
use	O
of	O
Early	O
Access	O
and	O
even	O
though	O
"	O
it	O
's	O
far	O
from	O
finished	O
"	O
,	O
it	O
's	O
ready	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Matthew	O
Cox	O
of	O
Rock	O
,	O
Paper	O
,	O
Shotgun	O
said	O
it	O
was	O
smart	O
of	O
the	O
developers	O
to	O
switch	O
to	O
the	O
Unity	B-Application
engine	I-Application
in	O
late	O
2014	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
instability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGNs	O
Mitch	O
Dyer	O
did	O
not	O
enjoy	O
the	O
combat	O
,	O
calling	O
Rust	B-Application
a	O
"	O
semi-broken	O
"	O
game	O
he	O
felt	O
unable	O
to	O
recommend	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
games	O
like	O
Just	B-Protocol
Survive	I-Protocol
and	O
Ark	B-Application
:	I-Application
Survival	I-Application
Evolved	I-Application
were	O
compared	O
to	O
Rust	B-Application
because	O
of	O
their	O
open	O
world	O
survival	B-Application
aspects	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
having	O
similar	O
crafting	O
mechanics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parallels	O
were	O
also	O
drawn	O
with	O
DayZ	B-Application
because	O
of	O
the	O
influence	O
it	O
had	O
on	O
the	O
gameplay	O
of	O
Rust	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notably	O
,	O
Kotakus	O
Luke	O
Plunkett	O
considered	O
the	O
similarities	O
,	O
saying	O
it	O
felt	O
as	O
though	O
someone	O
had	O
intended	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
game	O
whereby	O
Dayz	B-Application
and	O
Minecraft	B-Application
could	O
be	O
played	O
simultaneously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
channel	I-General_Concept
Extra	O
Credits	O
commended	O
Rust	B-Application
for	O
promoting	O
diversity	O
by	O
randomly	O
selecting	O
a	O
player	O
's	O
in-game	O
race	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tying	O
race	O
to	O
their	O
Steam	B-Application
ID	O
forced	O
players	O
to	O
experience	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
a	O
different	O
way	O
than	O
they	O
might	O
normally	O
experience	O
it	O
,	O
perhaps	O
promoting	O
empathy	B-Language
for	O
someone	O
of	O
a	O
different	O
ethnicity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Newman	O
discussed	O
the	O
reasoning	O
behind	O
not	O
providing	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
choose	O
their	O
character	O
's	O
gender	O
and	O
race	O
in	O
an	O
article	O
in	O
The	O
Guardian	O
,	O
saying	O
Rust	B-Application
is	O
about	O
survival	B-Application
,	O
not	O
characterization	O
and	O
identity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
being	O
fully	O
released	O
,	O
Rust	B-Application
garnered	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
"	O
reviews	O
on	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
praised	O
the	O
PvP	O
combat	O
,	O
difficulty	O
,	O
and	O
survival	B-Application
aspects	O
,	O
while	O
grinding	B-Application
and	O
the	O
experience	O
had	O
by	O
new	O
players	O
came	O
under	O
some	O
criticism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
no	O
grander	O
narrative	O
,	O
or	O
mythos	B-Protocol
,	O
or	O
win	O
condition.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
If	O
you	O
can	O
look	O
past	O
a	O
community	O
that	O
tends	O
to	O
be	O
toxic	O
,	O
Rusts	B-Application
sprawling	O
plains	O
and	O
toppled	O
landmarks	O
are	O
an	O
excellent	O
backdrop	O
for	O
player-driven	O
storytelling	O
and	O
pitched	O
,	O
dramatic	O
moments.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
disdain	O
toward	O
the	O
experience	O
as	O
a	O
new	O
player	O
was	O
noted	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
the	O
necessity	O
of	O
grinding	B-Application
,	O
and	O
how	O
repetitive	O
that	O
became	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
expressed	O
a	O
sense	O
of	O
appreciation	O
for	O
those	O
dedicated	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
mentioning	O
the	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
videos	I-General_Concept
of	O
large	O
,	O
multi-clan	O
raids	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
closed	O
the	O
review	O
saying	O
everyone	O
should	O
try	O
Rust	B-Application
due	O
to	O
its	O
difference	O
from	O
other	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Rusts	B-Application
usage	O
of	O
sound	O
was	O
commended	O
by	O
Gwaltney	O
,	O
who	O
regarded	O
it	O
as	O
compelling	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
requirement	O
of	O
players	O
to	O
listen	O
to	O
their	O
surroundings	O
to	O
survive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
Rusts	B-Application
release	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
been	O
included	O
in	O
several	O
"	O
best	O
survival	B-Application
game	I-Application
"	O
lists	O
by	O
video	O
game	O
journalists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
weeks	O
of	O
Rusts	B-Application
alpha	O
release	O
it	O
sold	O
over	O
150,000	O
copies	O
,	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
34,000	O
copies	O
of	O
Garry	B-Language
's	I-Language
Mod	I-Language
sold	O
in	O
its	O
first	O
week	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rusts	B-Application
sales	O
had	O
reached	O
one	O
million	O
copies	O
after	O
being	O
an	O
Early	O
Access	O
title	O
for	O
only	O
two	O
months	O
,	O
and	O
during	O
February	O
2014	O
,	O
it	O
overtook	O
Garry	B-Language
's	I-Language
Mod	I-Language
in	O
terms	O
of	O
sales	O
,	O
making	O
over	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
Facepunch	O
announced	O
that	O
Rust	B-Application
had	O
sold	O
9	O
million	O
copies	O
,	O
making	O
$142	O
million	O
,	O
overtaking	O
Garry	B-Language
's	I-Language
Mod	I-Language
in	O
terms	O
of	O
gross	O
,	O
though	O
still	O
behind	O
in	O
total	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
Rust	B-Application
saw	O
a	O
surge	O
in	O
popularity	O
because	O
of	O
live	O
streamers	O
playing	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
Twitch.tv	O
for	O
large	O
audiences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
reinvigorated	O
interest	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
enabled	O
Rust	B-Application
to	O
also	O
beat	O
its	O
highest	O
concurrent	O
player	O
count	O
by	O
more	O
than	O
double	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
Voice	O
Props	O
Pack	O
had	O
been	O
the	O
most	O
successful	O
of	O
the	O
three	O
DLC	B-Protocol
released	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
