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.
bvictor7364 Jul 30, 2018
As for their complaints about the Linux community, I think it's very unfair, a vast majority of developers ignore and deem unworthy Linux community, and we just have to deal with hearing how useless it would be to consider us, yet they expect us to be nice in return. Of course, everyone should be nice to each other, but in this case it would be one way. I've contacted so many developers with my brother asking about Linux version, but they couldn't care less about it.
The way I see it, as a video game developer myself, Linux should be a supported platform out of the box, since I don't even understand why would they ise anything else for development.
Mountain Man Jul 30, 2018
Quoting: Whitewolfe80I frankly find it hard to believe that Richard Stallman would use Twitter, which is after all a proprietary platform. Plus it really doesn't suit his communication style--like me, he's too wordy. So if you have seen someone who purports to be Richard Stallman using Twitter, I think you have been deceived.Quoting: Purple Library GuyQuoting: Whitewolfe80As for the throw away community line we have this every so often it goes back to once again the linux die hards that think they throw f bombs and act like Stallman or Linus.1. No it does not.
2. Had it occurred to you that that is, itself, a rather inflammatory and offensive comment?
3. Do you in fact have any idea how Stallman acts?
Yes because I have twitter and if he rants about open source one more time his neck is going to fall off or he will have a heart attack. Sorry we strongly disagree on this point and it does its is the guys that idenfy as linux hardcore are the worst. Feedback to developers strongly welcome not tweets like "learn to linux your game is shit" that is an actual tweet that took me 10 seconds to find on twitter
Edited to add: Apparently he does in a very limited way (thanks, tonR). But for practical purposes, no.
But I'll admit I may have somewhat misinterpreted your initial post. Your mention of learning from Stallman made it seem as if you were intending "linux die hards" to mean people who were politically big on Free/Libre Software, or mostly those people. But your quoted tweet obviously isn't remotely that kind of person, it's just the Linux equivalent of Mac types who say Windows Suxxorz or whatever--people who are extreme for their team, with no real content; it's just like rooting for your sports franchise. So perhaps you were not trying to say what it seemed you were trying to say.
However, you're still wrong. Every OS, every thing in existence where people can choose this or that, has people who are fanatical for the team. People dissing the Linux community do not do so because Linux does not miraculously lack that contingent. And it certainly has nothing to do with Richard Stallman. Linus . . . well, maybe a little, but not really. He doesn't always set the greatest example on temperate speech, but gamers can be profane without learning from Linus. Most of those people have no idea what Linus has ever said.
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 30 July 2018 at 6:00 pm UTC
Here's a few points:
- Most of the complainants neither bought nor played the game, and have no investment in it whatsoever. (So why comment? Answer: Because you're a troll.)
- Game developers do not like bad publicity, and if the Linux community is going to be toxic about their port or delayed build, then they might as well not have a Linux port. Better to have a perfect Windows release and Console release than even put any effort into Linux (which is what many of the AAA Studios do).
- Why not express anger about companies like Bethesda and Rockstar who never brought ANY of their titles to Linux? (That's right: Have a good old moan at the company which did bother bringing the game to Linux, and has been doing okay with updates.)
- So what if head of Facepunch makes some digs at Linux and Linux community. He makes digs at everything. It should be a case of "Water off a duck's back", i.e. It's nothing, and it shouldn't bother you.
- Rust game has been working fine on Linux (at least as good as the Windows version) ever since it went Final Release. And it was working pretty good before that, on Linux, too.
It's all okay though, because you can spend your money buying Windows games and then play them on WINE, making the Linux community look even smaller than it is.
Last edited by g000h on 30 July 2018 at 5:55 pm UTC
Quoting: nitroflowSorry I took it the wrong way and for coming down on you. Since I myself do not own the game and had mentioned as much, your comment felt somewhat like an attack, but I see that wasn't the intent.Quoting: Purple Library GuyQuoting: nitroflowHrm. First, I notice you've redefined how I was using that phrase, such that your comment probably would have been better as a standalone than a reply to me.Quoting: Purple Library GuyQuoting: rapakivBut I never seen so much hate in GOL as in this thread, relax, life is short, enjoy itHate? Really?! What bemuses me about this discussion actually is that the reaction is more extreme than the dislike of the actual developer. I don't really have a dog in this fight.
Really? What boggles my mind is that all the negativity comes from people that don't have a dog on this fight. The people that actually do play the game are understanding and sympathetic to the dev's decision, go figure...
Second, really? Have you been reading the same thread I have? I'd say it's pretty clear that some of the people who are bothered are in fact people who play the game. Others aren't, but your point is simply wrong. Also meant to be snide, far as I can tell. You can contribute to or detract from a conversation in two ways, content or tone; pity you chose to subtract on both fronts.
I've been very much reading the same thread, I believe, and the comment wasn't meant to be snide. It's really my take on this thread.
I replied to you because I do agree with you about this being an extreme reaction but that's not really what I find surprising at all, it's the people that don't seem to have the game(or if they have it they don't mention it anywhere) and the ones that were planning to buy it(which they still can), that are behind this extremism.
In hindsight I should have expanded on the "go figure...", what I meant by it was that those who have mentioned playing it actively are aware of the issues and thus have a better understanding of things, that's why they aren't crying bloody murder, unlike mostly everyone else.
PS: This whole reaction also started before the devs had a chance to comment on this.
Overall, my personal take is that on substance, the move seems fair enough, but in terms of how it was handled I'm unimpressed, both the initial failure to communicate and the whiny stuff about the Linux community.
I think what some businesspeople need to internalize is that customers, of any stripe whether Linux users or people buying carrots, fundamentally have little trust for the people selling to them, since they are aware that the point of the exercise is simply to gain as much of their money as possible for as little expense as possible. Unlike in normal personal interactions, as a business you have no benefit of the doubt--the base assumption, for good reason, is that you're probably trying to scam them some way. Therefore if you want people not to suspect you're pulling a fast one, you have to make extra efforts to communicate well and clearly just what you are doing when you make a move that affects them. This goes double for businesses operating at longer distances, online and such, where customers have no way to storm into your office and hold you to account and so have all the more reason for suspicion.
Quoting: GuestQuoting: Mountain ManAnother scam from a scam developer. I knew this game was a bad bet when they blew through their initial Kickstarter and Early Access funds in two-years with nothing to show for it and then asked customers to double-down with a second donation so they could start again from scratch. Anybody with any sense will stay far away from this trash.
How exactly is it a scam ? They have simply discontinued Linux support.. but they havent taken away the existing Linux builds.
Or are you just throwing abuse at the developer, which um.. is exactly what he's complained about?
They haven't even taken away Linux support (as in updates). Just the store icon.
Quoting: g000hThis very thread has done a good job of demonstrating to me just how toxic members of the Linux gaming community are.Hmmm, yes, toxic, you make a good point. Like, calling everyone (such as specifically me) trolls. That does seem toxic.
Here's a few points:
- Most of the complainants neither bought nor played the game, and have no investment in it whatsoever. (So why comment? Answer: Because you're a troll.)
Quoting: burningserenityQuoting: F.UltraQuoting: EgonautQuoting: noxCalling Linux (and by that their users) a second class isn't toxic? Yeah sure, defend that guy further if you want, I don't.Quoting: EgonautThat's why you don't support that toxic guy Garry and everyone who's working with him.Meh, he is straight forward, blunt and sarcastic. Toxic isn't really the right word.
But he is correct, the Linux version is a second class citizen for them. There is nothing toxic with that, second class citizen in computer speak only means that it's a lower priority, it's not a derogatory term.
Here's an idea: by the dev's admission, only 17 people use Linux. So why not just give us the source code? No one else can be bothered to compile it. Hell, if we give him $240 he'll even get to keep the money from the lost sales!
It's note like there is a source of The Linux Version that is also not The Windows Version. I get what you are saying but this will never happen, there are several examples of publishers that rather see zero sales than earn some money by selling a license or source code.
Quoting: iiariI have zero horse in the this race, but find it hilarious that the dev implies that:
1) Only the Linux community is toxic (eyeroll). Has he been in, well, almost any other Windows gaming forum at all for the sophomoric, hateful, entitled views there? Hahahaha....
2) Only Linux is a broken platform (eyeroll again). There are so many broken games, compromised engines, etc etc on Windows and, well, every other platform that to pretend it's only us is absurd.
This is because Gary is a Windows guy, he codes on Windows and he uses only Windows. So when he sees toxic comments from Windows people he is just not seeing it but then the same comes from a Linux user then it hits his brain with "well look at that, another toxic Linux luser...".
This is just how the human brain works. If you are a meat-eater and you see a single Vegan doing something crazy -> all vegans are crazy. And if you are a die hard Linux fan then you can experience one bug every single day without recording it but try Windows/macOS once and hit a single bug and "I knew it, this whole system is FUBAR".
Patreon
PayPal
See more from me