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As an update to the Rust situation, Facepunch have now changed their plans for the Linux version. They've decided to offer refunds, as they won't continue it at all.

Previously, their plan was to split the Linux version of Rust from Windows/Mac to at least give Linux owners a working game although without future feature updates. In the new blog post, written by Facepunch's Garry Newman, they "now realise how shit that would be" after talking to the community.

So they've decided refunds are a better option and to not continue the Linux client at all. However, you probably won't be able to refund it just yet. Newman said that Valve need to do some work first, to adjust the eligibility checking. Also "to guarantee that you'll show up as eligible I'd recommend you run Rust on Linux at least once right now" Newman said.

What are the refund rules for Rust when this comes into force?

  • Should have played at least once on Linux
  • Hours played are irrelevant
  • We don't care if you've played on Windows too

Sometime around September 5th this will happen when they pull the plug, which Newman said another blog post will be up to let you know you can refund it.

On top of that, Newman suggested refunding it even if you think you have your monies worth, so you can "use that money to buy a game from a developer that supports Linux well - this is the best thing you can do to help your community".

As for Steam Play/Proton, they will not work against it however they also have no plans to support it and so it's "unsupported by us and could break at any time".

Newman also confirmed the Linux server will continue as normal, since that's how a lot of Rust servers are deployed.

See the full post about it here.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Indie Game, Misc, Survival, Unity | Apps: Rust
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42 comments
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callcifer Aug 15, 2019
Perfectly reasonable response, really. The fact that they are offering refunds regardless of play time (just launching on Linux once is enough) means that they really want to put this behind them and avoid drama.

Judging by how toxic some of the previous comments have been, I don't really fault them.
kean Aug 15, 2019
Nice gesture from them, however I will keep the game after 700 hours in it and hope for an anti cheat support in Proton.
TheRiddick Aug 15, 2019
Hopefully they can work with Valve to make it so the windows version runs decently via steamplay.
Avehicle7887 Aug 15, 2019
I didn't comment on the previous thread regarding the split however I didn't like the idea either, it would be an unfair treatment to give Linux users an inferior game when they paid the same as other platforms. Offering a refund was the sanest choice they could make.
rapakiv Aug 15, 2019
Downloading.
five hours on record, but 0 of gameplay.
Ehvis Aug 15, 2019
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I wonder how big the spike in Linux "users" will be after an announcement like this. Without details, some non-Linux players might just see an opportunity to refund their game after a huge amount of hours. To avoid that, Valve would have to give them access to who actually purchased the game on Linux or hand that job over to Valve. Definitely not something that has been done before.
trawzified Aug 15, 2019
I wonder if I can get anything back if I bought it via a third party reseller. Probably not :(
Rooster Aug 15, 2019
So if I buy Rust right now, I'm essentially getting it for free, or basically for borrowing money. Not bad..
Tchey Aug 15, 2019
Steam is in pain right now, or it's me ? Super slow and often disconnecting.

Well, at least after a few tries, i'm there :

Jan 6, 2014 - Rust Alpha - 18,99€
You have a pending refund request for this product.

2014 already ! Time runs...
Liam Dawe Aug 15, 2019
Steam is in pain right now, or it's me ? Super slow and often disconnecting.

Well, at least after a few tries, i'm there :

Jan 6, 2014 - Rust Alpha - 18,99€
You have a pending refund request for this product.

2014 already ! Time runs...
Missed the part where they said not to do it now I see ;)
TheSHEEEP Aug 15, 2019
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I wonder how big the spike in Linux "users" will be after an announcement like this. Without details, some non-Linux players might just see an opportunity to refund their game after a huge amount of hours.
I don't think that's a risk.
What Windows gamer is going to install Linux just to get a refund of a single game?
Sounds a bit silly to me.
It's not exactly a get-rich-quick-scheme ;)
Nanobang Aug 15, 2019
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A professional and personable announcement---definitely doesn't sound like it came from some toad in the PR department. New respect here for Mr. Newman.
x_wing Aug 15, 2019
On top of that, Newman suggested refunding it even if you think you have your monies worth, so you can "use that money to buy a game from a developer that supports Linux well - this is the best thing you can do to help your community".

This is probably the first time I agree with Newman. Hope people don't abuse of this option, but we all know that this will happen unfortunately (I want to think that refunds will only be granted if the game was bought from steam platform)
ysblokje Aug 15, 2019
So ehhh how would this work if you bought it via Humble Bundle at some point?
WorMzy Aug 15, 2019
This is actually a decent move by Garry. I still probably won't buy anything from his studio in the future, even if they decide to embrace the future of gaming and release on Linux again, but with this I won't actively discourage others from buying their games.
Ehvis Aug 15, 2019
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What Windows gamer is going to install Linux just to get a refund of a single game?
Sounds a bit silly to me.

And silly people are unheard of? :D I'm thinking that there are 25% negative reviews. At least a portion of those might try to get something back out of shear principle. It quickly adds up to more than the number of Linux owners. Especially with the low percentage of sales that Rust appears to have on Linux.

So ehhh how would this work if you bought it via Humble Bundle at some point?

I suspect it doesn't. I got mine through a humble bundle. For me that means that the price was probably less than $1, so it's not even worth investigating.
Termy Aug 15, 2019
Wow, nice move! It's not something that should be viewed by other devs as a way to "screw over" linux-folks, but in this case and how it all came together, i think it is a reasonable thing to do.
I think i got mine through humble, though- so no refund for me i would think.
But new found respect for Newman nevertheless
Alm888 Aug 15, 2019
Say what you want about Garry Newman, but he is 100 times more honorable than, say, 505Games/ArtPlay/Igarashi scammers. :)

Accepting your failure and taking responsibility is a great feat indeed! ^_^
scaine Aug 15, 2019
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I just checked - I got this in the "Best of 2016" Humble Bundle, in January 2017. I bought that bundle mainly for Victor Vran and Shadowrun, and I have only 2-3 hours in Rust in total. No interest in refunding the game at this late stage, for me.
sub Aug 15, 2019
I'd like to see Valve giving devs a discount as an incentive, IF they (properly) support all 3 targets Windows, Mac, Linux.

There must be some quality threshold/check, ofc.
Otherwise we'll see many one-click Unity and UE Linux builds that are crap.
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