For those of you wanting to play Rust again on Linux desktop or Steam Deck, it sounds like it's still some time away as Facepunch continues thinking on Easy Anti-Cheat support.
While for some developers it may just be a case of ticking a box, or putting things in the right place, we know that's not always the case. Outside of the technical implementation, developers also need to think on EAC's effectiveness and about opening their games to another platform to protect against cheating.
In the case of Rust, it seems the biggest issue is the protection that Easy Anti-Cheat can offer and if it's worth the time involved in setting it up and supporting it in a public environment.
On Twitter, Facepunch's Garry Newman mentioned in reply to a user:
We're working through some issues, trying to justify it. It would be a lot of extra work to put on EAC, we can't do it if it's detrimental to the main Windows player base..
When I replied asking about Steam Deck, Newman replied:
Well that's what we're evaluating. Steam Deck compatibility is the only reason to do it at all..
As a follow-up when asked what the issues are Newman said:
It's not one issue. I worry that by opening another platform we're forcing EAC to spread themselves too thin. I don't want to put that pressure on them if it's going to reduce effectiveness of their team on Windows. When we had a Linux version before we...
... noticed that while the majority of cheaters were on Windows, a good chunk of actual cheat makers used Linux and stayed undetected for a long long time. Trying to persuade EAC to hunt these handful of people down wouldn't be a great use of their time considering their impact..
.. on the overall population of the game. So internally we're talking about whether this is a door worth opening. This isn't a linux thing, it's a "another platform" thing.
It's hard to argue such a clear explanation of the issue at hand. Developers of games that are primarily multiplayer will always be thinking hard on opening them up to another platform.
That said, Easy Anti-Cheat must be somewhat effective even on Linux / Steam Deck as it seems it's good enough for EA / Respawn with Apex Legends which has a player base multiple times larger on Steam compared with Rust. But, one size does not fit all of course. Newman mentioned this too in a reply to a user asking about it and it's another fair point:
I don't know too much about the cheating situation in Apex to talk about it. Rust is really sensitive to cheating. A cheater doesn't ruin a single 10 minute match, they ruin 3 weeks of hard work and grind.
Something to make you think, not something specific I had actually considered before either about the vastly different use-case for a game like Rust.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
mr-victory Sep 27, 2022
Is it not already a part of the game?
Is this some stigma that it’s easier to avoid EAC on Linux?
QuoteI worry that by opening another platform we're forcing EAC to spread themselves too thin.
What? Is this an internal team or actually the staffing at EAC? Why would the Rust devs care about EAC company’s staffing?
Reading their reasoning so far it seems they’re looking for every reason NOT to improve their game with Linux compatibility.
Yo Rust devs, people just want to play your game.
Last edited by itscalledreality on 27 September 2022 at 2:02 pm UTC
Quoting: itscalledrealityWhat? Is this an internal team or actually the staffing at EAC? Why would the Rust devs care about EAC company’s staffing?The feeling that comes across is that EAC is not particularly big, and every new game that gets hooked up and every new platform (like Linux / Steam Deck) spreads their resources.
Naturally, all developers want to ensure their games are secured, and it's things they have to think about. The Rust developers obviously know a lot more than we do and more than they can publicly say about it all. I think Garry made the point pretty clear in the quotes there that doesn't really need a whole lot of explanation?
If you really need it spelled out: extra resources spread across a small user-base is not exactly a wise business decision. That can change, if Linux / Steam Deck grow a lot more because then naturally resources will flow towards it.
Last edited by Liam Dawe on 27 September 2022 at 2:29 pm UTC
Kuduzkehpan Sep 27, 2022
i hate this kind of developers and companies.
let me tell something even Microsoft is building Linux version of its Edge internet browser.
Quoting: Liam DaweQuoting: itscalledrealityWhat? Is this an internal team or actually the staffing at EAC? Why would the Rust devs care about EAC company’s staffing?The feeling that comes across is that EAC is not particularly big, and every new game that gets hooked up and every new platform (like Linux / Steam Deck) spreads their resources.
Naturally, all developers want to ensure their games are secured, and it's things they have to think about. The Rust developers obviously know a lot more than we do and more than they can publicly say about it all. I think Garry made the point pretty clear in the quotes there that doesn't really need a whole lot of explanation?
If you really need it spelled out: extra resources spread across a small user-base is not exactly a wise business decision. That can change, if Linux / Steam Deck grow a lot more because then naturally resources will flow towards it.
Sure I agree with that, thanks for the clarity. Now my next question, EAC isn’t the only DRM/anti-cheat tool on the market. If EAC can’t handle taking on another game then Rust devs should shop around. Right now it sounds like you’d need to buy some sort of time investment from EAC to have effective anti-cheat software.
Then I also think that EAC should be implementable and shouldn’t require further staffing from a separate company, the software should provide all the required monitoring tools and utilities.
CringyBoi42069 Sep 27, 2022
Quoting: itscalledrealityNow my next question, EAC isn’t the only DRM/anti-cheat tool on the market. If EAC can’t handle taking on another game then Rust devs should shop around. Right now it sounds like you’d need to buy some sort of time investment from EAC to have effective anti-cheat software.
In terms of using a different anti-cheat, it may not be worth the dev time to set up the new anti-cheat to work with the game just for a small group of people.
Quoting: CringyBoi42069Quoting: itscalledrealityNow my next question, EAC isn’t the only DRM/anti-cheat tool on the market. If EAC can’t handle taking on another game then Rust devs should shop around. Right now it sounds like you’d need to buy some sort of time investment from EAC to have effective anti-cheat software.
In terms of using a different anti-cheat, it may not be worth the dev time to set up the new anti-cheat to work with the game just for a small group of people.
As Linux gamers are we so trained in the world that we can’t be just as demanding as the rest of the gaming consumerverse?
Lash thyself 13 times for wanting a game to support Linux because the anti-cheat company is short staffed and the game devs are wading around in the muck. :P
crashniela Sep 29, 2022
My hope is that EAC as a service becomes easier to operate for developers, and that in turn lessens the burden involved in expanding to a new platform. EOS has the hint of the suggestion that this is something being worked on, but as with anything of this nature, progress is slow and deliberate. In the meantime proprietary anticheat implementations from EA and Activision on the horizon further fragment things and make any brighter future for smaller, non-closed platforms seem a lot less likely.
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