Dev Blog #56 - Overground Trains

Survivors! A massive content update is rolling onto the island this wipe, expanding the rail network above ground alongside other exciting new features, server improvements and a special wipe experience for the next month only. All aboard! Let’s take a look at what’s coming!

 

The Overground Trains Update Is Here!

The railway is expanding above ground! Trains are making their way across the island, bringing new opportunities to explore and haul valuable cargo. Alongside them, this update introduces more ways to get around and a new trader to meet on your travels.

Our team has put together a new trailer showcasing the update’s features. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look below!

 

New Train system

The new overground rail network gives you another way to cross the island, with two main types of engine to choose from. The overground Work Cart offers familiar controls for anyone who has travelled through the tunnels, while the larger Locomotive is tougher, slightly faster, and better suited to pulling heavier loads.

You’ll also find wagons carrying ore, fuel, or loot along the railway. Hook them up to your engine and you could be heading home with a worthwhile haul. But first, you’ll need to make a stop at Train Yard’s new unloading tower.

Bring a green keycard and a fuse, attach some loaded wagons to your train, and head for the monument. Once there, position a wagon beneath the tower’s extractor, use your keycard to access the building, and insert the fuse to power the controls.

You’re then ready to start unloading! Ore and fuel are sent to collection points below, while emptied loot wagons reveal crates you can collect directly from the wagon. With a little preparation, your next railway trip could help stock up the base.

 

Traveling Vendor

The island’s new ring road has a trader on the move! The Travelling Vendor brings a roaming shop to the roads, offering a changing selection of goods, from building materials to weapons. Catch it along its route and browse what’s available. You might find just what you need for your next outing, or a deal worth stopping for.

 

Zip Lines

Looking for another way to cover ground? New zip lines let you travel between connected powerline platforms and reach nearby monuments from above. Climb up, grab the line, and enjoy a quicker journey with a fresh view of the island. Your next trip across just got a little more interesting.

 

Trailer Featured Skins

The skins featured in our trailer are getting their own tab in the Skin Store! These wouldn’t normally be part of the current rotation, so we’ve brought them together for anyone who spotted a look they liked. If something caught your eye, visit the store and pick your favourite!

 

Blueprint Wipes for the Next Two Wipes

Both of the next two wipes will include a blueprint reset. These back-to-back resets are required to introduce the server changes we have planned for the upcoming updates.

We know resetting your blueprint progress twice in a row isn’t ideal, especially with the time you’ve put into unlocking them. We’ve heard your feedback on server performance, and these updates are part of our work to address those concerns. Thank you for your patience as we bring these changes to the game.

For October’s wipe, we also asked whether you’d like all blueprints unlocked for the month. The majority voted yes, so all blueprints will be unlocked across all official servers for October’s wipe. We hope this helps you get straight into the action, try a different server, and take on some fresh competition.

We’ll share more in a dedicated Dev Blog in mid-to-late November, covering the server changes and the changes we’ve made. If you’re interested in a closer look at the technical work behind Rust Console Edition, keep an eye out for that!

 

Patch Notes 1.17 - Releasing October 29th


  • Overground Trains

    • Added 11 new types of train car, including the Locomotive, Loot Train Wagon and many more!

    • A Procedural Rail Network will be generated with every large map (4K+) that will include connections to the Underground Rail System, as well as the retouched Trainyard.

    Trainyard Update

    • The Trainyard has been updated in line with the new Overground Rail System, and now functions as a central hub for train activity on the surface!

    • Added the Coaling Tower, allowing players to withdraw resources from containers that can attach to player-controlled trains.

    • The Coaling Tower will require a Green Keycard and a Fuse to access. Once inside, players can load and unload resources onto trains as they see fit.

    Travelling Vendor

    • The Travelling Vendor has arrived on the island! Sticking to the main roads of larger maps (4K+), the Travelling Vendor will offer a random selection of items, resources and weapons at competitive prices.

    • Be careful around this Vendor, as it will return fire if threatened!

    Powerline Ziplines

    • A percentage of pylons across the island have been re-tooled into platforms, to support the Ziplines that have just been installed!

    • The zipline network can be accessed from these special pylons and used to quickly traverse the outskirts of the island.

    • While generally safe, there’s always a chance of bumping into trees, buildings, or even other players so watch out when using them.

    • They’re also great at keeping the bears away while you’re on the way to Oxum’s for the first time!

    • Improved server performance and player connection quality

    • Removed some players seeing the Wallpaper DLC in their locker. Seems this was causing confusion, as DLC should not be visible in the Locker as a general rule

    • Furnace smelting have been adjusted to stop unintentionally high yield

    • Added some extra information to the players Ping display, including Packet loss status

    • Players no longer crash or get stuck sleeping after moving past the edges of the map

    • Vehicles at full health no longer sound or appear damaged

    • Rowboats no longer allow 2 people to mount them in the driver’s position

    • Killing players now shows proper body ragdoll physics at very long distances

    • Horses now correctly eat edible plants on the terrain, or from planters

    • Adjusted some of the monument no-build zones to fix height-based differences in what the player was seeing compared to the actual zone size/shape

    • Mounting a vehicle from underwater no longer interferes with the use of weapons

    • The compass has been properly aligned for helicopter gunners

    • Monument-based Vending Machines now display the correct prices after a change in discount/price raises

    • Multiple crash fixes

    • Deployable lights no longer flicker when looking at them from different angles

    • Physics for certain clothing has been stabilised when “FPS limit” is turned on, no more weird jiggle physics!

    • Mannequins no longer move or shapeshift on their own

    • Lighting transitions when using the Homing Launcher’s scope have been improved

    • Players can no longer place deployables near the underground rails at the Airfield

    • Players no longer get stuck inside certain areas at the Water Treatment Plant on certain seeds

    • Deployables (Sprinklers, Tesla Coils, Igniters) no longer continuously play VFX

    • Objects at the Junkyard, including the crusher and magnet crane, no longer continuously play VFX

    • Water volumes for Bandit Camps on a steep hill no longer stick out into the adjacent hill

    • Flares now render correctly when thrown on trains

    • Water Well vendors no longer reset the player’s intended purchase amount when they restock their inventory

    • Bed UI now correctly updates after unclaiming it in the Map

    • Lights at monuments no longer turn on when the player is looking from a distance

    • Vent covers at the Large Oil Rig have been re-attached to their vent tunnels

    • Players no longer clip into the driver’s cabin of a train when colliding with another train

    • Map screen UI (Co-ordinates area) has been centralised

    • Multiple minor visual fixes

    • Multiple minor skins fixes

    • Multiple minor localisation fixes

    • The following commands have been added as commands for Community Server owners:

      • --trains.abovegroundrails  (True)

      • traincar.population (2.3)

      • traincar.trainturretinaccuratepervelocity (0.1)

      • traincar.wagons_per_engine (2)

      • traincarunloadable.decayminutesafterunload (10)

      • traincouplingcontroller.max_couple_speed (9)

      • travellingvendor.alive_time_seconds (1800)

      • travellingvendor.attempt_pullovers (True)

      • travellingvendor.max_speed (5)

      • travellingvendor.should_destroy_buildings (False)

      • travellingvendor.should_spawn (True)

    • Removing a player with removevip, removemoderator, removeadmin, or removeowner now functions correctly when that user has the “Hide Admin Status” setting enabled

    • global.dayview no longer flashbangs the user

    • Fixed some server spam caused by DLC item checks

  • We are aware of the following issues, and are working to resolve them in coming updates:

    • Players may occasionally see trailers flicker when travelling to and from the underground on the rail system

    • Chinook event at Oil Rigs may cause some network stability issues for a short time after triggering it

    • Respawning on a camper van as another player is mounting it can cause the death UI to persist into gameplay

    • Medium distance underwater gunfire can sometimes miss and cause projectile_detailed logs

    • Small Sharks and Salmon are currently unavailable to catch when ocean fishing

    • Using the DTS Headphone:X sound profile on XBOX can degrade audio quality

      • For now, we suggest using a different audio mode

That’s all for this month’s Dev Blog! We hope you have a great wipe exploring everything the Overground Trains Update has to offer, on October 29th. These additions bring more life to the island, and we can’t wait to see the clever plays, close calls, and unexpected moments they inspire.

If you capture something worth sharing, post your clips and screenshots and tag us on:

- See you on the island!