1:00pm EST - Our update preview stream is live! twitch.tv/rustafied

12:00am EST - An exciting new functionality is afoot on the AUX branch. The clans system is still a work in progress and much is still unknown. This article covers some of the basics of what exists on staging now.

Our update preview stream goes live at 1pm EST. Follow @Rustafied for news throughout the week.

Clans overview

Basically a more complex teams functionality, the clans system includes much of what you get with teams (map markers, chat, colored nametags, etc.) along with a bunch more management aimed at organizing much larger groups (we’re talking 100+ members).

It’s not exactly clear yet how this will be implemented, but it stands to reason it’d go well with something like the server to server transfer stuff being worked on (aka Nexus). It also has some clear potential to work with the Rust+ app. 

Given it’s on the AUX branch, it doesn’t look like this will go live any time real soon. 

Clan basics

As it stands, only admins can create clans with the command ‘clan.create name’. To invite players, the command is: clan.invite STEAMID or you can press ‘e’ on a player.

The clans database files are stored on the server end and could potentially sync up with other servers (like blueprint databases on nexus-linked servers).

Once in a clan, you can access the clans UI by press ‘j’ or clicking the ‘clans’ button on the inventory UI. From here, there are 6 tabs:

Announcements

This tab shows the most recent announcement including who posted it and how long ago. Messages can be 4 lines long.

Members

This tab shows all clan members along with their ranks and when they were last online. You can click on any member to see their notes. If you have the proper permissions you can also change a members rank here.

Invites

This tab shows a list of who has received an invite and gives you the ability to cancel a sent invite.

Ranks

The ranks tab lists all current ranks and allows leaders to create new ranks with various names and permissions. 

Logs

This tab shows all actions taken in the clan by most recent first.

Settings

This tab allows for the customization of things like clan banner color and logo. You can paint on a XL canvas to draw your clan logo and choose between 8 banner colors.

Other things of note

• We don’t know if it’ll be active on all servers or just some

• This is a work in progress

• All is subject to change

Also, Trains!

In other news, the first iteration of modular trains has been added to the above rail network on the AUX branch. There’s also been a bunch of tweaks and improvements to track placement, intersections, and more. These changes have been merged in with the normal staging branch, so we’ll likely see them go live with the update next week. We’ll have the full low-down on these for the article next week.

Other development news

The team is also trucking along on the May update and beyond. Here is a summary of what’s being worked on.

• Reduced "bad weather" probability: 90% of days will now be clear

• Improvements to ziplines

• More work on optimizations

• Death screen improvements

• SAM Sites can no longer be damaged by bullet type damage

• More Hapis finalization

Reddit Charity Tournament

This Saturday check out the Reddit Charity Tournament! Start at 2:00pm EST on April 30th, the Reddit PlayRust and Rust Arcade team are hosting their first Charity event raising funds for Youth Mental Health.

Check out more information here.