Player Interview: Rust+User(UsesRust+)

Hey! First of all, thank you for agreeing to do this! You are the first one to step up – should be fun.

Let’s jump right into it with a few intro/bio questions.

Please introduce yourself to the community and those who may not already know who you are.

My steam name is Rust + User (uses Rust+), although my old gaming friends know me by Prof. I changed it on a whim to Rust+ User soon after first playing on LW and then later updated to it’s current form as a sort of riff on SexHaver (has sex), another regular here.

I’ve been playing here pretty regularly since December of 2021.

What part of the world are you from?

I’m originally from central Pennsylvania, spent the latter half of my childhood in rural Kentucky, then moved back to my hometown when I left home and currently live about 2 miles from where I was born.

How did you pick your current Steam name? Is there any meaning behind it?

Haha, it‘s just a reference to the Rust+ app, which I’ve been a fan of since its release. I think I had the idea that it might discourage offline raiders, but that‘s been hit or miss. Some of my most memorable moments on the server have been seeing the alarms going off and logging in to a raid in progress.

How long have you been playing video game in general? What’s the first game that you remember playing?

It depends on what counts as a beginning, but I’ve been gaming on PC since about 2010. I didn’t have access to a PC or any video game platforms as a kid , except for a few of those old handheld Tetris games etc. My first PC game was Age of Empires, and I still love strategy/civ building games like the civilization series etc.

I think Civ 6 is the second most played game in my Steam library, after Rust.

What are other hobbies or interests that you have in real life outside of gaming?

I love dogs. My girlfriend and I have a Boxer and a Jack Russell mix. Hiking with them occupies quite a few weekends, especially in the spring and fall. We also do little gardening and have a backyard flock of chickens for eggs.
I dabble a little bit in leather working in the evenings and weekends when the mood strikes. I grew up working in my families leather shop and have had a love for the craft ever since.

Besides Rust, what other game titles do you enjoy playing at the moment? What are some of your “all-time greats for PC or Console?

I almost exclusively play Rust lately, but as mentioned previously I’ve been a big fan of the civ series, particularly 5 and 6. I also enjoyed the Elder Scroll series and Red Dead Redemption 2 is probably my favorite single player game of all time, although it’s a hard choice between that and Skyrim.

I played quite a bit of multi player minecraft back in the day as well. There was a heavily modded civ/nation building server I played a lot.

Would you mind sharing, at a very high level, what you do for work or what field you are studying?

No problem, I’m an HVAC tech and electrician at a small local business.

How were you originally introduced to Rust and when did you first play? How many hours do you have now?

A friend talked me into buying Rust in early alpha, I’m thinking 2014. I didn’t get into it at the time, just logged in to a random server with a couple friends and messed around. None of us had any idea what we were doing, and I don’t remember really making any progress or learning much about the game at all haha.

I think I’ve logged over 11,000 hours in game, although a fair amount of those were afk.

Talk us through your first time ever truly playing Rust – how did it go? What were your first impressions?

Maybe a year or so later a different friend who was really into the game got me to try it again. This time I got hooked. I played with him for a while and then with a few random players I met in game. Later some of my old friends got into it again and we had a little clan going for a while. The group gradually changed over the years with people quitting and others joining, until finally it was so inconsistent that I ended up solo most of the time.

What is your favorite aspect of Rust? What is your least favorite?

One of my favorite aspects of Rust is just the open world and dynamic gameplay. The constant development has been great too. Ups and downs for sure, but I love the current state of the game.

Least favorite is probably how much of a time suck it is to have a really successful wipe. I like to build big bases and really control an area, but sometimes that can take more time than I can put in.

How did you find out about Lone Wolf Rust? What were your first impressions?

I actually don‘t recall for sure, but I think I just searched for solo servers in the browser and joined the highest pop one.

This was during Christmas wipe of 2021. I remember spawning in, running to outpost, getting a grenade launcher from an advent calendar that was out in the open and just immediately finding a lot of action. I got online raided in my little 2×1 a couple hours in and then again a day or so later when I had a slightly bigger base, but managed to defend the second one.

I think what made me stick to the server was just the amount of action there was without constantly getting stomped by groups or cheaters, which was a common occurrence on the official servers I had played on previously. Over time I grew to love the community here as well.

How would you describe your “playstyle” in Rust and especially on Lone Wolf?

I’m a pretty typical player. I pvp and raid, run monuments, farm, build etc. I like action, but also enjoy a lot of the more laidback activities that some players get bored by. I particularly like designing and building bases and was always the builder when I played with a group.

Rapid Fire: Favorite Overall Item? Favorite Weapon? Favorite Monument? Favorite Kit? Favorite Biome? Favorite Keybind?

Favorite item is a tough one. Maybe cars. I try to have one every wipe and use them all the time. I think they’re under utilized by the majority of players.

Favorite weapon has to be AK, although I love the current version of the MP5 as well, especially since they added burst fire and reduced the aim cone.

Favorite monument depends a lot on what stage of progression I am, but I often skip running tier one and two monuments in favor of train tunnels during early wipe component farming. Overall favorites would probably be missile silo and excavator.

[Favorite] Kit is just whatever I can afford or have lying around the base haha

…Actually, scratch the car thing. Favorite item has got to be the smart alarm.

Favorite Biome is desert for sure. I like that it’s more open with flatter spots to build, while still having a good amount of resources.

Can you share one of your most memorable moments or achievements while playing on Lone Wolf Rust?

Running into Spoonkid and making an appearance in a video has to be up there. I’ve enjoyed his content since his very early days of short videos with no commentary. About a year ago I was watching a video when I recognized the map and then there’s a short clip of me coming out of a bush with a double barrel, killing him as he’s taking off in a minicopter. I didn’t have any interaction with him beyond that and obviously didn’t realize who it was until I saw the video, but my understanding is he’s played on the server a number of times.

Have you formed any notable friendships or rivalries on Lone Wolf Rust?

I‘ve made some longstanding friendships on the server for sure. There are quite a few I‘d love to play with sometime (duo server when).

[Editor’s Note: Soon™]

Definitely a lot of short term rivalries that only last a wipe or so because of player turnover, and maybe one longer term one I can think of, although I think that one may have mostly blown over at this point.

How do you handle high-pressure situations or setbacks in the game?

Losses and setbacks tend to motivate me. In the event I do get offline raided I will almost always find a way to raid the person back. I think I just don‘t have the rage-quitting circuit in me.

What are the characteristics of your ideal map?

I like small to medium maps, 3500 – 3700k, but I’m not very picky and adapt easily to almost any map. I do like bandit town and outpost being relatively central so I don’t have to travel too far to buy minis, recycle etc.

Every Rust player has a unique approach to base building. What’s your philosophy, and how has it evolved?

I like to build as big as I can afford to upkeep. I know there are plenty of players who think building smaller and multiple bases makes them less likely to get raided, but in my experience the tougher the nut is, the fewer players are willing to risk trying to crack it. This is particularly true on a solo server like this, since it’s easy to lose control of a big raid as a solo raider.

Do you have any tips or tricks for efficient resource management in Rust?

Regarding resource management, I’d say focus on expending resources up front to acquire more faster is almost always better. The amount of people I see running around farming nodes with metal picks when I know they could afford a jackhammer is silly. If you buy a horse, jackhammer, and tea (if available) your efficiency will far outweigh the cost. Also spending the building mats to reinforce your base as much as possible before logging off is advisable. Building a small base with a very predictable raid cost, especially if you’re pvping a lot in your area just paints a target on your back.

Wipe days can be intense. Do you have any specific strategies or rituals you follow on wipe days on Lone Wolf Rust?

Honestly, since I can hardly ever be on at wipe I often wait until Saturday to start. Things have generally calmed down a little by then and if it’s earlier in the day, I can usually have a base down and some guns and gear accumulated for when the server hits its peak activity in the evening.

Rust is a game that rewards creativity. Can you describe a unique tactic or strategy you’ve developed while playing on Lone Wolf Rust?

One of my signature strategies, as reflected in my username is my use of an extensive raid alarm system. If I have my end game base set up, I will know when something’s happening at my base. Turrets targeting someone, walls broken, sams broken, pretty much anything that signals an impending raid or one in progress. It’s not totally unique, but I’m always surprised how few people use it.

How would you describe your approach to PvP, especially in a solo server environment?

I enjoy the pvp aspect of the game, and I generally do ok, but definitely don’t have the reflexes of some of these teenagers anymore. There’s nothing particularly unique about my pvp style; I’d say I’m slightly more laidback with it than some and more of an opportunistic pvper than someone who constantly seeks it out.

For our final “question”, the floor is yours. What do you want to say to everyone who will read this interview? Is there anything you would like to promote (socials, etc)? Maybe a funny quote, a meme, or a callout to another player?

I don’t have much else to add. Just a big shout out to the community, all the players I’ve gotten to know and had fun playing against over the years (if I start naming them I’m gonna miss too many) and most of all the admin team for fostering the best culture I’ve ever encountered on a Rust server.