The team at Facepunch has provided certain content creators exclusive access this weekend to the upcoming modular vehicles in Rust! Below is an initial look at what there is to know.
Vehicle testing process
The developers are taking a slightly different approach to testing vehicles. As opposed to the normal routine of adding to staging then releasing with the next monthly patch, the vehicles are being launched to a separate staging branch initially. This will allow for testing all this month, a June update without vehicles, then testing through June leading to a July release.
Players will be able to join this vehicle staging branch starting Monday, May 18th. Stay tuned for information on how to join on Monday.
Keep in mind: All of this is subject to change! This represents the initial functionality of vehicles. There is still much work to be done between now and launch, so don’t be surprised if any of this changes (including the launch date).
How to get vehicles
Similar to minicopters, vehicles spawn randomly around the map near roads (about 50 at a time on a 4k map for testing). Found with a semi-random selection of modules equipped, each vehicle will need repairs, fuel and engine parts prior to being drivable (more on that below).
Given vehicles are using the same spawn system as minicopters at the moment, Minicopters have been temporarily disabled on the vehicle staging branch. Don’t worry, they will be back with a new way to acquire them.
Repair
Vehicles are repaired in two ways. First, as you’d expect, a Hammer or Garry’s Mod Tool Gun will do the trick. Also, you can repair via the vehicle lift (see below). Modules generally require metal frags and sometimes wood to repair.
If every module on the vehicle reaches zero health, the vehicle becomes a wreck which can no longer be used - although it can be harvested like the scrap helicopter. Once the wreckage is gone, a new vehicle will spawn in the world.
Engine parts
Now that your vehicle is repaired, you’ll need some engine parts. There are 5 types of parts (carburetor, crankshaft, pistons, spark plugs, and valves) and 3 tiers of quality (high, medium, and low).
At least one of each of the 5 parts will be required for the engine to function (although this is not currently the case on staging). The quality of part doesn’t matter for getting the engine running, but they do have an impact on the overall speed and fuel efficiency of the vehicle.
Low quality engine parts can be found in junk piles and roadside monuments. Medium and high quality can be purchased at the compound (these prices are not final). Also, you can research and craft low and medium quality parts (high quality can only be purchased).
Below are all the parts (click for more information - all subject to change).
Fuel
Now that the vehicle is repaired and you’ve loaded in your engine parts, you just need to fuel her up and get going. Vehicles run on low grade fuel (accessed in the rear) at the moment - no word on if diesel will be added into the mix in the future. As stated above, the efficiency depends on the quality of engine parts you have.
Driving
Ok, you have a working vehicle! You’ll probably want to stick to the roads as these bad boys are not very adept at off-roading. In fact, they have a hard time staying on the road as is.
To enter the driver's seat, just click E when nearby and you’ll mount in. To drive, simply use the WASD keys. To exit, simply hit spacebar (ideally when stationary).
Damage
To answer the question on everyone's mind: Yes, you can run people over. It does a great deal of damage pretty quickly, so it’s in your best interest not to get hit by a car. You can even run animals over, which is nice.
Of course, as you run into things (living and not) the modules on your vehicle will get damaged. I’m not going to go into too many specifics about the damage each module can take right yet as it’s all likely to change anyway prior to launch.
Vehicle lift
So you’ve got a vehicle, now how do you modify it? That’s where the lift comes in. This new deployable can be purchased or researched / crafted. It takes up a good deal of space and requires 20 electricity to run.
Once you’ve got it down, simply drive a vehicle onto it and you’re good to start modifying. Keep in mind, vehicles will not be able to leave the lift without both an engine and drivers seat attached. So let’s go into what makes up each vehicle…
Chassis
At its base, there’s the chassis - the framework upon which the rest of the vehicle is built. When it comes to vehicles in Rust, there are 3 varieties of Chassis to choose from: small, medium, and large.
Given these are ‘modular’ vehicles, each chassis has a certain number of sockets to which modules can be attached.
Small
Sockets
2
Medium
Sockets
3
Large
Sockets
4
Modules
On the chassis go the modules. Modules have various uses, sockets, conditions, and can be swapped around the various sockets of the chassis. You can also pull modules off vehicles and store them like any other item in your inventory.
When it comes to obtaining these modules, you’ll find they are a bit hard to come by. They cannot be purchased or crafted, only found on existing vehicles which spawn around the map.
At the moment there are 10 different modules total. Here is a rundown of each:
Armored Cockpit Vehicle Module
This single module provides extra protection for the driver and passenger. It even has working metal windows which can be moved up and down to provide cover. And, in case you were wondering, you can go full blown tank mode by wearing heavy armor while driving this bad boy.
Cockpit Vehicle Module
This single module acts as your basic front seat for a driver and passenger.
Cockpit with Engine Vehicle Module
Offering a variety of uses, this single module provides seating for two and has a small engine to boot. The small engine has 1 slot for each of the 5 required engine parts.
Engine Vehicle Module
If you want the maximum speed, look no further. This single module acts as a large engine which features space for extra pistons, spark plugs, and valves. This means you can produce more power than the smaller engine, especially if you’re using high quality engine parts.
Single Flatbed Vehicle Module
This is a single module which people can stand as a haphazard mode of transportation.
Double Flatbed Vehicle Module
Like its little brother above, this dual module provides even more space for people to stand on.
Fuel Tank Vehicle Module
This is a dual module tank which will be used for transporting fuel in the future. At the moment, however, it only carries water (as Rust doesn’t yet view fuel as a liquid).
Passenger Vehicle Module
This dual module provides seating for 6.
Rear Seats Vehicle Module
A single module that provides seating for 2.
Storage Vehicle Module
Similar to a storage box, this single module provides storage space for up to 18 items.
Decay
Given these vehicles are pretty expensive to get running, the developers are being more liberal with the decay times than other modes of transportation. As it stands, vehicles will decay in 216 minutes (a little over 3.5 hours) when left outside. Inside, however, will result in 10x the decay time.
Example vehicles
Here’s a bunch of vehicle variants which are now possible.
Other stuff
Locking and ownership are planned (hopefully before release)
Vehicle ramps are planned
Landmines will set them off
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