Progression System - How RUST is engaging even without its main progression mechanics

Today we will talk about RUST’s core Progression System, the Tech Tree. The objective here is to analyze and understand how RUST is a game that can be enjoyed with and without it.

To get to the objective, we will talk about RUST and follow a process called Dimensional Analysis, alongside understanding the game’s Ultimate Goal and Ideal Sessions.

RUST

RUST is a Survival Multiplayer Game with Procedural Worlds that reset every month. You can explore RUST’s world as you want, by crafting, building bases, fighting NPCs, and fighting players.

RUST’s Tech Tree is simple to understand, players interact to unlock Crafting Recipes (1), and these Crafting Recipes are connected to one another through Progression Lines (2). Players need to unlock item by item, and high tier items are gated behind low tier items. But even with items being gated by other items in a Progression Line, you can still choose paths to progress inside the Tech Tree, more specifically to specialize on different parts of the game.

RUST Ultimate Goal
I believe that the Ultimate Goal that designers want for players in RUST is to allow them to explore the world and the game in their own way. Allow crafters to progress on crafting, allow builders to build bases, allow explorers to travel the map, and fighters to fight. Players can choose what they want to focus, to align with their strength or even to fulfill a role within your Squad.

RUST Ideal Sessions

I would like to separate the Ideal Session concept in RUST with two ideas: one is the Ideal Start Session and the other the Ideal Overall Session. I believe this will help us understand the game mostly because when you start you have a strong clear goal, after reaching that goal you are free to follow the path you want!

Ideal Overall Session
The Overall Ideal Session for RUST is to allow players to explore the map and the game in their own way, giving possibilities to progress on where you want to progress. Fighting, Farming, Crafting, Building. You can choose what you want to do, and you can progress in that line. You decide here, you can join the game and within the first minutes find the loot of an end game person with all high tier equipment, you can loot an weapon or a relevant craft item right from the start and that would drive your path for a fast progression. Or you can follow the clear path at the start.

Ideal Start Session
When you start in RUST, you start naked, on the beach, only holding a Torch and a Rock. You have nothing, and you are free to do and go wherever you want on the map. But it is not that simple, there is risk involved everywhere, RUST’s world is dangerous. For the Ideal Start Session, right when you wake up on the beach naked, the motivation is to protect yourself, to build your first base where you feel secure in the world. For that you don’t even need to interact with the Tech Tree.

Dimensional Analysis Framework

Running this framework allows us to understand the players Incentives and Motivations, their Emotions, and the Game State changes. All those together help us shape and understand Player Behavior.

Game State
The Tech Tree gives you a clear progression line, it is a very concrete way to progress and make sure you will get the power from the progress. You can’t lose progress from the Tech Tree.

If we remove the Tech Tree completely, we need to accommodate a change that makes sense as well, that is removing the Crafting itself, so players will not be able to craft any items, only find them in the world.

Now, thinking about having the Tech Tree completely unlocked at the start is different, because you still have the possibility of crafting. Players would be allowed to craft anything from the start, no need to unlock the automatic rifles Crafting Recipe, you just need to get the materials and craft them! This makes the progression much faster.

Incentives and Motivations
In RUST, the main motivations and incentives for players are to explore the unknown world and progress. I would say that in the big picture, the main incentive is to get Stronger. This affects both items and exploring the world, players want the best spot in the map to build their base as well.

Players interact with the Tech Tree to unlock Crafting Recipes with resources gathered in the world, to then be able to Craft items whenever they need. If the Tech Tree is removed completely, players will still be able to progress in the game. Every item in the game is lootable in the world, it depends on a bit of RNG.

Player Emotions
The main emotions that a RUST player feels are Power when you progress, creative freedom when building bases, and curiosity when exploring the world. I believe also that all those are connected to one main emotion, Thriller. RUST’s world is dangerous, hard to live in, hard conditions where you need to keep surviving and on every corner of the world there might be another player waiting to jump you, kill you and get all your items.

Removing the Tech Tree as a whole increases that feeling of Thriller. The items you have are much more valuable, since you can’t craft them, and the excitement of finding new items is huge.

Now, having the Tech Tree fully unlocked can decrease the Thriller and excitement because you can get items faster and easier, but it also allows much more action throughout the game. Fights are more complex with high tier items, and players can get back to fights much faster.

RUST has many different community servers running, they use these systems like the Tech Tree to change the game and afford different types of play for different players.