Streaming Rust just got safer with new Streamer Mode

Streaming Rust – or any other open-world survival game for that matter – can be a little dangerous. If a griefer wants to target you they can tune into your stream, enter your server and troll you relentlessly with the advantage of knowing your every move.

Facepunch has noticed this phenomenon, and patched in a tool to stop it from happening. As part of a major patch which rolled out late last week, Streaming Mode is an attempt to curb the griefing. "First of all it tries to hide all server names, so if you’re streaming and you accidentally press escape, your audience won’t see the server name," the Facepunch spokesperson wrote on the official Rust website.

"Secondly, it changes everyone’s name to something random. The names are based on their steamid, so the same guys will always have the same names. You’ll recognise your friends because they will always have the same random name."

That's not all the patch introduces: there’s a new NPC attack chopper, "holosights for weapons, new perimeter fence gates, an engine update, and loads more." Go forth and survive in peace.

Thanks, Rock Paper Shotgun.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.