Rust adds attack helicopters, homing missiles to blow up attack helicopters, and parachutes to escape from exploding attack helicopters.

 The new rust update makes life in the sky much more interesting.

Rust adds attack helicopters, homing missiles to blow up attack helicopters, and parachutes to escape from exploding attack helicopters.

I still recall my initial foray into the world of Rust. Back then, I was a naked, unarmed survivor, completely clueless about how to navigate this unforgiving realm. Desperate for assistance, I cautiously approached an inhabitant of a rustic cabin, doing my best to appear non-threatening, even though I was a disheveled nudist brandishing a mere tree branch. What followed can best be described as a tragic miscommunication—he ordered me to leave, threatening to shoot me in the face, and my failure to grasp the seriousness of his words led to precisely that outcome: a gunshot to the face. But that was then, and this is now, and in the present day, Rust boasts a surprising addition to its arsenal: attack helicopters.

This transformation of Rust has left me both astonished and slightly bewildered. The last time I ventured into this digital wilderness, it remained a gritty survival game, inhabited by unsociable individuals struggling to survive in primitive conditions. Corrugated metal shacks were the closest thing to fortresses, and if you possessed a firearm, you were practically a regional warlord. However, thanks to the latest Rust update, players can now acquire what appears to be a Bell Cobra helicopter, straight out of a Fallout-inspired nightmare, and unleash havoc upon their adversaries with a range of firearms and rockets, all from the relative safety of the skies.

I say "relative safety" because this update introduces a new weapon: the Homing Missile Launcher. This device can lock onto flying targets and track them relentlessly until it makes contact. Being on the receiving end of such a missile is undoubtedly a dire situation, given the fragile appearance of the Rust helicopter. Yet, there are a few methods to avoid the worst-case scenario: you can break the missile lock by placing a hill or building between yourself and the shooter, or deploy flares in the hope of diverting the missile's path.

In the event of a catastrophic free fall, there's still hope in the form of parachutes—a newly craftable item that can decelerate your descent. You can somewhat control your descent and even take potshots at your foes if you're feeling exceptionally bold. Once you're safely on the ground, you can pack up your parachute for future use, provided it's still in working condition. Keep in mind, though, that each use reduces its durability by 20%, causing you to fall faster and making it harder to control.

For those seeking a more leisurely ascent to the skies, the update introduces the Armored Hot Air Balloon. Picture those corrugated shed strongholds, but now they're precariously attached to a somewhat dubious-looking oversized balloon. This serves as an enhancement of Rust's existing hot air balloon, bolstering its overall durability and providing additional cover for the occupants. Because, let's face it, if you're going to embark on this chaotic adventure, why not crank up the intensity by taking potshots at passing players as you drift serenely by?

In addition to these exciting gameplay changes, the update includes weapon racks and extends the distance at which players can spot bases, from a mere 300 meters to a whopping 1,500 metres. This eliminates any unpleasant surprises of enemy installations suddenly appearing in the distance. Facepunch Studios, the developer behind Rust, attributed this significant increase in viewing distance to enhancements in the game's rendering system.

Facepunch stated, "The majority of computation is on the GPU, which allows us to maintain performance parity while rendering 25 times the number of bases. This also lays the foundation for future performance improvements."

For now, the expanded rendering distance is not activated by default, but players can enable it through the “Global Rendering” option in the graphics menu. Comprehensive details on Rust's latest Airborne update can be found on Steam.