Howdy, Pioneers,
It’s high time we shared another update from the trail - and boy, have we got some exciting news from the Rusty Robot team!
We’ve been hard at work shaping Red Rust Pioneers with the help of your feedback, and it’s been a real pleasure building this game together with such a fine community. Let’s dive right in.
3rd Person Camera
A fair few of y’all mentioned that the first-person camera was makin’ you feel a little green around the gills. So we rustled up a new option - and we’re thrilled to announce that Red Rust Pioneers now supports both first-person and third-person camera views!
Whether you want to see the world through your pioneer’s eyes or watch your boots kick up dust from behind, the choice is now yours. Yeehaw!
User Interface Overhaul
The UI’s had a bit of a cleanup and a polish. We’ve removed the tool display from the bottom left and introduced a quick slot system to make tool-switchin’ smoother and faster.
And sharp-eyed players might notice that the revolver UI now shows five shots - just like the Colt Paterson, Samuel Colt’s very first revolver released way back in 1839. It’s a little historical nod we just couldn’t resist.
Visual Style Update
We’ve been workin’ on Red Rust Pioneers’ visual identity, takin’ inspiration straight from the classic Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s.
Think: deeper shadows, richer tones, saturated reds and yellows, cool greens, and bold contrast. We want the game to feel cinematic, like you’ve just stepped into an old film reel, and we hope these latest screenshots show we’re on the right trail.
Music Chosen by the Community
Over on our Discord, y’all cast your votes to help us pick the game’s main theme tune - and we have a winner!
The community’s chosen "Western Bravery" by F.A. Vassao as the official Red Rust Pioneers theme. If you’d like to give it a listen, saddle up and join us on Discord where the full track’s waitin’ for ya.
Overlook Lake – First Look
And now, for the first time, we’re showin’ y’all a proper look at the lake that gives Overlook Lake its name.
We’ve wrangled Unreal Engine’s Lumen system into shape, and we’re mighty proud of how it’s handling reflections and lighting - just look at that water shimmer! If that ain’t the perfect place to pitch a tent, we don’t know what is.
What’s Next?
We’re still expandin’ and polishin’ the area around Overlook Lake, and we’ve been tryin’ out a few new things to bring it to life.
We’re also workin’ on a full revamp of the inventory system, which is why you haven’t seen it in recent screenshots. The designs are lookin’ great, and now we’re deep into the implementation.
At the same time, we’re updating the fishing UI and gameplay to add a bit more challenge and finesse. There’ll likely be more tweaks to fishing further down the trail, but these updates bring the mechanic up to game-ready quality.
That’s all for now, folks - but if you’re hankerin’ for more regular news, head on over to our Discord. We post frequent updates, run polls to help shape the game, and chat directly with y’all about gameplay ideas and features.
We’d love to see you there!
Stay safe out there, Pioneers.
– Rusty
P.S. Don’t forget to boil your tea!