Rust
GameBy Facepunch Studios
Documents about Rust
Build an Online Game In a Simple Database
SpacetimeDB functions as a cloud-native relational database designed to serve as an operating system for real-time multiplayer games.
- SpacetimeDB is a real-time relational database that integrates directly into a program's memory, eliminating the need for network serialization and deserialization between the application and the database.
- The architecture allows game clients to act as read replicas of the server's state, enabling developers to build admin tools, AI agents, or third-party integrations without writing additional server-side code.
- By executing code in a transactional context directly alongside the data, the system simplifies infrastructure and reduces latency compared to traditional client-server models.
Panel: The Gaming Roadmap to 2030: What New Tech, Trends & Models do we Need to Prepare For?
The gaming industry is currently navigating a period of profound structural transformation, driven by a shift toward ARM-based architectures and the adoption of modern programming languages like Rust and Kotlin.
- Generative AI is the primary catalyst for industry change, functioning as a tool to automate development and enable adaptive gameplay rather than replacing human creative leadership.
- The industry is shifting toward ARM-based architectures and modern languages like Rust and Kotlin, which is destabilizing the dominance of traditional game engines and favoring specialized, agile platforms.
- AI serves as a competitive equalizer that lowers barriers to entry, allowing smaller studios to scale production and compete more effectively with larger entities.
The Rust Programming Language for Game Tooling
Rust serves as a highly effective bridge between the rapid development cycles of high-level languages like Python and the raw performance capabilities of C++, making it an ideal choice for modern game tooling.
- Rust provides a performance-oriented alternative to C++ while maintaining memory safety, as demonstrated by a Treyarch image-packing tool that experienced only two crashes over a three-year period.
- The language eliminates common development risks such as multi-threaded data races and memory corruption through static memory safety and compile-time validation.
- Rust’s ecosystem enhances developer productivity through integrated tools like the Cargo package manager and utilities for serialization, error handling, and CLI development.
Rust - Representing Race in Games - Extra Credits
The survival game Rust utilizes a unique character creation system that assigns players a permanent skin color tied to their Steam ID, removing all player agency regarding their avatar’s ethnicity.
- Rust enforces permanent, randomized character ethnicity tied to a player's Steam ID, removing all user agency over their avatar's physical appearance.
- This design choice functions as a sociological experiment that forces players to experience the game world through a racial identity they did not choose.
- By intentionally allowing uncensored player communication, the game exposes users to racial discrimination and slurs, compelling them to confront the realities faced by marginalized groups.