Rust Building Fixes: Ramps, Stairs, Overhangs and Blocked Messages

Building in Rust should get a little less annoying soon. Facepunch commits from October 21 to 26 fix ramp placement, the false "Line of sight blocked" errors on stairs and ramps, roof overhangs blocking pieces they should not, and the vague "Cannot build in this area" message. Most of these fixes are already merged into the main branch.

There is no release date. Main branch fixes like these usually reach players in a monthly update, but Facepunch has not said which one. Here is what changed.

Ramps that just work

Ramps got the most attention. A commit on October 26 says ramp placement is improved so that aiming at the center of a foundation just works. Today you often have to hunt for the exact angle.

Two more ramp fixes:

• Low ramps blocked by deployables below. If you had a box or furnace in the room under a ramp, the ramp could refuse to place or upgrade. A fix from October 21 stops deployables in the room below from blocking it, by letting deploy volumes skip certain sockets.
• Triangle foundations on brutalist ramps. A separate fix sorts out a triangle foundation problem on top of the brutalist style ramps.

Fewer false "Line of sight blocked" errors

Everyone has seen the blue "Line of sight blocked" error while staring right at the spot. Facepunch added extra check points so the game tests line of sight from more places:

• On stairs: L shaped, U shaped, spiral and triangle spiral stairs all got more line of sight check points. The commit says this fixes the error showing when you clearly have line of sight.
• On ramps: another commit added an extra check point for the ramp, which fixes the same blue error there.

"Blocked by X" instead of "Cannot build in this area"

When something is in the way, the building plan sometimes just says "Cannot build in this area" with no reason. A new fix makes it say "Blocked by X" instead, naming the thing in the way, when that blocker is in plain sight. That should save a lot of guessing when a small deployable or a piece of another base is the problem.

Roof overhangs no longer block building

Building skins come with roof overhangs, and those overhangs had colliders that could block building blocks from being placed. A second fix found the overhang was using the wrong blocking setting: it was set to block building blocks when it should only block deployables. The commit links before and after pictures. That second fix sits on a branch for a Scrap King building skin, so it may arrive with that skin.

Mirrored stairs on the way?

A branch called "mirrored_stairs" showed up on October 24 with two fixes: one for a building splitting every time a block is flipped, and one for a wrong message when rotating boat building blocks. The name and the "flipped" wording point at a way to mirror stairs or flip building blocks. This is our guess. Facepunch has not announced a feature like that.

What it means for builders

None of this changes what you can build or what it costs. It changes how smooth it feels. Ramps should snap where you aim, stairs and ramps should stop throwing false line of sight errors, and when the game says no, it should tell you why. If you are new to building, our tool cupboard and upkeep guide covers the basics of keeping a base alive.

When will the fixes ship?

No date yet. Rust's monthly updates land on the first Thursday of the month (see how Rust updates work). Most of these fixes were merged into main, which is a good sign for the next one, but nothing is confirmed. For more work in the commits, see our post on the livestock changes in progress.

FAQ

Why does Rust say "Line of sight blocked" when I can see the spot? The game checks line of sight from a few points on the piece. Stairs and ramps had too few, so the check failed by mistake. New commits add more check points.

Why can't I place a ramp over my furnace room? Deployables in the room below could block low ramps. A fix stops that from happening.

What does "Cannot build in this area" mean? Something is blocking the spot. After the fix, the game will say "Blocked by" and name the blocker when it is in plain sight.

Are mirrored stairs coming to Rust? There is a "mirrored_stairs" branch with fixes for flipped blocks, which hints at it. This is our guess, and there is no announcement.

Sanguine Rust

Sanguine Rust is a PVE server with zombies, bosses and skill levels, where a solid base keeps the hordes out. We test every Rust build on a test island before moving our islands over. See what Sanguine Rust is about.

Source: Facepunch commits