Rust

So, I'm not a fan of pvp.  I'm also not a fan of zombies.  I can't stand early access games on Steam.

Why the hell have I logged over 36 hours on Rust, across three different servers over the past couple of weeks?

My first server was a pve, since I hate pvp.  This was nice, because I could go around and harvest my stuff without worrying about people griefing me.  My aversion to pvp goes back to early MMO's like Everquest, or even WoW, and continues up to CoD:MW2.  I don't like pvp, because the  people I'm going up against are generally asshats who only want to be complete jerks online.

That being said, with regard to Rust, pvp is an absolute necessity.  A few days ago, I built a house into the side of a mountain.  There was a slim chance that someone could get in from the side of mountain, and lo and behold, someone did.  I entered my house and there's this guy running around.  I was pissed.  "Who the HELL are you?" I said into my mic.  He didn't answer, he just went around to the campfires and furnace, looking to loot whatever he could (luckily, my good stuff was in a safe room behind a couple metal doors).  Then, it clicked.  If I were on a pvp server, and someone did this, I could pull out my shotgun and persuade them to leave or meet Jesus. 

After that debacle, I joined a pvp server.  It was sparsely populated, so I was able to build up a pretty good arsenal quickly and had a good time.   When I would encounter people out in the open, there was more of a helpful spirit.  We weren't out to kill each other, but if one of us tried to wrong the other, there would be trouble.  To my sadness, I logged in one day and that server was gone.  My friend was playing on another pvp server and asked me to join.  I did, and immediately, I had a guy who was way more equipped than me standing right by me.  "oh shit", I thought.  "The griefing is about to begin".  He said "hey man, you new here?  Who are you with?"  I answered, expecting a bullet to the face, but he gave me food, some clothing and then said "aw, I don't have an extra gun, but take this hatchet".   Sure, I still have to be on the lookout and not invite trouble, but at least with the threat there that I could harm the offender, it seems to keep people in check.

Maybe I'm just naive, and happened upon a server with a lower population and composed of more like minded folk who just want to build their fortress and craft some stuff.  On the other hand, maybe, just maybe, pvp does work.