What I Want in a Survival Game

A few weeks ago I found myself wishing for a first person survival game. So when I heard about Rust, I decided to give it a try. So far it's not exactly what I was hoping for, but it is definitely fun. It's also early in development, so it's likely to get better with time. In any case, playing it got me thinking about what I want in a 'survival game'. I'm using that term loosely; my ideal survival game would have a lot of elements that aren't strictly about survival. Two of my favorite games that I would group into this category are Minecraft and Dwarf Fortress (again, using the term loosely). Throughout this post I'm going to compare and contrast what I like and dislike from Rust, Minecraft, and Dwarf Fortress. I might also mention few other games that I have less experience with.