Fresh details about the base building and PVP in Dune: Awakening were revealed at GDC 2024 and PAX East. We got a sneak peek at where to feel safe and where to watch our backs in the game.
Home Base Security
Arrakis is divided by the Shield Wall, a mountain range that separates the safe interior from the hazardous deep desert. Players can build safe spaces inside the Shield Wall, protected from deadly sandstorms. The deep desert outside is an entire PvP zone, seamlessly integrating nine Conan Exiles-sized maps through server meshing. This area dynamically changes weekly as Coriolis storms shift the sands, altering the landscape.
Dune: Awakening features distinct zones with varying levels of player interaction. Social hubs are designated as guild peace areas, ensuring no combat occurs. Other regions allow partial warfare, while the War of Assassins areas are entire PvP zones, encouraging intense player battles. This structured approach ensures a mix of safe social interactions and strategic combat opportunities, catering to different player preferences.
So, how safe is my personal base behind the Shield Wall against attacks by enemy players in Dune: Awakening? Do I have to worry about waking up in ruins after my next login? In an interview with WCCFTech.com, Joel Bylos had some great details to share about the game’s PVP philosophy:
Joel Bylos, Creative Director, Dune: Awakening:
“One of the lines we have about Dune: Awakening is that it’s not about kicking down other people’s sandcastles. So many of these survival games are about just killing someone else’s base where they’re offline and destroying their fun.
Our game is about actually sending people out to fight over resources at specific locations. Bases are shielded. You can’t really destroy other people’s bases, especially in the PvE area. They’re fairly safe. And then we send you out into the deep desert. That’s where you can engage in chaos and fight over the big resource areas.”
This decision by the development team is a fantastic move, showing they really get how much blood, sweat, and tears players pour into building their bases. People spend endless hours perfecting their homes in many MMOs and survival games. The game respects all that hard work and dedication by keeping these structures safe, especially in PvE areas. It’s a great way to ensure players can enjoy their creations without constant worry while still diving into the thrilling chaos of PvP battles in the deep desert. This balance makes the game both fun and fair, keeping everyone happily engaged.
The phrase “fairly safe” regarding home bases in the PvE area suggests some nuances. It could imply engaging in a “duel mode” if two players or guilds agree. Alternatively, one might question why home bases need walls or shields if there is no significant threat. Joel Bylos could hint at potential remaining dangers like wildlife or smaller NPC raider attacks that players need to defend against.
In the deep desert, players might finally get to kick down the temporary bases and fortifications built by opponents. However, Funcom has yet to reveal the full extent of base destructibility. Will players be able to place charges on a single wall to infiltrate enemy bases secretly and steal resources, or can they besiege and destroy entire bases with tanks? These details remain to be seen.
Fragile Coalitions in the Deep Desert
In Dune: Awakening, players complete missions and contracts for handlers to build trust and progress. They also have the option to join player guilds, aligning themselves with factions led by either House Atreides or House Harkonnen at the game’s launch with the Fremen potentially following later.
By signing a contract of allegiance with a faction, guilds gain access to participating in the Landsraad, representing the great houses of the Dune universe, overseen by the emperor. While the factions and Landsraad systems operate independently, guilds aligned with a faction can influence Landsraad decisions, earning benefits like reduced spice tax.
For instance, guilds might strategically stockpile spice, wait for favorable Landsraad rulings, and then sell for profit.
Individual players and guilds in Dune: Awakening have the opportunity to join forces in larger faction wars or specific missions, amplifying their strength and strategic capabilities. However, it’s crucial to note that while they may collaborate momentarily, they remain distinct entities with their own agendas. Even within the same faction, alliances are fragile, and betrayal is always possible, especially since the game has friendly fire.
The game’s Creative Director and Chief Creative Officer at Funcom, Joel Bylos elaborated on this dynamic in an interview with VG247.com, stating;
Joel Bylos, Creative Director, Dune: Awakening:
“In PvP areas you can see another Atreides player and shoot them, that’s up to you. We have this rule – what happens in the desert stays in the desert.
It’s not just about going ‘I’m Atreides now and that’s my brother’. No no, that guy’s Atreides and his guild is getting up ahead of yours! You kinda want to backstab them as well.
That’s kind of the Dune universe! It’s like Game of Thrones in space in a way, you don’t just want to let some upstart young guild get ahead either right? They’ll get more rewards than our guild. So we kind of want to encourage this dynamic social play between different groups, even within the factions.”
Betrayal and espionage in Dune: Awakening offer thrilling opportunities for players to explore the darker side of gameplay. The idea of assuming the guise of cooperative allies, only to ultimately betray and plunder them, injects an exhilarating dose of excitement and uncertainty into the gaming experience. It’s a chance for players to embrace the thrill of living the pirate life within Dune’s rich and complex universe.
Could developers implement players working as double agents for both factions? Though speculative, this feature would add complexity and moral ambiguity, challenging players to navigate conflicting loyalties while maintaining their faction facade.
I even fantasize about cloak devices or advanced tech allowing players to fake their faction alignment, enabling infiltration and sabotage on the opposing side.
Funcom has been rather cryptic about more politics, espionage, and non-lethal faction competition in Dune: Awakening. We hope to gain more insight during the upcoming Summer Game Fest 2024, beginning Friday, June 7.
Link: WCCFTech.com – Dune Awakening Q&A – Creative Director Clarifies MMO Size, Hints at Beyond Arrakis
