The makers of Dune: Awakening (PC, Xbox, PlayStation) have revealed more about the upcoming survival MMO in several interviews. MeinMMO editor Maik Schneider sees some parallels to the current hype game Sons of the Forest and explains how survival is supposed to work in the desert.
There have been some reasons for the current hype surrounding Sons of the Forest. As a survival fan, one thing stood out for me: the gameplay innovations.
- Interesting building system
- NPC companions help with grinding
- Crafting reimagined
- Npcs with different behavior patterns
Not everything works perfectly in the early access title – the open building system still has its quirks, and the different “characters” of the NPCs do not come to the fore due to their high aggression.
However, it was a refreshing experience to experience established survival mechanics in a new way. Innovations push genres forward, can create new subgenres or break old patterns.
And Dune: Awakening is also ready to break with old traditions. The developers have shared a lot about the survival mechanics in interviews with PC Gamer (via pcgamer.com) and the colleagues from GameStar (via gamestar.de – Plus article) and have shown that they have innovations to offer as well.
Dune: Awakening has so far released a pre-alpha trailer with gameplay. You can watch it here:
Sandstorms, worms, and water – survival on Arrakis
Joel Bylos is the creative director of Dune developer Funcom and conducted the interviews. The studio already has experience with survival MMOs (Conan Exiles) and Dune games (Dune: Spice Wars).
Bylos explains that Dune: Awakening fundamentally relies on 3 basic features for survival:
- Sandstorms
- Sandworms
- Water/thirst
Temperature will also play a role. The aim is to put players under constant survival pressure without being overly punishing or mean.
For this, they have taken inspiration from Valheim, which took off on Steam in 2021. In Valheim, not eating won’t kill you. Food provides buffs, makes you significantly stronger, but was never a cause of death.
This has also influenced Dune: Awakening, as it reimagined an established mechanic:
There are things that have simply been around since the beginning of the survival genre because the first [survival] game did it that way. And everyone copied it. We want to rethink some of these paradigms. I would say we want to create that strong survival pressure, but we also don’t want to punish players in a ridiculously harsh way. So we are trying to find some kind of balance.
Joel Bylos via PC Gamer
So, you will die if you don’t get enough water. However, if you lack the drug “spice,” you will not die from it – hunger also cannot kill you. However, spice is supposed to make you stronger, and you can learn new skills and improve stats.
Instead of relying on typical “consumable item survival,” the focus is more on “environmental survival.” This is where things get really exciting.
On one hand, there is the sand and sandstorms. At any time, a sandstorm can hit you in the vast deserts of the open world, and you must know the shelters in the area.
On the other hand, there are the sandworms. These huge, gluttonous creatures are attracted by vibrations in the sand, have their own AI, and can appear at any time and anywhere in the sand. You should also be able to use the worms strategically – such as by banging on the sand with devices to lure them to enemies.
And then there are the Coriolis storms. These could solve one of the biggest problems of modern open worlds, as they are supposed to completely change certain parts of the desert world every time:
These are not pre-made maps that are rotated regularly, but a system that dynamically distributes resources and spawns objects and quests in new locations revealed by the wind.
After a storm, entrances to underground bunkers are gone, or spaceship wrecks have been revealed by the sand. The spice on the surface has been blown away or sunk back into the sand, and players must uncover this part of the map completely anew. […] This applies to part of the entire map, which will change quite often.
Everything revolves around the spice
However, you can’t completely avoid “consumable item survival.” Spice is the most important resource in the game and the reason why you venture into the desert at all. Here you will find the resource, have to assert yourself against other players, and with each Coriolis storm, the cards will be reshuffled.
To protect your base from storms, you create an energy field. However, the local authorities require taxes from you. The spice must be refined and then also acts as currency.
Spice is progress. Spice is money. Spice is power. Everything revolves around the rare resource, and the more you want to accumulate, the more support you need – this is where the MMO aspect kicks in.
Joel Bylos explains that Dune: Awakening essentially runs through 4 phases:
- Survive
- You ensure that you do not die too often.
- Protect
- Safeguard initial spice supplies from enemies and make contact with the great (NPC) houses.
- Expand
- Create a clan, expand your influence, and rise to a lesser house.
- Control
- Take influence over the in-game economy and create your own small economic cycle in your base.
In the last phase, it should be possible to build houses together with other players as a specialized craftsman and then sell them profitably. Bylos also makes it clear: By the endgame, you will need fellow players and a guild to fully enjoy the complete package.
I also found particularly interesting a sentence in the interview with GameStar: “For every little detail and gadget that is only mentioned in a paragraph in the books, we found a function in the game.” This sounds like a dream for science fiction fans like me.
Together with the descendants of Dune author Frank Herbert, many small details have been discussed, and sometimes gameplay compromises have been made. However, they want to preserve the spirit of the Dune epic in the game and deliver an authentic experience.
From the perspective of a sci-fi fanboy and survival veteran, I can only say: Take your time, do it right, and we’ll see you on Arrakis. And let me know your opinion on the announcements in the comments.
In the interview with GameStar, Joel Bylos also spoke about the class system in the game and what Dune: Awakening offers for solo players. Check it out for more info – Dune: Awakening aims to realize the dreams of many science fiction fans via GameStar Plus
