Throughout the Recreation Builders Convention 2024 in San Francisco, Funcom offered the primary detailed Dune Awakening presentation to the press. For the total particulars of what was mentioned within the open world survival MMO’s overview, head to our earlier article.
Right here, we’ll deal with the next roundtable Q&A with Dune Awakening Artistic Director Joel Bylos. A 17-year veteran of the Norwegian studio who’s credited for engaged on video games like Age of Conan, The Secret World, The Park, Conan Exiles, Conan: Unconquered, and even Steel: Hellsinger, Bylos was all too glad to indulge the various questions posed to him concerning the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 powered recreation (presently in beta testing).
Do it’s important to be a feminine character to play a Bene Gesserit?
No. The thought is that you just aren’t changing into a member of the Bene Gesserit, you’ve got simply been skilled by individuals who know find out how to practice within the methods of the Bene Gesserit. There’s a few examples of this within the books and naturally, within the film as properly, when Paul is clearly skilled by his mom. We have now these examples of males choosing up among the traits as properly, so long as they do not develop into official Bene Gesserit. That is how we’re enjoying it within the recreation as properly.
WCCFTECH: There’s the thought amongst some players that Dune: Awakening will simply be a daily survival recreation slightly than a survival MMO. You claimed the latter from the start, and the Steam web page even talked about 1000’s of gamers on the similar time, however that is since been eliminated. Are you able to make clear how the servers work and what number of gamers shall be on-line on a server at anyone time?
Positive. It is totally different maps. The explanation we eliminated 1000’s of gamers at one time was that our optimization was not saying 1000 on the similar time. So we have been like, okay, that is deceptive. It is tons of on the very least, and proper now I might say so.
I’ve written a weblog for advertising to place out, which truly explains it with diagrams, however I am going to attempt to offer you a really fast technical overview. We have now a number of maps within the recreation: a survival map, a deep desert map, and social hubs. These are all separate maps operating their very own Unreal server, and so they all have totally different quantities of gamers per server. A social map might need 200 gamers. The deep desert map might need 500 gamers. The survival map might need 50 to 100 gamers, relying on how optimized it’s and what number of buildings there are.
We have now a number of of every of these maps on the identical world, in the identical means that numerous MMOs occasion out as soon as an space is full. However the distinction between us and a traditional survival recreation is that almost all survival video games have a single map, and so they keep on that map. Our recreation has many, many maps and plenty of, many gamers throughout all of these maps, together with shared issues just like the Alternate.
And the deep desert is all the time a shared location. In Dune: Awakening, it’s 9 occasions the dimensions of the Conan Exiles map. Whereas there could also be 10 instanced survival maps, everybody shares a single deep desert map, so you may meet folks from all the opposite maps in that location. That is only a fast overview.
While you stated you’ve gotten totally different maps, how do you journey between them?
It is not menu-driven. I do not know if anybody remembers the way it used to work in Age of Conan, you’ve gotten the world map and also you decide which space you wish to go to. You possibly can think about it like that, besides it is truly rather more participating traversal than it was within the previous recreation. You do not click on a button, you truly fly there.
What is the distinction between deep desert desert versus survival?
All of them have the identical mechanics. In the event you consider the planet’s map, there’s this factor referred to as the Defend Wall. It is a vary of mountains, and on the skin of the Defend Wall is what they name the deep desert. The within of the Defend Wall is mainly the place folks construct as a result of it is the secure area on the planet for the reason that sandstorms get blunted by the mountains.
The sport is split into these two main sections. We have now the within and outdoors of the Defend Wall. The deep desert is a full PvP location. It is fully seamless, all related. There’s 9 Conan Exiles-sized maps related by server meshing into one space. There isn’t any trickery right here, there is no instancing. In that space, the sands will shift when the coriolis storms occur and fully wipe and alter that complete map no less than as soon as per week.
So, the entire world adjustments exterior of the Defend Wall. Inside is the place you construct your secure areas. We’re attempting to construct a recreation that has dynamic PvP areas and secure PvE areas the place folks can construct their base.
Is the deep desert like a procedurally generated No Man’s Land?
It is procedurally generated with guidelines. There is a particular logistics play that we wish there as a result of the deep desert is the place the massive spice harvests occur and the place the massive occasions occur. We anticipate guilds to be preventing over assets.
One of many traces we now have about Dune Awakening is that it is not about kicking down different folks’s sandcastles. So many of those survival video games are about simply killing another person’s base the place they’re offline and destroying their enjoyable.
Our recreation is about truly sending folks out to battle over assets at particular places. Bases are shielded. You possibly can’t actually destroy different folks’s bases, particularly within the PvE space. They’re pretty secure. After which we ship you out into the deep desert. That is the place you may have interaction in chaos and battle over the massive useful resource areas.
In the case of your base constructing and the restricted area inside that space, how are you guys gonna take care of that when you’ve gotten numerous gamers? Is it capped per server?
There’s one model of the deep desert, however within the survival map, we will mainly occasion it, so there shall be sufficient area there.
WCCFTECH: I perceive the main target is totally on PvP in Dune Awakening, however is there any form of content material for teams of PvE gamers, like dungeons or raids?
The ecology labs are our dungeons. By the best way, I might strongly argue in opposition to that it is all simply PvP. The tip recreation has a really robust PvP focus, however PvP is one thing that I wish to outline in a barely totally different means from simply gamers killing gamers. It is truly about giving gamers widespread issues that they want after which having them compete in direction of that.
Our political system, for instance, is about encouraging gamers to compete in direction of particular targets and never essentially nearly killing one another. I might say the sport has a participant competitors focus, however not essentially a simply kill one another, stomp on the corpse type of focus. That’s one thing we might wish to keep away from, which can also be why we’re speaking about this not flattening folks’s sandcastles factor. It is vital that individuals know contained in the Defend Wall you may construct a base, preserve it without end, and do not be too anxious about it.
Are you going to have the ability to discover ways to sandwalk?
I’ve had this dialog a number of occasions already, which is type of why it is humorous. Sure, finally, however your character would not understand how to do this immediately. Except you are a duke with a hologram guide that teaches you, apparently. However even then, you are not good at it till you get to the second movie and Shani reveals you ways. However anyway, the purpose is that we’ll have one thing if you get to Fremen and also you begin working with Fremen or studying issues from them. However that is not what occurs firstly of the sport.
We additionally tried it at one level and it appeared ridiculous, too gradual, like you may dash and run and you’ll stroll after which you may sandwalk and also you type of appear like you are dancing and it’s extremely gradual.
And naturally, we will repair that and attempt to design it in a greater means. However for now, it is not gonna be there. In addition to, it is best to solely be capable of sandwalk when you get to the purpose the place you are one with the desert.
I do know that is an MMO, however as a Dune lover who likes to solely do PvE content material, can I fully keep away from PvP content material?
Completely. You possibly can play the sport with out doing PvP. You do not have to care about it in any respect. There are areas within the recreation which can be PvP-marked, however others are marked as like guild peace the place there isn’t a fight. The entire social hubs are guild peace areas. Then you’ve gotten areas which can be like partial warfare after which the Battle of Assassins areas that are full PvP.
We break these areas up and we inform folks after they’re getting into one, we allow them to know.
I simply questioned when you have been planning so as to add the using of the sandworm.
I used to be ready for that query. Not for launch. We’ll add it post-launch for certain. I do not understand how a lot I want to clarify it, however I need it to be significant. The film did such job that I am like, now I actually should do job. It is fairly a sophisticated, costly function, and we have to make it really feel proper for the sport.
Are you able to additionally carry enemy autos with the transport ornithopter?
Sure, truly, it is one thing that was type of humorous once we did our PvP exams. You simply fly down and decide up another person’s sandcrawler after they’re in the course of harvesting with the particular person inside as properly. The issue is, if you get them again to your base, they’re gonna leap out of their car and begin capturing you. So there’s type of all the time an attention-grabbing interaction, however sure, you are able to do that.
WCCFTECH: One among my huge query marks is the inevitable environmental fatigue. There’s not likely a lot you are able to do whereas staying on Arrakis, however the Dune lore is giant, and we all know that there are planets with totally different biomes. We do briefly see them within the motion pictures. Are you contemplating including maps situated on different planets post-launch to supply some much-needed biome selection?
There’s two factors right here. Initially, I believe there is a false impression concerning the desert visuals of Dune attributable to the flicks. This isn’t how Herbert described every part. The truth is, I believe Herbert was pondering extra about southern Arizona-style deserts with a number of extra crops.
He talks about Saguaro cactuses on a regular basis. We have now areas within the recreation which can be a lot greener. After which there’s the polar caps, that are precise polar caps on Arrakis, and so they’re clearly there. We have now deliberate these biomes for the sport’s post-launch, notably the polar caps.
So we now have a little bit of selection on Arrakis at first. Then, once we begin to run out of that, we’ll begin to have a look at different planets. We have now mechanisms in place to allow that. I do not wish to discuss that but since it is so far out. Let me get the sport completed first. Hopefully, persons are enjoying it and liking it after which we will discuss different planets.
Do it’s important to use water in Dune Awakening aside in your personal survival?
Yeah. You want water for lots of the commercial purposes within the recreation as properly, like refining assets within the recreation requires a certain quantity of water. It begins to place stress on you throughout the board, however you additionally acquire issues like wind traps which let you get passive water and so it builds up over time.
That is how survival video games work. You overcome a fundamental stress, after which you’ve gotten a barely increased model of the identical stress. It is not a comfortable survival recreation and I do not assume it ever could possibly be, as a result of it is set on Arrakis. However we did assume, let’s not make it a ache within the arse and a chore to play. We’re looking for the correct steadiness there. I am certain that as we go ahead with our betas we’re gonna proceed to listen to from gamers about what’s the proper steadiness.
Is getting caught in a sandstorm immediate dying?
It is not immediate dying, however it’s fairly fast. You possibly can survive in a sandstorm for about 30 seconds after it hits. We have now a shelter mechanism, so you may huddle up in opposition to a wall and type of hug your self in an overhang. You will in all probability be okay with the sandstorms within the first areas. In a while, the Coriolis storms will kill you and every part you constructed.
In the event you’re within the deep desert through the server wipe, do you see that occur?
You will get kicked out. You will be warned, although. After we initially mentioned the thought, I advised the group it is just like the blood moon in Zelda. It’s good to know that it is coming for a very long time.
So I believe you get half a day of warning that this factor’s build up. The coriolis storm is coming and the sky begins to alter.
In the event you do die within the sandstorm, can you return to your corpse to gather assets?
There’s various kinds of dying penalties in Dune Awakening relying on the way you die. The sandworm swallows you and every part you carry, so do not get eaten by the sandworm.
In the event you’re killed in fight, you first go down however not out. In the event you’re with mates, they will decide you again up. If in case you have water, you will get your self again up. However then when you die die, you may drop assets, any spice, harvesting assets, and the cash foreign money (Solari, which you’ll be able to financial institution at villages).
There’s totally different respawn factors. We have now three sorts of respawn. You could have beacons that you may place out. You possibly can place out one respawn beacon wherever you need. We have now a respawn at your base and likewise a respawn at your final used car.
Then there’s additionally a checkpoint respawn. While you enter the ecology lab, we’ll save a respawn level for you exterior of that. In the event you die within the ecology lab and also you wish to recuperate your corpse, you may return. You’ll drop assets. You may get them again out of your corpse. In PvP areas, your corpse may be looted by different folks.
In the event you die in a PvP space, can somebody harvest your stays?
Completely.
You spoke concerning the ecology lab. I believe within the lore the purpose is bringing paradise to the planet. Is that one thing we would see sooner or later in Dune Awakening, the place there’s some ecology and environmental change?
We have now an alternate timeline for the flicks and the books. We’ll give a really clear understanding to everyone of why and the way that got here to be earlier than we launch the sport. That is a giant beat we’re gonna have later within the 12 months.
Among the ecology labs have had wind traps and so they’ve been accumulating water for 10,000 years and that water has been leaking out. Among the ecology labs, you’ll have even seen in our artwork, are simply filled with flowers. They’re very vibrant and inexperienced.
I form of describe ecology labs somewhat bit as Vaults from Fallout as a result of 10,000 years in the past, they sealed them off. A few of them have been discovered. A few of them have been utilized by the Fremen. A few of them have been discovered by different factions, like bandits.
Within the first guide, Duke Leto says he needs these ecology labs as a result of they’re full of apparatus and who is aware of what else. Perhaps they have been experimenting with AI in considered one of them, although that is fully unlawful, based on the brand new legislation. However perhaps that they had an AI that they have been secretly tinkering with, and it has been left alone for 10,000 years. What does that trigger?
We have now this concept that these are breaks from the conventional expertise in the remainder of Dune Awakening. They offer you a sense that there is extra to this universe and there is one thing else happening.
Can autos get stolen or destroyed?
No. Proper now, within the beta, we now have a permission system. You possibly can say, it is a car that solely I can use, or it is a car that individuals in my guilds can use. So you may type of set that permission.
By way of being destroyed, we now have what we name a backup car choice, which suggests you may backup one car in order that in case your car will get destroyed and also you’re in a spot that is laborious to get again from, you may summon that car and use it to get again.
There are additionally different methods of mitigating it. In the event you lose a car and also you’re on a rock island the place there’s an NPC base, usually they will have a car you may steal. They will not final very lengthy. They don’t seem to be superb autos, however you may often steal one thing and attempt to get again.
WCCFTECH: Are you able to share any particulars on the enterprise mannequin and monetization for Dune Awakening?
I imply, it is an MMO, so we’re gonna preserve it operating, which suggests we’ll in all probability have some type of monetization post-launch. I do not assume we’re prepared to speak concerning the particulars of that but.
In Youngsters of Dune, Leto II turns into a sandworm. Is that gonna be afterward the ski or something like that? *laughs*
There’s a foremost story within the recreation that the participant follows. I believe it is an attention-grabbing spine to the story, and it attracts extra upon issues from Dune Messiah than it does from the unique tales. So it has some fairly attention-grabbing mechanics to it.
However you can not cowl your self in sandtrout and develop into a sandworm within the recreation. That is undoubtedly not a part of the plan.
I did as soon as wanna make it in order that when the gamers take spice within the recreation – they take it with out desirous to as a result of it is within the air as properly. However when you go to a spice blow and you do not have gear, your spice bar will go up, thus growing your dependancy to spice. The upper the quantity of spice in your bloodstream, the extra stuff you see. One of many issues we talked about initially was simply making psychological journeys through which they’d simply flip right into a sandworm and roam round on the map., however we determined not to do this.
WCCFTECH: Can we anticipate a full launch of Dune Awakening earlier than the top of the 12 months?
One of the best query. I might like to know. I do not know. We do not wish to ship it until it is prepared. I do not know what number of of you’ve gotten performed Conan Exiles. We have now a status for attention-grabbing concepts and a few jank. I would favor to eliminate the jank. I might wish to launch a recreation that is actually polished from Funcom. We have grown as an organization. I believe we will ship a very polished survival expertise. It is a huge IP. It is actually scorching proper now. After we took the IP in 2019, we simply knew there’d be a movie.
We did not realize it was gonna be the movies that they’re proper now. It is blown up into one thing gigantic. That places extra stress on us, and clearly, we really feel that stress. So, I wish to be sure that the sport can fulfill the fantasies of Dune followers.
Thanks in your time.
Throughout the Recreation Builders Convention 2024 in San Francisco, Funcom offered the primary detailed Dune Awakening presentation to the press. For the total particulars of what was mentioned within the open world survival MMO’s overview, head to our earlier article.
Right here, we’ll deal with the next roundtable Q&A with Dune Awakening Artistic Director Joel Bylos. A 17-year veteran of the Norwegian studio who’s credited for engaged on video games like Age of Conan, The Secret World, The Park, Conan Exiles, Conan: Unconquered, and even Steel: Hellsinger, Bylos was all too glad to indulge the various questions posed to him concerning the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 powered recreation (presently in beta testing).
Do it’s important to be a feminine character to play a Bene Gesserit?
No. The thought is that you just aren’t changing into a member of the Bene Gesserit, you’ve got simply been skilled by individuals who know find out how to practice within the methods of the Bene Gesserit. There’s a few examples of this within the books and naturally, within the film as properly, when Paul is clearly skilled by his mom. We have now these examples of males choosing up among the traits as properly, so long as they do not develop into official Bene Gesserit. That is how we’re enjoying it within the recreation as properly.
WCCFTECH: There’s the thought amongst some players that Dune: Awakening will simply be a daily survival recreation slightly than a survival MMO. You claimed the latter from the start, and the Steam web page even talked about 1000’s of gamers on the similar time, however that is since been eliminated. Are you able to make clear how the servers work and what number of gamers shall be on-line on a server at anyone time?
Positive. It is totally different maps. The explanation we eliminated 1000’s of gamers at one time was that our optimization was not saying 1000 on the similar time. So we have been like, okay, that is deceptive. It is tons of on the very least, and proper now I might say so.
I’ve written a weblog for advertising to place out, which truly explains it with diagrams, however I am going to attempt to offer you a really fast technical overview. We have now a number of maps within the recreation: a survival map, a deep desert map, and social hubs. These are all separate maps operating their very own Unreal server, and so they all have totally different quantities of gamers per server. A social map might need 200 gamers. The deep desert map might need 500 gamers. The survival map might need 50 to 100 gamers, relying on how optimized it’s and what number of buildings there are.
We have now a number of of every of these maps on the identical world, in the identical means that numerous MMOs occasion out as soon as an space is full. However the distinction between us and a traditional survival recreation is that almost all survival video games have a single map, and so they keep on that map. Our recreation has many, many maps and plenty of, many gamers throughout all of these maps, together with shared issues just like the Alternate.
And the deep desert is all the time a shared location. In Dune: Awakening, it’s 9 occasions the dimensions of the Conan Exiles map. Whereas there could also be 10 instanced survival maps, everybody shares a single deep desert map, so you may meet folks from all the opposite maps in that location. That is only a fast overview.
While you stated you’ve gotten totally different maps, how do you journey between them?
It is not menu-driven. I do not know if anybody remembers the way it used to work in Age of Conan, you’ve gotten the world map and also you decide which space you wish to go to. You possibly can think about it like that, besides it is truly rather more participating traversal than it was within the previous recreation. You do not click on a button, you truly fly there.
What is the distinction between deep desert desert versus survival?
All of them have the identical mechanics. In the event you consider the planet’s map, there’s this factor referred to as the Defend Wall. It is a vary of mountains, and on the skin of the Defend Wall is what they name the deep desert. The within of the Defend Wall is mainly the place folks construct as a result of it is the secure area on the planet for the reason that sandstorms get blunted by the mountains.
The sport is split into these two main sections. We have now the within and outdoors of the Defend Wall. The deep desert is a full PvP location. It is fully seamless, all related. There’s 9 Conan Exiles-sized maps related by server meshing into one space. There isn’t any trickery right here, there is no instancing. In that space, the sands will shift when the coriolis storms occur and fully wipe and alter that complete map no less than as soon as per week.
So, the entire world adjustments exterior of the Defend Wall. Inside is the place you construct your secure areas. We’re attempting to construct a recreation that has dynamic PvP areas and secure PvE areas the place folks can construct their base.
Is the deep desert like a procedurally generated No Man’s Land?
It is procedurally generated with guidelines. There is a particular logistics play that we wish there as a result of the deep desert is the place the massive spice harvests occur and the place the massive occasions occur. We anticipate guilds to be preventing over assets.
One of many traces we now have about Dune Awakening is that it is not about kicking down different folks’s sandcastles. So many of those survival video games are about simply killing another person’s base the place they’re offline and destroying their enjoyable.
Our recreation is about truly sending folks out to battle over assets at particular places. Bases are shielded. You possibly can’t actually destroy different folks’s bases, particularly within the PvE space. They’re pretty secure. After which we ship you out into the deep desert. That is the place you may have interaction in chaos and battle over the massive useful resource areas.
In the case of your base constructing and the restricted area inside that space, how are you guys gonna take care of that when you’ve gotten numerous gamers? Is it capped per server?
There’s one model of the deep desert, however within the survival map, we will mainly occasion it, so there shall be sufficient area there.
WCCFTECH: I perceive the main target is totally on PvP in Dune Awakening, however is there any form of content material for teams of PvE gamers, like dungeons or raids?
The ecology labs are our dungeons. By the best way, I might strongly argue in opposition to that it is all simply PvP. The tip recreation has a really robust PvP focus, however PvP is one thing that I wish to outline in a barely totally different means from simply gamers killing gamers. It is truly about giving gamers widespread issues that they want after which having them compete in direction of that.
Our political system, for instance, is about encouraging gamers to compete in direction of particular targets and never essentially nearly killing one another. I might say the sport has a participant competitors focus, however not essentially a simply kill one another, stomp on the corpse type of focus. That’s one thing we might wish to keep away from, which can also be why we’re speaking about this not flattening folks’s sandcastles factor. It is vital that individuals know contained in the Defend Wall you may construct a base, preserve it without end, and do not be too anxious about it.
Are you going to have the ability to discover ways to sandwalk?
I’ve had this dialog a number of occasions already, which is type of why it is humorous. Sure, finally, however your character would not understand how to do this immediately. Except you are a duke with a hologram guide that teaches you, apparently. However even then, you are not good at it till you get to the second movie and Shani reveals you ways. However anyway, the purpose is that we’ll have one thing if you get to Fremen and also you begin working with Fremen or studying issues from them. However that is not what occurs firstly of the sport.
We additionally tried it at one level and it appeared ridiculous, too gradual, like you may dash and run and you’ll stroll after which you may sandwalk and also you type of appear like you are dancing and it’s extremely gradual.
And naturally, we will repair that and attempt to design it in a greater means. However for now, it is not gonna be there. In addition to, it is best to solely be capable of sandwalk when you get to the purpose the place you are one with the desert.
I do know that is an MMO, however as a Dune lover who likes to solely do PvE content material, can I fully keep away from PvP content material?
Completely. You possibly can play the sport with out doing PvP. You do not have to care about it in any respect. There are areas within the recreation which can be PvP-marked, however others are marked as like guild peace the place there isn’t a fight. The entire social hubs are guild peace areas. Then you’ve gotten areas which can be like partial warfare after which the Battle of Assassins areas that are full PvP.
We break these areas up and we inform folks after they’re getting into one, we allow them to know.
I simply questioned when you have been planning so as to add the using of the sandworm.
I used to be ready for that query. Not for launch. We’ll add it post-launch for certain. I do not understand how a lot I want to clarify it, however I need it to be significant. The film did such job that I am like, now I actually should do job. It is fairly a sophisticated, costly function, and we have to make it really feel proper for the sport.
Are you able to additionally carry enemy autos with the transport ornithopter?
Sure, truly, it is one thing that was type of humorous once we did our PvP exams. You simply fly down and decide up another person’s sandcrawler after they’re in the course of harvesting with the particular person inside as properly. The issue is, if you get them again to your base, they’re gonna leap out of their car and begin capturing you. So there’s type of all the time an attention-grabbing interaction, however sure, you are able to do that.
WCCFTECH: One among my huge query marks is the inevitable environmental fatigue. There’s not likely a lot you are able to do whereas staying on Arrakis, however the Dune lore is giant, and we all know that there are planets with totally different biomes. We do briefly see them within the motion pictures. Are you contemplating including maps situated on different planets post-launch to supply some much-needed biome selection?
There’s two factors right here. Initially, I believe there is a false impression concerning the desert visuals of Dune attributable to the flicks. This isn’t how Herbert described every part. The truth is, I believe Herbert was pondering extra about southern Arizona-style deserts with a number of extra crops.
He talks about Saguaro cactuses on a regular basis. We have now areas within the recreation which can be a lot greener. After which there’s the polar caps, that are precise polar caps on Arrakis, and so they’re clearly there. We have now deliberate these biomes for the sport’s post-launch, notably the polar caps.
So we now have a little bit of selection on Arrakis at first. Then, once we begin to run out of that, we’ll begin to have a look at different planets. We have now mechanisms in place to allow that. I do not wish to discuss that but since it is so far out. Let me get the sport completed first. Hopefully, persons are enjoying it and liking it after which we will discuss different planets.
Do it’s important to use water in Dune Awakening aside in your personal survival?
Yeah. You want water for lots of the commercial purposes within the recreation as properly, like refining assets within the recreation requires a certain quantity of water. It begins to place stress on you throughout the board, however you additionally acquire issues like wind traps which let you get passive water and so it builds up over time.
That is how survival video games work. You overcome a fundamental stress, after which you’ve gotten a barely increased model of the identical stress. It is not a comfortable survival recreation and I do not assume it ever could possibly be, as a result of it is set on Arrakis. However we did assume, let’s not make it a ache within the arse and a chore to play. We’re looking for the correct steadiness there. I am certain that as we go ahead with our betas we’re gonna proceed to listen to from gamers about what’s the proper steadiness.
Is getting caught in a sandstorm immediate dying?
It is not immediate dying, however it’s fairly fast. You possibly can survive in a sandstorm for about 30 seconds after it hits. We have now a shelter mechanism, so you may huddle up in opposition to a wall and type of hug your self in an overhang. You will in all probability be okay with the sandstorms within the first areas. In a while, the Coriolis storms will kill you and every part you constructed.
In the event you’re within the deep desert through the server wipe, do you see that occur?
You will get kicked out. You will be warned, although. After we initially mentioned the thought, I advised the group it is just like the blood moon in Zelda. It’s good to know that it is coming for a very long time.
So I believe you get half a day of warning that this factor’s build up. The coriolis storm is coming and the sky begins to alter.
In the event you do die within the sandstorm, can you return to your corpse to gather assets?
There’s various kinds of dying penalties in Dune Awakening relying on the way you die. The sandworm swallows you and every part you carry, so do not get eaten by the sandworm.
In the event you’re killed in fight, you first go down however not out. In the event you’re with mates, they will decide you again up. If in case you have water, you will get your self again up. However then when you die die, you may drop assets, any spice, harvesting assets, and the cash foreign money (Solari, which you’ll be able to financial institution at villages).
There’s totally different respawn factors. We have now three sorts of respawn. You could have beacons that you may place out. You possibly can place out one respawn beacon wherever you need. We have now a respawn at your base and likewise a respawn at your final used car.
Then there’s additionally a checkpoint respawn. While you enter the ecology lab, we’ll save a respawn level for you exterior of that. In the event you die within the ecology lab and also you wish to recuperate your corpse, you may return. You’ll drop assets. You may get them again out of your corpse. In PvP areas, your corpse may be looted by different folks.
In the event you die in a PvP space, can somebody harvest your stays?
Completely.
You spoke concerning the ecology lab. I believe within the lore the purpose is bringing paradise to the planet. Is that one thing we would see sooner or later in Dune Awakening, the place there’s some ecology and environmental change?
We have now an alternate timeline for the flicks and the books. We’ll give a really clear understanding to everyone of why and the way that got here to be earlier than we launch the sport. That is a giant beat we’re gonna have later within the 12 months.
Among the ecology labs have had wind traps and so they’ve been accumulating water for 10,000 years and that water has been leaking out. Among the ecology labs, you’ll have even seen in our artwork, are simply filled with flowers. They’re very vibrant and inexperienced.
I form of describe ecology labs somewhat bit as Vaults from Fallout as a result of 10,000 years in the past, they sealed them off. A few of them have been discovered. A few of them have been utilized by the Fremen. A few of them have been discovered by different factions, like bandits.
Within the first guide, Duke Leto says he needs these ecology labs as a result of they’re full of apparatus and who is aware of what else. Perhaps they have been experimenting with AI in considered one of them, although that is fully unlawful, based on the brand new legislation. However perhaps that they had an AI that they have been secretly tinkering with, and it has been left alone for 10,000 years. What does that trigger?
We have now this concept that these are breaks from the conventional expertise in the remainder of Dune Awakening. They offer you a sense that there is extra to this universe and there is one thing else happening.
Can autos get stolen or destroyed?
No. Proper now, within the beta, we now have a permission system. You possibly can say, it is a car that solely I can use, or it is a car that individuals in my guilds can use. So you may type of set that permission.
By way of being destroyed, we now have what we name a backup car choice, which suggests you may backup one car in order that in case your car will get destroyed and also you’re in a spot that is laborious to get again from, you may summon that car and use it to get again.
There are additionally different methods of mitigating it. In the event you lose a car and also you’re on a rock island the place there’s an NPC base, usually they will have a car you may steal. They will not final very lengthy. They don’t seem to be superb autos, however you may often steal one thing and attempt to get again.
WCCFTECH: Are you able to share any particulars on the enterprise mannequin and monetization for Dune Awakening?
I imply, it is an MMO, so we’re gonna preserve it operating, which suggests we’ll in all probability have some type of monetization post-launch. I do not assume we’re prepared to speak concerning the particulars of that but.
In Youngsters of Dune, Leto II turns into a sandworm. Is that gonna be afterward the ski or something like that? *laughs*
There’s a foremost story within the recreation that the participant follows. I believe it is an attention-grabbing spine to the story, and it attracts extra upon issues from Dune Messiah than it does from the unique tales. So it has some fairly attention-grabbing mechanics to it.
However you can not cowl your self in sandtrout and develop into a sandworm within the recreation. That is undoubtedly not a part of the plan.
I did as soon as wanna make it in order that when the gamers take spice within the recreation – they take it with out desirous to as a result of it is within the air as properly. However when you go to a spice blow and you do not have gear, your spice bar will go up, thus growing your dependancy to spice. The upper the quantity of spice in your bloodstream, the extra stuff you see. One of many issues we talked about initially was simply making psychological journeys through which they’d simply flip right into a sandworm and roam round on the map., however we determined not to do this.
WCCFTECH: Can we anticipate a full launch of Dune Awakening earlier than the top of the 12 months?
One of the best query. I might like to know. I do not know. We do not wish to ship it until it is prepared. I do not know what number of of you’ve gotten performed Conan Exiles. We have now a status for attention-grabbing concepts and a few jank. I would favor to eliminate the jank. I might wish to launch a recreation that is actually polished from Funcom. We have grown as an organization. I believe we will ship a very polished survival expertise. It is a huge IP. It is actually scorching proper now. After we took the IP in 2019, we simply knew there’d be a movie.
We did not realize it was gonna be the movies that they’re proper now. It is blown up into one thing gigantic. That places extra stress on us, and clearly, we really feel that stress. So, I wish to be sure that the sport can fulfill the fantasies of Dune followers.
Thanks in your time.
Throughout the Recreation Builders Convention 2024 in San Francisco, Funcom offered the primary detailed Dune Awakening presentation to the press. For the total particulars of what was mentioned within the open world survival MMO’s overview, head to our earlier article.
Right here, we’ll deal with the next roundtable Q&A with Dune Awakening Artistic Director Joel Bylos. A 17-year veteran of the Norwegian studio who’s credited for engaged on video games like Age of Conan, The Secret World, The Park, Conan Exiles, Conan: Unconquered, and even Steel: Hellsinger, Bylos was all too glad to indulge the various questions posed to him concerning the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 powered recreation (presently in beta testing).
Do it’s important to be a feminine character to play a Bene Gesserit?
No. The thought is that you just aren’t changing into a member of the Bene Gesserit, you’ve got simply been skilled by individuals who know find out how to practice within the methods of the Bene Gesserit. There’s a few examples of this within the books and naturally, within the film as properly, when Paul is clearly skilled by his mom. We have now these examples of males choosing up among the traits as properly, so long as they do not develop into official Bene Gesserit. That is how we’re enjoying it within the recreation as properly.
WCCFTECH: There’s the thought amongst some players that Dune: Awakening will simply be a daily survival recreation slightly than a survival MMO. You claimed the latter from the start, and the Steam web page even talked about 1000’s of gamers on the similar time, however that is since been eliminated. Are you able to make clear how the servers work and what number of gamers shall be on-line on a server at anyone time?
Positive. It is totally different maps. The explanation we eliminated 1000’s of gamers at one time was that our optimization was not saying 1000 on the similar time. So we have been like, okay, that is deceptive. It is tons of on the very least, and proper now I might say so.
I’ve written a weblog for advertising to place out, which truly explains it with diagrams, however I am going to attempt to offer you a really fast technical overview. We have now a number of maps within the recreation: a survival map, a deep desert map, and social hubs. These are all separate maps operating their very own Unreal server, and so they all have totally different quantities of gamers per server. A social map might need 200 gamers. The deep desert map might need 500 gamers. The survival map might need 50 to 100 gamers, relying on how optimized it’s and what number of buildings there are.
We have now a number of of every of these maps on the identical world, in the identical means that numerous MMOs occasion out as soon as an space is full. However the distinction between us and a traditional survival recreation is that almost all survival video games have a single map, and so they keep on that map. Our recreation has many, many maps and plenty of, many gamers throughout all of these maps, together with shared issues just like the Alternate.
And the deep desert is all the time a shared location. In Dune: Awakening, it’s 9 occasions the dimensions of the Conan Exiles map. Whereas there could also be 10 instanced survival maps, everybody shares a single deep desert map, so you may meet folks from all the opposite maps in that location. That is only a fast overview.
While you stated you’ve gotten totally different maps, how do you journey between them?
It is not menu-driven. I do not know if anybody remembers the way it used to work in Age of Conan, you’ve gotten the world map and also you decide which space you wish to go to. You possibly can think about it like that, besides it is truly rather more participating traversal than it was within the previous recreation. You do not click on a button, you truly fly there.
What is the distinction between deep desert desert versus survival?
All of them have the identical mechanics. In the event you consider the planet’s map, there’s this factor referred to as the Defend Wall. It is a vary of mountains, and on the skin of the Defend Wall is what they name the deep desert. The within of the Defend Wall is mainly the place folks construct as a result of it is the secure area on the planet for the reason that sandstorms get blunted by the mountains.
The sport is split into these two main sections. We have now the within and outdoors of the Defend Wall. The deep desert is a full PvP location. It is fully seamless, all related. There’s 9 Conan Exiles-sized maps related by server meshing into one space. There isn’t any trickery right here, there is no instancing. In that space, the sands will shift when the coriolis storms occur and fully wipe and alter that complete map no less than as soon as per week.
So, the entire world adjustments exterior of the Defend Wall. Inside is the place you construct your secure areas. We’re attempting to construct a recreation that has dynamic PvP areas and secure PvE areas the place folks can construct their base.
Is the deep desert like a procedurally generated No Man’s Land?
It is procedurally generated with guidelines. There is a particular logistics play that we wish there as a result of the deep desert is the place the massive spice harvests occur and the place the massive occasions occur. We anticipate guilds to be preventing over assets.
One of many traces we now have about Dune Awakening is that it is not about kicking down different folks’s sandcastles. So many of those survival video games are about simply killing another person’s base the place they’re offline and destroying their enjoyable.
Our recreation is about truly sending folks out to battle over assets at particular places. Bases are shielded. You possibly can’t actually destroy different folks’s bases, particularly within the PvE space. They’re pretty secure. After which we ship you out into the deep desert. That is the place you may have interaction in chaos and battle over the massive useful resource areas.
In the case of your base constructing and the restricted area inside that space, how are you guys gonna take care of that when you’ve gotten numerous gamers? Is it capped per server?
There’s one model of the deep desert, however within the survival map, we will mainly occasion it, so there shall be sufficient area there.
WCCFTECH: I perceive the main target is totally on PvP in Dune Awakening, however is there any form of content material for teams of PvE gamers, like dungeons or raids?
The ecology labs are our dungeons. By the best way, I might strongly argue in opposition to that it is all simply PvP. The tip recreation has a really robust PvP focus, however PvP is one thing that I wish to outline in a barely totally different means from simply gamers killing gamers. It is truly about giving gamers widespread issues that they want after which having them compete in direction of that.
Our political system, for instance, is about encouraging gamers to compete in direction of particular targets and never essentially nearly killing one another. I might say the sport has a participant competitors focus, however not essentially a simply kill one another, stomp on the corpse type of focus. That’s one thing we might wish to keep away from, which can also be why we’re speaking about this not flattening folks’s sandcastles factor. It is vital that individuals know contained in the Defend Wall you may construct a base, preserve it without end, and do not be too anxious about it.
Are you going to have the ability to discover ways to sandwalk?
I’ve had this dialog a number of occasions already, which is type of why it is humorous. Sure, finally, however your character would not understand how to do this immediately. Except you are a duke with a hologram guide that teaches you, apparently. However even then, you are not good at it till you get to the second movie and Shani reveals you ways. However anyway, the purpose is that we’ll have one thing if you get to Fremen and also you begin working with Fremen or studying issues from them. However that is not what occurs firstly of the sport.
We additionally tried it at one level and it appeared ridiculous, too gradual, like you may dash and run and you’ll stroll after which you may sandwalk and also you type of appear like you are dancing and it’s extremely gradual.
And naturally, we will repair that and attempt to design it in a greater means. However for now, it is not gonna be there. In addition to, it is best to solely be capable of sandwalk when you get to the purpose the place you are one with the desert.
I do know that is an MMO, however as a Dune lover who likes to solely do PvE content material, can I fully keep away from PvP content material?
Completely. You possibly can play the sport with out doing PvP. You do not have to care about it in any respect. There are areas within the recreation which can be PvP-marked, however others are marked as like guild peace the place there isn’t a fight. The entire social hubs are guild peace areas. Then you’ve gotten areas which can be like partial warfare after which the Battle of Assassins areas that are full PvP.
We break these areas up and we inform folks after they’re getting into one, we allow them to know.
I simply questioned when you have been planning so as to add the using of the sandworm.
I used to be ready for that query. Not for launch. We’ll add it post-launch for certain. I do not understand how a lot I want to clarify it, however I need it to be significant. The film did such job that I am like, now I actually should do job. It is fairly a sophisticated, costly function, and we have to make it really feel proper for the sport.
Are you able to additionally carry enemy autos with the transport ornithopter?
Sure, truly, it is one thing that was type of humorous once we did our PvP exams. You simply fly down and decide up another person’s sandcrawler after they’re in the course of harvesting with the particular person inside as properly. The issue is, if you get them again to your base, they’re gonna leap out of their car and begin capturing you. So there’s type of all the time an attention-grabbing interaction, however sure, you are able to do that.
WCCFTECH: One among my huge query marks is the inevitable environmental fatigue. There’s not likely a lot you are able to do whereas staying on Arrakis, however the Dune lore is giant, and we all know that there are planets with totally different biomes. We do briefly see them within the motion pictures. Are you contemplating including maps situated on different planets post-launch to supply some much-needed biome selection?
There’s two factors right here. Initially, I believe there is a false impression concerning the desert visuals of Dune attributable to the flicks. This isn’t how Herbert described every part. The truth is, I believe Herbert was pondering extra about southern Arizona-style deserts with a number of extra crops.
He talks about Saguaro cactuses on a regular basis. We have now areas within the recreation which can be a lot greener. After which there’s the polar caps, that are precise polar caps on Arrakis, and so they’re clearly there. We have now deliberate these biomes for the sport’s post-launch, notably the polar caps.
So we now have a little bit of selection on Arrakis at first. Then, once we begin to run out of that, we’ll begin to have a look at different planets. We have now mechanisms in place to allow that. I do not wish to discuss that but since it is so far out. Let me get the sport completed first. Hopefully, persons are enjoying it and liking it after which we will discuss different planets.
Do it’s important to use water in Dune Awakening aside in your personal survival?
Yeah. You want water for lots of the commercial purposes within the recreation as properly, like refining assets within the recreation requires a certain quantity of water. It begins to place stress on you throughout the board, however you additionally acquire issues like wind traps which let you get passive water and so it builds up over time.
That is how survival video games work. You overcome a fundamental stress, after which you’ve gotten a barely increased model of the identical stress. It is not a comfortable survival recreation and I do not assume it ever could possibly be, as a result of it is set on Arrakis. However we did assume, let’s not make it a ache within the arse and a chore to play. We’re looking for the correct steadiness there. I am certain that as we go ahead with our betas we’re gonna proceed to listen to from gamers about what’s the proper steadiness.
Is getting caught in a sandstorm immediate dying?
It is not immediate dying, however it’s fairly fast. You possibly can survive in a sandstorm for about 30 seconds after it hits. We have now a shelter mechanism, so you may huddle up in opposition to a wall and type of hug your self in an overhang. You will in all probability be okay with the sandstorms within the first areas. In a while, the Coriolis storms will kill you and every part you constructed.
In the event you’re within the deep desert through the server wipe, do you see that occur?
You will get kicked out. You will be warned, although. After we initially mentioned the thought, I advised the group it is just like the blood moon in Zelda. It’s good to know that it is coming for a very long time.
So I believe you get half a day of warning that this factor’s build up. The coriolis storm is coming and the sky begins to alter.
In the event you do die within the sandstorm, can you return to your corpse to gather assets?
There’s various kinds of dying penalties in Dune Awakening relying on the way you die. The sandworm swallows you and every part you carry, so do not get eaten by the sandworm.
In the event you’re killed in fight, you first go down however not out. In the event you’re with mates, they will decide you again up. If in case you have water, you will get your self again up. However then when you die die, you may drop assets, any spice, harvesting assets, and the cash foreign money (Solari, which you’ll be able to financial institution at villages).
There’s totally different respawn factors. We have now three sorts of respawn. You could have beacons that you may place out. You possibly can place out one respawn beacon wherever you need. We have now a respawn at your base and likewise a respawn at your final used car.
Then there’s additionally a checkpoint respawn. While you enter the ecology lab, we’ll save a respawn level for you exterior of that. In the event you die within the ecology lab and also you wish to recuperate your corpse, you may return. You’ll drop assets. You may get them again out of your corpse. In PvP areas, your corpse may be looted by different folks.
In the event you die in a PvP space, can somebody harvest your stays?
Completely.
You spoke concerning the ecology lab. I believe within the lore the purpose is bringing paradise to the planet. Is that one thing we would see sooner or later in Dune Awakening, the place there’s some ecology and environmental change?
We have now an alternate timeline for the flicks and the books. We’ll give a really clear understanding to everyone of why and the way that got here to be earlier than we launch the sport. That is a giant beat we’re gonna have later within the 12 months.
Among the ecology labs have had wind traps and so they’ve been accumulating water for 10,000 years and that water has been leaking out. Among the ecology labs, you’ll have even seen in our artwork, are simply filled with flowers. They’re very vibrant and inexperienced.
I form of describe ecology labs somewhat bit as Vaults from Fallout as a result of 10,000 years in the past, they sealed them off. A few of them have been discovered. A few of them have been utilized by the Fremen. A few of them have been discovered by different factions, like bandits.
Within the first guide, Duke Leto says he needs these ecology labs as a result of they’re full of apparatus and who is aware of what else. Perhaps they have been experimenting with AI in considered one of them, although that is fully unlawful, based on the brand new legislation. However perhaps that they had an AI that they have been secretly tinkering with, and it has been left alone for 10,000 years. What does that trigger?
We have now this concept that these are breaks from the conventional expertise in the remainder of Dune Awakening. They offer you a sense that there is extra to this universe and there is one thing else happening.
Can autos get stolen or destroyed?
No. Proper now, within the beta, we now have a permission system. You possibly can say, it is a car that solely I can use, or it is a car that individuals in my guilds can use. So you may type of set that permission.
By way of being destroyed, we now have what we name a backup car choice, which suggests you may backup one car in order that in case your car will get destroyed and also you’re in a spot that is laborious to get again from, you may summon that car and use it to get again.
There are additionally different methods of mitigating it. In the event you lose a car and also you’re on a rock island the place there’s an NPC base, usually they will have a car you may steal. They will not final very lengthy. They don’t seem to be superb autos, however you may often steal one thing and attempt to get again.
WCCFTECH: Are you able to share any particulars on the enterprise mannequin and monetization for Dune Awakening?
I imply, it is an MMO, so we’re gonna preserve it operating, which suggests we’ll in all probability have some type of monetization post-launch. I do not assume we’re prepared to speak concerning the particulars of that but.
In Youngsters of Dune, Leto II turns into a sandworm. Is that gonna be afterward the ski or something like that? *laughs*
There’s a foremost story within the recreation that the participant follows. I believe it is an attention-grabbing spine to the story, and it attracts extra upon issues from Dune Messiah than it does from the unique tales. So it has some fairly attention-grabbing mechanics to it.
However you can not cowl your self in sandtrout and develop into a sandworm within the recreation. That is undoubtedly not a part of the plan.
I did as soon as wanna make it in order that when the gamers take spice within the recreation – they take it with out desirous to as a result of it is within the air as properly. However when you go to a spice blow and you do not have gear, your spice bar will go up, thus growing your dependancy to spice. The upper the quantity of spice in your bloodstream, the extra stuff you see. One of many issues we talked about initially was simply making psychological journeys through which they’d simply flip right into a sandworm and roam round on the map., however we determined not to do this.
WCCFTECH: Can we anticipate a full launch of Dune Awakening earlier than the top of the 12 months?
One of the best query. I might like to know. I do not know. We do not wish to ship it until it is prepared. I do not know what number of of you’ve gotten performed Conan Exiles. We have now a status for attention-grabbing concepts and a few jank. I would favor to eliminate the jank. I might wish to launch a recreation that is actually polished from Funcom. We have grown as an organization. I believe we will ship a very polished survival expertise. It is a huge IP. It is actually scorching proper now. After we took the IP in 2019, we simply knew there’d be a movie.
We did not realize it was gonna be the movies that they’re proper now. It is blown up into one thing gigantic. That places extra stress on us, and clearly, we really feel that stress. So, I wish to be sure that the sport can fulfill the fantasies of Dune followers.
Thanks in your time.
Throughout the Recreation Builders Convention 2024 in San Francisco, Funcom offered the primary detailed Dune Awakening presentation to the press. For the total particulars of what was mentioned within the open world survival MMO’s overview, head to our earlier article.
Right here, we’ll deal with the next roundtable Q&A with Dune Awakening Artistic Director Joel Bylos. A 17-year veteran of the Norwegian studio who’s credited for engaged on video games like Age of Conan, The Secret World, The Park, Conan Exiles, Conan: Unconquered, and even Steel: Hellsinger, Bylos was all too glad to indulge the various questions posed to him concerning the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 powered recreation (presently in beta testing).
Do it’s important to be a feminine character to play a Bene Gesserit?
No. The thought is that you just aren’t changing into a member of the Bene Gesserit, you’ve got simply been skilled by individuals who know find out how to practice within the methods of the Bene Gesserit. There’s a few examples of this within the books and naturally, within the film as properly, when Paul is clearly skilled by his mom. We have now these examples of males choosing up among the traits as properly, so long as they do not develop into official Bene Gesserit. That is how we’re enjoying it within the recreation as properly.
WCCFTECH: There’s the thought amongst some players that Dune: Awakening will simply be a daily survival recreation slightly than a survival MMO. You claimed the latter from the start, and the Steam web page even talked about 1000’s of gamers on the similar time, however that is since been eliminated. Are you able to make clear how the servers work and what number of gamers shall be on-line on a server at anyone time?
Positive. It is totally different maps. The explanation we eliminated 1000’s of gamers at one time was that our optimization was not saying 1000 on the similar time. So we have been like, okay, that is deceptive. It is tons of on the very least, and proper now I might say so.
I’ve written a weblog for advertising to place out, which truly explains it with diagrams, however I am going to attempt to offer you a really fast technical overview. We have now a number of maps within the recreation: a survival map, a deep desert map, and social hubs. These are all separate maps operating their very own Unreal server, and so they all have totally different quantities of gamers per server. A social map might need 200 gamers. The deep desert map might need 500 gamers. The survival map might need 50 to 100 gamers, relying on how optimized it’s and what number of buildings there are.
We have now a number of of every of these maps on the identical world, in the identical means that numerous MMOs occasion out as soon as an space is full. However the distinction between us and a traditional survival recreation is that almost all survival video games have a single map, and so they keep on that map. Our recreation has many, many maps and plenty of, many gamers throughout all of these maps, together with shared issues just like the Alternate.
And the deep desert is all the time a shared location. In Dune: Awakening, it’s 9 occasions the dimensions of the Conan Exiles map. Whereas there could also be 10 instanced survival maps, everybody shares a single deep desert map, so you may meet folks from all the opposite maps in that location. That is only a fast overview.
While you stated you’ve gotten totally different maps, how do you journey between them?
It is not menu-driven. I do not know if anybody remembers the way it used to work in Age of Conan, you’ve gotten the world map and also you decide which space you wish to go to. You possibly can think about it like that, besides it is truly rather more participating traversal than it was within the previous recreation. You do not click on a button, you truly fly there.
What is the distinction between deep desert desert versus survival?
All of them have the identical mechanics. In the event you consider the planet’s map, there’s this factor referred to as the Defend Wall. It is a vary of mountains, and on the skin of the Defend Wall is what they name the deep desert. The within of the Defend Wall is mainly the place folks construct as a result of it is the secure area on the planet for the reason that sandstorms get blunted by the mountains.
The sport is split into these two main sections. We have now the within and outdoors of the Defend Wall. The deep desert is a full PvP location. It is fully seamless, all related. There’s 9 Conan Exiles-sized maps related by server meshing into one space. There isn’t any trickery right here, there is no instancing. In that space, the sands will shift when the coriolis storms occur and fully wipe and alter that complete map no less than as soon as per week.
So, the entire world adjustments exterior of the Defend Wall. Inside is the place you construct your secure areas. We’re attempting to construct a recreation that has dynamic PvP areas and secure PvE areas the place folks can construct their base.
Is the deep desert like a procedurally generated No Man’s Land?
It is procedurally generated with guidelines. There is a particular logistics play that we wish there as a result of the deep desert is the place the massive spice harvests occur and the place the massive occasions occur. We anticipate guilds to be preventing over assets.
One of many traces we now have about Dune Awakening is that it is not about kicking down different folks’s sandcastles. So many of those survival video games are about simply killing another person’s base the place they’re offline and destroying their enjoyable.
Our recreation is about truly sending folks out to battle over assets at particular places. Bases are shielded. You possibly can’t actually destroy different folks’s bases, particularly within the PvE space. They’re pretty secure. After which we ship you out into the deep desert. That is the place you may have interaction in chaos and battle over the massive useful resource areas.
In the case of your base constructing and the restricted area inside that space, how are you guys gonna take care of that when you’ve gotten numerous gamers? Is it capped per server?
There’s one model of the deep desert, however within the survival map, we will mainly occasion it, so there shall be sufficient area there.
WCCFTECH: I perceive the main target is totally on PvP in Dune Awakening, however is there any form of content material for teams of PvE gamers, like dungeons or raids?
The ecology labs are our dungeons. By the best way, I might strongly argue in opposition to that it is all simply PvP. The tip recreation has a really robust PvP focus, however PvP is one thing that I wish to outline in a barely totally different means from simply gamers killing gamers. It is truly about giving gamers widespread issues that they want after which having them compete in direction of that.
Our political system, for instance, is about encouraging gamers to compete in direction of particular targets and never essentially nearly killing one another. I might say the sport has a participant competitors focus, however not essentially a simply kill one another, stomp on the corpse type of focus. That’s one thing we might wish to keep away from, which can also be why we’re speaking about this not flattening folks’s sandcastles factor. It is vital that individuals know contained in the Defend Wall you may construct a base, preserve it without end, and do not be too anxious about it.
Are you going to have the ability to discover ways to sandwalk?
I’ve had this dialog a number of occasions already, which is type of why it is humorous. Sure, finally, however your character would not understand how to do this immediately. Except you are a duke with a hologram guide that teaches you, apparently. However even then, you are not good at it till you get to the second movie and Shani reveals you ways. However anyway, the purpose is that we’ll have one thing if you get to Fremen and also you begin working with Fremen or studying issues from them. However that is not what occurs firstly of the sport.
We additionally tried it at one level and it appeared ridiculous, too gradual, like you may dash and run and you’ll stroll after which you may sandwalk and also you type of appear like you are dancing and it’s extremely gradual.
And naturally, we will repair that and attempt to design it in a greater means. However for now, it is not gonna be there. In addition to, it is best to solely be capable of sandwalk when you get to the purpose the place you are one with the desert.
I do know that is an MMO, however as a Dune lover who likes to solely do PvE content material, can I fully keep away from PvP content material?
Completely. You possibly can play the sport with out doing PvP. You do not have to care about it in any respect. There are areas within the recreation which can be PvP-marked, however others are marked as like guild peace the place there isn’t a fight. The entire social hubs are guild peace areas. Then you’ve gotten areas which can be like partial warfare after which the Battle of Assassins areas that are full PvP.
We break these areas up and we inform folks after they’re getting into one, we allow them to know.
I simply questioned when you have been planning so as to add the using of the sandworm.
I used to be ready for that query. Not for launch. We’ll add it post-launch for certain. I do not understand how a lot I want to clarify it, however I need it to be significant. The film did such job that I am like, now I actually should do job. It is fairly a sophisticated, costly function, and we have to make it really feel proper for the sport.
Are you able to additionally carry enemy autos with the transport ornithopter?
Sure, truly, it is one thing that was type of humorous once we did our PvP exams. You simply fly down and decide up another person’s sandcrawler after they’re in the course of harvesting with the particular person inside as properly. The issue is, if you get them again to your base, they’re gonna leap out of their car and begin capturing you. So there’s type of all the time an attention-grabbing interaction, however sure, you are able to do that.
WCCFTECH: One among my huge query marks is the inevitable environmental fatigue. There’s not likely a lot you are able to do whereas staying on Arrakis, however the Dune lore is giant, and we all know that there are planets with totally different biomes. We do briefly see them within the motion pictures. Are you contemplating including maps situated on different planets post-launch to supply some much-needed biome selection?
There’s two factors right here. Initially, I believe there is a false impression concerning the desert visuals of Dune attributable to the flicks. This isn’t how Herbert described every part. The truth is, I believe Herbert was pondering extra about southern Arizona-style deserts with a number of extra crops.
He talks about Saguaro cactuses on a regular basis. We have now areas within the recreation which can be a lot greener. After which there’s the polar caps, that are precise polar caps on Arrakis, and so they’re clearly there. We have now deliberate these biomes for the sport’s post-launch, notably the polar caps.
So we now have a little bit of selection on Arrakis at first. Then, once we begin to run out of that, we’ll begin to have a look at different planets. We have now mechanisms in place to allow that. I do not wish to discuss that but since it is so far out. Let me get the sport completed first. Hopefully, persons are enjoying it and liking it after which we will discuss different planets.
Do it’s important to use water in Dune Awakening aside in your personal survival?
Yeah. You want water for lots of the commercial purposes within the recreation as properly, like refining assets within the recreation requires a certain quantity of water. It begins to place stress on you throughout the board, however you additionally acquire issues like wind traps which let you get passive water and so it builds up over time.
That is how survival video games work. You overcome a fundamental stress, after which you’ve gotten a barely increased model of the identical stress. It is not a comfortable survival recreation and I do not assume it ever could possibly be, as a result of it is set on Arrakis. However we did assume, let’s not make it a ache within the arse and a chore to play. We’re looking for the correct steadiness there. I am certain that as we go ahead with our betas we’re gonna proceed to listen to from gamers about what’s the proper steadiness.
Is getting caught in a sandstorm immediate dying?
It is not immediate dying, however it’s fairly fast. You possibly can survive in a sandstorm for about 30 seconds after it hits. We have now a shelter mechanism, so you may huddle up in opposition to a wall and type of hug your self in an overhang. You will in all probability be okay with the sandstorms within the first areas. In a while, the Coriolis storms will kill you and every part you constructed.
In the event you’re within the deep desert through the server wipe, do you see that occur?
You will get kicked out. You will be warned, although. After we initially mentioned the thought, I advised the group it is just like the blood moon in Zelda. It’s good to know that it is coming for a very long time.
So I believe you get half a day of warning that this factor’s build up. The coriolis storm is coming and the sky begins to alter.
In the event you do die within the sandstorm, can you return to your corpse to gather assets?
There’s various kinds of dying penalties in Dune Awakening relying on the way you die. The sandworm swallows you and every part you carry, so do not get eaten by the sandworm.
In the event you’re killed in fight, you first go down however not out. In the event you’re with mates, they will decide you again up. If in case you have water, you will get your self again up. However then when you die die, you may drop assets, any spice, harvesting assets, and the cash foreign money (Solari, which you’ll be able to financial institution at villages).
There’s totally different respawn factors. We have now three sorts of respawn. You could have beacons that you may place out. You possibly can place out one respawn beacon wherever you need. We have now a respawn at your base and likewise a respawn at your final used car.
Then there’s additionally a checkpoint respawn. While you enter the ecology lab, we’ll save a respawn level for you exterior of that. In the event you die within the ecology lab and also you wish to recuperate your corpse, you may return. You’ll drop assets. You may get them again out of your corpse. In PvP areas, your corpse may be looted by different folks.
In the event you die in a PvP space, can somebody harvest your stays?
Completely.
You spoke concerning the ecology lab. I believe within the lore the purpose is bringing paradise to the planet. Is that one thing we would see sooner or later in Dune Awakening, the place there’s some ecology and environmental change?
We have now an alternate timeline for the flicks and the books. We’ll give a really clear understanding to everyone of why and the way that got here to be earlier than we launch the sport. That is a giant beat we’re gonna have later within the 12 months.
Among the ecology labs have had wind traps and so they’ve been accumulating water for 10,000 years and that water has been leaking out. Among the ecology labs, you’ll have even seen in our artwork, are simply filled with flowers. They’re very vibrant and inexperienced.
I form of describe ecology labs somewhat bit as Vaults from Fallout as a result of 10,000 years in the past, they sealed them off. A few of them have been discovered. A few of them have been utilized by the Fremen. A few of them have been discovered by different factions, like bandits.
Within the first guide, Duke Leto says he needs these ecology labs as a result of they’re full of apparatus and who is aware of what else. Perhaps they have been experimenting with AI in considered one of them, although that is fully unlawful, based on the brand new legislation. However perhaps that they had an AI that they have been secretly tinkering with, and it has been left alone for 10,000 years. What does that trigger?
We have now this concept that these are breaks from the conventional expertise in the remainder of Dune Awakening. They offer you a sense that there is extra to this universe and there is one thing else happening.
Can autos get stolen or destroyed?
No. Proper now, within the beta, we now have a permission system. You possibly can say, it is a car that solely I can use, or it is a car that individuals in my guilds can use. So you may type of set that permission.
By way of being destroyed, we now have what we name a backup car choice, which suggests you may backup one car in order that in case your car will get destroyed and also you’re in a spot that is laborious to get again from, you may summon that car and use it to get again.
There are additionally different methods of mitigating it. In the event you lose a car and also you’re on a rock island the place there’s an NPC base, usually they will have a car you may steal. They will not final very lengthy. They don’t seem to be superb autos, however you may often steal one thing and attempt to get again.
WCCFTECH: Are you able to share any particulars on the enterprise mannequin and monetization for Dune Awakening?
I imply, it is an MMO, so we’re gonna preserve it operating, which suggests we’ll in all probability have some type of monetization post-launch. I do not assume we’re prepared to speak concerning the particulars of that but.
In Youngsters of Dune, Leto II turns into a sandworm. Is that gonna be afterward the ski or something like that? *laughs*
There’s a foremost story within the recreation that the participant follows. I believe it is an attention-grabbing spine to the story, and it attracts extra upon issues from Dune Messiah than it does from the unique tales. So it has some fairly attention-grabbing mechanics to it.
However you can not cowl your self in sandtrout and develop into a sandworm within the recreation. That is undoubtedly not a part of the plan.
I did as soon as wanna make it in order that when the gamers take spice within the recreation – they take it with out desirous to as a result of it is within the air as properly. However when you go to a spice blow and you do not have gear, your spice bar will go up, thus growing your dependancy to spice. The upper the quantity of spice in your bloodstream, the extra stuff you see. One of many issues we talked about initially was simply making psychological journeys through which they’d simply flip right into a sandworm and roam round on the map., however we determined not to do this.
WCCFTECH: Can we anticipate a full launch of Dune Awakening earlier than the top of the 12 months?
One of the best query. I might like to know. I do not know. We do not wish to ship it until it is prepared. I do not know what number of of you’ve gotten performed Conan Exiles. We have now a status for attention-grabbing concepts and a few jank. I would favor to eliminate the jank. I might wish to launch a recreation that is actually polished from Funcom. We have grown as an organization. I believe we will ship a very polished survival expertise. It is a huge IP. It is actually scorching proper now. After we took the IP in 2019, we simply knew there’d be a movie.
We did not realize it was gonna be the movies that they’re proper now. It is blown up into one thing gigantic. That places extra stress on us, and clearly, we really feel that stress. So, I wish to be sure that the sport can fulfill the fantasies of Dune followers.
Thanks in your time.
Throughout the Recreation Builders Convention 2024 in San Francisco, Funcom offered the primary detailed Dune Awakening presentation to the press. For the total particulars of what was mentioned within the open world survival MMO’s overview, head to our earlier article.
Right here, we’ll deal with the next roundtable Q&A with Dune Awakening Artistic Director Joel Bylos. A 17-year veteran of the Norwegian studio who’s credited for engaged on video games like Age of Conan, The Secret World, The Park, Conan Exiles, Conan: Unconquered, and even Steel: Hellsinger, Bylos was all too glad to indulge the various questions posed to him concerning the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 powered recreation (presently in beta testing).
Do it’s important to be a feminine character to play a Bene Gesserit?
No. The thought is that you just aren’t changing into a member of the Bene Gesserit, you’ve got simply been skilled by individuals who know find out how to practice within the methods of the Bene Gesserit. There’s a few examples of this within the books and naturally, within the film as properly, when Paul is clearly skilled by his mom. We have now these examples of males choosing up among the traits as properly, so long as they do not develop into official Bene Gesserit. That is how we’re enjoying it within the recreation as properly.
WCCFTECH: There’s the thought amongst some players that Dune: Awakening will simply be a daily survival recreation slightly than a survival MMO. You claimed the latter from the start, and the Steam web page even talked about 1000’s of gamers on the similar time, however that is since been eliminated. Are you able to make clear how the servers work and what number of gamers shall be on-line on a server at anyone time?
Positive. It is totally different maps. The explanation we eliminated 1000’s of gamers at one time was that our optimization was not saying 1000 on the similar time. So we have been like, okay, that is deceptive. It is tons of on the very least, and proper now I might say so.
I’ve written a weblog for advertising to place out, which truly explains it with diagrams, however I am going to attempt to offer you a really fast technical overview. We have now a number of maps within the recreation: a survival map, a deep desert map, and social hubs. These are all separate maps operating their very own Unreal server, and so they all have totally different quantities of gamers per server. A social map might need 200 gamers. The deep desert map might need 500 gamers. The survival map might need 50 to 100 gamers, relying on how optimized it’s and what number of buildings there are.
We have now a number of of every of these maps on the identical world, in the identical means that numerous MMOs occasion out as soon as an space is full. However the distinction between us and a traditional survival recreation is that almost all survival video games have a single map, and so they keep on that map. Our recreation has many, many maps and plenty of, many gamers throughout all of these maps, together with shared issues just like the Alternate.
And the deep desert is all the time a shared location. In Dune: Awakening, it’s 9 occasions the dimensions of the Conan Exiles map. Whereas there could also be 10 instanced survival maps, everybody shares a single deep desert map, so you may meet folks from all the opposite maps in that location. That is only a fast overview.
While you stated you’ve gotten totally different maps, how do you journey between them?
It is not menu-driven. I do not know if anybody remembers the way it used to work in Age of Conan, you’ve gotten the world map and also you decide which space you wish to go to. You possibly can think about it like that, besides it is truly rather more participating traversal than it was within the previous recreation. You do not click on a button, you truly fly there.
What is the distinction between deep desert desert versus survival?
All of them have the identical mechanics. In the event you consider the planet’s map, there’s this factor referred to as the Defend Wall. It is a vary of mountains, and on the skin of the Defend Wall is what they name the deep desert. The within of the Defend Wall is mainly the place folks construct as a result of it is the secure area on the planet for the reason that sandstorms get blunted by the mountains.
The sport is split into these two main sections. We have now the within and outdoors of the Defend Wall. The deep desert is a full PvP location. It is fully seamless, all related. There’s 9 Conan Exiles-sized maps related by server meshing into one space. There isn’t any trickery right here, there is no instancing. In that space, the sands will shift when the coriolis storms occur and fully wipe and alter that complete map no less than as soon as per week.
So, the entire world adjustments exterior of the Defend Wall. Inside is the place you construct your secure areas. We’re attempting to construct a recreation that has dynamic PvP areas and secure PvE areas the place folks can construct their base.
Is the deep desert like a procedurally generated No Man’s Land?
It is procedurally generated with guidelines. There is a particular logistics play that we wish there as a result of the deep desert is the place the massive spice harvests occur and the place the massive occasions occur. We anticipate guilds to be preventing over assets.
One of many traces we now have about Dune Awakening is that it is not about kicking down different folks’s sandcastles. So many of those survival video games are about simply killing another person’s base the place they’re offline and destroying their enjoyable.
Our recreation is about truly sending folks out to battle over assets at particular places. Bases are shielded. You possibly can’t actually destroy different folks’s bases, particularly within the PvE space. They’re pretty secure. After which we ship you out into the deep desert. That is the place you may have interaction in chaos and battle over the massive useful resource areas.
In the case of your base constructing and the restricted area inside that space, how are you guys gonna take care of that when you’ve gotten numerous gamers? Is it capped per server?
There’s one model of the deep desert, however within the survival map, we will mainly occasion it, so there shall be sufficient area there.
WCCFTECH: I perceive the main target is totally on PvP in Dune Awakening, however is there any form of content material for teams of PvE gamers, like dungeons or raids?
The ecology labs are our dungeons. By the best way, I might strongly argue in opposition to that it is all simply PvP. The tip recreation has a really robust PvP focus, however PvP is one thing that I wish to outline in a barely totally different means from simply gamers killing gamers. It is truly about giving gamers widespread issues that they want after which having them compete in direction of that.
Our political system, for instance, is about encouraging gamers to compete in direction of particular targets and never essentially nearly killing one another. I might say the sport has a participant competitors focus, however not essentially a simply kill one another, stomp on the corpse type of focus. That’s one thing we might wish to keep away from, which can also be why we’re speaking about this not flattening folks’s sandcastles factor. It is vital that individuals know contained in the Defend Wall you may construct a base, preserve it without end, and do not be too anxious about it.
Are you going to have the ability to discover ways to sandwalk?
I’ve had this dialog a number of occasions already, which is type of why it is humorous. Sure, finally, however your character would not understand how to do this immediately. Except you are a duke with a hologram guide that teaches you, apparently. However even then, you are not good at it till you get to the second movie and Shani reveals you ways. However anyway, the purpose is that we’ll have one thing if you get to Fremen and also you begin working with Fremen or studying issues from them. However that is not what occurs firstly of the sport.
We additionally tried it at one level and it appeared ridiculous, too gradual, like you may dash and run and you’ll stroll after which you may sandwalk and also you type of appear like you are dancing and it’s extremely gradual.
And naturally, we will repair that and attempt to design it in a greater means. However for now, it is not gonna be there. In addition to, it is best to solely be capable of sandwalk when you get to the purpose the place you are one with the desert.
I do know that is an MMO, however as a Dune lover who likes to solely do PvE content material, can I fully keep away from PvP content material?
Completely. You possibly can play the sport with out doing PvP. You do not have to care about it in any respect. There are areas within the recreation which can be PvP-marked, however others are marked as like guild peace the place there isn’t a fight. The entire social hubs are guild peace areas. Then you’ve gotten areas which can be like partial warfare after which the Battle of Assassins areas that are full PvP.
We break these areas up and we inform folks after they’re getting into one, we allow them to know.
I simply questioned when you have been planning so as to add the using of the sandworm.
I used to be ready for that query. Not for launch. We’ll add it post-launch for certain. I do not understand how a lot I want to clarify it, however I need it to be significant. The film did such job that I am like, now I actually should do job. It is fairly a sophisticated, costly function, and we have to make it really feel proper for the sport.
Are you able to additionally carry enemy autos with the transport ornithopter?
Sure, truly, it is one thing that was type of humorous once we did our PvP exams. You simply fly down and decide up another person’s sandcrawler after they’re in the course of harvesting with the particular person inside as properly. The issue is, if you get them again to your base, they’re gonna leap out of their car and begin capturing you. So there’s type of all the time an attention-grabbing interaction, however sure, you are able to do that.
WCCFTECH: One among my huge query marks is the inevitable environmental fatigue. There’s not likely a lot you are able to do whereas staying on Arrakis, however the Dune lore is giant, and we all know that there are planets with totally different biomes. We do briefly see them within the motion pictures. Are you contemplating including maps situated on different planets post-launch to supply some much-needed biome selection?
There’s two factors right here. Initially, I believe there is a false impression concerning the desert visuals of Dune attributable to the flicks. This isn’t how Herbert described every part. The truth is, I believe Herbert was pondering extra about southern Arizona-style deserts with a number of extra crops.
He talks about Saguaro cactuses on a regular basis. We have now areas within the recreation which can be a lot greener. After which there’s the polar caps, that are precise polar caps on Arrakis, and so they’re clearly there. We have now deliberate these biomes for the sport’s post-launch, notably the polar caps.
So we now have a little bit of selection on Arrakis at first. Then, once we begin to run out of that, we’ll begin to have a look at different planets. We have now mechanisms in place to allow that. I do not wish to discuss that but since it is so far out. Let me get the sport completed first. Hopefully, persons are enjoying it and liking it after which we will discuss different planets.
Do it’s important to use water in Dune Awakening aside in your personal survival?
Yeah. You want water for lots of the commercial purposes within the recreation as properly, like refining assets within the recreation requires a certain quantity of water. It begins to place stress on you throughout the board, however you additionally acquire issues like wind traps which let you get passive water and so it builds up over time.
That is how survival video games work. You overcome a fundamental stress, after which you’ve gotten a barely increased model of the identical stress. It is not a comfortable survival recreation and I do not assume it ever could possibly be, as a result of it is set on Arrakis. However we did assume, let’s not make it a ache within the arse and a chore to play. We’re looking for the correct steadiness there. I am certain that as we go ahead with our betas we’re gonna proceed to listen to from gamers about what’s the proper steadiness.
Is getting caught in a sandstorm immediate dying?
It is not immediate dying, however it’s fairly fast. You possibly can survive in a sandstorm for about 30 seconds after it hits. We have now a shelter mechanism, so you may huddle up in opposition to a wall and type of hug your self in an overhang. You will in all probability be okay with the sandstorms within the first areas. In a while, the Coriolis storms will kill you and every part you constructed.
In the event you’re within the deep desert through the server wipe, do you see that occur?
You will get kicked out. You will be warned, although. After we initially mentioned the thought, I advised the group it is just like the blood moon in Zelda. It’s good to know that it is coming for a very long time.
So I believe you get half a day of warning that this factor’s build up. The coriolis storm is coming and the sky begins to alter.
In the event you do die within the sandstorm, can you return to your corpse to gather assets?
There’s various kinds of dying penalties in Dune Awakening relying on the way you die. The sandworm swallows you and every part you carry, so do not get eaten by the sandworm.
In the event you’re killed in fight, you first go down however not out. In the event you’re with mates, they will decide you again up. If in case you have water, you will get your self again up. However then when you die die, you may drop assets, any spice, harvesting assets, and the cash foreign money (Solari, which you’ll be able to financial institution at villages).
There’s totally different respawn factors. We have now three sorts of respawn. You could have beacons that you may place out. You possibly can place out one respawn beacon wherever you need. We have now a respawn at your base and likewise a respawn at your final used car.
Then there’s additionally a checkpoint respawn. While you enter the ecology lab, we’ll save a respawn level for you exterior of that. In the event you die within the ecology lab and also you wish to recuperate your corpse, you may return. You’ll drop assets. You may get them again out of your corpse. In PvP areas, your corpse may be looted by different folks.
In the event you die in a PvP space, can somebody harvest your stays?
Completely.
You spoke concerning the ecology lab. I believe within the lore the purpose is bringing paradise to the planet. Is that one thing we would see sooner or later in Dune Awakening, the place there’s some ecology and environmental change?
We have now an alternate timeline for the flicks and the books. We’ll give a really clear understanding to everyone of why and the way that got here to be earlier than we launch the sport. That is a giant beat we’re gonna have later within the 12 months.
Among the ecology labs have had wind traps and so they’ve been accumulating water for 10,000 years and that water has been leaking out. Among the ecology labs, you’ll have even seen in our artwork, are simply filled with flowers. They’re very vibrant and inexperienced.
I form of describe ecology labs somewhat bit as Vaults from Fallout as a result of 10,000 years in the past, they sealed them off. A few of them have been discovered. A few of them have been utilized by the Fremen. A few of them have been discovered by different factions, like bandits.
Within the first guide, Duke Leto says he needs these ecology labs as a result of they’re full of apparatus and who is aware of what else. Perhaps they have been experimenting with AI in considered one of them, although that is fully unlawful, based on the brand new legislation. However perhaps that they had an AI that they have been secretly tinkering with, and it has been left alone for 10,000 years. What does that trigger?
We have now this concept that these are breaks from the conventional expertise in the remainder of Dune Awakening. They offer you a sense that there is extra to this universe and there is one thing else happening.
Can autos get stolen or destroyed?
No. Proper now, within the beta, we now have a permission system. You possibly can say, it is a car that solely I can use, or it is a car that individuals in my guilds can use. So you may type of set that permission.
By way of being destroyed, we now have what we name a backup car choice, which suggests you may backup one car in order that in case your car will get destroyed and also you’re in a spot that is laborious to get again from, you may summon that car and use it to get again.
There are additionally different methods of mitigating it. In the event you lose a car and also you’re on a rock island the place there’s an NPC base, usually they will have a car you may steal. They will not final very lengthy. They don’t seem to be superb autos, however you may often steal one thing and attempt to get again.
WCCFTECH: Are you able to share any particulars on the enterprise mannequin and monetization for Dune Awakening?
I imply, it is an MMO, so we’re gonna preserve it operating, which suggests we’ll in all probability have some type of monetization post-launch. I do not assume we’re prepared to speak concerning the particulars of that but.
In Youngsters of Dune, Leto II turns into a sandworm. Is that gonna be afterward the ski or something like that? *laughs*
There’s a foremost story within the recreation that the participant follows. I believe it is an attention-grabbing spine to the story, and it attracts extra upon issues from Dune Messiah than it does from the unique tales. So it has some fairly attention-grabbing mechanics to it.
However you can not cowl your self in sandtrout and develop into a sandworm within the recreation. That is undoubtedly not a part of the plan.
I did as soon as wanna make it in order that when the gamers take spice within the recreation – they take it with out desirous to as a result of it is within the air as properly. However when you go to a spice blow and you do not have gear, your spice bar will go up, thus growing your dependancy to spice. The upper the quantity of spice in your bloodstream, the extra stuff you see. One of many issues we talked about initially was simply making psychological journeys through which they’d simply flip right into a sandworm and roam round on the map., however we determined not to do this.
WCCFTECH: Can we anticipate a full launch of Dune Awakening earlier than the top of the 12 months?
One of the best query. I might like to know. I do not know. We do not wish to ship it until it is prepared. I do not know what number of of you’ve gotten performed Conan Exiles. We have now a status for attention-grabbing concepts and a few jank. I would favor to eliminate the jank. I might wish to launch a recreation that is actually polished from Funcom. We have grown as an organization. I believe we will ship a very polished survival expertise. It is a huge IP. It is actually scorching proper now. After we took the IP in 2019, we simply knew there’d be a movie.
We did not realize it was gonna be the movies that they’re proper now. It is blown up into one thing gigantic. That places extra stress on us, and clearly, we really feel that stress. So, I wish to be sure that the sport can fulfill the fantasies of Dune followers.
Thanks in your time.
Throughout the Recreation Builders Convention 2024 in San Francisco, Funcom offered the primary detailed Dune Awakening presentation to the press. For the total particulars of what was mentioned within the open world survival MMO’s overview, head to our earlier article.
Right here, we’ll deal with the next roundtable Q&A with Dune Awakening Artistic Director Joel Bylos. A 17-year veteran of the Norwegian studio who’s credited for engaged on video games like Age of Conan, The Secret World, The Park, Conan Exiles, Conan: Unconquered, and even Steel: Hellsinger, Bylos was all too glad to indulge the various questions posed to him concerning the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 powered recreation (presently in beta testing).
Do it’s important to be a feminine character to play a Bene Gesserit?
No. The thought is that you just aren’t changing into a member of the Bene Gesserit, you’ve got simply been skilled by individuals who know find out how to practice within the methods of the Bene Gesserit. There’s a few examples of this within the books and naturally, within the film as properly, when Paul is clearly skilled by his mom. We have now these examples of males choosing up among the traits as properly, so long as they do not develop into official Bene Gesserit. That is how we’re enjoying it within the recreation as properly.
WCCFTECH: There’s the thought amongst some players that Dune: Awakening will simply be a daily survival recreation slightly than a survival MMO. You claimed the latter from the start, and the Steam web page even talked about 1000’s of gamers on the similar time, however that is since been eliminated. Are you able to make clear how the servers work and what number of gamers shall be on-line on a server at anyone time?
Positive. It is totally different maps. The explanation we eliminated 1000’s of gamers at one time was that our optimization was not saying 1000 on the similar time. So we have been like, okay, that is deceptive. It is tons of on the very least, and proper now I might say so.
I’ve written a weblog for advertising to place out, which truly explains it with diagrams, however I am going to attempt to offer you a really fast technical overview. We have now a number of maps within the recreation: a survival map, a deep desert map, and social hubs. These are all separate maps operating their very own Unreal server, and so they all have totally different quantities of gamers per server. A social map might need 200 gamers. The deep desert map might need 500 gamers. The survival map might need 50 to 100 gamers, relying on how optimized it’s and what number of buildings there are.
We have now a number of of every of these maps on the identical world, in the identical means that numerous MMOs occasion out as soon as an space is full. However the distinction between us and a traditional survival recreation is that almost all survival video games have a single map, and so they keep on that map. Our recreation has many, many maps and plenty of, many gamers throughout all of these maps, together with shared issues just like the Alternate.
And the deep desert is all the time a shared location. In Dune: Awakening, it’s 9 occasions the dimensions of the Conan Exiles map. Whereas there could also be 10 instanced survival maps, everybody shares a single deep desert map, so you may meet folks from all the opposite maps in that location. That is only a fast overview.
While you stated you’ve gotten totally different maps, how do you journey between them?
It is not menu-driven. I do not know if anybody remembers the way it used to work in Age of Conan, you’ve gotten the world map and also you decide which space you wish to go to. You possibly can think about it like that, besides it is truly rather more participating traversal than it was within the previous recreation. You do not click on a button, you truly fly there.
What is the distinction between deep desert desert versus survival?
All of them have the identical mechanics. In the event you consider the planet’s map, there’s this factor referred to as the Defend Wall. It is a vary of mountains, and on the skin of the Defend Wall is what they name the deep desert. The within of the Defend Wall is mainly the place folks construct as a result of it is the secure area on the planet for the reason that sandstorms get blunted by the mountains.
The sport is split into these two main sections. We have now the within and outdoors of the Defend Wall. The deep desert is a full PvP location. It is fully seamless, all related. There’s 9 Conan Exiles-sized maps related by server meshing into one space. There isn’t any trickery right here, there is no instancing. In that space, the sands will shift when the coriolis storms occur and fully wipe and alter that complete map no less than as soon as per week.
So, the entire world adjustments exterior of the Defend Wall. Inside is the place you construct your secure areas. We’re attempting to construct a recreation that has dynamic PvP areas and secure PvE areas the place folks can construct their base.
Is the deep desert like a procedurally generated No Man’s Land?
It is procedurally generated with guidelines. There is a particular logistics play that we wish there as a result of the deep desert is the place the massive spice harvests occur and the place the massive occasions occur. We anticipate guilds to be preventing over assets.
One of many traces we now have about Dune Awakening is that it is not about kicking down different folks’s sandcastles. So many of those survival video games are about simply killing another person’s base the place they’re offline and destroying their enjoyable.
Our recreation is about truly sending folks out to battle over assets at particular places. Bases are shielded. You possibly can’t actually destroy different folks’s bases, particularly within the PvE space. They’re pretty secure. After which we ship you out into the deep desert. That is the place you may have interaction in chaos and battle over the massive useful resource areas.
In the case of your base constructing and the restricted area inside that space, how are you guys gonna take care of that when you’ve gotten numerous gamers? Is it capped per server?
There’s one model of the deep desert, however within the survival map, we will mainly occasion it, so there shall be sufficient area there.
WCCFTECH: I perceive the main target is totally on PvP in Dune Awakening, however is there any form of content material for teams of PvE gamers, like dungeons or raids?
The ecology labs are our dungeons. By the best way, I might strongly argue in opposition to that it is all simply PvP. The tip recreation has a really robust PvP focus, however PvP is one thing that I wish to outline in a barely totally different means from simply gamers killing gamers. It is truly about giving gamers widespread issues that they want after which having them compete in direction of that.
Our political system, for instance, is about encouraging gamers to compete in direction of particular targets and never essentially nearly killing one another. I might say the sport has a participant competitors focus, however not essentially a simply kill one another, stomp on the corpse type of focus. That’s one thing we might wish to keep away from, which can also be why we’re speaking about this not flattening folks’s sandcastles factor. It is vital that individuals know contained in the Defend Wall you may construct a base, preserve it without end, and do not be too anxious about it.
Are you going to have the ability to discover ways to sandwalk?
I’ve had this dialog a number of occasions already, which is type of why it is humorous. Sure, finally, however your character would not understand how to do this immediately. Except you are a duke with a hologram guide that teaches you, apparently. However even then, you are not good at it till you get to the second movie and Shani reveals you ways. However anyway, the purpose is that we’ll have one thing if you get to Fremen and also you begin working with Fremen or studying issues from them. However that is not what occurs firstly of the sport.
We additionally tried it at one level and it appeared ridiculous, too gradual, like you may dash and run and you’ll stroll after which you may sandwalk and also you type of appear like you are dancing and it’s extremely gradual.
And naturally, we will repair that and attempt to design it in a greater means. However for now, it is not gonna be there. In addition to, it is best to solely be capable of sandwalk when you get to the purpose the place you are one with the desert.
I do know that is an MMO, however as a Dune lover who likes to solely do PvE content material, can I fully keep away from PvP content material?
Completely. You possibly can play the sport with out doing PvP. You do not have to care about it in any respect. There are areas within the recreation which can be PvP-marked, however others are marked as like guild peace the place there isn’t a fight. The entire social hubs are guild peace areas. Then you’ve gotten areas which can be like partial warfare after which the Battle of Assassins areas that are full PvP.
We break these areas up and we inform folks after they’re getting into one, we allow them to know.
I simply questioned when you have been planning so as to add the using of the sandworm.
I used to be ready for that query. Not for launch. We’ll add it post-launch for certain. I do not understand how a lot I want to clarify it, however I need it to be significant. The film did such job that I am like, now I actually should do job. It is fairly a sophisticated, costly function, and we have to make it really feel proper for the sport.
Are you able to additionally carry enemy autos with the transport ornithopter?
Sure, truly, it is one thing that was type of humorous once we did our PvP exams. You simply fly down and decide up another person’s sandcrawler after they’re in the course of harvesting with the particular person inside as properly. The issue is, if you get them again to your base, they’re gonna leap out of their car and begin capturing you. So there’s type of all the time an attention-grabbing interaction, however sure, you are able to do that.
WCCFTECH: One among my huge query marks is the inevitable environmental fatigue. There’s not likely a lot you are able to do whereas staying on Arrakis, however the Dune lore is giant, and we all know that there are planets with totally different biomes. We do briefly see them within the motion pictures. Are you contemplating including maps situated on different planets post-launch to supply some much-needed biome selection?
There’s two factors right here. Initially, I believe there is a false impression concerning the desert visuals of Dune attributable to the flicks. This isn’t how Herbert described every part. The truth is, I believe Herbert was pondering extra about southern Arizona-style deserts with a number of extra crops.
He talks about Saguaro cactuses on a regular basis. We have now areas within the recreation which can be a lot greener. After which there’s the polar caps, that are precise polar caps on Arrakis, and so they’re clearly there. We have now deliberate these biomes for the sport’s post-launch, notably the polar caps.
So we now have a little bit of selection on Arrakis at first. Then, once we begin to run out of that, we’ll begin to have a look at different planets. We have now mechanisms in place to allow that. I do not wish to discuss that but since it is so far out. Let me get the sport completed first. Hopefully, persons are enjoying it and liking it after which we will discuss different planets.
Do it’s important to use water in Dune Awakening aside in your personal survival?
Yeah. You want water for lots of the commercial purposes within the recreation as properly, like refining assets within the recreation requires a certain quantity of water. It begins to place stress on you throughout the board, however you additionally acquire issues like wind traps which let you get passive water and so it builds up over time.
That is how survival video games work. You overcome a fundamental stress, after which you’ve gotten a barely increased model of the identical stress. It is not a comfortable survival recreation and I do not assume it ever could possibly be, as a result of it is set on Arrakis. However we did assume, let’s not make it a ache within the arse and a chore to play. We’re looking for the correct steadiness there. I am certain that as we go ahead with our betas we’re gonna proceed to listen to from gamers about what’s the proper steadiness.
Is getting caught in a sandstorm immediate dying?
It is not immediate dying, however it’s fairly fast. You possibly can survive in a sandstorm for about 30 seconds after it hits. We have now a shelter mechanism, so you may huddle up in opposition to a wall and type of hug your self in an overhang. You will in all probability be okay with the sandstorms within the first areas. In a while, the Coriolis storms will kill you and every part you constructed.
In the event you’re within the deep desert through the server wipe, do you see that occur?
You will get kicked out. You will be warned, although. After we initially mentioned the thought, I advised the group it is just like the blood moon in Zelda. It’s good to know that it is coming for a very long time.
So I believe you get half a day of warning that this factor’s build up. The coriolis storm is coming and the sky begins to alter.
In the event you do die within the sandstorm, can you return to your corpse to gather assets?
There’s various kinds of dying penalties in Dune Awakening relying on the way you die. The sandworm swallows you and every part you carry, so do not get eaten by the sandworm.
In the event you’re killed in fight, you first go down however not out. In the event you’re with mates, they will decide you again up. If in case you have water, you will get your self again up. However then when you die die, you may drop assets, any spice, harvesting assets, and the cash foreign money (Solari, which you’ll be able to financial institution at villages).
There’s totally different respawn factors. We have now three sorts of respawn. You could have beacons that you may place out. You possibly can place out one respawn beacon wherever you need. We have now a respawn at your base and likewise a respawn at your final used car.
Then there’s additionally a checkpoint respawn. While you enter the ecology lab, we’ll save a respawn level for you exterior of that. In the event you die within the ecology lab and also you wish to recuperate your corpse, you may return. You’ll drop assets. You may get them again out of your corpse. In PvP areas, your corpse may be looted by different folks.
In the event you die in a PvP space, can somebody harvest your stays?
Completely.
You spoke concerning the ecology lab. I believe within the lore the purpose is bringing paradise to the planet. Is that one thing we would see sooner or later in Dune Awakening, the place there’s some ecology and environmental change?
We have now an alternate timeline for the flicks and the books. We’ll give a really clear understanding to everyone of why and the way that got here to be earlier than we launch the sport. That is a giant beat we’re gonna have later within the 12 months.
Among the ecology labs have had wind traps and so they’ve been accumulating water for 10,000 years and that water has been leaking out. Among the ecology labs, you’ll have even seen in our artwork, are simply filled with flowers. They’re very vibrant and inexperienced.
I form of describe ecology labs somewhat bit as Vaults from Fallout as a result of 10,000 years in the past, they sealed them off. A few of them have been discovered. A few of them have been utilized by the Fremen. A few of them have been discovered by different factions, like bandits.
Within the first guide, Duke Leto says he needs these ecology labs as a result of they’re full of apparatus and who is aware of what else. Perhaps they have been experimenting with AI in considered one of them, although that is fully unlawful, based on the brand new legislation. However perhaps that they had an AI that they have been secretly tinkering with, and it has been left alone for 10,000 years. What does that trigger?
We have now this concept that these are breaks from the conventional expertise in the remainder of Dune Awakening. They offer you a sense that there is extra to this universe and there is one thing else happening.
Can autos get stolen or destroyed?
No. Proper now, within the beta, we now have a permission system. You possibly can say, it is a car that solely I can use, or it is a car that individuals in my guilds can use. So you may type of set that permission.
By way of being destroyed, we now have what we name a backup car choice, which suggests you may backup one car in order that in case your car will get destroyed and also you’re in a spot that is laborious to get again from, you may summon that car and use it to get again.
There are additionally different methods of mitigating it. In the event you lose a car and also you’re on a rock island the place there’s an NPC base, usually they will have a car you may steal. They will not final very lengthy. They don’t seem to be superb autos, however you may often steal one thing and attempt to get again.
WCCFTECH: Are you able to share any particulars on the enterprise mannequin and monetization for Dune Awakening?
I imply, it is an MMO, so we’re gonna preserve it operating, which suggests we’ll in all probability have some type of monetization post-launch. I do not assume we’re prepared to speak concerning the particulars of that but.
In Youngsters of Dune, Leto II turns into a sandworm. Is that gonna be afterward the ski or something like that? *laughs*
There’s a foremost story within the recreation that the participant follows. I believe it is an attention-grabbing spine to the story, and it attracts extra upon issues from Dune Messiah than it does from the unique tales. So it has some fairly attention-grabbing mechanics to it.
However you can not cowl your self in sandtrout and develop into a sandworm within the recreation. That is undoubtedly not a part of the plan.
I did as soon as wanna make it in order that when the gamers take spice within the recreation – they take it with out desirous to as a result of it is within the air as properly. However when you go to a spice blow and you do not have gear, your spice bar will go up, thus growing your dependancy to spice. The upper the quantity of spice in your bloodstream, the extra stuff you see. One of many issues we talked about initially was simply making psychological journeys through which they’d simply flip right into a sandworm and roam round on the map., however we determined not to do this.
WCCFTECH: Can we anticipate a full launch of Dune Awakening earlier than the top of the 12 months?
One of the best query. I might like to know. I do not know. We do not wish to ship it until it is prepared. I do not know what number of of you’ve gotten performed Conan Exiles. We have now a status for attention-grabbing concepts and a few jank. I would favor to eliminate the jank. I might wish to launch a recreation that is actually polished from Funcom. We have grown as an organization. I believe we will ship a very polished survival expertise. It is a huge IP. It is actually scorching proper now. After we took the IP in 2019, we simply knew there’d be a movie.
We did not realize it was gonna be the movies that they’re proper now. It is blown up into one thing gigantic. That places extra stress on us, and clearly, we really feel that stress. So, I wish to be sure that the sport can fulfill the fantasies of Dune followers.
Thanks in your time.
Throughout the Recreation Builders Convention 2024 in San Francisco, Funcom offered the primary detailed Dune Awakening presentation to the press. For the total particulars of what was mentioned within the open world survival MMO’s overview, head to our earlier article.
Right here, we’ll deal with the next roundtable Q&A with Dune Awakening Artistic Director Joel Bylos. A 17-year veteran of the Norwegian studio who’s credited for engaged on video games like Age of Conan, The Secret World, The Park, Conan Exiles, Conan: Unconquered, and even Steel: Hellsinger, Bylos was all too glad to indulge the various questions posed to him concerning the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 powered recreation (presently in beta testing).
Do it’s important to be a feminine character to play a Bene Gesserit?
No. The thought is that you just aren’t changing into a member of the Bene Gesserit, you’ve got simply been skilled by individuals who know find out how to practice within the methods of the Bene Gesserit. There’s a few examples of this within the books and naturally, within the film as properly, when Paul is clearly skilled by his mom. We have now these examples of males choosing up among the traits as properly, so long as they do not develop into official Bene Gesserit. That is how we’re enjoying it within the recreation as properly.
WCCFTECH: There’s the thought amongst some players that Dune: Awakening will simply be a daily survival recreation slightly than a survival MMO. You claimed the latter from the start, and the Steam web page even talked about 1000’s of gamers on the similar time, however that is since been eliminated. Are you able to make clear how the servers work and what number of gamers shall be on-line on a server at anyone time?
Positive. It is totally different maps. The explanation we eliminated 1000’s of gamers at one time was that our optimization was not saying 1000 on the similar time. So we have been like, okay, that is deceptive. It is tons of on the very least, and proper now I might say so.
I’ve written a weblog for advertising to place out, which truly explains it with diagrams, however I am going to attempt to offer you a really fast technical overview. We have now a number of maps within the recreation: a survival map, a deep desert map, and social hubs. These are all separate maps operating their very own Unreal server, and so they all have totally different quantities of gamers per server. A social map might need 200 gamers. The deep desert map might need 500 gamers. The survival map might need 50 to 100 gamers, relying on how optimized it’s and what number of buildings there are.
We have now a number of of every of these maps on the identical world, in the identical means that numerous MMOs occasion out as soon as an space is full. However the distinction between us and a traditional survival recreation is that almost all survival video games have a single map, and so they keep on that map. Our recreation has many, many maps and plenty of, many gamers throughout all of these maps, together with shared issues just like the Alternate.
And the deep desert is all the time a shared location. In Dune: Awakening, it’s 9 occasions the dimensions of the Conan Exiles map. Whereas there could also be 10 instanced survival maps, everybody shares a single deep desert map, so you may meet folks from all the opposite maps in that location. That is only a fast overview.
While you stated you’ve gotten totally different maps, how do you journey between them?
It is not menu-driven. I do not know if anybody remembers the way it used to work in Age of Conan, you’ve gotten the world map and also you decide which space you wish to go to. You possibly can think about it like that, besides it is truly rather more participating traversal than it was within the previous recreation. You do not click on a button, you truly fly there.
What is the distinction between deep desert desert versus survival?
All of them have the identical mechanics. In the event you consider the planet’s map, there’s this factor referred to as the Defend Wall. It is a vary of mountains, and on the skin of the Defend Wall is what they name the deep desert. The within of the Defend Wall is mainly the place folks construct as a result of it is the secure area on the planet for the reason that sandstorms get blunted by the mountains.
The sport is split into these two main sections. We have now the within and outdoors of the Defend Wall. The deep desert is a full PvP location. It is fully seamless, all related. There’s 9 Conan Exiles-sized maps related by server meshing into one space. There isn’t any trickery right here, there is no instancing. In that space, the sands will shift when the coriolis storms occur and fully wipe and alter that complete map no less than as soon as per week.
So, the entire world adjustments exterior of the Defend Wall. Inside is the place you construct your secure areas. We’re attempting to construct a recreation that has dynamic PvP areas and secure PvE areas the place folks can construct their base.
Is the deep desert like a procedurally generated No Man’s Land?
It is procedurally generated with guidelines. There is a particular logistics play that we wish there as a result of the deep desert is the place the massive spice harvests occur and the place the massive occasions occur. We anticipate guilds to be preventing over assets.
One of many traces we now have about Dune Awakening is that it is not about kicking down different folks’s sandcastles. So many of those survival video games are about simply killing another person’s base the place they’re offline and destroying their enjoyable.
Our recreation is about truly sending folks out to battle over assets at particular places. Bases are shielded. You possibly can’t actually destroy different folks’s bases, particularly within the PvE space. They’re pretty secure. After which we ship you out into the deep desert. That is the place you may have interaction in chaos and battle over the massive useful resource areas.
In the case of your base constructing and the restricted area inside that space, how are you guys gonna take care of that when you’ve gotten numerous gamers? Is it capped per server?
There’s one model of the deep desert, however within the survival map, we will mainly occasion it, so there shall be sufficient area there.
WCCFTECH: I perceive the main target is totally on PvP in Dune Awakening, however is there any form of content material for teams of PvE gamers, like dungeons or raids?
The ecology labs are our dungeons. By the best way, I might strongly argue in opposition to that it is all simply PvP. The tip recreation has a really robust PvP focus, however PvP is one thing that I wish to outline in a barely totally different means from simply gamers killing gamers. It is truly about giving gamers widespread issues that they want after which having them compete in direction of that.
Our political system, for instance, is about encouraging gamers to compete in direction of particular targets and never essentially nearly killing one another. I might say the sport has a participant competitors focus, however not essentially a simply kill one another, stomp on the corpse type of focus. That’s one thing we might wish to keep away from, which can also be why we’re speaking about this not flattening folks’s sandcastles factor. It is vital that individuals know contained in the Defend Wall you may construct a base, preserve it without end, and do not be too anxious about it.
Are you going to have the ability to discover ways to sandwalk?
I’ve had this dialog a number of occasions already, which is type of why it is humorous. Sure, finally, however your character would not understand how to do this immediately. Except you are a duke with a hologram guide that teaches you, apparently. However even then, you are not good at it till you get to the second movie and Shani reveals you ways. However anyway, the purpose is that we’ll have one thing if you get to Fremen and also you begin working with Fremen or studying issues from them. However that is not what occurs firstly of the sport.
We additionally tried it at one level and it appeared ridiculous, too gradual, like you may dash and run and you’ll stroll after which you may sandwalk and also you type of appear like you are dancing and it’s extremely gradual.
And naturally, we will repair that and attempt to design it in a greater means. However for now, it is not gonna be there. In addition to, it is best to solely be capable of sandwalk when you get to the purpose the place you are one with the desert.
I do know that is an MMO, however as a Dune lover who likes to solely do PvE content material, can I fully keep away from PvP content material?
Completely. You possibly can play the sport with out doing PvP. You do not have to care about it in any respect. There are areas within the recreation which can be PvP-marked, however others are marked as like guild peace the place there isn’t a fight. The entire social hubs are guild peace areas. Then you’ve gotten areas which can be like partial warfare after which the Battle of Assassins areas that are full PvP.
We break these areas up and we inform folks after they’re getting into one, we allow them to know.
I simply questioned when you have been planning so as to add the using of the sandworm.
I used to be ready for that query. Not for launch. We’ll add it post-launch for certain. I do not understand how a lot I want to clarify it, however I need it to be significant. The film did such job that I am like, now I actually should do job. It is fairly a sophisticated, costly function, and we have to make it really feel proper for the sport.
Are you able to additionally carry enemy autos with the transport ornithopter?
Sure, truly, it is one thing that was type of humorous once we did our PvP exams. You simply fly down and decide up another person’s sandcrawler after they’re in the course of harvesting with the particular person inside as properly. The issue is, if you get them again to your base, they’re gonna leap out of their car and begin capturing you. So there’s type of all the time an attention-grabbing interaction, however sure, you are able to do that.
WCCFTECH: One among my huge query marks is the inevitable environmental fatigue. There’s not likely a lot you are able to do whereas staying on Arrakis, however the Dune lore is giant, and we all know that there are planets with totally different biomes. We do briefly see them within the motion pictures. Are you contemplating including maps situated on different planets post-launch to supply some much-needed biome selection?
There’s two factors right here. Initially, I believe there is a false impression concerning the desert visuals of Dune attributable to the flicks. This isn’t how Herbert described every part. The truth is, I believe Herbert was pondering extra about southern Arizona-style deserts with a number of extra crops.
He talks about Saguaro cactuses on a regular basis. We have now areas within the recreation which can be a lot greener. After which there’s the polar caps, that are precise polar caps on Arrakis, and so they’re clearly there. We have now deliberate these biomes for the sport’s post-launch, notably the polar caps.
So we now have a little bit of selection on Arrakis at first. Then, once we begin to run out of that, we’ll begin to have a look at different planets. We have now mechanisms in place to allow that. I do not wish to discuss that but since it is so far out. Let me get the sport completed first. Hopefully, persons are enjoying it and liking it after which we will discuss different planets.
Do it’s important to use water in Dune Awakening aside in your personal survival?
Yeah. You want water for lots of the commercial purposes within the recreation as properly, like refining assets within the recreation requires a certain quantity of water. It begins to place stress on you throughout the board, however you additionally acquire issues like wind traps which let you get passive water and so it builds up over time.
That is how survival video games work. You overcome a fundamental stress, after which you’ve gotten a barely increased model of the identical stress. It is not a comfortable survival recreation and I do not assume it ever could possibly be, as a result of it is set on Arrakis. However we did assume, let’s not make it a ache within the arse and a chore to play. We’re looking for the correct steadiness there. I am certain that as we go ahead with our betas we’re gonna proceed to listen to from gamers about what’s the proper steadiness.
Is getting caught in a sandstorm immediate dying?
It is not immediate dying, however it’s fairly fast. You possibly can survive in a sandstorm for about 30 seconds after it hits. We have now a shelter mechanism, so you may huddle up in opposition to a wall and type of hug your self in an overhang. You will in all probability be okay with the sandstorms within the first areas. In a while, the Coriolis storms will kill you and every part you constructed.
In the event you’re within the deep desert through the server wipe, do you see that occur?
You will get kicked out. You will be warned, although. After we initially mentioned the thought, I advised the group it is just like the blood moon in Zelda. It’s good to know that it is coming for a very long time.
So I believe you get half a day of warning that this factor’s build up. The coriolis storm is coming and the sky begins to alter.
In the event you do die within the sandstorm, can you return to your corpse to gather assets?
There’s various kinds of dying penalties in Dune Awakening relying on the way you die. The sandworm swallows you and every part you carry, so do not get eaten by the sandworm.
In the event you’re killed in fight, you first go down however not out. In the event you’re with mates, they will decide you again up. If in case you have water, you will get your self again up. However then when you die die, you may drop assets, any spice, harvesting assets, and the cash foreign money (Solari, which you’ll be able to financial institution at villages).
There’s totally different respawn factors. We have now three sorts of respawn. You could have beacons that you may place out. You possibly can place out one respawn beacon wherever you need. We have now a respawn at your base and likewise a respawn at your final used car.
Then there’s additionally a checkpoint respawn. While you enter the ecology lab, we’ll save a respawn level for you exterior of that. In the event you die within the ecology lab and also you wish to recuperate your corpse, you may return. You’ll drop assets. You may get them again out of your corpse. In PvP areas, your corpse may be looted by different folks.
In the event you die in a PvP space, can somebody harvest your stays?
Completely.
You spoke concerning the ecology lab. I believe within the lore the purpose is bringing paradise to the planet. Is that one thing we would see sooner or later in Dune Awakening, the place there’s some ecology and environmental change?
We have now an alternate timeline for the flicks and the books. We’ll give a really clear understanding to everyone of why and the way that got here to be earlier than we launch the sport. That is a giant beat we’re gonna have later within the 12 months.
Among the ecology labs have had wind traps and so they’ve been accumulating water for 10,000 years and that water has been leaking out. Among the ecology labs, you’ll have even seen in our artwork, are simply filled with flowers. They’re very vibrant and inexperienced.
I form of describe ecology labs somewhat bit as Vaults from Fallout as a result of 10,000 years in the past, they sealed them off. A few of them have been discovered. A few of them have been utilized by the Fremen. A few of them have been discovered by different factions, like bandits.
Within the first guide, Duke Leto says he needs these ecology labs as a result of they’re full of apparatus and who is aware of what else. Perhaps they have been experimenting with AI in considered one of them, although that is fully unlawful, based on the brand new legislation. However perhaps that they had an AI that they have been secretly tinkering with, and it has been left alone for 10,000 years. What does that trigger?
We have now this concept that these are breaks from the conventional expertise in the remainder of Dune Awakening. They offer you a sense that there is extra to this universe and there is one thing else happening.
Can autos get stolen or destroyed?
No. Proper now, within the beta, we now have a permission system. You possibly can say, it is a car that solely I can use, or it is a car that individuals in my guilds can use. So you may type of set that permission.
By way of being destroyed, we now have what we name a backup car choice, which suggests you may backup one car in order that in case your car will get destroyed and also you’re in a spot that is laborious to get again from, you may summon that car and use it to get again.
There are additionally different methods of mitigating it. In the event you lose a car and also you’re on a rock island the place there’s an NPC base, usually they will have a car you may steal. They will not final very lengthy. They don’t seem to be superb autos, however you may often steal one thing and attempt to get again.
WCCFTECH: Are you able to share any particulars on the enterprise mannequin and monetization for Dune Awakening?
I imply, it is an MMO, so we’re gonna preserve it operating, which suggests we’ll in all probability have some type of monetization post-launch. I do not assume we’re prepared to speak concerning the particulars of that but.
In Youngsters of Dune, Leto II turns into a sandworm. Is that gonna be afterward the ski or something like that? *laughs*
There’s a foremost story within the recreation that the participant follows. I believe it is an attention-grabbing spine to the story, and it attracts extra upon issues from Dune Messiah than it does from the unique tales. So it has some fairly attention-grabbing mechanics to it.
However you can not cowl your self in sandtrout and develop into a sandworm within the recreation. That is undoubtedly not a part of the plan.
I did as soon as wanna make it in order that when the gamers take spice within the recreation – they take it with out desirous to as a result of it is within the air as properly. However when you go to a spice blow and you do not have gear, your spice bar will go up, thus growing your dependancy to spice. The upper the quantity of spice in your bloodstream, the extra stuff you see. One of many issues we talked about initially was simply making psychological journeys through which they’d simply flip right into a sandworm and roam round on the map., however we determined not to do this.
WCCFTECH: Can we anticipate a full launch of Dune Awakening earlier than the top of the 12 months?
One of the best query. I might like to know. I do not know. We do not wish to ship it until it is prepared. I do not know what number of of you’ve gotten performed Conan Exiles. We have now a status for attention-grabbing concepts and a few jank. I would favor to eliminate the jank. I might wish to launch a recreation that is actually polished from Funcom. We have grown as an organization. I believe we will ship a very polished survival expertise. It is a huge IP. It is actually scorching proper now. After we took the IP in 2019, we simply knew there’d be a movie.
We did not realize it was gonna be the movies that they’re proper now. It is blown up into one thing gigantic. That places extra stress on us, and clearly, we really feel that stress. So, I wish to be sure that the sport can fulfill the fantasies of Dune followers.
Thanks in your time.
Throughout the Recreation Builders Convention 2024 in San Francisco, Funcom offered the primary detailed Dune Awakening presentation to the press. For the total particulars of what was mentioned within the open world survival MMO’s overview, head to our earlier article.
Right here, we’ll deal with the next roundtable Q&A with Dune Awakening Artistic Director Joel Bylos. A 17-year veteran of the Norwegian studio who’s credited for engaged on video games like Age of Conan, The Secret World, The Park, Conan Exiles, Conan: Unconquered, and even Steel: Hellsinger, Bylos was all too glad to indulge the various questions posed to him concerning the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 powered recreation (presently in beta testing).
Do it’s important to be a feminine character to play a Bene Gesserit?
No. The thought is that you just aren’t changing into a member of the Bene Gesserit, you’ve got simply been skilled by individuals who know find out how to practice within the methods of the Bene Gesserit. There’s a few examples of this within the books and naturally, within the film as properly, when Paul is clearly skilled by his mom. We have now these examples of males choosing up among the traits as properly, so long as they do not develop into official Bene Gesserit. That is how we’re enjoying it within the recreation as properly.
WCCFTECH: There’s the thought amongst some players that Dune: Awakening will simply be a daily survival recreation slightly than a survival MMO. You claimed the latter from the start, and the Steam web page even talked about 1000’s of gamers on the similar time, however that is since been eliminated. Are you able to make clear how the servers work and what number of gamers shall be on-line on a server at anyone time?
Positive. It is totally different maps. The explanation we eliminated 1000’s of gamers at one time was that our optimization was not saying 1000 on the similar time. So we have been like, okay, that is deceptive. It is tons of on the very least, and proper now I might say so.
I’ve written a weblog for advertising to place out, which truly explains it with diagrams, however I am going to attempt to offer you a really fast technical overview. We have now a number of maps within the recreation: a survival map, a deep desert map, and social hubs. These are all separate maps operating their very own Unreal server, and so they all have totally different quantities of gamers per server. A social map might need 200 gamers. The deep desert map might need 500 gamers. The survival map might need 50 to 100 gamers, relying on how optimized it’s and what number of buildings there are.
We have now a number of of every of these maps on the identical world, in the identical means that numerous MMOs occasion out as soon as an space is full. However the distinction between us and a traditional survival recreation is that almost all survival video games have a single map, and so they keep on that map. Our recreation has many, many maps and plenty of, many gamers throughout all of these maps, together with shared issues just like the Alternate.
And the deep desert is all the time a shared location. In Dune: Awakening, it’s 9 occasions the dimensions of the Conan Exiles map. Whereas there could also be 10 instanced survival maps, everybody shares a single deep desert map, so you may meet folks from all the opposite maps in that location. That is only a fast overview.
While you stated you’ve gotten totally different maps, how do you journey between them?
It is not menu-driven. I do not know if anybody remembers the way it used to work in Age of Conan, you’ve gotten the world map and also you decide which space you wish to go to. You possibly can think about it like that, besides it is truly rather more participating traversal than it was within the previous recreation. You do not click on a button, you truly fly there.
What is the distinction between deep desert desert versus survival?
All of them have the identical mechanics. In the event you consider the planet’s map, there’s this factor referred to as the Defend Wall. It is a vary of mountains, and on the skin of the Defend Wall is what they name the deep desert. The within of the Defend Wall is mainly the place folks construct as a result of it is the secure area on the planet for the reason that sandstorms get blunted by the mountains.
The sport is split into these two main sections. We have now the within and outdoors of the Defend Wall. The deep desert is a full PvP location. It is fully seamless, all related. There’s 9 Conan Exiles-sized maps related by server meshing into one space. There isn’t any trickery right here, there is no instancing. In that space, the sands will shift when the coriolis storms occur and fully wipe and alter that complete map no less than as soon as per week.
So, the entire world adjustments exterior of the Defend Wall. Inside is the place you construct your secure areas. We’re attempting to construct a recreation that has dynamic PvP areas and secure PvE areas the place folks can construct their base.
Is the deep desert like a procedurally generated No Man’s Land?
It is procedurally generated with guidelines. There is a particular logistics play that we wish there as a result of the deep desert is the place the massive spice harvests occur and the place the massive occasions occur. We anticipate guilds to be preventing over assets.
One of many traces we now have about Dune Awakening is that it is not about kicking down different folks’s sandcastles. So many of those survival video games are about simply killing another person’s base the place they’re offline and destroying their enjoyable.
Our recreation is about truly sending folks out to battle over assets at particular places. Bases are shielded. You possibly can’t actually destroy different folks’s bases, particularly within the PvE space. They’re pretty secure. After which we ship you out into the deep desert. That is the place you may have interaction in chaos and battle over the massive useful resource areas.
In the case of your base constructing and the restricted area inside that space, how are you guys gonna take care of that when you’ve gotten numerous gamers? Is it capped per server?
There’s one model of the deep desert, however within the survival map, we will mainly occasion it, so there shall be sufficient area there.
WCCFTECH: I perceive the main target is totally on PvP in Dune Awakening, however is there any form of content material for teams of PvE gamers, like dungeons or raids?
The ecology labs are our dungeons. By the best way, I might strongly argue in opposition to that it is all simply PvP. The tip recreation has a really robust PvP focus, however PvP is one thing that I wish to outline in a barely totally different means from simply gamers killing gamers. It is truly about giving gamers widespread issues that they want after which having them compete in direction of that.
Our political system, for instance, is about encouraging gamers to compete in direction of particular targets and never essentially nearly killing one another. I might say the sport has a participant competitors focus, however not essentially a simply kill one another, stomp on the corpse type of focus. That’s one thing we might wish to keep away from, which can also be why we’re speaking about this not flattening folks’s sandcastles factor. It is vital that individuals know contained in the Defend Wall you may construct a base, preserve it without end, and do not be too anxious about it.
Are you going to have the ability to discover ways to sandwalk?
I’ve had this dialog a number of occasions already, which is type of why it is humorous. Sure, finally, however your character would not understand how to do this immediately. Except you are a duke with a hologram guide that teaches you, apparently. However even then, you are not good at it till you get to the second movie and Shani reveals you ways. However anyway, the purpose is that we’ll have one thing if you get to Fremen and also you begin working with Fremen or studying issues from them. However that is not what occurs firstly of the sport.
We additionally tried it at one level and it appeared ridiculous, too gradual, like you may dash and run and you’ll stroll after which you may sandwalk and also you type of appear like you are dancing and it’s extremely gradual.
And naturally, we will repair that and attempt to design it in a greater means. However for now, it is not gonna be there. In addition to, it is best to solely be capable of sandwalk when you get to the purpose the place you are one with the desert.
I do know that is an MMO, however as a Dune lover who likes to solely do PvE content material, can I fully keep away from PvP content material?
Completely. You possibly can play the sport with out doing PvP. You do not have to care about it in any respect. There are areas within the recreation which can be PvP-marked, however others are marked as like guild peace the place there isn’t a fight. The entire social hubs are guild peace areas. Then you’ve gotten areas which can be like partial warfare after which the Battle of Assassins areas that are full PvP.
We break these areas up and we inform folks after they’re getting into one, we allow them to know.
I simply questioned when you have been planning so as to add the using of the sandworm.
I used to be ready for that query. Not for launch. We’ll add it post-launch for certain. I do not understand how a lot I want to clarify it, however I need it to be significant. The film did such job that I am like, now I actually should do job. It is fairly a sophisticated, costly function, and we have to make it really feel proper for the sport.
Are you able to additionally carry enemy autos with the transport ornithopter?
Sure, truly, it is one thing that was type of humorous once we did our PvP exams. You simply fly down and decide up another person’s sandcrawler after they’re in the course of harvesting with the particular person inside as properly. The issue is, if you get them again to your base, they’re gonna leap out of their car and begin capturing you. So there’s type of all the time an attention-grabbing interaction, however sure, you are able to do that.
WCCFTECH: One among my huge query marks is the inevitable environmental fatigue. There’s not likely a lot you are able to do whereas staying on Arrakis, however the Dune lore is giant, and we all know that there are planets with totally different biomes. We do briefly see them within the motion pictures. Are you contemplating including maps situated on different planets post-launch to supply some much-needed biome selection?
There’s two factors right here. Initially, I believe there is a false impression concerning the desert visuals of Dune attributable to the flicks. This isn’t how Herbert described every part. The truth is, I believe Herbert was pondering extra about southern Arizona-style deserts with a number of extra crops.
He talks about Saguaro cactuses on a regular basis. We have now areas within the recreation which can be a lot greener. After which there’s the polar caps, that are precise polar caps on Arrakis, and so they’re clearly there. We have now deliberate these biomes for the sport’s post-launch, notably the polar caps.
So we now have a little bit of selection on Arrakis at first. Then, once we begin to run out of that, we’ll begin to have a look at different planets. We have now mechanisms in place to allow that. I do not wish to discuss that but since it is so far out. Let me get the sport completed first. Hopefully, persons are enjoying it and liking it after which we will discuss different planets.
Do it’s important to use water in Dune Awakening aside in your personal survival?
Yeah. You want water for lots of the commercial purposes within the recreation as properly, like refining assets within the recreation requires a certain quantity of water. It begins to place stress on you throughout the board, however you additionally acquire issues like wind traps which let you get passive water and so it builds up over time.
That is how survival video games work. You overcome a fundamental stress, after which you’ve gotten a barely increased model of the identical stress. It is not a comfortable survival recreation and I do not assume it ever could possibly be, as a result of it is set on Arrakis. However we did assume, let’s not make it a ache within the arse and a chore to play. We’re looking for the correct steadiness there. I am certain that as we go ahead with our betas we’re gonna proceed to listen to from gamers about what’s the proper steadiness.
Is getting caught in a sandstorm immediate dying?
It is not immediate dying, however it’s fairly fast. You possibly can survive in a sandstorm for about 30 seconds after it hits. We have now a shelter mechanism, so you may huddle up in opposition to a wall and type of hug your self in an overhang. You will in all probability be okay with the sandstorms within the first areas. In a while, the Coriolis storms will kill you and every part you constructed.
In the event you’re within the deep desert through the server wipe, do you see that occur?
You will get kicked out. You will be warned, although. After we initially mentioned the thought, I advised the group it is just like the blood moon in Zelda. It’s good to know that it is coming for a very long time.
So I believe you get half a day of warning that this factor’s build up. The coriolis storm is coming and the sky begins to alter.
In the event you do die within the sandstorm, can you return to your corpse to gather assets?
There’s various kinds of dying penalties in Dune Awakening relying on the way you die. The sandworm swallows you and every part you carry, so do not get eaten by the sandworm.
In the event you’re killed in fight, you first go down however not out. In the event you’re with mates, they will decide you again up. If in case you have water, you will get your self again up. However then when you die die, you may drop assets, any spice, harvesting assets, and the cash foreign money (Solari, which you’ll be able to financial institution at villages).
There’s totally different respawn factors. We have now three sorts of respawn. You could have beacons that you may place out. You possibly can place out one respawn beacon wherever you need. We have now a respawn at your base and likewise a respawn at your final used car.
Then there’s additionally a checkpoint respawn. While you enter the ecology lab, we’ll save a respawn level for you exterior of that. In the event you die within the ecology lab and also you wish to recuperate your corpse, you may return. You’ll drop assets. You may get them again out of your corpse. In PvP areas, your corpse may be looted by different folks.
In the event you die in a PvP space, can somebody harvest your stays?
Completely.
You spoke concerning the ecology lab. I believe within the lore the purpose is bringing paradise to the planet. Is that one thing we would see sooner or later in Dune Awakening, the place there’s some ecology and environmental change?
We have now an alternate timeline for the flicks and the books. We’ll give a really clear understanding to everyone of why and the way that got here to be earlier than we launch the sport. That is a giant beat we’re gonna have later within the 12 months.
Among the ecology labs have had wind traps and so they’ve been accumulating water for 10,000 years and that water has been leaking out. Among the ecology labs, you’ll have even seen in our artwork, are simply filled with flowers. They’re very vibrant and inexperienced.
I form of describe ecology labs somewhat bit as Vaults from Fallout as a result of 10,000 years in the past, they sealed them off. A few of them have been discovered. A few of them have been utilized by the Fremen. A few of them have been discovered by different factions, like bandits.
Within the first guide, Duke Leto says he needs these ecology labs as a result of they’re full of apparatus and who is aware of what else. Perhaps they have been experimenting with AI in considered one of them, although that is fully unlawful, based on the brand new legislation. However perhaps that they had an AI that they have been secretly tinkering with, and it has been left alone for 10,000 years. What does that trigger?
We have now this concept that these are breaks from the conventional expertise in the remainder of Dune Awakening. They offer you a sense that there is extra to this universe and there is one thing else happening.
Can autos get stolen or destroyed?
No. Proper now, within the beta, we now have a permission system. You possibly can say, it is a car that solely I can use, or it is a car that individuals in my guilds can use. So you may type of set that permission.
By way of being destroyed, we now have what we name a backup car choice, which suggests you may backup one car in order that in case your car will get destroyed and also you’re in a spot that is laborious to get again from, you may summon that car and use it to get again.
There are additionally different methods of mitigating it. In the event you lose a car and also you’re on a rock island the place there’s an NPC base, usually they will have a car you may steal. They will not final very lengthy. They don’t seem to be superb autos, however you may often steal one thing and attempt to get again.
WCCFTECH: Are you able to share any particulars on the enterprise mannequin and monetization for Dune Awakening?
I imply, it is an MMO, so we’re gonna preserve it operating, which suggests we’ll in all probability have some type of monetization post-launch. I do not assume we’re prepared to speak concerning the particulars of that but.
In Youngsters of Dune, Leto II turns into a sandworm. Is that gonna be afterward the ski or something like that? *laughs*
There’s a foremost story within the recreation that the participant follows. I believe it is an attention-grabbing spine to the story, and it attracts extra upon issues from Dune Messiah than it does from the unique tales. So it has some fairly attention-grabbing mechanics to it.
However you can not cowl your self in sandtrout and develop into a sandworm within the recreation. That is undoubtedly not a part of the plan.
I did as soon as wanna make it in order that when the gamers take spice within the recreation – they take it with out desirous to as a result of it is within the air as properly. However when you go to a spice blow and you do not have gear, your spice bar will go up, thus growing your dependancy to spice. The upper the quantity of spice in your bloodstream, the extra stuff you see. One of many issues we talked about initially was simply making psychological journeys through which they’d simply flip right into a sandworm and roam round on the map., however we determined not to do this.
WCCFTECH: Can we anticipate a full launch of Dune Awakening earlier than the top of the 12 months?
One of the best query. I might like to know. I do not know. We do not wish to ship it until it is prepared. I do not know what number of of you’ve gotten performed Conan Exiles. We have now a status for attention-grabbing concepts and a few jank. I would favor to eliminate the jank. I might wish to launch a recreation that is actually polished from Funcom. We have grown as an organization. I believe we will ship a very polished survival expertise. It is a huge IP. It is actually scorching proper now. After we took the IP in 2019, we simply knew there’d be a movie.
We did not realize it was gonna be the movies that they’re proper now. It is blown up into one thing gigantic. That places extra stress on us, and clearly, we really feel that stress. So, I wish to be sure that the sport can fulfill the fantasies of Dune followers.
Thanks in your time.