Dune: Awakeningdeveloper Funcom has responded to players concerned about the state of the in-game player-versus-player (PvP) environment. ThoughDune: Awakeninglaunched for PC on June 10, many players have grown familiar with the PvP scene over the course of closed beta testing and a pre-launch advanced access period.
As the firstDuneMMO to be officially licensed to use the iconic sci-fi setting,Dune: Awakeninghas drawn a lot of attention from curious players. Some are attracted by their familiarity with the franchise, be it through the original books or the blockbuster film adaptations. Others are MMO enthusiasts aware of Funcom’s reputation for making interesting online games likeThe Secret WorldandConan Exiles. Since launch, all have been spending time competing for control of the wild desert lands of Arrakis, fighting to establish bases and even going to war against other players and guilds in PvP to secure rare resources and loot.
Unfortunately for Funcom, it’s that PvP aspect that seems to be the source of many complaints about the game so far. In a response to a post on the game’s Reddit community board describing problems withDune: AwakeningPvP, Creative Director Joel Bylos said that the development team is working on “a bunch of changes/fixes” to address complaints. He asked for players' patience as Funcom works out the kinks in the newly-launched MMO.Dune: Awakening’s PvP mode takes place in the Deep Desert, an endgame-level zone wracked by deadly sandstorms. Unlike other regions of Arrakis, play in the Deep Desert is always adversarial, and players can be attacked by other players at any time. Players can also raid each other’s bases, with PvP victories and defeats tying into theDune: AwakeningLandsraad endgame activitythat can have a major influence on the course of events in a given server.
Funcom Working On Fixes to Dune: Awakening’s PvP Problems
According to players, one of the biggest issues affectingDune: AwakeningPvP play is an overly fast respawn timer. One poster named rustypipe7889 said that when playing both large- and small-scale fights in the Deep Desert, respawn timers are “almost instant,” with many players able to return to battle after being killed in as little as 12 seconds. As a result, PvP battles become a numbers game, with larger teams eventually overwhelming smaller, well-equipped teams by “zerging” them with effectively infinite reinforcements spawning in quickly. Other players complained about thelack of fall and collision damage onDune: Awakeningvehicles, which allow players to use reckless suicide tactics with no consequences.
Other Funcom developers have responded to complaints from players about PvP. In one reply to a question about respawn timers, Funcom Community Manager Ignasi Sastre said that the speed of the respawn timers is unintended, and will be fixed “in an upcoming patch.” While they did expressfrustration with the state ofDune: Awakeningendgame activities and PvP, players did praise Funcom for its habit of replying directly to player inquiries and comments.
