“Dune” may not seem like a natural setting for a survival MMO. Players explore the desert planet of Arrakis and resources appear scarce, but the developers at Funcom are huge fans of Frank Herbert’s work and heavily influenced by director Denis Villeneuve’s films. They know there’s more under the surface, and the team led by creative director Joel Bylos mined the lore and books to create a project that’s shaping up to be unexpectedly rich.

At a hands-off GDC demo, Byblos showed the media the character creation process and early parts of “Dune: Awakening.” Players begin as a prisoner set in front of the Reverend Mother. Players create a look for their avatar, using a diverse array of options. Players can look like a person from Caladan, the ancestral home of the Atreides family, or they can opt for the bald stylings of someone from Giedi Prime and House Harkonnen.

CHARACTER CREATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Whatever the case, players have plenty of options including a choice of their background. As a prisoner, that part of character creation will be under duress as the Reverend Mother holds a poison pin to the neck as she interviews the protagonist. Players answer questions about their origin and pick a dialogue trait, which includes being honorable, political or nobility. This gives players distinct chat options when conversing. The last choice gives players a starting set of abilities as they describe their mentor.

Further in the game, players will discover skill trees. They can gain abilities from different disciplines, including Bene Gesserit and Planetologist. Players can mix and match different skills from the classes. They can bring three active abilities and three techniques. The active abilities are skills that players have control over such as the ability to use a hunter-seeker while techniques offer more passive perks.

From there, the protagonist is sent to Arrakis where the ship is immediately shot down. It’s not a hospitable place, and players will find their character awake in a cave after surviving the crash. They immediately find a Fremkit, which will allow players to better survive the harsh environment. With it, they can craft a scrap metal knife and begin their survival journey.

A TUTORIAL LEVEL AND TRAVERSAL

Bylos admits that Funcom’s games are a little harsh when it comes to introducing players to concepts and the world. With “Dune: Awakening,” they’re trying to fix that by giving newcomers a tutorial area, which also shows off how the movies don’t always show the full vision of Herbert. The developers said Arrakis isn’t all a barren wasteland, and players can find plants and other crafting material in places such as caves or rock formations.

The developers brought over the climbing system from “Conan: Exiles” and they added more features tied to “Dune” such as suspensor belts. Combine that with a grappling hook and other tools and players have plenty of ways to traverse areas, battle enemies and avoid Sand Worms in “Dune: Awakening.” Essentially, players can climb and scramble over any rock or building.

But there are limits to travel, namely players can’t stay in the sun too long because they’ll overheat and risk a sunstroke, which is a punishing condition that reduces players’ water meter. They’ll have to move in the shade and that becomes interesting as the sun travels around the planet casting shadows that change over time. It’s one of those times when the fiction works hand in hand and inspires fascinating gameplay opportunities.

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