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Inside Dune Awakening - Part 1: Joel Bylos on the Journey System, Archetypes, and Finding the F--K Yeah Moments

Steven Weber Posted:
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Editorials 0

Dune: Awakening is certainly one of the most anticipated upcoming MMOs for numerous reasons. While Funcom has been clear about identifying the game as an MMO and not an MMORPG, one thing they aren’t skimping on is progression for their generalized archtypes. Recently I was able to sit down with the Creative Director for Dune: Awakening, Joel Bylos, and we covered numerous topics from progression, to survival and how certain your death will be when there’s a Worm Sign on the horizon.

In today’s look at Dune: Awakening we’ll touch on Joel’s answers on creating those "f—k yeah" moments that keep players coming back for more—but keep an eye out for more articles everyday this week on Dune: Awakening.

In our conversation we began with a topic that MMO players are familiar with, and that is questing. While we will touch on the story aspect in another article, in many large-scale MMOs the content you do as you progress is make or break for whether you stay with a game long term.

Joel was quick to point out that Dune: Awakening (D:A) has implemented the Journey System, which provides a fresh perspective on player progression in a survival MMO setting, but it will still feel familiar to quest lovers. Unlike many traditional MMOs, the journey in Dune: Awakening is not driven primarily by a specific set of quests, but instead follows a more open-ended and self-directed structure, blending early linear experiences with later player autonomy.

“There's players who love to explore, and they like to explore down skill trees and character paths and things like that. There are players who like the nitty gritty logistics of playing with their friends (such as) I am the crafter in the group and I do this job,” he explained. “We're trying to support those playstyles.”

A Journey of Your Own Making

He went on to explain that the Journey System hails from Conan Exiles, but the iteration in Dune: Awakening has some stark differences. It starts in a linear fashion, but shortly after you build your first base and get your bearings it starts to branch out. “At some point it sort of splits into five journeys. And it's like, which one of those am I interested in? And you can do them all. Then those five split into five more each.” He explained excitedly.

Each of these paths are based on five archetypes, designed to fit different player personas—killer, explorer, survivor, crafter, and socialite. These five archetypes create an immersive experience for each player, allowing for distinct moments of satisfaction specific to each type. For instance, Bylos says, "If you're a killer, if you're a person who loves PvP, there's a moment which is like 'oh, I'm going to get this thing and it's going to make me realize that my path is being supported in this game.”

In this way players will be rewarded simply by doing what they love. Each archetype is represented through what Bylos called "f—k yeah moments" which are designed to let players feel like their chosen path is uniquely recognized by the game, reinforcing their decision, but still allowing for players to change their direction when the mood strikes them.

The Journey System ultimately encourages players to "bugger off and do whatever" they want as the paths split into further sub-journeys. each providing the opportunity to specialize or diversify depending on what you like. “Not everybody feels f—k yeah about the same things,” Joel said when asked about how they’re enticing players to explore what the Journey system has to offer.

“Some people will be really excited about a reward, and some people will just be like, oh, I did the thing,” he began. “So, the goal is, let's provide these moments, but let's make sure we know who our archetypes are so that when these moments happen, it's like we're highlighting this to you. You're an explorer. You feel really good about (what you accomplished). A killer who has the same moment or someone of that kind of archetype will just be like, okay, yeah, I found the thing in the world. It's not as exciting as it would be for an explorer. And we know that not all players neatly fit in those kind of categories either, but it should hopefully support those roles, or at least those playstyles.” He told me.

The Journey System is just one piece of what players can look forward to in the world of Arrakis. Alongside those, players will be introduced to Contracts, another form of optional quest which will provide alternative ways to obtain rewards. Contracts will be found at a trading posts, and are primarily group oriented.

With a mix of both linear and non-linear experiences, solo and group opportunities, and five distinct paths to tread, Dune: Awakening is meant to appeal to both newcomers and seasoned MMO gamers. How these quests will play out for fans of the genre, we can only wait and see, but hopefully players will find the moments that will make them say f—k yeah.


StevenWeber

Steven Weber

Steven has been a writer at MMORPG.COM since 2017. A lover of many different genres, he finds he spends most of his game time in action RPGs, and talking about himself in 3rd person on his biography page.