How exactly do you transition from playing solo to playing with others? Classic WoW might have solved this problem ages ago.
Image credit: Funcom
Dune Awakening is an MMO. You probably know this already if you've been keeping up with the game. Players will be able to eventually pull together to mine spice, raid bio-labs, and clash in massive PvP battles. However, as shown in my preview, the early game is a solo experience for the most part. So how do you transition players from that solitary play style to a collaborative one?
Well, creative director Joel Bylos seems to have found an answer in Classic WoW. This Blizzard classic, brought back in recent years to massive acclaim, is loved so much due in part to the fluid way players find each other while questing. These moments were brought up by Bylos to press at the Funcom offices last month, as he was heading into a development room with various snacks and cookies in-hand.
"It's carefully crafted so that people can definately get into these groups. WoW Classic is specifically kind of an inspiration, because it's a game that did this really well," Bylos states, cookies and snacks now firmly placed on a nearby table. "I love how WoW kind of creeps up on you. You start out playing alone, but at some point you say 'Oh, I've got to go into this village full of elite mobs. Hey guy, you wanna join us?' You end up being sucked in to playing with other people, right?"
"It's really good, and I'm sure it was intentional but it doesn't feel intentional. It feels like this happy accident. So that's [what we're going for] in Dune as well, I'm trying to make it feel like at some point when you go out, you kinda want to play with someone else because it's going to make it easier. And maybe people will drop off at that point, but that's 60 hours in and they don't care".
So a hint towards the design philosophy behind encouraging players to stick together, a truly important component of the MMO experience. It's something only the current closed beta players will have seen first-hand, though Bylos himself would earlier note that many players running around Arrakis right now are quickly forming massive guilds from the get-go, helping entry level players quickly proceed to end-game activities by funnelling gear and resources to them. How this will play out when the game actually comes out and the community starts over with characters remains a mystery, both for myself and Joel, who would hop away from press with snacks in hand.
Do you think this is a smart approach to organic community building in Dune Awakening? Let us know below!
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