Joel Bylos has explained how Dune: Awakening compares to Conan Exiles and unveiled new details in a recent interview on Inven Global.

Even though developers are getting a lot of their game material from the Dune Movies and Books, Dune Awakening is going to be an alternative history of Dune. Where the movie focused on certain characters and smaller spaces, the game plans to focus on creating a huge world and must expand far beyond the scope of the book to really flesh out the world of Arrakis.

If you are a huge Dune fan, the lore and characters will be familiar to you, but that’s where the movie reality ends and the alternate game reality begins.

Funcom’s focus for Dune was to bring the harsh world of Dune alive, such as players having to deal with the scarcity of water and the dread of feeling the Sandworms homing in on their direction. The thrill of harvesting spices while keeping it engaging and exciting

While the books and movies followed the story of political intrigue and the rise to power of Paul Atreides, the players will follow along with the historical rise of Paul Atreides, but from the perspective of the player on the ground amongst the different factions while carving out their own stories and histories.

When asked what Funcom has learned from their previous MMO games, such as Anarchy Online and Conan Exiles, and how it’s going to be different, we learned that Conan Exiles has done very well, especially while incorporating the social features of multiplayer games, such as selling player crafted goods and hubs for players to socialize.

Conan Exiles was focused on the complex sandbox mechanics and the hand-to-hand combat; Dune Awakening will have vehicles with complex physics simulations and shooting mechanics, while adding in such crafts as the Ornithoptor and allowing you to explore the far corners of Arrakis will be much different than their other games.

As with Conan Exiles, the players will be able to build almost anywhere on the map and customize their bases as they see fit. Create guilds, explore the world, and delve into dungeons while acquiring powerful schematics as you build your character with a robust skill and imprint system that allows the player to define their own play style.

One of the unique game mechanics are the Coriolis Storms, which will rise up and, with their powerful winds, shift the sands of Arrakis, exposing new and unexplored secrets, causing a race to the richest and building a sort of urgency to be the first to explore the newly uncovered areas, which will be one of the key pillars of the game known as Infinite Exploration.

Water, as mentioned earlier, is a scarce commodity and a needed component for survival on Arrakis, but we have learned it is also a key ingredient in crafting, and even more so with industrial crafting, so players will have to make sure to keep their Stillsuit in good repair and learn how to conserve the precious resource.

Spice, the one thing that the world of Dune is all about, also plays an important part in the game, as not only is it very valuable and sought after, It also provides players with a great advantage, for while those who use Spice will be able to harness its powers and learn more skills quickly, players will have to watch their spice levels, for Spice is highly addictive.

Dune: Awakenings being centered around an “anything goes” mentality. Players will have to focus on the shifting winds of Arrakis and look for where the wind blows, as it carries the spice. Expect grand battles as the different factions and guilds compete against each other in large, full scale battles for control of the Spice fields.

In addition to mastering combat and strategy, players will need to develop their diplomatic skills in order to navigate the complex web of alliances and rivalries that exist on Arrakis. The ability to negotiate and form alliances with other factions will be crucial for maintaining control over the Spice fields. However, players must also be wary of betrayal and backstabbing, as trust is a rare commodity in this cutthroat world. As the game progresses, players will have the opportunity to upgrade their equipment and vehicles, allowing them to traverse the treacherous desert terrain more efficiently. With each victory, players will gain prestige and influence, further solidifying their hold on Arrakis. But beware, for power attracts enemies, and players must always be prepared for surprise attacks and ambushes from rival factions. In this ruthless world of politics and warfare, only the strongest and most cunning will survive.

Will you rise to the challenge and become the ultimate ruler of Arrakis? The fate of Dune lies in your hands.