Dune: Awakening Griefers Discover the Worm-Feeding Service - Is Nothing Sacred?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Players in Dune: Awakening are being griefed by ornithopter-parking worm-summoners, turning spice harvesting into a deadly game of cat and mouse. Funcom is now wrestling with how to balance player freedom and potential griefing in the harsh desert landscape.
Right, so you thought harvesting spice in Dune: Awakening's Hagga Basin was going to be a chill experience, did you? Bless your heart. Turns out, some cheeky buggers have discovered a new way to spice things up (pun absolutely intended) – by parking their ornithopters on top of unsuspecting players and feeding them to sandworms. I swear, gamers are a resourceful bunch.
According to Eurogamer, who first reported on this sandy situation, these griefers are essentially using vehicle collision to trap players who are just trying to, you know, *live*. They swoop in, pin your ornithopter to the ground, and then summon a sandworm with a good ol' thumper. Next thing you know, you're worm food. Talk about a hostile work environment.
Now, Funcom *did* try to make the Deep Desert a bit safer for the PvE crowd, which inadvertently pushed these… *enterprising* players to find new ways to express themselves. It's a classic case of unintended consequences, isn't it? It's like trying to fix one leak in your spaceship with duct tape, only to discover three more have sprung up.
Victims *do* have a couple of escape routes, apparently. You can either try to wriggle free (good luck with that when there’s a giant metal bird on your head) or use a vehicle backup tool to retrieve your scout ornithopter. Of course, that leaves you stranded and worm-adjacent, so it's not exactly ideal. It's a bit like choosing between a rock and a hard place... only the rock is a sandworm's teeth.
Funcom's now in a bit of a pickle, innit? Do they remove vehicle collision altogether in PvE zones? It's a tempting solution, and one the community suggested during the earlier ornithopter squishing saga (yes, apparently that was a thing). But then, wouldn't that make spice harvesting *too* easy? After all, the desert *is* supposed to be dangerous. It's all about striking that balance, you know? Making the game challenging but not infuriating. Easier said than done, I reckon.
The big question is, what's the solution? Flipping a switch to disable collision in PvE but not PvP might be trickier than it looks, and could have knock-on effects throughout the game. Game development, eh? It's all fun and games until someone gets eaten by a sandworm.
Look, I get that it's frustrating to be pinned and devoured when you're just trying to chill and harvest some spice. But honestly, there's a tiny part of me that finds this whole thing hilarious. It's the kind of chaotic, emergent gameplay that can make a game truly memorable. It adds a bit of a Wild West vibe to Dune: Awakening, and I kinda hope it sticks around (even if I'm the one being eaten next time).
Tags: Dune: Awakening, Griefing, Sandworm, Funcom, PvE
Original article: Eurogamer