Spice Must Flow... Except When Cheaters Are Involved: Dune: Awakening Cracks Down
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Funcom has temporarily disabled Steam Family Sharing for *Dune: Awakening* to combat cheaters exploiting the system for unfair advantages, a move aimed at improving the overall player experience. While inconvenient for legitimate users, it signals a commitment to tackling toxicity within the game.
Right, so it seems even the harsh deserts of Arrakis aren't immune to a bit of digital skullduggery. The folks over at Game Rant reported that Funcom, the developers behind *Dune: Awakening*, have temporarily disabled Steam Family Sharing. And before you cry foul, mate, it's all in the name of squashing cheaters.
*Dune: Awakening*, for those who've been living under a rock (or, you know, avoiding sandworms), is an open-world survival MMO that throws you headfirst into Frank Herbert's iconic universe. Build your base, navigate treacherous landscapes, and try not to become worm food – the usual drill. But apparently, some players decided to take the 'survival' bit a little *too* seriously by exploiting Steam Family Sharing to gain an unfair advantage. Naughty, naughty.
Now, Funcom hasn't exactly spilled the spice on *how* these cheaters were abusing the system. But speculation is rife, suggesting that they were using alternate accounts to access restricted resources, like Landsraad vendors on opposing faction servers. Or, perhaps enjoying more fiefs and vehicles than any one character fairly deserves. Imagine having a whole fleet of Ornithopters while your neighbour is stuck hoofing it across the dunes. Not exactly cricket, is it?
The move, while understandably frustrating for legitimate Family Sharing users, is part of a wider effort to clean up *Dune: Awakening*'s act. Funcom has already swung the ban hammer on hundreds of players and purged “large amounts” of exploited Solaris from the game. Think of it as a digital spice cleanse, if you will. They're also promising more fixes in upcoming updates to address the underlying issues that allow these exploits to flourish in the first place.
It's a bit of a shame, really. Steam Family Sharing is a brilliant idea in theory – letting you share your library with loved ones without having to remortgage your house. But as with anything, a few rotten apples can spoil the whole barrel. (Or, in this case, a few greedy spice miners can ruin the Arrakis experience for everyone else.)
*Dune: Awakening* has had its fair share of teething problems, including resource theft, item duplication glitches, and general griefing. Disabling Family Sharing isn't a silver bullet, but it's a clear sign that Funcom is taking the issue seriously. Whether it's enough to restore a positively engaging experience remains to be seen, but here's hoping they can wrestle control of the situation before Arrakis becomes a wasteland of digital toxicity. After all, we just want to survive, build awesome bases, and maybe, just maybe, ride a sandworm. Is that too much to ask?
Tags: Dune Awakening, Steam Family Sharing, Cheating, Funcom, MMO
Original article: Game Rant