Opening Words
Welcome to the next Communinet Signal, Sleepers! We’ve got some exciting things to share in this issue including creations from the community, early concept art of the very hungry sandworm along with insight on the design by our Senior Designer John Wiksen, and a Q&A. Let’s get into it!
Round Up
Developer Update
We recently published a new developer update that talks about major upcoming changes including the Base Reconstruction Tool, Server Migrations, and some things you can expect in Chapter 3. This new chapter that will add more activities for both solo and co-op players, add new progression paths, as well as continue the main storyline.
Read all about it here!
Public Testing Client Patch 1.2.30.0
Get in on testing the latest patch on our public testing client, where we have enabled character transfers. You can now move your character, inventory, base, and bank contents (including Solari) to a new Sietch and World! This patch also includes pieces of the Observer building set, so if you missed any that were offered through Twitch Drops, you can now buy them with Solari at the building decor vendor in Arrakeen and Harko Village.
If you would like an extra boost to help with testing, you can request vehicles and XP through the Bug Reports button in the game. Press the “esc” button, then click on “report bug” at the bottom right of the screen. You can find the PTC as a separate game in your Steam library.
Read the full patch notes here!
Developer Deep Dive
You can expect more developer content in this section in future Signals such as interviews, office shares, behind-the-scenes, concept art, and more. Our focus on this Signal will be an asset highlight! And what better way to introduce this section than with the iconic sandworm! Below you’ll find very early exploration concept images of the sandworm. This was when we were initially deciding how the tri-mouthed arrangement would look, its size, how it moved and so on.
Here’s a fun fact: A huge inspiration for the design was taken from the original images of the sandworm that was drawn on the cover of the first edition book!
The tri-mouth design has a lot of potential when it comes to silhouettes and "personality" in animation because it has more moving parts that are easy to manipulate. The much larger round-mouth sandworms also exist in the game, but these only in the Deep Desert.
We asked our Senior Designer John Wiksen on his thoughts when it came to designing the tri-mouth sandworm,
“In a game, players will have the camera generally lower to the ground, we can't just move the camera up and have cool shots of things as seen from above. So with the pointy mouth of the worm it is easier for players to recognize the worm if it breaches behind a dune or tries to swallow them from below compared to a ringmouth which has simpler lines.
Other than that, there are some things in the concepts for the wormsign, that are seen where the worm moves when it is close to the surface. We really wanted this to be visible and something that players could spot from a distance so they would understand where a sandworm could be. Like looking to your left and right before crossing the street; you looked for wormsign before running across open sand.”
Community Corner
Fan Content
Like in the previous Signal, anyone mentioned here will receive keys to the Atreides Battle Rifle. Take a gander at these amazing creations, and make sure to submit your own on Discord, Instagram, Reddit, X, BlueSky, or Threads!
| |
|---|---|
| |
Valka-arialitan on Tumblr and Discord has more wonderful art pieces. A very friendly and polite sandworm with pencil and paper. As well as scenes from Arrakis using gouache on paper.
Event Horizon by u/Tavenji. See more pictures of this build here on Reddit!
Beautiful Eastern Shield Wall base by u/ZeroGNexus. See more pictures of this incredible base here on Reddit!
“Time to get the tent out” by u/LNZERO
Time to do some bowling by abid1ng_dude on Discord.
|
|
|---|
A gorgeous base built by Solik on Discord.
|
|
|---|
An incredible stillsuit cosplay by Danica Rockwood on Twitter.
Q&A
Q: Are there plans for a “destroy vehicle” or “abandon vehicle” option from the map?
A: We’re working on expanding the Vehicle Backup Tool with a new mode called “Relocation”, which allows you to summon a vehicle that is on the same map as you. We’re aiming to get this feature to you when Chapter 3 releases or in the following patch.
Q: Will the Cargo Container for the Carrier Ornithopter take up vehicle space?
A: Yes, the storage container does count towards your 10 vehicle limit.
Q: What are the plans for endgame?
A: There will be an endgame revamp with the release of chapter 3. We mention more about this in the October developer update; while we can’t say much more about it right now, keep an eye out for more information coming in the next month.
Closing Words
That’s all for this Signal! Remember, if you would like your creations featured in the next issue, make sure to share in the official Discord server (under #fanart or #screenshots-videos), the subreddit, or tag us using #DuneAwakening on social media.
We’re chipping away at Chapter 3, which will include a lot of changes including the endgame revamp. Keep an eye out for more information coming out about that as well as our next developer livestream! We’ll have an in-depth talk from our developers, show off what’s in store with the update, and Q&A. More information on this will be announced soon!
Until then, stay hydrated and keep cool.