Suddenly, I was back in Dune: Awakening.
Not even really sure how it happened. We’d finished Windrose, and then I was playing other games and then I was reinstalling Dune: Awakening and trying to see if I could get my character back.
It’s like this. The server we were playing on was shutting down; the Prophets of Melange were fleeing off a gPortal server to XRealms, and were hoping to have a somewhat better experience. Our old server, the Order of Wombats server, was shut down as well. It was either follow the others or… not.
I chose not.
I instead disassembled my vehicles, shrunk my base, caught a ‘thopter to Arrakeen and logged out as a Harkonnen traitor, and logged into Windrose as an cursed pirate. But then Windrose ended.
And Dune begged for me to come back, and so I did. I tried to, anyway. Turns out it’s not as easy as all that. I had the place to go to, but I no longer had a place to come from. I had to have logged out in Hagga Basin on a specific server, a server that doesn’t exist.
I was very lucky that there was an open server on the same cluster where my old server was. I surreptitiously1 logged onto this open server, flew to the Pinnacle Station in Hagga Basin, logged off and went back to server selection. Now that I had both a to and fro server, I could transfer. I did. My base popped back into existence like Krull’s Black Fortress on Colwyn’s wedding day.
Yeah, nobody knew what I was talking about in Dune, either. No appreciation for the classics.
Why go back to Dune?
Well, because they are on track to make a lot of changes. For one thing, PvP — it’s gone. For a game that wanted to be all about the PvP, now it’s entirely optional and I would love to find out from Funcom exactly how many players are playing on non-PvP servers.
Now, weirdly, I think when they bring the game to consoles, we’ll get the purest form of the game, because the Deep Desert will be open to permanent settlement. I’m not sure how Dune: Awakening will play as a solo game, but then, ever since Minecraft set the template for the modern survival crafter, I’ve always had the most fun playing with other people. But, we’ll see. The September update will bring an end to the overarching story of the player’s origin and be a complete RPG in and of itself. It’ll be so different from how it was at launch that I doubt it would recognize itself.
One question: How is someone going to harvest spice alone?
Palworld and Pokemon making nice?
The latest on the Nintendo suit against Palworld devs PocketPair is coming to a close, and it looks like Nintendo is not poised to win much of anything, if it wins. Palworld will continue on, Pocketpair is still on track for the Palworld-adjacent farming and dating games, and next month it will come out of early access as it adds as much content as it has done to this point, with many more pals and real information about the Great Tree and the secrets hidden therein. They promise an entirely new leveling experience, and urge players to start over, once 1.0 drops, so they can see all the new things.
Since I finished the content, I’ve only been logging in when a new boss drops so I can grab it. I don’t know if I’m ready for another trip through the entire game, but I would like to see it through. I’ll be there when it launched.
Valheim goes to Valhalla
Valheim is also leaving early access with the launch of its last biome, the Deep North. And I gotta say, the trailers look amazing. Huge frost giants; all sorts of other monsters, and a promise that one will be able to end their purgatory in the lands and finally prove their worth to Odin.
I’ve written many times about my disappointment with the Mistlands and the Ashlands, which only seemed to serve to punish the players. In Team Spode’s original world, that I now play solo, we had outposts all over the world. Each had their dangers and their rewards. I would like to see my character make Valhalla. I’m just not sure I’ll be able to get through Mistlands and Ashlands to do so.
Windrose also goes to the Ashlands
We don’t yet have a date for the Windrose Ashlands update. I would definitely expect it this year. Kraken Express has been developing new biomes differently than Coffee Stain has done Valheim, in that even the highest level biome in the game has low level safe zones on the periphery. You can build your base in safety even in the most dangerous environments that currently exist, and I expect that to continue with Ashlands. I am really looking forward to this. I want to look Blackbeard in his beady little eyes and spit in them. With my blunderbuss.
Starpath
Starpath is a new game by one of the original developers of Valheim, Jonathan Smårs. Little is known of it, but the official trailer above hints at a base builder where you build a combination space station / starship and explore the planets. Eventually you may discover something that maybe doesn’t want to be discovered. The music by Swedish band Terra Black, the song is Divinest Sin. Saved you some time there.
The trailer really doesn’t give much away; it’s pretty clear you won’t be punching many trees. It’s intriguing. The graphics give me real Outer Wilds-meets-System Shock vibes. It will be fun to see where this goes. There’s no release date, but I’m thinking 2026 is a little crowded with games in the genre, and plus there is Grand Theft Auto VI on the horizon. I wouldn’t expect this before 2027.
Here’s the official word:
Have you ever dreamt of venturing out into deep space with nothing but your own spaceship filled with everything you need to survive a lifetime in space? Have you wondered how it feels to be a weightless astronaut and be the first human to step on an entirely unexplored planet.. or an entire galaxy? Will you find out if there is anyone else out there, or is it just an infinity of nothingness?
This is your chance to experience the interstellar journey of your dreams. Build your own spaceship, aim for the stars and engage your thrusters as this is a space game unlike other space games.
Starpath is a new kind of space game. It’s focused on the feeling of being in and exploring space. We are committed to giving you an authentic astronaut experience while still being focused on fun and creativity. There is no dogfighting, no space lasers, no fake gravity and no artificial space trading – it’s just you and your ship against the cold vacuum of space.
- This was a Squaredle word today! ↩︎
