There’s a new Dune RTS coming for the first time in 20 years
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Dune’s coming home where it belongs: the strategy genre. Westwood Studios’ Dune 2, released back in the early ’90s and more or less established the real-time strategy genre, paving the way for Command & Conquer and Blizzard’s Warcraft. Westwood revisited Arrakis in 1998 with a remake, Dune 2000, and a follow-up, Emperor: Battle For Dune, in 2001. That was it for Dune and strategy until now: at The Game Awards, Funcom debuted a trailer for Dune: Spice Wars, a 4X coming next year.
Spice Wars already has a Steam page , which gives us some insight into what to expect here. And a good thing, too, because the trailer above is just setting the mood with familiar bits of Dune dialogue. Here’s what the Steam page has to say:
«A real-time strategy game with 4X elements, from the developers of the critically acclaimed Northgard. Set in Frank Herbert’s groundbreaking Dune universe, you must lead your faction and battle for control and dominance over the harsh desert planet of Arrakis. ..
«Scan the landscape for wormsign or risk losing your troops and spice harvesters to titanic sandworms who will burst through the sand dunes to swallow and devour them whole. Best your opponents through political intrigue, crush them in combat, and undermine them with your network of illusive spies.»
Funcom plans to launch Dune: Spice Wars in Early Access, and it looks like two houses will be available to play at launch—House Atreides and House Harkonnen. Not exactly a shock, there.
As you’d hope for a 4X game, Spice Wars promises you’ll be able to «choose between subterfuge, political influence, economic supremacy, or open warfare to prevail.» You’ll be able to use secret agents to sabotage other houses and do some politicking within the Imperium’s Landsraad. A 4X seems like a great fit for Dune, if Funcom can stick the landing.
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(Image credit: Funcom)(Image credit: Funcom)(Image credit: Funcom)(Image credit: Funcom)(Image credit: Funcom)
This isn’t actually Funcom’s only Dune project in the pipe.
It’s also making a multiplayer survival game, which we have some ideas for .
If Spice Wars put you in the mood for more desert power, check out our overview of the best Dune games .
Correction: This article originally stated the last Dune RTS was Westwood’s Dune 2000, and not its sequel, Emperor: Battle for Dune.
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Wes has been covering games and hardware for more than 10 years, first at tech sites like The Wirecutter and Tested before joining the PC Gamer team in 2014. Wes plays a little bit of everything, but he’ll always jump at the chance to cover emulation and Japanese games.
When he’s not obsessively optimizing and re-optimizing a tangle of conveyor belts in Satisfactory (it’s really becoming a problem), he’s probably playing a 20-year-old Final Fantasy or some opaque ASCII roguelike.
With a focus on writing and editing features, he seeks out personal stories and in-depth histories from the corners of PC gaming and its niche communities. 50% pizza by volume (deep dish, to be specific).
Dune 2 Superfan Spends 20 Years Remaking Cult Classic PC Game
Dune the book made a big splash in the literary world when it was released in 1965, but many would argue that Dune II the video game made an even big splash in the gaming world. Those of us who were already gaming in 1992 immediately realized just how special this game was, and how it will change gaming forever.
Dune II allowed players to control large armies to go up against equally large or larger opposing armies. But unlike the turn-based strategy games of the time, you could control and direct your troops in real-time. Rockets roared from turrets and tanks to pound the enemy, while speedy trikes and quads flanked infantry squads.
Herzog Zwei on the Megadrive might be considered the first Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game, but Westwood Studios’ Dune II was the first one to define it the way we know it today.
Herzog Zwei .
It introduced familiar concepts like:
- Base building
- Directing troops in real-time
- Harvesting resources to create new units and structures
- Different factions with unique units
- End-game super-weapons
- Fog of war
- A world map to select which territory you’d like to attack in each level
Without Dune 2 we would not have beloved franchises like Command & Conquer, Warcraft, and StarCraft. And whether you’re an RTS fan or not, these great franchises have influenced all kinds of gaming genres in many positive ways.
Making an impact on a young gamer
Stefan Hendriks was one such gamer for whom Dune II had a profound effect. He was just 10 when the game was released and he was blown away by its unique gameplay. “At the time there was nothing like it,” said Hendriks. “Combined with the awesome music and graphics, and I was hooked.”
Stefan Hendriks.
For a lot of gamers, the impact of such a memorable gaming experience would be that we’d continue to talk about the game with friends and on Internet forums for decades. For Stefan, it inspired a desire to write code and begin the journey of building such a game.
At the age of 13, he coded Dunedit, a tool to edit Dune II scenarios. At 15, he made a clone of Dune called Arrakis which updated the controls to the modern standards set by the newer Command & Conquer and Red Alert games.
Hendriks’ first Dune remake, Arrakis.
Soon after, he started from scratch to begin what would become a 20-year open-source project called Dune II – The Maker.
A Dune II for modern times
If you look on the Google Play Store, you will find other Dune II games but these are direct ports of the original game, optimized for mobile. Dune II – The Maker is different because it is made from scratch with an original engine and modern improvements such as unit grouping, map zooming, and improved enemy AI.
Screenshot of Dune 2 – The Maker 0.5.0.
“I don’t aim to recreate a Dune II AI,” he said. “Rather, I try to think how I would implement an RTS AI that would make a game like Dune II fun to play.”
Fans of the game will remember that after a while, the original AI would send units to attack the player’s base one at a time – which made them pretty easy to repel once you had enough rocket turrets. Hendrik’s improved AI gathers units into groups and then sends them in attack waves, which is more like Command & Conquer than Dune II.
The graphics are updated, though it still looks undeniably like Dune II. Hendriks said that the early iterations of Dune II – The Maker made use of graphics extracted from the original game, but they were too tiny in high-res. Hendriks received help from fellow fans in the Dune2k forums who polished the graphics for him.
Speedrun passage of the classic Dune II: Battle For Arrakis
The development team, represented by the author of the project Dmitry Sozinov, 3D modelers Denis Donin, Alexander Linov, Alexander Reshetnyak, composer Stas Dem and concept artist Ella Myaushkina, created a fully working prototype, which a year later acquired a fairly solid portion of content.
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As befits a fan remake, the game is available absolutely free of charge:
- Link to the version for Windows c 64bit: Google drive
- Link to the version for Windows c 32bit: Google drive
- archive with the game project DUNE II 3D version 12/30/2019. For more current versions, as well as for communication, comments and developer support, you can contact the project public.
Number of people who thought this news was cool: 20,440
game history and remakes / AbandonGames.RU
Hello gamers! We have prepared for you an interesting story about Dune II , a story that describes the plot, gameplay, a bit of history, and also highlights the most successful remakes of this famous game.
Prepare yourself for a long and interesting read, sit down, relax and immerse yourself in nostalgia. nine0025
We are sure that many of you remember Dune II . This game, which was once one of the greatest real-time strategy games, has remained in our memory as an imperishable classic created by the then-famous Westwood studio (which was later absorbed by Electronic Arts).
Dune II (or Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty or Dune II: Battle for Arrakis ) was released for DOS in 1992 and for the Amiga in 1993. There was also a release of the game in the version for the Sega Genesis / Megadrive consoles — this happened in the same 1993.
To fully immerse yourself in the TU era, turn on the game’s soundtracks and continue reading this article.
Dune II set the standard that will be used in new games for the next few years.
A certain balance that existed between a large number of buildings and innovations being developed at the same time became what fans liked the most Command and Conquer , Warcraft and… hold your breath… Starcraft !
First, let’s understand a little about the plot of the game.
Emperor Frederick IV of the Corrino family is looking for a resource called «Spice» — spice and grows only on one planet — Arrakis (Arrakis). He needs this resource to pay off the debts that arose during the family strife. He gives orders to the three family clans who are sent to Arrakis. Those of them who can get more spices for him will single-handedly rule the whole planet. However, as a result, because of this, a whole war occurs, in which all three clans are involved — Atreides, Harkonnens and Ordos (Atreides, Harkonnen, Ordos). nine0025
Each clan has its own pedigree, which you can read at the beginning of the game and understand who you will give your preference to.
Many, for example, gave their preference to the Harkonnens, as they are just damn evil! You become the commander-in-chief of the army in your chosen clan and your first task is to successfully establish a base in the outback territory of Arrakis, start mining spices and defend against invaders.
As the game progresses, you gradually take over more and more territories of the planet, the color of which on the game map shows whose clan currently owns these lands. If one of the players gains dominance on the planet, the other two begin to fight together against a common enemy. nine0025
The next part of our story, the gameplay, is just as important. As you read above, Dune II is a real time strategy game. You start with a small settlement and usually your first task is to collect as many spices as you can — while you can also attack enemy settlements. Most often, uncharted territories are hidden by the Fog Of War, which in this particular game is complete darkness that disappears after your heroes visit a given place.
Here, unlike later games like Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness , this mist does not fall again after units leave the area they have opened.
At the beginning of the game, you also have a Loader (Resource Collector — Harvester), which independently goes to the nearest cluster of spices (marked in orange on the map), picks up a valuable resource and takes it to a processing plant, after which your income increases. A similar plot point also occurs in another game from Westwood — Command & Conquer , in which you need to collect tiberium. But in Dune II you need to be especially careful — after all, not only enemies can harm you, but also huge Sand Worms, the indigenous inhabitants of the planet, who get out of the sand and devour everything they see around. They can’t move on rocks, so get your heroes to safety in time. While we are talking about Sandworms here, remember similar creatures from one movie;)
Dune II became the game that later formed the basis of a whole genre — real-time strategy (RTS).
Mouse control appeared in it for the first time — however, it is worth noting that, unlike the notorious Command & Conquer , it is not thought out very well here — you cannot select a group of warriors with the mouse or hover over an object and order to act in the most «reasonable» ”, similar to how it was done in Warcraft . To give a command to attack or go, you must first select this action on the control panel (or using hot keys), and then specify the place to follow or what needs to be destroyed. nine0025
Speaking of construction, we note that you can build your structures only in mountainous areas, but before that you need to establish concrete production — so that weather conditions cannot destroy all your efforts. Although, even if you do this, after some time your buildings will still go underground — after all, one brush stroke is enough for this;) clan. For example, the Harkonnen clan can build a Devastator Tank, but not the Atreides Sonic Tank.
The Ordos have the Deviator, another type of tank that can release a gas blast that affects enemy units and makes them attack their own for some time. You can think of it as a brainwashing gas machine! nine0025
All three clans have different building restrictions. So, the Ordos will not build a trike (small fighting vehicle), like the Atreides, and instead make do with fast Invaders, while the Harkonnens have in stock better protected, but at the same time more expensive four-wheeled motorcycles. There is another way to create a strong army — to capture a similar building from the enemy; so, if some of the units you need are not in your clan, go and capture the enemy factory. nine0025
The last and most significant feature of the game is the construction of the Palace, in which you can create superweapons used in the final battles of the game. The Harkonnen’s superweapon is a powerful long-range missile called the Death Hand, and the Atreides call on the incredibly strong natives of the Fremen race to their side, who act independently and fight on the side of the player.
The Ordos also have a fast Saboteur, which can destroy enemy buildings with great speed. nine0025
For its time, the game offers pretty good music — Westwood even became popular as a company that creates good soundtracks for their games, despite the fact that their songs were often very similar — as an example, compare Dune II and Lands of Lore (the once famous RPG game). Often the reason for this was the imperfect sound equipment of the time, such as the Roland MT-32 or the Sound Blaster. Anyone who has ever owned a Sound Blaster probably remembers how music files sounded — as if recorded in midi format. nine0025
Super Dune II Classic
Two years after the release of Dune II , fans (not Westwood) are releasing a sequel to the game called Super Dune II on their own. The game plot with three opposing clans was kept — now they were called Mercenars, Sardaukars and Fremens (Mercenary, Sardaukar, Fremen), still with unique properties (Mersenars, for example, were invisible to radars, but could not build four-block buildings).
Also, from time to time, clans from the original game appeared in the game. nine0003 Super Dune II was what experienced players who wanted to get the most out of Dune II were most looking forward to (which is why we recommend you play the original game first though). Also here and here you can download the latest version of Super Dune II Classic , which, although it is a separate game, still requires some of the files of the original Dune II to be installed.
Also fans of Super Dune II may like its improved version — Dune 2 eXtended , which, in fact, is its continuation. The main achievement of the new part is high-quality graphics and a completely new storyline that develops over three game campaigns. The goal of the developers was to make the most of all the features and achievements of Dune II , while making the game enjoyable and creating a competitive spirit among the participants.
The complete list of innovations contains the following items:
- New graphics in menu
- Hint Screen Animation
- New instructions and tips loaded
- New campaigns and scenarios loaded
- Fixed some bugs in the management and operation of scripts
The following has also been added so far:
- Changed the title of the game and the main menu
- Clan selection screen changed
- Improved dialogue: «Which side do you choose?»
- Improved introductory text for each of the clans
- A new character rank system has been introduced — now the game uses real titles instead of invented «desert mongooses» etc.
- Animation and tooltips have been added to the screens of Fremen and Sardokars (uses «deleted» images from the first Dune game)
- Added new images of planets and emblems for all clans
- Playable demo campaign added
- Improved objects (e.g. trees) and units
- Improved AI 9 performance0056
- Added new briefings and hints (not done yet).
If you’re looking for updates, improvements or tweaks related to the game, don’t forget to check out this forum, which has long been a gathering place for all true Dune fans.
Since the release of the original game, many new parts have appeared, the most famous of which are Dune 2000 , released in 1998 and Emperor: Battle for Dune , which was developed by the same Westwood Studios in 2001.
Dune 2000
Dune 2000 is in many ways similar to Command & Conquer: Red Alert , but created more like a remake of Dune II with a different plot and hint interface from Ammon of the Ordos clan. The graphics, of course, have become much better, and full-fledged videos have finally appeared in the game.
Emperor: Battle for Dune
As for Emperor: Battle for Dune , this game is a continuation of the previous parts — including Dune 2000 — with further development of the plot and some of the familiar characters.
The graphics have stepped forward again, including in the videos, although we — for purely nostalgic reasons — prefer the old parts. Unlike previous games, you don’t have to take over the planet and pay off the debt: now the Spacing Guild has gathered the three remaining clans for a special purpose — the battle of the best of the best on the planet Arrakis. The winning clan will become the new ruler of Landsraad, and its leader will become the new Padishah-Emperor, leader of the entire known universe. nine0025
In general, the path from the planet’s viceroy to the emperor of the universe… it seems we know what you will choose. Speaking of the game, there are again three campaigns, one for each clan. The gameplay is about the same as in the previous parts.
Previously, the choice of territory only affected the appearance of the area where a particular mission took place — now it can change the orders given to you and affect alliances between players. The player also receives armed units that can perform small missions during the main task.
In addition, the computer has become much smarter now, in particular, it will often try to retake the territory you have captured — but, according to some, it looks rather boring. nine0025
Compared to previous games, the graphics have been improved, the user interface has been redrawn, the videos are now longer. Aside from a slightly flat horizon, the game looks very three-dimensional, which is achieved through the effect of depth created on the screen, including in scenes where weapons are used. And again, we would give our preference to the old game — because of nostalgia.
These games were all jointly developed by Westwood Studios and Electronic Arts (EA). Subsequently, EA took over Westwood, so we can thank them for the destruction of a great company (as well as many others) — and this is why many long-time game journalists dislike EA. nine0025
In August 1998, Electronic Arts acquired Westwood Studios for $122.5 million. At that time, the latter owned approximately 5-6% of the global PC games market.
Shortly after the deal closed, many of Westwood’s old employees left the company. This reason, as well as the new requirements of the new «owner», led to the fact that the games released under the Westwood name were released in a hurry and rather raw. In addition, EA closely followed everything developed in the Westwood camp and many promising projects were curtailed or simply canceled. Westwood Studios (and with it the Pacific division of EA themselves) was liquidated by its new owner, and all staff came under the control of EA Los Angeles. nine0025
In addition to the games, there was also a mini-series also called Dune. It consisted of three small series that told about politics, betrayal, greed, debauchery and the coming of the Messiah. The series was based on the famous science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. There was also the film «Dune», which was released in 1984.
Now it’s time to talk about REMAKES:
Dune II: The Maker
Dune II: The Maker is very similar to the original game Dune II by Westwood Studios.
The creators of this remake tried to make something similar to Dune 2 , slightly (very slightly) improved the graphics and adapted the game for several platforms (while keeping Windows as the main one). According to rumors, some more improvements are also expected, the program code will be finalized, and, in addition, a more recent version of the game is planned for launch. Dune II: The Maker is an open-source project, its latest stable version is called DEMO 4.
Dune IV
Dune IV , unlike Dune III, brought with it many improvements, such as: high resolution graphics, improved game control, improved computer Ai, etc. The game also contains video files and music in the format MP3.
From the very first missions, you must look for ways to survive on the planet Arrakis (aka Dune), extract resources (the main of which is spice), as well as build cities (bases) and train troops.
Further — harder .
.. Do not think that everything is so simple, and that the opponent will leave you and your city alone for at least a minute (well, maybe for a minute and leave, but no more). The game has tasks during which whole alliances are made against you, and others where everyone is at war with everyone (a very pleasant sight!). Some tasks are limited in time and require a quick reaction and skill from the player to complete.
Ai in this part is much more serious: now the computer analyzes your weaknesses and uses the knowledge gained in combat. Forget about the times when you could attack enemy loaders with impunity — now the enemy player will no longer “miss” them, moreover, he will not forgive you for an attack, do not underestimate him. nine0025
Dune Legacy
Three legendary interplanetary clans, the Atreides, Harkonnen and Ordos, are trying to get as much spice as possible from the sand dunes. Exchange resources for money and prepare an army that will protect your loaders from a tireless enemy!
Dune Legacy is an attempt by a handful of developers to revive the first of the most famous real-time strategy games with better graphics and as close as possible to the original Dune II .
The latter became something of a basis for the later Command & Conquer , and the atmosphere of the game and its general style subsequently gave rise to many plots and stories. The game consists of two popular parts.
Dune 2: The Golden Path
Dune 2 : The Golden Path, formerly known as Dune 2: The Sleeper Has Awakened developed by Drackbolt. This game is a regular remake of Dune II with some minor improvements, mainly in multiplayer (but you can still play solo missions as well). nine0025
OpenDUNE
OpenDUNE is an open source re-release of the original Dune II by Westwood Studios and Virgin Entertainment. Its goal is to improve the old game to today’s level and adapt it to the maximum number of operating systems.
Dune
Dune is a clone of Dune II with improved graphics (in development).
Dune 2 — In your Browser
This game can be played through well-known browsers and is actually a version of OpenDune with good graphics and internet access.
