Dune II
Developer(s)	Westwood Studios
Publisher(s)	Virgin Interactive
Designer(s)	Joseph Bostic, Aaron E. Powell, Brett Sperry
Engine	Custom
Platform(s)	Amiga, DOS, RISC OS, Genesis/Mega Drive
Release date	1992 (DOS) 1993 (Amiga) 1993 (Mega Drive/Genesis)
Genre(s)	Real-time strategy
Mode(s)	Single player
Media	Floppy disk, CD-ROM or Cartridge
Input methods	Keyboard, Mouse

Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (retitled Dune II: Battle for Arrakis in Europe and for the Mega Drive/Genesis port) is a Dune computer game, released in 1992 by Westwood Studios. It is a loose sequel to the computer strategy game Dune (although it shares no storyline or gameplay). Both games were based upon David Lynch's 1984 movie Dune, which was in turn taken from Frank Herbert's science fiction novel of the same name. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (508x713, 78 KB) This image is of cover art for a video or computer game, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either publisher of the game or the company which produced the game. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Westwood Studios (1985-2003) was a computer and video game developer, founded in 1985 as Westwood Associates by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle and based in Las Vegas, Nevada. ... Virgin Interactive was a successful and influential British video game publisher. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... Brett Sperry has been credited with the roles of design, production, support and box and content. ... A game engine is the core software component of a computer video game or other interactive application with real-time graphics. ... In computing, a platform describes some sort of framework, either in hardware or software, which allows software to run. ... This article is about the family of home computers. ... This article is about the family of closely related operating systems for the IBM PC compatible platform. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... 1992 1992 in games 1991 in video gaming 1993 in video gaming Notable events of 1992 in video gaming. ... Notable events of 1993 in computer and video games. ... This article is about the family of home computers. ... Notable events of 1993 in computer and video games. ... Further information: Game classification Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay interaction. ... -1... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... A floppy disk is a data storage device that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible (floppy) magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell. ... The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ... Cartridge for the VIC 20 homecomputer In various types of electronic equipment, a cartridge can refer one method of adding different functionality or content (e. ... A 104-key PC US English QWERTY keyboard layout The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard layout A standard Hebrew keyboard showing both Hebrew and QWERTY. A computer keyboard is a peripheral partially modelled after the typewriter keyboard. ... Operating a mechanical 1: Pulling the mouse turns the ball. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... A number of computer games based on Frank Herberts science fiction novel Dune and its two adaptations for film and television were created: // Main article: Dune (video game) Dune blended adventure with economics and military strategy, and is considered by many the most immersive Dune computer game. ... 1992 1992 in games 1991 in video gaming 1993 in video gaming Notable events of 1992 in video gaming. ... Westwood Studios (1985-2003) was a computer and video game developer, founded in 1985 as Westwood Associates by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle and based in Las Vegas, Nevada. ... Dune, by Cryo Interactive, is one of the Dune computer games. ... For other persons named David Lynch, see David Lynch (disambiguation). ... Dune is a 1984 science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch, based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. ... Frank Patrick Herbert (October 8, 1920 – February 11, 1986) was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert and published in 1965. ...

While not the first real-time strategy (RTS) game (The Ancient Art of War, Stonkers, and Herzog Zwei all preceded it), Dune II established a format that would be followed for years to come, and was the first to use the mouse to move units, allowing players to fluidly interact with their troops.^[1] As such, Dune II was the first modern real-time strategy game. Striking a balance between complexity and innovation, it was a huge success and laid the foundation for the coming Command & Conquer, the Warcraft series, and many other RTS games.-1... The Ancient Art of War is a computer game published by Broderbund in 1984. ... Stonkers is a real-time strategy game and is considered the first of that class. ... Herzog Zwei is a Mega Drive/Genesis game by Technosoft, published in 1989. ... This article is about the first Command & Conquer video game. ... “The world of Warcraft” redirects here. ...

Plot

Emperor Frederick IV of House Corrino is desperate for the harvesting of the valuable spice melange, only found on the planet Arrakis, to pay off all of his debt incurred on internecine wars with family members. To achieve this, he now offers the sole governorship of Arrakis to the House (huge nobleman family/cartel) which delivers the most spice for him out of House Atreides, Harkonnen and Ordos. War begins as deputations from all three Houses arrive on Arrakis. Emperor Frederick Corrino IV, played by Adrian Sparks, seated on the Golden Lion Throne (as seen in the computer game Dune 2000 by Westwood Studios) For the novel of the same name, see Dune: House Corrino. ... Look up Melange in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Arrakis, (الراقص ar-rāqiṣ, the dancer) later Rakis (informally known as Dune) is a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert; it is the home of the Fremen (Zensunni wanderers) and later, the Imperial Capital under the Atreides Empire. ... The coat of arms of House Atreides, based on the description in the books For the novel of the same name, see Dune: House Atreides. ... Emblem of House Harkonnen from Emperor: Battle for Dune For the novel of the same name, see Dune: House Harkonnen. ... Emblem of House Ordos from Emperor: Battle for Dune House Ordos is an insidious mercantile House in the Dune universe as presented in the Westwood Studios Dune video games. ...

House selection screen showing the three House crests

The player is a military commander from a House of their choice. In the first few missions the objective is to successfully establish a base on an unoccupied territory of Arrakis, to harvest spice and defend against intruders. Later, when the three Houses divide Arrakis among them, the player has to assault and capture enemy territories. When the player dominates Arrakis on the world map, the two other enemy factions ally against their common enemy. The ultimate final showdown is the battle among the player's House up against three enemy sides, among them Frederick's forces the Sardaukar (an unplayable elite force whose heavy infantry are particularly powerful). The final cutscene is different for each House, in consonance with their very disparate world views. Image File history File links Dune2_houses. ... Image File history File links Dune2_houses. ... 29th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Division, Canadian Corps. ... Emblem of the Imperial Sardaukar from Emperor: Battle for Dune The Sardaukar were a fictional army from Frank Herberts Dune universe, primarily featured in the science fiction novel Dune. ...

Gameplay

The player takes the role of a commander of one of three interplanetary houses, the Atreides, the Harkonnen or the Ordos, with the objective of wresting control of Arrakis from the two other houses. House Ordos is not featured in the Dune novels and is mentioned only in the non-canon Dune Encyclopedia. The basic strategy in the game is to harvest spice from the treacherous sand dunes using a harvester vehicle, convert the spice into credits via a refinery and to build military units with these acquired credits in order to fend off and destroy the enemy. The coat of arms of House Atreides, based on the description in the books For the novel of the same name, see Dune: House Atreides. ... Emblem of House Harkonnen from Emperor: Battle for Dune For the novel of the same name, see Dune: House Harkonnen. ... Emblem of House Ordos from Emperor: Battle for Dune House Ordos is an insidious mercantile House in the Dune universe as presented in the Westwood Studios Dune video games. ... Arrakis, (الراقص ar-rāqiṣ, the dancer) later Rakis (informally known as Dune) is a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert; it is the home of the Fremen (Zensunni wanderers) and later, the Imperial Capital under the Atreides Empire. ... Canon, in the context of a fictional universe, comprises those novels, stories, films, etc. ... The Dune Encyclopedia was published in 1984 - its only edition. ... Look up Melange in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The Houses arrive on Arrakis

The game map initially starts with a fog of war covering all area which is not covered by the player's units range of view. As the units explore the map, the darkness is removed. Unlike later games such as Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, the fog of war is lifted forever with initial exploration, it does not become dark once more when units leave the area. Image File history File links Dune2intro. ... Image File history File links Dune2intro. ... Arrakis, (الراقص ar-rāqiṣ, the dancer) later Rakis (informally known as Dune) is a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert; it is the home of the Fremen (Zensunni wanderers) and later, the Imperial Capital under the Atreides Empire. ... The fog of war is a term used to describe the level of ambiguity in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations. ... Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (usually simply called Warcraft II; sometimes abbreviated to WCII or WC2) is a sequel to the popular real-time strategy game Warcraft, published by Blizzard Entertainment in December 1995. ...

In addition to enemy incursions, there are other dangers; like the marauding and gigantic sandworm, capable of swallowing vehicles and infantry whole but only capable of moving through sand. The player can only build on rocky terrain, but must build concrete foundations before to avoid deterioration of the structures due to the harsh weather conditions although in general, structures will gradually decay over time regardless of the presence of those concrete slabs due to the aforesaid weather conditions. Spice fields are indicated by orange coloration on the sand, darker orange indicating high concentration. Some spice may be concealed as bumps on the terrain (a 'pre-spice mass') that become spice fields when they are shot at, or when a unit runs over them (the unit is destroyed in the ensuing 'spice blow'). This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Radnor, Mentat of House Harkonnen, provides some sly advice to the player

The player is presented a map of the planet Arrakis before most missions, where he can choose the next territory to play in among two or three. This affects primarily the enemy house fought in the next mission, as all missions except the first two require the complete destruction of the enemy. Nine territories must be fought, irrespective of house, to reach the endgame. Image File history File links Dune_2mentat. ... Image File history File links Dune_2mentat. ... A Mentat is a fictional profession or discipline in Frank Herberts Dune universe. ... Emblem of House Harkonnen from Emperor: Battle for Dune For the novel of the same name, see Dune: House Harkonnen. ...

Some key elements that first appeared in this game, but would later appear in many other RTS games, are:

• Mouse operated units and buildings
• A world map from which the next mission is chosen
• Resource-gathering to fund unit construction
• Simple base and unit construction
• Building construction dependencies (technology tree)
• Mobile units that can be deployed as Buildings
• Different sides/factions (the Houses), each with unique unit-types
• Destruction of the enemy as a goal

Completing higher missions gives authorization to use improved technology and higher-order weaponry unique to each House, ensuring varied game play. For example, House Harkonnen may be able to construct their Devastator tanks with heavy armor and ordnance but cannot build the similarly impressive Atreides Sonic Tank. The Ordos have access to the Deviator - a specialized tank firing a nerve gas that switches the allegiance of targeted units to Ordos for a limited period of time. The three Houses also are restricted in their production capabilities - House Ordos cannot build Atreides-style trikes, instead making the faster "Raider" trikes, while House Harkonnen constructs heavier but more expensive quad bikes. A contemporary computer mouse, with the most common standard features: two buttons and a scroll wheel. ... In strategy computer games, of both the turn-based and real-time varieties, a tech tree, short for technology tree, is an abstract hierarchical visual representation of the possible paths of research a player can take. ...

A player can gain access to other Houses' special units by capturing an enemy Factory and manufacturing the desired units at the captured Factory (House Atreides' Heavy Vehicle Factory for Sonic Tank, House Ordos' Light Vehicle Factory for Raider trikes, House Ordos' Heavy Vehicle Factory for Deviator tanks, or House Harkonnen's Heavy Vehicle Factory for Devastator tanks). Note that a Deviator not owned by house Ordos still switches control of targeted units to house Ordos, and not to the side that owns the Deviator. Apparently Westwood was aware of this bug, since capturing a Sardaukar Heavy Vehicle Factory allows the player to build both the Sonic Tank and Devastator, but not the Ordos Deviator.

Buildings may only be built in rocky zones and connected to another existing building, and are the same for all houses. To protect them from constant wear, the player must place first concrete slabs in the construction areas. Production buildings can be upgraded at a cost several times, allowing the production of more advanced units or buildings.

The final prize for the commander is the building of the House Palace from where superweapons may be unleashed on opponents in the final closing chapters of the game. The House Harkonnen superweapon is a long-range finger of missiles called the Death Hand, whereas House Atreides may call upon the local Fremen infantry warriors, over which the player has no control, to engage enemy targets. House Ordos may unleash a fast-moving Saboteur whose main purpose is the destruction of buildings. A superweapon is an extremely powerful weapon by the standards of its time and its scale. ... Spoiler warning: The Fremen are a group of people in the Dune series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert. ...

Interface

The Dune II interface is the basis for subsequent real-time strategy games.

The Dune II interface is the basis for subsequent real-time strategy games, being the first to use the mouse for unit control^[1], but is less sophisticated when compared to later generation RTS interfaces, such as Command & Conquer. Dune II did not give the player the ability to select multiple units as in Command & Conquer and Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, and, unlike later games, clicking on a piece of land or enemy would not result in movement or attack actions. To do so requires clicking on the "Move" or "Attack" buttons (or pressing of a hotkey), and then selecting the target. Screenshot from Dune 2. ... Screenshot from Dune 2. ... -1... Command & Conquer is the original title in Westwood Studios Command & Conquer franchise of real-time strategy video games. ... The original box art for Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. ...

Reception

When the Commodore Amiga version of Dune II was released in 1993, it was met with good reviews. CU Amiga rated the game highly with 85%, praising the smooth gameplay and controls.^[2] Dune II received Amiga User International's Game of the Month award when it was reviewed in September 1993.^[3] The AI of Dune II was one of the first used in RTS games, and while better than that of Herzog Zwei, it has various drawbacks. Examples include only attacking the side of the player's base facing its own, general inability to perform flanking maneuvers, and not rebuilding defenses.^[4] Amiga is the name of a range of home/personal computers using the Motorola 68000 processor family, whose development started in 1982. ... CU Amiga Magazine was a monthly computer magazine published by EMAP in the United Kingdom. ... Amiga User International (or AUI) was a monthly computer magazine published in its later years by AUI Limited, it was the first dedicated Amiga magazine in Europe and in comparison to other Amiga magazines, AUI had a more serious perspective. ... Game artificial intelligence refers to techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters (NPCs). ... Dune 2 (1992), an early RTS A real-time strategy (RTS) game is a type of computer strategy game which does not have turns like conventional turn-based strategy video or board games. ... Herzog Zwei is a Mega Drive/Genesis game by Technosoft, published in 1989. ...

Versions

Amiga version in-game.

Dune II was originally released 1992 for DOS. It was one of the first games to support the Roland Sound Canvas (General MIDI), and one of the first to play digital samples using an AdLib or Sound Blaster card. Unfortunately, the game did not originally support more than one sound device, so players were forced to choose between digitized speech (which is helpful in game play, since approaching enemy units are announced) and higher quality music. Westwood later released a patch to fix this issue, allowing players to select different devices for sound effects, music and speech. Image File history File links Dune2-amiga-ingame. ... Image File history File links Dune2-amiga-ingame. ... This article is about the family of home computers. ... 1992 1992 in games 1991 in video gaming 1993 in video gaming Notable events of 1992 in video gaming. ... This article is about the family of closely related operating systems for the IBM PC compatible platform. ... Roland SC-55 Sound Canvas The Roland SC-55 Sound Canvas is a MIDI synthesizer module released in 1991 by Roland Corporation. ... General MIDI or GM is a specification for synthesizers which imposes several requirements beyond the more abstract MIDI standard. ... A sample refers to a value or set of values at a point in time and/or space. ... AdLib, Inc. ... The Sound Blaster logo The Sound Blaster family of sound cards was for many years the de facto standard for audio on the IBM PC compatible system platform, before PC audio became commoditized, and backward-compatibility became less of a feature. ...

DOS version box art

In 1993, it was ported to Amiga and Mega Drive/Genesis. Two years later it was also brought to the Archimedes and Risc PC range of RISC OS computers. Image File history File links This image is of cover art for a video or computer game, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either publisher of the game or the company which produced the game. ... Image File history File links This image is of cover art for a video or computer game, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either publisher of the game or the company which produced the game. ... Notable events of 1993 in computer and video games. ... This article is about the family of home computers. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Risc PC (codenamed Medusa) was Acorn Computers Ltds next generation RISC OS/Acorn RISC Machine computer, launched in 1994, which superseded the Acorn Archimedes. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The Amiga floppy disk port is nearly identical in interface and game play to the PC version, albeit with less detailed graphics and frequent disk swapping — the game uses 5 disks. Save games are stored in a specially formatted disk. The game could also be installed to hard drive. Patches exist for the Amiga version of the game which allow the full 255 units to be created and managed. In the original Amiga version the player was limited to 32 units. This article is about the family of home computers. ... IBM PC (IBM 5150) with keyboard and green screen monochrome monitor (IBM 5151), running MS-DOS 5. ...

The Mega Drive/Genesis port has fairly different building and unit graphics, a full-screen menu-less user interface suited for gamepad control, and no save game support, relying on access codes for accessing each level. Other additions include a music test option and a tutorial that replaces the mentat screen. Several ideas from this version including the music track listing and the replacement of sidebar command buttons by a context-sensitive cursor were used in Westwood's next strategy game, Command & Conquer. The Sega Mega Drive ) was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world. ... Command & Conquer is the original title in Westwood Studios Command & Conquer franchise of real-time strategy video games. ...

Legacy

Dune II is one of the most influential games in the real-time strategy genre. Though not every characteristic was unique, attributes such as fog of war, and the game's model for resource-extraction, base creation, and military micromanagement became several standards upon which the RTS genre is based. Obvious influences of Dune II can be seen in numerous games, particularly in Westwood's own Command & Conquer series.^[5]-1... This is an alphabetized listing of computer and video game genres with a brief description and examples from each genre. ... The fog of war is a term used to describe the level of ambiguity in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations. ... Westwood is the name of the following locations in the United States: Westwood, California Westwood Village (in Los Angeles, California) Westwood, Iowa Westwood, Kansas Westwood, Boyd County, Kentucky Westwood, Jefferson County, Kentucky Westwood, Massachusetts Westwood, Michigan Westwood, Missouri Westwood, New Jersey Westwood Hills, Kansas Westwood Lakes, Florida Westwood Village Memorial... Command & Conquer is the original title in Westwood Studios Command & Conquer franchise of real-time strategy video games. ...

Chris Taylor stated that Dune II and Command & Conquer were a very strong inspiration, motivating him to leave Electronic Arts to create Total Annihilation.^[6] Chris Taylor in front of a Dungeon Siege poster. ... Electronic Arts (EA) (NASDAQ: ERTS) is an American developer, marketer, publisher, and distributor of computer and video games. ... Total Annihilation (abbr. ...

Dune II was given several direct sequels: a Windows partial remake of this game was published in 1998 as Dune 2000, along with a PlayStation port in the same year. In 2001, Emperor: Battle for Dune was published. Windows redirects here. ... 1998 1998 in games 1997 in video gaming 1999 in video gaming Notable events of 1998 in video gaming. ... Dune 2000 is a Dune computer game, released by Westwood Studios in 1998. ... For other uses, see PlayStation (disambiguation). ... 2001 2001 in games 2000 in video gaming 2002 in video gaming Notable events of 2001 in video gaming. ...

Remakes

• Dune Legacy (SourceForge page)
• Dune 2: The Sleeper Has Awakened
• Dune II: The Maker

References

CU Amiga Magazine was a monthly computer magazine published by EMAP in the United Kingdom. ... EMAP plc (LSE: EMA) is a British media company, specialising in the production of magazines, and the organization of business events and conferences. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Amiga User International (or AUI) was a monthly computer magazine published in its later years by AUI Limited, it was the first dedicated Amiga magazine in Europe and in comparison to other Amiga magazines, AUI had a more serious perspective. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... ComputerAndVideoGames. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Dune II Unit Database
• Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty at MobyGames
• GameSpy Hall of Fame
• FED2k Discussion
• Dune Wiki @ FED2k
• Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty guide at StrategyWiki