the narrative of the book and film,
and was clearly informed by a sincere
love of Herbert’s work, Westwood
stripped the plot right back and
concentrated on the premise of
controlling the territory of the planet
Arrakis; the only place in Dune’s
fictional universe where the all
important spice can be found.
Some years earlier Westwood
producer Brett Sperry was at work
on the Dungeons & Dragons
branded RPG Eye of the Beholder. An
idea formed in his head, and he
couldn’t shake it. He wondered how
he could replicate Eye of the
Beholder’s real-time action in a game
constrained to a singular top-down
viewpoint, with more of an
emphasis on strategy and resource
management. He and his peers even
worked on a scattering of
prototypes. But it was talk of
working on a Dune title for Virgin
that finally let Sperry fully develop
his concept for a new type of game.
The combination of Herbert’s
meticulously constructed world and
Sperry’s notion that real-time and
strategy could be blended formed a
perfect combination. The novel gave
Westwood all the elements for a
real-time strategy game that greatly
elaborated on Technosoft’s effort
HOUSE RULES
Dune II pits three Houses – Atreides,
Harkonnen, and Ordos – against one
another in a battle to claim the
profitable lands of Arrakis. Having
picked a side, you are initially tasked
with missions that guide establishing
a base of operations on the famously
sandy planet, while mastering spice
harvesting and combat. Over time
the focus shifts
to attacking
enemy
infrastructure
and territory,
gradually
advancing on
the ultimate
prize of
occupying all of
Arrakis. The result was a compact
RTS that bristled with pace and
shifts in dynamic – and a game that
felt very much like an extension to
the original novel.Dune II’s real accomplishment,
though, was in introducing so many
new elements that worked cohesively
together. There was the asymmetrical
nature of the different sides’ available
military hardware and units, and the
option to
establish your
starting base
anywhere of
your choosing.
Players adored
the ability to
gather resources
to enable unit
building, and the
system of structural dependencies.
The latter ensured that to create the
most desirable units, you have to go
through a chain of constructions,
starting with the most basic
buildings. The 1993 Mega Drive port
would even present an early example
of the context sensitive cursor.
In a single game, Westwood had
taken the RTS genre forward an
astronomical distance, and set a
template that still defines the form
today. The elements it brought
together have become stalwarts in
all kinds of other genres, cropping
up in MOBAs, MMORPGs,
city-builders, action RPGs, and so
many other forms.
Strangely, while genre-devotees
know and cherish what Dune II is,
it has never become a household
name like Warcraft. That may
change, though, with Dune: Spice
Wars recently released to a bounty
of praise. And yet Dune II might
well still be the most fitting Dune
adaptation there is, because it
places you in Herbert’s world,
rather than his story. And that
world, it turned out, was the perfect
blueprint for the most influential
RTS there has ever been.FAR LEFT: (^) Dune II’s
visuals haven’t aged
perfectly, but its tight
presentation made it a
joy to play.
BELOW: (^) Aside from
pioneering the RTS
genre, Dune II also
featured rather lovely
pixel art.
DUNE BUDDIES
Dune II’s sequels and remakes
OVER TIME THE
FOCUS SHIFTS TO
AT TACKIN G ENEM Y
INFRASTRUCTURE
EMPEROR: BATTLE FOR DUNE
2001
Dune 2000’s direct sequel complied to
Westwood’s RTS template. It wasn’t
perfect, yet had capacity for fun.
DUNE 2000 1998
A partial remake and semi-sequel,
Dune 2000 took much inspiration
from Command & Conquer, but failed
to rival Dune II’s quality.
DUNE LEGACY 2003
One of several fan remakes, Dune
Legacy gently modernises Dune II’s
systems while endeavouring to
preserve the gameplay.
Dune II
COVER FEATURE