Dune II

• CPU: 16 MHz
• RAM: 2 MB
• HDD: 8 MB
• Graphics: 512 KB RAM

Dune II - Battle for Arrakis (Original Title: Dune II - The Building of A Dynasty, English title in Europe: Dune II - Battle for Arrakis ) is a computer game that was developed in 1992 by Westwood Studios. The game realized a hitherto both for game consoles and PCs largely unknown game play and thus contributed significantly to the spread of what is now known as real-time strategy game game genres with.

• 3.1 rating levels
• 3.2 importance for the computer game industry
• 3.3 Further perception

Gameplay and background

The history and concepts of the game are based rather loosely on Frank Herbert's novel Dune, optical on David Lynch's film adaptation and elements from consideration as a non- canonical Dune Encyclopedia (eg House Ordos ).

The player has the opportunity to fight in the name of three different so-called High Houses for control of the planet Arrakis. The choices are the houses of the noble Atreides and the evil Harkonnen, both of which are also known from the novel, and the House of devious merchants Ordos clan, which is only briefly mentioned in the Dune Encyclopedia by Frank Herbert. If the player chose a house, its task is, with increasing levels of difficulty to build up in various missions of a campaign ( campaign ) a base, ( in the novels and films called spice or blend ) to collect Spice and raise an army. The game is won when one's own house dominates the entire planet.

History of development

According to Virgin Interactive Vice - President Stephen Clarke - Willson 1998, the development of Dune II began as a termination of the development of Cryo Interactive Entertainment's Adventure Game Dune apparent, whereupon he was given the task to find out what could be done with the Dune license. After he had read the book Dune, he decided that was of a playful point of the challenge of the fight for control of the spice melange, which is a resource - focused strategy game is a suitable idea. At this time showed the clerk Graeme Devine ( which later became The 7th Guest developed ) each in the Virgin office real-time strategy game precursor Herzog Zwei in 1989. Thereupon one came with the Westwood Studios in touch and suggested this before, a resource - focused Dune strategy game to develop and use Herzog Zwei as a source of inspiration. As it turned out later that Cryo but could finish the game, West Woods game was released as Dune II.

Westwood Studios co-founder and Dune II producer Brett W. Sperry said in 2008, however, the development of concepts for Dune II began when the Virgin - President Martin Alper approached him with the offer of a Dune license to develop a computer game, with the understanding that Cryo's Dune would be canceled. Sperry stated that the inspiration for the Dune II game design was partly come from Populous and Eye of the Beholder. However, the main thrust was a discussion with Chuck Kroegel. The then Vice - President of Strategic Simulations, Inc. claimed that the war game genre was on the wane. Sperry saw this as a personal challenge and tried to develop a modern war game with modern operating concepts. He, too, gave Herzog Zwei as inspiration, but as another important inspiration the GUI of the Mac, which gave him the idea to design a context-sensitive field which is primarily operated with the mouse. During development, it turned out the Cryo managed to finish their game first, which brought it to Virgin as Dune and West Woods game as Dune II to publish, despite Perry's protest against the decision. However, on Westwood's Dune II is uncredited Dune pointed out: " DUNE II - Coming Soon".

According to the original PC version of the game in 1993 or 1994 appeared for the Amiga and Sega Mega Drive video game console. The game was titled Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty on the U.S. market and as Dune II: Battle for Arrakis ( German: Dune II: the battle for the desert planet ) in Europe and the Mega Drive version sold.

The last published by Westwood version of the game for the PC was the 1:07, but was not completely free of errors, so ready set fans later unofficial patches.

Successors and Remakes

Dune II influenced Westwood's own subsequent development of Command & Conquer significant. Example was the Dune II concept of a single resource for C & C, around which the struggle for power turns, transferred directly.

Direct successor of Dune II West Woods Dune 2000 from 1998, a remake of the original game concept and on a further development of the Command & Conquer technique based, as well as Emperor - Battle for Dune from 2001, which used a polygonal graphics for the first time in the series history. However, both games could not build on the success of Dune II. Published in 2001 Cryo Interactive Entertainment, the 3D action-adventure Frank Herbert's Dune for PC and PlayStation 2, which is based on the eponymous TV miniseries.

Furthermore, there are a few remakes of Dune II Dune II The Maker, that is since September 2006 Open source software (GPL ), offers the opportunity to compete against each other on the network and play music in MP3 format. The open-source game Dune Legacy tried the original Dune II concept to remain faithful, but still integrate characteristics of modern real-time strategy games (eg higher resolution, select multiple units, multi-player mode). It is available for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and MorphOS free of charge; the data of the original are, however, needed. Since 2008 there is Dune 2 - The Golden Path in development, which focuses on the multi-player mode and in parts is already playable. OpenDUNE other hand tries Dune II replicate exactly and has the goal to make Dune II for other platforms except DOS available. There is currently only limited playable.

Reception

Rating levels

Reviews in computer game magazines:

• PC Games, 03/ 93: 87 %
• Power Play, issue 3/ 93: 74 %
• Amiga Joker, edition 5/ 93: 80 %
• Current software market, issue 3/ 93: "Good" - 10/ 12 points

Importance for the computer game industry

The new and complex gameplay helped Dune II to great commercial success and established its reputation of being the first real- time strategy game, although it precursor games ( such as Herzog Zwei or Mega lo Mania ) announced that abbildeten many aspects of later real-time strategy game. Dune II but joined as the first computer game several different fractions, base building and resource management and direct control of real-time events. In addition, Dune II one of the first games with German voice output direct and intuitive mouse control of the units was inspired by the look and feel of the Mac.

Westwood's most significant competitor in the genre of real-time strategy, Blizzard Entertainment, Dune II was the development of Warcraft: Orcs & Humans animated, mainly because the team missed a multiplayer mode. For the first technique, prototypes Blizzard programmer Patrick Wyatt took advantage of yet original graphics from Dune II and described the early stages of development still largely a clone. Chris Taylor also called Dune II together with Command & Conquer as the relevant influences that led him to game publisher Electronic Arts to leave, and in turn to develop the real-time strategy game Total Annihilation.

The English genre term real-time strategy game is attributed to Dune II. The game developer Brett W. Sperry shaped him for the marketing of the game.

Further perception

2011 Dune was chosen after a public vote on the 80 games that presented the Smithsonian American Art Museum in his exhibition The Art of Video Games. It is the fact representative of the artistic design in games for the Sega Mega Drive console.