Wikipedia

Dune 2000

This article is about the video game that was released in 1998. For theDuneTV miniseries released in 2000, seeFrank Herbert's Dune.

Dune 2000is areal-time strategyvideo game,developed byIntelligent Gamesand published byWestwood Studiosin 1998 forMicrosoft Windows.It was later ported to thePlayStationin 1999.[4]It is a partialremakeofDune II,which is loosely based onFrank Herbert'sDuneuniverse.[5]The story of the game is similar toDune II,and is continued inEmperor: Battle for Dune.

Dune 2000
Developer(s)Intelligent Games
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Lewis S. Peterson
Kevin Shrapnell
Designer(s)Randy Greenback
James Steer
Programmer(s)Sunlich Chudasama
Simon Evers
Martin Fermor
Artist(s)Richard Evans
Matthew Hansel
Writer(s)Margaret Stohl
Composer(s)Frank Klepacki[3]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows,PlayStation
ReleaseWindows
  • NA:September 4, 1998[1]
  • EU:November 12, 1998
PlayStation
  • EU:November 16, 1999
  • NA:November 23, 1999[2]
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player,multiplayer

Gameplay

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The player commands one of three Houses and must fight for control of "mélange" (spice) on the planet Arrakis. The player harvests spice to earn "solaris", the in-game currency, by setting up spice harvesters, refineries,silos,and power grids. They must also deploy soldiers, armed vehicles, and defensive measures to protect their operations from rival Houses, while also being mindful of vicioussandwormsand explosive "spice blooms".Dune 2000features an interface and gameplay similar toCommand & Conquer: Red Alert,where unlike inDune II,the player can control more than one unit at a time.

In-game screenshot; the player's base with units is visible.

Similar to mostreal-time strategygames, the game map initially starts with a blackfog of warcovering the entire map, with an exception to units' line of sight. As the units explore the map, the fog is removed for the duration of the mission, allowing the player to observe activity in those regions even if they do not have any units with line of sight to them. LikeDune II,the player may construct concrete before placing buildings. InDune II,all buildings would deteriorate regardless, but the concrete foundations slowed the process. However, inDune 2000,the buildings do not deteriorate over time when built in their entirety on concrete.

Although each house has many common units, such as infantry, Wind Traps, and Mobile Construction Vehicles, each House also has its own set of units, such as the Atreides Sonic Tank, the Ordos Deviator and the Harkonnen Devastator. Houses Harkonnen and Atreides share the Trike, while House Ordos has an upgraded version, the Raider. Like many games of the Westwood franchise, a player can gain access to other Houses' special units by capturing their factories. House Ordos can obtain the Missile Tank by ordering it from the Starport when it would otherwise be inaccessible. After patch 1.06, the Harkonnen can eventually train theSardaukar,soldier-fanatics loyal to the Corrino Emperor with higher endurance and strength.

Cinematics

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The game also features live action cinematics that play before each mission for the three different factions as well as for the introduction.

Synopsis

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EmperorCorrino(Adrian Sparks) has issued a challenge that the House which can produce the mostspicewill control its source, thedesert planetDune,with no rules as to how the Houses can achieve this goal. Meanwhile, Lady Elara (Musetta Vander) of the Bene Gesserit and boundconcubineto the Emperor, secretly takes the "commander" - the player - into one of the Heighliners, a person whose bloodline and future the Sisterhood had checked. According to Elara, they saw many visions of the commander dying — and only in one vision does the commander live and even rise to control massive armies and bring peace to Arrakis; thus, she and the Bene Gesserit have betrayed the Emperor's trust to bring about this possible future.

As inDune II,the three main playable factions areHouse Atreides,House HarkonnenandHouse Ordos.There are also four non-playable subfactions: House Corrino, theFremen,the Mercenaries and the Smugglers.

House Atreides
Hailing from the water-planet ofCaladan,the noble Atreides have a strict loyalty to their Duke and follow him with zeal. The Duke's famousMentat,Noree Moneo (John Rhys-Davies), advises and resides over the Duke's forces on Arrakis. The House's fleets ofornithoptersensure their superior air power backed by Sonic Tanks to humanely destroy enemies. The Duke also wishes to develop an alliance with the Fremen, the native warriors of Dune.
House Harkonnen
The Harkonnens are ruled by the wicked Baron and come from the volcanic waste-planet ofGiedi Prime.According to Lady Elara, the only thing human about the Harkonnen is their genetic makeup, as all humanity was abandoned long ago in favor of brutality and maliciousness, favoring pure firepower brought by Devastator Tanks and the Death Hand Missile. The Baron's Mentat, Hayt De Vries (Robert Carin), was born from the flesh of a dead man in theTleilaxuFlesh Vats.
House Ordos
The Ordos originate from a frigid, ice-covered planet unnamed inDune 2000but later called Sigma Draconis IV inEmperor: Battle for Dune.As they import their goods from nearby star systems, House Ordos relies on their skills as merchants to survive; however, their wealth has made them increasingly paranoid. According to the manual, House Ordos buys all of its units instead of constructing them themselves, including Saboteurs to demolish buildings and Deviator Tanks to temporarily turn enemy vehicles against each other. Unlike the other two houses, House Ordos is not mentioned in any ofFrank Herbert'sDunenovels,but it is mentioned in the non-canonThe Dune Encyclopedia.[6]

Development

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The game's development team consisted of over 25 people.[7]

Reception

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The game received mixed reviews on both platforms according to thereview aggregationwebsiteGameRankings.[8][9]GameSpotcriticized the PC version's production values for being drab by 1998 standards, and cited balance problems despite the remake's attempt to introduce unit balance where the original game had none.[21]Next Generationsaid of the same PC version: "We applaud the fact that Westwood did exactly what it said it would do with this game, but we have to question the person who approved the idea in the first place. Oh, well – maybe the company will do a true sequel next time instead of yet another tired realtime rehash.[25]

Peter Suciu ofAllGamegave the PC version four-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that "for fans of the original game, or those who like a real-time challenge,Dune 2000is an instant classic ".[30]However, Glenn Wigmore of the same website gave the PlayStation version three-and-a-half stars out of five: "With smooth visuals, superb sound, a plethora of gameplay modes, strategy and replay value,Dune 2000is a real winner. It also makes great use of the various PlayStation peripherals, making for a well rounded experience ".[31]

Open source

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Thegame engine recreationfan projectOpenRAhas support forDune 2000.[32]

Notes

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  1. ^InGameFan's viewpoint of the PlayStation version, three critics gave it each a score of 74, 90, and 72.
  2. ^GameProgave the PlayStation version 3/5 for graphics, 4/5 for sound, and two 3.5/5 scores for control and overall fun factor.

References

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  1. ^IGN staff (September 4, 1998)."News Briefs".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2000.RetrievedApril 5,2021.Westwood Studios informs us that Dune 2000 should be available in stores today.
  2. ^"GameSpot: Video Games News: Dune 2000 for the PlayStation Out".2002-02-21. Archived fromthe originalon 2002-02-21.Retrieved2023-04-09.
  3. ^Josh Horowitz (17 September 2006)."Good to the Last Note".Adrenaline Vault.Archived fromthe originalon 6 November 2004.Retrieved27 July2006.
  4. ^"Dune Gold".Westwood Studios.September 27, 1999. Archived fromthe originalon April 7, 2001.
  5. ^"WESTWOOD BRINGS DUNE TO LIFE ONCE AGAIN".Westwood Studios.January 15, 1998. Archived fromthe originalon September 30, 2000.
  6. ^McNelly, Willis E.The Dune Encyclopedia,June 1, 1984, pg. 273,ISBN0-425-06813-7(US edition)
  7. ^"Q&A With With Brett W. Sperry, President of Westwood Studios and Lewis Peterson, Dune 2000 Producer".Archived fromthe originalon October 7, 1999.RetrievedDecember 5,2024.
  8. ^ab"Dune 2000 for PC".GameRankings.CBS Interactive.Archived fromthe originalon May 21, 2019.RetrievedApril 5,2021.
  9. ^ab"Dune 2000 for PlayStation".GameRankings.CBS Interactive. Archived fromthe originalon May 21, 2019.RetrievedApril 5,2021.
  10. ^Cirulis, Martin E. (September 22, 1998)."Dune 2000 (PC)".Gamecenter.CNET.Archived fromthe originalon August 16, 2000.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  11. ^Ham, Tom (January 5, 2000)."Dune 2000 (PS)".Gamecenter.CNET. Archived fromthe originalon August 16, 2000.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  12. ^Brush, Ryan (October 8, 1998)."Dune 2000".Computer Games Strategy Plus.Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived fromthe originalon July 9, 2003.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  13. ^Scisco, Pete (December 1998)."The Worm Turns (Dune 2000Review) "(PDF).Computer Gaming World.No. 173. Ziff Davis. p. 408.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  14. ^EGM staff (December 1999). "Dune 2000".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 125. Ziff Davis.
  15. ^Fitzloff, Jay; Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew (November 1999)."Dune 2000 (PS)".Game Informer.No. 89.FuncoLand.Archived fromthe originalon May 31, 2000.RetrievedApril 5,2021.
  16. ^Mylonas, Eric "ECM" (December 1999)."Dune 2000".GameFan.Vol. 7, no. 12. Shinno Media. pp.52–53.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  17. ^Ngo, George "Eggo"; Rodriguez, Tyrone "Cerberus"; Weitzner, Jason "Fury" (December 1999)."Dune 2000 (PS)".GameFan.Vol. 7, no. 12. Shinno Media. p. 16.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  18. ^Air Hendrix (1998)."Dune 2000 Review for PC on GamePro.com".GamePro.IDG Entertainment.Archived fromthe originalon December 5, 2004.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  19. ^The D-Pad Destroyer (December 10, 1999)."Dune 2000 Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com".GamePro.IDG Entertainment. Archived fromthe originalon December 13, 2004.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  20. ^Baldric."Dune 2000 - PC Review".GameRevolution.CraveOnline.Archived fromthe originalon February 19, 2004.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  21. ^abKasavin, Greg (September 15, 1998)."Dune 2000 Review (PC)".GameSpot.CBS Interactive.
  22. ^Mielke, James (December 3, 1999)."Dune 2000 Review (PS) [date mislabeled as" April 28, 2000 "]".GameSpot.CBS Interactive.RetrievedApril 5,2021.
  23. ^Ward, Trent C. (September 16, 1998)."Dune 2000 (PC)".IGN.Ziff Davis.RetrievedApril 5,2021.
  24. ^White, Matt (January 3, 2000)."Dune 2000 (PS)".IGN.Ziff Davis.RetrievedApril 5,2021.
  25. ^ab"Dune 2000 (PC)".Next Generation.No. 48.Imagine Media.December 1998. p. 134.RetrievedApril 5,2021.
  26. ^Kujawa, Kraig (December 1999)."Dune 2000".Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.Vol. 3, no. 3. Ziff Davis. p. 151.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  27. ^Hudak, Chris (November 1998)."Dune 2000".PC Accelerator.No. 3. Imagine Media. p. 99.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  28. ^Vaughn, Todd (December 1998)."Dune 2000".PC Gamer.Vol. 5, no. 12. Imagine Media. p. 188.Archivedfrom the original on March 12, 2000.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  29. ^Bottorff, James (1998)."Remake of Dune falls short (PC)".The Cincinnati Enquirer.Gannett Company.Archived fromthe originalon July 1, 2001.RetrievedApril 6,2021.
  30. ^Suciu, Peter."Dune 2000 (PC) - Review".AllGame.All Media Network.Archived fromthe originalon November 14, 2014.RetrievedApril 5,2021.
  31. ^Wigmore, Glenn."Dune 2000 (PS) - Review".AllGame.All Media Network. Archived fromthe originalon November 14, 2014.RetrievedApril 5,2021.
  32. ^Benson, Julian (14 May 2013)."OpenRA update adds new Red Alert missions and bug fixes across Westwood's back catalogue".PCGamesN.Retrieved31 December2023.

Further reading

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