Fishbone

The game doesn't require a server. You can either host or join games with your copy of Battlezone2: DuneCommand. Creating a RPG map just for chatting is as simple as loading the first (tutorial) mission, whether from the demo or from the soon released gold version and have people join you to chat. It is certainly not what I had in mind but you could use it for that :) Creating a unique character was never a requirement for my mod. Thus it is not implemented :) However, most of the time you are travelling in some sort of vehicle and not on foot, even though you there are times when you have to be on foot to accomplish the next mission goal. If you would put some effort into it, creating unique characters are not that hard. It just was never something I wanted to implement.

well, I got a cheap hardware encoder (DVD express by ADS tech), basically a VHS to DVD converter and installed it on my fast PC. On the slow pc I scripted the mission you see and played it, all the while the fast pc captured the screen and audio (which I mostly muted). Then I used Ulead VideoStudio 7 to add the titles and vitualDub to crop and sharpen the image a bit and encode as DivX. The hardware was about 90$ CAN and VirtualDub is free. I am sure there are better systems out there, but I wanted to invest less then 100$ and am kinda ok with what I created. The original plan was to enhance the movie by adding stuff in 3DS max and I did actually start working on it. But since it is only a by-product and not really belongs to the game I wanted to create, I figured my time is better invested working on the game. (It is actually very close to being done. I have been beta testing for over 17 month now and am quite happy with the outcome.)

EDITED: Never mind, Mahdi cleared things up for me. Thanks for the feedback Andrew. The music is a remix of the original Dune2 soundtrack. One of my favorite tracks on my IPOD :)

Some of you might remember that I released a Demo for the Dune mod that I am making for Battlezone 2. Well, if you don't own Battlezone2, never heard of it, or just not have it installed, I can give you a preview here: http://www.bz2md.com/downloads/DuneCommand_DivX.avi Its 30.5 MB and encoded using DivX5. So you might need to get that codec. www.divx.com DuneCommand is a Battlezone 2 mod bringing the Dune feel to the most successfull FPS-RTS hybrid game. It is a multiplayer campaign, meaning you can play it all by yourself or your friends can join and help you beat it. One of the great features of Battlezone is the ability to switch from RTS (godview) to FPS (first person view) and still be able to build your base all the while shooting down enemy troops. But be carefull, the Sandworms are out there :) Full release of the mod will be available before Xmas 2005.

hey, thanks for posting that here. I forgot to pimp my mod on this board :) Anyways, things are going along quite a ways. The demo gives away part of the feel, it is mainly a technical demo where you can see what type of game DuneCommand is going to be. I am now working on enhancing the gameplay (fun). This means tweaking some things, then testing it. And since it is a multiplayer game, I have to have testers that are ready to come online with me. My test cycle takes one week, I test every tuesday night, and then use the time until monday to fix problems we found (or improve eyecandy) until I think the difficulty and frustration levels are exactly where I want them to be. If you like the Westwood RTS games, you will like DuneCommand. It is a FPSRTS but the RTS aspect is more pronounced than the FPS side of the game. Hey, you can see a sandworm up close, even get eaten by it ;)

There are tons of screenshots here: http://www.bz2md.com/forum/album_cat.php?cat_id=4

Some of you might remember my mod: DuneCommand. It is a hybrid of FPS and RTS where you are the commander of the base as a physical entity. You have to command your harvesters to gather spice, build up the base and drive around in all vehicles that are available. There is also a satelite uplink where you can log on and view the game from godview. If you want more info, just click on my banner. I am now very close to a public beta (all races are done, most missions are done) but I would like to have a few more active testers from this community. If you have BZ2 and would like to help me, please head over to www.bz2md.com and sign up for the closed beta of DuneCommand. Thanks. Before the public beta is out, I will post some screenies here.

I am in need of more and more beta testers. Please drop by and sign up on the beta board. Once I have the Artreides buildings done, I will post more screenies here. current status: Harkonnen and Ordos races are working ingame. Sardaukar units are working as well. Sandworms are working fine, almost too good. Mission 1 is being tested currently and I think I have addressed most imminent issues. Mission 2 is on its way and once it is done, I will release the next beta (beta 4). FYI: the missions are multiplayer missions that are being played in co-op mode. You *can* play them alone as well, offline, but it is just not that much fun as playing with your friends.

As some of you might remember, I am working on a total conversion of Battlezone2 to Dune2K/Emperor. I started about a year ago and got help from a few friendly people on this board. So I want to show some screenies and ask for more help ;) Factory builds a harvester: http://www.bz2md.com/images/manufacturing.jpg Harvester and 2 troopers: http://www.bz2md.com/images/harv1.jpg Spice Explosion: http://www.bz2md.com/images/harv2.jpg Spice settles in sand: http://www.bz2md.com/images/harv3.jpg Spice gets sundried: http://www.bz2md.com/images/harv4.jpg Driving up to the radar (building on left): http://www.bz2md.com/images/radar.jpg God view when logged onto radar: http://www.bz2md.com/images/god.jpg Having said that: I would like to have a few beta testers to help me improve my work. So if you do have a copy of Battlezone2, please head over to http://www.bz2md.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=512 and post a message. thanks.

thanks for all the replies. and my appologies that some of my questions have already been asked before. (thanks for the links to the relevant topics!) TMA: I would love to see your take on the different stages of Spice. It would mean a lot to me if you could pull up the picture with the stages of Spice. EDIT for typos

I am currently working on a total conversion of Battlezone2 into a Dune game. I want to add a few goodies to the storyline and need information about the Spice. How is it described in the book? How in different games? Is there any technical information (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Engineering) available about Spice and how it is refined (if it is at all?)? Any info is very much appreciated.

FYI: I am currently working on a TC. I am using the Battlezone2 game engine and have all the tools and help I need to make it work. If you are interested in my progress: http://www.bz2md.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpBB2&file=viewforum&f=12 alpha is scheduled for September 2003. It is an open type mod, where everybody is welcome to contribute. but you only get to access the actual files when you have contributed your bit. I wasnt planing on informing this board too much, just visiting here once a month. But when I get closer to the actual alpha phase, I will post a few images here.

Both Trike and Quad will be hovercraft, since the game engine does not support wheels. Besides it is a lot of fun to fly around in them. (Since I would know a workaround for the wheels...) There will be plenty of tracked vehicles though. (Combat tanks, Devastator, Harvesters, etc).

thanks for all the help. Adrian hinted that he might be able to pull off an exporter for his xbf editor. This would make my life easier. In the mean time, I am working on the vehicles. I want them closer to the renderings of Dune2000. First ingame screenshot: http://www.bz2md.com/albums/album04/trike2.jpg For those of you who wonder what game it is I am talking about: its a hybrid between RTS and FPS. You will have the full Dune2000 tech tree, command your units and have the ability to jump in any vehicle you want.

Would this be Adrian_Messecar? I have sent him a PM and wait patiently for a reply. Thanks alot. If there is no way to do that, I guess I will have to get really good screenshots of the units and start modeling myself (which is fine). Or can you display/rotate the units in one of the available unit editors? This would make my life recreating the models much easier.