What a Dune game could be?

[MrFlibble]

As we were talking about the 'modified' D2TM part, I came to thinking about this:

Imagine a Dune RTS game that closely follows the Duniverse described in FH's books. This means: no firearms, and no modern-like combat vehicles. Weaponry includes: swords, kindjals, slip-tips (cold steel arms); various dartguns or stunners, lasguns (ranged weaponry); hunter seekers; stone burners, nuclear missiles and other atomics. For defense, there are Holtzman shields and infantry armor made of various materials. Most units will be infantry, with minimum vehicles represented by harvesters, carryalls and ornithopters (probably also groundcars for transportation, although these seem inefficient on Dune).

Apparently, the game would be more like Warcraft or Age of Empires rather than C&C. The game play would concentrate on creating a better equipped (weapons, stillsuits, etc. etc.) and better trained army rather than a force that relies on large numbers and heavy firepower. Building capture would be of more priority than building destruction, and a variety of resources would be present: stone to build structures, water to support units, spice for trade (buying vehicles instead of building them or buying raw materials like metal to construct/repair vehicles, buildings and weapons), maybe other resources as well.

[gunner154]

Politics play a huge role in Dune. Thus, to try to follow that would mean Politics must be included. That strays too far from Dune II and would be an entirely new game altogether.

I think there's someone working on this already, or something like that. But it's not RTS though. I suppose you're talking about something like Heroes of Might and Magic, right?

[MrFlibble]

I didn't have any specific existing game in mind, but as far as we're talking about RTS, think Warcraft series or Age series and their clones.

[Erik]

Holtzman shields would never be used on Dune due to it driveing the worms into a frenzy. Stoneburners and other atomics would also not be used due to the Great Convention. There would also be none of that sonic technology (I never once saw any mention of it in the books). Windtraps would sit around collecting water... Things would be turned upside down.

[vidiware]

I'm not a great bookreader, but what are those "sonic" devices the fremen are using in the movie/miniseries?

[Andrew]

The sonic devices are not used in the miniseries. Only movie. (and dune games if you consider sonic tank equipped with it)

In the Movie they are called weirding modules. They are not found in books :P

Forget how they exactly work.

[Mr_Hangman]

I've always thought the setting of Arrakis was perfect for an RTS (mostly because of the spice), but beyond that an RTS doesn't suit Dune at all.  90% of battles are hand-to-hand, and that only works with games that are on a more detailed level.  Something like Age of Empires might work, but I would enjoy an MMORPG.  I haven't played any before and would hate to pay a fee, though I think it could be well adapted. 

I imagine you would chose a house to train with, get some weapons and fight massive battles with tons of other people.  All kinds or swords and daggers, different techniques from different houses, shields, lasguns, stunners, even a plain old pistol for  anyone who is careless with their shield  ;)  I even tried to come up with a viable plot to explain that kind of conflict.  It would start with growing aliances among houses forming opposing major powers like any major war in history.  A small conflict gets out of hand and some house uses atomics.  Each house would be ordered to destroy the one, but its allies would turn against the imperium.  Doesn't sound too farfetched to me and it would be a nice change from the attempts to copy Dune's plot.

[Teg]

I've been thinking that a game-style more along the lines of UFO: Enemy Unknown would suit dune well.

Have a "geoscape" where you manage troop movement and manage resources. Kind of like Cryo's Dune game.

Have a "battlescape" where you engage in close combat between squads and assail installations.