Dune 2 eXtended Project

[Nyerguds]

Eh, I know that. I made an editor for it. But ATTACK is the command that's on the worm by default.

[MrFlibble]

Ehh? I've never seen a worm do that... and all they have is Attack commands.

I meant the commands you can assign to a pre-placed unit in the scenario file. For most units, such commands usually work, even though they're not selectable on the sidebar. Most of the pre-placed AI-controlled units have the Area Guard command, while some have Ambush or Hunt.

[Nyerguds]

ohh, I see. Well, that's pretty silly anyway. You should only give map units commands that don't require a target.

[MrFlibble]

I am happy to announce that, with the help of Ultraq's WSA conversion tool I finally was able to create Faction Profile planet animations. Currently, the Mercenaries' and Sardaukar planets are ready:

I have updated the demo with these new animations, so head to Project Perfect Mod and download it on the double ;)

[Nyerguds]

beautiful :)

[Arkan]

Hi! I am a 22-years-old Italian programmer. I am interested in Dune 2 editing... :)

I like very much MrFlibble's Super Dune 2 and I wanted to learn something...

@MrFlibble

Can you please explain something about editing Dune 2? (I will now make a list of questions :P)

- How do you changed herald.cps (the screen with the three house logos) since I didn't find it in DUNE.PAK

- Which software do you use to create PAK files? (can you please send me a link to it)

Then I experienced problems using my versions of mentat-animations (like menshpf.shp) and planets (like fordos.wsa)... and I think it is because I don't have the latest version of Red Horizon Utilities (that is a great software) ... now I have the latest version and I have to do some test (thanks again, ultraq) :)

These are some graphics I made:

I am not able to use that graphic in the game...

To make the fremen mentat I edited the ordos mentat :P

It works ... but sometimes (when I access the MENTAT button) the game crashes and raises a memory error

It is caused by my mentat-animation (menshpf.shp) I am sure about it.

There are the planet of the three houses... they don't work too...

when the game tries to load them the screen become black and I have to restart DosBox

Thank you very much.

P.S: I tried the latest version of Red Horizon but I am not able to meke them work anyway.

I attach the files ... I hope that someone can help me ... :)

P.P.S: I used Dune 2: The Building of a Dynasty (http://www.bestoldgames.net/eng/old-games/dune-2.php)

Arkan-Fremen-Mentat.zip

[Nyerguds]

that's the 1.07 US version.

[Arkan]

that's the 1.07 US version.

There aren't known problems editing this version, right?

[Nyerguds]

Nope. Not unless you want multiple language support.

[MrFlibble]

Hi Arkan,

I'll try answer your questions :)

- How do you changed herald.cps (the screen with the three house logos) since I didn't find it in DUNE.PAK

In v1.07, it's called HERALD.ENG and is inside ENGLISH.PAK.

- Which software do you use to create PAK files? (can you please send me a link to it)

I use WWPAK, a very handy console PAK editor. You can get it here. Alternatively, you can use TCH's Windows-based PAK editor (download here).

I don't know what causes your Mentat animations to crash yet, but for the WSAs you need to set framerate at least to 18 (better to 20, 24 or 25), since lower values make the game crash (even though the original WSA framerate is 12,5, according to Ultraq's converter).

There aren't known problems editing this version, right?

1.07US doesn't like edited MENTAT?.ENG files if they're put into ENGLISH.PAK for some reason. Most of the time this leads to a crash. However, replacing files in other PAKs, including FRENCH.PAK and GERMAN.PAK, which 1.07US recognizes if you didn't know, with any of the edited MENTAT?.ENG works fine.

Other than that, 1.07US is quite editable.

Your graphics are quite nice, however, I'd like to comment on some of them:

Why do the Mercenaries have the Tleilaxu symbol on their herald?

The lion head on the Sardaukar herald is really good, but the purple background within the circle against which it is imposed is too bright in my opinion.

Nice job with the Fremen Mentat, but the beard needs some more work on the cheeks.

There's a very sharp contrast between the dark and the light areas of the Dune planet, I think it requires to be a bit smoother.

[Nyerguds]

I think that guy's hair is waaay too well-combed for a Fremen :P

[MrFlibble]

Thanks to my recent research I have been able to fix the starport bug for the three new sides:

[MrFlibble]

Uploaded Demo Release 3. What's new:

• New planet/herald image for the Fremen (not animated yet).
• Fixed instant cargo delivery to the Starport. Now frigates will arrive after 10 ticks, as they should.
• A new player rank has been added, the Bator. Now the ranks go as follows: Private, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Levenbrech, Bator, Colonel, Bashar, Caid, Burseg, Siridar, Padishah Emperor.
• The size of the demo package has been slightly reduced, as well as the number of files inside.
  

[Nyerguds]

So, have all mission briefings been adapted yet?

[MrFlibble]

Not yet, but I'm working on it :)

[Talhydras]

The demo's fantastic in every way. The factions are quite distinct even from mission 1, from the brutal search and destroy of the Sardaukar to the beachhead/landing of the Mercenaries. I can't stress enough how incredibly cool the new walled bases are (let's see more of 'em!).

If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion ... the sietches we see in Sardaukar mission 2 (at least, the variant I played, with an Ordos base smack in the middle and lots of small Fremen installations) would be very different from the walled compounds the other two factions seem to start with. Perhaps instead of starting with a construction yard, the brave Fremen might have their first missions based out of a windtrap and a WOR, and must capture some poorly-guarded Harkonnen spice refineries to meet their quotas. I know either Trooper squads or Infantry squads can capture heavily damaged buildings, and I think it'd be much more in character of the harsh desert raiders.

While I'm in pie-in-the-sky mode... I don't suppose there's any real technical differences between Sardaukar Troopers (Firepower: Very Heavy, I wish), Fremen Troopers, and Vanilla House Troopers? I don't suppose there's any possibility of these units being actually dinstict at any point? It's just, I'd love to see the Sardaukar troopers actually have firepower on par with, say, a Siege Tank. Something that legitimately has Very Heavy firepower.

So, incoherent ramblings aside: Tried the demo and it has surpassed even my wildest Dune 2 fanboy expectations. I've told everyone I know who loves DOS games about it, too. So don't stop now!

Cheers!

[MrFlibble]

Hello Talhydras! Glad you liked the demo ;D Your opinion sure is important ;)

I don't suppose there's any real technical differences between Sardaukar Troopers (Firepower: Very Heavy, I wish), Fremen Troopers, and Vanilla House Troopers? I don't suppose there's any possibility of these units being actually dinstict at any point? It's just, I'd love to see the Sardaukar troopers actually have firepower on par with, say, a Siege Tank. Something that legitimately has Very Heavy firepower.

Yes, the Troopers are all the same (sadly), but I'm working on an improvement to this ;)

[Talhydras]

Oh really? That sounds exciting! On that note, I always noticed that the Fremen spawned by the Atreides Palace ability had a different cameo than the standard troopers ... as did the Sardaukar. Any clues on how that happens?

[MrFlibble]

On that note, I always noticed that the Fremen spawned by the Atreides Palace ability had a different cameo than the standard troopers ... as did the Sardaukar.

Really? I never noticed that... But I think it's done the same way as the differences between some House technologies are implemented (read the full list of differences here). I've no idea where his type of data may be stored...

[Nyerguds]

Knowing how that kind of things works in C&C (especially with modified unit names) it's not 'stored', they're pure code exceptions in the logics that displays the unit cameos, or that connects a cameo to a unit when it's spawned.

[MrFlibble]

Perhaps I used an inappropriate verb for that, but these "code exceptions" as you put it have to be present somewhere in the EXE, haven't they?

The other thing is, I haven't observed the different icons for the palace-spawned Fremen (haven't checked the Sardaukar) as Talhydras described in any Dune II version known to me... The Fremen troopers are the same as the other Houses' ones in all aspects, including the sidebar icons. Talhydras, maybe you were referring to the Sega Genesis Dune: The battle for Arrakis or perhaps to the Amiga version of Dune II? I'm sure that in the former the Fremen have different cameos (don't know about the Amiga version though).

[Nyerguds]

Perhaps I used an inappropriate verb for that, but these "code exceptions" as you put it have to be present somewhere in the EXE, haven't they?

Yes, as pure CPU instructions in the middle of the complete functions. In C&C they usually had this kind of form... this would be to give the dinos their roars instead of normal unit responses:

-check if unit ID is xx (the dino)

-if not true, jump to #normalcode

-set response ID to yy (the roar)

-jump to #play

#normalcode

... (code to get random unit response from a list)

#play

-play sound

-end funtion

Does the trooper + sardaukar or trooper + Fremen ALWAYS give the special icon? If not, this exception will be quite diferent than I'm used to, since it'll be an option of individual units on the map. Something that just checks the house ID and unit ID might be quite easy to find, since I know both of these IDs, but something that checks one special option given to the unit is a needle in a haystack.

[Talhydras]

Crap. Maybe I AM remembering it wrong. I'll take a look around this next week and see if I can grab a screenshot of this in action. Otherwise, I think it's best to assume I remembered wrong. :/ Sorry...

[MrFlibble]

I have split the SD2SE project into two separate entities, and have just uploaded a new demo of Dune 2 eXtended. It includes lots of changes, the most significant of them being the addition of two new units ;) (The first post has been also updated with new screenshots BTW) The tech tree has also been modified quite a bit, and there are no more original Super Dune 2 missions as placeholders (although not all mission briefings have been rewritten yet) - the Demo campaign i not what I plan for the full release, but it allows you to see the new sides in action. All tech has been moved down one level, and the missions were appropriately tweaked, so you get more playing experience - it's like starting from mission 2 ;)

[MrFlibble]

A minor update to the Demo: now the Mercenaries can build unlimited Saboteurs from the Barracks (you need to upgrade them twice and have the House of IX as well). Also the Setup program no longer offers you to select languages other than English (which are not supported) - thanks to Nyerguds for that!