Could there be Dune without tanks?

[MrFlibble]

So muz, could you do the improved images of units, structures and Mentat portraits?

[muz]

Yeah i do think i could.

:)

Id ideally want to base them off the original unit portraits, because man theere is some sweet designs in there that was never reflected in the pixel art.

[MrFlibble]

Cool 8)

[Kanpai]

hi

I just wanted to post my ideas for a dune 2 clone, which has its focus a bit more on infantry than on tanks. As well i have several ideas for new units, houses etc. based on the books and the Lynch movie.  

Atreides

- Fremen are changed into Fedaykin

- Melee infantry (Swordmasters of the Ginaz)

Ordos

- Saboteur uses a personal anti-gravity unit instead of a trike

Harkonnen

- Infantry uses personal anti-gravity units (as the Baron himself)

Fremen

- Light infantry (immune to sandstorms)

- Heavy infantry (immune to sandstorms)

- Melee infantry with poisoned crysknives  (immune to sandstorms)

- Sandworm (move overground, take up to 10 soldiers)

- Ornithopter scouts, harvester automatically leaves the desert when a sandworm approaches

- Can build on mountains

- No Vehicles

- Not traceable on the radar

Smugglers/Mercs

- Spaceport goods cost less

- Commandos to take over enemy vehicles

- Commandos to infiltrate enemy buildings

- Controlled enemy spice silos provide credits, without taking them over

- Ornithopter scouts (harvester automatically leaves the desert when a sandworm approaches)

- Light infantry (immune to sandstorms)

- Heavy infantry (immune to sandstorms

Corrino

- Sardaukar

- Imperial Palace (as seen in the Lynch Movie) equipped with Lasguns for defence

- Suk Medics

- Bene Gesserit (melee fighter, that can use Voice to controll enemy Infantry for a short time and identify Face Dancer)

Ix

- All special heavy vehicles

- anti-gravity technology

- Can drop shield imitations with Ornithopter (Controlled and uncontrolled sandworms get mad and will run amok over ground and even rock to the shield imitate to destroy it. Every unit and building on its way will be destroyed)

Bene Tleilax

- Revive dead enemy infantry as gholas, with the former earned exp. points and abilities

- Face Dancers can infiltrate enemy territory (for a given time)

- No heavy vehicles

- Mentats (Battlefield Commanders that rise accuracy, damage and defense of surrounding units)

Spacing Guild

- Spaceport goods are cheaper

- Spaceport goods can be deployed everywhere on the map

- They get 10 % of every transaction made by the enemy or allies on their spaceports

- Only infantry, no heavy factory

- No fog of war (due to orbital stations/ships/satellites)

- Can predict sandstorms (due to orbital stations/ships/satellites)

Buildings

- Qanats can be build in a radius of 5 tiles around a windtrap. Have to be connected to a windtrap. Cannot be traversed by sandworms. Can be traversed by mad sandworm due to a shield imitation, but the worm dies after 7 tiles

- Walls should be stronger and protect buildings and units against sandstorms

Environment

- Day and Night cycle. While the sun is up no infantry can traverse the desert without taking damage

- Sandstorms might kill infantry and do damage to vehicles. Fremen and smuggler infantry are immune to sandstorms

Game mechanics

- Units get exp. and get promotions (important of Bene Tleilax)

- Every unit has a certain chance to hit another, while the other has a certain change to evade

- Infantry, especially Fremen, has a high change to evade an attack

- The chance to hit something else decreases with the firepower

- Infantry should be a bit stronger than in the original game

[MrFlibble]

Hello Kanpai, those are some really nice ideas :)

Ordos

- Saboteur uses a personal anti-gravity unit instead of a trike

Harkonnen

- Infantry uses personal anti-gravity units (as the Baron himself)

The only thing to keep in mind is that if you want to stick close to the books, the suspensors did not allow their users to levitate: in case of the Baron, they simply supported his weight; military use of personal suspensors allowed to safely descend from large heights (e.g. jump off high cliffs).

- Sandstorms might kill infantry and do damage to vehicles. Fremen and smuggler infantry are immune to sandstorms

I'm not sure how realistic sandstorm immunity could be? Perhaps a better idea for the Fremen infantry would be to take advantage of the stillsuits (generally reduced damage in the desert at day, no damage at all at night)?

[Kanpai]

Thanks for the feedback.

That's a good point with the sandstorms. And the use of high quality Stillsuits should give the Fremen an advantage.

Another idea might be that the Fremen can use a tent as a protection against sandstorms while they are in the open desert (ref. Children of Dune), maybe even hide in the desert for sneak attacks (like the Zerg in Star Craft).

If there would be different levels of sandstorms, the smaller sandstorms might barely damage Fremen/Smugglers so they can use them for sneak attacks against the enemy base while mostly staying hidden from view.

The idea with the anti-gravity was inspired by the Lynch movie.

[MrFlibble]

Another idea might be that the Fremen can use a tent as a protection against sandstorms while they are in the open desert (ref. Children of Dune), maybe even hide in the desert for sneak attacks (like the Zerg in Star Craft).

I've also thought about that, there's an episode in Dune when the Fremen successfully ambush Sardaukar that way.

[Nyerguds]

2D, 3D...

...What's next? 4D?

(Enter areas on the map accidentally and/or enter 'timeports' deliberately that have been built around such areas that were folded in time?)

??? :O ::) ;)

They're already working opn that. See http://achrongame.com/ :P

(their demo vids are baffling)

[SparrowsOfDune]

Well in Dune the Butlerian Jihad banned computers, AIs, and thinking robots. So a lot of stuff like smart missiles are out of the question.

But there's still no reason that a lot of WWII style technology would not be allowed. The main reason we don't see any tanks in the books is that they are very expensive for these neo-feudal economies to maintian, and also the defensive Shields.

And on Arrakis itself, worms will eat them. Suspensor tanks would not be solution (potentially even worse), because suspensors are another manifestation of the Holtzmann Effect (same as the shields), and will irritate the worms to the point of frenzy.

Tracked vehicles are merely food, and the worms may not always be hungry.

I think the Fremen used bikes and jeeps to some extent, at least in the BH/KJA prequels.

However, also because of the uslessness of shields on Dune itself (except for the Worm free areas around the poles and on the gravel/escarpent areas where you can place buildings) guns, rockets and lasers come back into play in a big way.

I think a Dune game that was mostly about infantry formations would be fun.

think of the weapon types that could be used: rifles, rockets, grenades, swords / daggers for close combat, C&C style commando placed C4 charges, maula pistols, wierding modules, BGs with Voice attacks, maybe even shotguns for some reason.