[REVAMP] Summers' Solstice Campaign

[Fey]

ayy lmao it's revamp time

Features:
 - Eighteen campaign levels; Thirty meticulously-crafted missions in total.
 - Highly varied objectives between mostly non-linear, large-scale maps.
 - Significantly different difficulty levels between easy, normal, and hard.
 - A sensible difficulty curve from the simple tutorial to the thrilling climax.
 - Custom artwork to bring your most dire foes and epic confrontations to life.
 - Fully voice acted, from your infantry reporting to the enemy commanders' taunts.
 - Engaging story full of twists, evoking surprise, and bringing identity to each faction.
 - Your in-game choices will affect how certain missions play out. You are the Commander!
 - Challenge and drama that amp up constantly, adding a sense of desperation to your battles.
 - Re-imagined tech and balancing through a complex mod that's still loyal to the original designs.

Details & Strategy Guides:

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The Summers' Solstice campaign mainly follows the titular commander Rowe Summers, during the war for Arrakis and its aftermath.

S01V1: Quality Control
Learn the basics of base construction with Ketua Sumadi.

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SPLASH: A smuggler Construction Yard situated atop Harg Plateau.

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MISSION INTEL:

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TACTICAL MAP:

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FULL MAP IMAGE:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Pass Sumadi's evaluation.
• 2. Fully secure the territory.
• 3. Accrue 2,500 Solaris.

Nguyen is a Vietnamese player with exceptional dedication to playing through or testing every d2k map out there. He completed this campaign, so I'll be linking to his vids in the strategy section for any map.
NGUYEN'S RUN:

This is an introductory macro-oriented mission.

Macro refers to base construction, unit production, resource gathering, and other activities that serve to increase your influence on or over the battlefield. It's the most common sort of mission in Dune 2000; this campaign is no exception. Consider it a brief tutorial or refresher on the basics of the macro game.

The tactical map gives you the optimal build order. You go for a Refinery first (via a Wind Trap) to get started with generating funds. The Barracks comes afterwards so you can spend those funds. You should recruit Riflemen and consider upgrading the Barracks while the Outpost is built last since it's a support / tech structure.

All of those structures can be supported by the one Wind Trap because the Construction Yard now provides half a Wind Trap's worth in power all by itself. This opens up tons of new possibilities for build orders! For instance, if you ever need to get from a lone ConYard to a very fast economy, you can try Wind Trap > Refinery > Heavy Factory > Refinery.

The first Trooper you train after scouting the debris to the west of your base will give you a hint. There are in fact some secrets like that hidden throughout the campaign, some you might have to fire on multiple tiles to uncover, but this is the only time your units will find one for you. To force-fire on terrain, hold CTRL and LEFT-CLICK on what you want to try blowing up.

An Imperial battle group will show up politely after you've established your base. If you didn't do something Sumadi would scold you for, like acquire another Harvester by building a second Refinery or a Heavy Factory, he'll send you an extra Harvester for free to fight the Imperials with. Add another Wind Trap and a Light Factory to your base while it's still quiet.

Attack when you're ready with a lot of infantry (around 20-30), scattering them to deal with the RPG Quads. Use any Raiders you have to deal with enemy infantry, particularly their Grenadiers, or to gnaw on their Harvesters. In the meantime, keep training infantry and building LAVs back in your base. Bring those forces to the front whenever you find a moment to rally them.

Once you defeat the Imperials, you can be sure you know the basics. Just finish gathering 2,500 Solaris, if you haven't already, and victory is yours.

S01V2: Petty Thievery
Raid Imperial mining bases and steal Spice for the coming war.

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SPLASH: Mercenary raiders bust open an Imperial Silo at Pasty Mesa.

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MISSION INTEL:

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TACTICAL MAP:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Destroy Imperial Spice Silos.
• 2. Pillage 10,000 Solaris in Spice.
• 3. Do not lose all of your vehicles.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This is an introductory pure micro mission.

Micro refers to the act of positioning or commanding your units to improve their efficiency. While not as important or prevalent as macro in most Dune 2000 missions, there are many rewards to reap from effectively microing your units. This mod is designed to reward that.

That said, you needn't concern yourself with giving singular units specific orders.

Be attentive to whichever category a unit falls into. Your Raiders and Quads are LAVs, Light Armored Vehicles, so they can group up together and work best swarming and swallowing distracted targets. As for the distraction, leave that up to your armored Combat Tanks, which your Grenadiers can group up with to provide support. Use your units where their categories excel, and it should be alright.

Your goals are north or east. Choose one direction until you run into an enemy Cannon Turret. With your Combat Tanks occupying the turret, your Quads and Raiders can surge forward and target the enemy units before helping to take down the turret.

Your Grenadiers could also occupy those anti-armor Cannon Turrets, but they are delicate and easy to lose compared to the Combat Tanks. They work best as support for your armored vehicles. Notably, they're the only unit you have on this mission that can strike targets over Concrete Walls, like those explosive Munitions Silos at the eastern base. If you position them behind Concrete Walls, they're protected against most attacks.

Once the first base is breached, all you have to do is take out the Spice Silos, retreat and repair your vehicles, then rinse and repeat at the other enemy Spice mining base. Achieve victory here and you can be certain you understand the basics of micro.

S02V1: Desperate Defense
Defend a vital smuggler mining operation against overwhelming Imperial attacks.

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SPLASH: Merc forces protect a smuggler mining operation at Hagga Basin.

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MISSION INTEL:

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TACTICAL MAP:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Harvest 15,000 Solaris for Ketua Sumadi.
• 2. Scuttle the base once your quota is attained.

NGUYEN'S RUNS:

This is a skillgate macro-oriented survival mission.

Skillgates are a deliberate bump in the difficulty curve of a campaign intended to test the player for future trials. If you're not comfortable with the difficulty on this level, consider changing it.

Build a Barracks before starting to amp up your economy. You'll most likely need additional defenders early on. While you amass an infantry force, decide on something at the Starport and scout around with some Raiders. Not only might you stumble across some goodies, but you'll be able to see the enemy coming.

I expect you've played Dune 2000 before if you're here. You've got access to a good deal of high end tech on this mission too, units you should already be familiar with. What you may not be familiar with is how these units have changed in the mod and where they might best be used:

Combat Tanks can be positioned like you might place walls. Order them in front of backline support units like Siege Tanks or Missile Tanks. Put them beside other frontline units like Troopers. As in the base game, they cannot fire over walls!

Siege Tanks and Missile Tanks are LRA, or Long-Range Artillery. Keep them behind cover, such as Concrete Walls or cliffs. LRA units tend to be expensive, so use the Repair Pad to keep any of these you order from the Starport intact.

While you can order specific units from the Starport that are urgently needed, Starport stock replenishment is RNG. Pro D2k players will often order one of each unit from the Starport each time they place an order. Variety isn't the answer all the time, but as a general practice this helps reduce the chances of depleting a unit's stock. Give this a try if you ever hear, "Silos needed!" since it doubles as a way to dump excess funds.

Anyway, all of this is in addition to the full range of low tech units available to you on this mission. Take what you've learned from S01V1 and S01V2 to use them efficiently. The more efficient the engagements with enemy forces, the faster you can gather the Spice Sumadi needs. Don't group your slow infantry with your fast LAVs, and don't put your fragile LAVs or LRA right at the front next to your sturdy Combat Tanks and Troopers.

If you set up a defense line at your base or on the dunes, keep a group of LAVs ready to roll out and protect your Harvesters wherever they're under attack. Probably best is if you position infantry at the central ridge, but they'll need support to hold out. Not only does holding there mean your Harvesters are safe at more Spice fields, but you can deploy an MCV (from the Starport) there. The small island has room for a Barracks and a couple more Refineries.

Accrue 15,000 Solaris and victory is yours, after a brief cutscene.

S02V2: Scavenging the Wastes
Attempt to retake a small mining base captured by the Imperials.

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SPLASH: Rowe Summers aids in the defense of Sietch El-Sayal.

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MISSION INTEL:

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TACTICAL MAP:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Personally investigate the occupied smuggler base.
• 2. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This is a skillgate micro-oriented survival mission.

Skillgates are a deliberate bump in the difficulty curve of a campaign intended to test the player for future trials. If you're not comfortable with the difficulty on this level, consider changing it.

This mission introduces hero units. They are mission-critical, but very strong and have special abilities, a la Starcraft 1. In this case, you cannot lose Rowe Summers! Don't shy away from keeping her in front though. She is your strongest unit by far.

Head east, chewing up any Imperial units along the way. Grab the abandoned Raider at the smuggler base too. After Summers gets there, you'll find yourself in a pinch and be advised to head north by Sumadi. Summers will run there on her own, so stay focused on trying to delay the Imperials with your other units. Sacrifice them if you must in order to keep Summers alive.

Staying near each Imperial Carryall as they drop units is the best way to cut their forces down fast. You could also order Summers to run to the Sietch early, but it's possible, albeit tricky, to use all available firepower to eliminate the doom drops in their entirety.

Fall back with whatever you can save to the Sietch. The Fremen will give you access to some factories on the plateau. Collect the idle units and supply crates there.

Those idle units can be collected at the start of the game if you're having trouble getting past the first stage of the mission. To get them, race your Raiders to the northeast while your infantry push to the southeast. Your LAVs can rendezvous with your infantry at the southeast smuggler base as it blows up and the Imperial Carryalls start flying in. They shouldn't be necessary, not even on hard mode, but this is still useful for gaining the maximum advantage over the enemy as early as possible.

Once you reach the Sietch, all you have to do is hold out for a little while. Use Summers to defend the Sietch, but make sure she's grouped up with Troopers and Grenadiers. The Troopers can handle enemy vehicles while the Grenadiers, who perform best behind walls, will take care of enemy infantry. Any LAVs you produce should be ready to flank the enemy forces when they connect with your infantry or snipe important targets before they get close. If your LAVs attract too much attention to themselves, run them behind your infantry line.

A timer will eventually pop up to give you a precise countdown until the final events of the mission unfold and victory is achieved.

SBON1: Hunted
Drive numerous invaders from your home with a small group of elite forces.

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SPLASH: Imperial reinforcements intercept Summers and Nehara at Mushtamal Ridge.

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MISSION INTEL:

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TACTICAL MAP:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Get Rowe Summers to safety.
• 2. Rowe Summers must survive.
• 3. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This is a pure micro mission, like S01V2.

Group your Fremen Warriors up with Nehara and your Trikes on their own. You'll be up against overwhelming amounts of Imperial forces. The tactical objectives for this mission provide the answer for success: Keep your infantry adjacent to Summers, preferably behind her or to her side, and keep your Trikes ready to follow up when they connect with the enemy. As long as Summers tanks the damage and your units are contributing their firepower, every foe will die too quickly to kill Summers.

Essentially, kill them before they kill you. Keep your units alive so you have enough firepower for that.

The only other threat is vehicles that can crush your Fremen Warriors, or you. You must run away if a Flame Tank or Combat Tank aims to crush you! Summers is uncrushable, among some other things described in her intel entry, so if she has the attention of the enemy, your Fremen Warriors should be quite safe around her.

Once Summers is safe, you've got to address a problem at your Sietch. The Flame Tank is the biggest threat, and your Trikes won't be enough to handle it. You have enough time to group your infantry on the rocks nearby the Sietch. Make sure to do that before engaging the Flame Tank.

You'll achieve victory by destroying the whole Imperial doom drop.

S03V1: Double Bind
Choose an ally of convenience, then survive their enemy.

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SPLASH: Harkonnen LAVs occupy a smuggler base in Tuono Basin.

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MISSION INTEL:

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TACTICAL MAP:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Repel the Harkonnen scout units after they arrive.
• 2. Alternatively, accept their aid against the Atreides.
• 3. Your base must survive the battle between them.
• 4. Depart the territory once it's cleared of hostiles.

NGUYEN'S RUNS:

This is a fairly standard light tech mission. It's also the first time you're tasked with taking down an actual fortified enemy base.

Though the Riflemen you fielded during the prologue were likely familiar, you have superior basic infantry to sample starting now. As Burke explains, Shotgunners have a shorter range than Riflemen, but much greater firepower. Mix them with some Troopers and watch anything that gets too close go pop! Just don't try to pair them with Grenadiers; that combination doesn't really work.

The Harkonnen are to the east and the Atreides to the south. When the Harkonnen LAVs show up at your base, attack them to ally with the Atreides or ignore them to ally with the Harkonnen. You'll have to defeat whichever enemy you make, so consider scouting both bases early on to examine the units they prefer. Choose your enemy based on which units you'd rather deal with less of, or which base you suppose is easier to take down.

Whichever you choose, you'll have to deal with those new rapid fire Autogun Turrets. They shred infantry and weak armor like that of Raiders, but your Quads can tank their shots for a decent amount of time. Numbers beat pretty much anything though. With enough Troopers and/or Grenadiers, they can obliterate Autogun Turrets too.

To reduce your enemies' numbers and make yours more effective, hunt their Harvesters with some Quads. Both the Atreides and Harkonnen harvest from Spice fields beyond their defenses. Just have a good line of infantry ready to fall back to in case the enemy responds with overwhelming force.

Once your chosen foe is defeated, victory is yours.

S03V2: Razorback
Prevent the capture of an important mining base with the help of the Harkonnen.

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SPLASH: Atreides forces skirmish with mercenaries in Bled al-Hazrad.

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MISSION INTEL:

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TACTICAL MAP:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Defend your base against the Atreides' assault.
• 2. Attack once the Harkonnen are prepared.
• 3. Your allies must not be defeated.
• 4. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This is a light tech mission. You'll begin heavily focused on defense before switching gears dramatically towards offense.

As familiar as the Riflemen during the prologue might have been, it's time they retire so your new basic infantry can shine. You'll find that Shotgunners obliterate anything that gets too close. They work well intermixed with Troopers, but not so much Grenadiers. You can put some in front of the mercenary Autogun Turrets to help them deal with the fierce Atreides attacks.

Your starting Harvesters are enough for now, but you can get some more credits by scouting for cash crates. Your Raiders can find the three scattered around and outrun any Atreides units that might start chasing them.

Build a few Barracks to start churning out infantry. Remember, Shotgunners and Troopers can't fire over walls or turrets, so you must position them in front of the fortifications for them to be of any use. Grenadiers on the other hand work best behind cover. As for any LAVs you produce, keep them ready to respond wherever you need extra firepower. They can also cover your Harvesters as they return to base if they happen to be targeted by the Atreides.

When the Harkonnen arrive, the tide of the battle is turning. Prepare your forces and move out when they do! Durant's mercenaries will join in at that time. With your combined numbers, the Atreides base will eventually be overwhelmed, but any walls or turrets you can clear out will help your allies pour in. Their autoguns work well against infantry or Raiders, but Quads can take a lot of shots before they succumb.

Defeat the Atreides and victory is yours.

S04V1: Strictly Business
Meet the mysterious Ordos.

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SPLASH: Achen Moriaen contacts Rowe Summers at Maqbara Roughs.

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MISSION INTEL:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Await communication from Achen Moriaen.
• 2. Meet with the Ordos to discuss their plans.
• 3. Meet the Ordos' conditions. Strike a deal.
• 4. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This mission formally introduces Combat Tanks, Autogun Turrets and Cannon Turrets.

The Ordos expect you to send a unit to their base to talk business. Go say hi while you get situated. You should focus on economy until you're up a few more Harvesters and another Refinery or two. Deploy your spare MCV at your starting location for immediate faster build speed, or find a nice place for it where you think might be good to set up defenses at or stage attacks from.

Autogun Turrets and Cannon Turrets complement each-other. Building some of each in one spot should work best unless you provide support with some units, such as Autogun Turrets with Troopers in front.

Your ultimate goal is to destroy the Ordos base. They'll try to secure the ridge between themselves and the Harkonnen, so that should be your first goal. Shotgunners or Grenadiers can handle the Troopers they produce from there. You'll need some Combat Tanks and Quads to handle the Autogun Turrets. Clearing the ridge prompts Durant to contribute to the battle if he hasn't gotten involved already.

The main Ordos base is fairly well-fortified with anti-armor turrets. A strong infantry force should lead the charge. Summers herself can absorb shots from Cannon Turrets and Rocket Turrets very well.

Crash through their defenses and crush their main base, and victory is yours.

S05V1: Meat Grinder
Survive a brutal battle with vastly superior Harkonnen forces.

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SPLASH: Harkonnen armor crushes smuggler militia at Gara Kulon.

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MISSION INTEL:

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TACTICAL MAP:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Prevent the destruction of the Ix' Research Center.
• 2. Evacuate your forces with the rescued research.
• 3. Failing that, destroy the Harkonnen base.
• 4. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This mission formally introduces various logistics units and the Repair Pad.

The Ix are in the bottom left and the Harkonnen are directly north. Steer clear of the Fremen in the center.

Going too close to the Fremen Sietch or large camps will trigger hostility. As for the Harkonnen, feel free to scout their base before you reveal your true allegiance, but know that the longer you delay on reaching the Ix, the later it will be that you get an MCV for base construction. The Harkonnen will turn hostile after some time, or after you discover the Ixian Research Center.

If you wish to support your starting base more closely, consider taking the MCV the Ix give you to one of the rock islands south of there. Setting up on the west end of the map is quite viable as well since not only will any Fremen that survive the initial skirmishing be an obstacle between the Harkonnen and you, but you can then stage attacks more easily against the Harkonnen harvesting ops in that direction, or against the west side of their base.

Whichever you choose, focus on defense until your economy is stable. Turrets and infantry make an effective combination. For an early boost to your economy, salvage the Harvester on the central west side of the map.

If you've been building Quads at your starting position and your other defenders don't need their help, go Harvester hunting with them. The Harkonnen have Harvesters all over the place and taking them down will drastically weaken their ability to carry out fierce offensives or defend themselves adequately when you finally attack.

The Harkonnen base is massive. Most of their turrets are autoguns, so a force comprised of armored Combat Tanks and Quads will best be able to advance through their base. As usual, Grenadiers would make good support for that force and be able to clear out the enemy walls, or use those walls to their advantage. As long as your economy is stable, you can keep churning out units and keep the pressure up. The Harkonnen will fall eventually, and when they do, victory is yours.

S06V1: Shipping and Handling
Await your smuggled deliveries, then crush the Atreides and Harkonnen.

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SPLASH: An Ordos Deviator prototype arrives in Habbanya Erg.

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MISSION INTEL:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Keep the smuggler Starport intact until Deviator prototypes arrive.
• 2. Scavenge the Atreides and Harkonnen bases for similar tech.
• 3. Exterminate the Atreides, Harkonnen, and Imperial forces.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This mission formally introduces Duelist Tanks, the Starport, and LRA, AKA Long-Range Artillery.

The mercs will hold the line for now, so sort your economy first. Get a Heavy Factory up to produce Harvesters. The starting Munitions Silos can be cleared out with force-fire to create pockets where new Refineries can be placed. There's also a salvageable MCV wreck on the southeast rock island. Claim it with your starting Raiders or be prepared to take down an Imperial expansion after they repair it themselves.

Next, build an Outpost and a High Tech Factory. There's a tech branch from there you'll want to be aware of: Upgrade the Heavy Factory only and you'll gain access to MCVs and, together with the High Tech Factory, Siege Tanks. If you instead dedicate your funds towards the High Tech Factory upgrade and a Research Center after that, you'll be able to build Duelist Tanks.

Duelist Tanks make the mercs' lines tougher to break and you can support them further with Grenadiers. Troopers could complement Siege Tanks, but keep them a little off to the side rather than directly at the frontline. Both combinations can succeed in holding off the enemy for long enough, so take your pick and stick with it. Going for both at once, at least early on, will only starve you of funds.

You could also build an MCV or train an Engineer (which can be ordered to capture an allied structure with force-fire) and set up turrets on the mercs' land. You can't take those turrets on offense when the situation is stable there though, or relocate if another part of the base is falling. Account for those disadvantages if you try this strategy.

Though the Starport is available, units purchased there are MORE expensive, not less. Further improve your economy before you build one, or a Light Factory for that matter. The terrain doesn't favor LAVs, so you'll find it hard to use them effectively in defense of the merc base. However, you should have a Starport before the timer runs out or shortly after it does. The smugglers will handle all your deliveries themselves if you've given them nowhere to land.

Once the deliveries start showing up, throw bodies at the enemy until they're destroyed. The only things you might have to watch out for are that Atreides Sonic Tank and the spare MCVs in the enemy bases you could hit with Deviator missiles. Have fun!

S06V2: Breaking the Blockade
Flank and shatter an Imperial bastion to deliver the Ordos their weapons.

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SPLASH: Imperial forces shoot down an Ordos Freighter onboard a Guild Heighliner.

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MISSION INTEL:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. The main Imperial ConYard must fall within the hour.
• 2. All Imperial forces on the Heighliner must be defeated.
• 3. Do not allow Durant's Command Center to be destroyed.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This mission formally introduces Duelist Tanks, the Starport, and LRA, AKA Long-Range Artillery.

Get acquainted with the environment while Summers and Durant finish their chat, and while your starting Refinery is automatically placed in a good spot (assuming you don't interrupt that). The most important thing to note is that your means of generating funds have changed somewhat. Controlling Mass Deposits and saturating them with Harvesters is of paramount importance! You can assign Harvesters permanently to Mass Deposit pads by selecting them, ordering them to dock at the nearby Refinery (you don't have to wait for the Harvester to actually dock there, merely giving the order is sufficient), and then ordering them to the Mass Deposit pad you want them to occupy. Three Harvesters is enough to fully saturate your starting Mass Deposit. Put down another Refinery to gather the crates, but don't waste your funds on too many extra Harvesters to do that. Two is a fine number to use there since they can then be reassigned and the extra Refinery sold once another Mass Deposit is claimed.

There are a lot of goodies near your starting position, such as bonus vehicles or structures to capture. Scout around before you anger the Guild. Taking the Research Center to the right will give you access to Duelist Tanks without needing to upgrade your High Tech Factory. You could instead use your starting Engineer to take the Refinery just above your LZ for extra funds and a good position for a defense line.

Get an Outpost and then a High Tech Factory up anyway since, in addition to the Heavy Factory upgrade, a High Tech Factory is Siege Tanks' other prerequisite. Also, you can build a Starport off the Outpost.

If you're not trying anything weird with the right side of the deck, your goal should be to head straight up from your LZ until you reach the Imperial Reactors in the top left corner. LAVs will have trouble navigating during the early stages of this mission, so you should focus on producing infantry, armor, and LRA. Mass Duelist Tanks and/or Siege Tanks work really well. Keep your armor in front, LRA in the back, and the strong formation will be able to chew through the swarms of Imperial LAVs and infantry.

As with the turret wall over the bridge in the lower-central area, stay clear of the turret wall to the right of the Imperial support base until the Reactors are down.

LAVs have much more freedom to move around after the central Imperial base is accessible, so be producing some while you're cleaning up the top left base. Rally all forces to the center, clearing any Imperial units that still pose a threat along their path, and take out the ConYard to complete your mission.

This battle isn't over yet though. As soon as the mission is complete, the mercs will turn on you. The Command Center in the top right is still mission-critical, so don't go rushing to destroy it! Now would be a good time to check the bottom right and see if there are any goodies you can pick up there. Continue rallying forces to the center of the map, or expand there and start recruiting units locally, before attacking either merc base.

Clear a path for an Engineer to take the Command Center. You're done when the Imperials are defeated and Durant is in custody.

S07V1: The Traitor
Prove that your vision is the future of the smugglers of Arrakis.

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SPLASH: A rock dragon devours a sand mouse at Hole-in-the-Rock.

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MISSION INTEL:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Fortify your base in southeast Hole-in-the-Rock.
• 2. Capture or destroy Sumadi's Command Center.
• 3. Defeat all loyalist forces.
• 4. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUNS:

This mission formally introduces Stealth Raiders, Autogun Tanks, Deviators, and Rocket Turrets. You'll be up against a unique array of stealth units and have access to some mercenary tech, such as heavy Combat Tanks and RPG Quads. And, Summers has a new command unit.

Try using Summers' new command unit in assassin mode to stealthily nab the two crates to the west of your starting position. There's one near a Harvester wreck and another near a Carryall wreck.

Get a Refinery or three built before teching up to the Research Center (Outpost, High Tech Factory, HTF upgrade, Research Center). Rocket Turrets' 7 tile range is insanely powerful! You can keep your Harvesters fairly safe by deploying an MCV near one of the chokes leading into your base and piling some Rocket Turrets there. It's safe to keep Summers' command unit in front of Rocket Turrets in bastion mode, at least until you build some Autogun Turrets to support them. You don't have to fortify whichever direction you're going to push with your units, although it does help to expand and create new turret lines for your forces on offense to fall back to if they gets overwhelmed. Then you can push out again from that position closer to the enemy.

Anyway, regarding Rocket Turrets and Autogun Turrets, Autogun Tanks and Missile Tanks represent a similar combination and, together, form quite a powerful frontline. Autogun Tanks may not have the well-rounded damage of Duelist Tanks, but they're even tougher to destroy! You can also use Deviators in place of Missile Tanks, although that combination will only be able to handle enemy units. For breaking apart the enemy bases, keep Grenadiers and Siege Tanks ready behind your armor.

Note that your reinforcement drops will automatically rally at your primary ConYard. If you are bringing MCVs along with your offensive, use that to your advantage.

There are three enemy lieutenants scattered around, but your main objective is to defeat Sumadi at the top of the map. Killing him means the loyalist forces will fight to the end. Sparing him by capturing his Command Center will compel the loyalist forces to stand down. Likewise, capturing the Construction Yards of the loyalist lieutenants will make them withdraw their forces from the battle.

The base in the southwest focuses on tanks. East, on stealthed LAVs. The northern bases use a solid unit composition you'll just have to overwhelm with your own. The fastest way to Sumadi is directly up along the east side of the map.

Whether you head through the southwest or eastern bases, the center of the map becomes accessible. Consider approaching the last enemy lieutenant's base from the western or central angles. More Wind Traps and the ConYard are on that side. Going straight for the factories in the center works too though. Once the Cannon Turrets and outer walls are broken, send your Quads straight through to snipe all their Rocket Turrets.

Once Sumadi is captured or all his forces are defeated, victory is yours.

S08V1: Mercenary
Slaughter the union of Fremen and Sardaukar in service to House Ordos.

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SPLASH: Summers' forces engage the Atreides at Bilar Slopes.

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MISSION INTEL:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Defeat all enemy forces in Bilar Slopes.
• 2. The Ordos must not be defeated.
• 3. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This mission formally introduces special forces, like the Saboteur.

As usual, get a Heavy Factory and another Refinery or two up ASAP. If you want to be really aggressive, you can order an MCV from the Starport and set up turrets on the island to the west. Doing that also means your Harvesters have some safe fields to roam in, and you have another place to set up some more Refineries.

To get Rocket Turrets, build a High Tech Factory, upgrade it, and then build a Research Center. They're expensive and take a while to build, so keep some tanks in front of them until you reach a critical mass. Siege Tanks or Autogun Turrets complement them nicely, and they can snipe Ornithopters bombing your base. Unlike the clump you might build to fend off enemy tanks, they work best against Ornithopters being spread out. Scatter a few around your base to reduce the effectiveness of enemy bombers.

Upgrade your High Tech Factory a second time to gain access to the Palace. Saboteurs can strike out even when your main force isn't ready yet, create openings for your main force, or severely weaken enemy attacks if they explode in the middle of a clump of their units. They are much more versatile and effective than vanilla Saboteurs. Give them a try!

Once your defenses are sorted, your first goal should be taking down the small Imperial expansion to the west. Additional allied forces will show up to assist once it's cleared out. Either finish that base off with overwhelming force, bring an MCV to set up a turret line on the north end, or be prepared to reinforce the position once the mercs arrive. Although they're not mission critical, having them around to throw bodies at the enemy is helpful.

All of the enemy Rocket Turrets are powered by the Imperial base in the top left. Keep going northwest from the Imperial expansion after the mercs arrive and you'll get there. Taking them down first will greatly diminish the standing forces at the Fremen and Atreides bases.

Even while the Rocket Turrets are active, you could use Saboteurs to break the nasty formation around the center of the map. The Sonic Tank, two Autogun Turrets and Rocket Turret all piled up next to each-other there are deceptively tough to brute force. Collapsing the eastern Sietch opens another path too. Create these openings for your allies to take advantage of while you work on the Imperials' main base.

Keep rolling the snowball until all enemies are defeated, and victory shall be yours.

S09V1: All-Out at Alazor Steppe
Stand between House Ordos and their three mightiest foes.

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SPLASH: A lone Shotgunner stands in awe of the Death Hand.

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MISSION INTEL:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Establish a proper base once your MCV arrives.
• 2. Defend House Ordos' primary base.
• 3. Destroy Giraud's Command Center.
• 4. Defeat all enemy forces.
• 5. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This defense-oriented mission wraps up the first half of the campaign.

Have a look around at all the revealed terrain and build a couple of Raiders and some Quads until your MCV shows up. Take the Raiders to the bottom left corner immediately to salvage the Harvester wrecks in the area. They can be put to work at your first Refinery on the island west of your starting location.

Similarly to S08V1, you're tasked with defending an ally while they build up. Get the ConYard upgraded while you get your economy rolling with a Heavy Factory and some Refineries. When you can build Autogun Turrets, line some up at your starting area and send some heavy Combat Tanks to reinforce. This is a solid composition to work with at first.

The Quads you've been spamming can perform the typical LAV duties of scouting, responding where needed, Harvester hunting, assisting the Ordos with an attack... They'll have a field day eating the slow Imperial Tyrant Tanks, Harkonnen Devastators, and various enemy LRA in the no-man's-land between your defense line and the Harkonnen's. Pull them back if they look outmatched or get targeted by the enemy.

Durant's mercs have access to RPG Quads and traditional Missile Tanks, as you may recall from S07V1. Though RPG Quads are quite versatile, be aware that they have disadvantages in cost, build speed, and movement speed compared to standard Quads. If you build some, take advantage of their ability to provide backline support! They work well grouped up with LRA or other LAVs.

It will take a while to build up enough to carry out a meaningful offensive. When Summers sends word from Shield Wall, know that the enemy will no longer be receiving reinforcements from there. While your options for early aggression are limited, you have a few: The Harkonnen Rocket Turrets along the cliffs are easy pickings for some Grenadiers or Siege Tanks. The Imperial expansion on the east end of the map is not very well defended, and if you help the Ordos blast through that, they can start boring into the main Atreides base. There's a back way into one layer of the Harkonnen base on the west side of the map. And, you have access to Saboteurs, which can create openings regardless of how ready or not your main force is.

If you've been protecting them, the Ordos will eventually send some truly fearsome attacks. Join up with them and smash whatever they're targeting! Victory shall be yours once all enemies are defeated.

S09V2: Shield Wall Showdown
Stage a daring sneak attack on the deepest Imperial territory to assassinate Emperor Corrino.

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SPLASH: Imperial forces amass before the Golden Lion Throne.

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MISSION INTEL:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Blitz the weak Imperial expansion and capture all you can.
• 2. Raze the base on the northern end of your starting island.
• 3. The Ordos must not be defeated once they arrive.
• 4. Defeat all enemy forces.
• 5. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This offense-oriented mission wraps up the first half of the campaign.

Feel free to let your units do their own thing for the start. The Engineers will automatically run for every building in the enemy base and your forces will do their best to clear out the enemies.

You start with an insane 30k Solaris, so don't obsess over your economy. Get it started, sure, put a Refinery on the southern and/or western ends of the rock island you claim, order some more Harvesters from the Starport, but up your production and churn out Troopers and medium Combat Tanks. Your first goal is to wipe out the Imperial base you share an island with. The longer it takes for them to go down, the tougher this mission is going to get!

That said, don't throw your units away. If you rush them in and lose them all, that stop to your advance will be deadly as you have no time to recover. Position your armor and LRA just beyond their defenses and push forward bit by bit. There are no sandworms in Shield Wall, so feel free to squat on the sands as much as you'd like. Use your Stealth Raiders to scout their base or gnaw on their Harvesters. Snipe Atreides Sonic Tanks or Harkonnen Devastators with Missile Tanks. Have your Siege Tanks target Munitions Silos before sending the Combat Tanks in. Get an Outpost and High Tech Factory up back in your base so you can train Sardaukar and build Flame Tanks from the captured Imperial factories.

Flame Tanks are uniquely efficient at eating up internal base structures and pair rather well with Quads. Just don't try to use them as frontline units or against turrets; they operate more like LAVs than armor. While you push ahead with a force of armor and LRA, or a mass of Sardaukar, clearing out enemy units and turrets, they can devour things like Wind Traps, factories or Refineries behind them.

The enemy will firesale when they can no longer put up a fight. Withdraw to your base if necessary to hold out against the wave of Sardaukar. Once they're defeated, you'll finally receive some help from Moriaen and Durant. The Ordos are mission-critical, but the mercenaries are not. Still, it helps to keep them alive since they spam those tough heavy Combat Tanks, and Troopers. Send all your forces forward and take up position in front of your allies! Defending them will mean a more powerful offense before long.

Now would be a good time to tech all the way up and bolster your economy. Place some Rocket Turrets ahead of your allies to relieve your units. They can be repaired and used to assist the Ordos or mercenaries when they're ready to attack, or sent elsewhere.

The beginning of this mission is truly the toughest part. After your snowball gets rolling, roll through all enemies on the map and kill the Emperor. Then, victory shall be yours.

S10V1: Screaming in Silence
Eradicate infighting traitors to ensure unrest doesn't spread.

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SPLASH: Summers' forces tread through carnage at Chin Rock.

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MISSION INTEL:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Annihilate all smuggler and Ordos forces.
• 2. Protect the OSO Frequency Jammer.
• 3. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

Your tech tree sees a couple of changes starting on this mission: No more light Combat Tanks, Duelist Tanks or Deviators. Your Heavy Factories now produce heavy Combat Tanks and Missile Tanks.

This is a step down in difficulty from the prior missions, but don't get careless. Take some Raiders scouting. Bring enough to combat the enemy Stealth Raiders scattered around. Get a Heavy Factory up and send an MCV east to harvest from the Spice fields there. Your next MCV can go south of the Frequency Jammer to set up turrets and factories closer to the enemy.

If your scouts wind up being chased by an enemy attack, run them towards the other enemy's base to let them handle it for you. That is, if you don't mind losing the scouts in the process.

There will be some Carryall drops targeting your forces while you build up. Summers will call them out if you've built an Outpost to detect them. They're not very dangerous, but the enemy will follow up, so be on your guard. Keep building up until you feel confident striking out.

The Ordos expansion overlooks their main base. It's certainly the best target if you go for the Ordos first. Overwhelm it with heavy armor, then put some LRA or Rocket Turrets around where their expansion ConYard was. They'll cover your approach on the east side of the map, where you can chip away at a Wind Trap cluster and their main ConYard.

Burke's base is wide open on the side facing the Ordos. A few Saboteurs prying the defenses there open can make headway for your main force or help the Ordos attack effectively. The choke on the north side is tougher to breach than it might appear! You can squat some LRA and armor out there until an opportunity to push in presents itself.

Unlike on prior missions, all enemy units in addition to their structures must be exterminated to achieve victory. Kill them all!

S11V1: Phantom Penance
Establish a Spice mining base among abandoned ruins.

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SPLASH: A shadow stalks Qanat Pass.

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MISSION INTEL:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Scout Sietch Qanat. Kill all hostiles.
• 2. Scout a suitable location for a base.
• 3. Establish a mining base.
• 4. Harvest 15,000 Solaris.
• 5. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

Remember the strengths of infantry and LAVs? This mission will remind you. Your goal is to harvest Spice, so the only tech you have access to is light. It's not like you'll need anything heavier...

Nothing happens until you get your MCV, which is delivered when you scout two specific locations: The Sietch and the southwest corner of the Atreides' island. Take your time and explore the edges of the map as much as you'd like before finding those around its center if you're more comfortable doing it early as opposed to while building up your base.

You'll need to scrounge up some extra cash to afford your first Refinery. The three crates on the map are at the Harvester wreck above the Harkonnen Wind Trap, the Carryall wreck below the ruins of the Atreides base, and the other Harvester wreck to the right of the Atreides base. A fourth cash crate is hidden in the bulk Freighter along with a couple of Flame Tanks.

When your MCV arrives, build one extra Wind Trap if you'd like and then your first Refinery. You may need to build your second Refinery and second Harvester from the Heavy Factory one at a time to avoid depleting your funds. Try to get at least two Refineries occupied by two Harvesters each before you pivot to recruiting additional defenders.

The key to this mission is simplification. It can seem very chaotic if you're just moving all your units around in a big clump to respond to attacks wherever they come, but they will come from many angles. Keep your LAVs handy for that purpose, as usual. Use them to snipe dangerous things like Siege Tanks and Sonic Tanks. However, keep your slow infantry out of that! Position clumps of them near the turrets. Build up walls around those turrets if possible. Your incidental units should fall in to similarly suitable roles: The RPG Quads, medium Combat Tanks and Flame Tanks can roll around together or with your standard LAVs. The Sonic Tank can squat behind any of the turrets as support.

Don't be shy about spending funds even though your goal is to accrue Spice. Have enough men for every station.

Additional turrets can be spawned once an Engineer contacts Summers about it. Simply send Summers to one of the marked locations, have your ConYard intact, have at least 2,000 Solaris, and don't be standing directly on top of the spawn points, and the turrets will spawn! They make a useful forward position to fall back to or reinforce your attackers from if exploring the caves nearby.

You don't have to, but venturing into the Sietch network can yield you some rewards. Not only does every Fremen Camp reward funds when destroyed, but there are abandoned Missile Tanks you can nab. There are two in the west cave, three in the southeast, and three in the northwest. Killing Fremen means you have less to deal with in the final waves, too. Summers is capable of handling everything in the Sietch network herself. That doesn't mean you shouldn't keep backup nearby though... just in case.

Special attacks come at 5,000 Solaris and 10,000 Solaris. At 15,000, all funds will be transferred and you'll have to fend off the final waves, which include everything still present on the map that you haven't killed yet. Use Grenadiers against the Fremen and Quads against the Siege Tanks and Sonic Tanks. Troopers can handle the Combat Tanks and Devastators well.

If all else fails, your Engineers can throw together some scrap Flame Tanks at your Heavy Factory if you build a High Tech Factory. There's also a secret easy mode on this mission - destroy the Sietch under the Harkonnen base and Summers will snap out of it at least somewhat, reducing the difficulty of some of the waves.

Victory is yours once the darkness is repelled.

SBON2: The Ghola Gambit
Fend off the Tleilaxu with Durant's help, and investigate their insidious endeavors.

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SPLASH: Ghola Troopers survey the ruins of the Golden Lion Throne.

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MISSION INTEL:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Await the mercenary Engineers.
• 2. Restore Sabre Durant's base.
• 3. Capture an Axlotl Tank.
• 4. Train various gholas.
• 5. Defeat the Tleilaxu.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This mission starts you off at low tech. You have to snowball to tech up and crush the enemy.

After the merc Engineers arrive, get them into buildings you want at the merc base. The Heavy Factory can't build Combat Tanks yet, but you'll want it for Harvesters anyway. Try to hold your starting location so your Harvesters can go about their business without being harassed by the Tleilaxu.

There are no sandworms in Shield Wall. Squat on the sands as often as you'd like.

Your goal after receiving your tech-up and first set of reinforcements should be taking the center of the map. There's a Starport and some extra factories on the left side of the map that might help. You can cut the Tleilaxu off by holding the path down to their Barracks, or rally forces south of their Barracks until you have enough to push past them. You must capture a Tleilaxu Barracks to tech up again, so whatever you do, don't destroy the two on the central island! Capture one of them! This will grant you access to the top tiers of your tech tree, in addition to Tleilaxu gholas.

Keep a ConYard at the central island set to primary. This will cause all reinforcement drops sent by Durant to automatically rally there.

If you still have any Saboteurs left over, use them to create an opening in the main enemy base. There are quite a few infantry-only paths, but there's only one for vehicles, and it's well-guarded with a few Rocket Turrets. Even weakening the walls near them would be an advantage for your vehicles as you try to push through that choke.

If you'd prefer to use one of the infantry-only paths, keep one secure with LRA while you amass a good amount of gholas. The LRA can continue to provide cover and fire support for your infantry force as they tread up your selected path. Remember, all infantry can self-heal, and gholas are tough to kill! Withdraw them temporarily if they need a break.

Once the Tleilaxu are defeated, and after you've trained a variety of gholas for data-gathering purposes, victory is yours.

S12V1: False Pretenses
Rescue prisoners of war from the clutches of mysterious unknown enemies.

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SPLASH: Summers' Devastator reserves are imprisoned at False Wall.

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Rescue the OSO Devastators.
• 2. Clear the region of enemy forces.
• 3. The OSO Devastators must survive.
• 4. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

You'll have to break some heavily fortified enemy bases on this mission.

Since the enemy is turtled up and will send some pretty fierce attack waves, start amassing LRA and build an extra MCV behind your initial defenses. Train a couple of Engineers as well. You may need to relocate your forward Harvesters to the back so they can safely do their job. Scout around with your Raiders so you can see the bounds of your starting area and what's coming your way. When you receive your first reinforcements, move up to the island with the two Mining Rigs.

Mining Rigs grant 25 Solaris per 5 secs, or 300 Solaris per minute, each. As long as they have over 50% HP, that is. That's not much compared to your Harvesters, but in this situation, everything counts. Capture those, deploy your MCV, and get some turrets up to put your LRA behind. Until then, the walls at the ruins will provide a little cover.

Don't discount Autogun Turret spam even if you've decided to amass Siege Tanks over Missile Tanks. They're inexpensive, build fast, provide good cover, and complement other common units like Troopers, Quads, and Combat Tanks. Rocket Turrets are pricey and if you try to amass them before a position is secure, they could be overwhelmed and your Solaris wasted.

Securing the island isn't just for the rigs. You can now harvest safely from the fields in front of your starting base. Build some more Refineries there before fleshing out your tech tree the rest of the way.

As on S09V1, Saboteurs will be useful for creating openings you can exploit when you're ready later. There are also side paths around or between the lightly-colored enemy bases you could take. Even if it's only with a swarm of Quads, you might find some enemy Harvesters to chew up and give your main force an advantage later. Your goal is in the northwest corner, which can be reached straight through the center of the map. Stationing some units at the center of the map to keep it secure helps regardless of which base you'd like to attack first.

The furthest enemy base is little more than a wall of turrets. Sneak Summers in assassin mode up to the Rocket Turrets on the ridges so she can handle those and the accompanying Deviators herself. She can't be deviated. Having those ridges clear will give your main force more space to navigate safely around the enemy base and find a good angle of attack. Coming from the southwest, you'll plow right through their factories. The northeast, their Wind Trap cluster. Destroy the Rocket Turret near the imprisoned Devastators to free them.

The other two bases can be destroyed fairly easily if you go for the throat and unleash the Devastators. You've gotten rid of the enemy Deviators, their hard counter, and have fifteen monster tanks to work with. The other two bases also have Wind Traps at their rear, which are easy to hit coming from the northwest angle.

If you want to plow through one or both of the side bases first, you'll have to be a little more methodical. The southwest base has a vulnerable ConYard along its eastern edge, but it's guarded by enemy Cannon Turrets and Missile Tanks. Grenadiers or your own LRA should handle those while you guard their flanks with armor. After that, push in either from the center of the map or from the southeastern choke, where their Repair Pad is. Saboteurs can help get rid of their defenses, such as that inconvenient Sonic Tank, if you're having trouble penetrating into the base.

The northeastern enemy base is fairly well guarded with Rocket Turrets along the cliffs leading into it. You're most likely going to find approaching from the center of the map, or up the path along the eastern edge, more favorable. Its Refineries are fairly exposed along the eastern edge. Coming from the center, you can take out their tech buildings before hitting their main Wind Trap cluster. Again, Saboteurs can help reduce the risk to your main force by stealthily eliminating threats. The Cannon Turrets and Sonic Tanks guarding the eastern path would make great targets.

Keep at least one Devastator safe and defeat the enemy to finish this map and achieve victory.

S13V1: Lightning Round
Destroy the unknowns and Ordos in a fast-paced LAV-centric skirmish.

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SPLASH: A Shock Raider zaps a merc Quad in Almiraz Graben.

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MISSION INTEL:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Establish contact with Sabre Durant.
• 2. Defeat all enemies in Almiraz Graben.
• 3. Durant and his forces must survive.
• 4. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

You command two factions on this light tech mission.

Head north and help Durant clean up the problems around his base. He'll give you an MCV, which will head straight for the central island by default. Send it elsewhere if you prefer. You don't have to select the perfect place for the whole map since there's another MCV you could salvage on the east side. Wherever you go, prepare to deal with some annoying enemy reinforcement drops while you build up.

Although your enemies will fight each-other, don't underestimate them. The Ordos will recruit infantry in droves and the unknowns' unique tech will be a problem. Keep your armor formed up near your important stuff to prevent the enemy Shock Raiders and Flame Tanks from eating it in a blink. Some early Shotgunners and Troopers would be a wise investment to cover more of your base as you expand it.

When Durant offers to 'select him if you need him for something,' you can control both his forces and Summers', and swap between them freely by selecting your ally's units or structures. You don't have to use this system at all, but it's there if you want it. You can group Summers and Durant and use the power of both hero units simultaneously, tell your ally's units to take up positions near an enemy base rather than throw themselves at their defenses, or set up multiple factories to boost your ally's production.

You still have access to Stealth Raiders or RPG Quads if you build a High Tech Factory. A limited amount of Autogun Turrets are available, too. Do with that what you will.

When you're ready to attack, the unknowns' Rocket Turret nest makes a great first target. Use Summers and Durant to handle all the enemy Grenadiers there, then head up the infantry-only path with Troopers and Shotgunners to take out all the turrets. Cover those infantry with your RPG Quads or a small group of Grenadiers.

Despite the advantages Grenadiers have around that plateau, it won't last. The plateau will be bombarded from orbit after the Rocket Turrets are gone, collapsing the cliffs and flattening it completely. Their Harvesters are also out in front of their base. Those factors combined with the enemy's preference for fast, close-range units like Shock Raiders and Flame Tanks makes mass Troopers easier to work with around their base. Have your Troopers rally on infantry rock near the base while your LAVs wander and eliminate as many Harvesters as you can find, then approach. Take out the factories on the south side or the Refinery and Outpost on the east.

The unknowns eventually get reinforcements from Bidriyah Sink instead of the Ordos. Taking them out quickly enough, or at least taking out their Outpost, means you deal with as few of their deliveries as possible.

The Ordos' reinforcements are also tied to their Outpost. If you went for the unknowns first though, the Ordos' Outpost is probably a meaningless target by the time you get to them. The plateau it's on, however, is very important. The Ordos produce many Shotgunners and Troopers but make very little use of Grenadiers. Pivot to mass Grenadiers at your own Barracks and use that plateau to your advantage! The Ordos' Raiders will be the real threat, so position any armor you have left on the southern side of that island to protect the route to your Grenadiers. You can move them up the infantry-only path when you're ready to attack the Ordos.

If you went for the unknowns first, the northwestern path into the Ordos base is safe to use. Your infantry can flank the enemy via the path on the north end of the plateau. Taking the southeastern route means you'll butt heads with two Ordos Barracks and their Light Factory. It's a perfectly viable path as well; you'll simply be frontloading the pain.

Defeat the unknowns and the Ordos to achieve victory.

S13V2: Shrouded Skies
Wrest old Atreides air bases from the hands of the Ordos and mercenaries.

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SPLASH: Atreides Ornithopters fly over Bidriyah Sink.

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MISSION INTEL:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Establish a stronger base in Bidriyah Sink.
• 2. Prepare against airstrikes sent by the enemy.
• 3. Secure and protect at least one Atreides HTF.
• 4. Annihilate all enemy forces.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This light tech mission throws airstrikes at you.

Tempting though it may be to deploy your MCVs immediately for the build speed bonus, you have limited access to turrets on this mission and may want to use them at a forward position near an enemy base. Save at least one MCV for the island closest to you. You can put some Refineries there!

Scout around while you focus on teching up at least until you can produce gholas. Those become available with a doubly-upgraded Barracks and a High Tech Factory. They're your most efficient combatants on this mission thanks to their hardiness and well-rounded damage. Focus on maximizing your infantry production first, but continue expanding your tech to make Shock Raiders and Flame Tanks available while you ready an infantry force for an attack. You'll need those faster vehicles to provide cover for your gholas.

The first air base to sortie an airstrike is the one in the bottom left. The central base follows, and then the top right. I recommend attacking swiftly to take either the bottom left Control Node or the central one before the airstrikes start to ramp up. A clump of gholas kept in good health can handle either of those. Take the bottom left first to earn a friendly airstrike ASAP, but it makes only the Ordos' expansion a viable target. Taking the central air base first provides the most map control and enables more routes of attack.

The Ordos have two bases on the left side of the map, and the mercs, one base on the right. They will eventually ally with each-other out of desperation after you make enough progress.

Any turrets left intact at an air base will become friendly when the attached Control Node goes down. Make sure you fortify whichever air bases you take with Grenadiers or reinforcement Sonic Tanks near the turrets! Don't give the enemy the opportunity to overwhelm them, or you, when they decide to group up.

The mercenary base is a viable target before going for any of the air bases, if you prefer to go for one of your enemies first. You can approach it from the southeast. The southwestern Ordos base is a comfortable target after the bottom left or central air bases are taken, but is possible to hit first too. Choose your targets based on what adjacent spots you've already secured. That way you can take full advantage of any orbital artillery support and use the secured locations as rally points.

My only other advice for this mission is on the use of Shock Raiders and Flame Tanks.

Both of those units have a short range. Flame Tanks are chiefly anti-infrastructure, and due to the size of buildings they'll have an easier time forming up around them than Shock Raiders do forming up around vehicles. Thus, use Shock Raiders in small numbers! Most of them will get to fire on their target that way. You'll also still want standard Raiders for enemy infantry and Quads for the enemy Autogun Turrets. Shock Raiders' speed and well-rounded damage make them versatile interceptors most useful for swarming and overwhelming stagnant targets like Cannon Turrets or Rocket Turrets, armored vehicles like Harvesters, or various enemy units over open terrain.

As for Flame Tanks, they are NOT armor, despite being tanks. They may be able to devour infantry with their flame weapons and by crushing them under their treads, but don't use them against Quads or fire-resistant structures like turrets or Silos. They're most useful rushing into the enemy base and eating up the meaty innards, such as factory structures, Refineries, or Wind Traps. Friendly airstrikes or orbital artillery bombardments will create openings they can easily exploit. They pair well with Quads, so you can group those together.

Annihilate every enemy and victory shall be yours.

S14V1: Baklawa Brawl
Engage the Tleilaxu alongside your allies in a massive tank battle over open terrain.

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SPLASH: Combat Tanks clash in Baklawa Flats.

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Secure the LZ and establish a base.
• 2. Defeat all enemy forces in the territory.
• 3. Your allies must not be defeated.
• 4. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

Your two factions have access to armor and logistics units again.

Select your starting Raiders and go scouting. There are some Sardaukar coffins in the center of the map you should grab. There are a couple more against the top and bottom sides of the map. Try to grab those too while you start building up.

Open for pure economy or early aggression: Assuming your Wind Traps are on concrete, it's Wind Trap, Refinery, Heavy Factory, Refinery for pure economy resulting in 300 power / 300 drain, or Barracks, Mini Wind Trap, Refinery, Wind Trap, Heavy Factory, Refinery for early aggression, resulting in 350 power / 350 drain. Either way, you wind up with a Heavy Factory to produce some extra Harvesters and Combat Tanks with. In the aggression build, you'll have some infantry to use with those Combat Tanks when your allies are ready to attack.

As on S13V1, you may give Durant's forces orders as well as Summers'. Durant's Duelist Tank has monstrous firepower and the same powerful regenerative capabilities as his Tyrant Tank. Their command units complement each-other while Summers is in bastion mode. Keep them close and they'll contribute enormously to the strength of your frontline.

This mission takes place on entirely flat terrain. Your first attack is best thrown against the enemy's frontal defenses since you won't have much mobility in your early unit composition, but after your economy is wound up and you have a Light Factory or three, Quads will have a field day. There isn't an enemy Harvester they can't reach. Your only concern is the huge amount of enemy units. Make sure to set up strong formations near where your Quads are doing their work for them to fall back to, either with slower units like heavy Combat Tanks and Grenadiers or with proxy Cannon Turret and Autogun Turret lines built using spare MCVs.

The enemy bases that are a threat are the central and northern ones. The southern base provides support with light tech. That makes the southern base the simplest to eliminate, but due to its proximity to the central base, you may prefer to handle that first. Its Wind Traps are protected only by some walls and turrets on its north side. Deploying an MCV on the island between the two large enemy bases is risky since you'll be sandwiched between the enemy's forces. Fortifying the island around the ruins at the center of the map allows you to concentrate your turrets on one side and launch attacks on the central base from very close to it.

The northern base's Wind Traps are situated right next to the ConYard on its left side, protected by walls and turrets. If you're hitting the central base from the north side, those same forces could then turn and hit the northern base from the south side. The HTF on the east end is fairly exposed though, and a row of Munitions Silos squats just behind it, so a frontal attack is quite viable as well. Just bring enough forces to capitalize on the vulnerability the destruction of those Munitions Silos will cause.

Defeat all the Tleilaxu and victory is yours.

S14V2: Coup de Grâce
Recover your zealous legions of Fremen Gholas and destroy what remains of the Ordos.

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SPLASH: An Ordos Autogun Tank occupies Sietch Galbana.

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Secure the first Sietch entrance and establish a base.
• 2. Defeat the Autogun Tanks at each Sietch entrance.
• 3. Collapse all caves so the Ordos learn nothing more.
• 4. Annihilate all Ordos forces in Galbana Depression.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

Your tech has advanced to match and overpower the enemy with.

Follow the Devastators closely, but don't go in front of them. The enemy will send a lot of Riflemen and you're better off letting the Devastators absorb the damage. They're only threatened by the Cannon Turrets near the Sietch. Once you get there, take them out swiftly! Defeating the Autogun Tanks in front of the Sietch will cause the first set of Fremen Gholas to come pouring out. They can easily clean up whatever remains of the Ordos' forces around the first Sietch. When that Sietch is destroyed, your MCV will arrive.

If you kept them safe, you can use the Devastators yourself now.

There's an extra Harvester hidden in the bottom left corner of the map. Send your Shock Raiders there to grab it before your first Refinery is built. As on S14V1, the pure economy or early aggression builds are good to start with: Assuming your Wind Traps are on concrete, it's Wind Trap, Refinery, Heavy Factory, Refinery for pure economy resulting in 300 power / 300 drain, or Barracks, Mini Wind Trap, Refinery, Wind Trap, Heavy Factory, Refinery for early aggression, resulting in 350 power / 350 drain. Either way, you wind up with a Heavy Factory to produce some extra Harvesters and Combat Tanks with. In the aggression build, you'll have infantry to support that armor.

All Sietches are revealed from the start. Build an Outpost to get a good look not only at where those are, but also a look at the targets of any friendly airstrikes. The Sietch closest to your LZ is directly north of it and fairly exposed. If you're being aggressive, go straight for that to double your Fremen Ghola count. Then you can take your pick of the western, central or eastern Ordos bases, or wait to strike whichever target gets the next air raid. Hopefully, that target isn't the furthest Ordos base in the northwest corner; though specific locations are targeted, the order in which those locations are targeted is randomized.

Fremen Warriors may not use power armor, but they are still expert survivalists who can regenerate to 100% health given some time. Allow yours to be at peak strength before you launch your next attack, if at all prudent; don't miss the opportunity an air raid might provide.

The eastern Ordos base is simply a threat and you could go for that first to dispose of it. If you're looking to roll your snowball to greater size, the Sietches at the small western outpost and the central base make those juicier targets. You could take advantage of the extra Fremen Gholas you'd receive from those to finish either enemy base with a less-than-sufficient force to start with. The western Ordos base is much weaker than the central one, so it could be a good target to hit next even though it's further from your LZ.

While you account for which Fremen Gholas you have yet to rescue and where the airstrikes fly, keep building light Combat Tanks and Ghola Troopers at your base. Rally them to attack positions and keep the pressure up. The Ordos will succumb to the overwhelming momentum.

Annihilate the enemy to achieve victory.

S15V1: Arsenal Immune
Raid a secluded Guild spaceport to discover their true plans.

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SPLASH: Summers' forces are hit by a Storm Lasher megaturret at Sihaya Ridge.

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Navigate around the plateau and clear the LZ.
• 2. Establish a base in southeast Sihaya Ridge.
• 3. Clear the territory of Spacing Guild forces.
• 4. The Storm Lasher at the LZ must survive.
• 5. Durant, his forces, and you must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This final mission commanding two factions introduces Storm Lasher megaturrets.

Group your Shotgunners and Gauss Troopers separately from your Grenadiers. Use your Grenadiers against the Wind Traps and enemy Grenadiers while your other infantry fight off the enemies in front of your forces on the path around the plateau. As long as you keep out of range of that Storm Lasher and move between Wind Traps while it's powered down, you'll arrive at the plateau safely.

After the enemy units are cleared out, the Storm Lasher powers back up and is friendly. Grab the Harvester to the left of the island and consider your options at the Starport after it's captured. You might want some LRA or armor early.

The enemy will send some pretty vicious attacks early on. Keep your Harvesters behind your base until you're strong enough to secure the area beyond the Storm Lasher's range. Until then, keep the enemy from advancing to the Storm Lasher and play within its range. There are plenty of walls to sit LRA behind, and you can fill in the openings with Combat Tanks.

You may need to relocate some mercenary Harvesters manually if they fly too far out. If you want to place Refineries closer to Spice fields, order an MCV from the Starport and check the bottom right corner of the map. Destroy the Munitions Silos against the cliff if you haven't already, then you can take the path those create to expand to that corner.

There are choke points leading up to the enemy base. They'll make it tough to breach their defenses, but until you've amassed a big enough army to do that, you can use them to your advantage by holding the enemy at those chokes. Place LRA along the cliffs and armor in front of the chokes to box them in. You can use both Summers' and Durant's units in combination if one alone doesn't have the numbers. If turrets are more comfortable, there are a few ridges between you and the enemy good for a forward base and some turret clusters.

The Starports in the top right make a good first target. The units that arrive there will assist the main base, making it harder to penetrate. You can also head along the path to the left of those Starports, approaching the main base at a new angle.

There's no way around fighting a few SLashers in the main enemy base. The first one is pretty inconvenient, firing on you before you've even hit their defenses. The secret to beating SLashers is knowing they always target the closest unit. While your main force is slowly pushing forward, eliminating the enemy units that attempt to impede them, take a heavy Combat Tank or two and rush them ahead. They'll soak shots and limit harm to your main force until you've pushed close enough to take the SLasher down.

Stealth Raiders work too. They're effective kamikaze weapons against SLashers that can reveal themselves close to enemy fortifications or Munitions Silos to make them kaboom their own base. SLasher's can't fire under 50% HP, meaning they can't blow themselves up, but that tactic is helpful for weakening the defenses between your forces and the megaturret.

Once the base is breached, rally all units there and crash through everything else with overwhelming force. The other SLashers after the first fall easily since they're relatively exposed. Destroy all enemy structures to defeat them and achieve victory.

S16V1: They Who Live
Protect Fremen and Sardaukar holdouts from the wretched swarms of Tleilaxu imitations.

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SPLASH: Summers' MCV arrives at the Battle of Grose Valen.

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Protect the Fremen and Sardaukar leaders.
• 2. Defeat all Tleilaxu forces in Grose Valen.
• 3. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This mission sees you allied with the Fremen and Sardaukar, surrounded by Tleilaxu on all sides.

I recommend the early Barracks build order for this mission: Barracks, Mini Wind Trap, Refinery, Wind Trap, Heavy Factory, Refinery for 350 power and 350 drain. Get another Mini / Wind Trap up somewhere in there just in case raining debris causes you problems. There's a space battle going on above you, so you're going to see some falling junk during the early stages of this battle.

With the early Barracks, you can recruit some defenders to help against the attacks from the left and the right. Get a couple of Engineers out when things have calmed down a bit and use them to repair the Mining Rigs near the Fremen base. That island makes a fine expansion location as well, not necessarily for Spice harvesting but for putting some factories or turrets near the Fremen.

Using this strategy, your first upgrades will be 2x Barracks for the Engineers and 1x Heavy Factory for the MCV. Passively train Shotgunners or Troopers and build Harvesters between those logistics units. Then, follow up your initial build order with an Outpost, Starport and High Tech Factory. You'll get help from Durant at the Starport, and the HTF is for Siege Tanks to support your allies.

With infantry and LRA around to help stabilize your allies' defenses, build some Light Factories. Your LAVs and the light Combat Tanks you get from Durant can quickly cross the map to help where they're needed, whether that's with an attack on an enemy base or in defense of one of your allies. Just don't approach one of the enemy bases with your lightly armored force. The SLashers will tear your units apart! Use them to take firm control of the map while you prepare a slower force more suited for breaching the enemies' defenses.

Alternatively, upgrade your High Tech Factory and keep your Outpost intact, and maybe you won't need the heavy armor to pierce one of the enemy bases. An airstrike with the Ornithopters you scrounged from the enemy base on the prior mission could take out a SLasher. There's also the Stealth Raider kamikaze tactic against SLashers, which is the other reason to build those Light Factories.

The two enemy bases on the north end of the map are weaker than the two on the south end. The northwestern one is protected by the plateau. Take a good amount of heavy Combat Tanks up the path to its upper right and flank them at the other entrance against the left edge of the map with your force of LAVs and light Combat Tanks. The northeastern one is on flatter terrain and can be breached with a more direct approach.

When the situation up north is handled, you and your allies should be able to carry out a strong offensive against the enemy bases down south. Similarly to the bases up north, the one in the southwest corner should be surrounded and penetrated from multiple angles. The one in the southeast corner is wide open from a straightforward angle, so a direct assault with a strong force can break its defenses.

Defeat all Tleilaxu forces and victory is yours.

S16V2: Adept Automata
Sabotage an enormous Dark Alliance tank production facility, and steal tanks for yourself.

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SPLASH: A SLasher megaturret defends the Guild Heighliner from mercenary boarders.

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Secure and protect at least one autofactory.
• 2. Destroy the main Guild base on this deck.
• 3. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This mission pits you against a Guild autofactory complex and an extremely fortified base.

The enemy will send early attacks from every angle, but their main base is directly up. Keep some mobile units ready to respond to attacks from the sides, but concentrate your defenses on the top side of your base while you prepare to strike out to the left or right.

There's a Mass Deposit, two Mass Extractors, packed Freighters, and a nearby armor depot to your right. To the left is two Mass Deposits and one of the autofactories you ought to hijack, guarded by a Storm Lasher megaturret. I suggest you secure the Mass Deposit to the right and capture those Mass Extractors first. While your Engineers convert the buildings you want, and while you get the new Mass Deposit saturated with Harvesters, continue to roam with your vehicles to the bottom edge of the map, and then a bit further up. You'll find those two Freighters you can loot for units along with that depot. Claim every light Combat Tank there!

Doing all that so early will net you a lot of vehicles to go throwing against the base to the left. Crash through any Rocket Turrets in your way, the Storm Lasher, and the standing enemy forces there, but don't harm the Heavy Factory. Destroy the Control Node in the bottom left corner and, just like S13V2, that Heavy Factory will flip allegiance and produce units that will help you.

Tech up if you haven't already. Sonic Tanks and RPG Quads are available! With the amount of bonus armor you get from docked Freighters, depots, and allied autofactories, I suggest focusing heavily on producing units like those. Especially for the final assault.

With the bottom of the map secure, you can focus on taking the top. Going straight upwards from your starting area will get you to the main Guild base, but go only as far as the bottom entrance to their base for now. They have layers of fortifications and two Storm Lashers in the center, making it pretty tough to crack. Build turrets there if you'd like to keep the enemy contained. Head left for a Freighter and another armor depot in the top left corner. You can get to the Control Node via the path against the left side of the map.

The last Heavy Factory on the right has a Freighter in the back to loot. The real reward is having all three Heavy Factories turned friendly. Rally forces at all three entrances to the main Guild base and, when the robot tanks go, you go too. They can't defend against an all-out assault from every angle. Try to destroy as many walls as possible to pry the base wide open for those robot tanks.

Victory is achieved when the main Guild base falls.

SBON3: Against the Storm
Defend stolen Storm Lasher technology from progressively stronger waves of enemies.

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SPLASH: Dark Alliance Combat Tanks are assailed from the high ground.

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Fend off all twenty-one waves of enemies.
• 2. Durant's ConYard must remain intact.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

This final bonus mission is a tower defense.

Build a Barracks and get about 20 Riflemen trained. Like Summers says, the first attacks come from the bottom right. For now, the enemy will only send infantry. Position those Riflemen next to the infantry-only path until Summers says enemy LAVs are incoming.

Move most of your Riflemen down to the vehicle path so they can fire on the enemy LAVs. Then, you'll probably want to upgrade your Barracks. Troopers will be able to handle the bullet-resistant enemies on wave 5. When Summers mentions that the next waves will come from the bottom path, relocate the majority of your forces once again to the bottom left area of your starting island.

Though it may seem strange, a Light Factory rather than a Barracks upgrade also works. Sell your Silos and put a Reactor in their place so you can keep your Barracks and have enough space for that Light Factory too. You should have enough funds, if you trained about 20 Riflemen, to not hit the cap and have enough for the Light Factory, its upgrade, and a few Raiders. The advantage of this strategy is that you'll receive some Carryalls to ferry those LAVs around two at a time with. This allows you to position them in places infantry simply cannot reach, like on the island with the Research Center. Even a small amount of Quads in the right places can be deadly!

When you get a new MCV at midfield, what you dump your funds into mostly depends on what you did earlier. Build a Barracks there no matter what! If you went for the Light Factory earlier, upgrade that Barracks now. If you upgraded your Barracks earlier, upgrade the ConYard instead. You'll be fielding lots of inexpensive infantry and supporting them either with turrets or LAVs.

Rush some Troopers out for the large amount of Combat Tanks coming your way, but run a few Grenadiers to the left infantry-only path too. Or, fly some Raiders over to the island with the Research Center. As for the Troopers, a couple of them between each turret slot on the central island is a good amount to have before the intermission is over. Spreading them helps even out the damage the enemies take.

Your second Refinery should also be built before the intermission is over.

Whether you're spamming RPG Quads or filling as many slots with Autogun Turrets as you can, you'll want more Grenadiers out on the lower and central islands ASAP. Stealth Raiders show up on unlucky wave 13. They're obviously not very dangerous to the ConYard, but letting enough of them through means those walls are going to get chipped. Position those Grenadiers near your other units and force-fire on the path with them early, and it'll be easier to maintain a perfect score. This is the other reason to spread your units out; stealth units are slippery and having many spots occupied, with Grenadier support, will ensure none slip through.

Enjoying turrets? Keep all your ConYards for the build speed, capture the Wind Traps on the central island and when the Engineer arrives to capture the Research Center, place some Rocket Turrets. Want some more versatile support? Build a Starport, sell the central ConYard for a 3x3 spot and the Research Center for funds, and order away. You'll have nothing but combat units at the Starport for this mission.

The two curveballs that usually wind up in leaks are waves 15 and 16, the Missile Tanks from the right and the Fremen Gholas from the left immediately after. Build a Barracks on the final island and quickly recruit many Riflemen, or Sardaukar Riflemen if you've finished the second Barracks upgrade by now. Relocate Troopers from the bottom edge of the central island to the top if you've fallen behind.

Before wave 16, set the Barracks on the central island to primary again and recruit lots of Grenadiers. Fly some RPG Quads out to the island with the Research Center if you can, or build some Autogun Turrets along the left infantry-only. Again, you may need to relocate some of your stealth detection Grenadiers on the central island if you don't have enough to deal with the amount of Fremen Gholas coming that way. Don't move them all though! You'll still need their support in case of stealth units in following waves.

Waves 18-20 are a whole lot of armor. Any Rocket Turrets you place anywhere, or anti-armor you order at the Starport, are great here. Make sure you train some Troopers or Sardaukar Troopers at the upper island before those Devastators come, too.

The final wave is one last curveball. The Saboteurs they send will tear up your defenses as they're killed. This is where long-range anti-infantry stuff like RPG Quads or Siege Tanks will shine. Even without those though, you should still have enough defenders by now to overwhelm that final wave despite the damage it might inflict to you.

Defeat wave 21 to achieve victory.

S17V1: The Ixian Godslayer
Protect the Ix' special weapon from stealthy Dark Alliance attacks at Wind Pass.

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SPLASH: Fremen Gholas encroach upon The Ixian Godslayer.

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Protect Aurelianus' research.
• 2. Defeat all Dark Alliance forces.
• 3. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

You may now access Storm Lashers to hold the Dark Alliance off an important Ixian Research Center.

Deploy your starting MCV on the left island if you'd prefer to build turrets to keep the enemy at bay. Deploy it on the right island if you plan to focus on unit production instead since it's larger, but off to the side. The only threatening attack that comes your way this early is a whole bunch of Saboteurs from the southwest. Use scattered infantry and Durant in phoenix mode against those.

You're cut off from attacking most of the enemy on account of their proxy bases close to the Ix, but you have some choke points to take advantage of as well. Near the left or lower two Mining Rigs are nice spots to position armor and LRA. The third Mining Rig in the sink on the right could use some scattered Grenadiers and some Sardaukar Elites on defense. Or, deploy an MCV next to it and use the island for Spice mining. Between the rigs and all the Spice around your starting territory, you should be able to ramp up production fast.

Although you start with that Imperial High Tech Factory, build your own. Yours will grant you access to Ornithopters and the Palace of Deceit. Between those, the Death Hand and the Imperial Palace making Sardaukar Elites available, you've got a lot of high tech toys.

The enemy favors long range units like Grenadiers, RPG Quads and Sonic Tanks. They can be frightfully effective against turret clusters! Fortunately, having both the ConYard and Research Center upgrades grants access to prototype Storm Lasher megaturrets thanks to the data you stole on the third bonus mission. Their insane range not only allows them to effectively cover other turrets on defense, but you can even poke enemy fortifications and defense forces from afar by building them near where you're carrying out your offensive.

LAVs counter LRA. If the enemy Sonic Tanks are proving troublesome, don't forget that sending a mess of Quads up close to them will make them easy pickings.

The three enemy bases around the center of the map are all governed by the same enemy group. You might be able to take the central sink where a Palace of Deceit is, but there's little difference in holding the enemy off at its southern choke versus its northern. Plus, if they put a stop to your offensive, you might be harassed by Autogun Turret spam at the island in the central sink. Since you'll want to crush all three of those proxy bases as quickly as possible, your best option for early aggression is in the northwest corner of the map.

Rush some armor southwest through the choke to the left of the Ix' Research Center to soak the SLasher shots while the rest of your force clashes with the enemy armor in front of their walls. Push right up to the SLasher when that armor falls, destroy it, and you'll have claimed yourself an island close to the enemy base. Though tiny, it's a good spot to deploy an MCV and build a Barracks and some turrets.

A decently sized clump of infantry heading up the northern infantry-only path can sabotage the power at the northwest base. Send in the Flame Tanks and Quads when it's down, eat the local defense forces and then the rest of the Wind Traps, then finish the rest of the base.

With the northwest base taken care of first, you can now send infantry and, one at a time over that thin bridge, vehicles to the left enemy proxy base. You should still focus your offensive on the sink in the center of the map, but having that extra angle will help you overwhelm their line of defense here. To finish it, head south from your eastern Mining Rigs and hit the SLasher from below the plateau. Rally at the rocks to the right of that plateau once the SLasher is down, push left past the Rocket Turret, and make them firesale.

There's yet another SLasher at the southeastern base. Repeat your performance at the plateau, hitting it from below the cliffs before you rally near the base entrances and then push onto the island. You could also circumvent it, coming at the southeastern base from the west where you can hit their factories and Wind Traps from outside the range of their SLasher. Either way, kill 'em 'til they firesale.

The final enemy base in the southwest has no safe Harvesters. Hunt those to drain both their funds and their defense forces when they come out to clash with your attackers. Then, the best way through their base is straight through their factory structures in the center.

Finish off the Dark Alliance in Wind Pass to achieve victory.

S17V2: Power Play for Keeps
Destroy a large Dark Alliance superweapons cache perched atop the Tsimpo Heights.

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SPLASH: The Dark Alliance launches a Death Hand.

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Seize land in Tsimpo Heights.
• 2. Defeat all Dark Alliance forces.
• 3. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

You may now access Storm Lashers to support your offensive against a Dark Alliance superweapons cache.

After the intro, finish the Wind Traps in the center and then split your units on the ones on the side. Their turrets are useless without power and not worth the time they take to destroy. When your Engineers show up, capture both ConYards, the Palace of Destruction and High Tech Factory, and the Light Factory and Barracks. Train another Engineer and you can capture the Repair Pad as well.

The only Spice at your starting area is on the north edge. All your Refineries should be placed up there for now.

Assuming you captured those things, build a couple of Wind Traps, throw on a Mini Wind Trap too if you took the Repair Pad, then place your first Refinery and Heavy Factory. While you build Harvesters at the Heavy Factory, follow up with one more Wind Trap, an Outpost, and then your second Refinery. That will be exactly 900 power and 900 drain (or 950/950), a fine place to start.

The reason for the fast Outpost is to get the airstrike started at your High Tech Factory. The enemy will be prepping their own Ornithopters and Death Hands, so you'll want to throw some back at them. Most likely starting with the proxy base just south of yours.

Although you don't have to keep the Palace of Destruction or High Tech Factory you start with intact, they are your fastest access to those special weapons. Keep your forces split at least for now, some on guard mode near the palace and some more on guard mode near the HTF. Form the Devastators up at the southern entrance. Build your own High Tech Factory to expand your options further and add insurance against the enemy stalling the preparation of your airstrike. An extra Outpost couldn't hurt either, but focus on production first.

The Research Center and its upgrade might also be of interest. Thanks to your successful defense of the Storm Lasher data on the third bonus mission, you have access to prototype Storm Lasher megaturrets on this mission. They provide long range support for your defenders or, if placed close enough to the enemy, can be used to poke their fortifications or defense forces. Place one on the southern end of your starting island and it can hit an enemy Rocket Turret at their proxy base there.

If you're struggling with funds, check to the west. There's a nice, big rock island that has a couple of Mining Rigs on it, assuming the Dark Alliance didn't go and destroy those just to deny you them. They can be real jerks on this mission.

The enemy's preference for destructive units on this mission warrants caution in how you move around. A squad of Shock Raiders can devour a clump of Combat Tanks before you know it. Stop often to return fire and maintain a strong formation so you're not overwhelmed.

Your first goal on offense should be the enemy proxy bases closest to you. The factories directly south of your starting island, the Refinery and munitions to the west, and ditto to the east. Again, your first Death Hand and set of Ornithopters are probably best used to snipe the closest proxy factories. With those cleared out, you're free to overwhelm the weak support bases with any available units.

The larger enemy bases are the main targets. The one to the southwest is fairly isolated and makes a good first target among the main bases. Coming at it from the western edge of the map will allow your units to take out their factories and Outpost, rendering their High Tech Factory useless and unable to generate airstrikes, without ever having to get in range of their Storm Lasher megaturret. Take their Refinery and Spice Silos too so their ConYard doesn't find the funds to rebuild with.

By taking out the western enemy base first, you have more options for approaching the central and southern bases. They each have a Palace of Destruction on their eastern ends, but you'll have to fight through the rest of their stuff to get there.

The central base is particularly vulnerable to a Flame Tank blitz due to its lack of walls and fairly open terrain, especially if you come at it from the south. There's an infantry-only path near the eastern end of the map that might also prove useful for sniping their Palace of Destruction with a bunch of Fremen Fedaykin or a Saboteur. Just scout ahead with some Stealth Raiders so you know when and where to strike, and don't get too close to that SLasher.

The southern base is best handled more methodically, with armor and LRA. All of its Wind Traps are located quite close to the connected SLasher. Targeting the southern base's SLasher with a special weapon is prudent. You could also target one of the Wind Trap rows while you hit the other with units to ensure their power is taken down. Then you can tidy the rest up without issue.

After all that, the final base in the southeastern corner shouldn't be a problem. Rally all forces and overwhelm it.

Finish off the Dark Alliance in the Tsimpo Heights to achieve victory.

S18V1: Summers' Solstice
Fight to the peak of Hajj Plateau to slay the sleeping Worm God.

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SPLASH: Humanity faces the Emperor Worm.

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MISSION INTEL:

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TACTICAL MAP:

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FULL MAP IMAGE:

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STRATEGY:

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MISSION OBJECTIVES:

• 1. Pillage Research Centers, gold ConYards, & SLashers.
• 2. Capture & protect a light-color Dark Alliance ConYard.
• 3. Prevent the awakening of the Emperor Worm.
• 4. Kill Achen Moriaen.
• 5. You must survive.

NGUYEN'S RUN:

You have the full support of the Ordos, Ix, Fremen, Sardaukar and Durant's mercenaries on the final mission.

Let your starting units do their thing while you make some preparations. Upgrade your Heavy Factory while you build another Barracks close to the mercs'. You may need to train some extra Troopers to reinforce the front and finish off their first attack. Then, build a bunch of Wind Traps in the top left. Failing to build extra power means it'll most likely go low after the initial attack is over. Once your power is sorted, start teching up with an Outpost and High Tech Factory. Those can go right above your ConYard and be rather safe.

Follow-up upgrades? Second Barracks upgrade for Sardaukar Elites, then High Tech Factory for the Research Center. Then, do as you please.

There are only a few things you have to watch for during the initial chaos: Move your eastern Harvesters behind cover when the enemy starts their attack. If LRA or Grenadiers are exposed, move them back behind intact walls or turrets. If Summers is in immediate danger, move her away (and not next to Durant's prototype SLashers). After the attack is over, move those eastern Harvesters back out again.

If you've been teching up, you should have access to Siege Tanks and Rocket Turrets around the time their follow-ups start. There's nothing quite like that combination for dealing with vicious enemy attacks. Have a small amount of armor and all your LRA concentrate at the southern entrance to your base while you build those turrets. Mostly Rocket Turrets and a couple of Autogun Turrets should do.

With that solid composition guarding your main base, take the extra MCV Galletti sent you along with some armor to the east and expand there. The ridge makes a fine spot for more Rocket Turrets and your SLasher if you're using it defensively. For an offensive placement, put the SLasher in the bottom left corner of the southern entrance of your main base. It's possible to hit the Sonic Tank at the first enemy base with it, clearing the way for an infantry force to go up the infantry-only path and cause more problems for the enemy there.

As overly cautious as all this might seem with the amount of stuff you start with, the first enemy base is tougher to crack than it might seem. It's protected by a choke and tons of enemy factories! Mobilize east of the base with armor and LRA to clear the Heavy Factory and Rocket Turret from below the cliff, then clear the walls, Autogun Turrets and Barracks out with mass Siege Tanks flanked by armor to protect against enemy defenders. Bring the Siege Tanks still supporting the turret line at your base if you lose too many. When both Barracks and at least the one Heavy Factory are down, you can push in and clean up the rest.

If you opted to take their power down with your infantry force, you can tuck armor and LRA in to the alcove to the west of the choke instead. As long as the power stays down, that's a very advantageous position for a clump of LRA to squat. They can also provide further support for your infantry force from there as they head over the bridge and take out the enemy Light Factories.

Destroy your key targets at the first enemy base - the ConYard, Research Center and Storm Lasher - and finish off enough stuff to get the reinforcements. There will be an MCV among them to expand to that location with. Sardaukar and Fremen will drop future deliveries nearby and you can turn your attention either to the east or further south.

As the battle lines shift, sell (most of) your turret lines at bases deeper in your territory to free up the power for new turret lines and factories at your fresh expansions closer to the enemy.

Although your true goal is far to the south, the enemy has a line of Rocket Turrets at their base there along with a couple of SLashers. You also still need to pillage structures in the base to the east regardless for the sake of perfecting your SLasher tech and breaking the final enemy defensive line. Regardless, you might want to go that way just so you could come at the eastern base from the south side. Just bring Saboteurs to deal with the line of Rocket Turrets and make sure you don't touch that light ConYard for now.

Ignore the wall of Rocket Turrets to the south. That's for later.

Approaching the eastern base from the north has its own rewards. There's a Heavy Factory in the northeast corner of the map you could capture if you want to spam Devastators. They're not as powerful as the Imperial Tyrant Tanks, but you can build them whenever you want. I suggest using them to crush most of the eastern base. The only threat to them is the enemy Deviators, which should be targeted by your other forces before your Devastators roll through the area.

Once again, destroy enough stuff at the eastern base to make your reinforcements show up there from now on.

Capture the light ConYard when the western and eastern enemy bases are both razed. Surround it with infantry, particularly Sardaukar Elites, so it cannot be sabotaged! It's considered mission-critical until at least one side of the Rocket Turret wall is clear.

You should have access to proper Storm Lasher megaturrets now, which not only won't implode after a little while, but you can build many of them and they'll have the damage output to destroy the Rocket Turret wall from beyond its range. Aside from a sneaky tactic with stealth infantry, this is the only way you'll get past that wall and carry out an assault on the Command Center directly. You can pile four SLashers in front of either choke to the left or right of the light ConYard. Secure both for the sake of boxing in the enemy defenders. When one side is mostly clear of Rocket Turrets, you can barge in with your main force.

Your final objective is the Command Center at the bottom of the map. Overwhelm its defenses with all available units, destroy it, and finish off the berserk Dark Alliance infantry. Then, at long last, victory shall be yours. Campaign complete! Congratulations!

Glossary of Units & Structures, & Credits:

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INFANTRY

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Infantry are slow and very easy to kill, but they are inexpensive, have respectable range and firepower, and self-heal. They can:
 - Garrison infantry rock to fortify a position or provide cover for mobile forces.
 - Deter enemy LAVs or stealth units from surgical strikes (when spread out).
 - Deal the most damage per second of any unit (when stacked up tight).

Rifleman - VA TheRings0fSaturn
Role: Anti-infantry
Movement Speed: 16
Hit Points: 600
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 125
Radius: 12
RoF: 1 sec
Cost: 50 Solaris
Build Speed: ~5 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Shotgunner - VA TheRings0fSaturn
Role: Anti-infantry
Movement Speed: 16
Hit Points: 600
Range: 2 tiles
Damage: 275
Radius: 18
RoF: 2.2 secs
Cost: 60 Solaris
Build Speed: ~6 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Trooper - VA TheRings0fSaturn
Role: Anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 12
Hit Points: 800
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 24
RoF: 1.8 secs
Cost: 80 Solaris
Build Speed: ~8 secs
Unique Attributes: Damages crushing vehicle

Gauss Trooper - VA TheRings0fSaturn
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 13
Hit Points: 800
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 290
Radius: 21
RoF: 2.2 secs
Cost: 90 Solaris
Build Speed: ~9 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Grenadier - VA TheRings0fSaturn
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 16
Hit Points: 700
Range: 4 tiles
Damage: 155
Radius: 48
RoF: 2 secs
Cost: 100 Solaris
Build Speed: ~10 secs
Unique Attributes: Damages crushing vehicle

Fremen Warrior (male) - VA Kaminador
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 18
Hit Points: 800
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 245
Radius: 21
RoF: 1.6 secs
Cost: 150 Solaris
Build Speed: ~15 secs
Unique Attributes: Regenerates to 100% HP

Fremen Warrior (female) - VA Rim
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 17
Hit Points: 720
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 230
Radius: 21
RoF: 1.76 secs
Cost: 150 Solaris
Build Speed: ~15 secs
Unique Attributes: Regenerates to 100% HP

Fremen Fedaykin (male) - VA Kaminador
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 19
Hit Points: 800
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 245
Radius: 21
RoF: 1.4 secs
Cost: 200 Solaris
Build Speed: ~22 secs
Unique Attributes: Stealth, regenerates to 100% HP

Fremen Fedaykin (female) - VA Rim
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 18
Hit Points: 720
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 230
Radius: 21
RoF: 1.52 secs
Cost: 200 Solaris
Build Speed: ~22 secs
Unique Attributes: Stealth, regenerates to 100% HP

Sardaukar Rifleman - VA Killing You
Role: Anti-infantry
Movement Speed: 15
Hit Points: 800
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 185
Radius: 15
RoF: 1 sec
Cost: 120 Solaris
Build Speed: ~12 secs
Unique Attributes: Damages crushing vehicle

Sardaukar Trooper - VA Killing You
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 14
Hit Points: 900
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 290
Radius: 21
RoF: 2 secs
Cost: 150 Solaris
Build Speed: ~15 secs
Unique Attributes: Damages crushing vehicle

Sardaukar Elite - VA Killing You
Role: Anti-infantry
Movement Speed: 12
Hit Points: 1000
Range: 4 tiles
Damage: 1000
Radius: 21
RoF: 3 secs
Cost: 300 Solaris
Build Speed: ~26.5 secs
Unique Attributes: Cannot be crushed, cannot be suppressed, regenerates to 100% HP

LIGHT ARMORED VEHICLES

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LAVs, or Light Armored Vehicles, are fragile but fast and hard-hitting. They can:
 - Intercept or flank any other ground units in the game.
 - Effectively bypass sparse enemy defenses with their speed.
 - Provide excellent mobile support for slower units, like infantry.

Trike - VA BigMouth
Role: Anti-infantry
Movement Speed: 48
Hit Points: 900
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 185
Radius: 15
RoF: 0.8 secs
Cost: 300 Solaris
Build Speed: ~18 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Raider - VA BigMouth
Role: Anti-infantry
Movement Speed: 56
Hit Points: 1000
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 185
Radius: 15
RoF: 0.72 secs
Cost: 350 Solaris
Build Speed: ~19 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Shotgun Raider - VA BigMouth
Role: Anti-infantry
Movement Speed: 56
Hit Points: 1000
Range: 2 tiles
Damage: 425
Radius: 18
RoF: 1.68 secs
Cost: 350 Solaris
Build Speed: ~19 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Stealth Raider - VA Z
Role: Anti-infantry
Movement Speed: 56
Hit Points: 1000
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 185
Radius: 15
RoF: 0.72 secs
Cost: 400 Solaris
Build Speed: ~22 secs
Unique Attributes: Stealth

Shock Raider - VA Rim
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 52
Hit Points: 1000
Range: 2 tiles
Damage: 210
Radius: 18
RoF: 1.12 secs
Cost: 400 Solaris
Build Speed: ~24.5 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Quad - VA BigMouth
Role: Anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 36
Hit Points: 1100
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 24
RoF: 2 secs
Cost: 400 Solaris
Build Speed: ~26.5 secs
Unique Attributes: Dual shot

Stealth Quad - VA Z
Role: Anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 33
Hit Points: 1000
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 24
RoF: 2.16 secs
Cost: 500 Solaris
Build Speed: ~29.5 secs
Unique Attributes: Dual shot, stealth

RPG Quad - VA IronAddict
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 32
Hit Points: 1100
Range: 3/5 tiles
Damage: 300/155
Radius: 24/48
RoF: 2 secs/1.6 secs
Cost: 500 Solaris
Build Speed: ~33 secs
Unique Attributes: Dual shot (rockets only)

Flame Tank - VA BigMouth
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 28
Hit Points: 1800
Range: 2 tiles
Damage: 95
Radius: 30
RoF: 0.32 secs
Cost: 600 Solaris
Build Speed: ~33 secs
Unique Attributes: None

ARMOR

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Units designated "Armor" excel at damage absorption. They can:
 - Effectively assault fortified positions given their excellent HP.
 - Win extended battles of attrition against weaker enemy units.
 - Safeguard weaker friendly units while they perform their roles.

Light Combat Tank - VA DireBeast
Role: Anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 32
Hit Points: 1800
Range: 4 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 24
RoF: 1.6 secs
Cost: 700 Solaris
Build Speed: ~35.5 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Stealth Light Combat Tank - VA Z
Role: Anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 29
Hit Points: 1600
Range: 4 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 24
RoF: 1.76 secs
Cost: 800 Solaris
Build Speed: ~40 secs
Unique Attributes: Stealth

Medium Combat Tank - VA DireBeast
Role: Anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 28
Hit Points: 2200
Range: 4 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 24
RoF: 2 secs
Cost: 700 Solaris
Build Speed: ~35.5 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Heavy Combat Tank - VA DireBeast
Role: Anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 24
Hit Points: 2800
Range: 4 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 24
RoF: 2.4 secs
Cost: 700 Solaris
Build Speed: ~35.5 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Duelist Tank - VA DireBeast
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 20
Hit Points: 3000
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 24
RoF: 2.2 secs
Cost: 800 Solaris
Build Speed: ~38.5 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Autogun Tank - VA Direbeast
Role: Anti-infantry
Movement Speed: 24
Hit Points: 2200
Range: 4 tiles
Damage: 95
Radius: 18
RoF: 0.32 secs
Cost: 600 Solaris
Build Speed: ~33 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Autogun Tank - VA NTECH8
Role: Anti-infantry
Movement Speed: 14
Hit Points: 4000
Range: 4 tiles
Damage: 95
Radius: 18
RoF: 0.32 secs
Cost: 1000 Solaris
Build Speed: ~44 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Devastator - VA NTECH8
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 12
Hit Points: 2800
Range: 3 tiles
Damage: 900
Radius: 30/96
RoF: 2.8 secs
Cost: 1100 Solaris
Build Speed: ~51 secs
Unique Attributes: Self-destruct (1 sec charge time)

Tyrant Tank - VA Potato
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 10
Hit Points: 6000
Range: 4 tiles
Damage: 1350
Radius: 30
RoF: 4 secs
Cost: 1200 Solaris
Build Speed: ~1 min
Unique Attributes: None

LONG-RANGE ARTILLERY

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Long-Range Artillery do as their name implies. They're the most expensive units and tend to move slowly, but their range and damage output are excellent!
 - All LRA can attack over walls.
 - They have the longest range of any unit in the game.
 - They excel at burst damage. Each attack deals high damage.

Siege Tank - VA IronAddict
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 16
Hit Points: 1800
Range: 5 tiles
Damage: 500
Radius: 60
RoF: 3.2 secs
Cost: 900 Solaris
Build Speed: ~42 secs
Unique Attributes: None

Missile Tank - VA IronAddict
Role: Anti-armor, anti-air
Movement Speed: 24
Hit Points: 1400
Range: 6 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 30
RoF: 5 secs
Cost: 900 Solaris
Build Speed: ~42 secs
Unique Attributes: Dual shot, target lock

Stealth Missile Tank - VA Z
Role: Anti-armor, anti-air
Movement Speed: 22
Hit Points: 1250
Range: 6 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 30
RoF: 5.48 secs
Cost: 1000 Solaris
Build Speed: ~48.5 secs
Unique Attributes: Dual shot, target lock, stealth

Sonic Tank - VA Mei
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor, anti-infrastructure
Movement Speed: 16
Hit Points: 2800
Range: 5 tiles
Damage: 95
Radius: 60
RoF: 3.6 secs
Cost: 1100 Solaris
Build Speed: ~51 secs
Unique Attributes: Weapon damages all targets in path

Deviator - VA Z
Role: Anti-infantry, anti-armor
Movement Speed: 24
Hit Points: 1400
Range: 6 tiles
Damage: 500
Radius: 18
RoF: 5 secs
Cost: 1100 Solaris
Build Speed: ~51 secs
Unique Attributes: Temporarily captures enemy vehicles

LOGISTICS

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Units that play important roles for your macro game, but have little to no offensive capabilities.

Thumper - VA TheRings0fSaturn
Role: Support
Movement Speed: 18
Hit Points: 500
Range: N/A
Damage: N/A
Radius: N/A
RoF: N/A
Cost: 100 Solaris
Build Speed: ~10 secs
Unique Attributes: Distracts Sandworms when deployed

Engineer - VA Fey (koe.ai Evan) / originally MysticalSoap
Role: Support
Movement Speed: 12
Hit Points: 500
Range: 2 tiles
Damage: 110
Radius: 9
RoF: 1.2 secs
Cost: 300 Solaris
Build Speed: ~30 secs
Unique Attributes: Captures structures

Harvester - VA AZ-Stalker
Role: Support
Movement Speed: 16
Hit Points: 1800
Range: N/A
Damage: N/A
Radius: N/A
RoF: N/A
Cost: 1000 Solaris
Build Speed: ~51 secs
Unique Attributes: Harvests Spice

MCV - VA AZ-Stalker
Role: Support
Movement Speed: 10
Hit Points: 5000
Range: N/A
Damage: N/A
Radius: N/A
RoF: N/A
Cost: 2000 Solaris
Build Speed: ~1 min
Unique Attributes: Deploys into a Construction Yard

Carryall
Role: Support
Movement Speed: 96
Hit Points: 1800
Range: N/A
Damage: N/A
Radius: N/A
RoF: N/A
Cost: 1000 Solaris
Build Speed: ~1 min
Unique Attributes: Ferries units

SPECIAL FORCES

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Superweapons, pretty much.

Ornithopter
Role: Special weapon
Movement Speed: 112
Hit Points: 800
Range: Full map
Damage: 360
Radius: 90
RoF: 0.4 secs
Cost: 0 Solaris
Build Speed: ~5 mins
Unique Attributes: Flight

Death Hand Missile
Role: Special weapon
Movement Speed: 176
Hit Points: N/A
Range: Full map
Damage: 180
Radius: 180
RoF: N/A
Cost: 0 Solaris
Build Speed: ~8 mins
Unique Attributes: Flight, invincibility

Saboteur - VA MrMuxix
Role: Special weapon
Movement Speed: 20
Hit Points: 500
Range: 1 tile
Damage: 2400
Radius: 135
RoF: N/A
Cost: 0 Solaris
Build Speed: ~2 mins
Unique Attributes: Temporary stealth, can infiltrate, deals damage on death

BASE DEFENSES

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Your durable, but totally immobile fortifications.

Concrete Wall
Role: Base defense
Movement Speed: N/A
Hit Points: 1000
Range: N/A
Damage: N/A
Radius: N/A
RoF: N/A
Cost: 25 Solaris
Build Speed: ~5 secs
Unique Attributes: Blocks most projectiles

Autogun Turret
Role: Base defense, anti-infantry
Movement Speed: N/A
Hit Points: 2000
Range: 4 tiles
Damage: 80
Radius: 18
RoF: 0.24 secs
Cost: 600 Solaris
Build Speed: ~14 secs
Unique Attributes: Blocks most projectiles, requires power

Cannon Turret
Role: Base defense, anti-armor
Movement Speed: N/A
Hit Points: 2250
Range: 5 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 30
RoF: 1.8 secs
Cost: 800 Solaris
Build Speed: ~21 secs
Unique Attributes: Blocks most projectiles, requires power

Rocket Turret
Role: Base defense, anti-armor, anti-air
Movement Speed: N/A
Hit Points: 2750
Range: 7 tiles
Damage: 300
Radius: 30
RoF: 3.6 secs
Cost: 1200 Solaris
Build Speed: ~28 secs
Unique Attributes: Blocks most projectiles, requires power, dual shot

Storm Lasher
Role: Base defense, anti-infantry, anti-armor
Movement Speed: N/A
Hit Points: 4000
Range: 14 tiles
Damage: 1800
Radius: 96
RoF: 10 secs
Cost: 1800 Solaris
Build Speed: ~40 secs
Unique Attributes: Requires power, targets nearest hostile

CHARACTERS & UNITS WITH SCRIPTED LINES

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While only some appear in-game as a unit, there are quite a few prominent commanders and leader characters appearing in this campaign. They embody their respective factions' identities in how they act and the sorts of units they prefer in battle. Spoilers ahead!

Rowe Summers        MeltingCinderella
    The aspiring smuggler commander. Despite quitting the mercs to pursue calmer missions, she has little choice but to fight often.
    Cunning, dutiful, somewhat innocent, single-minded, and remarkably obstinate, Summers has the potential to be an enormous pain.
    Despite that, her status as a lowly ex-merc makes it easy to look down on her. Not that the opinions of others impedes her at all.
    Summers is confident and hands-on, and frequents missions personally, maintaining camaraderie with the men who fight for her.
Sabre Durant        (Originally Potato) Fey
    The toughest mercenary commander on Arrakis. Exceedingly calm, he stays focused on the tasks at hand, no matter how daunting.
    The Dragon of Dune does show warmth, particularly for Rowe Summers, his fellow mercenary commander prior to the prologue.
    Although casual, such as in how he addresses everyone by their first names, he's both professional and reliable as an ally.
Ketua Sumadi        Thel 'Vadam Flippy
    The head of the largest smuggling organization on Arrakis. As a pragmatic isolationist, he favors stealth and scattered bases.
    Sumadi bows to no emperor, nor duke or baron or noble. He insists on interacting with the Great Houses as little as possible.
    He is a controlling overseer who meticulously manages his underlings. This directly conflicts with the ambitions of Summers.

Kyne Giraud        Killing_You
    The Imperial Burseg preceding and during the war for Arrakis. He is a dangerous combination of proud, ruthless and cunning.
    All Sardaukar serve Emperor Corrino zealously, and Giraud is no exception. He has the utmost confidence in his tactics.
    Despite having the strongest forces in the Known Universe at his disposal, Giraud knows the value of espionage.
    He takes no chances and uses excessive force to deal with his problems, however insignificant they might be.

Cyril Vasiliou        Kilkakon
    The Atreides high commander. The Atreides' honor should never be mistaken for kindness!
    When it suits them, they will fiercely and violently oppose their enemies.
    Vasiliou, like all Atreides, is fiercely loyal to their Duke.
Radnor Krillys        Killing_You
    The Harkonnen high commander. Like all Harkonnen, he is a brutal sadist who revels in the horrors of war.
    He gleefully uses his underlings and allies as fodder, and prefers to crush foes with heavy armor.
    Though savage, it would be a lethal mistake to think the Harkonnen, or Krillys, stupid.
Achen Moriaen        Fey & koe.ai Olivia
    The Ordos high commander. Secretly the ghola of a dead Atreides commander who works for the Dark Alliance behind the scenes.
    Though she shows warmth or concern to her allies on occasion, it's little more than a ruse. She feels nothing whatsoever.
    This is evidenced by her total lack of interaction with enemies. She speaks only to allies, and only to deceive.

Generic Infantry    TheRings0fSaturn
    Rugged fodder who rely on strength in numbers. Though unimportant, they speak on occasion.

Fremen Warriors        Kaminador
    Fierce natives who rival even the Imperial Sardaukar in strength. The scattered Fremen groups vary in attitude.

Ru'yah Zaman        Aeous
    The territorial naib of Sietch Hagga.

Saud Nagi        Aeous
    Naib of Sietch El-Sayal. Refuses to be driven from home, and accepts aid from Summers' smugglers to protect it.

Issam Nehara        Kaminador
    Naib of Sietch Mushtamal. He and his warriors shelter with the Atreides once forced from their homes by Sardaukar.
Saniyah Tafweek        Fey & koe.ai Lisa
    A Fremen of Sietch Mushtamal. She and Nehara are warm towards each-other, though no relation is confirmed.

Jaxon Burke        Kilkakon
    Loyalist of Sumadi's smugglers. He commands the defense of the mining base at Tuono Basin.
    Later betrays Summers at the Battle of Chin Rock, forcing her to slay him.

Kailea Aurelianus    Fey & koe.ai Julia
    Ixian scientist overseeing the creation of technology seen on the field during the war for Arrakis.
    She is unemotional, almost mechanical, but values her smuggler and mercenary allies.
Raja Hassem        Aeous
    Naib of Sietch Gara Kulon. Quite territorial; hostile if approached.

Omen            MrMuxix
    Achen Moriaen's secretive informant on the Heighliner.
    During the Battle of Habbanya Erg, he keeps her updated on her allies' actions on deck 10.

Roma Atani        Fey & koe.ai Erin
    Achen Moriaen's mentat serving at the Battle of Habbanya Erg. Later, the Ordos' high commander.
    As expected of a servant of the Executrix, she is both focused and blunt. Only the relevant details matter.

Khalid Hafeez        NTECH8
    Sumadi's first lieutenant. Favors heavy armor and brute force, but proves an honorable opponent.
Farouq Abbas        BigMouth
    Sumadi's second lieutenant. Favors underhanded stealth tactics like ambushes and hit-and-runs.
Esmar Sumadi        Thel 'Vadam Flippy
    Sumadi's third lieutenant. His son. Situated nearest Sumadi at the Battle of Hole-in-the-Rock.

Raiders            BigMouth
    An OSO Raider speaks to the commander before the Battle of Qanat Pass.
Engineers        (Originally MysticalSoap) Fey & koe.ai Evan
    Logistics-class units that sometimes have updates for their commander about technology in the field.

Devastators        NTECH8
    Imprisoned at the Battle of False Wall, several of these units are rescued by Rowe Summers.
Kushal Vritra        MrMuxix
    A demented force commander tasked with stalling Summers at the Battle of False Wall.

Kassiel Veren        Fey & koe.ai Marcus
    Achen Moriaen's mentat that serves at Bidriyah Sink and Galbana Depression.
Multume            NTECH8
    One of the Mahai's elites that helps to breach Ordos fortifications at Galbana Depression.
Calcume            NTECH8
    One of the Mahai's elites that helps to breach Ordos fortifications at Galbana Depression.

Corvo Galletti        Fey & koe.ai Alexander
    The surviving Sardaukar commander who aligns with the player at the Battle of Grose Valen and on to fight the Dark Alliance.
    Like all Sardaukar, he is proud, fearless and merciless. Still, he respects Summers enough to view her as a rival.
Yahya Suljin        Aeous
    The surviving Fremen leader who aligns with the player at the Battle of Grose Valen and on to fight the Dark Alliance.
    Although distrusting of Summers, he sees good fortune in her showing up to help and allows her to prove her worth.

Guild Intercom        Fey & koe.ai Gavin
    Alerts Spacing Guild forces to mercenary boarders on deck 12 of the Guild Heighliner.
    It also issues a warning about SLasher power overflow at the Battle of Hajj Plateau.

OTHER CREDITS

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A bunch of new graphics are used in this campaign. Many thanks to all who helped with their creation or improvement!

Dune 2000 exe
Westwood - Original (duh)
dato - Initial patches
gruntlord - Initial patches
FunkyFr3sh - Initial patches
Klofkac - Major improvements
lovalmidas - Moderate improvements
Hotdog - Minor improvements
tomsons26 - Decompiled d2k
Cm_Blast - Testing
Fey - Testing

d2k Editor
mvi - OG editor
Klofkac - He is God
Fey - Meager tester

Mission Launcher
FunkyFr3sh - Original application
Feda - Major improvements, splash art system
ZoeO - All Summers' Solstice splash art

Campaign Testing
Fey - Of course I tested my own stuff lol
ISeeMangos - Full campaign cleared on hard
Seb - Full campaign cleared on hard
aarmaageedoon - Full campaign cleared on hard
Cm_Blast - Full campaign cleared on normal
DuneTiger - Most of campaign cleared on normal
Kipp - A few missions cleared on hard
TheCytober - Various missions tested
Awil - Discovered cause of stealth units crash
Nguyen Quang Luan - Helped test patch for stealth units crash

Various new sounds, including sound effects for units, background sounds in unit voiceovers, etc.
C&C3 Tiberium Wars - Engine revving, footsteps with equipment, firing sounds, other stuff like that...
Descent 1 / 2 - Some explosion sounds, deep hum in Devastator voiceovers, Deviator firing sound...
Doom 3 - Shotgun voiceover background effects, rocket launcher, Durant's duelist firing sound...
Amnesia: The Dark Descent - Clean footsteps heard in some infantry voiceovers, like Engineers...

Shotgunner
Fey - New firing animation, sidebar icon

Trooper
D2k Sardaukar - Sidebar icon
Fey - Further adjustments

Gauss Trooper
firefly101 - All frames, sidebar icon
Fey - Further adjustments

Grenadier
Fey - New death animations

Fremen Warrior
Fey - New firing animation

Fremen Fedaykin
PHROI - Sidebar icon
Fey - New firing animation, further adjustments

Sardaukar Rifleman
Unknown (apologies, I searched thoroughly but couldn't confirm attribution) - Sidebar icon
Fey - Further adjustments

Sardaukar Trooper
Fey - New firing animation

Sardaukar Elite
DxSard - Most frames, sidebar icon
Fey - Firing animation, idle animations, further adjustments particularly to death animation

Shock Raider
Fey - Sidebar icon

Stealth Quad
Fey - Sidebar icon

RPG Quad
Fey - Sidebar icon

Flame Tank
Dashkov Andrey & the Dune 2000 Hardcore team (who shall henceforth be summarized as "DHC") - Original frames
Fey - Pixel repair for all frames
dato - Sidebar icon

Combat Tanks
Fey - New body frames

Stealth Light Combat Tank
Fey - Sidebar icon

Autogun Tank (small)
DHC - Original art for turret frames were based on the Heavy Tank
Fey - Body frames, major adjustments to turret frames' origin
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Autogun Tank (normal)
DHC - All frames
Fey - Pixel repair for all frames, moderate adjustments to body coloration
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Duelist Tank
Fey - Sidebar icon

Tyrant Tank
DHC - Original art for this unit belonged to the Elephant Tank
Fey - Pixel repair for all frames, further adjustments
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Engineer
Fey - Firing animation, sidebar icons

Saboteur
Westwood - Original sidebar icon from Emperor: Battle for Dune
Fey - Further adjustments

'VorDel' units
Westwood - Original frames from Dune 2000 (duh)
Fey - Shadows removed, all frames made pure shadow, sidebar icons
'Unit reporting' and 'order confirmed' sounds from various sources:
Girls' laughter, transformers humming, wind tunnel ambiance...
Dead space 3 noises, radio tuning, reversed didgeridoo audio

Issam Nehara
PsYcHo - All frames
Fey - Sprite alignment adjustment
Henrik Sahlström - Sidebar icon

Summers' Autogun Tank
DHC - Original art for this unit was unused in the Dune 2000 Hardcore mod
Fey - Pixel repair for all unusued frames, barrel swap, further adjustments
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Light/Dark Construction Yard
Fey - All frames, sidebar icon

Light/Gold Construction Yard
Fey - Base frame, sidebar icon
Kipp - Damaged frame

Dark/Gold Construction Yard
Fey - Base frame, sidebar icon
Kipp - Damaged frame

Light Mini Wind Trap
DHC - Original art for this structure existed only for the dark version
ZoeO - Light recolor for both frames
Fey - Faction color, further adjustments
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Dark Mini Wind Trap
DHC - Original frames
Fey - Faction color, further adjustments
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Gold Mini Wind Trap
DHC - Original art for this structure existed only for the dark version
ZoeO - Gold recolor for both frames
Fey - Faction color, further adjustments
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Light Munitions Silo
DHC - Original frames
Fey - Color correction
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Dark Munitions Silo
DHC - Original frames
Fey - Color correction
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Gold Munitions Silo
DHC - Original frames
Fey - Color correction
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Autogun Turret
DHC - Original art for turret frames were based on the Heavy Tank
Fey - Pixel repair for all frames, further adjustments
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Storm Lasher
Fey - Original frames, animation adjustments
Kipp - Animation frames
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Imperial 'Golden Lion' Barracks
ZoeO - Original design
DrKran - Damaged frame
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon
Fey - Further adjustments

Generic lightly-colored Barracks
ZoeO - Original design
Kipp - Damaged frame
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon
Fey - Further adjustments

Mercenary 'Rock Dragon' Barracks
ZoeO - Original design
Kipp - Damaged frame
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon
Fey - Further adjustments

Imperial Heavy Factory
Fey - Base frame
Kipp - Damaged frame

Mercenary Heavy Factory
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Gold Light Factory
Fey - Color correction

Imperial Starport
Kipp - Original frames
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Smuggler Starport
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Dark Repair Pad
Westwood - Original frames
Sobadtolife - Dark recolor
Fey - Further adjustments
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Gold Repair Pad
Westwood - Original frames
Sobadtolife - Gold recolor
Fey - Further adjustments
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Dark Research Center
Westwood - Original frames
Kipp - Dark recolor, sidebar icon
Fey - Further adjustments

Gold Research Center
Westwood - Original frames
Kipp - Gold recolor, sidebar icon
Fey - Further adjustments

Fremen Camp
Westwood - Originals from Emperor: Battle for Dune
tomsons26 - Screen captures from Emperor
Kipp - Further adjustments
Fey - Further adjustments

Command Center
DHC - All frames
Fey - Further adjustments
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Imperial Palace
firefly101 - Sidebar icon
Fey - Color correction

Golden Lion Throne
Kipp - All frames, sidebar icon

Power Station
Sobadtolife - Discovered sprites
Fey - Further adjustments

Launch Pad
D2kSardaukar - Original frame
Fey - Drastic modification of original frame, further adjustments

Mining Rig
The Dragon - Original frames
Fey - Further adjustments
AZ-Stalker - Sidebar icon

Crates
Westwood - Original from Tiberian Sun
Fey - Recolors, further adjustments, mines

Heighliner tileset
Fey - Most tiles
dato - RFG tiles

Alternative Arrakis tilesets
Kipp - Most cave tiles, bulk Freighter wreck
D2k Sardaukar - MCV wreck, Devastator wreck, nondescript wreck
Fey - Further adjustments, cave entrance expansions, sandy infantry-only one-tile cliff path

Minimap emblems
Westwood - Some original emblems from Emperor: Battle for Dune
ZoeO - Smugglers' sand mouse emblem, mercenaries' rock dragon emblem
Fey - Further adjustments, corrupted sand mouse emblem on S11V1

Please note that certain stats listed above, like unit costs or build speeds, are on normal difficulty with one factory.

FAQ & Troubleshooting:

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Q: I'm using a langauge other than English, but everything is still in English.
A: Due to all the new sounds and stuff, everything is set up to only work in English. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Q: The timer on S01V1 is messed up! What gives?
A: Your screen resolution might be larger than the map itself. This can mess up stuff like timers.

Q: Is there a way to reach the Imperial base on S04?
A: Actually, yeah. There's a row of Munitions Silos against the cliff wall behind the merc base. Go blow those up and it'll collapse the cliff, making the Imperials firesale and go away. There's no point to this, but it is an easter egg.

Q: S06V1 looks familiar...
A: It was the only map I didn't make from scratch. I built it off O6V1 as an homage.

Q: WTF happened on S11?
A: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ iunno lol

Q: Why'd you change the Engineers' VOs? I thought you weren't going to do Sabre Durant's VO?
A: Due to obligations, some VAs had to be changed. I had to do extra lines for Engineers' scripted VOs, so I redid their unit lines formerly done by Mysticalsoap. As for Sabre Durant, Potato unfortunately wasn't able to manage the number of lines he has, so I took it upon myself. You could say it kinda makes sense since I also did the merc/smug EVA, so maybe the EVA is modeled after his voice or something in-universe. Anyway, you can still hear Potato's lovely voice whenever commanding an Imperial Tyrant Tank, albeit doing a different impression!

Q: The level I'm on is way too hard. What should I do?
A: I refer you to the strategy guides above. They're all based on my own experience of testing these maps on hard mode. Also, Nguyen recorded all levels on hard mode. I've linked to all the related vids at the times the maps start!

Q: May I use some art or sound from this mod?
A: Sure. All the credits are under the glossary section, so please account for that.

Q: Are there more neat assets that could be put to use elsewhere?
A: Yeah, there are some unused assets. Some complete, some somewhat incomplete and only needing a little more love. Drop by the Landsraad Discord server sometime. We have a raw sprites channel there and other channels to discuss or work on assets in progress.

Q: When I load my saved game, I get a crash or lots of things are different.
A: You may have loaded the wrong submod. The Mission Launcher basically replaces files as needed for a mission to work, then restores backups when the game is ended. If you start one map, then load a game from a different map, the submod for the first map will be applied to the second map. In other words, boot up the level your saved game is on in order to load that saved game.

Q: I got a crash at the end of a map, something about invalid faction.
A: Not to worry. That's just the score screen not knowing how to process some factions on a map. You can see some data after the mission has ended in the score screen the mission launcher prints up, like the ticks count or your kill count (always under Smugglers), though it doesn't quite know how to count many details, especially extra details, on such heavily modded maps.

Q: I got a random crash in the middle of a map!
A: Dune 2000 seems to disagree with certain modern operating systems. Some folks have brought this problem to me more and more recently, and it seems fairly inconsistent between machines. Other testers and I have sought out and eradicated as many bugs in this campaign as possible. Some have gotten through the campaign with zero to only a couple of crashes! However, if your machine is one that happens to randomly crash Dune 2000 more frequently, I can only suggest saving often, using multiple save files just in case. Good luck!

Q: I got a random crash on a map and normally d2k is fine!
A: As it turns out, there might be some crashes related to new game behaviors. We're investigating this, but in the meantime, I recommend that you save often and in multiple slots!

Download:
dato recently updated the dunemaster install with this campaign and the new Mission Launcher. If you'd like a fresh install with alllll the new stuff, I suggest checking this one out:

If you have Gruntmods instead or just want to add this campaign to an existing install, go here:

The new Mission Launcher update and the revamp for this campaign were linked in the above thread. That stuff only has to be unzipped to whatever install directory you have, dunemaster or gruntmods.

Give 'em hell, Commander!

Edited January 29, 2024 by Fey
revamp's done; occasionally editing to add to FAQ or something lol

[Cm_blast]

"Unknown Base Defense", simply great.

Finally the campaign it's done; I already played earlier versions, but I want to see the new stuff you added and the adjustments from those maps; this campaign will keep me busy for a while, but at least I will come back to play more dune 2000.

I am really curious what will happen half-way the campaign, but I will play all the missions done.
 

[Fey]

  On 1/13/2020 at 12:48 PM, Cm_blast said:

"Unknown Base Defense", simply great.

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😂 You know exactly what that thing is!

  On 1/13/2020 at 12:48 PM, Cm_blast said:

Finally the campaign it's done; I already played earlier versions, but I want to see the new stuff you added and the adjustments from those maps; this campaign will keep me busy for a while, but at least I will come back to play more dune 2000.

I am really curious what will happen half-way the campaign, but I will play all the missions done.
 

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I'm certain you'll find that everything is infinitely more polished. I did quite a lot of work to make this a good campaign! Best as I could make it.

[Cm_blast]

Alright; It took me some time to play the 30 missions, but now I finish.

This is a great campaign, or, should I said, the best version of the campaign (I already played the first half some time before); it was a hard map with tons of contents, new units and those unknown structures that were annoying to deal with but not in a boring way.

Also I like the new versions of the old maps, they didn't took me +2 hours to beat, but much less; maybe I optimized a bit the expansion areas deploying more bases and more factories than needed but still, the few touches on the design of the map, the way the AI behaves and so on makes this campaign much more enjoyable now.

It has tons of briefing to read, and I am so bad at names that half the time I don't remember which commander command which faction, but still, I could get at least the core point on the game, the enemies you face and the reasons here and there to fight.

This is indeed a well crafted campaign, with lots of works with the new artworks, new structures that add something new into the game withouth just turning the whole campaign in a mess, although It can be arguable how specific units change on the power vs certain buildings, I think it has some kind of balance, although now everythings it's more expensive, but anyway, tons of room to expand so the money it's never a problem.

Well done... and it only took 4(?) years! dunno how many time, but indeed a lot of time xD.

[Fey]

  On 2/2/2020 at 4:51 PM, Cm_blast said:

Alright; It took me some time to play the 30 missions, but now I finish.

This is a great campaign, or, should I said, the best version of the campaign (I already played the first half some time before); it was a hard map with tons of contents, new units and those unknown structures that were annoying to deal with but not in a boring way.

Also I like the new versions of the old maps, they didn't took me +2 hours to beat, but much less; maybe I optimized a bit the expansion areas deploying more bases and more factories than needed but still, the few touches on the design of the map, the way the AI behaves and so on makes this campaign much more enjoyable now.

It has tons of briefing to read, and I am so bad at names that half the time I don't remember which commander command which faction, but still, I could get at least the core point on the game, the enemies you face and the reasons here and there to fight.

This is indeed a well crafted campaign, with lots of works with the new artworks, new structures that add something new into the game withouth just turning the whole campaign in a mess, although It can be arguable how specific units change on the power vs certain buildings, I think it has some kind of balance, although now everythings it's more expensive, but anyway, tons of room to expand so the money it's never a problem.

Well done... and it only took 4(?) years! dunno how many time, but indeed a lot of time xD.

Expand  

XD 4 years, not counting all of the random periods of absence and other IRL shenanigans. I guess the development time of the Heighliner tileset counts, huh?

Thanks for playing, Cm! I'm glad you liked the final result.

[sbruc065]

Hi!  I used to play Dune 2000 when I was a teenager and i have just found this and it is AWESOME!! BUT!!!  I cannot at all work out how to beat level 17V2!!! How do you capture the laser turrets at the beginning??  What buildings do you have to put up in order to build the rocket towers??  I simply get annhilhated in about 3 minutes every time I play this mission and I cannot work out what to do. HELP!!  and thanks so much for putting these missions together - they are GREAT!.

[Fey]

  On 5/9/2021 at 11:52 PM, sbruc065 said:

Hi!  I used to play Dune 2000 when I was a teenager and i have just found this and it is AWESOME!! BUT!!!  I cannot at all work out how to beat level 17V2!!! How do you capture the laser turrets at the beginning??  What buildings do you have to put up in order to build the rocket towers??  I simply get annhilhated in about 3 minutes every time I play this mission and I cannot work out what to do. HELP!!  and thanks so much for putting these missions together - they are GREAT!.

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Hey there mate, I'm so glad you've been enjoying my campaign! Thank you so much!

It sounds like you're up to the toughest missions I've got. Well done!

Those megaturrets can't be captured - they're just there to, you know, be there for the intro. Here are some recommendations for S17V2:

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When the power's out, capture both Construction Yards especially. With three Construction Yards to start, you max out your building production speed and can build your base up insanely fast! Which can help with reaching a critical mass of turrets.

Once the High Tech Factory is upgraded, you can place a Research Center. You'll need the Construction Yard upgraded as well to produce turrets. If you also build an Outpost, the captured High Tech Factory will begin to produce Ornithopters.

This map is macro-intensive due to all the enemy superweapons, so it's important to keep your economy high and your build speed maxed out. It's kind of a messy map! If you're having a lot of trouble in the early game, slowing the game speed down can help you issue a ton of commands to your units much faster - like, for instance, making sure all your Engineers get where they need to go as soon as possible. When you feel comfortable, you can bump it up again. And of course, saving often (in multiple slots, in case you gotta go back further) is always a good idea!

Here's how I set up some buildings in the early game:


More Refineries can go north of the captured enemy ConYards. There's also a good expansion location to the west, a rock island surrounded by Spice.

When you can build Rocket Turrets, they work WONDERS on cliffs where most enemy units can't return fire. Artillery units like Missile Tanks or Siege Tanks also fit quite well there:


Rocket Turrets around the front entrance can hit enemy infantry coming over the infantry-only. If you were to place them lower than I put them here, you could put some Siege Tanks behind them and then no infantry would be able to make it past those rocks:


Pumping out armored units like the heavy Combat Tanks to support the front entrance is also probably a good idea. Oh, uhh, and ignore the graphic for that Gun Turret on the right. I was experimenting with a new spriteset.

The enemy attacks actually don't consist of much armor, especially after the central base south of your starting area is taken out. The kicker is all the enemy superweapons, which makes turtling up inadvisable, at least for too long. But as long as you protect your own superweapons, keep expanding and attack aggressively, you'll pull out eventually! Your own airstrike and death hand could be combo'd on an enemy Palace, or you can use them to hit enemy units in front of factories, or just surgically strike those pesky Storm Lashers. You'll get constant reinforcements (at the very top of the map, around where your Stealth Raiders and Engineers were clumped up) after a little bit into the map (before the first enemy superweapons come at you), so as long as you survive until then, they should be able to help in your defense and your aggression over time.

One more thing: The enemy Sonic Tanks and RPG Quads become the most pressing threat to stationary defense forces due to their long range. Sonic Tanks simply can't fight in close range, so if you focus on Quad production (and build three Light Factories ASAP), you can swarm the enemy artillery units where they're most vulnerable. They're not suitable for frontal assault though, so you'll need some Combat Tanks to back them up when you go to hit the enemy at their home. You could also return fire with a volley of rockets from massed Missile Tanks, but of course, those units excel where they're out of harm's way and able to snipe enemy tanks with impunity.

The most important tips are at the beginning under that little spoiler, but I hope all of that helps. Good luck, Commander!

[sbruc065]

Deleted that last post haha! Took ages but I managed it!!  Was just a case of getting in the rocket turrets in the right places at the beginning.  I just couldn~t work out how to build them but as soon as you clarified it was just a case of upgrading the hi-tec factory it was all good!! Great mission!! Thanks again!!

Edited May 12, 2021 by sbruc065
Managed to complete the mission!

[Fey]

  On 5/11/2021 at 11:41 PM, sbruc065 said:

Deleted that last post haha! Took ages but I managed it!!  Was just a case of getting in the rocket turrets in the right places at the beginning.  I just couldn~t work out how to build them but as soon as you clarified it was just a case of upgrading the hi-tec factory it was all good!! Great mission!! Thanks again!!

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Congratulations!! And thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

[sbruc065]

Hi - I have played a good % of the campaigns on this site and, with absolutely all due respect to all of the people who have contributed to this site with missions, I just want to say that this campaign was, in my humble opinion, way out there as the best.  The level of difficulty was just right and the innovations and stories and twists during the missions were superb.  My full congratulations on this one!!  Can anyone recommend to me any other campaigns I could play that really stand out like this one did?

[Fey]

  On 7/10/2021 at 9:14 PM, sbruc065 said:

Hi

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Hey there!!

I'm SO thrilled to hear such a compliment! Thank you so much! I really can't express how much that means to me! Thank you!!

😅I did have a revamp in mind for this campaign using some of the new features Klofkac's been working on, but that's a little ways away still. I hope you like what I come up with for that even better! When the revamp is finished, that is. And if you're curious... here's just a little list of some of the stuff:

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 - Proper integration with Feda's new Mission Launcher. Intel entries and tactical map images, submods for expanding the possibilities, splash art for each mission, etc.
 - A complete sound overhaul, including a new mentat and lines for each individual unit, all fully edited with radio blips, reverb, related background sounds, and more.
 - Hero units. Powerful additions that allow for high risk, high reward plays as the player wants to use them for attack or defense, but must protect them at any cost!
 - Other new units. Autogun Tanks, Tyrant Tanks, Shotgunners, gauss rifle Troopers, different variants of Sardaukar and more give more identity to each faction.
 - Story inconsistencies fixed. All events are canon; the player is sometimes a different commander on missions other than bonus ones so everything plays out.
 - More consistent balancing using a number of new features, including longer delays on enemy superweapons only, crates for cash or bonus units, and more.

Here are some intel entries for S11:

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A tactical map image, again for S11, showing the new smuggler emblem of an Arrakis sand mouse:

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Splash art for S05, featuring a Harkonnen Flame Tank crushing smuggler militia in Gara Kulon:

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Mercenary forces stealing a bunch of Light Combat Tanks on a Heighliner mission:

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Some raw infantry and vehicle voiceovers by themselves. It doesn't seem the forum wants to play them, but they're here to download if you wanna have a listen.
Sardaukar compilation.wav
Logistics compilation.wav

It's mostly done; I'm just waiting for some more Mission Launcher integration and for the rest of the splash art to be finished. Klofkac is also doing some AMAZING bugfixing with his patching efforts, which is no doubt gonna enhance everything.

  On 7/10/2021 at 9:14 PM, sbruc065 said:

other campaigns

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Feda's brilliant Mission Launcher advancements enable a whole bunch of incredible innovations, some of which have already been taken advantage of in new campaigns. Cm and Feda are both legendary mappers, but with very different styles. Regarding campaigns of theirs that are explicitly designed to take advantage of the new Mission Launcher, and therefore may present you with some new and interesting things to check out, here are a couple of recommendations:

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Cm_blast's mapping style usually involves limiting the player somehow and using a variety of mapping tricks to toughen the enemy or incentivize the player towards certain strategies, some of which may even be mission objectives. Naturally, because of his style, his new Coalition of Nobles campaign is one of his best! In it, you play as a coalition of smaller Houses with limited, but specialized technology that band together to try to fight the bigger Houses, like the Atreides or Harkonnen, for Arrakis.

Not only do you get to battle in other theaters of war, like Caladan or Giedi Prime, but Cm goes out of his way to make you feel like you're playing a weaker, smaller House. Which makes it all the sweeter when you finally achieve victory, with the help of your allies! These maps are definitely more geared towards micro play, rather than macro.

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Feda's War of Assassins and Sandstorm campaigns are followed up in this sequel, War of the Landsraad. Spanning a whopping fifty maps, it's a huge campaign, and Feda keeps with his style of huge all-out battles too. But, there are also some maps that are smaller, or more like puzzles, breaking up the action from time to time. Since Feda orchestrated the lastest breakthroughs in the Mission Launcher, it's only natural that he created the first campaign for use with that Mission Launcher.

Alternate theaters of war and various submods are a thing in this campaign too, but there are also some neat mapping tricks. Like static ships on Caladan maps that display a name when you mouse over them. The Autogun Turrets seen in that clip under the first spoiler make their first appearance in any campaign in this one, during the Sardaukar arc.

Hope that helps. I'm certain Cm or Feda would love to hear from you if you give either of those a try. Plans for sequels are already in the works, so any feedback provided could help them iron out good changes for the sequels that improve the gameplay and mapping overall!

[sbruc065]

I am anxiously awaiting the update on this one Fey!!  Have this forum bookmarked and keep checking in!!  Thanks!! Stephen

[Fey]

  On 9/17/2021 at 8:49 PM, sbruc065 said:

I am anxiously awaiting the update on this one Fey!!  Have this forum bookmarked and keep checking in!!  Thanks!! Stephen

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Thank you very much!!

I have a slight update on the progress on this campaign's revamp so far. Twenty-one splash art images have been finished, all of the thinner ones for missions with two versions, so the only ones left are nine of the 512x512 ones for missions with one version. SBON1 already has its sketch done. Feda's also gotten some work done on the Mission Launcher integration! It's not gonna look exactly this way, this is just a concept image for the sake of programming the layout in the Mission Launcher, but here's that layout concept (with both splash images for level 1):

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Turns out the framework for the Mission Launcher is really old. We've already discovered that Feda can't make the text centered! But that's okay, we expected some bumps in the road. So maybe graying out an image doesn't work, and due to how the text boxes have to be set up the sides of the image have already received extensions, as you can see in the second screenie under the spoiler. We'll keep figuring it out, but, ya know, it'll still be a few on account of the remaining images that need finishing.

Something finished RIGHT NOW though is, I did a little work on the original d2k campaigns and made them function with my mod. I didn't, like, change the AI or terrain, or add any special new tech structures or anything, so there's more stuff that just doesn't appear in the original three campaigns. But, still playable, and still a lot of new stuff!

I linked the modified maps in this thread here:

So if ya check that one out, then I hope you have fun!

[sbruc065]

I worked this out! Had a glitch - storm lashers were in fact Atreides Hi-tec and looked like Starports!

Edited September 19, 2021 by sbruc065
No longer need help

[sbruc065]

The new launcher also looks awesome and look forward to seeing the completed work!

[Fey]

  On 9/18/2021 at 11:06 PM, sbruc065 said:

Thank you!! I really appreciate you replying to me here, many many thanks!

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I really appreciate your comments! So, thank you! 😃 It makes me so happy that you've enjoyed my work!!

  On 9/18/2021 at 11:06 PM, sbruc065 said:

I have just replayed the Smugglers campaign and mission 18.  From the beginning of the mission the Storm Lashers were showing as kind of "glitchy" looking Starports.

I figured out though that when I captured the last contruction yard I would be able to still build them but unfortunately I can't....It does't give me the option although when I build a new Starport it gave me the option to build an Atreides Hi-tec factory!

Is there a specific file I should make sure I copy to fix the problem?  I have the mission saved just before capturing the construction yard.

Thanks for any help!

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Oh golly, that sounds like a matter with the mod itself!

This mod is NOT built to work with Feda's new mission launcher yet. The revamp will take care of that, and a bunch of other things. But, in this incarnation, it replaces the original game's files. So, I'd recommend replacing the files under the data folder, and under data > bin. The data.r16 file under data governs graphics, while the stuff under data > bin involves the mod itself.

The reason Starport images would be popping up on a Storm Lasher has to do with animation misalignment. Which is strange, since the SLasher doesn't have animations in this version... but, I suppose that proves something is the matter with the mod files So, simply replacing them should fix it. I'm not sure if that will preserve the saved game, but here's hoping!

If I remember correctly, you'll need to upgrade your Research Center after the ConYard is captured to trigger SLasher availability. That's the only time in the campaign the Research Center is upgraded, just for that moment on S18.

As a side note, the SLasher has new animations and stuff done for the revamp. Here's a peek:

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Also seen above are Shotgunner infantry.

  On 9/18/2021 at 11:12 PM, sbruc065 said:

The new launcher also looks awesome and look forward to seeing the completed work!

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I too am quite excited. Feda's amazing new launcher has already enabled leaps and bounds, and Klofkac's developments with the editor are just as powerful!

[Fey]

ayy lmao revamp's done

OP updated, details there

[Awil]

Nice! I already played the campaign, but stuck at mission "S07V1: The Traitor". Idk why, in middle game, i got forced out from the game, and over and over again.. The previous mission "S06V2: Breaking the Blockade" really well, its took about 2 hours to beat it, and doesnt force me out the game.

I also try at mission "SV08: Mercenary", and the result was same, its forced out again in middle of game. Is this anything wrong with my computer or what?

Im already using launcher 1.3

[Fey]

  On 6/10/2023 at 4:38 AM, Awil said:

Nice! I already played the campaign, but stuck at mission "S07V1: The Traitor". Idk why, in middle game, i got forced out from the game, and over and over again.. The previous mission "S06V2: Breaking the Blockade" really well, its took about 2 hours to beat it, and doesnt force me out the game.

I also try at mission "SV08: Mercenary", and the result was same, its forced out again in middle of game. Is this anything wrong with my computer or what?

Im already using launcher 1.3

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Hey there!

It sounds like you might be running into that weird random crash some folks are getting on modern machines. Near-release, some testers and I went through the whole campaign without running into any bugs, but some others were getting random crashes on occasion, even on some vanilla maps. Even with random debug messages that didn't actually mean anything, or no error messages at all! We're not sure why; all possible causes were investigated quite thoroughly.

Any players who ran into this were still able to get through the campaign by saving often (in multiple slots helps too) and just reloading when they hit a random crash, and I'm happy to report it fortunately didn't happen on every map for them.

If it's consistent in an area on a certain map, or if a debug message is consistent, any more information would be majorly helpful! A screenshot of that debug message if there is one, what you or the enemy were doing around the time of the crash, all that. It's highly unlikely to be a 'real' bug considering the extensive testing leading up to release, but it's impossible to rule out that we missed something. So, I'll be sure to investigate any more data!

In any case, sorry about that. I hope my answer's able to help in some way

Edit: Bah, and now I test again and I hit a crash on S07, myself! Dang 1998 game memes...

I'm gonna look into this even more thoroughly. Still, any more info you can provide would be helpful in narrowing it down. And thanks for the report!

Edit 2: Hard to make the crash consistent, so it's hard to narrow down the cause. I wasn't one of the folks getting random crashes in d2k in general, so I have to imagine it's a genuine bug causing it...

I got a crash once after making some progress, after taking the southwest base and moving over to the east, and then again after taking all my starting units to take the eastern area with the Starport. Then, many repeated tests after that yielded no crashes, including without changing anything about the map at all. It's so strange!

Will see if I can recruit more help testing this issue. All I can recommend for now is saving often and in multiple slots just in case you run into something similar elsewhere.

Edited June 11, 2023 by Fey

[Awil]

  On 6/11/2023 at 1:51 AM, Fey said:

Hey there!

It sounds like you might be running into that weird random crash some folks are getting on modern machines. Near-release, some testers and I went through the whole campaign without running into any bugs, but some others were getting random crashes on occasion, even on some vanilla maps. Even with random debug messages that didn't actually mean anything, or no error messages at all! We're not sure why; all possible causes were investigated quite thoroughly.

Any players who ran into this were still able to get through the campaign by saving often (in multiple slots helps too) and just reloading when they hit a random crash, and I'm happy to report it fortunately didn't happen on every map for them.

If it's consistent in an area on a certain map, or if a debug message is consistent, any more information would be majorly helpful! A screenshot of that debug message if there is one, what you or the enemy were doing around the time of the crash, all that. It's highly unlikely to be a 'real' bug considering the extensive testing leading up to release, but it's impossible to rule out that we missed something. So, I'll be sure to investigate any more data!

In any case, sorry about that. I hope my answer's able to help in some way

Edit: Bah, and now I test again and I hit a crash on S07, myself! Dang 1998 game memes...

I'm gonna look into this even more thoroughly. Still, any more info you can provide would be helpful in narrowing it down. And thanks for the report!

Edit 2: Hard to make the crash consistent, so it's hard to narrow down the cause. I wasn't one of the folks getting random crashes in d2k in general, so I have to imagine it's a genuine bug causing it...

I got a crash once after making some progress, after taking the southwest base and moving over to the east, and then again after taking all my starting units to take the eastern area with the Starport. Then, many repeated tests after that yielded no crashes, including without changing anything about the map at all. It's so strange!

Will see if I can recruit more help testing this issue. All I can recommend for now is saving often and in multiple slots just in case you run into something similar elsewhere.

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Yeah, i really often saving the game. Probably, there too many stealth units? Its works like charm when the stealth units not dominate the maps.

Im still playing the campaign at S14 right now. Only S07 & S08 random crashing. And those 2 missions contains a lots of stealth units

[Fey]

  On 6/15/2023 at 12:20 PM, Awil said:

Yeah, i really often saving the game. Probably, there too many stealth units? Its works like charm when the stealth units not dominate the maps.

Im still playing the campaign at S14 right now. Only S07 & S08 random crashing. And those 2 missions contains a lots of stealth units

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That's an interesting suggestion. It didn't cross my mind that it might have something to do with the amount of stealth units. It may still be one of the new events causing some problem or another, there are lots of new events and their complexity makes it easy to miss something small, but I'll investigate all angles. If it does have something to do with stealth units, it's possible SBON3 (on hard mode, at least) or, more likely, S17V1 might also give you trouble. If that's the case, it could narrow down the problem even further.

I'm relieved to hear it works like a charm otherwise, and only those maps so far have presented a problem!

Thanks so much for the update. I'll keep looking into those missions when I get the chance, and hopefully can figure out what it is fairly soon.

[Awil]

  On 6/15/2023 at 3:05 PM, Fey said:

That's an interesting suggestion. It didn't cross my mind that it might have something to do with the amount of stealth units. It may still be one of the new events causing some problem or another, there are lots of new events and their complexity makes it easy to miss something small, but I'll investigate all angles. If it does have something to do with stealth units, it's possible SBON3 (on hard mode, at least) or, more likely, S17V1 might also give you trouble. If that's the case, it could narrow down the problem even further.

I'm relieved to hear it works like a charm otherwise, and only those maps so far have presented a problem!

Thanks so much for the update. I'll keep looking into those missions when I get the chance, and hopefully can figure out what it is fairly soon.

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Hey there ! Im already finish the campaign! Amazing campaign. But well im sad when Summer partner that.. Uh well nvm.. (I really love about the stories when playing dune 2000 hehe)

You right, i got problem when S17V1.
i got force out the game at S17V1, as expected, when the stealth units dominate my screen, its higher chance to force close the game..
Probably the stealth units try to engage then re-engage to repair pad? But its just my suggestions...

I try mission SBON3 hard but works smoothly (but i play only 1x time hehe). SBON3, enemy stealth units doesnt had a repair pad, so i guess it doesnt make it crash the game.

And btw.. Thank you for your hard work for making this campaign, i really enjoy it.

[Fey]

  On 6/20/2023 at 6:03 AM, Awil said:

Hey there ! Im already finish the campaign! Amazing campaign. But well im sad when Summer partner that.. Uh well nvm.. (I really love about the stories when playing dune 2000 hehe)

You right, i got problem when S17V1.
i got force out the game at S17V1, as expected, when the stealth units dominate my screen, its higher chance to force close the game..
Probably the stealth units try to engage then re-engage to repair pad? But its just my suggestions...

I try mission SBON3 hard but works smoothly (but i play only 1x time hehe). SBON3, enemy stealth units doesnt had a repair pad, so i guess it doesnt make it crash the game.

And btw.. Thank you for your hard work for making this campaign, i really enjoy it.

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I'm really glad you enjoyed the story ^^ Thank you very much!

That greatly narrows it down. I'll see what I can do to confirm the cause and fix the problem when I get the chance! It COULD be advanced repair behavior related. Oddly, stealth units were the first to be tested with this new behavior because I thought it would be funny, but the behavior has evolved since then so maybe in how it functions now it winds up crashing the game... related clip from early on in development below:
https://streamable.com/xzxb8v

Hehe, I hope SBON3 went well Tower defense maps are games of optimization, so hard was bound to be fairly tight! That also further reinforces the possibility that it is the stealth units' interactions with the repair behavior after all.

Thank you so much for playing! It means a lot to me that you enjoyed this campaign  And thanks again for reporting this issue. I hope to make it the best I can!

[Fey]

Testing complete. Looks like the patch works.

Original post with details on the 'stealth units crash' below:

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Alright, I've devised a new system that should prevent the stealth units from crashing the game. Stealth units will be transformed to their normal counterparts, forcefully removed from stealth, and then transformed back to their stealth counterparts after repairs are complete or the attached Repair Pad no longer exists. This has the side effect of giving them a speed and HP boost when retreating from battle (for non-Stealth Raiders, which have inferior stats to their normal counterparts on account of not being versatile, modular units like Raiders for story and gameplay reasons), but they can't re-stealth and more importantly can't crash the game (hopefully).

This adjustment should interfere as little as possible with how the maps are intended to play out while fixing the bug that eluded me prior to release. I didn't want to remove the behavior outright if it could be helped, after all!

All missions where the issue could possibly occur were given this new system, but my testing was limited; I only breezed through S07V1 on hard mode twice, and S08V1 on hard mode once. I heavily affirmed that the stealth units' repair behavior was most likely the cause of the crash before making adjustments to S07V1.

Once enough testing is done with these patched maps, I can bug Feda and dato to update the Mission Launcher 1.3 package and dunemaster install respectively.

Here's the download:
<obsolete>

These maps go under data > Missions, replacing those from the Mission Launcher 1.3 package or the latest dunemaster MultiLanguagePack install. Since they're posted directly to the forum, you'll need to be logged in to your account to download them, else you'll get a message like 'this file is unavailable' or something. Alternatively, drop by the Landsraad Discord server. They'll be in #troubleshooting there.

Please note that if you are one of those unfortunate players who gets random crashes even in vanilla d2k, it might be hard to test this stuff on account of possibly mistaking a random crash for one caused by this issue. Still, if you get less crashes than before, that'd be great to confirm!

Also please note that the behavior occurs most often on hard mode, less often on normal mode and almost never applies to easy mode. Unit production for enemies and allies is scaled up to maximum on hard mode, resulting in the most amount of units present on the map. For testing purposes, hard difficulty is where one is most likely to run into the crash if it still exists.

Here's information on the behavior on each of these maps, where and how frequently I would expect the crash might have occurred prior to this fix (which hopefully works):

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S07V1: High likelihood!
Three AIs use the advanced repair behavior with stealth units on this mission. Two on normal or hard, and one more on hard only. The hard-only one is the AI closest to the enemy's Command Center. Due to the great amount of stealth units on this map, the crash was most likely to occur on this mission compared to the others, save S17V1. I tested this mission twice on hard mode and got no crashes. ... Nguyen reported that there were no crashes on this mission.

S08V1: Rare
The Ordos have a good amount of production on other units besides Stealth Raiders and a large area where the repair behavior cannot occur due to terrain design. As the player's ally, their repair behavior occurs even on easy mode. I tested this mission once on hard mode and got no crashes. ... Nguyen did not report any crashes on this mission.

S09V1: Uncommon
The Ordos use the most Stealth Raiders on this map and most often use their repair behavior when compared to S08V1 or S09V2. As the player's ally, their repair behavior occurs even on easy mode. ... Nguyen did not report any crashes on this mission.

S09V2: Rare
The Ordos show up late to the game and have a good amount of production on other units besides Stealth Raiders. As the player's ally, their repair behavior occurs even on easy mode. ... Nguyen did not report any crashes on this mission.

S10V1: N/A?
The rebel commander repairs his Stealth Raiders on this mission, but there shouldn't be any Carryalls to ferry them around. If the crash, which I haven't totally been able to confirm the cause of, actually has to do with Carryalls lifting the stealthed units, then the crash never would have occurred on this map anyway. Nevertheless, I adjusted the events like I did with the other maps to eliminate the possibility, assuming this fix works. Their repair behavior occurs on hard mode only. ... Nguyen did not report any crashes on this mission.

S12V1: Rare
There are Stealth Raiders surrounding the enemy base opposite the player's starting position. However, their Repair Pad is in the center of the map, so they would only attempt to repair if the player has gone around the other corners of the map rather than straight through the middle, or at least hasn't touched the Repair Pad in the center of the map. Their repair behavior occurs on normal or hard mode. ... Nguyen did not report any crashes on this mission.

S14V1: Extremely rare
The repair behavior applies to Stealth Raiders for Summers' forces, and she doesn't build any by default. Meaning, you would have needed to build some Stealth Raiders, not have ever selected them otherwise the AI wouldn't have touched them, and then swapped to commanding Durant's forces to have ever seen the crash on this map. Though extremely rare for that reason, this behavior was given the hopefully-working fix. Could probably still use a little testing on account of how it might interact with the faction swap behavior. As the player's ally, their repair behavior occurs even on easy mode. ... Nguyen did not report any crashes on this mission.

S16V1: Uncommon
There are small groups of Stealth Raiders waiting to ambush the player's units, or his allies', at some locations in the southern half of the map when they're discovered or nearby infantry on infantry rock are attacked. Though there's a small amount of them, their placement and the presence of allied units nearest them means they're likely to escape to repair and that therefore increases the likelihood of the crash. Their repair behavior occurs on hard mode only. ... Nguyen did not report any crashes on this mission.

S17V1: High likelihood!
Four AIs use the advanced repair behavior with stealth units on this mission. Two on normal or hard, and two more on hard only. The hard-only ones are the AIs occupying the northwest and southeast corners of the map. Due to the great amount of stealth units on this map, the crash was most likely to occur on this mission compared to the others, save S07V1. ... I encountered a crash on my testing run, so something is wrong. Will investigate further. ... Made some adjustments to repair behavior on this mission to make it identical to other missions like S07V1 that never crashed for me during testing. Still ran into a crash. Possibly unrelated to repair behavior? It seemed to happen during an interaction with Fedaykin Gholas. Will investigate further. ... Across three hard mode tests on this map, two crashes were encountered. Unless this crash is on S07V1 too and simply decided not to show up on that map but show up twice on this one, it appears unrelated to the repair behavior. Can't seem to pin down exactly what it is, but crash frequency appears to have been drastically reduced. This is acceptable. Maps zip in this post updated 7/27/23 with the adjustments to S17V1. ... Nguyen reported that there were no crashes on this mission.

I would be grateful for any tests, even if it's just on S07V1 or S17V1, the maps where this behavior has the highest likelihood to cause a crash. I'll test each of the other maps I haven't gotten around to myself at some point when I get the chance, and edit this post accordingly, but the more testing, the better. Thank you very much!

Thanks again for all the feedback and help testing, guys. Much appreciated!

Edited August 28, 2023 by Fey
Testing complete!

[lefiath]

Thank you very much for updating this, this version actually works for me and I can run it at borderless in decent resolution, while the in game sound still plays. I wish OpenRA would put some more love for Dune 2000, but unless that miracle happens, I guess I'll keep coming to this release.