Update Vanilla Dune 2000 to Gruntmods Edition?

[MartyD82]

Hi everybody. I know that Dune 2k is more or less abandonware, but I have personal reservations about downloading it while it’s still under copyright. So, I’m wondering: is there a way to add all the Gruntmods updates to the original disc version of D2K? What would I need to download, etc?

[Fey]

On 10/11/2020 at 10:59 AM, MartyD82 said:

Hi everybody. I know that Dune 2k is more or less abandonware, but I have personal reservations about downloading it while it’s still under copyright. So, I’m wondering: is there a way to add all the Gruntmods updates to the original disc version of D2K? What would I need to download, etc?

I dunno about moving the Gruntmods updates over to the original disc, but it's a-okay to simply use Gruntmods. No worries, bro!

[Cm_blast]

I think besides the dune2000.exe modified gruntmods may not have something more than the vanilla version.

[Feda]

On 10/11/2020 at 8:59 PM, MartyD82 said:

Hi everybody. I know that Dune 2k is more or less abandonware, but I have personal reservations about downloading it while it’s still under copyright. So, I’m wondering: is there a way to add all the Gruntmods updates to the original disc version of D2K? What would I need to download, etc?

Wouldn't it be the same thing to add a bunch of community-patched stuff over the original disc version as to just directly download gruntmods? lol. I mean, you do have the disc, you own the game, I see no issue with just downloading Gruntmods

[MartyD82]

It would technically be the same thing, yes. I just have personal moral issues with downloading abandonware games. 

 

Anyway, I figure the Gruntmods edition is probably Dune 2k with a number of freely available fan patches, but I know it also has its own auto-update feature. So I PM'ed Gruntlord6 about possibly getting the source code without the Dune 2k assets, so that I can plug those in from the CD and then compile it through MinGW or something.

[Cm_blast]

1 hour ago, MartyD82 said:

It would technically be the same thing, yes. I just have personal moral issues with downloading abandonware games. 

 

Anyway, I figure the Gruntmods edition is probably Dune 2k with a number of freely available fan patches, but I know it also has its own auto-update feature. So I PM'ed Gruntlord6 about possibly getting the source code without the Dune 2k assets, so that I can plug those in from the CD and then compile it through MinGW or something.

At the end I think only dune 2000.exe it's 100% necesary to work, as any patch (besides the oficials 1.03 and 1.06 patches) done into the game I think it was done into this .exe itself.

I have a portable version that I use to mess when I am trying to use Tibed, new colors and so on, so I don't touch my gruntmods versions, and since it is portable I can do multiple copies or extract the .zip again withouth needing me to install or anything. So, for this portable version of the game I only copy the dune2000.exe, config.exe and the launcher. The config because game may not launch, or do it in a weird looking way, and the launcher because at the end of the day I am going to load my playground map with editions and personal tests, but if it was for playing the vanilla game the dune2000.exe could be enough.

The C&Cnet.exe will download more stuff like the online maps, I don't have this or execute into my portable version, so maybe it is not needed at all.

Here, on this post there are some instructions on how to install your game from the CD and the patching needed. It has listed the dune2000.exe and the config.exe, but it could be possible that even withouth the config the game works, just with default resolution but it depends on the computer and the graphical cards or something about that. 

This post just assume you install from your CD version, so maybe it can help you to see exactly what amount of files are needed to make it work.

[MartyD82]

Thanks so much! I guess, after the FunkyFresh install, I would probably want to download the Gruntmods-exclusive map packs and music tracks, provided GruntLord6 put them online for individual download. I think I also like the idea of self patching vanilla Dune 2k, because the most recent Gruntmods update doesn't have the updated Hi-Res pack, which supposedly allows Dune 2k to be run at HD resolutions without the graphics being heavily reduced in size.

 

Were any of the gameplay mechanics altered in the Gruntmods edition?

Edited October 14, 2020 by MartyD82

[Cm_blast]

Gruntmods it's just as vanilla as dune 2000 it is.

The patches are simply mean to be playable on moderm S.O., and being able to play custom missions controlling other factions than the main trio (so using the launcher on his own it's not enough, game will crash as the player was never inteded to play as Imperials or mecenary).

One thing that's different are the 2 first missions on the three factions. I think it was something related with bugs making the game unplayable with 4k monitor and small maps so those missions have a black border around (you cannot move any units on that area) just to have a certain minimun size required. The missions itself are exactly the same; in case this bothers you you can copy and paste the original missions from your CD into gruntmods and will work the same (assuming you don't encounter the bug-problem mentioned).

I remember back in the day that the game used to have a "select mission" on the main menú which pressed will appear the list of missions so you could play any mission you wanted. Not sure if it is still around there.

There is something on the menu during the game, a "debug mode" intended to modders on custom missions, but has no purpose if you don't use it.

So besides the compatibilty and a few things to make life easy (like the game crashing near the end of mission 7 where only a few harvesters were alive, either you replay the whole mission or skip into mission 8 directly by using the "mission select" on the main menu) it is just the usual dune 2000.

Who knows, maybe at the end you may want to play a bit more and start playing custom campaigns. Plenty of them still uses the vanilla game so nothing change besides the faction you are playing as/against, the difficulty compared to the original game or maybe some crazy commando style/puzzle missions here and there.

Edited October 14, 2020 by Cm_blast

[Feda]

6 hours ago, MartyD82 said:

Thanks so much! I guess, after the FunkyFresh install, I would probably want to download the Gruntmods-exclusive map packs and music tracks, provided GruntLord6 put them online for individual download. I think I also like the idea of self patching vanilla Dune 2k, because the most recent Gruntmods update doesn't have the updated Hi-Res pack, which supposedly allows Dune 2k to be run at HD resolutions without the graphics being heavily reduced in size.

 

Were any of the gameplay mechanics altered in the Gruntmods edition?

Actually gruntmods has the up-to-date hi-res patch. Gruntmods has all the new stuff, tgere is no individual module that is newer than what is inside gruntmods.

The select mission button vas not vanilla, it was itself a mod too.

[firefly101]

Int the Hirez patch available the same as gruntmods? I use the Queue.exe and use the Hi-Rez patch that is downloadable and it seems to work? I also use the mission selector, all downloaded separate and installed.

 

[Amander]

On 10/14/2020 at 7:37 AM, MartyD82 said:

It would technically be the same thing, yes. I just have personal moral issues with downloading abandonware games. 

 

Anyway, I figure the Gruntmods edition is probably Dune 2k with a number of freely available fan patches, but I know it also has its own auto-update feature. So I PM'ed Gruntlord6 about possibly getting the source code without the Dune 2k assets, so that I can plug those in from the CD and then compile it through MinGW or something.

I don't see a problem with people having access to content they shouldn't when it isn't really the downloaders that's providing their product.
It's not our fault it's the society that gets away with uploading illegal content, it's not like copyright Owners can just spot your VPN and sue you for storing their content or even playing it somehow. If you want to do that then feel to.