Sardaukar2k/New Dune Game

[Andrew]

Few people seem to frequent that board. It will get more attention on this board. and rightly so.

[exatreide]

i stopped paying atenntion when 95% of the topics are stickied.

[Inoculator9]

Only about half now, and I did do that for a reason.

[ken124578]

Just a thought, shouldn't this thread be here:

http://www.dune2k.com/forum/?board=11

Because it's a private board... not everyone can view it.

[Dunenewt]

Few people seem to frequent that board. It will get more attention on this board. and rightly so.

Or you could say that the Other Dune Games board would get more attention due to this thread

[Andrew]

Just a thought, shouldn't this thread be here:

http://www.dune2k.com/forum/?board=11

Because it's a private board... not everyone can view it.

It's not a private board..it links to the Other Dune Games Board. That is what I thought at first until I clicked on the link. :)

@Dunenewt:

True, You could say that since Dune jihad was so "popular" that it should have its own thread in the gaming board. (but it shouldn't)

Someday it will start again....someday...(after exams)

[ken124578]

Oeps, n/m.

I thought he was linking to the s2k private board.

[Inoculator9]

All is forgiven :)

[Jack Leaf]

I have thought a little. What if we trash the whole base building? I mean, no base building, only ruthless combat. Of course there will be outposts of somekind, that generate units in time. Everytime when new spice loading comes, the player can chose what units he wants, and the base will then start to build them. So player will not have to build bases, only to chose what units he wants. Repairing will be automatic. This is just a concept, which can be refined.

[Inoculator9]

That was actually one of the first ideas I had, and it's one that I really want to use. Though I don't think we can incorporate that in our first version, that would be a great idea for one of the first official mods :)

[Jack Leaf]

Basicaly the base building idea is rather stupid. All is about how fast you can build your base. In Warcraft 3 it's like this: "Have at least 25 footmen in 3 minutes or be rushed by 9 Tauren."

I agree the rush tactic in RTS games, but if we drop the base building, it will make the game a bit more exciting and strategical. You couldn't waste your units, because the new units will not come so fast out from the factories, and then the enemy could just simply launch attack with his remaining units. Also, it will "force" players to use the special units like artilery "the right way".

[Inoculator9]

I'd be more inclined towards a system by which you start out with a certain amount of units, more come in at a certain time and after a certain amount of time, and they all rally at an uncontrollable or selectable, walled off base area. I still don't think it works for what we've gotten designed. We already have all the conceptual stuff worked out in our board, so this is a bit pointless to discuss... but, I DEFINITELY would want to see something like this in a mod once we're done.

[Jack Leaf]

That is also good idea. Maybe even better than mine. Now, go back to your hole and start coding! ;)

[Inoculator9]

Lol, I'll learn first ;D Anders is doing the stuff for now :) Making a lot of progress actually.

[DLAGhost]

I was looking at the thread but don't have time to go through all the pages. I do have some suggestions, hopefully not repeating comments made already:

Base building-it's one of the things that I enjoy, it adds to the strategy. I'm constantly playing with build orders to try to get a higher unit count, or a different composition within my army.

Air Transport-in the single player version of Dune 2k the computer can move several units and drop them where ever. You would have to make this expensive, otherwise someone would drop an army into the enemy base. I haven't played emperor but I understand this is an option there.

Hot Keys- I would like to assign hot keys to the "select unit to be built"(don't know what you call it) so that I don't have to scroll. I can just build, maybe assign to buttons on gamepad. If not a hot key, then the ability to organize that area.

I was happy with the choice that westwood made in dune2k when they did not increase the speed of unit construction on ornithopter strikes and death hand missles when you build multiple factories/palaces. They are nice tactical attacks, but would ruin the strategic side of the game if your opponent does nothing but death hands every minute.

Look forward to seeing it.

[Wolf]

Hmm... perhaps the concept of keeping the units you end each mission with? Similar to Homeworld? That way, it would be more like you are in command of your own "legion".

Just a thought.

[Vanguard3000]

Here's an interview I did with Inoc regarding the S2K project. Hopefully this will shed some light on this project for those who are interested.

Vanguard300: What inspired or motivated you to start the S2K project?

Inoculator9: My original motivation was to make a contribution to the Dune legacy. I know I'll never likely be able to manage to sell Sardaukar2000, but the Dune community would leap at the chance for a new Dune game none the less. So, my first motivation being a contribution to Dune as whole, my later motivation would have to be the possibility of eventually selling more games that myself and the team assembled to make Sardaukar2000 would make. Though the team might not stay together as such, with a game engine ready made, and a past title for our resume, I might be able to manage to pull together a second team to improve the original engine and make a game fit for sale. Though Anders, the latter founder of the project has assured me that he will continue on with me.

Vanguard300: Who are the members of your development team?

Inoculator9: Right now the team has had a huge turn out as far as conceptual design, but more dedicated team members have been mostly scarce. Anders Frostad (dr_cyborg@hotmail.com) has been the sole programmer so far, Chris Balaskas (cbalaskas@hotmail.com) though a recent addition to the team, promises exceptional results. In addition, we are fortunate to have an exceptional 3D modeller that goes by "Crook" (andrewsherry@hotmail.com) on the team. The rest of the contributing team is to numerous to list at this point, but these guys will likely be the most tangible contributors to the project.

Vanguard300: What technologies and programs are being used in the creation of the game's engine?

Inoculator9: I'm a horrible person to ask, but from what I understand of the subject, Anders is making most of the programs himself, employing his exceptional programming and scripting talents.

Vanguard300: What will the engine be like? What will it be capable of?

Inoculator9: Our first game engine will be extremely versatile and easy to edit, but not as capable as most modern game engines. Later versions of this engine will likely employ more features, and might even be capable of making 3D games. But for now, we're pretty much limited to a 2D game.

Vanguard300: What will gameplay be like? Will it resemble a Westwood/EA-style or Blizzard-style RTS, or will it be different altogether?

Inoculator9: It will resemble Westwood Dune gameplay more then anything else, because it will use graphics and gameplay similar to Westwood's Dune2000.

Vanguard300: Could you tell us a bit about the storyline and setting of the game? How true will it be to the books?

Inoculator9: The storyline will be different for each playable faction, and only really follows the plot of the books in one of the campaigns. Though this is the case, the other four campaigns will portray events that are definitely feasable when the original Dune books are considered.

Vanguard300: As a related question: Will the game remain true to the "scientific" (please consider political science in this definition) aspects of the Duniverse?

Inoculator9: An interesting question, if not difficult to answer at this point. if I understand exactly what you're saying, the answer is yes. We don't stray exceptionally far from the science of Dune.

Vanguard300: Why Sardaukar 2000? That is, why is the attention on the Sardaukar rather than oh, say, the Tleilaxu?

Inoculator9: My original name for the game was Sardaukar2000, but at that time I had a vastly different plan for the game. When the idea for a Dune game first came to me, I wanted to make it an RPG or FPS style game, but upon consulting with Anders, we decided to make it an RTS game, rather then spend to much time making a 3D game engine necessary for the former game styles. Also at this time, we planned for it to focus in on a Sardaukar soldier on Arrakis, and when the change came, we decided to keep the name. Plus, I consider myself a hardcore Sardaukar buff.

Vanguard300: How diverse will the game be, as far as units and terrain go? How many different units do you estimate will be implemented?

Inoculator9: I would estimate right now, that each faction will have something between 10-20 units at each one's disposal. As far as terrain goes, we're taking it a lot farther then all other official Dune games have. We plan to have missions set on Arrakis, Caladan, Geidi Prime, Lankeviel, Richese, Ix, Kaitan,and on a solitary moon of Geidi Prime. Though some planets will use the map tiles of other planets, this still presents a high level of terrain diversity, considering the wildly opposing settings of watery Caladan, industrial Geidi Prime, and frost covered Lankeviel.

Vanguard300: Will S2K introduce any "new" ideas to the RTS genre?

Inoculator9: We certainly hope so. We've pulled together a lot of ideas from other games, that have never been seen in prior Dune games, and we have a few other things that we'll incorporate to make it new.

Vanguard300: You seem to be accepting every suggestion that is brought up. Will it be difficult to implement everything into the game? Is there anything you cannot implement?

Inoculator9: I only give this impression, because a lot of the ideas have simply been extremely good and adaptable to easy implementation. In addition to this, we will have six versions of gameplay. Standard RTS style gameplay with three difficulty levels, and then a more real-world style gameplay with the same amount of difficulty levels. The latter style, puts tanks in a higher niche then usually given in most RTS style games, while the former uses a style similar to past Dune games. This compromise was brought about by heated arguments between Anders and myself.

Vanguard300: What will the game look like, as far as graphics go?

Inoculator9: 2D, but due to the exceptional quality of the units being designed so far, we're confident that the graphics will still be exceptionally appealing.

Vanguard300: What factions will the player be able to play as? Will it use a similar House-Subhouse format as Emperor?

Inoculator9: Sardaukar2000 will have five campaign factions and six multiplayer factions, and are as follows: House Corrion, House Ix, House Atreides, House Richese, House Harkonnen, and the Tleilaxu are the sixth faction playable only in multiplayer mode. In addition to this, at the start of each campaign you can select from five subhouses, though after each campaign is won, a new subhouse becomes available. This latter feature is another reason why the game is called Sardaukar2000. I'll let everyone guess as to why that is though.

Vanguard300: What will the missions be like? How many campaigns and levels will there be? what kind of mission objectives will we expect to see?

Inoculator9: There will be around a dozen missions for each campaign faction, and missions will have copmarable goals to past Dune games, with some exception.

Vanguard300: Will we see super-weapons in S2K, like those found in Westwood's Dune RTS'?

Inoculator9: Not as such, but each faction does have a "super-unit" so to speak, that becomes available with the last building the technology tree.

Vanguard300: How easy will it be to modify S2K? Will it be as simple as modifying stats, like in Emperor, or will one need any special applications for creating custom units and the like?

Inoculator9: One of the things we've had in mind while making Sardaukar2000, is that it should be as easily modded as possible. For this reason, our game engine will be exceedingly easy to edit, and Sardaukar2000 will be easily made to appear as a completely different game, by anyone, even without the aid of editing programs.

Vanguard300: Will S2K have multiplayer capabilities? What types of Multiplay can we expect to see?

Inoculator9: We're hoping that standard multiplayer features will be available, but we aren't thinking as far ahead as this yet, at least not seriously.

Vanguard300: Will the game have cutscenes? If so, how many will there be, and what will they be like?

Inoculator9: I've decided to include cutscenes, though they will be simple. We may include some 3D movies featuring battles, some animated scenes, scrolling text, and sound effects. As far as frequency is concerned, there will be an introduction movie and cutscenes after each mission.

Vanguard300: What will the game's music be like? What format will it be in?

Inoculator9: This is a very uncertain area now, but I do intend to approach several groups or persons in the near future, with hopes of acquiring their services for this purpose.

Vanguard300: How will resource management work in S2K, especially in missions that take place on planets other than Arrakis?

Inoculator9: On Arrakis harvesting will occur as usual, but for off-Arrakis missions, I've come up with a different system. On worlds without spice, resource convoys will deliver materials to your base, where they will dock in a specialized building and unload. The hitch is, they don't always arrive close to base, so you have to defend their arrival point to ensure your resources stay high.

Vanguard300: Will the game have a "retreat" option, similar to that of Emperor?

Inoculator9: No, because such an option does not fit with the style of campaign play. You advance through missions as you win others, and you don't have a variety of missions to choose from.

Vanguard300: In the other Dune-based RTS', we've seen very few units which are not land-based? Will we see more airborne (or perhaps sea-based) units in S2K?

Inoculator9: Each faction will have two to three airborne units, and I'm giving serious consideration to sea-based units on worlds like Caladan and Lankeviel.

Vanguard300: Will there be many miscellaneous units, such as civilians or mercenaries?

Inoculator9: So far, we have three such groups planned out, which the player will be able to interact with in a way never seen before in Dune games and only in a few other RTS games.

Vanguard300: Will units gain a veterancy status over time, like in Emperor? How will this effect certain units?

Inoculator9: Though I haven't considered such a possibility, I'd have to say no. Though we may have something like this for infantry units, other then that, I'd prefer not. For infantry it might increase speed, damage, and health, or some comparable ability.

Vanguard300: How is the project proceeding so far, and when do you think can we expect to see the game's release?

Inoculator9: Things have mostly been slow, but definite progress is being made. A release of the game could definitely be expected some time around the summer of next year, but we will be releasing teasers of a sort within a month or two, and even little custom downloadables in a few weeks.

Vanguard300: Does the S2K development team plan to release anything prior to the game's release? Screenshots, preview movies, etc?

Inoculator9: Definitely.

Vanguard300: Is there anything else you would like to mention here?

Inoculator9: No. You've covered everything pretty well.

I'd like to thank Inoc for taking the time to fill this interview out.

[Andrew]

Vanguard300: Who are the members of your development team?

Inoculator9: Right now the team has had a huge turn out as far as conceptual design, but more dedicated team members have been mostly scarce. Anders Frostad (dr_cyborg@hotmail.com) has been the sole programmer so far, Chris Balaskas (cbalaskas@hotmail.com) though a recent addition to the team, promises exceptional results. In addition, we are fortunate to have an exceptional 3D modeller that goes by "Crook" (andrewsherry@hotmail.com) on the team. The rest of the contributing team is to numerous to list at this point, but these guys will likely be the most tangible contributors to the project.

How did crook get my email address? ??? And if you were to use my email for emailing purposes, I prefer duneabc @ hotmail.com

Good interview. Lots of new information for people to think about.

[Inoculator9]

Woops! His is andrewcrook@hotmail.com. Sorry Andrew :(

[Andrew]

Not a problem. Just don't want people to get confused. ;)

[Cyborg]

Good interview, I'd say :)

[Brennq]

I discovered this thread very late. shame on me :-[

After reading it diagonaly i cant wait to c some screenshots :D

keep up the good work

[Inoculator9]

Thanks man :)

[Inoculator9]

(from the topic: dunebuild)

Well, keep it on the burner. When Sardaukar2000 is finished, we could use some ideas from that and make this sort of game. Anders and I are starting a company called "CyborgPrime Studios" to streamline the game making process for both of us (link in my sig), and once S2K is done, I'm sure we'd both be glad to help out.

[Dunenewt]

Maybe if we could get someone with experience with this engine. I'm really keen to get this game going so I'll do a little research

Well me and DukeLeto have both a done loads of INI editing so I suppose thats something.