6

DUNE II: THE BUILDING OF A DYNASTY (1992): SPICING UP STRATEGY IN REAL TIME

Westwood Studios’ Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty¹ (1992; Commodore Amiga, PC, RISC OS, Sega Genesis) is widely regarded as the first modern real-time strategy (RTS) game. Although certainly not the first, it was highly successful and influential, inspiring later games that eventually became one of the major genres of the industry. Later hits such as Warcraft and Command & Conquer can trace their ancestry back to Dune II, which is still enjoyable to play—even more than a decade after its initial release.

Dune II’s gameplay is instantly recognizable by anyone familiar with the RTS genre.

Prior to Dune II, most strategy games were turn-based. They included classics like MicroProse's Civilization (1991; PC, Nokia N-Gage, Sony PlayStation, and others), a multilayered title that launched a series of turn-based strategy (TBS) games that is still going strong today.² Although Civilization is probably the most well known today, there were dozens of lesser-known strategy games, many based on tabletop wargames from the likes of Avalon Hill. With a few notable exceptions, such as Danielle Bunten Berry's³ groundbreaking 1982 release, Cytron Masters, and Sir-Tech's hybrid, Rescue Raiders (1984; Apple II),⁴ these earlier games broke the gameplay into discrete turns, during which only a single player (or computer opponent) could make any moves. Dune II popularized a form of gameplay in which the action was continuous; just because the player decided to break for coffee didn't mean that the computer-controlled opponents weren't steadily building up their resources. Although we'll have more to say about real-time versus turn-based games in a moment, for now let's just say that Westwood's game introduced a new facet to strategy gameplay by considering the passage of “real time,” that is, the actual time the player spent playing. This fact meant that the player's physical ability to select units, scroll the map, and so on became vital. Westwood addressed this issue by integrating intuitive mouse control into the computer versions—a key innovation that sets Dune II apart from previous efforts at RTS games.⁵

Screenshot from the intriguing hybrid, Rescue Raiders, for the Apple II.

Why did the elements found in Dune II prove so influential? For many gamers, the constant action and immediate responses of RTS games are more appealing and easier than planning one or more moves a turn and then waiting for the results to be calculated and displayed, as in TBS. This feature became important as the potential buying population grew along with the industry; the new breed were often less enamored with the traditional wargame, with its complex strategy, statistics, and concern with historical accuracy. Titles like Chris Crawford's Eastern Front (1941) (Atari, 1981; Atari 8-bit), Hudson Soft's Military Madness (1989; NEC TurboGrafx-16, and others),⁶ MicroProse's X-COM: UFO Defense (1993; PC, Sony PlayStation),⁷ SSI's Panzer General (1994; Apple Macintosh, PC, Sony PlayStation), and Irrational Games’ Freedom Force (2002; Apple Macintosh, PC) were well-designed, approachable, critically acclaimed, and ultimately sold well. Nevertheless, those games and others like them never allowed the TBS to reach the same critical mass in both depth and breadth of mainstream titles as RTS.

Screenshot from Chris Crawford's user-friendly TBS game, Eastern Front (1941).

Perhaps the main reason why RTS triumphed over TBS gaming is that it's a purely electronic creation. The only real analog is taking command of a real-life army, an activity probably best engaged in virtually. Although the top TBS games add slick and logical interfaces, automate the complex statistical calculations automatically behind the scenes, and may even feature impressive audiovisual elements, there is nothing inherent in such a game that can't be done between two or more dedicated players sitting at a table with a well-designed board game.⁸

Dunell’s optional mouse-driven interface enables fast yet precise input that works well with the real-time gameplay.

As its name implies, Dune II was represented as a sequel to an earlier game, Cyro Interactive's Dune (1990; Commodore Amiga, PC, Sega CD). Although Dune II is based on the same franchise, it is a vastly different experience. The original Dune is an adventure/strategy hybrid closely based on David Lynch's film Dune, which is itself based (or perhaps “inspired by”) Frank Herbert's novel by the same name. Cyro's Dune is noted for easy, hand-holding gameplay, which guides the player (who takes on the role of the novel and movie's main character, Paul Atreides) along a path similar to the movie's. Paul must recruit help from the Fremen, a mysterious race of desert dwellers who have somehow managed to survive and even thrive in the harsh environment of the planet Arrakis. Arrakis is the only known source of Melange, also known as Spice, a mystical substance required for space travel and quasi-immortality. Arrakis was formerly the sole domain of vile House Harkonnen, who aren't in the least pleased with Atreides’ arrival on the planet. Without spoiling the story, the gist of the game's plot is that Paul has mystical powers and must fulfill his role in an ancient prophecy. Although the game seems mostly concerned with keeping the player headed toward that goal, there are some basic strategy components as well. Players must specify which of the converted Fremen will mine ore and which will fight, and must equip and train them. In other words, the germ of what would become Dune II is present in the original, though the all-important strategic elements are buried underneath a fairly linear adventure game.⁹

The first Dune has a few things in common with its sequel, but is far more focused on adventure and story than strategy.

Dune II differs most notably from its predecessor in its far greater emphasis on action and strategy over plot. Indeed, Westwood even dared to alter Frank Herbert's story, introducing a third house (House Ordos) and omitting the characters from the novel. The story here is that the emperor is low on funds, and has essentially improvised a contest to see which of the three houses can harvest the most Spice from Arrakis. The player begins as a military commander of the house of his or her choice, gradually building up Spice and eventually fighting for sole supremacy with the other houses and even the emperor.

Dune II’s gameplay is eerily familiar to anyone who has played modern RTS games, and it's easy to forget how revolutionary it felt in 1992. For instance, clicking on a unit causes it to play a sound sample; “Yes, sir,” for example. This convention would be carried over into most later RTS games such as Warcraft.¹⁰ More important, though, is how the passage of “real time”—that is, the actual time the player interacts with the game—affects the game-play. Though we've discussed a parallel issue with role-playing games in Chapter 4, “Diablo (1997): The Rogue Goes to Hell,” it's worthwhile to raise it again in the context of strategy games.

The essential difference between RTS and TBS games is the gameplay. TBS games can be compared to a game of chess or checkers, in which each player can theoretically take as long as he or she wants to make a move. The other player cannot legally move until the first has moved.¹¹ If we wanted to make chess more like an RTS, the players would not wait for each other, but would move their pieces as frequently as they could. However, the differences between RTS and TBS are a bit more profound than this analogy suggests. Indeed, a set of real-time rules for chess would probably also include penalties for moving across certain squares, or a “cooling off” period for certain pieces. For instance, whereas in traditional chess the queen can move an unlimited number of spaces per turn, in a real-time version, she might only move one square every 30 seconds, whereas a pawn could only move one square every five minutes. Obviously, such factors would be impractical, if not impossible, to account for in the board game, but computers can easily track such variables, making for some very interesting strategic possibilities. Most fans of RTS games feel that the real-time aspect makes them more intense, whereas TBS fans can argue that their preferred setup allots more time for decisions and can thus seem much larger and more complex. Indeed, a single turn in Civilization IV (2K Games, 2005; Apple Macintosh, PC) can easily take 15 minutes or more.

Blizzard's first foray into RTS, Warcraft, proved decisive for the company.

Another important consideration is the number of computers one has available on the same network. Most multiplayer RTS games require at least two networked computers, whereas it's usually possible to “hot seat” a TBS. A hot seat game means that players literally take turns sitting in front of the computer; the seat is still warm when the next player takes over. Although Dune II is a single-player game, later RTS games would allow for multiple players over a LAN; a direct computer-to-computer connection via either serial cable or modem; and eventually, the Internet. These games include Blizzard's aforementioned Warcraft: Orcs and Humans (1994; Apple Macintosh, PC) and Command & Conquer (1995; Apple Macintosh, PC, Sega Saturn, and others), a deeply influential game codeveloped by Westwood and Looking Glass Studios.

Screenshot from the animated tutorial from the original Apple II version of Cytron Masters.

As we noted near the beginning of this chapter, Dune II wasn't the first attempt at an RTS, and it's worth taking a moment to examine the earlier pioneers. Perhaps the most cited games in this context are Dani Bunten's aforementioned Cytron Masters, Dan Daglow's Utopia (Mattel, 1981; Mattel Aquarius and Intellivision), and Technosoft's Herzog Zwei (1990; Sega Genesis).

Dani Bunten, perhaps better known for the Electronic Arts’ multiplayer classic M.U.L.E. (1983; Atari 8-bit, Nintendo Entertainment System, and others) and the action adventure The Seven Cities of Gold (1984; Apple II, Commodore 64, and others), is certainly an intriguing developer worthy of a book of her own. Cytron Masters, published by SSI for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit computers, was a rather abstract war game with a real-time component. Two players¹² work to conquer each other's command centers by building cytrons, “cybernetic electronic units” that can perform different tasks. Bunten herself remarked in her memoirs that “rather than appealing to both action gamers and strategy gamers, it seemed to fall in the crack between them.”¹³ Bunten followed up these concepts in 1988 with Modem Wars (Electronic Arts; Commodore 64, PC). This revolutionary game took the important step of having the players connect to each other via modems; that way, each could have full control of his or her own machine and screen rather than having to share. Unfortunately, at the time, the lack of widespread modem use and long-distance telephone service costs for those that did prevented the game from achieving great sales, and, for all their innovation, neither Cytron Masters nor Modem Wars seem to have had much influence on other RTS games.

Box back from Mattel's Utopia, Intellivision version.

Dan Daglow's Utopia is another very interesting game from the early 1980s, often claimed as the predecessor of Maxis’ SimCity and Bullfrog's Populous (both 1989 for various systems). A strictly two-player game,¹⁴ Utopia put players in charge of their own island economy. The goal is to construct buildings on the island, generating revenue and curtailing rebellion. However, since the players couldn't directly attack each other and combat was highly abstract, Utopia ultimately has more in common with SimCity than Dune II and later RTS games. SimCity and Populous were certainly better known than Utopia, and were widely admired by critics and gamers alike in the early 1990s. Although these games were not focused on combat, they did feature many of the elements that would become established conventions of the RTS genre. Populous is a “God game” that puts players in the role of a god who can manipulate land to aid followers and stymie the followers of the rival god. SimCity (Chapter 15), lets players plan and build a city, which develops in real time. As a parallel, Dune II takes both land and structures into consideration; for instance, players can build structures only on concrete foundations.

Screenshot from Herzog Zwei, a surprisingly forward-thinking console RTS.

According to the popular gaming website, 1up.com, Herzog Zwei is “in many ways the progenitor of all modern real-time strategy games,” and claims that it laid the foundation for Dune II and later RTS games.¹⁵ However, this rather obscure game by Technosoft didn't make it to Western shores until 1990 and is actually a sequel to Herzog, a game released only in Japan. Although the sequel is very popular among members of the Genesis community, for others it seems more of a historical curiosity, and there is little evidence to support 1up's claim. Regardless, Herzog Zwei is definitely a forward-thinking game with many features commonly seen in later RTS games. It supports one or two players (via a split screen), who compete in real time to take over neutral bases, gradually producing the combat units necessary to destroy their enemy's base. Players directly control a flying transport ship that can transform into a robotic armor type combat unit. Although a very interesting game, it was not well received at the time and only later achieved cult status.

In short, while there were plenty of games that shared or introduced Dune II’s pivotal features, it stands alone as the first true modern RTS. It was the first to take advantage of the mouse and keyboard combo that had started to take over the computer gaming scene, and its high-resolution graphics made it possible to distinguish units and view a wider gaming map than ever before. Furthermore, its graphics were not abstract as in many earlier wargames, but representational—a trike looked like a trike, not a symbol. The vehicles even make trails in the sand they travel across. It's difficult to exaggerate the importance of mouse control as well, which made scrolling the map and selecting units far more efficient than ever before. However, even these innovations would have been for naught if the game hadn't been fun to play. Fortunately, Westwood's game offered some of the best gameplay of its era, coupled with high production values.

There could easily be an entire book on the many RTS games that followed in Dune II’s wake, including innovators like Chris Taylor's Total Annihilation (GT Interactive, 1997; Apple Macintosh, PC), which featured 3D units and terrain that influenced gameplay; and Ensemble Studios’ Age of Empires (Microsoft, 1997; Apple Macintosh, PC, Pocket PC), which combined the civilization-building elements from Civilization with typical RTS mechanics. Perhaps the two most enduring are the Warcraft and Command & Conquer series. Warcraft: Orcs & Humans was a tremendously successful game that helped establish Blizzard as one of the world's eminent game developers. Its gameplay is unmistakably influenced by Dune II, though themed on fantasy rather than sci-fi. The game also featured popular options for multiple players over LANs, a pivotal feature that took advantage of the networking frenzy created by id's Doom (Chapter 5, “Doom (1993): The First-Person Shooter Takes Control”), which had penetrated to the core of the computer gaming industry. Warcraft spawned three sequels, and at least some of the gameplay seen in the massively multiplayer RPG, World of Warcraft (see Chapter 24, “Ultima Online (1997): Putting the Role-Play Back in Computer Role-Playing Games”), is borrowed from the older title (as well as the characters and stories). Of course, Blizzard's StarCraft (1998 for various systems) series of best-selling RTS games is also impossible to ignore.

Total Annihilation’s key innovation was its 3D terrain, which influenced gameplay. For instance, units could move across hills, but at reduced speed.

Command & Conquer (1995; Apple Macintosh, Nintendo 64, PC, and others) was developed by Westwood, so it's certainly no surprise that many of Dune II’s best qualities show up in this long-lived series. This massive and many-forked franchise would take some time and space to describe accurately. Some of the games are based on sci-fi settings, whereas the Red Alert games (beginning 1996) are alternate history, in which Albert Einstein finds a way to travel back in time to assassinate Hitler. The Generals branch (beginning 2003) is not connected to the earlier games, introducing a storyline set in modern times.

The Red Alert series of Command & Conquer games pits the Allies against the Soviets.

In these and other RTS games, gameplay is based on building structures, generating units, managing resources, and engaging in strategic combat. This formula, first to see maturation in Dune II, has consistently proven successful with gamers, and there seems little doubt that RTS games will continue being produced and thrilling gamers worldwide for many years to come, particularly as efforts continue to streamline interfaces for play on gamepads.¹⁶

¹Subtitled Battle for Arrakis in some territories. The game also received a remake and pseudo update in 1998 as Dune 2000, for the PC and Sony PlayStation.

²See Chapter 15, “SimCity (1989): Building Blocks for Fun and Profit,” for more on this game.

³Dani Bunten Berry is also known as Dani Bunten and Dan Bunten. Born Daniel Paul Bunten, she changed her name after undergoing gender reassignment surgery.

⁴Rescue Raiders would be released by Three-Sixty Pacific in a slightly updated form for the Apple Macintosh and PC as Armor Alley. With superficial similarities to Dan Gorlin's Choplifter (1982, Broderbund; Apple II, Coleco Adam, and others), the 2D side perspective game puts the player in direct control of a helicopter, while releasing a variety of armored, autonomous ground forces in an attempt to get an explosives-filled van to the enemy base.

⁵It's important to note, however, that a mouse, though highly recommended, is not required.

⁶Also known as Nectaris, depending upon territory and/or platform.

⁷UFO: Enemy Unknown in Europe and Australia.

⁸Sometimes referred to as “pen-and-paper” games.

⁹On a side note, Dune’s soundtrack, composed by the French game composer Stéphane Picq, is considered some of the best music ever heard in a Commodore Amiga or PC game. It's been frequently remixed and updated, and remains a staple on sites that offer downloads of classic game music.

¹⁰Warcraft’s implementation of speech took a more humorous slant; for instance, grunts that would grow increasingly agitated after repeated clicks.

¹¹Unless the game is specifically designed to allow other players, typically remote-human or computer-controlled, to perform certain activities in the background for expediency's sake.

¹²Or one against a rather perfunctory computer opponent.

¹³http://www.anticlockwise.com/dani/personal/biz/memoir.htm. Additionally, a tribute in the October 1998 issue of Game Developer magazine by Brian Moriarty described Cytron Masters as a “two-player design [that] offered a curious conjunction of strategy and real-time action in a game that pushed the Apple II hardware to its limits.”

¹⁴A single player could play for a high score if they so chose by simply leaving the other island abandoned.

¹⁵See http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3134179.

¹⁶Although every new console RTS seems to boast that it has at last overcome this challenge, computers remain the platform of choice for most fans of the genre.