Dune 2000
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Dune 2000 is a Dune computer game, released by Westwood Studios in 1998. It is based in Frank Herbert's science fiction universe Dune. It is considered as an enhanced remake of Dune II. The story of the game is similar to Dune II, and is continued in .
Using a game engine which resembles Westwood's , Dune 2000 is a remake of Dune 2. The story, told with animations and subtitles in the original Dune II, is now told with full motion video starring actors such as John Rhys-Davies. The game was criticised by some for not adding enough fresh content, and for an inferior interface compared to its competitors — most notably Total Annihilation. The storyline, though, has improved markedly as did the triggers in-game with twists to the gameplay. The game also tidied its graphics to incorporate 16-bit graphics as well as incorporating a later patch with new units for multiplay. Despite all of these enhancements, the game suffered from poor AI behaviour as well as poor waypointing which has quickly become crucial in fast online multiplayer games.
General Units
Infantry
- Light Infantry- The basic infantry unit which is lightly armed and armored. Weak against heavily armored vehicles.
- Trooper Infantry- Anti-tank infantry unit. His rockets are not effective against other infantry.
- Thumper Infantry- Only found in multiplayer games. It can be deployed strategically near enemy harvesters to draw the attention of sandworms to the area to disrupt the enemy's economy.
- Engineer- An unarmed infantry used to capture enemy structures.
Vehicles
- Trike- All 3 Houses may now construct trikes in the early part of the technology tree. It is commonly used as a scout unit due to its high speed (and rather poor weaponry) as well as a secondary role as guardian to the player's harvesting operations to fend off enemy troopers.
- Quad- The player must now research the upgrade in the 'upgrade' tab to be able to construct these units. It basically fires rockets like its infantry counterpart and is weak against infantry but is rather more useful against other vehicles.
- Siege Tank- Another major deviation from Dune II. This unit is moderately armored and armed with a heavy siege cannon which is strong against buildings and infantry but does far less damage to other vehicles unlike its Dune II counterpart.
- Combat Tank- Depending on the House which this unit is built from; the Harkonnen version of this tank is slightly better-armored and possess heavier firepower than its other 2 counterparts but sacrifices speed for these bonuses; House Ordos' tank is faster, with considerably less firepower and armor whereas House Atreides' tank enjoys the balance of both these extremes in terms of firepower, speed and armor value. Its ordnance is good against structures and vehicles but less so against infantry units.
- Missile Tank- Only available to House Harkonnen and Atreides. It has the longest firing range of all units and structures in the game, outdistancing even the rocket turret defence. Its drawback is its frequently inaccurate payloads (missiles) and weak armor but can be useful when backed-up with other armored units.
- MCV (Mobile Construction Vehicle) - Allows the player to find a strategic spot to deploy and to build a base with. It is heavily-armored.
- Harvester- Harvests spice and converts them to spendable credits in the refinery. A full load of spice is worth 700 credits.
Special Units
House Harkonnen
- Devastator- Armed with dual plasma cannons and is the most heavily-armored unit in the game. It can be instructed to self-destruct to inflict considerable damage within its radius.
- Death Hand missile- The Harkonnen superweapon released from the Harkonnen Palace. It can cause severe destruction to a wide area, but like its Dune II predecessor, it can be highly inaccurate.
- Sardaukar- Heavy infantry which fights with machine guns against infantry units and rocket launcher against vehicle units. Moves very slowly, and explodes when ran over by vehicles. Available only to Harkonnen in multiplayer when the 1.06 patch is installed, although it also appears in final mission of the campaign, when capturing the Emperor's Palace. The Emperor's Sardaukar are better than the Harkonnen version.
House Atreides
- Ornithopter- Heavy bombers unit with moderate armor. The High-tech factory must be upgraded first before the player may use them. When the player has designated the target for its bombing run, a group of 3 ornithopters will immediately fly there and commence the destruction. It is vulnerable to enemy anti-air attacks.
- Sonic Tank- In comparison with the same unit from Dune II, its range has been curtailed and its damage has been lessened somewhat. It fires a sonic wave at its intended target, harming units (friend and foe alike) caught within the wave.
- Fremen- Available in selected missions of the House Atreides campaign as well as in the multiplayer modes. They are stealthed even when moving about but would give their position(s) away when opening fire on a target or come within a very close proximity with other enemy infantry units or defense structures.
- Grenadier- Grenade throwing infantry unit that does area damage. Good against vehicles, and explodes when killed. Available only in multiplayer games after the 1.06 patch has been installed.
House Ordos
- Raider- superior to similar Trike units of its class, with improved armor, firepower and speed.
- Deviator- Fires a nerve gas at enemy vehicles that can temporarily transfer control of the affected vehicle to the player. Its gas does not have any effects on infantry. Works in a similar manner as its Dune II counterpart.
- Saboteur- Deployed from the Ordos Palace. The player now have total control over the actions of the saboteur. The unit can enter any enemy structure and demolish it at the cost of the saboteur's life.
- Stealth Raider- A cloaked version of the raider, good for stealth attacks and sometimes used to initiate an attack from inside the opponent's base (or forces) after enough numbers of them have been smuggled. Will uncloak when firing its machine guns. Available only in multiplayer after the 1.06 patch has been installed.
External links
| Dune (video game)>Dune | Dune II | Dune 2000 | | Frank Herbert's Dune | Dune Generations |
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