From: randall-joshua@yale.edu (Joshua Randall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games
Subject: PREVIEW:  STRATEGIC Game Dune 2
Date: 17 Dec 1992 14:38:03 -0500
Organization: Yale University Science & Engineering UNIX(tm), New Haven, CT 06520-2158
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: minerva.cis.yale.edu
Bcc: ross

I just got this game, and just played the first two scenarios, and
here is my initial opinion (my actual words as a matter of fact!):

THIS GAME ROCKS!!!

Now, don't be shocked, it is much, much different than Dune 1.  The
story is, the Emperor challenges all comers to mine as much spice as
possible.  Whoever does, gains control of Dune (and the immeasurable
wealth, prestige, etc. that comes with that control).  "No holds
barred" sez the Emperor; in other words, all out war.

Whoever described this game as "SimCity in a sandbox" is close to
right.  You begin with some money (not enough, naturally!) and a few
things you can build.  As you mine spice and refine it, you gain more
money with which you build more things...and so on.

I'll describe the first two scenarios (that is all I've played so
far).

You might not want to read this is you're uptight about spoilers.

Lemme put one of these....



Scenario 1:

More of a tutorial...amass 1000 credits worth of spice.  You start
with 500cr, two infantry units, and two light vehicles (oh yeah...I'm
playing this as Atreides, might be different for other houses).
Before you build, you have to lay down concrete slabs (kind of like
bull-dozing in SimCity, eh?) which cost 5cr each.  Next you build a
Windtrap which provides energy (like the power plant in SimCity).  Then
you build a refinery, which includes a Spice Harvester.

While you're doing this, you send your armies off to explore the
world.  Mostly it's empty but every once in a while an enemy unit
appears and you have to fight it...fighting is in real time.  You
order you unit to attack and it pretty much is on its own.  But you
can order it to move around, retreat, or attack someone else, or
"guard" in which case it just sits there and shoots and whatever comes
near it.

Fairly simple...you send out your Harvester, let is harvest, and when
it comes back, you're done.  I can't imagine losing this scenario.  It
took me 24 minutes, but then again I was fooling around alot, trying
to find the edges of the map (it's pretty big, I'd estimate at least 2
screens, maybe as much as 4).

Scenario 2 coming up....



Scenario 2:

Now you see a map of all of Dune, and you have to pick one of three
areas in which to combat your enemies.  You start with 1000cr this
time, and you will need it.  Build that same stuff as before, but this
time you start with a heavy vehicle as well as a bunch of light
vehicles and some infantry.  After a while you can build Silos,
Vehicle Plant, Barracks (produces infantry), and some other goodies.

But watch out!  You enemy has a base somewhere in the area, and your
goal is to destroy it.  I got lucky and found his base right off.  It
turned into a battle of wills.  I settled on the strategy of attacking
his harvesters so he wouldn't get any money.  I lost a lot of Trikes
(light vehicles) though!  But you can build 'em pretty fast so it
doesn't matter.  Anyway, finally, I went to his base and surrounded
each section.  His dumb infantry ignored me so I just pounded on is
base...actually I had to create some infantry to engage his.

The only annoying thing is that even thought I build two Refining
areas, I only got one Harvester, and it was bloody slow to build
things because I never had any money....

Well that's it...

The sound is great on Soundblaster, all mouse controlled (obviously),
ran fine on 386-16 with 2 megs RAM.

Go get this game!

Oh yeah...Ross, I can write a full review if you want for GB #9 or
#10.

Later!

-- 
Joshua E. Randall                       randall-joshua@yale.edu