Overview
Before Dune II, strategy games were turn-based. Westwood’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s universe created something new—real-time strategy where decisions happened continuously, bases grew organically, and spice harvesting funded armies. Nearly every RTS that followed borrowed from its template.
Fast facts
- Developer: Westwood Studios.
- Source: Frank Herbert’s Dune.
- Full title: Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty.
- Innovation: RTS genre creation.
Genre foundations
| Element |
Establishment |
| Base building |
Construct structures |
| Resource gathering |
Harvest spice |
| Tech trees |
Unlock through buildings |
| Unit production |
Queue and deploy |
| Fog of war |
Limited visibility |
House factions
| House |
Characteristic |
| Atreides |
Balanced, honourable |
| Harkonnen |
Heavy, brutal |
| Ordos |
Fast, devious |
Spice mechanics
| System |
Function |
| Spice fields |
Resource location |
| Harvesters |
Collection |
| Refineries |
Processing |
| Silos |
Storage capacity |
Building system
| Structure |
Purpose |
| Construction Yard |
Building production |
| Refinery |
Spice processing |
| Barracks |
Infantry |
| Factory |
Vehicles |
| Starport |
Advanced units |
Interface innovation
| Feature |
Adoption |
| Sidebar UI |
Genre standard |
| Minimap |
Tactical overview |
| Unit selection |
Click-based |
| Build queue |
Production management |
Direct influence
| Successor |
Debt |
| Command & Conquer |
Direct evolution |
| Warcraft |
Many concepts |
| StarCraft |
Genre continuation |
| Age of Empires |
Resource model |
See also