Genre: Real Time Strategy (RTS), Strategy, Tactical
Dune: Spice Wars
Dune: Spice Wars FAQ - Part 2
Hey Everyone!
With release just around the corner, we're back with a second FAQ to address some more of the most popular questions we've been receiving over the last few months (and obviously since our first FAQ which can be found HERE), including the pricing of Spice Wars, system requirements, future content plans and more...
How much will it cost?
The initial price for the game will be $/€29.99. This price could change during Early Access as we add more features to the game, but we will ensure that we inform players well in advance of any impending price changes.
What are the system requirements for Dune: Spice Wars?
When does the game release on Steam? What hour can we expect?
The game will be released in Early Access on April 26. It’s a bit early to give a specific hour right now, but it should be late afternoon in Europe / morning in America. We’ll share more concrete details on this closer to release.
How big will the download be?
The game client should be around 3GB at release.
Can we preload the game on Steam?
There are no plans for a pre-load option at this time but with the download size being on the smaller side, a pre-load shouldn’t be necessary.
Is the game based on the movie, or the books?
The game is primarily an adaptation of the books, but many other Dune sources have influenced us in our design, including the boardgames, comics, card games, and the Denis Villeneuve movie. Every stone added to the edifice helps make it grander, even if the books obviously remain the seminal work.
How many new factions can we expect during Early Access? Do you expect to add more factions to the game beyond the one already planned?
At least one additional faction is planned during Early Access and yes! Priorities for Early Access will change depending on the feedback we receive from the community (from experience, multiplayer will probably be high on the list). That said, we have ideas for many different factions, with even more asymmetrical gameplay.
What made you choose the 4 release factions (Atreides, Harkonnen, Fremen, Smugglers) as your base factions?
The Atreides and Harkonnen are a staple of the universe that pretty much had to be there. For the other two (Smugglers and Fremen) we wanted something that would feel different both in terms of theme and gameplay. The Fremen are a significant force that is very present and potent in the books, and that has been almost ignored in previous video games. We felt their time to shine was overdue. As for the Smugglers, they are also an important part of Arrakis and provide a good way to explore the universe from a different angle and again, provide unique ways to play the game.
When will multiplayer be available in Spice Wars?
We expect it to be early during the Early Access, but this will depend on the feedback we get from the community. We will have fine tuning to do as well as new features to add and we’ll prioritise all this shortly after the EA release.
Will there be a competitive multiplayer feature?
That will be for the community to decide ;-)
Can we use a gamepad or is it keyboard and mouse only?
Keyboard & mouse only for now. A 4X game has a lot of moving parts and interactions and gamepad support would require a completely different UI to feel good.
Will the game have a tutorial?
The game has a tutorial that helps players directly as they play the game. We believe it is better to have an integrated experience than a standalone tutorial, if the game permits it. We feel Dune: Spice Wars is accessible enough that an integrated tutorial will work and be a better experience.
If you are making a campaign, will it follow the story of the books or be an original story?
We’re not there yet, and we don’t know what form it would take, but a narrative campaign would probably have a different story so that there’s something new to discover for all players.
Will the game be accessible on GeForce Now?
We are actually working to have the game compatible with GeForce Now as we speak! We hope to have this finalised by the time of the Early Access launch, but if not, very shortly after.
Will the game be available on Mobile?
While we believe Dune: Spice Wars is an accessible 4X game, it is still very deep and requires many interfaces and a lot of information that would be very challenging to fit on a mobile screen, so for now at least, there are no plans to bring the game to mobile.
How about console?
Right now, we’re 100% focusing on making the best game possible for PC. But we are more than open to looking into the possibility further down the line, so never say never!.
How many units are available for each house/faction?
5 or 6 depending on the faction, each with its unique stats and abilities. Dune: Spice Wars is a 4X game and warfare is only one (important) part of the game. With economy, spying and politics to manage we didn’t want to overwhelm players with 10+ different units like you would find in a regular RTS that does only war. That being said, we do have a few ideas for more, and we’re excited to get player feedback on that topic.
Why did you change the gender of Liet Kynes?
We feel the gender repartition in an otherwise very modern book is an artefact of when it was written. Liet is one of the most modern characters in the books (with messages about the preciousness of resources, building a sustainable planet with local communities...) and modernising the messenger only makes the message more powerful. Obviously, we love the book and the characterisation of Liet therein, but we also enjoyed the portrayal within the recent movie and how it reimagined the character, and this was something we thought could be an interesting approach to take in Spice Wars.
There are some deviations from the books in the game, such as the use of Kulon Caravans and shields, can you explain these design decisions?
Dune: Spice Wars is an adaptation. Everything is inspired by the books, most things are the same or very close, and some get changed because of gameplay or art direction constraints. The shields/laser interaction is a good example of something that was not that relevant at a planetary scale, and quite hard to manage when there are many units on a battlefield so we went for a more high level perspective of shielded units having higher armor. The Kulon Caravans were also invented to bring more variety both visually and from a gameplay standpoint, while still being credible within the universe.
Do you have plans for any cosmetic options (changing the house colours, skins, etc…)?
Not for now, but we’re looking into building a House creation system later on. It is a lot more tricky than it sounds because we have high definition Leaders who would require customization options as well, but we’ll try to make it happen during the Early Access.
On average, how long will one game last? Does it depend on the faction you have chosen?
Depending on your strategy and the chosen difficulty, a game generally lasts from 2 to 3 hours. That being said we’re pretty sure players will find ways to be significantly faster than that, especially once multiplayer is available.
Thank you to everyone who has been following the development of the game and reading our articles over the last few months, if you have anything else you'd like addressed or clarified, feel free to leave your questions in the comments and we'll try to answer as many as possible!
See you all on the 26th ;)
- Shiro Games
The Art of Dune: Spice Wars
[Quote] With the April 26th release of Dune: Spice Wars approaching rapidly, we sat down with our lead artist Jeremy to talk about his work on the game, creating a distinct but recognisable style for the project, his experiences working for the first time on a world renowned IP, how the style of the game evolved over time and more...
Check out the full interview below!
What was the first official art that you worked on for the project?
The very first piece of art we made for the project was a large scale view of Arrakis along with a fake ingame mockup in order to set up the mood. It has obviously changed quite a lot since then, but we tried to keep that stylized look throughout the whole Production.
What were some of your main inspirations when developing the Art Style for Spice Wars?
Our first idea was to make something that didn't look like any of the previous Dune games but one that maintained Shiro Games' touch and to make things more stylized than the usual 4X games. We also decided to add a hint of "Art-Deco" feel to the overall designs, mostly for the User Interface but also slightly incorporated on the characters and props, that way it would make our game stand out a bit more in terms of Art Direction (because that's not something you see everywhere)
Did you take any inspiration from the older movies or games?
We tried to keep some distance from the previous Dune material out there because we really wanted to have our own take on it and express our own style. Plus, obviously having the opportunity to work within this world on Herbert's legacy is a once in a lifetime chance to express ourselves and make our own mark within this universe as a video game developer.
Was there ever a point where the game or characters looked distinctly different from their final design?
Well the game most definitely changed a lot since the early stages of development due to our iteration process and all the trial and error we had to go through in order to find something that actually looks like what we had in mind when we started.
Oddly, the characters didn't change that much during development -apart from some small tweaks here and there- because we knew from the start that we would have a lot of them to make and changing a character too much can have huge implications down the line (in terms of textures, rigging, animation etc..)
With Dune being such a well known and beloved universe, did you face any challenges in developing a unique style for the game?
Actually yes, it was really hard to not take into account all of the incredibly cool stuff that was already out there on the internet, and yet we had to make something unique, different and as great as possible! Another huge part of that challenge was the fact that everyone already has their own vision of what Dune-related things would look like, so the pressure of making something not too crazy and still appealing to the players that fit into this universe was definitely a tough one!
What other challenges did you face whilst working on the games art?
Being consistent on the art direction is really a difficult task and that's the case everytime we start working on a new project because we gather a lot of references at first, then we have to sort everything and make a decision on what we should aim for, but as the development goes, our vision becomes clearer, more precise and some of the early work can become more and more irrelevant over time so we had to be extra careful with that particular aspect of the game. On top of that, we also had to make each faction look unique and this took a little while to achieve.
Another obvious challenge for us was the environment: Arrakis is basically a desert planet and we didn't want the player to spend countless hours looking mostly at sand dunes, so our first goal was to explore different kinds of desert biomes and see how much variety we could bring in order to make the map less boring, less uniform. Added to the fact that the world has to be procedurally generated in order to look different every time, it becomes an even more complex task. The scale of the world wasn't easy to get right at first, we didn't like the more realistic version of having tiny units and bigger cities & villages, and on the other hand, we didn't want the more cartoony exaggeration of having way bigger units and smaller buildings so we tried to find a middle ground that ended up working for everyone in the team! Lastly, Dune: Spice Wars is the first game in which we have animated and detailed characters in the front of the screen (the faction leaders), so that required a much larger amount of work than we were used to in order to reach the level of quality we wanted.
What major differences did you experience between working on an original IP vs working on a well known licence such as Dune?
The main difference is obviously that we had to stick to the existing material and that meant cutting a lot of ideas that we had in the first place and be more careful about what we wanted to show and how we would show it. Working on an original IP means that we can basically make our own decisions every step of the way and that is something we can't have if the project is a licensed one. That being said, it was really cool to work with these constraints because it made us come out of our comfort zone, for the better!
Were there any underlying themes or motifs you were hoping to convey with your art?
We really wanted to make the game enjoyable for a wide range of players by making it a bit more colourful and vibrant than people would expect from a 4X/RTS game based on Dune. That is something we tried to convey with our previous games as well, and we wanted to keep that kind of appeal. We think the addition of the "Art-Deco" theme was a great idea in order to bring finer details and subtlety to the overall look of the game, to make it more refined and elegant. It is also our way of saying "the game looks accessible, but there's more to it behind the curtain". We also tried to put a hint of the "cold-war propaganda poster" feel to some of the illustrations, especially on the political aspects of the game.
What has been your favourite part of your experience working on the project?
Well, the fact that we actually got to work on the "Dune" universe was really exciting and already a huge deal for all of us here! Having the chance to bring our own ideas and design to such a Sci-Fi masterpiece certainly was the most fun part of this experience, for most of us on the art side at least.
Big Thanks to Jeremy for taking the time to answer our questions today! You can check out his other works over on Artstation - HERE. See you this time next week for our final article before Dune: Spice Wars releases into Early Access on April 26th!
Introducing: The Fremen
Shiro Games and Funcom are proud to announce the final launch faction AND that Dune: Spice Wars has an official Early Access Release Date, with players being able to step foot upon the Dunes of Arrakis starting April 26th!
As we move into the final QA phase, the game already feels incredible to play and we're super proud of what we have achieved!
These last few months, sharing details about the game with you all, hearing your theories and seeing the anticipation building within the community has been a tremendous experience, and we can't wait to hear what you all think of the game.
The Fremen are the native inhabitants of Arrakis. Angered by the imperial invaders, they lead a fierce and relentless resistance. Often underestimated, their martial prowess is well known by the few who have been lucky enough to survive an encounter with them. During the 60 years of Harkonnen occupation, the Fremen have been a constant thorn in the baron’s side.
Their dream and long term goal is to turn the planet into a lush, temperate planet, which may endanger the spice trade. The Spice Wars are an opportunity to free the planet from the imperial grip, one that the Fremen would be more than happy to take.
Prominent planetologist of the Emperor, assigned to Arrakis to study the spice cycle, Liet Kynes is secretly leading the Fremen’s ecological project started by her father. Her twin loyalty has made her a skillful schemer able to navigate both the convoluted Fremen traditions and the impenetrable Imperial administration. The Fremen have an almost religious admiration for Liet, who they believe will lead them to a utopian Arrakis, freed both from the Imperium and from water scarcity.
Just like her people, Liet is wary of outsiders, but also kind and trustworthy, concerned to the highest degree with the well-being and freedom of the Fremen.
In the complex Fremen society, the majority of those in prominence support Liet Kynes’ plan, and respect her strategic mind. Some of them have joined her in Sietch Tabr to help lead the Fremen to victory during the Spice Wars.
Stilgar Ben Fifrawi is the Naib of Sietch Tabr. A formidable warrior, but an even wiser ruler, he is deeply respected by all of the Fremen.
Mother Ramallo is a rogue Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit. She inspires a strong religious fervour into the Fremen and holds a deep knowledge of all their rites.
Chani Kynes, the daughter of Liet, is a bold and charismatic woman. Her brilliant and intuitive mind helps her gather facts and figures from the tiniest hearsays.
Otheym is a renowned Fremen fighter. He is also a very good teacher and a great leader, specialising in desert guerrilla warfare.
Arising from and forged by the desert, the Fremen are less affected by the environment. They can travel further before suffering from exhaustion or attracting the sandworms. Better yet, they can use the terrible beast to travel faster and strike suddenly at the heart of their opponent’s domain. Experts in stealth tactics, they can also lay devastating ambushes on their opponents’ armies, or hide inside the dreadful sandstorms of Arrakis to surprise weakened, unsuspecting victims.
While their guerrilla tactics are more than adequate for combatting the invaders, their true power lies elsewhere: in rallying all of the sietches across Arrakis, the Fremen will grow even stronger and may be able to completely drive the imperium out of the planet.
The Fremen are experts in holding military influence over a large territory. They can cross long distances in the desert in a short amount of time using their legendary ability to ride sandworms, resupply less often and further from home and hold up longer against a superior force.
Their unique units include:
Warriors are the bread and butter of Fremen fighters. Armed with long knives, they are experts at using Arrakis terrain to disorient their opponents.
Infiltrators are so used to the desert that they stay invisible and unheard until they strike with their two knives. Their surprise attacks will always find a weak spot, breaking their opponents’ will and focus.
Skirmishers have a large supply of grenades. They use them to ambush well armoured units and soften them for their other comrades to finish off.
Fedaykins are the elite of the Fremen army. Trained in the weirding way and armed with the feared crysknives, they only get stronger the more opponents they face.
Kulon Caravans are the holders of the clan’s water. While they can fight the invaders with maula rifles, their main function is to set up a hiereg camp. At the camp, all Fremen units will be hidden, healed and resupplied. As such, Kulon caravans are best deployed near remote villages as proxy bases for an attack.
Introducing: The Smugglers
As with any high yield market, the spice trade attracts all kinds of enterprising individuals. Those who want to avoid the reach of CHOAM turn to smugglers to acquire the precious substance, making them a major underground economic power in the Imperium.
And wherever there may be profit, there will be smugglers, just waiting to play their cards right…
The smugglers manage their own territory, with an armed force and some political influence. Their agents have their hands in the dealings of every planet, influencing public policies and trade everywhere.
After all, secretly, the ultimate goal of the Smugglers is to one day reach a state where their family will rise to become a Landsraad house in their own right.
Having been in the trade for many years, Esmar Tuek is the most respected Smuggler amongst his peers on Arrakis. With the outset of the spice war between the major houses, the smugglers have banded together under his leadership to defend their interests on the planet.
Esmar is a skillful spymaster, with ties to the Fremen, the Spacing Guild, and the Landsraad houses. He knows when to be tough with his employees and always respects a contract. His men are loyal to his gold, but also to his cunning business acumen.
Esmar Tuek has formed a reliable crew. All of his advisers’ loyalty has been tested time and time again through years of criminal operations. They are all dependable professionals who know their craft inside out.
Drisq is the loyal quartermaster of Esmar. She is taking care of the regular logistics of most of his smuggling operations. She manages the whole network of spies of Sietch Tuek.
Staban Tuek, the son of Esmar, has an innate sense of the political landscape of Arrakis. He has many connections in the Landsraad, and uses his deep pockets to influence the council in favourable ways.
Bannerjee is the head of security of Esmar’s enterprise. He knows all about the most dangerous individuals of the criminal underworld and leads his crews with a firm hand.
Lingar Bewt is specialised in the water trade. His control of this most essential resource gives him a lot of authority in the Pan and Graben villages.
Starting near the polar region, the smugglers are likely to encounter the other factions early. Luckily, this plays well with their unique capacity to infiltrate their opponents’ villages, profiting from their infrastructure and increasing their reach on Arrakis. It also puts them at an advantage to benefit from the trade of polar waters.
In all aspects of their development, Smugglers are specialists in optimising their economic outcomes. Parasitizing the development of their neighbours, embedding their underworld into the smallest furrows of their productions, they are renowned for their rapid and meticulous looting of even the smallest wealth of Arrakis.
The Smugglers are experts at focusing on vulnerable, easy prey and extracting the most of it. On the battlefield, they take some time to heat up. Their units reduce the supply of their targets throughout fights, and benefit from starving units, making them the best faction for long-lasting battles in neutral territories. They also excel at surprising armies returning home from a tough fight...
Their unique units include:
Scavengers are opportunist killers, who’ll do anything for an easy buck. They prefer to attack weak, starving units with their sharpened blades. Their strength increases when their target supplies diminish.
Wreckers use chemical weapons to reduce the supply of enemies in their area of attack, which makes them the perfect harassing unit, allowing their allies to comfortably loot the spoils.
Snipers, deadly marksmen with modified sniper rifles, have the longest attack range on Arrakis. Factoring in their camouflage, they are adept at finishing fleeing units.
Free Company are the most famous assassins and bounty hunters in the Imperium, equipped with dual swords and impressive stealth gear. Their versatility comes mainly from their ability to mimic the skills of their targets during fights.
The combat drone is a strong, extremely agile mechanical unit conceived for autonomous fighting, to support the Smuggler troops.
Check out the very first gameplay trailer for Dune: Spice Wars now!
The time has arrived, we are proud to reveal the very first gameplay footage for Dune: Spice Wars!
[previewyoutube="9lFx4wfc8Tc;full"]
Prepare yourself to contend for control of Arrakis when Dune: Spice Wars launches into Early Access on Steam later this year!
House Harkonnen, hailing from Giedi Prime (a heavily industrialized planet that lives under the iron fist of their cruel Baron) are a house with a reputation for ambition, brutality, and malevolence, so it is no wonder they are one of the most feared great houses in the Imperium.
Well known for their devious and sinister political tactics, and for the historical feud they have maintained with House Atreides for centuries, they are a force to be reckoned with, and feared by their fellow houses, with good reason.
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is the leader of House Harkonnen, one of the wealthiest members of the Landsraad and Duke Leto Atreides' most dangerous rival.
An unparalleled conspirator, as ruthless and cruel as he is intelligent and cunning, the Baron is power-hungry and has a knack for manipulating others and exploiting their weaknesses, as well as a propensity for torture and blackmail, making him one of the most dangerous predators on Arrakis (which in itself is quite the feat…).
Baron Harkonnen knows how to surround himself with like-minded people, whether he chose them or molded them in his own image. And make no mistake, Harkonnen's advisers are just as vicious and cruel as he is.
Glossu Rabban, on the other hand, knows how to break the will of and maintain permanent pressure on the people ruled by the Harkonnens, with the unique aim of maximizing profits.
Piter de Vries, the Baron's powerful Mentat, is the expert in weaving a network of spies and setting up various operations to harm the enemies of the Great House.
Feyd-Rautha, the Baron's protégé, is adept at using charm and manipulation to help the Harkonnens crush their opponents politically.
And finally, Iakin Nefud, has the role of organizing the main corps of Harkonnen soldiers, using the men as cannon fodder, as consumable resources, but with unparalleled military results.
A key strength of the Harkonnens is their formidable force on the battlefield and their lack of hesitation to employ any and all underhanded tactics at their disposal to achieve their goals.
Whether it's shady politics, assassination, or cutting-edge spying, they know how to implement and execute long-term plans to win wars without having to start them.
However, their military forces can not be downplayed, as the indoctrination that their soldiers undergo transform them into veritable mindless and fanatical war machines.
The main mechanic that binds the Harkonnen troops is this principle of expendable and fanatical soldiers, as ready to kill for as they are to die for causes they do not even care to understand.
Troopers, armed with razor-sharp blades, are able to enter a berserker rage when injured, ignoring their pain and increasing their strength the closer they are to death.
Vanguards are masters of combat, and excellent assassins, who revel in blood and death, slaying their targets one after another in an unflinching and unfeeling fashion.
Gunners, experts in demolition, equipped with experimental explosive weapons manufactured in secret. Their damage is so extensive that their troops are often wounded and killed by their own fire, for the glory of the House.
House Guards, ruthless killers, unstoppable war machines who will follow and carry out any orders given to them without hesitation.
Stealth Probes, disposable and inexpensive mechanical units, were developed for the sole purpose of espionage and murder from the shadows.
Introducing: House Atreides
One of the most powerful Houses in the known universe, honorable, efficient and highly respected, there’s little wonder why Baron Harkonnen considers them such a threat to his aspirations of power and control.
House Atreides is one of the Great Houses of the Imperium and an important member of Landsraad, the parliament that brings together the major and minor houses of the Imperium.
The Atreides have ruled the lush, oceanic planet called Caladan for generations, and lead their fiefdom with justice and honor.
Duke Leto is a distinguished aristocrat, proud of the history of his house and of his ducal prerogatives. He is a good commander, who always has the well-being of his people firmly in mind, sometimes even to the detriment of the resources of his duchy. Though at times appearing harsh, inflexible, proud and authoritarian, he is widely considered a fair and loyal leader, and one who has earnt and is worthy of respect.
Each House can rely on their trusted Councillors to manage their estate and further their goals. As a player, you choose 2 of the 4 Councillors when you start a game, allowing you to exemplify your House's strengths or mitigate its weaknesses. The Atreides can rely on Warmaster Gurney Halleck for military strategy, the Lady Jessica for political influence, the Mentat and spymaster Thufir Hawat for economics and spying, and the legendary swordmaster Duncan Idaho for expansion and combat proficiency.
One of the core strengths of the Atreides is their unparalleled political power. Their negotiating skills and their reputation for honor and loyalty allow many major and minor houses to place their confidence in them and in turn, give them more power, allowing them to benefit from many advantages with regards to laws or the reclamation of political power.
On Arrakis, the Atreides can also rely on their skills and reputation to easily negotiate with the Fremen, giving them valuable advantages over other factions in the race to conquer the dangerous planet.
The Atreides are renowned for their exceptionally well trained and doggedly loyal army, with troops that are expensive but tough, they are designed, created and trained to last. Symbols of courage, loyalty and determination, the more populous and eclectic an Atreides army, the more effective it is.
Their unique units include:
Troopers: Armored swordsmen, exceptionally skilled in close combat and who work perfectly in tandem with their fellow troops
Rangers: Equipped with long range rifles, they are some of the best scouts and support units
Heavy Weapon Squad: Equipped with the best heavy weapons of the House, they are incredibly effective in breaching enemy defenses, alongside being one of the best anti vehicle and anti armor infantry on Arrakis
Wardens: The Wardens are the elite troops of the Atreides armies, and the pride of the Duke. Adorning heavy armor and near impenetrable shields, they have garnered a reputation as near immortal fighters.
Support Drone: Heavy mechanical units equipped with powerful ranged weapons, they are the flagship of the Atreides industry, developed specifically to aid allies engaged in hostile environments with supplies and aid
Dune: Spice Wars FAQ
Greetings all!
It has been just over a month now since we had the pleasure of revealing Dune: Spice Wars to you all! Understandably, given the relative secrecy around the project so far, there has been a plethora of questions, queries, theories and rumours about exactly what can be expected of the game. So we're here today to answer some of the more popular questions we have recieved over the last few months and hopefully put some of your minds at ease.
Read on to find out more...
What is Dune Spice Wars?
Dune Spice Wars is a real time strategy game featuring 4X elements based in Frank Herbert's Dune universe
How much will it cost?
We’ll announce a price point when we’re closer to release and we know how much content we have in the game.
Is it an RTS or a 4X?
It is both. The game is real time, but the pace is slower than in a typical RTS (and you can pause and fast forward). The game also features exploration, territory control, economic growth, combat, politics and spying, features that make it a true 4X game but do not detract from the core RTS experience that players would expect.
Will there be base building in the game?
You can construct buildings in your base of operation (Arrakeen for the Atreides for exemple). This is shown as structures added to the base itself and it is interface based. You don’t manually place buildings on the ground as the game is at a much larger scale than your typical RTS.
Has any of the game been reused/recycled from Northgard or any of your other titles?
Vikings are well known for their very bad water discipline, so no. All aspects of Dune: Spice Wars have been developed from the ground up specifically for this game.
Which houses will be available to play?
We’ve announced House Harkonnen and House Atreides as playable factions. We’re planning to have 2 other factions at launch, followed by a 5th faction during Early Access (and more later!).
Why is the House Atreides green in game when in previous games it was blue?
To stay true to the books. Many things in Dune have been represented differently in shows, movies, comics or games over the years. The Atreides banner and uniforms are described as green and black in the books so that’s what we went for in the game.
Will houses from classic Dune games make their way to the game? (House Ordos...)
House Ordos was first mentioned in the Dune Encyclopedia and then in the video game Dune 2, but never in Frank Herbert’s works. We’re starting with what’s in the books, and we’ll see what would be best beyond that during the Early Access.
What similarities does the game have with your other title, Northgard?
Both games are real time games with a slower pace. Beyond that the games are quite different. Dune Spice Wars is on a much bigger scale, featuring politics, trading, covert operations and a deeper resource management system. Game length is also 2 to 3 times longer than Northgard (although this could still change at this point).
Have you taken any inspiration from previous Dune games for this title?
We’ve played all the Dune video games (Dune and Dune 2 especially) and all board games as well so there will be some influence. That said, Dune Spice Wars is very much its own game with a unique take on the struggle for the control of Arrakis.
Will the game feature procedural map generation?
Yes the maps will be procedurally generated, with different options for size, wind strength, sandworm activity and many others. Deep deserts are used as a kind of blocking feature (like seas in other games), at least until you develop technologies to survive longer in the desert, or build a network or airfields. Maps will also feature unique places that readers of the book will recognize.
Why did you choose to release the game in Early Access instead of as a full game further down the line?
We had very good experiences with Early Access on our previous games. We were able to balance things better with player feedback and we changed our release schedule to fit player expectations on several instances. Our goal is to have a very good game on day one, but we still want the opportunity to tweak or change systems and add content depending on what the community feels.
Why did you choose the somewhat cartoonish and bold art style?
Creating a game on a desert planet has quite a few challenges, one of which is making sure what you look at for a few hours is not bland even if it’s just rock and sand. We spent a lot of time working on the environment and even worked with a geologist specialized in deserts to create things that could exist on such a planet. The stylized art direction comes into play by adding things that bring a variety of colors and shapes so that the environment can stay harsh while not getting boring.
Which languages will be supported?
The final list will depend on metrics we’ll get before Early Access so it’s a bit early to say, but we’ll have at the very least English, German, French, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese and Russian.
Will there be multiplayer?
We will definitely do multiplayer, but that’s obviously a big chunk of development and we prefer to focus on the core gameplay initially. So the short answer is yes, and it will be a major update during the Early Access.
Will there be a campaign?
The campaign will not be present in the initial launch build but like multiplayer, is planned to come to the game at some point during the Early Access period.
Will you have mod support?
There are no firm plans on this front at this time, but should we see enough demand for mod support, we would be more than happy to look into the possibility.
Will there be DLC?
There are no DLC plans at this time, as we are focused on Early Access and ensuring the core game is enjoyable, feature rich and complete ahead of the full release further down the line. If there is still demand for more content and we can find a good reason for DLC, it may be something we explore, but it's too early to think about anything like that just yet.
What platforms will be supported?
PC initially, we’ll be looking at other platforms during Early Access.
What involvement does Funcom have with the development of the game?
Things are simple: Shiro Games is in charge of the whole development process and Funcom takes care of publishing and marketing.
Where will I be able to buy Dune Spice wars?
We’ll have a Steam release in 2022. We’ll also look at other potential distribution platforms in the coming months.
So there you have it! Hopefully this has addressed most of your questions and cleared up any concerns or misconceptions, but if you have anything else you'd like us to touch upon or address, feel free to leave your questions in the comments and we'll do what we can to get you an answer asap!
As usual, thank you all for your support since announcement and taking the time to read this article.
We can't wait to share some more info with you all (which we'll be doing VERY soon), so keep your eyes peeled for news...
