DUNE: SPICEWARS HANDS-OFF PREVIEW – DESERT POWER and MUCH MORE
Dune – Spice Wars has much riding on its shoulders. After a two-decade-long absence of Frank Herbert-themed video games, Shiro Games’ attempt to blend 4X elements into a solid RTS core will appeal to older fans and those more familiar with modern games.
Although it’s not an easy task, we were able to see a demo of gameplay at a recent press conference.
My view of Dune: Spice Wars started with the Arrakeen being surrounded by thick fog, obscuring vision beyond a small area. It is easy to feel like you are heading straight into the unknown, not knowing the dangers and bounties that lie beyond the yellow-brown veil.
Ornithopters can be used to scan the map and reveal resources and points of interest.
You must control villages to harvest the resources they are linked to. It is impossible to waltz in and leave without dealing with their defenders. Although this is a faster option, it will require you to eliminate all units protecting them. Their defence is now entirely yours.
They can also use the Peaceful Annex ability of the Atreides to overthrow neutral villages without any bloodshed. Although it isn’t as fast, this process will see the village’s defenders switch to your side and not get murdered.
Spice Wars “definitely is 4X”, according to the developer. However, he also noted that real-time combat in Spice Wars requires some micromanagement to ensure your troops do as much damage as possible.
You can capture a village linked to a spice farm and build a Refinery there to start extracting the sought-after spice. Once the work is complete, the Carrier will fly a heavy harvester to the field to remove the valuable resource.
“It is quite difficult to build on Sand,” my developer says, “especially since Arrakis’ home for Sandworms” This is why each village sits atop an expanse of solid rock.
This area can accommodate structures. You may place structures in this area, such as military buildings.
Throughout any Dune Spice Wars match, you will need to keep track of several resources.
The most crucial spice is spices. It would help if you managed the spread of spice fields across the globe. This spice can be sold to the CHOAM, or you can stockpile it. Stockpiling is vital as you must pay the Imperial Spice Tax every month. This can change throughout a single game. Failure to do so can have serious consequences.
Solaris is the main currency obtained by selling spice, receiving dividends from CHOAM, and trading resources with other players. Solaris must place many buildings, both within villages and at your main base. They are also needed for the upkeep of your unit.
Plascrete is a material that can be manufactured in special facilities or purchased from international markets. It is used to construct structures.
Workforce is the number of people who are willing to serve the player with loyalty. To get it, you will need to recruit Arrakis’ population through The Recruitment Office building. You can also invade the Space Guild to import it from other parts of the Empire.
The resource is used to train and support new harvesters and create and maintain military units.
Water is another essential element. To keep your population happy, you will need to ensure enough. Insufficient water can lead to rebellion in your villages. It’s easy for them to see how this can lead to problems.
You can create water with wind traps but also get it from the planet’s North Pole. According to developers, most gather mes involve a race to reach the North Pole. Fuel cells are the primary energy source for Arrakis and limit the number of vehicles built.
Dune: Spice Wars features a tech tree with multiple technologies. It is divided into four branches, statecraft, expansion and economics. The footage I saw shows the Atreides researching Survival Training technology to strengthen their army with the Heavy Weapons Squad unit.
Each faction has its military units, each with a different focus. Each section also has unique passive abilities that can complement each other. For example, Harkonnen Gunners can deal splash damage, while Harkonnen Troopers are more aggressive when they are damaged. This allows for high-risk, high-reward gameplay.
It’s possible to be on the defensive as well. In addition to attacking your house, desert raiders can also attack your territory and attempt to steal your resources.
The defences of main bases like Arakeen are very close to the enemy, so if you want to defend smaller villages, you will need to micromanage your troops more, the developer explained.
The desert is dangerous in Dune: Spice Wars. Their SSupplywill begin to drop once units leave your territory. They die if their SSupplyreaches 0. It depends on whether they are in a “regular desert area” – where you can move, fight and scout for quite a while before needing to return home – or deep desert.
These areas are more dangerous because they can be prone to strong winds, frequent sandworm activity, and drain supply faster. They are similar to the seas of other 4X games and will be difficult to cross at first. As time passes and technologies are discovered, your troops will eventually be able to move past them without them dying.
Dune: Spice Wars also has a significant role to play in politics. You’ll need to be attentive to the Landsraad. All houses on Arrakis are ranked according to their relations with other factions. This level can be tracked on a scale of 0 to 500. It is also tied to the player’s ability to pay Imperial Spice Tax.
This determines how many votes you have during the next Landsraad session. However, you can also use Influence to increase your vote count. Each 20-day Landsraad session begins with 3 resolutions.
To ensure that a resolution passes, players can use all of their votes to do so. They can have a positive or negative effect on all factions. In this case, players can vote for or against each one. Players can vote for or against a specific coalition to focus on their actions. All players have a voice, so you won’t just be pulling the strings.
Diplomacy is something you don’t want to miss because it allows you to send resources and make treaties with other countries.
Another tool to ensure victory is espionage. You can send agents all over the world to fulfil different roles. You can have them spy on other factions and provide information about their military units, resources, and espionage activities.
They can be assigned to different institutions. One in the Landsraad gives you extra Influence to help you pass a resolution and counter your enemies’ coups. They can be assigned to the Spice Guild to gain human resources and sent to the CHOAM to perform their magic. This will provide additional Solaris.
Agents can roam throughout Arrakis and increase their authority with villages. This will allow you to capture and expand your territory or gather intel from ruins and wreckages. Intel can be used to launch espionage missions that involve stealing tech, sabotage or assassinations. These missions are high-risk and high-reward due to their high-risk nature.
They effectively remove the opposing leader from play if they are successful. It counts in the elimination victory, just like destroying main cities. If you don’t want to leave a trail behind destruction, there are two types of achievement.
Hegemony victories are similar to other 4X game score wins. You will need to concentrate on expanding and stockpiling wealth. However, winning battles, researching technology, or conquering villages can also help you get closer. Each house also has its way of earning Hegemony points.
The Atreides are hardened politicians and gain points when voting for a Landsraad resolution. The Political victory type is also available. This is especially difficult to attain as you will need to go through Landsraad.
“Among all the resolutions that are possible to be presented, some we call charters. These milestones in our quest for the political rule Arrakis,” my developer says. Each charter contains restrictions that will affect the player who wants to access it. One of these restrictions is the ‘Dune governorship b>
It requires the control of large areas of the planet and the approval of minor Landsraad houses. The game is won by the player who keeps ‘Dune governorship’ for three months. It’s not an easy win .”
According to the developer, a Dune: Spice Wars game can last anywhere from 3 to 5 hours, depending on what settings you choose at the beginning.
You’ll discover new ways to move across the map over time, including airfields that you can create in captured villages. This allows units to use shuttles to travel between terminals rather than brave the desert.
You can also see the passing time with a day/night cycle. This reminds you that you must pay the Imperial Spice Tax and that some resolutions may expire. There will be more gameplay features that link to this cycle in the future, including some unannounced houses.
Developers also stated that there would be some asymmetrical gameplay. The other houses will deal with their relationship with and expansion differently.
Dune: Spice Wars is a slow-paced game, but it seems like there’s plenty to keep players busy. According to what I have seen, the game’s resolutions by the Landsraad to send spies across the universe and take territory by force look promising.
It was hard not to notice the absence of any sandworm-related footage in the footage. But maybe they will be there when Dune: Spice Worms launches early access later in the year.
