Not So MMO: Dune Spice Wars Preview | MMORPG.com

System · April 2022

Not So MMO: Dune Spice Wars Preview | MMORPG.com

Dune Spice Wars is a new RTS game by Shiro Games. Having just been released into early access, we take a look at how life is on Arakkis fares under the Funcom banner.

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Scot · April 2022

Looks promising, aside from the choice of Smugglers as a major faction it seems very based in the lore.

lahnmir · April 2022

I never realised the studio behind Northgard was making this. My interest just went way up. Northgard is an excellent game and Dune an excellent universe. These guys also know how to do a proper, readable, UI and general clean look for their games while maintaining a decent level of strategy and depth. Nice surprise!

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

Alomar · April 2022

If they had multiplayer from the get go I'd give this a shot, but the re-playability with singleplayer only is too little to jump in this early.

olepi · April 2022

"Released into early access", but I bet they are charging full price?

Iselin · April 2022

olepi said:

"Released into early access", but I bet they are charging full price?

Not pricey though. It's sub $30 US.

Anyhow... my first RTS that I ever put a lot of time into was set in Dune so this "feels" right. No problem with it being single player only. I have plenty of time for single player 4X games when they're not too over the top detailed.

Definitely keeping my eye on this one to see how it progresses in EA.

olepi · April 2022

Iselin said:

olepi said:

"Released into early access", but I bet they are charging full price?

Not pricey though. It's sub $30 US.

Anyhow... my first RTS that I ever put a lot of time into was set in Dune so this "feels" right. No problem with it being single player only. I have plenty of time for single player 4X games when they're not too over the top detailed.

Definitely keeping my eye on this one to see how it progresses in EA.

Yes, Dune II from Westwood, released in 1992, was one of my favorite games of all time. If this has the same feeling, I'll want to play it. Once it actually releases.

The_Korrigan · April 2022

Scot said:

Looks promising, aside from the choice of Smugglers as a major faction it seems very based in the lore.

Read the books again.
Smugglers were a major faction on the planet Arrakis.

This game was a day one purchase for me. The studio making it is solid with a good reputation, and I'm a huge fan of Dune.

Splattr · April 2022

olepi said:

"Released into early access", but I bet they are charging full price?

That seems to be the standard these days. To me it isn't any different than doing a preorder except this way you can play the unfinished game in advance. They claim they are putting it out to early access to get player feedback and I believe them.

Anyone that doesn't like early access should stay away, the game is far from complete but there is a very playable game already.

Splattr · April 2022

Iselin said:

olepi said:

"Released into early access", but I bet they are charging full price?

Not pricey though. It's sub $30 US.

Anyhow... my first RTS that I ever put a lot of time into was set in Dune so this "feels" right. No problem with it being single player only. I have plenty of time for single player 4X games when they're not too over the top detailed.

Definitely keeping my eye on this one to see how it progresses in EA.

Multiplayer is planned for the future

Scot · April 2022

The_Korrigan said:

Scot said:

Looks promising, aside from the choice of Smugglers as a major faction it seems very based in the lore.

Read the books again.
Smugglers were a major faction on the planet Arrakis.

This game was a day one purchase for me. The studio making it is solid with a good reputation, and I'm a huge fan of Dune.

They exist, but they are not a major faction, it all depends on what you think a major faction has to be. Do you see disparate smugglers having the sense of purpose and direction of a House for example? This is but a slight issue as I am sure the other major factions will get added. Big fan myself, a Dune MMORPG would be amazing but SF rarely gets used for MMORPG's.

The_Korrigan · April 2022

Scot said:

The_Korrigan said:

Scot said:

Looks promising, aside from the choice of Smugglers as a major faction it seems very based in the lore.

Read the books again.
Smugglers were a major faction on the planet Arrakis.

This game was a day one purchase for me. The studio making it is solid with a good reputation, and I'm a huge fan of Dune.

They exist, but they are not a major faction, it all depends on what you think a major faction has to be. Do you see disparate smugglers having the sense of purpose and direction of a House for example? This is but a slight issue as I am sure the other major factions will get added. Big fan myself, a Dune MMORPG would be amazing but SF rarely gets used for MMORPG's.

I'll say it again : ON THE PLANET ARRAKIS.

Not in the imperium. On the planet.

Both the Harkonnen and the Atreides had to deal with the smugglers, at least before the God Emperor, which was later than the setting of this game.

It's a game about the struggle for spice on the planet, and the four factions make perfect sense. Who was fighting for spice at that moment ? Atreides, Harkonnen, of course the Fremen... and the Smugglers. Duke Leto even sent one of his best and most trusted man to negotiate with the smugglers, Gurney Hallek, proof of their importance for him. And the Harkonnen used Harkonnen methods against them of course... hunt them down, just like they did for the Fremen.

What would not make sense for instance is to add the Bene Gesserit or the Spacing Guild to the faction list. Those are important forces in the imperium, but had little to do with the struggle for spice extraction on the planet.

Scot · April 2022

The_Korrigan said:

Scot said:

The_Korrigan said:

Scot said:

Looks promising, aside from the choice of Smugglers as a major faction it seems very based in the lore.

Read the books again.
Smugglers were a major faction on the planet Arrakis.

This game was a day one purchase for me. The studio making it is solid with a good reputation, and I'm a huge fan of Dune.

They exist, but they are not a major faction, it all depends on what you think a major faction has to be. Do you see disparate smugglers having the sense of purpose and direction of a House for example? This is but a slight issue as I am sure the other major factions will get added. Big fan myself, a Dune MMORPG would be amazing but SF rarely gets used for MMORPG's.

I'll say it again : ON THE PLANET ARRAKIS.
Not in the imperium. On the planet.

Both the Harkonnen and the Atreides had to deal with the smugglers, at least before the God Emperor, which was later than the setting of this game.

It's a game about the struggle for spice on the planet, and the four factions make perfect sense. Who was fighting for spice at that moment ? Atreides, Harkonnen, of course the Fremen... and the Smugglers. Duke Leto even sent one of his best and most trusted man to negotiate with the smugglers, Gurney Hallek, proof of their importance for him. And the Harkonnen used Harkonnen methods against them of course... hunt them down, just like they did for the Fremen.

What would not make sense for instance is to add the Bene Gesserit or the Spacing Guild to the faction list. Those are important forces in the imperium, but had little to do with the struggle for spice extraction on the planet.

Well as you may know those were major factions in some of the board and video games. I would see that as a push for more player factions, which in the context of the game is fine, but dodgy lore wise. The idea behind the board games etc is an all out war starts on Dune between anyone big enough to take part. So the board and video games are not quite taking place in the world setting of the Books, we did not see the Bene Gesserit landing an army in the book, nor for that matter did the Smugglers.

I take your point about the importance of the Smugglers, but for me they don't quite cut it though. Am I biased because they weren't in one of my favourite board games of all time? Yes I probably am. I do think this discussion is a bit moot, still on my wish list regardless of Smugglers.

Have you played the much older video games, how does it compare?

The_Korrigan · April 2022

You're biased by a game. And a game that is different from one that is set only on the planet.
I'm biased by reading ALL books, several times.

So I can only agree with the choices made by the developers here. It's not because some past games made big digressions from the lore that this game has to too.

TheDalaiBomba · April 2022

Splattr said:

olepi said:

"Released into early access", but I bet they are charging full price?

That seems to be the standard these days. To me it isn't any different than doing a preorder except this way you can play the unfinished game in advance. They claim they are putting it out to early access to get player feedback and I believe them.

Anyone that doesn't like early access should stay away, the game is far from complete but there is a very playable game already.

It is far different than a pre-order.

*waves hands at the dozen of EA games that will never actually make it out of EA.* Edit: actually, a curator has done the work of consolidating them for me: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40747270-Abandoned-early-access-games/

I don't recall publishers making a habit of taking pre-orders for games their studios would never finish.

What you are looking for is a demo, which used to be a free and fairly standard way to entice pre-orders *and* get some player feedback before launching. Still exists in some cases- you can try the System Shock remake for free! EA is a terrible evolution for the industry.

Scot · April 2022

TheDalaiBomba said:

Splattr said:

olepi said:

"Released into early access", but I bet they are charging full price?

That seems to be the standard these days. To me it isn't any different than doing a preorder except this way you can play the unfinished game in advance. They claim they are putting it out to early access to get player feedback and I believe them.

Anyone that doesn't like early access should stay away, the game is far from complete but there is a very playable game already.

It is far different than a pre-order.

*waves hands at the dozen of EA games that will never actually make it out of EA.*

I don't recall publishers making a habit of taking pre-orders for games their studios would never finish.

What you are looking for is a demo, which used to be a free and fairly standard way to entice pre-orders *and* get some player feedback before launching. Still exists in some cases- you can try the System Shock remake for free! EA is a terrible evolution for the industry.

Early access like every revenue "innovation" in gaming got abused when it was barely out of the door. It is saying something that pre-orders were better than anything, but they were better than EA. What comes next will no doubt be worse.

But we only have to wait, time will tell once it launches, it is getting a Very Positive on Steam so that's looking good. I am sure some players must have played the old games, would be interesting to hear what they think of the new one.

TheDalaiBomba · April 2022

Scot said:

TheDalaiBomba said:

Splattr said:

olepi said:

"Released into early access", but I bet they are charging full price?

That seems to be the standard these days. To me it isn't any different than doing a preorder except this way you can play the unfinished game in advance. They claim they are putting it out to early access to get player feedback and I believe them.

Anyone that doesn't like early access should stay away, the game is far from complete but there is a very playable game already.

It is far different than a pre-order.

*waves hands at the dozen of EA games that will never actually make it out of EA.*

I don't recall publishers making a habit of taking pre-orders for games their studios would never finish.

What you are looking for is a demo, which used to be a free and fairly standard way to entice pre-orders *and* get some player feedback before launching. Still exists in some cases- you can try the System Shock remake for free! EA is a terrible evolution for the industry.

Early access like every revenue "innovation" in gaming got abused when it was barely out of the door. It is saying something that pre-orders were better than anything, but they were better than EA. What comes next will no doubt be worse.

But we only have to wait, time will tell once it launches, I am sure some players must have played the old games, would be interesting to hear what they think of the new one.

Sometimes it takes a turn for the worse to appreciate the fact that what you had wasn't all that bad.

Pre-orders generally could be cancelled prior to picking up/downloading the game. You could reserve your goodies, wait for the launch reviews, then still decide to pull out and not lose anything other than the game copy and pre-order goodies.

As you say: that doesn't make it completely awesome for gamers, but it is sure as hell a far better situation for gamers than the EA stuff.

The_Korrigan · April 2022

In the meantime...

Time to kick some Harkonnen butt

Scot · April 2022

Torval said:

TheDalaiBomba said:

Splattr said:

olepi said:

"Released into early access", but I bet they are charging full price?

That seems to be the standard these days. To me it isn't any different than doing a preorder except this way you can play the unfinished game in advance. They claim they are putting it out to early access to get player feedback and I believe them.

Anyone that doesn't like early access should stay away, the game is far from complete but there is a very playable game already.

It is far different than a pre-order.

*waves hands at the dozen of EA games that will never actually make it out of EA.* Edit: actually, a curator has done the work of consolidating them for me: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40747270-Abandoned-early-access-games/

I don't recall publishers making a habit of taking pre-orders for games their studios would never finish.

What you are looking for is a demo, which used to be a free and fairly standard way to entice pre-orders *and* get some player feedback before launching. Still exists in some cases- you can try the System Shock remake for free! EA is a terrible evolution for the industry.

It is far different from a pre-order but your list of "damning evidence" are a bunch of asset flips no one has ever heard of.

Of those 83 games list on that page 52 of them are Free and didn't require any buy-in at all. 63% of the games on that list were completely free. Of the 31 that charged, 18 of them were less than $10.

You're trying to imply something from that list that the data doesn't support. Do you have some relevant data comparing the number of released EA titles to the 31 that charged money and then were abandoned?

I'm very much for games offering demos (whether they're EA or released) and agree that people should just skip EA titles altogether unless they're willing to risk throwing their money away. But your post doesn't seem to paint a very accurate picture because if that's the failure list, then the risk doesn't seem nearly as dire as is suggested.

Remember, EA is optional. Gamers don't have to buy in. They can skip it, they just don't have the self-control not to and then not cry about it.

If the games are reviewed at EA and all your mates jump in can you skip it? I don't mind studios putting out demo's, who could object to that? Its paying for them, that's what EA has brought to the gaming table.

The_Korrigan said:

In the meantime...
Time to kick some Harkonnen butt

I do like the graphics, I was wondering are you a Dune fan or a Herbert fan, a fine SF writer. The Consentiency books and God Makers being being old favourites.

TheDalaiBomba · April 2022

Torval said:

TheDalaiBomba said:

Splattr said:

olepi said:

"Released into early access", but I bet they are charging full price?

That seems to be the standard these days. To me it isn't any different than doing a preorder except this way you can play the unfinished game in advance. They claim they are putting it out to early access to get player feedback and I believe them.

Anyone that doesn't like early access should stay away, the game is far from complete but there is a very playable game already.

It is far different than a pre-order.

*waves hands at the dozen of EA games that will never actually make it out of EA.* Edit: actually, a curator has done the work of consolidating them for me: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40747270-Abandoned-early-access-games/

I don't recall publishers making a habit of taking pre-orders for games their studios would never finish.

What you are looking for is a demo, which used to be a free and fairly standard way to entice pre-orders *and* get some player feedback before launching. Still exists in some cases- you can try the System Shock remake for free! EA is a terrible evolution for the industry.

It is far different from a pre-order but your list of "damning evidence" are a bunch of asset flips no one has ever heard of.

Of those 83 games list on that page 52 of them are Free and didn't require any buy-in at all. 63% of the games on that list were completely free. Of the 31 that charged, 18 of them were less than $10.

You're trying to imply something from that list that the data doesn't support. Do you have some relevant data comparing the number of released EA titles to the 31 that charged money and then were abandoned?

I'm very much for games offering demos (whether they're EA or released) and agree that people should just skip EA titles altogether unless they're willing to risk throwing their money away. But your post doesn't seem to paint a very accurate picture because if that's the failure list, then the risk doesn't seem nearly as dire as is suggested.

Remember, EA is optional. Gamers don't have to buy in. They can skip it, they just don't have the self-control not to and then not cry about it.

That's one of a few lists made by curators and is not exhaustive. It was merely the first link to a curator tracking this that showed up when I Googled. You can see the additional curators, articles, and what have you yourself if you'd like to Google "Abandoned Early Access games" like I did.

You can continue to try herding those cats reference your comment on consumers laying down cash on EA games that are then abandoned, but that's pissing in the wind and we both know it. Valve could curate their storefront better reference EA and abandoned games, but that would be cutting off revenue solely to help gamers avoid abandoned or scummy games, and we can't have businesses doing that.

The_Korrigan · April 2022

Scot said:

The_Korrigan said:

In the meantime...
Time to kick some Harkonnen butt

I do like the graphics, I was wondering are you a Dune fan or a Herbert fan, a fine SF writer. The Consentiency books and God Makers being being old favourites.

BIG Dune Fan (I've read all the books, those from Franck which are of course my favorites (Dune / Dune Messiah / Children of Dune being my most read books ever) and those from Brian. Some of Brian's books are really excellent. You learn for instance why the Baron became so fat and ugly when he was a handsome guy in his youth.
Herbert fan too. One book I particularly liked was "Destination Void".

I also played the old Dune games, the first one being revolutionary back then. To me Dune (first one) is to RTS what Ultima VII: The Black Gate is to CRPGs. I find many elements from those old games in Spice Wars, and some new ones of course.

My only critic so far would be that the game pace may be a bit slow, but nothing they can't easily adjust (or maybe add a "time speed" slider too ?). The game is polished and except the lack of multiplayer and more game modes, it doesn't feel like an early access at all. Graphics are smooth and quite beautiful for a RTS too, sound and music are great.

(EDIT: spelling)

Iselin · April 2022

The_Korrigan said:

In the meantime...
Time to kick some Harkonnen butt

My favorite Dune faction. Straightforward and uncomplicated.

The_Korrigan · April 2022

Iselin said:

The_Korrigan said:

In the meantime...
Time to kick some Harkonnen butt

My favorite Dune faction. Straightforward and uncomplicated.

They have some nice perks in this game. Like they need no fuel, and they travel with sandworms, how badass is this ?

The_Korrigan · April 2022

@Scot have a look at the cinematic... Smugglers may make more sense to you then

The_Korrigan · April 2022

That was the appetizer...

Ready for the hard mode

Scot · April 2022

I think there will be far too many players wanting to play the Freman in multiplayer, but that's a problem for them down the line. You get that in Total War etc, no escaping it.

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