Overview
The game that built a genre. Before Dune II, real-time strategy didn’t exist as we know it. Westwood Studios combined resource harvesting, base construction, and unit production into a template so effective that every RTS for the next two decades followed it. The spice must flow—and harvesters, refineries, and tank rushes became gaming vocabulary overnight.
Fast facts
- Developer: Westwood Studios.
- Year: 1992.
- License: Frank Herbert’s Dune.
- Innovation: RTS template.
Genre innovations
| Element | Establishment |
|---|
| Resource harvesting | Spice collection |
| Base building | Construction yard |
| Unit production | Barracks, factories |
| Tech trees | Building prerequisites |
House factions
| House | Characteristics |
|---|
| Atreides | Balanced, sonic tanks |
| Harkonnen | Heavy armour |
| Ordos | Speed, stealth |
Interface design
| Feature | Impact |
|---|
| Sidebar menu | Production interface |
| Minimap | Battlefield overview |
| Unit selection | Click to command |
| Fog of war | Exploration requirement |
Arrakis setting
| Element | Function |
|---|
| Desert terrain | Movement penalties |
| Sandworms | Environmental hazard |
| Spice fields | Resource nodes |
| Rock formations | Base locations |
Legacy
| Influence | Successor |
|---|
| Westwood | Command & Conquer |
| Blizzard | Warcraft |
| Ensemble | Age of Empires |
| Genre standard | Two decades |
See also