Emperor: Battle for Dune FAQs with Chris Longpre

Here ya go folks. Everything you always (or never) wanted to know about Emperor, straight from the horse's mouth. The horse being its producer, Chris Longpre...but please don't tell him I called him a horse. Anyway, some of these you may have already seen, but you're gettin' 'em again, so deal.

1. Why make another Dune game?

The Dune franchise is near and dear to Westwood�s heart. It was with the first game in this series, Dune II, that Westwood pioneered the real-time strategy (RTS) genre, and went on to perfect it with the Command & Conquer franchise. Also, the Dune universe is so extraordinarily rich and varied, in both the landscapes and the characters, that it serves as the perfect setting for a game.

2. When is the game set, in terms of its relation to Dune II and even Herbert's novels?

The game takes place roughly 200 years before the original movie, "Dune," and just after Dune II. It�s important to remember though, that Emperor is its own game and can be enjoyed not only by fans of the Dune universe, but newcomers to the franchise and to RTS games as well. No previous knowledge of the Dune universe is necessary to play the game.

3. How much have the first two Dune games influenced Emperor: Battle for Dune, if at all?

Being the sequel to the father of RTS, Dune II, is quite an honor and responsibility! We kept many of the features we loved about Dune II, three houses, Deviators, Starbases, rock, sand and worms. We also added more innovative tactics on the battlefield and more strategy in the campaign. It provides deep and intense game play that will keep gamers enthralled for a long time to come.

4. How much input has Frank Herbert's son had on the game?

None at all.

5. Given Dune's great literary background, how important will the game's story be, and how will the narrative be revealed to the player?

We;ve tried very hard to capture the rich variety and intensity of the Dune Universe in all the games in the franchise. But, again, we�ve made the game independent enough from the movie and the book so that newcomers to the series will be able to enjoy the game without having to know the whole back story. That�s not to say we haven�t worked hard to develop the game�s storyline. Throughout the game, the player progresses into an ever-deepening story, full of twists, turns and political intrigue. Our film crew has done a masterful job producing the cut scenes that keep the story progressing through the game.

6. Which familiar Dune characters might make an appearance in the game? And what sort of role will they play in the game play?

None of the known Dune characters appear in the game. We wanted to create a fresh story and didn�t want to be constrained by having to be consistent with the movie.

7. In Dune II, it was deemed necessary at the time to invent a race to compete against the Harkonnen and Atreides. Which original Dune races might appear in the new game, and what might be some of their distinguishing traits?

The three Great Houses of Dune II have returned: The Nobel Atreides, the Evil Harkonnen and the Insidious Ordos. Additionally, you can forge alliances with the five sub-houses during your game. These include the native Fremen, the space-faring Guild, the high-tech Ix, the terror-troops of the Imperial Sardaukar, and the bio-tech Bene Tleilaxu.

8. How many units does each side have?

Emperor has focused on creating a small number of unique units that require different strategies to use. This makes the number of meaningful combinations very high, and we expect players to be arguing over favorite combinations for quite a while! Each of the three houses has 12 buildings, and five to seven infantry along with five to seven vehicles, depending on the side chosen. Additionally, there are five sub-houses with which you can ally. With each allegiance, you can build a new building and two new units.

9. How much does terrain affect battle in this game?

Very much so! Buildings can only be constructed upon solid rock. Sand is very dangerous, as sandworms are attracted to the vibrations generate by large vehicles and combat. Dust basins are nearly impassable, except for some specialized units. Additionally, there are some unique features and terrain on each of the home world planets: Caladan, Geidi Prime and Draconis IV.

10. Is the engine technology completely new? Regardless, what are some of its most notable new features?

We are using a completely new 3D engine, which is custom designed for Emperor. Many technical issues like sand and rock visualization, camera movement, etc. are specific to Emperor and we came up with unique solutions for each of them. From the beginning, our main goal in using 3D technology was that it would serve to enhance game play. We never want to use 3D for the sake of 3D. This technology not only adds beauty and depth to RTS games, but it�s used in a way that will better allow the player to control the battle in front of him. The player will be able to control the camera to his benefit (zooming in and out, and rotating the battlefield) but the camera movements will never become cumbersome or difficult to maneuver.

Cont'd