Dune 2The RTS Whose Publisher Never Played Games
Dune II's own publisher doubted a strategy game could sell, yet pre-orders blew past the forecast before launch.
How Westwood's Las Vegas licence game was rushed into a sequel's name, and became the pattern Warcraft and Command and Conquer followed.
Sources
8- Interview6
- Article2
The sources the story leans on most, primary sources first. Read dates are when the page was consulted; the live page may have changed since.
Image & music credits
29- License unknown24
- CC BY-SA 4.01
- CC BY-SA 2.51
26 photos, from the hosts linked below. Each file name links to the file's page, which carries the full license terms.
| # | Use | File | Author | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Photo | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Louis Castle at BAFTA2011 GameDevs.jpg | Louis Castle at BAFTA2011 GameDevs.jpg, Chris Hecker, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 | License unknown |
| 2 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/Computer Gaming World Issue 99/page/n40 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 3 | Photo | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Brett Sperry Curating 2024 Exhibit.jpg | Brett Sperry Curating 2024 Exhibit.jpg, Tim-desser, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 | License unknown |
| 4 | Photo | SSI-logo new.svg | WP:EN:Scuba Schools International; originally uploaded form User:Scubaschoolsinternational | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
| 5 | Photo | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Dune by Frank Herbert first edition cover.jpg | Dune by Frank Herbert first edition cover.jpg, John Schoenherr, Wikimedia Commons, public domain | License unknown |
| 6 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/dune-ii-manual/page/n1 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 7 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/pcjoker-mai-93-images/page/n66 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 8 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/creativecomputing-1981-02/page/n20 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 9 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/westwood-newsletter-dune2/page/n2 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 10 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/pcjoker-mai-93-images/page/n68 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 11 | Photo | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Frank klepacki gdc 2019.jpg | Frank klepacki gdc 2019.jpg, Official GDC, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 | License unknown |
| 12 | Photo | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/AdLib Music Synthesizer Card.jpg | AdLib Music Synthesizer Card.jpg, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 | License unknown |
| 13 | Photo | Adlib.jpg | No machine-readable author provided. Atarian~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). | CC BY-SA 2.5 |
| 14 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/Tilt094/page/n37 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 15 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/Computer Gaming World Issue 101/page/n101 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 16 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/westwood-newsletter-dune2/page/n1 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 17 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/westwood-newsletter-dune2/page/n1 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 18 | Photo | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Dune II floppy disks 20210314.jpg | Dune II floppy disks 20210314.jpg, Solomon203, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 | License unknown |
| 19 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/westwood-newsletter-dune2/page/n0 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 20 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/dune-ii-manual/page/n54 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 21 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1993-07/page/n51 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 22 | Photo | virgin games logo cryo dune 1992.png | the Virgin Games logo in Cryo's Dune opening credits (1992), frame from a YouTube recording | License unknown |
| 23 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/news-and-notes-3/page/n2 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 24 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/pcjoker-mai-93-images/page/n68 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 25 | Photo | virgin games presents cryo dune 1992.png | 'Virgin Games presents' in Cryo's Dune opening credits (1992), frame from a YouTube recording | License unknown |
| 26 | Photo | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Westwood Studios-former office.jpeg | Westwood Studios-former office.jpeg, Frank Klepacki, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 | License unknown |
Sound: Dune II (Westwood Studios, 1992; music by Frank Klepacki, AdLib arrangement by Paul Mudra) on an emulated Yamaha YM3812 (MAME), the AdLib's FM chip
Sound: Intro_SBP_CT2770.ogg — https://dosdays.co.uk/media/games/dune2/Intro_SBP_CT2770.ogg
Music: Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (Westwood Studios, 1992), music by Frank Klepacki and Dwight Okahara, played from the game's own AdLib files through an emulated Yamaha YM3812 (OPL2), the AdLib and Sound Blaster FM chip (MAME 0.289)
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