Introduction

Developed by: Westwood
Emperor official page: http://westwood.ea.com/games/emperor/index.html
Estimated Release: Mid-June 2001

The real sequel to Dune II

Was it Dune 2000? No, Dune 2000 came out a couple of years ago, but it was still basically the same as Dune II, with multiplayer functionality and a few movies thrown in for good measure. Emperor: Battle for Dune, announced last year, represents the true sequel to the original PC real time strategy game. Emperor is also Westwood's first true 3D real time strategy game. Yes, Tiberian Sun did use a voxel engine, but Emperor will be rendered with good old-fashioned polygons that your GeForces and Radeons can actually accelerate. As you can see from the screenshots, Westwood is putting this engine to good use, allowing for extremely high resolutions with beautifully rendered models. Vehicles are exquisitely detailed, featuring movable turrets and sub-parts that showcase the superb animation abilities of Westwood's artists. Units also cast detailed shadows on the ground, and many use headlights to illuminate the way in front of them as they move.

Devastators pound on some tanks

That's a b-e-e-e-g sandworm

A couple of weeks ago, Westwood was kind enough to allow us a visit in their Las Vegas studios to have a look at Emperor. What we saw is a polished, playable game that does seem certain to meet its mid-June release date. We sat down for a lengthy walk-through of the game with Emperor's Associate Producer, Tim Fritz.

Looks like an Ordos base with a Kobra and pop up turret

The story and the combatants

Set a couple centuries before the movie Dune and just after the end of the Dune II game, Emperor centers its plot around the three warring factions Atreides, Harkonnen, and Ordos. Left in the power vacuum created by the death of the Emperor, these three houses are warring for control of the desert planet Arrakis and its valuable commodity, the spice mélange. The mysterious mélange offers extended life, increased wisdom, and in the hands of the knowledgeable Guild, interstellar travel. Jockeying for position in the power grab are five subhouses: the native Fremen warriors of Arrakis; House Ix, who deal in high tech arms; the Sardaukar, who once served as the Emperor's personal bodyguard; the Guild, experts in interstellar travel; and the disgusting House Tleilaxu, a Luddite-like society that practices cloning and reanimation of the dead in their quest to rid the universe of machines. Emperor's battles extend beyond the planet of Arrakis though - players will also battle for the houses' home planets of Caladan, Giedi Prime, and Draconis IV, each with their own unique terrain features.

The noble Atreides

Atreides Sonic Tanks