Dune: Spice Wars

[h3] Resource management game with no military strategy. [/h3] [h1] Gameplay: [/h1] This game offers the basics of management in a game of this style and it's very limited. The strategic war management is totally useless, the battles are boring and predictable. This game could be enjoyable if it were a little more elaborate, but it certainly doesn't deserve to be called “Dune”; it's an insult to the franchise. A special power-up that is easy to obtain is enough to become unstoppable; the combat strategy is limited to that. Ethnicities are useless; their strategic differences are purely cosmetic. When you play the game, you play the same way, with the same resources and the same objectives. If this game were called Monopoly, I wouldn't have bought it, but it could have received a positive review. However, this game does not correspond to the tags it claims to represent. It is a management game, not a strategy game. [h1] Graphic design: [/h1] If I wanted to play a smartphone game, I still wouldn't be interested in this one. [h1] Playtime: [/h1] Very, very long games, but deadly boring. The enemies can't defeat me, but boredom has managed to destroy me. [h1] Price: [/h1] Scam, a smartphone game with two cartoon bullets: -extremely limited strategy and -totally primitive management systems. The name Dune allows them to sell a piece of crap that should be free to play at a higher price. [h3] Too cheap, too easy, too expensive, not Dune. [/h3] [h1] If you like Strategy, Tactics, tower defence games, come and discover what's available on steam. [/h1] https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45245664-Seni-Gaming-Strategy-Tactics-TD/

It's a well optimized, but mediocre strategy game. There is literally nothing interesting or captivating about the mechanics that are supposed to make this game stand out from all the similar strategy games. I feel like having played a single round, you will have seen all the game has to offer.

I first picked up Spice Wars while it was in Early Access. It felt very much like a Dune-themed Northgard; fun, but ultimately it didn't hold my attention much. The game felt very one dimensional, focusing in on the RTS elements and ignoring a lot of the flavor, politicking, and grander strategy that comes with the Dune world. So I left it on the shelf for a while. And when I returned, the devs had made some absolutely massive updates. New factions - Ecaz, Corrino, Vernius - and an entirely new game mode for larger campaigns. I was intrigued. I love the idea of larger games where your individual matches contribute to a larger goal, but in some games (Looking at you, 40k Battlesector) it didn't feel too fleshed out. But here? Differing campaign mechanics for different factions, quests and bonuses not available in normal matches that change how I play, and genuine choices that made me feel like I was embroiled in the Landsraad's politics? Sign me the hell up. My first campaign was with the smugglers, and I went from playing a more passive water-and-trade economic playstyle at the start to leveraging bonuses on pillaging and fast farflung expansion based on what was offered to me as rewards. It completely changed how I viewed the game, and different missions necessitated different prioritization; having to press hard against enemy villages and intercept spice production, or to focus on Sietches and devote my agents to alliances rather than intel gathering. Not to mention the rewards; building friendship with the Fremen giving me a powerful starting force, or holding off on bonuses in the match to try to implement Faufreluche bribes to accrue better long term gains even if it means potentially struggling in the interim. Every individual match was a constantly engaging and shifting battlefield, and I was drawn in every second. I was using advisors I rarely touch, I was using tech paths I never went down, and I was using techniques I hadn't ever considered before. It opened up the game IMMENSELY to me, and I think is the ultimate way to play the game. With all the work that's been added, I definitely think if you're a fan of RTS games or the Dune universe, it's worth picking up. While it's considered "Feature Complete" by the devs, it's a pretty great package. I know a lot of people have issues with certain mechanics - like Authority limiting expansion, or the unit variety per faction - but these limitations have purpose. Authority means you have to pick and choose where you expand, where you conquer; is a special region worth the extra authority cost? Is this village better for it's tactical position, or is this one better for the perks it provides? Do I abandon this village here for a better one later? This game is it's own unique blend of decision making, and the pace of it allows you to make those decisions without feeling overrun like other RTS games. Unit variety means your pick of faction matters; Smugglers play differently than Harkonnen who play differently than Fremen, and the limited unit capacity reinforces the strengths of the faction instead of giving them all options for everything. You have to leverage your own unique benefits to win - a theme you'll find in all the Dune games, from this to the board games to the survival game - and the desert planet of Arrakis will shift in response to your choices as you will have to shift in response to it. It's fluid, and fun.

The AI in this game is borderline BRAINDEAD. I don't understand why this game has such a high rating. The AI seem to be so incredibly stupid that it will often and happily, suicide it's units into your army within MELEE range without even attacking back. Bonus points if this happens while attacking one of their cities as the AI will give you a performative dance of running around in circles in an attempt to minimize how much damage their units recieve without fighting back at all. On occasion, the AI will go a step further and actually attack your units when starting the process of capturing their cities. It will do this in in two different ways: 1. By sending a couple units at a time and wiggling them in and out the max shooting distance of your ranged units. 2. Literally airdropping them in middle of your army through their airfield and getting instantly blown up. Unless the AI has overwhelming forces (which it virtually never does), it will just sit idle with its army inside their city. Oh and one other thing, if the AI is one day away from getting their assassination victory, just offer a peace deal and you can get them to cancel their 100% guaranteed win and continue playing like nothing happened. Unless you REALLY like this game's theme, it is not worth playing as there is little challenge.

Bought this based on the promises of a campaign mode. Instead they implemented "conquest" which features no story elements and plainly does not live up to the standard expectation of what a campaign is. Still salty about it.

The question you should ask yourself with these kinds of games is: Would the game be any good if you removed everything unique to Dune? Is Dune the only reason why this game is appealing? In my opinion, this is a 5/10 game if you ignore all the DUNE IP. The gameplay feels sluggish and boring. The game is also unbalanced in quite a few areas, and would have benefited from more playtesting and polish. That said, as a fan of Dune, this game gets a 7/10 after taking the setting into consideration. If you play this game over extended periods, it drops down to 5/10 again, because that's what the game actually is.

Be very careful. The saving on this game is quite erratic. It will save a few times and then suddenly you will find a number of save files have been corrupted and if you try to reload them the game simply crashes dumping you out. It is not clear why this happens and how you can make sure it saves cleanly as there is no sign that any save is corrupted until you load it up. It is not clear how this problem can be overcome/avoided. I guess I have to wait for a patch.

Fun, but has a steep learning curve. The game is a macro-level strategy game, much more focused on managing your resources and scouting than micro-managing real time unit combat. I watched a lot of Youtube gameplay videos before buying or playing, and I'm glad I did. The game has a steep learning curve and is not intuitive. I love it, but if I had played without learning from experienced players it would have been frustrating - even on the lowest difficulty. The game has five ways to win. When you're starting out, I suggest disabling some of the victory conditions. Nothing like thinking you're about to win your first Dune: Spice Wars game ever by hegemony only to lose because someone else managed to hold Governor of Arrakis for thirty days. Or assassinated you.