Dune mod for Attila?

**scaniavikings** · November 21, 2021, 05:06 PM

What are your thoughts on a Dune mod for e.g. Attila? More specifically, creating a mod that is inspired by the movie Dune (2021) with similar unit skins? It could start off as a Proof of Concept with customized unit skins and then see how it works out.

WHY ATTILA?

There seems to be plenty of big mods and modding teams working with Attila already - Seven Kingdoms, Rise of Mordor, 1212 AD, etc. Rise of Mordor is currently creating a customized campaign map for Middle Earth which means that you can customize campaign maps in Attila. In addition, they are also trying to create big trolls and Mumakils as units.

SIMILAR POSTS

This twcenter thread was posted over 13 years ago but died quickly. Maybe it was too little of an interest back then. Some seem to have liked the idea and saw it as a "perfect match" however scepticism was also expressed. For instance on how to create flying vessels and giant worms in the game. However, you don't need to create flying vessels just like Total War: Troy doesn't have naval battles. Regarding giant worms, they could have the same mechanics as attrition events. The Emperor and/or Bene Gesserit could work as papal favor in the 1212 AD mod.

People on Reddit discussed the idea of Dune being the next Total War game (and not mod - big difference!). The opinions are mixed. Here is another thread about it.

MY CONCLUSION

+ There are plenty of desert maps already.
+ Swords, spears and some projectile weapons.

What do you guys think? Do I make any sense or am I off the grids on this one?

**alhoon** · November 21, 2021, 06:43 PM

I think the "Raise of Mordor" campaign map is a reworked map of Europe.

I think Attila is snot the best choice for such a mod. You would need to go to S2TW that is, to date, the best blend of sword & shot.
But honestly, Dune doesn't seem a good fit for a total war game.

**scaniavikings** · November 22, 2021, 07:12 AM

Yeah, maybe Shogun 2 would be a better candidate for modding. However Shogun 2 lacks desert maps. Can you elaborate on why you think Dune is not a good fit for TW? Would like to know.

**Jake Armitage** · November 24, 2021, 02:08 PM

for doing a custom campaign map you'll have to wait for the release of the campaign map tool
sooner or later it will happen
don't expect it will be easy stuff to do though, doing a strat map from scratch will require expertise and a lot of time
without considering all the other stuff like startpos, db, models, scripts ecc ecc
doing an overhaul usually requires a consolidated/expert team and years of work

**Alexander Iulianus Verus** · December 29, 2021, 06:08 PM

Originally Posted by alhoon

I think the "Raise of Mordor" campaign map is a reworked map of Europe.

I think Attila is snot the best choice for such a mod. You would need to go to S2TW that is, to date, the best blend of sword & shot.
But honestly, Dune doesn't seem a good fit for a total war game.

Hello,

I can see a few reasons as well why Dune may not be the best fit, such as the fact that we have energy technology and machinery at levels not seen in any total war game, perhaps except warhammer.

That said, can we agree that the attached screenshot by the OP easily looks like it could be modded, skin wise, formation wise, and scale wise into Attila? I do actually think so, and the idea of using the desert maps of Attila as the basis for Dune would make a lot of sense. Whenever I played in Africa, I noticed a desolation and desperation to the play there, and reflecting back it could really work to give a Dune mod that sense of intrepid intensity that it would require to immerse me.

I also think that the shield effects could be implemented with some sprite or graphical effect. The emperoristic aspects and the grand imperialism of the book could be captured by the fact that Attila's foundation is based on a world famous empire.

**scaniavikings** · February 12, 2022, 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by Alexander Iulianus Verus

Hello,

I can see a few reasons as well why Dune may not be the best fit, such as the fact that we have energy technology and machinery at levels not seen in any total war game, perhaps except warhammer.

That said, can we agree that the attached screenshot by the OP easily looks like it could be modded, skin wise, formation wise, and scale wise into Attila? I do actually think so, and the idea of using the desert maps of Attila as the basis for Dune would make a lot of sense. Whenever I played in Africa, I noticed a desolation and desperation to the play there, and reflecting back it could really work to give a Dune mod that sense of intrepid intensity that it would require to immerse me.

I also think that the shield effects could be implemented with some sprite or graphical effect. The emperoristic aspects and the grand imperialism of the book could be captured by the fact that Attila's foundation is based on a world famous empire.

Right? I agree with you. Great input.

**alhoon** · February 12, 2022, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by scaniavikings

Yeah, maybe Shogun 2 would be a better candidate for modding. However Shogun 2 lacks desert maps. Can you elaborate on why you think Dune is not a good fit for TW? Would like to know.

From my perspective, Dune was less about large armies fighting over desert. What I mean is: Arrakis had very few settlements, even if we count the Fremen ones. Also, you didn't have large armies, but the armies you had, had great mobility. It was also very much focused on a single resource, spice or at most -2- if you count "water".

To give a better explanation an Attila map of Arrakis would probably have 2-3 provinces where there is province capital for non-Fremen and 5-6 provinces with Fremen-only sietches. They would be islands in a vast desert (sea).

If you go with 20 units per army, then we are looking at unit sizes of 20-30 Fremen/Sardaukar or 50-60 soldiers. Vehicles were very few and not weaponized on dune as they would attract worms.
Bombardment from space was a big thing - which you can only emulate with S2TW naval bombardments. Battles in the Dune Universe, at least as far as the movies and TV series are concerned, were either from soldiers & light arty or in space. You didn't have big artillery or Sonic guns.
S2TW also has geishas and ninjas that can be used as Bene Gesserit and other infliltrators. Different kinds of agents were crucial in Dune. More important than their counterparts in the Total War games.

And then, you had worms. Remember that "20-30 Fremen/Sardaukar or 50-60 soldiers" per unit? Weeeeeell... Fremen on a worm beat everything on the ground. I don't remember any worm being killed by guns in the movies or TV series. They could down an entire Harvester and move on, with perhaps a mild indigestion.

Simply put, Arrakis is not a planet you can conquer. It is empty, it is dangerous and it is untamable.

**scaniavikings** · February 15, 2022, 07:00 AM

Originally Posted by alhoon

Also, you didn't have large armies, but the armies you had, had great mobility.

Just by looking at the armies they seem to be quite big:

**alhoon** · February 16, 2022, 06:05 AM

They didn't fight like that though; those were the entire army of Sardaukar sent to Dune.

**scaniavikings** · June 08, 2024, 05:01 AM

Originally Posted by alhoon

From my perspective, Dune was less about large armies fighting over desert. What I mean is: Arrakis had very few settlements, even if we count the Fremen ones. Also, you didn't have large armies, but the armies you had, had great mobility.

Spoiler image below from the second movie, but once again, this looks like a pretty big army to me:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: