Getting Started with Dune II (Complete Installation Guide)
Game Dune 2: The Building of a Dynasty is one of the best real-time strategy games. The game is set in Frank Herbert’s Dune universe and tasks you with commanding one of the great houses which are Atreides, Harkonnen and Ordos. You will be in a battle on the planet Arrakis and will be harvesting its most valuable resource which is spice melange.
Dune II established many RTS conventions that are still used today, some of them include:
Base building and power management
Resource harvesting and economy control
Unit production via structures
Fog if war and battlefield exploration
Mouse-driven unit selection and commands
Despite its age and when it was released, Dune II is still a very playable game in this day and age.
Contents
Who is this guide for?
This guide is created to help anyone play Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty regardless of what platform they have at home or the experience they have. Everyone plays!
New Players: If you have never played Dune II this guide walks you through every step from installation, emulation setup and launching the game for the first time. You don’t need to have any DOS experience.
Retro and RTS fans: If you played Dune II decades ago when it launched and want to revisit it on modern hardware, you will find our instructions clear and helpful.
Windows, Linux and macOS: We have taken our time to explain you the filesystem, permissions and compatibility details that can confuse any non-technical gamers.
Before proceeding with the below guide please check the system requirements for running Dune II.
Run the installer and follow the on-screen steps shown.
Now launch DOSBox once installation is complete.
Installation steps
Create a folder on your PC, for example:
C:\MYDOSGAMES\DUNE2
Now copy all original Dune II games files into this filder. You will have files including Dune2.exe, Setup.exe and Scenario.pak.
Now you have to mount the game folder in DOSBox.
In DOSBox type:
mount c c:\MYDOSGAMES
c:
cd DUNE2
Now you just need to configure and run the game.
Set the sound to “Sound Blaster”.
Port: 220
IRQ: 7
DMA: 1
Now just start the game by clicking on “Dune2.exe” and you are in Arrakis.
How to Install and Play Dune II on Linux
Requirements
Make sure you have DOSBox in your repository
For Debian/Ubuntu/Mint run:
sudo apt install dosbox
For Arch Linux run:
sudo pacman -S dosbox
Game preparation
Create a directory:
mkdir -p ~/mydosgames/dune2
Copy your original Dune II files into the above directory.
Now you need to launch and mount it.
First of all, start DOSBox:
doxbox
Inside DOSBox:
mount c ~/mydosgames
c:
cd dune2
Do you sound setup and play Dune II:
setup.exe
dune2.exe
How to Install and Play Dune II on macOS
Requirements
Download DOSBox or DOSBox-X for macOS.
Now you need to drag the app into your “Applications” folder.
Game preparation
Now you need to create a game folder.
Open “Finder” on your Mac.
Create a folder for example:
~/mydosgames/dune2
Copy your Dune II files into it.
Once you have moved the files, you need to mount the folder.
Launch DOSBox and enter:
mount c ~/mydosgames
c:
cd Dune2
Finally you just need to configure and play:
Setup.exe
Dune2.exe
Thats it, you can now play Dune II on your Mac.
Alternative Method: Install and Play Dune II Using a Modern Source Port
This is appropriate and available to work on all platforms and is available by a legacy project called “Dune Dynasty“.
To make this work, first download the files for your platform from the official download page.
Now you need to create a “data” or “dune2” folder inside the Dune Dynasty directory.
Now you need to copy the following game files:
Dune.pak
Scenario.pak
Voc.pak
Any other .pack files you may have
To launch the game simply run the provided .exe file or the appropriate binary on Linux or macOS.
Tip: If the game is not starting on Linux or macOS, double-check file names and your capitalization.
Basic Dune II Game Controls
Dune II uses early RTS controls. Below are some helpful and good to know controls and their actions to help you play the game more efficiently.
Controls
Actions
Left-Click
This allows you to select a unit, building or confirm a menu action
Right Click
Issue context commands such as harvest, move and attack
Shift (Hold)
Queue commands
Click and Drag
Select multiple units
Return key
This sends the harvester back to the refinery
Esc key
Opens game menu and shows you the cancel options
Keys 1 to 9
This allows you to assign and select control groups
+ and = on the numpad
This allows you to adjust the overall speed of the game
More Help and Features
At Dune II, We have a treasure trove of information available in our FAQ section. This answers the most common questions you may have regarding this game. Follow us on social media and always stay updated with latest information.
