Dune 2 & tablet RTS games

[JeffNevington]

It looks like there are quite a few RTS players here.  Does anyone here remember playing Dune 2?  I think it was probably my first proper game as a kid. 

A friend told me some time ago that there was actually an android version available that someone had ported independently and so I had to download it.  I installed it on my old 2012 Nexus 7 (which is a piece of junk as far as tablets go really) and it runs perfectly.  Given that it was produced in 1992 (considered by many to be the father of the modern RTS genre), it pre-dates the 'boxing' (with the mouse) and grouping features that are pretty much a given with any new RTS.  This simplification means that when playing on a touchscreen device, you don't feel disadvantaged over playing on a pc (like you would with say command and conquer).  In the original you had to click and move everything individually, so the touch screen actually feels a bit easier.

I have lost countless hours to it since installing on my tablet now.  It is great for long distance travel - especially if you don't have an internet connection.

The .apk was on google play for a while but apparently EA shut the dev down after they were trying to make money from the unofficial port.  You can still get it from very dodgy looking websites though by searching for "dune 2 android".  I can confirm that it exists, and is real - but depending on where you find it, might be best to give it a wash with your anti virus first.

I have nothing to do with it personally, I just thought I would shout out about it here as I have had so much fun with the thing. 

I am working on an RTS myself, but moved away from tablet to PC last year after a significant amount of "no one wants a mobile RTS" feedback.

[Jubal]

Ooh, I'll have a look for it. I rather missed it when I was younger, given it's a couple years older than I am, but I do like good tablet games

And do post about your game too, I'd be interested to hear more. I think you're right that mobile RTSes are not a super fruitful area - tablet and mobile games, at least for me, are often played on the move, so I want something that won't go wrong if I'm suddenly distracted, making turn-based stuff a better option there. I'll sometimes sit down with a tablet game like Adventurer League, Void Pyramid, or Shattered Planet for a bit longer, but I dunno how big a part of the android/mobile market that sort of activity is.

[JeffNevington]

I think I will do a proper post about it in a few days as there is a big demo update about to go live that we have been working on for a while (3-person project).  The game is called "Empires of the Undergrowth".  It's sort of a god-sim / management game like Dungeon Keeper, only with ants instead of demons.

[Jubal]

Great Yay, ants! (As someone whose mother is an arachnologist, invertebrates are a pretty good way to sell me on just about any project).