Getting Started

What is DuneCity?

DuneCity takes the classic Dune II RTS and integrates a full SimCity-style city simulation. You still play Dune II — harvest spice, build military units, fight enemy houses — but now you also manage a city with zoning, roads, taxes, and civic services.

The city economy runs parallel to the military economy. Tax revenue from your city supplements spice income. A thriving city means more resources; a neglected city means deficits eating into your war chest.

City Building Basics

Zones

Place Residential (R), Commercial (C), and Industrial (I) zones via the City build menu tab. Each zone costs 100 credits.

Zones grow automatically based on demand, desirability, and infrastructure. Growth proceeds through three density levels: L1 → L2 → L3, each with increasing population and output.

Roads

Place roads to connect zones. Zones adjacent to roads grow 25% faster. Road access is one of the simplest and most effective growth boosters — always build roads next to your zones.

Power

Zones need power from Wind Traps to grow efficiently. Unpowered zones receive a heavy growth penalty. Check the Power Grid overlay (Shift+2) to ensure coverage.

Zone Mechanics

Residential Zones

• Provide population (housing for your city)
• Population per level: L1=16, L2=24, L3=40 (internal values, displayed as ×20 in the UI)
• Affected by: crime (negative), pollution (negative), land value (positive)
• Growth cap: population capped at 500 unless you build a Stadium or Palace

Commercial Zones

• Provide jobs and commerce
• Need customers (residential nearby) AND supply (industrial nearby)
• Growth cap: capped at pop 100 unless you build an Airport
• Best placement: between residential and industrial areas

Industrial Zones

• Provide jobs and manufactured goods
• Generate pollution — keep them away from residential areas
• Sweet spot: 6–16 tiles from residential (close enough for commuters, far enough to avoid pollution)
• Growth cap: capped at pop 70 unless you build a Starport
• Starport requires display population ≥ 20,000 to build

Budget & Economy

Setting	Range	Default	Effect
Tax Rate	0–20%	7%	Higher = more revenue, slower growth
Police Funding	0–100%	100%	Controls police station effectiveness & coverage radius

Tax revenue formula: population × land value × tax rate. Wealthy neighborhoods (high land value) pay more tax per capita.

Budget ticks every city day (about 1.25 seconds real time). Revenue and expenses flow continuously. If your city budget goes negative, the deficit is paid from your spice credits (military economy).

Open the budget screen with Shift+B.

Buildings — What Changed from Dune Legacy

Rocket Turrets

• Still fire rockets at ground and air targets (switches to shells at close range < 3 tiles)
• NEW: Provide fractional police coverage — 25% crime reduction in 16-tile radius
• No annual upkeep cost (unlike Police Stations at 100/year)
• Good for light crime suppression around your base perimeter
• Land value bonus: +5 in 3-tile radius

Gun Turrets

• 25% crime reduction in 16-tile radius (same as Rocket Turrets)
• No annual upkeep cost

Police Station (new)

• Full police coverage: 100% crime reduction in 16-tile radius
• Annual cost: 100 credits (affected by police funding slider)
• Essential for keeping residential zones healthy in dense cities

Barracks & WOR

• Changed from military-only to residential population contributors
• Each contributes residential population: L2=24, L3=40 people
• Infantry garrisons count as population living there — building barracks genuinely grows your city

Refineries

• Now classified as high-density industrial
• Contribute industrial jobs and supply to the city economy
• Still work exactly the same for harvesting — the spice must flow

Palace

• Dual civic role: contributes to both residential and commercial population
• Residential: 32/48/80 pop at L1/L2/L3
• Commercial: 2/6/10 pop at L1/L2/L3
• Massive land value bonus: +40
• Unlocks both residential and commercial growth caps

Stadium (civic)

• Land value bonus: +40
• Unlocks residential growth past 500 population
• No population contribution — pure civic infrastructure

Airport (civic)

• Commercial role with 5 commercial jobs
• Unlocks commercial growth past 100 population
• Trade bonus: +100 commercial zone score when present

Starport

• Now also an industrial building with 4 industrial jobs
• Unlocks industrial growth past 70 population
• Requires 20,000 displayed population to build
• No pollution despite industrial role

Nuclear Plant

• Power generation with no pollution
• Output scales with health — damaged plants produce less power

Controls & Overlays

Key Bindings

Key	Action
Z	Enter/exit zone placement mode
1 / 2 / 3	Select R / C / I zone type (in zone mode)
Shift+R	Road placement mode
Shift+B	Budget screen
Shift+C	City stats HUD
Shift+1–8	Toggle data overlays (see below)

Data Overlays

Shortcut	Overlay
Shift+1	None (default)
Shift+2	Power Grid
Shift+3	Traffic Density
Shift+4	Pollution
Shift+5	Land Value
Shift+6	Crime Rate
Shift+7	Population Density
Shift+8	Wind Trap Radius

City Growth Tips

1. Build roads next to every zone — 25% faster growth for free
2. Keep industrial zones 6–16 tiles from residential to avoid pollution penalties
3. Place commercial zones between residential and industrial areas for maximum demand
4. Build a Stadium early to uncap residential growth (triggers at pop 500)
5. Build an Airport when commercial stalls (triggers at pop 100)
6. Rocket Turrets are cheap crime suppression — place them around your base perimeter
7. Tax rate of 7% is balanced; go lower for faster growth, higher when you need revenue
8. Watch the overlays! Crime and pollution kill zone desirability and stall growth

Disasters

• Sandstorms: Damage city zones, reducing density levels
• Sandworm attacks: Target populated areas — keep military units ready
• Combat fire spread: Military combat near city zones can spread fire, reducing desirability and causing chain reactions in dense areas. Keep your front lines away from your city center.