Mechanic · simulation · real-time strategy

Structure decay

Structures lose health over time, often unless built on a prepared surface.

stubAlso: building decay, degradation, structure degradation, concrete decayUpdated 2026-10-22
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Structure decay takes health from buildings as time passes. In Dune II, after the first missions, a marked structure loses a few hit points, set by its house, at a fixed interval until it falls to half health, and the original game marks every structure it places1.

  • All structuresDune II (1992). From the third mission every structure built in play loses 1–3 hit points by house each interval down to half; OpenDUNE's default spares structures wholly on slabs.1

See also

Games

GameYearHowNote
Dune II1992All structuresfrom the third mission every structure built in play loses 1–3 hit points by house each interval down to half; OpenDUNE's default spares structures wholly on slabs
Every claim about this mechanic, by game (1)
Dune II 1992From the third mission on, every 10,800 game-timer ticks at normal game speed, each structure marked as degrading loses hit points while it stands above half its table maximum: 3 for the Harkonnen, 2 for the Ordos, and 1 for every other house. Placement marks a structure when any footprint tile lacks a concrete slab, except a construction yard, which never counts missing slabs; in the original mode it marks every structure placed, slabs or not, and OpenDUNE's enhanced mode (the default) leaves a construction yard and a structure built wholly on slabs unmarked. Structures a scenario places start unmarked, and slabs and walls never decay. Computed: OpenDUNE's 60 Hz timer makes the interval 3 minutes, and a structure placed with no slab, which starts at half health, doesn't decay until repaired above it.Code

References

  1. ^ abFrom the third mission on, every 10,800 game-timer ticks at normal game speed, each structure marked as degrading loses hit points while it stands above half its table maximum: 3 for the Harkonnen, 2 for the Ordos, and 1 for every other house. Placement marks a structure when any footprint tile lacks a concrete slab, except a construction yard, which never counts missing slabs; in the original mode it marks every structure placed, slabs or not, and OpenDUNE's enhanced mode (the default) leaves a construction yard and a structure built wholly on slabs unmarked. Structures a scenario places start unmarked, and slabs and walls never decay. Computed: OpenDUNE's 60 Hz timer makes the interval 3 minutes, and a structure placed with no slab, which starts at half health, doesn't decay until repaired above it.CodeOpenDUNErevised
    How we know
    61	if (s_tickStructureDegrade <= g_timerGame && g_campaignID > 1) {
62		tickDegrade = true;
63		s_tickStructureDegrade = g_timerGame + Tools_AdjustToGameSpeed(10800, 5400, 21600, true);
    src/structure.c lines 61–63 at ebea79a · upstream ↗
    95		if (s->o.type == STRUCTURE_SLAB_1x1 || s->o.type == STRUCTURE_SLAB_2x2 || s->o.type == STRUCTURE_WALL) continue;
    src/structure.c line 95 at ebea79a · upstream ↗
    121		if (tickDegrade && s->o.flags.s.degrades && s->o.hitpoints > si->o.hitpoints / 2) {
122			Structure_Damage(s, hi->degradingAmount, 0);
    src/structure.c lines 121–122 at ebea79a · upstream ↗
    9		/* name                 */ "Harkonnen",
⋮
12		/* degradingAmount      */ 3,
    src/table/houseinfo.c lines 9–12 at ebea79a · upstream ↗
    41		/* name                 */ "Ordos",
⋮
44		/* degradingAmount      */ 2,
    src/table/houseinfo.c lines 41–44 at ebea79a · upstream ↗
    28		/* degradingAmount      */ 1,
⋮
60		/* degradingAmount      */ 1,
⋮
76		/* degradingAmount      */ 1,
⋮
92		/* degradingAmount      */ 1,
    src/table/houseinfo.c lines 25–92 at ebea79a · upstream ↗
    550	if (validBuildLocation < 0) {
⋮
556		s->o.flags.s.degrades = true;
557	} else {
558		/* ENHANCEMENT -- When you build a structure completely on slabs, it should not degrade */
559		if (!g_dune2_enhanced) {
560			s->o.flags.s.degrades = true;
    src/structure.c lines 550–561 at ebea79a · upstream ↗
    766			if (si->o.flags.notOnConcrete) {
⋮
776				if (lst != LST_CONCRETE_SLAB) neededSlabs++;
    src/structure.c lines 766–777 at ebea79a · upstream ↗
    542		/* notOnConcrete        */ true,
    src/table/structureinfo.c lines 536–542 at ebea79a · upstream ↗
    285		s->o.flags.s.degrades = false;
    src/scenario.c lines 284–285 at ebea79a · upstream ↗
    1168	Timer_Add(Timer_Tick, 1000000 / 60, false);
    src/opendune.c line 1168 at ebea79a · upstream ↗

    Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-22.

    Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-22.

    In the claim ledger

Sources

Code