Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2

Oh man this game is rocking my goddamn socks.

Back and forth 3v3 battle, I'm playing Eldar and currently caught in a stalemate over the middle control point. I build my first vehicle, a Wraithlord, upgrade him with a Shuriken cannon (heavy anti infantry gun) and send him into the fray.

First off, Vehicles are much bigger and more imposing in this then in DoW1, and watching this giant wraithlord go trudging into to the field spraying ninja goddamn stars all over the place and scattering their whole army was just awesome.

Then when a Dreadnought walked through the goddamn wall to my left flank and a horde of space marines came rushing through the gap pushing me back. Equally awesome.

So first impressions put it at:

IMAGE(http://i39.tinypic.com/2s60br7.jpg)

More awesome then that.

Bought Soulstorm and just finished downloading the beta. Damn it, I just took a sick day too... Maybe I'll use one of those "floating holidays"

nukacola23 wrote:

This is interesting... I didn't realize that different venues are including different pre-order goodies.

I didn't realize this either! I placed my pre-order on Amazon yesterday, but I might cancel it and get the Sniper/Shotgun one from HMV. I suppose it depends on the price difference and whether this bonuses will be available as DLC from THQ.

Just checked, and there is no difference in price - both are £24.99, so it comes down to the content.
Decisions, decisions.

I wonder why they're not doing pre-order bonuses for the other races?

I've also decided to wait my first play-through for the release and patch. Glad to hear the beta lives up to the hype, though.

After playing Company of Heroes for so long, I can't help but feel that this is nothing but a simplified version of CoH. I want more depth, not less :\

The feminine looking space elves don't help any either.

DrJonez wrote:

Madness

Wow.

EDIT: Sorry, that was abit harsh. I understand that you think it will probably be a simpler version of CoH, but I think you're looking at a different direction completely for the series, rather than an evolution of the system that started in DoW.
When CoH came out, I saw it as an 'enhanced' version of DoW, and with this one, I think Relic decided to try something more in-line with the 40k IP that learned some lessons from both of their flagship strategy games.

I say this having not played any of the expansions for CoH, but having played all the DoW ones, so maybe its gone in a different direction that I'm not aware of. Either way, I'm reserving judgement until I play it (though Sin's glee is a good indicator.)

Also, if you don't know (or care) about the IP, I'd just leave the 'space elf' comments out of your posts.

Burn the heretic. Kill the mutant. Purge the unclean.

Ok, maybe that's a bit extreme.

so who wants to create a clan xbl group for this?

This game appears related to Dawn of War 1 only vaguely. You don't appear to build bases at all. The graphics are gorgeous, but the design of the game is _totally_ different.

I strongly suggest playing the beta before ordering.

Malor wrote:

I never played much Company of Heroes, but it seems like they didn't do a lot with that one. It didn't seem to get the same kind of attention that DoW always has.

A big part of Warhammer 40k's appeal is the unique and fleshed out setting. It's undeniably fresh. A WWII game is just another WWII game. The gameplay is the draw but it's still WWII.

I just pre-ordered it and they gave me access to the beta. COH has been my favorite game for a long time so this was a given for me. Too bad I am at work, but yay for remote desktop connection!

This game appears related to Dawn of War 1 only vaguely. You don't appear to build bases at all. The graphics are gorgeous, but the design of the game is _totally_ different.

I strongly suggest playing the beta before ordering.

As far as multiplayer it *should* be pretty much along the same lines as the first game (perhaps a little faster-paced). But your right, the single player has a more "action-rpg/mmo feel to it. At least according to the PC Gamer UK review I mention above - not seen much of it first hand and I'll probably wait for the full release rather than go for the beta which (i assume) is multiplayer only?

You don't build bases at all? Aww... I loved building bases. Can you at least build defensive structures on control points and the like?

I hope this piece of wargear ends up in the game:

IMAGE(http://www.3vwargames.co.uk/whammer/graphics/yrak.jpg)

Filthy enablers.. pre-ordered.

The game is played out a lot more like CoH than DoW. Pretty much the only thing from DoW is the actual IP, control, and energy points.

Not pre-ordered but will be reading RPS and looks like a day 1 for me.

Oh god, they f*cked this game up. It's been redone to run on the 360, I think.

You get very few units at a time; they're very expensive and your resources collect very slowly. You get about 1 new unit every two minutes, and they can be evaporated in about 10 seconds if you end up in the wrong place.

At any given time, you might have 2 or 3 squads plus maybe a vehicle.

Space Marine squads are only 3 figures.

You do no base building. Everything comes out of your initial structure.

You can't build defenses unless you choose a defensive hero. There appears to be no way to hold a requisition point except parking a unit there, but units are so expensive that you really can't do that. One unit by itself will die.

There are two tier upgrades, but they're just button clicks on the main build area, and have no prerequisites. As Space Marines, you start with four possible units: Scouts, Space Marines, Assault Marines, and Devastators, which are basically a machine gun squad. Overwhelming if you get them emplaced ahead of time, down one cone of fire, walking targets otherwise.

The first tier gives you three more units: Dreadnoughts, which are your walker tanks, and an anti-vehicle machine gun thing, and something I've forgotten.

The second tier gives you Predators.

That's it. That's all there is. If you take your eyes off your units for more than a few seconds, they will probably die. You get a new unit about every two minutes. They cost 500-550 requisition points, and you get about 350 a minute.

You apparently can't repair vehicles; they fight until destroyed. (you might be able to do repairs if you choose a repairing hero type, but there's no default ability to repair that I found.)

Dreadnoughts have a couple of upgrades: they're probably the most similar to the original game.

Overall, this game is all about looks. It's beautiful, but the game itself is barely related to its predecessor. I'm tempted to call it RTS for morons. It's all slash and burn and quick attacks and running: there's no concept of really defending ground, or building a base. You don't have enough units, and you can't generally build defenses. The concept of deferring consumption for later advantage has been dialed back enormously.

It's extremely unlikely that I'll buy this one. I still play DoW 1 all the time, but DoW 2 is related only in name. It may find fans, but I don't think I'll be one of them.

That's really disappointing, Malor.

Malor wrote:

stuff

What part of: "it plays like CoH" you missed?

Malor wrote:

You apparently can't repair vehicles; they fight until destroyed. (you might be able to do repairs if you choose a repairing hero type, but there's no default ability to repair that I found.)

Scouts/Rangers can repair. I'm sure the other races have a way to repair as well.

ranalin wrote:
Malor wrote:

You apparently can't repair vehicles; they fight until destroyed. (you might be able to do repairs if you choose a repairing hero type, but there's no default ability to repair that I found.)

Scouts/Rangers can repair. I'm sure the other races have a way to repair as well.

Seriously Malor, how could you not have figured that out? It's perfectly reasonable to assume that the guy whose job it is to sneak off away from everyone else and be really quiet and non-vehicular would know how to fix vehicles, and nobody else would.

I hear the Sniper units are great at melee, too.

To lighten the mood somewhat, here is trailer showing off some Ork vs. Tyranid gameplay footage, with running commentary provided by the Ork commander:

Orks vs. Tyranids

I have to find a way to work "Strata-logical" into my day to day conversations from here on in

Dr._J wrote:

To lighten the mood somewhat, here is trailer showing off some Ork vs. Tyranid gameplay footage, with running commentary provided by the Ork commander:

Orks vs. Tyranids

I have to find a way to work "Strata-logical" into my day to day conversations from here on in :)

Are you sure he didn't say "scatalogical?" Because that's something else.

LobsterMobster wrote:

Are you sure he didn't say "scatalogical?" Because that's something else.

It's "Strata-logical". After discussing the finer points of capturing squishy power plants as opposed to squishing them, the Ork commander says "Strata-logical, that is."

ranalin wrote:

What part of: "it plays like CoH" you missed? :P

What part of 'CoH has pillboxes and barbed wire' did YOU miss?

I refuse to believe that relic could have made a bad game.

It's probably not 'bad', per se, but it's not Dawn of War. It's something else.

Malor wrote:

It's probably not 'bad', per se, but it's not Dawn of War. It's something else.

That's really too bad. :/ Dawn of War had such a great balance.

Malor wrote:
ranalin wrote:

What part of: "it plays like CoH" you missed? :P

What part of 'CoH has pillboxes and barbed wire' did YOU miss?

DoW2 has pillboxes and wargear replaces the barbwire type items...

ranalin wrote:
Malor wrote:
ranalin wrote:

What part of: "it plays like CoH" you missed? :P

What part of 'CoH has pillboxes and barbed wire' did YOU miss?

DoW2 has pillboxes and wargear replaces the barbwire type items...

I have a feeling the single player wargear adds a lot of depth. Would be nice if they'd let us try that out.

LobsterMobster wrote:
ranalin wrote:
Malor wrote:
ranalin wrote:

What part of: "it plays like CoH" you missed? :P

What part of 'CoH has pillboxes and barbed wire' did YOU miss?

DoW2 has pillboxes and wargear replaces the barbwire type items...

I have a feeling the single player wargear adds a lot of depth. Would be nice if they'd let us try that out.

Is the single player wargear different from the wargear in the Multiplayer beta?