Dawn of War 2

[Ronin Storm]

We often find it hard to get traction with an RTS around THN. I think it's probably because the games end up being massively one-sided towards the experienced player and require an hour or more's investment in order to really get into the game. Only Company of Heroes really had any legs, though I've seen a game or two of Supreme Commander float about and hosted a Homeworld 2 game on occasion.

So enter Dawn of War 2 from THQ, learning from everything they've been throwing into these games for the past years and, specifically, building on the strengths of the Company of Heroes gameplay.

Eurogamer have a preview on the game and they're already very pleased.

Of particular note, there is no base building. Yep, none at all. While that's not gone into in enough depth for my interest, I guess that operates in a vaguely similar fashion to World in Conflict where units are air dropped into the map intermittently.

There'll be a campaign mode and it'll be possible to play that through two player coop, which sells me on the game straight away. I play 90% of my RTS hours with Rojaws so a campaign would be perfect.

Looking forward to it. Due for release Q1 2009.

 

[BaRT]

Hmm no base building. Don't know about that, but World In Conflict had a great idea, so I hope it works for DOW 2 also.
I'm sure nothing can go wrong with that game, because it gots orks and humies.

Thanks Ronin Storm.
PS. You're going to play COOP with me, forget about Rojaws... Come to my side, I'm your friend.

 

[Nanor]

No base building could be interesting but I don't see it as a selling point of the game. The WiC base building, or lack thereof, was interesting but hardly revolutionary.

 

[BiG D]

No base building could be interesting but I don't see it as a selling point of the game.

On the contrary. There's plenty of people (or maybe just me?) who despise the base building and subsequent hotkey mashing that is at the core of most RTS games.

 

[Ronin Storm]

Nope, not just you. There's a reason I like Combat Mission, despite its slow pace.

 

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

The single player campaign coop on ground control 2 was so much fun, so yeah coop of the single player sells me this game too.

 

[Cookalarcha]

Looks mint, i have to hope i'll have saved nd baught a new computer by then

 

[Cynic-Al]

Sounds like fun, definitely something to look into, but it depends whether or not I get a new pc capable of running it, or just hang onto my laptop if I go to Germany.

 

[Blackavar]

From what I heard in an interview with the lead designer (I think) Dawn of War 2 should play okay on any machine that could run Company of Heroes...

 

[Silk]

Building bases is one of the more enjoyable aspects of an RTS for me. Why would they remove it? Woohoo chop out the fun parts, way to go. Yet another RTS that thinks sticking to combat only is a good choice.. what the hell do they think made the genre popular in the first place? A *mix* of rescource management, base building and micromangement / tactics. Not just fighting.. fighting and more fighting... zzzzzz. COH sucked for me personally because of the same thing.. was bored within 3 missions.

Thank GOD they're not butchering Starcraft2 in the same way.

 

[Dragon]

As I loved DoW 1 (its still my favourite RTS ^^) I'll definetly buy DoW2

I just hope that this whole "no base building" thing makes the game even better then before ^^ (btw Coop sounds sooo great )

 

[BiG D]

Building bases is one of the more enjoyable aspects of an RTS for me. Why would they remove it? Woohoo chop out the fun parts, way to go.

Removing the base building and unit production aspect means that combat can be much deeper. The winner will be the one with proper tactics and a good plan, not the one who hotkeyed their way to the best unit fastest.

 

[Silk]

Removing the base building and unit production aspect means that combat can be much deeper. The winner will be the one with proper tactics and a good plan, not the one who hotkeyed their way to the best unit fastest.

Actually I don't play multiplayer anymore but when I did, it was starcraft. And base building always adds another element.. not just "who knows the tech tree best" wins. But things like using cheap buildings as barricades.. or buildings / secret bases hidden away. Just more fun overall. I'd argue that "proper tactics and a good plan" are needed equally as much, if not moreso, in a base-building RTS than a combat RTS. You have more elements to worry about.. rescources, which tech tree you should focus on first, and also combat.

The other, biggest aspect for me personally is creativity. Building bases however I chose, wherever I chose. I think by focusing only on combat the genre loses so much..

 

[Cookalarcha]

From what I heard in an interview with the lead designer (I think) Dawn of War 2 should play okay on any machine that could run Company of Heroes...

I hope so then. cos my comp can just run CoH on lowest everything, its not pretty but at least i can play

 

[Nanor]

I can see what Silkth is saying about building a little base high up in the mountains but when it comes to RTS I'd rather amass an army than landscape develop. If this means that the combat is going to be worked on more then I'm all for it.

 

[Ronin Storm]

Personally, the only part of base building I've ever really enjoyed has been the building and placement of defensive structures: towers, walls, bunkers, etc. Losing that bit would be a small shame but something I could live with. The economic part of base building always felt like it should be done somewhere else; after all, that's what SimCity is for, isn't it?

 

[Nanor]

Setting up bunkers and defensive positions was pretty cool. There's bound to be something like that in DoW2.

 

[ShedCherrem]

I really enjoy the idea where the DoW goes. Returning to idea of Chaos Gate is a good thing, makes the game more pro. Beside its more according to lore. Sure building bases is enjoyable, but it just craps on the logic of the universe. Chapters of marines were limited as I remember from what I know, and in DoW you were able to grind several thousands of troops, just cause you could bring new back. Here it'll demand a lot more attention. And thats fine. Dawn of War will now reflect more of a tabletop figure game we know.
And as I always say: you wanna enjoy building? Buy yourself SimCity. You want a strategy, than go for something more like Blitzkrieg, right? Margeing those two always leads to simplified gameplay... not to mention that you had to upgrade your troops armors, weapons and so on during battle in base on the battlefield... what a dumb idea is that? Ever seen American soldiers dropped in Afganistan building workshops and inventing tanks? Or building mines to get iron for weapons? Thats just silly...

 

[Zooggy]

Ahey,

Ever seen American soldiers dropped in Afganistan building workshops and inventing tanks? Or building mines to get iron for weapons? Thats just silly...

That may be, but it's also the difference between strategy and tactics.

Note that I'm with you, to be honest. I loved Close Combat: Bridge Too Far for its awesome real time tactics, but I could never get my brain to wrap around the game play of most modern RTSs.

Still, it's valid gameplay.

Cheers,
J.

 

[ShedCherrem]

Perhaps its just me, but I like thigs that are verry, verry complicated. Harder it is, better it is (... hmmm kinky phrase <.<)... anyways:
I always looked upon gaming this way: I like realism - cause its more demanding and more demanding it gets, it means I need to put much more effort to win, but than - winning is much, much sweeter and satisfaction of overcomeing obstacles is damn better also

One day I really liked Warcraft, but now I cant play it anymore, cause of when I imagine myself that a Ging that goes to battle, got to built a castle every time when he is near the battlefield, homes for soldiers, barracks, stables, workshops, and so on in order to build an army it really screwes up logic a bit. And the idea of "produceing" troops and sending them to the battle in unorganised mass, looks more like bar-brawling of hooligans on the back alley somewhere in Scotland during the play-offs rather than serious medieval conflict. (More of that! Where were was this army for the next battle? It vanished and our hero got to built everything again... it just has no sense now.) Some games just set the standerd that in which I get involved I just... got a mental blocade and get go lower again. Troops are moveing in formations - period.
Mark of Chaos dealt with it, yet keept all the juicy part of fantasy world. Dawn of War was almost perfect with the game play style, but takeing out base building will add to it a bit more reality (I mean to the logical part of the war). Still mobile or stationary defence strctures are fine to go.