Dawn of War II

[pevergreen]

First off, quite a few of us played the MP beta, but I'm glad someone has something good to say about Single Player.

There is no construction system! Everything is done from the HQ. Only things that can be added are turrets from a few commanders.

All I can comment on is MP stuff, and limited at that (beta was 1v1 or 3v3) lag was non existant, but it uses Games for Windows Live, the same as XBOX et al, so finding a match takes some time.

The balance is a major issue, and from what i've read (i stopped in the last week or so) the release day patch just caused MORE damage.

The Ork Kommando Nob has a wargear option for mines to lay down, before release, two of these mines would blow up your hq. And since he could also have energy free infiltration, he could do it cloaked.

I dont know if the unit roster was full in the Beta, but you would think so...its just so...small. SM have 1 tier 3 unit? Tyranids have 2, Eldar have 2. Its just not as fun or as varied as DoW 1.

Even if they get balance in check eventually, its just not big enough. In multiplayer, you can only get 5 units out max, if you are lucky. and thats with the OLD req. system. They over-nerf and over-buff things.

Since when was a tactical squad 3 marines? Thats not even legal tabletop!

Plus the sheer number of things you miss out on by not pre ordering all 30 versions (colours, weapons skins, armour skins etc) and the rather hard prospect of unlocking the in game armour upgrades for each race (i played quite a few games [at least 30 ranked games, i was top scorer in about 15], I got to rank 2 in 2 races.

Too many things that just eat away at me. It doesnt get gaming time, when L4D and ETW are here. Soon SF IV as well. I would not pay the $100 for it.

[TinCow]

There is no construction system! Everything is done from the HQ. Only things that can be added are turrets from a few commanders.

Really? In the SP campaign, there are Ork, Eldar, and Tyranid structures absolutely everywhere, and they spew forth units and provide upgrades just like they did in DOW1. I have not seen any structures for the Space Marines other than Generators and turrets, but they definitely exist for the other races. Are you playing the full game or just the MP beta?

[pevergreen]

I have only played the MP beta, but there is no building part to the game. It has been stated multiple times pre release.

Perhaps you should try an AI skirmish and see if there is or not?

edits to follow:

In the skirmish mode, you can participate in 1 versus 1 or 3 versus 3 matches online

Guess thats it. There were two modes, annihilation (kill HQ's) and Victory Points, both teams start at 500 and first to 0 loses, make the other team lose points by holding victory points. VP was the only ranked type.

There is nowhere near the level of customisation in MP as in the SP campaign.

In skirmishes you do have one base structure, but that's pretty much it and it exists right from a match's beginning. A few of the units can erect defensive or reinforcement structures of their own, but the majority of your success in battle is being able to quickly move out into maps and capture resource points to fuel unit production. It's a system that encourages combat and makes turtling, the process of building up base defenses in order to tech up and raise an army, essentially impossible, so that even within a minute or two of a match starting you can expect to be in combat. And with the low population cap and smaller number of unit groups moving around, it makes every troop on the field that much more valuable.

Combat starts very fast, if you play, make good use of 'x' the retreat button. You take a lot less damage and move a lot faster back to your HQ.

IGN review: http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/954/954749p1.html

[TinCow]

Perhaps you should try an AI skirmish and see if there is or not?

I'll take a look this evening. I would be very confused if there was no base building. They sure went through a lot of effort to create a variety of nice looking structures for the various races if they aren't used in the MP.

[pevergreen]

They arent, though it seems a lot of work has gone into the single player campaign.

[TinCow]

Wikipedia agrees with you on the base building. It also says that the main complaints are the small scale of the combat. That I can comment on at least. In the single player campaign, while you do manage a small number of units (max 4 units, with maximum manpower of 11 if you take the largest units), the combat is very fun. It is definitely designed towards small scale, fast paced tactical combat. Use of cover and special abilities is critical. If you simply do move-attacks like in other games, you will die quickly. DoW2 is all about keeping your units alive and in utilizing them as a group to accomplish limited goals, before pushing on to new ones.

In the SP campaign at least, the combat is also massive. Your fight against hordes of enemies, particularly when battling the Tyrannids, and it's not unusual to have to cut through literally hundreds of individual enemies before you complete a mission. This keeps the game interesting, as the sheer size of the enemy force and the power of the 'boss' creatures are such that a few mistakes here and there can result in a lost mission. (For the record, I am playing on Captain difficulty, which is one above the 'normal' setting.) As your units get more powerful through experience and 'loot', you can unleash some truly devastating moves, and it's very satisfying to unleash a well-coordinated assault on a large enemy force.

I can see how people who were looking for a larger scale version of DoW1 would be disappointed. This is not Starcraft, it is far more like Brothers in Arms than Company of Heroes. Your units are not disposable and they need to work together as a group to accomplish their goals. I can't fault Relic for this decision though. Starcraft 2 is also coming out this year, and it will likely dominate all other base-building games. DoW2 will probably be able to remain popular once that King of all RTS is out, simply because it's a different kind of gameplay.

[pevergreen]

Theres a good chance of that, yes.

I started off the Beta as a SM player, but switched to 'Nids, as an early game rush with 'Nids will win. T'Gaunts under synapse of Warrior Broods with Barbed Stranglers. 100% Knock down from 16 gaunts combined with two supression guns. Easy win.

As long as you get supression going, you will win. It took me a few days to adjust to the small scale. It was fun at times, but also got a bit boring. Quite often its whoever can get a dreadnaught first.

I'd consider buying the game for the SP campaign, but the attraction of DoW will always be MP for me. Maybe because the first clan I was ever in was a DoW clan.