DoW: Winter Assault Movie and News

[MrMeatshake]

There's a new movie (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/warhammer40000dawnofwarwinterassault/media.html?gcst=dowwinterasslt_om_pc_080405.asx) of the Winter Assault expansion for WH40K: Dawn of War (mirror (http://www.gamershell.com/news/23724.html) if gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com) gives you heartburn) and some more news (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/warhammer40000dawnofwarwinterassault/preview_6130307.html) - mainly about the new single-player aspects of the expansion.

To begin with, we are giving you more choice. No longer is your experience limited to a sole campaign. You get to choose between the forces of order and disorder right from the start...
Also, every mission is a unique gameplay experience, with different objectives, new styles of gameplay, some of which have never been seen in an RTS before...
Another feature we are focused on is providing the player with a more-cinematic experience.
Props to relicnews (http://www.relicnews.com/) for the heads-up.

I've just started playing DoW again with the 1.3 patch, but I'm not playing on-line any more, the cheap tactics were shocking... I'm looking forward to this dropping in September, but is it just me that thinks this is the least exciting new side they could have brought in? I mean, they were already in the game!

[Kefkataran]

I got a demo for this in Computer Gaming World that I shall check out soon.

[Vandenh]

Yeah I was massively disappointed by that "new side" as well. While a new campaign is cool, I would have preferred some cool new side (undead for example).

[swiftdraw]

Ummmm... The Necron? They're basiclly the un-dead side, though they're robotic un-dead. I'd like to have seen the Tyranids myself.

[cppcrusader]

I'm far from disappointed by playing as the Imperial Guard, if anything that was my only disapointment with the original game.

[Wadmaasi]

I don't claim to know the WH40k universe, but, yeah, using the IG as a retail expansion's "new race" is a cop-out. I wanted the guys with the big powered armor Crisis Suits; the Tau, or something? Additionally, they kept saying that DoW was focused on getting out there and fighting (lack of resource farming, etc.), and then the expansion adds a race (army, I guess, not really a new race) with a strong defensive emphasis.

I do think it's cool that the WA campaign makes you play as Chaos, Eldar, and Orks in addition to the Guard, though. I think I tried being Eldar once or twice in skirmish games and gave it up as a bad job 'cause I didn't know WTF I was doing.

[kokyunage]

What you guys should be asking is how they plan on moving on with this franchise? Will they keep releasing expansion packs with a new race in each one? Or will they just stop after the next expansion back to redevelop the game with separate races and call it DoWII?

I personally prefer the first option because it would be the first RTS game that would actually implement all the races in the vast game universe. But there is probably more money to be made with the second option. So, they will just developer DoW II next and never have a game with all the warhammer races.

[ÜberJumper]

There's been plenty of explanation as to why they're doing the IG. Not to mention they were the most requested race in the poll that THQ ran asking which race folks wanted in next. It's a valid choice as far as I'm concerned. I'll be switching to IG in the expansion.

This won't take the emphasis off fighting at all, because you still lose if you don't get out there and cap points. The IG will just have a bit more fun securing their points is all (they can build pretty well everywhere IIRC). They've also got tunnels connecting their bunkers. You can shuffle troops between the bunkers.

As for why the Tyranids aren't in, Jay Wilson, former lead designer on DoW, who's now working on a diff project at Relic, stated something like he only wanted to do the 'nids if they could really do the 'nids right. Something along the lines of them being able to completely alter their environment and that ability was not part of the DoW engine.

Relic/THQ is working closely with GWI on DoW. GWI has approval over the stuff they're doing with the game.

[Wadmaasi]

Not to mention they were the most requested race in the poll that THQ ran asking which race folks wanted in next.
Bah! The People are short-sighted, easily placated, and stupid. Design by committee is a bad idea, design by poll is an even worse one! Or summat.

[MrMeatshake]

I personally prefer the first option because it would be the first RTS game that would actually implement all the races in the vast game universe.

me 2, i think it'd be cool to get a good few races in there...

[Kefkataran]

Bah! The People are short-sighted, easily placated, and stupid. Design by committee is a bad idea, design by poll is an even worse one! Or summat.

Cage match!!! Aristotle vs. Wadmassi! Winner takes all!

[cppcrusader]

I just hope they include the Catachan in there somewhere. That could make for some fun missions.

[Wadmaasi]

Oh, sure, spell the dead guy's name right.

And I said design, not government!

[Eon]

I'm glad to see that the IG will be getting some love in the new expansion. Really - you haven't played the IG based on the encounters you get to use them in with the first game. There are a whole mess of vehicles and troop types not covered. Ogryns and Ratlings. Proper snipers. You name it.

[balamoor]

I really psyched about WA, I can't get enough DOW, it is my Game Du Jour when I'm not playing the 40k Table top game.

[doubtingthomas]

Why are there no air units in these games? Are there none in the Warhammer universe?

[cppcrusader]

There are some, but its mostly jump packs. They do have normal air units like jets and such in the universe but they're not really used much. They don't get used much because the ones that do exist are pretty expensive points wise, and dollars.

[51|RandoM]

Did any of the patches ever add more A.I. to individual units?

The stuff I'm concerned about are the special attacks available, like the anti-armor stuff the orc grunts have, etc. I'd much rather manage the engagement from a high-level and have a squadleader decide it was time to whip out the special weapon.

The way it ended up for me was that I'd put 95% of my army on overwatch and then just wreak havoc with one squad, using their special attacks.

on the air unit issue, the reason they don't exist is because they're almost entirely unneeded. Every race has some transportation method that trumps air. Once orbital weapons platform are commonplace, traditional air power is mostly pointless.

[Tia]

What you guys should be asking is how they plan on moving on with this franchise? Will they keep releasing expansion packs with a new race in each one? Or will they just stop after the next expansion back to redevelop the game with separate races and call it DoWII?

I personally prefer the first option because it would be the first RTS game that would actually implement all the races in the vast game universe. But there is probably more money to be made with the second option. So, they will just developer DoW II next and never have a game with all the warhammer races.

Since Sega (I think it was Sega) bought all the rights for Warhammer, I am not so sure if they will be able to do a second one. While technically relic (or THQ) keep the rights for Dawn of War, I am not sure if seconds count.

*shrug.

I will be for more expension packs, with graphical engine updates though.

[ÜberJumper]

Tia:

Warhammer is not Warhammer 40,000. Two different IPs essentially.

I'm pretty sure there will be a DoW2, and all other RTS games will fall in it's wake. Relic's got some pretty amazing tech coming with Company of Heroes and you can bet that's going to be rolled back into new titles.

[Liquidize105]

You mean you want 10 races in a RTS? How in the hell are they gonna balance them all?

I think 5 sides is plenty enough.

[cppcrusader]

I agree, besides I highly doubt GW would ever allow a game to be made that included every race as playable. That would leave the possibility out there that some of us might stop spending money on miniatures.

[Wadmaasi]

You mean you want 10 races in a RTS? How in the hell are they gonna balance them all?
Theoretically the tabletop progenitor is already balanced, and has been for years, so it's not like they'd have to start from scratch.

But, still, yeah, 10 is too many. It'd be in development forever.

[eatme]

This is a fantastic new race for this expansion-- it brings in a new play style a lot of people wanted, and an expansion is a safer place to experiment with that play style.

[Steve_Erhardt]

You mean you want 10 races in a RTS? How in the hell are they gonna balance them all?

I think 5 sides is plenty enough.
Warlords Battlecry pulled it off pretty well with 12 races... *shrug* if what we've seen in DoW so far is ANY indication, I think Relic can pull off the rest reasonably well enough.

As for the IG being the "new" race, yeah... I like 'em and all, but it DOES seem a bit of a cop-out on the "new" part. Personally I voted for the Necrons way back when. But whatever... I know I'll be all over WA when it comes out, regardless, the game overall is just that good. =)