Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
| Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II | |
|---|---|
| Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II logotype | |
| Developer(s) | Relic Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | THQ |
| Designer(s) | Jonny Ebbert (Lead Designer) |
| Composer(s) | Doyle W. Donehoo |
| Engine | Essence Engine 2.0 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | Spring 2009[1] |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is the sequel for the Dawn of War series of RTS computer games. It is currently under development by Relic Entertainment and due for release in early 2009.
Playable Factions
As of 14 July 2008, only the Space Marines (represented by the Blood Ravens) , the Orks and the Eldar (recently revealed in a snippet on a gametrailers preview, and also seen in an intro movie for the game on the Gamespot website)[2] are confirmed to be in Dawn of War II[3]. Other races will likely be revealed as more information becomes available. A teaser trailer on the official website shows a fight between a Blood Raven Force Commander and an Ork Warboss. The Force Commander swiftly dispatches the Warboss with a Daemonhammer not unlike the one given to Gabriel Angelos by Inquisitor Toth in the first Dawn of War game.
An E3 2008 Cinematic Trailer created by Plastic Wax was released on July 17, 2008. The movie depicts a Space Marine squad and Dreadnought battling a contingent of Eldar. The Marines triumph, albeit losing most of the squad. At the end of the movie, the Space Marine Captain tells the dying Eldar Farseer, "This planet is ours, witch." In response the Farseer points to the sky and says, "No, this planet is theirs" The camera then pans upwards, showing great red and brown clouds. Some have speculated that the clouds look similar to the storms surrounding the Eye of Terror, suggesting that Chaos will make a return. However, the cloud is clearly moving between the planet and its moon-indicating that it is equally possible that the cloud is formed from millions of Tyranid spores. Also, something that may resemble a Tyranid Hive ship can be seen towards the bottom of the cloud.
The Tyranid race was frequently requested by fans for the first Dawn of War game but Relic felt that the game engine was not capable of producing satisfying organic-looking models, or capturing the real sense of scale of a Tyranid invasion.[4] Lorewise, the Tyranids consist of a single "hive" mind. This obvious lack of any Tyranid leadership leaves the race unsuitable to the game's gameplay which often relies on squad commanders and characters. While the Tyranids have not yet been officially confirmed or denied by Relic, the aforementioned cloud may be a Tyranid Hive Fleet approaching the planet. [5]
Singleplayer
Dawn of War II will feature a non-linear interplanetary campaign[6], playable as any available race.
Dawn of War II will depart from its predecessors in several key features[7] [8][9]:
- Less focus on base-building. This will be accomplished through use of mobile bases, such as the Blood Raven's Battle Barge.
- Consequences regarding mission choices. For example there may be multiple distress calls to answer, each available for a limited duration. During a mission you may have to choose between saving civilians or obtaining War Gear.
- Control of only five or six squads (unclear if these numbers apply to all races or just Space Marines). However, each squad will be highly unique in their combat specialty and even voice acting.
- Redesigned War Gear - War Gear can be obtained by accomplishing objectives during missions and is randomly dropped sometimes by enemies. After identification it can be equipped on squads, and stored in an RPG style inventory.
- Better cover bonuses, and a new emphasis on methods of dealing with units in cover (e.g. destroying cover with grenades or ignoring cover bonuses with flamers).
- Improved squad AI - for example, squads under fire will seek out cover.
- More realistically sized vehicles (i.e. larger than before).
- Squads will acquire experience and become stronger as the game is played, from a new recruit to a hardened veteran.
Multiplayer
Dawn of War II will include the normal multiplayer, as well as a co-op multiplayer campaign. On July 14 2008 Relic Entertainment announced that Dawn of War 2 would be using Games for Windows live[10].
Development
Engine
Dawn of War II will use an updated version of the Essence Engine (Essence Engine 2.0) that powers Relic's World War II real-time strategy game Company of Heroes and its expansion pack Opposing Fronts.
References
- ^ "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 Page". GamePro. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ^ Eldar race confirmed
- ^ Relicnews | Dawn of War 2 Info
- ^ "November 7th, 2006: Live Chat with Relic about Dawn of War: Dark Crusade". Xfire. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II Official Movie 1". Gamespot. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
- ^ "THQ and Relic Entertainment Set to Wage War of Epic Scale in Warhammer(R) 40,000(TM): Dawn of War(R) II". THQ. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ^ PC Gamer Magazine, June 2008 Issue.
- ^ "Preview: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
- ^ David Hollingworth (2008). "The dawn of a new war". Atomic. ISSN 1444-8998.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Dawn of War 2 uses Games for Windows Live Q&A". Dawn of War 2 Community Site. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-07-15.