Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising

[Thrawn]

I've been playing through the campaigns again on the highest difficulty and really enjoying it.  Its not stupidly difficult like some games at that level.  But you reallý have to make use of cover and all your abilities, you get punished mercilessly if you make an error.  On normal difficulty I would just take my four highest dps bruisers and stomp everything.  Now I find myself using the scout squad a lot more and using all the abilities as much as possible.

[kildorn]

My difficulty complaint (may have been patched) was that barring some chaos ability cheese, the last boss in Chaos Rising is some serious bullshit.

[Murgos]

Honestly, I am not happy with their Boss design at all.

"Let just give something a LOT of hit points and cheese attacks."

[Malakili]

I agree, while the Chaos Rising single player campaign is better than the DoW 2 vanilla campaign, i think the single player in general is extremely mediocre, and bad boss design is just one of the things that makes it that way.  Multiplayer is where this game shines, but the learning curve is a little steep.

[Thrawn]

Completely agree on the bad boss fights.  Most of them on highest difficulty is mostly run in, blow everything I have.  Retreat and heal up, the repeat.  Was only able to take a few of them in one battle by setting up well.

[tazelbain]

Ya, I never made it through the first single player campaign.  Played that arena thing a bit but lost interest quickly.

[kildorn]

Ya, I never made it through the first single player campaign.  Played that arena thing a bit but lost interest quickly.

The last mission in DoW2 vanilla is actually kinda fun. Mostly because there isn't some anti theme ultra harder than normal boss unit at the end that I recall.

Chaos Rising takes everything Vanilla did wrong with bosses and turns it up to 11 on the last mission. I especially like:

[Trippy]

The optional Avatar boss at the end of the first game was harder for me than the end boss of the expansion.

[kildorn]

I never had issues with the Avatar. Sure, he was a retreat spamming bastard, but the expansion boss was a self healing every time you had to retreat bastard with a number of unavoidable ranged attacks.

[DLRiley]

I played the Dawn of War 2 beta but didn't like it that much....but I am looking for something to get into so I'm more willing to learn the system now then i was back than. Is this worth picking up (i just want to multiplayer)?

[Malakili]

I played the Dawn of War 2 beta but didn't like it that much....but I am looking for something to get into so I'm more willing to learn the system now then i was back than. Is this worth picking up (i just want to multiplayer)?

I think the multiplayer is really good, though admittedly at this point the learning process is pretty tough because you'll face a lot of players who have been playing a long time.  There is a good steam group called Project L2P that is actually extremely helpful to new players wanting to get into mutliplayer though, and I suggest checking them out and their DoW2 forum at www.rts-sanctuary.com (which just got rolling).   Its a pretty great game if you are willing to put in the time to get competent though.  I am biased though as this is my current RTS of choice, and I wouldn't rush off to the steam store and buy this right away on my word alone.

[Bandit]

Not a traditional RTS fan, but I am loving DWII (I really wish the was a speed control and proper pause!).  I just finally tried multiplayer, specifically "The Last Stand" after finishing up the campaigns.  You can level up different factions and are basically put in an arena with 2 other players to fend off waves of of increasingly difficult spawns.  The matchmaking was a bit wonky as I ended up with level 15-20 people and I only started at level 1.  It is probably a matter of the # of players looking for a game.  Last Stand is definitely worth trying out.   Skill seems to be a little more important than level.

Somewhat of a derail, still 40k related.  I am falling in love with the IP, but have no clue where to start reading any of the books out there.  I usually shy away from sci-fi, but everything about 40k I have seen thus far is bad-assery at its best.  There is a tonne of 40k books out there, but any recommendations on where to start?

[JWIV]

Not a traditional RTS fan, but I am loving DWII (I really wish the was a speed control and proper pause!).  I just finally tried multiplayer, specifically "The Last Stand" after finishing up the campaigns.  You can level up different factions and are basically put in an arena with 2 other players to fend off waves of of increasingly difficult spawns.  The matchmaking was a bit wonky as I ended up with level 15-20 people and I only started at level 1.  It is probably a matter of the # of players looking for a game.  Last Stand is definitely worth trying out.   Skill seems to be a little more important than level.

Somewhat of a derail, still 40k related.  I am falling in love with the IP, but have no clue where to start reading any of the books out there.  I usually shy away from sci-fi, but everything about 40k I have seen thus far is bad-assery at its best.  There is a tonne of 40k books out there, but any recommendations on where to start?

Horus Heresy series has been solid. 

[Azazel]

Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts books always get good reviews.

I'd also suggest the Space Wolf books by Bill King.

I think there was also a good one about the Iron Warriors (Chaos Marines), but I've forgotten what it was called. I remember something about a siege and Khorne Berserkers.

The Eisenhorn Trilogy was decent as well.

[Teleku]

So when we describe these books as solid and decent, we really do mean they are ok to read by an adult, right?  Not at all like the thousand of Starwars and Star Trek books which are complete and utter shit, right?

I've been somewhat interested in reading them as well, but I've been running under the assumption they are on par with those.

[JWIV]

So when we describe these books as solid and decent, we really do mean they are ok to read by an adult, right?  Not at all like the thousand of Starwars and Star Trek books which are complete and utter shit, right?

I've been somewhat interested in reading them as well, but I've been running under the assumption they are on par with those.

I've avoided reading Star Wars and Star Trek books, so it's hard to say.   These books should by no means be confused with actual books, but for light reading, they're fine.   The latest one is even a New York Times Bestselling novel, which hurts my brain.

[Azazel]

I've avoided reading Star Wars and Star Trek books, so it's hard to say.   These books should by no means be confused with actual books, but for light reading, they're fine. 

This. Except I've read 2 SW books which were apparently a couple of the better ones.

[Morfiend]

Somewhat of a derail, still 40k related.  I am falling in love with the IP, but have no clue where to start reading any of the books out there.  I usually shy away from sci-fi, but everything about 40k I have seen thus far is bad-assery at its best.  There is a tonne of 40k books out there, but any recommendations on where to start?

There are several Omnibus' (Omnibi?) of the better trilogies. I have read a lot, as I am a huge fan of 40k.

The Space Wolf Omnibus is a very good place to start, as it introduces the reader to the 40k lore, in a way that really helps you appreciate the Empire.

After that consider The Eisenhorn Omnibus, this is from the point of view of an Inquisitor and a very decent read. The Ravenor Omnibus is sort of the second half of the Eisenhorn "story" from the point of view of a different inquisitor.

Also, this is a decent read, again, about Inquisitors Scourge the Heretic, this was released with the 40k RPG game.

As a word of note, stay away from the Soul Drinkers Omnibus, I couldnt make it past 100 pages.

So when we describe these books as solid and decent, we really do mean they are ok to read by an adult, right?  Not at all like the thousand of Starwars and Star Trek books which are complete and utter shit, right?

I've been somewhat interested in reading them as well, but I've been running under the assumption they are on par with those.

None of these are fantastic writing, but entertaining as an adult. They wont make you want to gouge your eyes out the way reading a Drizzt book past your teens will. Well, some of them wont.

*note* I have never read any of the Gaunt's Ghosts stories, as I really have no interest in the Imperial Guard, but I have heard they have been very well received, and are some of the better 40k. I personally like Space Marines (even if space marines are not the most exciting characters always) and Inquisitors. I very much enjoy inquisitors.

[dd0029]

I will say the first four of the Horus Heresy books are "ok to be read by an adult."  The first, Horus Rising, I would put up against any of the better space opera out there and it would not be wildly out of place.  The next three suffer somewhat from different authors going different ways with someone else's characters, but are still adequate.

In looking for another hit of the 40k, I picked up Abnett's first Gaunt omnibus The Founding.  It's okay.  The characters are all fairly thing and the action is mostly of the "this happened, then this happened, then this other thing happened" variety.  Additionally, these guardsmen are way too good and there is very little in the way of Commissar crazy.  I tried the Eisenhorn omnibus and could not get more than 60 pages into it.  There was none of the 40k goodness I was looking for.  I may be too much of a Space Marine fangirl to enjoy the non-marine materials.

[Malakili]

Back on the topic of this game, I think I finally burnt out on multiplayer.  I just totally hit the wall.  When I play a game competitively, there inevitably comes a time when the time it takes me to improve past the point I am at becomes utterly soul crushing and today I finally hit that point where the prospect.  Unfortunately with the RTS genre that wall almost always has to do with the fact that my keyboard and mouse skills/fundamentals for this genre are basically non existent and there is only such a high level you can reach before a penchant for misclicks and hitting the wrong hotkey basically stops you in your tracks.

I still recommend the game though, and I even think the multiplayer is pretty good, its more myself I'm frustrated with than the game, and if anyone wants an RTS that ISN'T starcraft, this is probably the one.

[Jimbo]

I had all of Dawn of War and really liked the mix of vehicles and infantry.  I'm still perplexed on the smaller squad thing, as I would make a massive army of IG or Orks (combined arms rocked) and had a blast with the different strategies for them.  Looks okay, but still not sure to give it a try yet.

[Druzil]

I’ve been playing this for the last few weeks and it’s a really solid game.  I especially like Last Stand mode, it definitely reminds me of the hero maps from WC3, which were always some of my favorites.   Levels 19 & 20 in LS are just so challenging, you really need a good team to beat 19 and I don’t even know how to go about starting level 20.  My one real complaint is that the hot keys based off skill name are just really bad and the fact that you can’t change them is even worse. 

I’ve played a few games of multiplayer but there are just so many units, heroes and upgrades that it’s fairly intimidating to get into.  I think I would enjoy it if I spent the time though.

[Malakili]

  My one real complaint is that the hot keys based off skill name are just really bad and the fact that you can’t change them is even worse. 

http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=590783

[apocrypha]

Couple of questions about DoW2 in general:

Is the SP campaign IG only?
Is there a skirmish mode, i.e mulitplayer with AI opponents?
Is it a base-building type RTS or is it just unit/squad tactics?

[Kail]

Couple of questions about DoW2 in general:

Is the SP campaign IG only?
Is there a skirmish mode, i.e mulitplayer with AI opponents?
Is it a base-building type RTS or is it just unit/squad tactics?

Imperial Guard isn't in the game (except as cannon fodder NPCs in a few levels); SP campaign is Space Marines.
There is multiplayer with AI opponents for most gametypes, not for Last Stand, though, I think.
There is almost no base building in this game.  The SP campaign is you running your five units around each map to clear it out.  MP games you don't generally build much, some characters can put up turrets, and you have to upgrade some structures that you capture, but it's almost all unit tactics.  You do have to capture points, but that's about it.

[apocrypha]

Thanks Kail. I meant space marines, not IG :p

Think I'll wait til this one is cheaper than it is now. I do like me some base-building RTS, but I also loved the original DoW, but only playing the Space Marines in SP would annoy me I think.