Dawn of War1 Series.

[thunderfoot]

I dusted off a couple of discs I had forgotten I had. I then found all of the mods I have for this game. I had forgotten how much fun it is and how quickly it plays. I think it is available on Steam. I recommend it highly. Here are some glamour shots. All I can say is this:

"During the 41st Century of the Imperium of Man, the Emperor's legions and Chaos alike suddenly discovered they faced a threat far more horrifying than the Eldar, the Orks, and the Tyranids combined. For on a planet far out on the rim of the Spinward marches, a cry older than the Imperium itself was raised anew as a prayer of victory. From a thousand thousand throats came a sound destined to be heard by many and dreadfully feared by countless more."

"KANE LIVES! KANE LIVES! PEACE THROUGH POWER!"​

It is time for all of you to be very afraid now. Mua ha ha ha ha ha!

 

[Majestic]

What type of game is it? I was always curious about this.

 

[thunderfoot]

This is the PC version of a tabletop miniatures game called Warhammer: 40,000 which has been very successful for a company called Games Workshop. It is RTS with rather small armies, actually. Unit caps are 20 each for vehicles and infantry squads. Heroes are free, mostly, and of of course the usual advancement in tech levels which allows new abilities and units is also present. One of the unique things about it is the way players increase their amount of resources. They capture strategic points on the map and some of them must be continuously occupied to produce resources. The factions are all very diffent from each other and the game was set up from the start to be moddable with a built in mod manager and tons of support along with a SDK which is fairly easy to use. The only drawback to the SDK is the learning curve is kinda steep.

Relic Entertainment are the people who made all four titles in the series and they spent a great deal of time making it match the tabletop version as closely as a PC will allow. Good thing too, since WH40K fans can be even more reactionary to "non canon" changes and adjustments than your typical diehard Star Trek Fanboy. lol.

There are demos available and it is also available on Steam. I've no idea what the price would be for it, but I am pretty sure it is comparable to the other titles on Steam. All in all, a pretty good game which can be a lot of fun. It is rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB. Although this is for the graphic violence rather than any adult content. The video is representative of the game although I wouldn't recommend younger children viewing it. If it is too offensive please delete it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jasW_7lsoT8&feature=fvwrel

 

[Terra_Inc]

One vision, one purpose, TF. Good to see you fighting for the brotherhood again.

 

[dinosaurJR]

TF is right (as usual) I have this - I bought it on Stardock (or impulse, I forget what its called...)

I also got all the expansions with it as part of a deal (THQ games pack - I also got a couple of Red Faction games, Company of Heros and 5 - 6 other games I have no intention of playing...)

the expansions are Winter Assault, Dark Crusade and Soulstorm (I think thats all of them...)

It is really really awesome, the graphics are not exactly top notch, but good solid models and reasonable resolution textures - even on my older PC it runs on top detail settings.

Plus you can paint your own units in game - I see that you got some mean looking Kaskarin (sp?) infantry working for the Brotherhood... Very nice!

 

[thunderfoot]

DJ, you want the units to look better? I dunno if your vidcard will support it or not but try try these out and see what you think.

Add the following to the executable line for your desktop shortcut.

-forcehighpoly

Check out the mods available at Dawn of War Files. Improved .wtp files which make some the models look much better. Codex units which fluff correct and match the TT version exactly. Lots of skins. Some truly stunning maps.

Go and check out Skins @ Hive World Terra. Like DOW Files but much better.

This game does have some stunning eye candy and these two sites take a pretty good game and make it better. The surprising thing is even with everything set to low resolution it still looks decent. Or at least no worse than Stock A2, lol. Do you play online? Be fun to get together and try a match or two.

 

[dinosaurJR]

I only got 512 meg of raw graphic power... but I can certainly give it a try...

I would love to get together for some DOW face smackery - I got some free time possibly tomorrow night (CET)... I need to check with the boss (read girlfriend...)

Let me get back to ya and see...

 

[Starfox1701]

Nice work man

 

[Majestic]

Nice, I may see if I can find a cheap copy somewhere down the road. I know there is a Dawn of War at my Game Game shop (yes the shop is called game, over EB Games ripping me off and screwing me around, they have lost a 13 year long customer this year), I just down know what version the game is.

 

[Terra_Inc]

Oh man. I haven't bought a new game since... what it is, four years? I am wasting my 8500 GT on ten year old games. Life is hard.

 

[Majestic]

Latest PC game for is Sins of a Solar Empire, the big pack with Diplomacy and Entrenchment included with the original. But technically that was a Christmas present by Katala to me. I have mainly bought xbox360 games, mainly Reach.

But I am curious about giving this game a shot, perhaps after we go through the IVF we'll have more money to spend.

 

[thunderfoot]

Some of the very few complaints I have about the series are these.

1). One must purchase all four titles to have access to all of the factions in online multi. These are broken down as follows

Dawn of War
- Space Marines
- Chaos
- Eldar
- Orks

Dawn of War: Winter Assault
- Imperial Guard

Dark Crusade
- Tau
- Necrons

Soul Storm
- Sisters of Battle

2). Dawn of War and Winter Assault both have Single Player Campaigns which are very well done. When Dark Crusade and Soul Storm came out, the devs simply opted for a variation of online skirmish play as the Single Player Campaigns. This can be a little boring and since the AI does not play as a human would, it offers little satisfaction.

3) Dark Crusade and Soul Storm also shifted the unit mixes towards the infantry units by raising the unit cap cost of the vehicles. This was done in the name of 'balance'. Apparently it was quite easy to win with a fully mechanized combined arms unit online and some people were unhappy with this. The game emphasizes the infantry units already. These adjustments made it moreso.

4). Soul Storm added buildable "aircraft". In reality these are just the flyng scout tank unit already in the game with a different mesh and different weapons. A really big deal was made out of this by Relic, but in the end it fell kinda flat. The aircraft are expensive to build and support and they are not really cost effective for the capabilities they add.

I know this seems like I am trashing the game terribly. But these are all minor complaints. The game play is smooth and trouble free, even on the highest settings. The games have had little of the patches repeatedly required by other titles to prevent exploits and cheating online. There are few cheaters and hackers in the multi ladders and these are ruthlessly and permanently purged as soon as they make themselves known. The Community as a whole is friendly and helpful to newbies. The atmosphere of the 41st Millenium is captured perfectly. Games Workshop oversees Relic's license useage of their materials with a very firm, yet very helpful hand. GW and Relic Staff are also active participants and supporters of forums and fansites. All in all it is a solidly enjoyable game experience. Both online and off.

 

[Starfox1701]

You know man there are a couple of mods out there that push the tank factor back up. I'm away from my pc but I think its the Annialation mod that lets the gaurd run a Bainblade, a Shadowsword, 4 Russes any fit including Vanquisers, and 3 Chimeras + like 10 different squads

 

[thunderfoot]

I actually preferrred the force mix allowed in DoW/WA. Too many tanks is just as bad as too many infantry since the vehicles do not respond to the additonal command and morale benefits bestowed by the command units.

 

[thunderfoot]

With apologies for the double post here, I'd like to announce that today I D/L'd the SDK and Map Editor for this game series. I have forever been fascinated by maps and I have as much fun making new levels for a game as I do playing it. It will take awhile for me to learn the new system and procedures but I hope to have some maps for DoW1 hosted here at MSFC later on this year. I already have a few I've done for CnC Generals and CnC Zero Hour, but they are not yet good enough to make the grade for inclusion at MSFC. The modders here have set a very high standard of quality and I'd prefer to not be the guy which drags it down, lol.

 

[thunderfoot]

Last time I did something for fun. This time I did something a little more serious. I was a member of the Order of DeMolay when I was much younger. The DeMolays follow the precepts and teachings of the Knights Templar. I wanted the Templars as a Space Marine chapter, since I already have the Knights Hospitallers as such. I was thinking I may have to make my own when I found an army scheme pre made. I quickly D/L'd it and was badly disappointed just as quickly. The heraldry was correct but little else was. So I deleted the paint scheme and did some serious digging on the Internet for the correct official colors. I found them last night and adjusted the paint scheme accordingly. Without further ado, here is the Space Marine chapter known as the Knights Templar. Fidelitas!

 

[thunderfoot]

From the deepest past of Holy Terra herself comes an elite force to defeat the predations of the the evil known as the Brotherhood of NOD. Called the Global Defense Initiative or GDI for short, this unique collection of Guard Regiments can trace its lineage back to a time from before the Imperium. All down through the long centuries the conflict between GDI and NOD has continued unabated, unceasing, and unresolved. Followers of Kane, beware! There will be no rest, no relenting, and no mercy! Not until the last member of the Brotherhood is finally brought to justice!

 

[Majestic]

Great screenshots Thunder, they look really detailed.

 

[Starfox1701]

Very nice I would love to see you do that up for the table top.

 

[Undying_Nephalim]

Dawn of War was an epic game (as were all the expansions up until Soulstorm imo... Winter Assault really stands out as the best of the lot). I remember the day I bought the game thinking it was going to be another generic RTS.Then I saw the epic opening cinematic and the rest was history:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gqkc8ifP0E

Have to say the Tau are my favorite. "For the Greater Good!"

 

[thunderfoot]

Dawn of War 1 is a great deal of fun to play. I found Soul Storm a bit of a let down as well. Especially after all the hype about air units. I have played as the Tau online and off and they are a lot of fun. The Orks are hilarious, the Eldar require a lot of careful management and the Space Marines (of either type) seem a bit too powerful. I prefer playing as the Imperial Guard. The Guard require some careful management but they seem to be able to take a knock or two and survive as well. As a former US Army Abrams Master Gunner, the first time I saw a Baneblade in action I have to say I knew where I belonged.

 

[dinosaurJR]

I actually liked Soulstorm - the aerial units didnt add much, granted , but the single player campaign was good - in added a lot of depth than just "win this mission, go to the next mission, win that mission , go to the next..." It was actually strategic - you could pick where to fight your enemy, which enemy to fight and on what front.

As for on line play - I never tried it, but on skirmish vs the AI, it was really fun

 

[thunderfoot]

I do like the SP Campaign in SS. It is similar to the one in DC. But I have always viewed PC/console games as yet another way to tell a story. With the player as one of the main characters. A good story will always win the day with me. Even if the graphics and gameplay are terrible. Winter Assault is probably my fave of all the expansions. I completely enjoyed the storylines. The Ork one especially. I hadn't tried playing Orks before this and the humor in the story caught me unawares and flatfooted. And it continued popping up at random intervals. Listening to the Ork Doc or the Runts never ever gets old.

Yeah, the campaigns in DoW and WA were linear and one had to complete a mission before proceeding to the next. And yeah, the choice of what order one completes the DC or SS SP Campaign in means a great deal and makes these enjoyable as well. But both seem to lack that extra little zing which a good story provides to a game.

 

[thunderfoot]

Some Tau screens. Enjoy!

 

[thunderfoot]

The Adeptus Sororitas, more commonly known as the Sisters of Battle, is charged with bringing the Faith to all within the Imperium. And ensuring the purity of this Faith regardless of the cost. They are nearly as fearsome as the Adeptus Astartes in combat but have less restraint once battle is joined. Perhaps Arch Deacon Myles Dudikoff put it best:

"By proclaiming your innocence of the crime of heresy you have entered a plea of guilty to the wastage of my valuable time!"

 

[Starfox1701]

Ah SOBs

 

[thunderfoot]

Found a pair of neat little mods the other day for the Dawn of War I series. They randomize the heads and equipment for the Ork and Traitor Marine factions. An excellent idea! Here is a pic of the Brotherhood of Nod Chaos Space Marine faction with the mod in place. There are at least three different heads and two types of bolters in view.

 

[Terra_Inc]

Never understood the whole wh40k thing. I mean, to me it seems like the whole universe of fiction & games was designed to accommodate as much blood, cruelty and black humor as possible. What a premise!
These gfx do look delicious though. I might get into this at a later date...

 

[thunderfoot]

It is based upon a very old concept called, "Space Opera", where everything is as over the top as it can possibly be, and then ramped up twice more. The heroes are more heroic, the villains are more villainous, the impossible situations are more impossible and so on. Not to everyone's taste, I'll agree. And it is quite Gothic. Terra, you've stated a couple of times in these forums you are a H.P. Lovecraft fan. Imagine the Dunwich Horror with lasers and spaceships and you've got it exactly right. There is humor amongst all the angst and pathos but it is rare. When I find it, it makes such stand out all the more. Like finding a flower in the middle of the glacier which covers Antarctica.

 

[Terra_Inc]

It is based upon a very old concept called, "Space Opera", where everything is as over the top as it can possibly be, and then ramped up twice more. The heroes are more heroic, the villains are more villainous, the impossible situations are more impossible and so on. Not to everyone's taste, I'll agree. And it is quite Gothic. Terra, you've stated a couple of times in these forums you are a H.P. Lovecraft fan. Imagine the Dunwich Horror with lasers and spaceships and you've got it exactly right. There is humor amongst all the angst and pathos but it is rare. When I find it, it makes such stand out all the more. Like finding a flower in the middle of the glacier which covers Antarctica.

Ah, I get it. Sounds interesting, really. I shall have to learn moar about this. *goes off to read books of untold horror*