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[Benson]

Is terminator armour a drop/quest reward that you need to equip in the armour slot? I've got my devastator and assault guys with the trait unlocked but haven't come across any of it yet.

 

[godhandiscen]

:\

Ranked games are lag free though but most custom games are like 300 ping. I wish it would at least have a refresh button. I hate clicking on servers with 1/6 people just to see "This game is full".

Yeah, I think it has to do with your connection or distance away from other people. I am in California and I see between 10 and 20 available games (right now at 3AM, I have seen close to 30 public matches available before). Just wait for the game to become more popular where you live. Also, the list refreshes automatically. I've seen public matches appearing and dissappearing as they get full. They fill quick though.

 

[Gowans]

I dreamt about playing this game last night, oh dear!

 

[Proc]

My brother keeps getting dump errors. Anyone else get these? It usually hits him toward the end of a mission the poor bastard lol.

Mine has been running fine so I can't really help him.

He's running 32 bit vista, q6600, 9800gtx, 4gb ram.

 

[Darklord]

I think it's a problem with Vista 32bit, there working on it.

 

[VicViper]

I really dig the tactical gameplay. Love using my assault squad to jump right into the enemy and then quickly retreat behind a defensive line, rinse and repeat.

A dozen or so missions in, the campaign does get a little tiresome, though. The formula (fight through defenses and defeat enemy boss at X) doesn't ever seem to change.

Someone tell me there's some more variety to the missions later in the game, please.

 

[CTLance]

you can deactivate the overlay by just unchecking it in the overlay menu of steam (shift + tab)

Yeah, it says so on the very overlay. However, since the same overlay shows the Multiplayer key (that I still have no clue where to enter) I left it onscreen... being a bit puzzled by the apparent lack of "settings" and "quit" buttons. The overlay completely obscured that part of the screen at 1280x1024 or whatever the default resolution was for my non-gaming VGA card - and since I didn't know it was there I couldn't increase the resolution and settings, which would have made the buttons stick out behind the overlay. What a fiendish vicious circle. Surely the work of Chaos.

Anyway, after some major fiddling I got everything to work, at the price of completely annihilating my whole "work"/"fun" desktop setup. The things you do for entertainment...



The game is awesome. My customer satisfaction was in the negative ranges before, but playing two missions made me crack a huge shit-eating grin. Whatever one may say about the technical side, the game itself is 100% awesome. Watching your commander charge a huge Ork group for the first time - and sending them flying when he unleashes his righteous fury... it just feels so right.

I dislike the clean-shaven goodie-two-shoes head on my commander though. But whatever. He does a fine job of cutting dirty Xenos to ribbons, and that's all I could wish for.

Plus, loot. Oh god. Package this game into a dungeoncrawler in the vein of the old Space Hulk board game and I'll never again leave my PC.

To summarize: Srsly. So awesome.

 

[Cat in the Hat]

Is terminator armour a drop/quest reward that you need to equip in the armour slot? I've got my devastator and assault guys with the trait unlocked but haven't come across any of it yet.

You only get it after you finish a certain mission, after that they will drop regularly and they'll be quest rewards

 

[Minsc]

Yeah, it says so on the very overlay. However, since the same overlay shows the Multiplayer key (that I still have no clue where to enter) I left it onscreen... being a bit puzzled by the apparent lack of "settings" and "quit" buttons. The overlay completely obscured that part of the screen at 1280x1024 or whatever the default resolution was for my non-gaming VGA card - and since I didn't know it was there I couldn't increase the resolution and settings, which would have made the buttons stick out behind the overlay. What a fiendish vicious circle. Surely the work of Chaos.

Anyway, after some major fiddling I got everything to work, at the price of completely annihilating my whole "work"/"fun" desktop setup. The things you do for entertainment...



The game is awesome. My customer satisfaction was in the negative ranges before, but playing two missions made me crack a huge shit-eating grin. Whatever one may say about the technical side, the game itself is 100% awesome. Watching your commander charge a huge Ork group for the first time - and sending them flying when he unleashes his righteous fury... it just feels so right.

I dislike the clean-shaven goodie-two-shoes head on my commander though. But whatever. He does a fine job of cutting dirty Xenos to ribbons, and that's all I could wish for.

Plus, loot. Oh god. Package this game into a dungeoncrawler in the vein of the old Space Hulk board game and I'll never again leave my PC.

To summarize: Srsly. So awesome.

Did you ever figure out where to enter that code? I didn't have nearly the patience you did, and got rid of it immediately. Never was asked in the game to put the code in to unlock my pre-order bonuses.

 

[Mohonky]

My brother keeps getting dump errors. Anyone else get these? It usually hits him toward the end of a mission the poor bastard lol.

Mine has been running fine so I can't really help him.

He's running 32 bit vista, q6600, 9800gtx, 4gb ram.

Yeh it's to do with Vista 32bit. I get them constantly too. My system runs the game fairly comfortable at Ultra (cept major battles) and I was getting these at the end of nearly every mission while some others wouldn't even start.

Putting the settings back to medium helps but it can still randomly occur. Relic are aware of it and working on it.

 

[thaOwner]

You only get it after you finish a certain mission, after that they will drop regularly and they'll be quest rewards

Thanks for answering his question. I wanted to know this as well.

 

[Mrbob]

Was a little laggy last night in co op, hopefully that doesn't keep up today!

Blew through the first 11 missions or so relatively easily....got destroyed attempting to take down that damn Wraithlord mission. Grrr, payback will be had today!

Oh and the tyranid swarms are almost worse than Zerg swarms...damn they are brutal. :lol

Is there a level cap for the commanders? If so, is there a PC patch out which removes it?

 

[Proc]

I am loving this game. It borrows just enough from games like Diablo to give this rts a truely unique feel and play style. I am shocked how much fun I'm having leveling up my squads and gearing them out.

 

[Sanjay]

Never was asked in the game to put the code in to unlock my pre-order bonuses.

1. Install the game, and log on to Games for Windows LIVE.
2. Once logged in, click on the Marketplace tab
3. Click on ‘redeem code’
4. Enter in you unique code (below)
5. Run the game and your stuff will be available when you start playing

You don't do it within the game, you do it via the Games for Windows LIVE application.

 

[Minsc]

Ok, thanks, this whole process seems a step backwards, and very confusing.

I mean the game came with a code/key, then when I put that in, Steam generates another, different code/key, which I thought was for unlocking the bonus stuff, but I have no idea what that is. Apparently there was yet another code in my game for the bonus stuff, so now I have three unique keys for this game! Ugh.

And games for windows live couldn't even update itself (some hotfix needed) without requiring a reboot? WTF? How is games for windows situated so deeply into the OS that it needs a reboot?

Well, enough ranting for now. Thanks for the help, it's all working finally.

 

[Kestastrophe]

Dammit, just beat the campaign on Sargeant and no achievement

 

[Binabik15]

How many copies are needed for local co-op and versus? One or two? I need to order this soon.

Any missions where you cleanse Genestealers from a Space Hulk? That would make me buy two copies

 

[dork]

gahhh

So i updated my audio drivers, and now the game loads past the cutscene, but now crashed 30 seconds into the mission.

ok i didnt know ati updated their gfx drivers monthly

all good now, games sick

 

[whalenapp81]

Dammit, just beat the campaign on Sargeant and no achievement

I had the same thing happen to me too

 

[Speculator]

No genestealers , and to answer the coop question:
http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=215966

I believe you need two, but with enough support to one of the links provided, maybe we can get coop released for LAN

 

[Truant]

Pefect blend of Diablo 2 and Company of Heroes.

I'm loving this.

Cyros or Avitus? Cyrus is just great for taking out bigger enemies, as well as buildings, but not that great against larger hordes of enemies. Hmm, tough call.

My only complaint is that you don't get enough mission info before you start. It would be nice to know what the mission required, so you could change the squads and gear accordingly.

 

[Sykra]

Pefect blend of Diablo 2 and Company of Heroes.

I'm loving this.

Cyros or Avitus? Cyrus is just great for taking out bigger enemies, as well as buildings, but not that great against larger hordes of enemies. Hmm, tough call.

My only complaint is that you don't get enough mission info before you start. It would be nice to know what the mission required, so you could change the squads and gear accordingly.

I think comm. arrays help you with that. Something along the lines of whats the enemy's weakness.

 

[dork]

Better get cheap cheap dlc expansions for at least orc campaign

i miss base building

 

[thaOwner]

Just beat the game as a commander. Trying the captain now. Soo good. This game has made
the wait for Starcraft II even harder. This is probably the best RTS I have played.

 

[Technosteve]

My brother keeps getting dump errors. Anyone else get these? It usually hits him toward the end of a mission the poor bastard lol.

Mine has been running fine so I can't really help him.

He's running 32 bit vista, q6600, 9800gtx, 4gb ram.

upgrade to 64 bit since you have more then 4gb of ram (system + graphics) and it is causing memory dumping.

 

[thaOwner]

upgrade to 64 bit since you have more then 4gb of ram (system + graphics) and it is causing memory dumping.

I experienced that same error once even though I am on 64bit Win 7. I had to uninstall my graphic drivers and reinstall it in order to fix that problem.

 

[Zeliard]

I can't believe the single-player is getting so much shit in reviews. It's so refreshing to play an RTS campaign that isn't a glorified series of skirmish after skirmish.

 

[saelz8]

I can't believe the single-player is getting so much shit in reviews. It's so refreshing to play an RTS campaign that isn't a glorified series of skirmish after skirmish.

Those were the first few early reviews for the game, mostly. It has been getting a good reception for the most part, single player included.

Reviews

 

[Mrbob]

Have about 15 hours into the campaign so far...all co op, so much fun.

There is one major issue though. I know Relic employees read this thread so hopefully you'll see this.

It has to do with the rally point setup in the campaign. If you hit the retreat button to reinforce troops it sends them back to the closest rally point. The problem with this is if you take a specialized rally point in a previous mission, like a shrine or foundry you could be potentially be screwed in a future mission. The specialized rally point (shrine, foundry, etc.) is still taken for you in future missions when you come back, but the enemies respawn. So if you are in a heavy firefight and need to retreat to reinforce, if you are close to this point (instead of the original one when you landed) you are screwed and your troops run to this point being decimated on the way. Hopefully this is patched because it can be mission breaking for this to occur.

There should be an option to pick what rally point you want to retreat too.

 

[Mrbob]

I can't believe the single-player is getting so much shit in reviews. It's so refreshing to play an RTS campaign that isn't a glorified series of skirmish after skirmish.

Seriously even with the rally point issue dow2 is going down as a top 5 rts.

My starcraft loving blizzard worshipping friend told me tonight blizzard better step it up with sc2 after playing dow2 co op session. I was shocked to hear him say this.

 

[Sinatar]

Best RTS campaign I've ever played. Just did 12 hours straight of Primarch coop. So fucking epic.

Seriously Relic, fucking kudos guys. Awesome job.

 

[Zzoram]

I can't believe the single-player is getting so much shit in reviews. It's so refreshing to play an RTS campaign that isn't a glorified series of skirmish after skirmish.

Warcraft 3 had a lot of hero-centric campaign missions.

They even released a free downloadable campaign that was 3 large parts that was completely hero-centric (you had 1-3 heroes at any given time, collected items, leveled up, got quests/side quests). The free downloadable campaign was well over 6 hours if you added the 3 parts together.

 

[Xapati]

Have about 15 hours into the campaign so far...all co op, so much fun.

There is one major issue though. I know Relic employees read this thread so hopefully you'll see this.

It has to do with the rally point setup in the campaign. If you hit the retreat button to reinforce troops it sends them back to the closest rally point. The problem with this is if you take a specialized rally point in a previous mission, like a shrine or foundry you could be potentially be screwed in a future mission. The specialized rally point (shrine, foundry, etc.) is still taken for you in future missions when you come back, but the enemies respawn. So if you are in a heavy firefight and need to retreat to reinforce, if you are close to this point (instead of the original one when you landed) you are screwed and your troops run to this point being decimated on the way. Hopefully this is patched because it can be mission breaking for this to occur.

There should be an option to pick what rally point you want to retreat too.

This is a problem in multiplayer as well. If the techmarine builds a rally point and the enemy manages to set up a heavy bolter that covers it, your troops will be mowed down, because they'll all run to the rally point and right into enemy fire.

 

[Victrix]

If they double or triple the size of the unit icons and give them health bars, combat would become a lot more manageable instantly :/

The icons are too fucking small, and picking ONE squad out of a mashup of 3-6 is almost impossible right now, which is very very bad when you need to move/retreat/advance on specific unit.

 

[Dreavus]

This is a problem in multiplayer as well. If the techmarine builds a rally point and the enemy manages to set up a heavy bolter that covers it, your troops will be mowed down, because they'll all run to the rally point and right into enemy fire.

Yeah, this is why I'm so hesitant to build relays, because if you get forced out of that position and the enemy is smart enough to not destroy the thing, you're screwed. I really hope they let you choose your retreat point in the future.

 

[Xater]

Guys will there be a demo? I really want to try out how well thi runs on my iMac before buying it. Loved the first DOW and COH so I hope this will be playable.

 

[Mohonky]

Finished the campaign but didn't get the achievements for completion of Recruit and Sargeant. I accidently stumbled upon the last mission rather than completing all optional and defense missions, do you need to complete them to get the achievement maybe?

 

[Minsc]

If they double or triple the size of the unit icons and give them health bars, combat would become a lot more manageable instantly :/

The icons are too fucking small, and picking ONE squad out of a mashup of 3-6 is almost impossible right now, which is very very bad when you need to move/retreat/advance on specific unit.

I'll agree to that. Some of the icons for your units' powers are smaller than the mouse cursor, though I'm guessing they all have keyboard shortcuts. Played the first two missions of the campaign, very nice, I like the different approach to the game, it doesn't feel like a traditional RTS at all.

 

[Hari Seldon]

I'm kind of regretting this purchase. The single player is already boring me to tears. This is no CoH single player. Although the last mission I played was actually somewhat difficult so maybe it will start getting better as things ramp up in difficulty?

I have only played a couple of rounds of multi with my friend. We were just figuring stuff out. It seems like it will be fun but they didn't give many maps.

 

[Count Jobula]

At the beginning I was thinking "this isnt an RTS!".

Then treated it more like an RPG and, yes this is very fun.

 

[Kestastrophe]

Finished the campaign but didn't get the achievements for completion of Recruit and Sargeant. I accidently stumbled upon the last mission rather than completing all optional and defense missions, do you need to complete them to get the achievement maybe?

No, but there are achievements for getting 30,000 and 90,000 campaign score, in which case you would have to complete alot of the side missions and strategic asset defenses. I have been to the official DoWII forums and it appears that many people are having issues with campaign achievements unlocking, so my advice to you would be to wait until there is a patch for the achievements before you go after them. Well, the Games for Windows Live quality control is next to nothing, and the only perk of using it (i.e. achievements) doesn't even work properly. I like the game, but I think I would have been happier waiting for these sloppy performance issues and bugs being patched before I bought the game.

 

[Llyranor]

Wait, so the co-op campaign might actually be good?

How's the challenge/AI? I was extremely disappointed in the beta after being to defeat 3 insane AI with just one co-op buddy on our first 2v3 attempt. I'm not pretending to be good; I don't even play RTS regularly. I just found the AI mediocre. I'm hoping it was just a beta thing.

 

[Nocebo]

At the beginning I was thinking "this isnt an RTS!".

Then treated it more like an RPG and, yes this is very fun.

Huh? This isn't an rts?

Wait, so the co-op campaign might actually be good?

How's the challenge/AI? I was extremely disappointed in the beta after being to defeat 3 insane AI with just one co-op buddy on our first 2v3 attempt. I'm not pretending to be good; I don't even play RTS regularly. I just found the AI mediocre. I'm hoping it was just a beta thing.

AI in skirmishes is still shit imo. They retreat when you sneeze on them, they try to attack with one squad at a time, etc. It's just sad. If you want a challenge you should play online or the campaign where they ramp up the difficulty by having the units do more damage to you (I think). Plus you're more restricted in the units you can use.

 

[CTLance]

Does anybody have some replays? I haven't played online yet, and I feel I should have a look at how it works "IRL" first before even attempting it. I doubt I'll do it because honestly I was already slightly overloaded by the jump pack ork boss. Managing my peeps throughout was a pretty hectic experience, and I can only imagine how a DotA-styled powerplayer would curbstomp me. Would have been nice if I could download replays from the top xxx lists, Rez HD-style, but I guess that'd eat up server bandwidth like nobodys business.

On to the annoyances:
I use the squad hotkeys extensively, and getting squads out of buildings is a bit broken IMHO.
I love holing up in buildings, but having to select the building to get the squad out and then not having the squad selected automatically is a pain, especially if you have your hands full with other stuff, like an orkboss trying to have a nice picnic with your infiltration squad. I'm not at my PC at the moment, but IIRC they don't accept commandos when they're entering/exiting buildings too, which is kind of bad.
I'd like to be able to press the squad key, click the evacuate building button (or hotkey) and still have them selected. When I do so i expect giving them orders to work after they've left their shelter.
Cosmetic issue, but if there's already a squad sitting inside please don't give me the "enter building" mouseover when I have another squad selected. Some better clues as to when it'd be best to evacuate would be nice too. A generic "your structure is under attack" at the beginning is nice to have, but "a structure is going critical" would be just as neat.

Oh, and about squads. They automatically take cover behind structures and make reasonable decisions in fights. I'm rather amazed how well they can handle themselves sometimes. But if someone throws a grenade at their feet they just kind of stand there and gaze at it in utter amazement, mouths open, drooling slightly. It's kind of a non sequitur. But I guess I'll have to live with it, since that could very well destroy the gameplay - if your squads are too independent, the game plays itself.

 

[Darklord]

I wish there was 2vs2. My system(and most others I've noticed) can't seem to play 3vs3 well. Half the players so far lag badly or get kicked in-game.

 

[Big-E]

About 10 missions in now and I am really enjoying it. Relic you guys did an awesome job with this. On a side not though, is anyone else having problems running the cinematics? I can play the game with a good framerate on high to ultra but the cutscenes all run sub 30 and have tearing everywhere.

 

[Hari Seldon]

I wish there was 2vs2. My system(and most others I've noticed) can't seem to play 3vs3 well. Half the players so far lag badly or get kicked in-game.

Make a 3v3 game but close two of the slots. Now you have a 2v2.

 

[Darklord]

About 10 missions in now and I am really enjoying it. Relic you guys did an awesome job with this. On a side not though, is anyone else having problems running the cinematics? I can play the game with a good framerate on high to ultra but the cutscenes all run sub 30 and have tearing everywhere.

Yep, the cinematics are pretty jolty for me. I don't get why they run poorly though, shouldn't they be smooth no matter what?

 

[Minsc]

Yep, the cinematics are pretty jolty for me. I don't get why they run poorly though, shouldn't they be smooth no matter what?

I have vsync on, and they run at 15 fps, instead of 30 I'm guessing. Which is weird, because I can play the 720p, 400 meg, 1 minute trailer they released no problem.

I also have this problem with DoW 1 as well. I think it's something to do with the DivX codec Relic uses and my ATI drivers.

 

[Fragamemnon]

Does anybody have some replays? I haven't played online yet, and I feel I should have a look at how it works "IRL" first before even attempting it.

http://www.gamereplays.org/dawnofwar2/replays.php?game=47
http://www.dowsanctuary.com/

The latter was the best community going for the original Dawn of War, but most of the old top vets are sorta disenchanted with the sequel or are playing wait and see.