[Illuyankas]

The Dawn of War 2 Multiplayer Beta is open from midnight GMT tonight! So, an hour and a bit ago!linky

...if you have your Soulstorm CD key. And Steam.

If not, you'll have to wait until next week for it. I'm going to download it tomorrow, and I'm going to play it to death.

[Stalker]

I wish I had the stuff required... but I don't. Ment told me about this as something to check out so I have been, looks fantastic.

I guess you will just have to sing its praise for us.

[Mentalist]

sigh
my current laptop lacks the specs to run it. I couldn't even run Soulstorm (well, it could, but with horrible lag and great slowness)

[Illuyankas]

FINALLY

After the dentist's appointment, the builder in to look at the hole in the roof, the wait for the PC to get back from the techs and then the constant restarts and eventual system restore to remove all the crap software they installed that keeps crashing it, I have everything I need to start playing. 10-to-1 I get hit by a bus in the next five minutes.

[Illuyankas]

OK, had a quick go with the Nids.

It's... different. Unit caps are crazy, it's a much smaller game than 1 was. There's no really other buildings but the HQ and some supplementary power structures - you have strategic points and power points now, with the SPs acting a lot like critical locations used to. A six-player map had as many cappable things as an old two-player map.

HOWEVER, seeing a Carnifex crush the defenses a Termagaunt squad was hiding behind to flatten them was brilliant. Would play more once I'm used to the new interface.

[Cause]

can you play as eldar? whose supposed to be in the game

[Illuyankas]

Sphess Mereens- er, Space Marines (the Soulstorm Marine commander has a funny voice, don't judge me), Orks, Eldar and Tyranids.

[Tapper]

I like how it plays - have ha a really interesting time getting ti grips with the new control styles and the Eldar playstyle against an AI (too chicken to duke it out on the webz).

The thing that bugs me the most is the dire need for vehicles. Once you get to tier 3, it's vehicles, vehicles, vehicles... as the walker units simply smash squads and covers and you need vehicles to take those out.

[Stalker]

question about Soulstorm: Does the campaign of the game have a campaign for all the races or just the two new ones?

I saw this on steam for $7, so I am thinking about it

[Morgoth]

I loved DoW.. how does it compare to DoW2? Will I still get to cackle gleefully when my avatar slowly skewers defenceless enemies on his massive flaming sword?

[Tapper]

Yes, you will. The avatar rules, and you'll want to have him run into as many squads as possible.

The catch (s I experience it versus the pc) is though that fights will not develop into massive strategic brawls over the control of a few points on the map, like in the original.

Instead, it is much more micromanagement per unit, monitoring retreats and circumvention of the enemy, because there are fewer squads, squads are smaller, because the maps are very open, and also because reinforcement has been tampered with (now only works near specific vehicles/ home base).

Often times, it is much better to entrench the mass of your infantry behind cover near the victory point closest to his base, hoping to tie down the enemy if he comes in numbers for it, keeping another fast unit as back-up to chase him down if he tries to get behind your lines, while a single squad is capturing his resources/vps behind his back, then to try and force your way through, because the computer/ opponent will gleefully steal your points behind your back while you try to overpower him.

By incorporating power nodes on the map instead of in your base, you can be hamstrung if you look for a decisive battle, especially since defense is pretty strong through the cover system.

So, battles are less massive, but still fun - and due to the reinforcement rules, taking out an enemy squad without great losses for yourself is a thing to go for.

[Stalker]

I've tried playing the beta 3 or 4 times, and it always crashs on me after 10ish minutes for some reason I don't understand. The specs on my laptop are way more than sufficient for the game.

Is this happening to anyone else?