WH40k: DOW--That's it?!

[Temjin]

So I picked up DOW last week (I finally got the ram for it). I just finished the campaign 5 minutes ago.

Am I missing something? I must be. The commander just broke that orb thing, then some dialogue, and then the credits? That's not a bloody cliffhanger, that's leaving a story half done! It's just.... wrong!

So where the bloody hell is the rest?

[The Yosemite Bear]

It's called multi-player

they say that winter assult or what ever the sequel is called will have more then just the IG campaign....

[Temjin]

But I want to know what happens next!!! [/whiney voice]

Besides, I don't play RTS games online. I suck at micromanagement, so I'd get my butt kicked.

[White Haven]

Yeah, no argument there. The game...stops. It's beautiful...and then it stops. Relic dropped the ball on SP, BIG TIME.

[Shinova]

Patch 1.3 is "imminent" to quote the devs.


So take a trip to multiplayer. You'll suck in the beginning, but you'll get better the more you play.

[The Yosemite Bear]

yup

[White Haven]

Unless it's a content patch the size of Mt. Rushmore, I'll remain unimpressed with the SP campaign.

[Shinova]

Unless it's a content patch the size of Mt. Rushmore, I'll remain unimpressed with the SP campaign.

That's Winter Assault, which adds Imperial Guard and new units to every side in the game, plus new campaign involving all the races, new maps, killcam feature, and one other thing I can't remember.


The 1.3 patch makes a whole bucketload of balance changes and adds a few new features (like an observer mode for online games).



Here's the changelog:




New Features

- Added an Observer Mode to the game to support the professional games circuit.
- Added a Friends List feature to support the growth of the Online community.
- Added an Arranged Teams Automatch feature to simplify the process of automatching games with Friends.
- Added Mod Manager to facilitate switching mod versions from the Main Menu. Mods are now also listed in the Join Game screens.
- Added support for Lobby News messages in non-Latin character fonts (full unicode support).

Improvements

- Game performance has been improved through the use of the Intel Performance Primitives library
- Enemy detection code has been improved for better performance in the late game on large maps.
- Selection focus key (') has been added to the defaul keybindings. NOTE: The keybindings file has been changed and is no longer compatible with previous versions.
- Improved the targeting priority system for vehicles and units with multiple weapons.
- Major update to game camera system, including fixing many bugs.

General Fixes

- Fixed several bugs with the Automatch system.
- Thorough overhaul of the Stance system which fixed many bugs with the Melee and Ranged stances. Overhaul includes the removal of Versatile Stance.
- Fixed several minor issues with the game camera, including increasing the default range for the limited camera so it matches the distance of the free camera.
- Fixed several minor issues with save games and playback files. NOTE: The save game format has been changed and will no longer be compatible with previous versions.
- Fixed several minor issues with the playback mode.
- Fixed several infrequent crash bugs in Online screens.
- Fixed rendering issues with the Intel 915 IGMA.
- Fixed Mission 4 bug where third Whirlwind disappears.
- Fixed bug where Toth was damaging himself with special attacks.
- Fixed occasional SCAR crash in Mission 7 when capturing bridge.
- Fixed NIS cameras for all missions.
- Fixed various bugs in game chat system.
- Fixed various bugs in Army Painter.
- Fixed bug where NIS speech wouldn't play under Windows 98 (unsupported OS).
- Fixed various bugs in Multiplayer Game setup system.
- Various cosmetic fixes to various screens.
- Fixed bug where the Ork Wartrack Twin Rokkit Launcher upgrades will get stuck in an infinite loop when overwatching the upgrade.
- Fixed bug where a Shroud button which has no function would appear in the build-menu of a Webway Gate while it is being built.

Ability Fixes

- Fixed bug where Word of the Emperor ability would not function.
- Fixed bug where Bad Doc Healing Aura ability did not heal commander units.
- Fixed bug where Bad Doc Healing Aura ability only affected the Mad Doc and attached squad.
- Fixed bug where Exarchs could not be added to Aspect Sqauds while the squad was moving.
- Fixed bug where Exarchs could be built while the squad was moving.
- Fixed bug where Howling Banshee War Shout ability would affect friendly units.
- Fixed bug where Eldar Plasma Grenade was inheriting incorrect attributes.
- Fixed bug where Stormboyz speed research effects only the Stormboyz leader.
- Fixed a range of bugs where abilities were incorrectly affecting friendly units as well as enemy units.
- Fixed bug where Grav Falcon Brightlance was invisible.

Balance Changes

Ork Changes

- Reduced damage of Trukk Big Shoota.
- Increased population requirement for Trukk/Mekshop from 31 to 46.
- Increased population requirement for Wartrakk from 46 to 61.
- Wartrakk build time increased.
- Decreased damage of Wartrakk Rokkit against all infantry significantly.
- Increased build time of Wartrakk Rokkit and Mortar from 9 to 20 seconds.
- Put a 46 population requirement on Ork Rokkit Launchers.
- Reduced Big Mek's Mega Blaster damage.
- Increased build time of Bad Doc to 15 seconds.
- Increased cost of Bad Doc by 10 requisition.
- Increased damage output of Nob Leader Power Klaws.
- Decreased build time of Ork Nob Power Klaws from 15 to 12 seconds.
- Increased damage of Ork Nob Leader Power Klaws.
- Big Mek now takes longer to build after researching Custom Tellyporta.
- Big Mek now takes longer to build after researching Custom Force Field.
- Big Mek now takes longer to build after researching Tank Bustin' Kit.
- Reduced range on Ork Listening Posts that have the first Listening Post upgrade.

Eldar Changes

- Reduced damage of Fire Prisms Shuriken Catapult against Heavy Infantry (Medium). Also reduced damage against Medium Vehicles.
- Reduced damage of fire prism Prism Cannon vs. all buildings, all vehicles (slight), reduced morale damage, reduced minimum damage, reduced area of effect from 10-8.
- Reduced morale damage on Eldar D-Cannon Turret.
- Reduced damage of Vyper Missile Launcher against all infantry types.
- Increased time cost of Vyper Missile Launcher weapon upgrade.
- Increased vertical aiming ability of Brightlance platforms (slight).
- Increased range of Ranger Long Rifle from 32 to 35.
- Increased morale damage output of Ranger long rifle from 40 to 60 per hit.
- Removed charge modifiers from Howling Banshees.
- Created dependencies on Vyper/Wraithlord aspect stones before Fire Prism can be researched.
- Decreased time cost of Seer Council Witchblade weapon upgrade.
- Dark Reaper Exarch now does more damage to Heavy Infantry .
- Dark Reaper weapon upgrade now has the same range as its original weapon.
- Increased Time cost of Warp Spider Aspect Stone
- Increased Power cost of Warp Spider Aspect Stone.

Chaos Changes

- Reduced cost of tier 3 to 400/150 and 100 seconds. From 500/200 and 125 seconds
- Chaos Aspiring Champions and Space Marine Sergeants now benefit from the bionics upgrades (+20% health)
- Furious charge should now be giving +15% damage bonus to chaos_knife_cultist and chaos_knife_tactical.
- Chaos Heretic costs 0 supply cap, however there is a limit of 5 Heretics at any given time.
- Increased cost of Cultist, increased hit points, increased build time, decreased to starting with 4 units. Increased base weapon damages by 30%. Decreased min damage on Cultist Laspistol from 2.5 to 1.5.
- Increased time cost of Cultist Aspiring Champion.
- Reduced Cultist Grenade Launcher damage by 35%. Increased build time of Grenade Launcher.
- Increased damage output of cultist plasma gun, slightly increased cost.
- Defiler hitpoints increased from 2300 to 2700.
- Defiler now costs 2 Support cap.
- Reduced cost of Possessed marines, decreased attack/hp/build time accordingly.
- Reduced cost of Horrors, decreased attack/hp/build time accordingly.
- Reduced melee damage of Raptors against building low.
- Chaos Rhino now costs 1 Support cap.
- Smoke Grenade research time/cost reduced.

Space Marines Changes

- Reduced cost of tier 3 to 400/150 and 100 seconds, from 500/200 and 125 seconds.
- Reduced stun time of SM Force Commander from 4 to 2 seconds.
- Scouts do less ranged damage to infantry_low, infantry_med, and infantry_high.
- Reduced Scout accuracy while moving from .55 to .35. Reduced Scout morale damage.
- Reduced melee damage of Assault Marines against building low.
- Rhino now costs 1 Support cap.
- Smoke Grenade research time/cost reduced.
- Cultist reinforce time when in combat set to 12 seconds.
- Updated help text to reflect balance changes.

Mod Support

- Mods can now disable tutorials by leaving a blank field in the FEDefaults.lua file.
- Multiple fixes in the Attribute Editor.
- Game now validates more fields from the attribute files. Also validation of starting units and buildings has been removed.
- New binary file format for all attribute files.
- Added support for exclusive win conditions.
- Several unused attribute fields have been removed.
- Added flag for weapon line-of-sight being blocked by entities. We recommend not using it, as it is terribly slow.
- Added multiple flags to Scenario files in the Mission Editor, including being able to turn off sky, terrain and water rendering.

[Petrosjko]

*whistles* Those are some pretty heavy changes. Especially the Defiler changes.

[Stark]

The game needs it, though: it's pretty 'abusable' at the moment.

Actually, WH can probably answer this - does SP prepare you for MP? I don't mean teaching the controls and shit, but the SP missions I played were easy, simple generic RTS stuff, and not the fast-paced 'seize early or die like a whore' gameplay required in MP. Are the later missions more appropriate? While I'm not a big SP fan, RTSs in particular are awful at the transition.

[Petrosjko]

The game needs it, though: it's pretty 'abusable' at the moment.

Actually, WH can probably answer this - does SP prepare you for MP? I don't mean teaching the controls and shit, but the SP missions I played were easy, simple generic RTS stuff, and not the fast-paced 'seize early or die like a whore' gameplay required in MP. Are the later missions more appropriate? While I'm not a big SP fan, RTSs in particular are awful at the transition.

Not really. The SP missions all either give you a clear objective to go for that doesn't require you to build too much, or they let you settle and build up a big force.

MP is brutal, if you're doing it against other players. My gang usually prefers the more relaxed form of 'us against the computer', which SP does do okay at preparing you for.

[Companion Cube]

So where the bloody hell is the rest?

Daemon: Puny human, now I shall spread my evil to countless other worlds, and the only way you can defeat me will be to buy the expansion!

Force Commander: Damn you, foul agent of Chaos! I will buy the expansion!

That's what it boils down to. Still, skirmish mode isn't bad.

[Shinova]

Multiplayer, especially ranked 1v1, is almost like a totally different game. Blazingly fast, furious, demanding quick, rapid-fire decisions almost continuously.

Watch some replays of the top players going at each other in 1v1. It's incredible.

[Stark]

Thats why they call it 'Dawn of Rush'. It's not, strictly speaking, a good thing.

[DPDarkPrimus]

Link to some good replays.

I haven't played the game since my computer crashed a month ago, and I enjoyed doing at least 2vequal computer because I hadn't been able to develop a good strategy yet.

[Petrosjko]

Thats why they call it 'Dawn of Rush'. It's not, strictly speaking, a good thing.

Agreed. I loathe speed-rush games. I'm a macro player, and I like building nice combined-arms units and then crushing the enemy with a series of deft strokes, not bull-rushing with squads of marines.

There's three players here, and we like to do five computer on three live. It's cool that they've started designing mod maps for exactly that.

There are few things more satisfying than plowing a mixed Predator/Dreadnought force backed by marines into a horde of xenos filth.

Or if you want to get really sick, there's always the Million Brightlance March.

[Shinova]

Or if you want to get really sick, there's always the Million Brightlance March.

InnocentBystander.........


*shakes fist in said forumite's general direction*

[Petrosjko]

Or if you want to get really sick, there's always the Million Brightlance March.

InnocentBystander.........


*shakes fist in said forumite's general direction*

Fear not, the Eldars' day has passed. As with all pathetic xenos, they lack the light of the God-Emperor to guide them, and will fall in the end. Whatever token victories they win against the faint of heart cannot prevent their eventual demise.

Victory will come from holy chainsword and blessed lasgun, and above all else faith in the eternal strength of Him on Terra.

[Rogue 9]

Or if you want to get really sick, there's always the Million Brightlance March.

InnocentBystander.........


*shakes fist in said forumite's general direction*

Indeed, given that I tend to be heavily armor-dependent. *Grumble*

[InnocentBystander]

Need.... more... Brightlances! Arggh.

Your efforts are futile, Mon-Keigh. Go... cry to your God Emperor!

[Shinova]

Need.... more... Brightlances! Arggh.

Your efforts are futile, Mon-Keigh. Go... cry to your God Emperor!

At least with the patch your Fire Prisms are getting the nerf they rightly deserve!


And we Space Marines get our tier 3 faster now.

[The Yosemite Bear]

What it's not like you mon-keigh don't build them fast enough, all the damned orks have to do is build a shitload of turrets, and here we are, starving for energy, having to build fifty or so upgrades before we can even get to our third tier gear, you filthy vermin....

and quit hogging our planets and opening thing we told you not to open!

We built those worlds for a reason, and if we say, don't kill other vermin leave this area, then you shouldn't kill the other mon-keigh and you should leave the frellin planet!!!!

[The Yosemite Bear]

oh look theirs some Slanneshi tenetcle daemons chasing after Soroitus Novices *points off in another direction*

[Shinova]

RAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!




*pours bolter fire in general direction of where Bear pointed*

[The Yosemite Bear]

Fleet of foot's the hell out of the way....