WH40K: Dawn of War vs. Dawn of War II

Gusington · April 07, 2013, 07:47:57 PM

I am taking a break from Civ V and Shogun 2 and may dive into some WH40K for the first time.

I have both Dawn of War I and II. I fired up DoW I and it looks a little dated but I have read here that the gameplay is great. If I go straight to DoW II would I be missing a lot?

Thanks all!

Bison · April 07, 2013, 07:54:49 PM

Aren't you swabbing decks or something?

Different game play Gus. Think army, base building vs. squad and equipment gathering.

LongBlade · April 07, 2013, 09:14:37 PM

Quote from: Bison on April 07, 2013, 07:54:49 PM
Aren't you swabbing decks or something?

Different game play Gus. Think army, base building vs. squad and equipment gathering.

+1

I actually like DoW II better than the first, but opinions differ on that. Personally, if you're going to play DoW II, make sure you get the Chaos Rising game and play it. High water mark IMHO.

donkey_roxor · April 07, 2013, 10:02:10 PM

I think both are good in different ways, and worth playing. Play 1 first, then II.

Nefaro · April 07, 2013, 10:38:10 PM

If I reloaded one of the two collections, it would be DOW I. Because II feels like I'm being dragged through the experience by the nose - very linear. Which is odd because I usually go for the more customization detailed RPG-ish type stuff as opposed to classic RTS.

Mr. Bigglesworth · April 08, 2013, 12:08:09 AM

DOW 1 is fairly standard RTS fare. Build sequence, start army fight, tech up, fight more. the army cap is large relative to DOW2. DOW 2 is squad based, far more about position tactics, graphics eye candy, rock paper scissors.

I prefer DOW 1, it feels less click fest to me.

Arctic Blast · April 08, 2013, 12:36:40 AM

Quote from: LongBlade on April 07, 2013, 09:14:37 PM
Quote from: Bison on April 07, 2013, 07:54:49 PM
Aren't you swabbing decks or something?

Different game play Gus. Think army, base building vs. squad and equipment gathering.

+1

I actually like DoW II better than the first, but opinions differ on that. Personally, if you're going to play DoW II, make sure you get the Chaos Rising game and play it. High water mark IMHO.

Yep, I'll second this. I enjoyed DoW I, but I liked the squad focus (which fits 40K space marines better than base building, anyway) from the sequel.

RooksBailey · April 08, 2013, 01:29:56 AM

Quote from: Nefaro on April 07, 2013, 10:38:10 PM
If I reloaded one of the two collections, it would be DOW I. Because II feels like I'm being dragged through the experience by the nose - very linear. Which is odd because I usually go for the more customization detailed RPG-ish type stuff as opposed to classic RTS.

I agree. The only thing that kept me playing the DoW II campaign was all the loot that you could equip your squad with between battles. Relic did a nice job with all the descriptive detail attached to the gear. But the actual campaign was very boring: Move from point A to point B, and kill the boss monster. Wash and repeat.

I just started Chaos Rising, the add-on for DoW II, and find it closer to DoW I in that it is slightly less formulaic. But I hear that DoW II: Retribution is the best of them all.

Nefaro · April 08, 2013, 07:39:18 AM

Quote from: RooksBailey on April 08, 2013, 01:29:56 AM

I agree. The only thing that kept me playing the DoW II campaign was all the loot that you could equip your squad with between battles. Relic did a nice job with all the descriptive detail attached to the gear. But the actual campaign was very boring: Move from point A to point B, and kill the boss monster. Wash and repeat.

Exactly. Despite a few attempts at getting through the campaign, I never made it.

I don't think I ever got around to attempting the add-ons, despite having them installed, since I expected them to be just more of the very linear gameplay.

Gusington · April 08, 2013, 07:39:38 AM

Yeah for DoW II I have Chaos Rising and Retribution. The copy of DoW I I have is the Game of the Year edition. Don't know how much of a difference that makes to my original question...sounds like there are fans of both.

Nefaro · April 08, 2013, 07:54:01 AM

Quote from: Gusington on April 08, 2013, 07:39:38 AM
Yeah for DoW II I have Chaos Rising and Retribution. The copy of DoW I I have is the Game of the Year edition. Don't know how much of a difference that makes to my original question...sounds like there are fans of both.

Did you get them on the big sale just before Christmas last year? When they had the whole package deal on sale?

Cyrano · April 08, 2013, 10:20:42 AM

Something suggested to me on the Wargamer boards an age ago:

Play DoW I on slow speed. It actually feels a bit like 40K on the tabletop as you marginalize the base-building/resource gathering madness.

Personally, I prefer DoW I, but enjoyed both.

Now if I could just get into a Blood Bowl league with people who spoke English, I'd have something.

Best,

Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)

Mr. Bigglesworth · April 08, 2013, 11:22:06 AM

Quote from: Gusington on April 08, 2013, 07:39:38 AM
Yeah for DoW II I have Chaos Rising and Retribution. The copy of DoW I I have is the Game of the Year edition. Don't know how much of a difference that makes to my original question...sounds like there are fans of both.

An important feature of the latest expansion, the one with the Sisters of Battle, was that it supported full 1080p video modes. Older versions of the game made your screen run in a blurry upresed format. Recently the Soulstorm format was pasted onto the older games in an update. At least the Dark Crusade game, which is why I am redoing the campaign.

Gusington · April 08, 2013, 01:26:49 PM

Thanks for the tips guys. Nef I got DoW I as a gift and got DoW II a year or so ago as a Steam bundle.

JasonPratt · April 08, 2013, 02:47:24 PM

Having played DOW2 up through the end of Chaos Rising, I too hankered for DOW1 again. Despite my curiosity about DoW2: Retribution, I'd still more quickly fire up DOW1. There's just more to it altogether. Even the campaigns are kind-of better.

Plus, DOW2 requires not only always-online Steam but also always-online Games For Windows registration. At the same time. Maybe that was dropped for Retribution, but it was annoying as all hell for the first two games.