Dawn of War II beta now available to all
by Justin McElroy 
{ Jan 28th 2009 at 1:24PM } 
Just a quick reminder that the Dawn of War II beta is now available to all people for the low, low price of nothing. With just a click, a little free time and 5.5 gigglebytes of hard drive space you could be well on your way to pitting orcs against space marines in the most stunning visual metaphor for the state of the video game industry ever.
Sure, you've read our thoughts on the game, but now we're dying to see what you think. Let us know in the comments below.
Sure, you've read our thoughts on the game, but now we're dying to see what you think. Let us know in the comments below.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
player66 @ Jan 28th 2009 1:30PM
It's great, except I think there's a bug. Last night I lost while playing Tyranid vs. Tyranid. That's not supposed to happen.
jackal @ Jan 28th 2009 3:08PM
Player66,
*Blows off dust on book* According to the 2006 Tyranid Codex, there's frequent and near perpetual infighting between the various Tyranid fleets once they come in close proximity with each other since the species is so geared towards forcing evolution; the loser's biomass (Ripper swarms are let loose, eat everything, and then dump themselves in what're basically football field sized stomach pits) and genetic material is absorbed by the victorious fleet. The winner then goes through its recently acquired genes, finds anything beneficial to the evolution of its own fleet (new weapons, defensive structures, organs that improve performance, etc.), and then implements them. Any planet rich in life and natural resources is left a rock as lifeless as a moon (no atmosphere, not water, no magma, nothing is literally left). For the record, I'm not a Warhammer geek, but I do find the Tyranids interesting villains enough to buy their miniatures manual; they're far more aggressive than Blizzard's ripoff (Zerg) and the fact they can lay siege to an entire solar system occupied by even a heavily armed, advanced race and then leave it a collection of barren husks is just a little scary.
player66 @ Jan 28th 2009 3:12PM
(cries in the corner, rocking himself in a puddle of urine)
jackal @ Jan 28th 2009 3:40PM
Player66,
Oh, and while they're descending on a planet, they cut off all inter-stellar communications and turn the skies black with spores that A) kick plant growth into hyperdrive and B) cause horrible disease. By the time the Tyranids themselves actually hit the ground and fill the skies, you'll be just a little more lively than a zombie; open lesions will cover your pale skin, clumps of hair will fall from your scalp, your eyes will slowly turn red (from the irritation and bursting blood vessels caused by the microbes), your muscles will start to wither, and, when you cough, the sputum often contains small chunks of your lungs.
If you do manage to survive the initial microbial bombardment, you've got to worry about having your brains sucked out by a camouflaging Lictor, being torn to shreds by Gaunts, having Warriors firing swarms of beetles that chew through your body until they whip your brain into the consistency of mushroom soup, or having a Carnifex crush you into a bloody pulp. Of course, that's just some of the many ways to die during the invasion. Escape is impossible; after wiping out orbital defenses, they'll hang around to destroy any escaping spacecraft. Once they've pacified the planet's surface (you'll be dead by then, so don't worry too much about what happens next) and the ripper swarms have gorged themselves sufficiently to throw themselves into digestion pools, bio-ships descend and have all those nutrients pumped up to them through capillary towers.
Don't worry too much, though...the whole process takes roughly a week or two from start to finish.
player66 @ Jan 28th 2009 3:43PM
Oh, well that's reassuring.
Strategy_Panda (Pot & Spoon 4 Life) @ Jan 28th 2009 3:52PM
I've played two matches against Zerg opponents, and eventually I have to fight these floaty spore things that explode when destroyed. Super annoying
I can't seems to figure out any way to stop my guys at firing at these things. Is there any way to overcome this unit?
player66 @ Jan 28th 2009 4:02PM
@ Strategy_Panda
Yeah, buy lots of ranged and suppression units. Blow 'em up before they get into range to do radius damage. From the Tyranid's perspective, they're tough to micro-manage as well.
Velsar @ Jan 28th 2009 7:08PM
Lol Jackal, you made me giggle with all your doomsday parasite talk.
Seriously everyone knows that the spores can't tolerate intensive recedal gamma rays (IE sunlight) so theirs nothing to worry about... until it's dark.
But then we just will be sick for 1 day, and the next day POOF we're no longer sick.
BTW when I played the beta my Lictor couldn't cloak, and I never saw any microbial spores.
GenBanks @ Jan 28th 2009 7:15PM
"they can lay siege to an entire solar system occupied by even a heavily armed, advanced race and then leave it a collection of barren husks"
Sounds like they're a bit over-powered... 0.0
jackal @ Jan 28th 2009 9:23PM
Velsar,
They're not really spores, per se, but colonies of virulent microorganisms and, according to the codex, sunlight doesn't really do anything to them. massive clouds of them are released into the atmosphere of any planet the Tyranid's are laying siege to, with the intention of spreading disease amongst its populace and causing local flora to simply go nuts in terms of growth (makes it easier and more nutritious for the coming Ripper swarm). Then the myetic spores rain down (think organic drop pods) containing shock troops, followed by the elites. A poorly guarded colony takes roughly 7 days to wipe out; a planet with a large, defended population may take as long as 100. And no, don't expect to see microbial clouds in the game; it's strictly part of their back story found in the Codex.
Genbanks,
They've been defeated before, usually at a great cost. They have two things really going for them (as far as the Codex and miniatures games is concerned): vast numbers and something called "Shadow in the Warp". Essentially, once they show up, any incoming and outgoing communications are blocked so a planet in distress can't beg for help; however, t's also been used to track Tyranid whereabouts, so groups like the Ultra Marines can go ahead of a fleet and engage it before it can actually lay siege to a planet. Another trick was to let a fleet descend on a world (as well as its doomed population) and glass both of them.
Anam @ Jan 28th 2009 1:33PM
Shouldn't it be titled "Mid-morning of War" or "Dawn of a Slightly Different War"? One war cannot have two dawns!
Zertoss @ Jan 28th 2009 1:37PM
WAAAUUUGGGHHH! I didn't get to start playing last week due to my computer crapping out, and until its replacement arrives next week, I STILL won't be able to play!
Sir Buzz Killington( The Artist formerly known as Jakka) @ Jan 28th 2009 1:39PM
More like WAAAAAAAAGH! Now go rape, loot and pillage a new gaming rig!
player66 @ Jan 28th 2009 1:40PM
Here's a suggestion. Conjuer up all of your memories of playing DoW I add in some Hydralisks and forget about base building. That should tide you over until the PC's up and running again.
Zertoss @ Jan 28th 2009 2:10PM
I think I like Buzz's suggestion better, except for the raping a new gaming rig part. I always manage to cut my hands on the cases. The last thing I want to do is stick my penis in one.
Sir Buzz Killington( The Artist formerly known as Jakka) @ Jan 28th 2009 2:28PM
Not the PC you silly, I'm talking about that hot redhead working at the computer store!
Zertoss @ Jan 28th 2009 2:49PM
The only things working at computer stores around here are landwhales.
Mest @ Jan 28th 2009 1:57PM
downloaded it last night cant stop playing a must buy for me and i was never into dow
Strategy_Panda (Pot & Spoon 4 Life) @ Jan 28th 2009 2:03PM
I've been playing this multiplayer beta for a few weeks now and its definitely fun.
I enjoy the emphasis on tactics and less on managing a base. Worth checking out for any RTS fan.
Rhamsey @ Jan 28th 2009 2:06PM
not really a big pc person, but hell, free is my price.
Gonzo @ Jan 28th 2009 2:11PM
I was one of the suckers who bought Soulstorm and getting this beta is probably the best thing to come out of it.
More centered on action than your usual rts. This one might actually do well being ported to consoles.
Ian @ Jan 28th 2009 2:20PM
You don't like SoulStorm? I picked it up for the same reason. After the first hour I hated it. Then I forced myself into it a little more and now I love it. I love the squad and vehicle caps. Its is a bit hard though.
Matt @ Jan 28th 2009 2:30PM
I picked up Soulstorm specifically to get into the multiplayer beta early. Thank god for steam sales, it was only $7.50
Gonzo @ Jan 28th 2009 2:40PM
I played through it once with the SoB but about halfway through my second playthrough (with the DE) I realized I was fighting the exact same battles, just with a more Elarly force.
Dark Crusade was cool because you actually played against different forces on the battlefields (almost) every playthrough. I liked the solar system idea but all it meant was that most forces stuck to their respective planets.
The difficulty wouldn't have bothered me if it was because of intuitive AI rather than just harder & shootier enemies.
I didn't hate it.
It just seemed like it was overpriced for an expansion pack and a disappointment after Dark Crusade.
Meh286 @ Jan 28th 2009 2:11PM
Sweet i was thinking about getting this game. Now i get to try it out and see how it is before i buy it.
Moli @ Jan 28th 2009 2:23PM
Been playing the beta the last week and finally won a head to head game today, probably the last one I'll ever win. I lost the last two previous games 0-500 :(
eric @ Jan 28th 2009 2:27PM
It took me awhile to get used to the game since it is very different from DoW:DC but I like it so far. My only gripe is the glacial pace of resource acquisition. It takes forever to get enough resources to build high tier units. Also, the game so far seems to be a retreat-fest due to the tight resources. If you loose a squad its a massive setback since you really seem to be capped at 5-7 squads total including infantry, vehicles and commander.
Gonzo @ Jan 28th 2009 2:55PM
See?
I wouldn't have minded at $7.50 (that's worth it just for the two armies in multiplayer) but it wasn't worth $40.
And I'm an oldschool Hammerhead: been playing since the Rogue Trader days.
Alien Lord @ Jan 28th 2009 3:03PM
I'll care about this beta when I can play it on my 360 (I'd say Wii too but it doesn't have the horse power to do that :( )
Strategy_Panda (Pot & Spoon 4 Life) @ Jan 28th 2009 3:07PM
I'll care about your comments when you have something interesting to say
jackal @ Jan 28th 2009 3:20PM
Alien Lord,
Whenever I read any of your comments pertaining to this game, all I hear is, "Waaaaaah! Waaahhhh!" Not every PC-centric developer finds the time and effort needed to cripple their games to run on your neutered hardware a worthwhile prospect just as not every 360 centric developer finds it worthwhile to dumb their port down to run on the Wii. You're the same little fanboy bitch that cried, "Waaaaah! It's not coming to my Xbox 360, so I'm going to pirate it even if I can't play it! Waaaaah!" Again, for merely thinking of pirating a game just because you won't be able to play it on your console, you should be whipped in public with reeds until strips of flesh start peeling off of your back (thanks to cum-guzzling retards like you, we have to deal with intrusive DRM schemes). So, quit your whining, and go back to enjoying Halo 3 at it's sub-720p native resolution, Gears of War 2 without AA or quality texture filtering, and Mass Effect with it's ungodly load times or texture pop-in; people who actually like having good image quality and don't want Relic's vision being compromised by assholes like you are talking, so there isn't much room for you here.
eddie @ Jan 28th 2009 3:47PM
This game is terrible, if I wanted to play company of heroes I would have signed up for the company of heroes beta. This is an atrocity. Where is the base building? That is half of the fun of an RTS unless you just like to rush. Where are the tech trees? I am so disappointed with what should have been an awesome sequal.
Strategy_Panda (Pot & Spoon 4 Life) @ Jan 28th 2009 3:54PM
Yes, god forbid a developer try to make a game that plays differently from other games.
edward_sparks @ Jan 28th 2009 3:55PM
But they didn't...... This plays just like company of heroes with no base building. It is Company of heroes with a Warhammer skin......
Strategy_Panda (Pot & Spoon 4 Life) @ Jan 28th 2009 4:16PM
Its a more refined version of company of heroes, not exactly a re-skin.
I enjoy the emphasis on unit management and tactics. I'm kind of tired of over climbing a complicated tech trees and rushes
Also, this type of gameplay fits the Warhammer 40K heritage much more than the original Dawn of War (or any other TRS for that matter) did.
edward_sparks @ Jan 28th 2009 5:11PM
If I wanted a more refined CoH, I would have signed up for the CoH 2 beta, I was looking for a more refined DoW. In short this game fails.
Andir3.0 @ Jan 28th 2009 4:37PM
They lost me at "Games for Windows Live required"...
Strategy_Panda (Pot & Spoon 4 Life) @ Jan 28th 2009 4:59PM
All you really need is a Live ID, no need to download any clients and whatnot
jellybat @ Jan 28th 2009 5:02PM
Does anyone remember that Bungie franchise "Myth"? This was before they made Halo and got bought by Microsoft. There were 2 of them, and there wasn't any resource management at all. No resources, just an amount of points to buy units for your squad. In single player you could 'find' or 'rescue' more units, but in multiplayer it was just squads on a large 3D battlefield. Grunts cost less, and big dudes cost more. I loved it because it scratched that RTS itch but was quick. No base building meant the rounds were shorter than your average Starcraft match. Love SC, but it was nice to have a different kind of game.
Funny to think that it was over a decade ago.... damn.
Check the wiki here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth_(computer_game)
Anyways, I'm excited to play the game. It's nice to see some variety in the RTS genre. Maybe it won't work, but hey- at least they're trying.
Strategy_Panda (Pot & Spoon 4 Life) @ Jan 28th 2009 5:40PM
There were actually 3 Myth games
There was also a sci-fi RTS similar to Myth (in that there was no base building, you just start with X amount of units) called planet siege, or war planet or something like that. There have also been numerous turn based strategy games that don't involve base building.
Dave @ Jan 28th 2009 5:19PM
I agree with strategy, it's not company of heroes, but it does have some of the same features. Which is exactly what Relic has been telling us for the past couple of months. Their taking the best ideas from the original Dows and Company of Heroes and combining them into one super game. I love it and already have the full version pre ordered.
h2c @ Jan 28th 2009 5:49PM
Myth I was awesome. Never got higher than the small crown ranking. I still remember seeing the moon and the sun in the channels - I really liked the icons used to depict rankings. Tried Myth II but never liked it as much as Myth I.
I was going to pass on this download because RTS games with resource and army management are too much for my small brain, but your Myth reference prompted my download. :)
jellybat @ Jan 28th 2009 8:01PM
Fuck Yeah! Once I saw people talking about the lack of base building in DoWII i had a total flashback to King of the Hill multiplayer. See you on the servers!
Phillip Black @ Jan 28th 2009 7:15PM
Any reason why the Game for Windows - Live one is only 400 megs?
Crusty Magic @ Jan 28th 2009 9:42PM
I love it, and will probably be eventually buying it.
Who needs Starcraft 2? =P
Charlie_Six @ Jan 29th 2009 7:34AM
lotsa laggy and slow gameplay for me. Reminds me of Dawn of War 1's multiplayer.
Psiven @ Jan 30th 2009 1:13AM
I have about 60 hours clocked since the pre-order beta last week. It was a slightly abrubt learning curve but it's quckly addicting. Really compelling gameplay. They have a lot of work to do, and to be honest they should probably delay it for a month, but the game is incredibly fun. They just have some more backend work regarding the multiplayer netcode and matchmaking.
Bleach098 @ Jan 30th 2009 4:48PM
I wish I had 5.5 gigglebytes...
Highen @ Jan 30th 2009 7:29PM
Love this game I am buying a 2 Duo Core for my computer just so I can have everything maxed out before this comes out I hope since Warhammer for the 360 did good that Relic will bring awesome games like this out for it also. I am a gamer I wish people would stop bickering about PC VS Console gaming play them both like I do. I mean if you can't afford the other don't criticize it and point out it's flaws. Anyways I am a huge Warhammer 40k fan I have read over 13 of there books and for the people that like RTS's this is a huge jump for the genre, the developers said that this is not going to be like the first where whoever has the bigger army wins they wanted your units to feel like they have meaning and a purpose other than Fodder. With the focus of the game not being development of the biggest army it is something new and fresh. I have high hopes for this game and props on Relic for making it free since it was originally for Dawn of War Soulstorm owners only threw steam. See you guys on the battle field.
foxaz0reaver @ May 16th 2009 7:06PM
lol u know i think i agree with jakal hahahah there are such bastards in this world who are so lazy as to getin off their asses and going to buy a different system like your supposed to over such a thing as fuckin graphics and not likin the game play but u could dumbed down on the insults hahaha lol they were still quite funny though and wth is this talk about no base buildin that would suck to me cause that was one of my favs since dawn of war 1 wich i love btw