Gamespot had the opportunity to talk with Jonny Ebbert and Mark Noseworthy from Relic about their upcoming Dawn of War II. Besides the interview Gamespot provides us the actual impressive and gory CGI Intro of the game. Check them out:
You can find the interview here and download the trailer here.
GS: We understand that destructible terrain will be a huge part of Dawn of War II. What are some effective forms of cover and what are some points of cover you should ditch as soon as possible?
JE: You definitely have to use the terrain to your advantage if you want to stay alive in Dawn of War II. Leaving your units out in the open to get shot to pieces is not going to work out too well for you. Each map in DoW II will have dozens of terrain features you can use for cover: large rocks, fallen trees, wrecked vehicles, sandbags…the list goes on and on. When you’re behind cover, you take very little damage from ranged units (unless they get behind you).
You can also garrison empty buildings and have your guys shoot out the windows. This will offer even more protection than cover, and protects you from all directions. But camping out in a building does make you more vulnerable to certain weapon types (like grenades and flamethrowers). And you also have to pay attention to what you use for cover, because some objects can be used against you if you decide to take cover behind them. Explosive barrels would be a good example of this.
GS: Are you planning on bringing over any of the RPG elements, like unit customization, over to multiplayer?
MN: We can’t say too much about multiplayer gameplay just yet, but we're excited that Dawn of War II will offer free, fully functional, multiplayer gameplay using Games for Windows LIVE. From day one, achievements, TrueSkill multiplayer matchmaking, voice and text chat, a friends list that is consistent across both Windows and Xbox 360, and all other features of the Games for Windows LIVE service will be available free to all Dawn of War II players. Relic is excited to be partnering with Microsoft to join one of the largest multiplayer communities in the world and to be delivering an online experience that is second to none. We have some really awesome things planned and are creating a really unique experience that players are going to love. GS: Have you considered any co-op options for the campaign mode?
MN: Our campaign mode is definitely playable cooperatively if that’s what you’re asking. At any point in your campaign you can invite a friend to join and team up for as long as you enjoy playing together. More details on how co-op is going to work will be announced in the future.
GS: What can you tell us about multiplayer?
MN: I can tell you that it’s shaping up to be a really unique experience. With Dawn of War II, our goal was to not only deliver an awesome sequel, but to push the genre forward and innovate. We’re not happy with the status quo. We think players want fresh experiences. Our multiplayer game is going to offer that in spades.
JE: You definitely have to use the terrain to your advantage if you want to stay alive in Dawn of War II. Leaving your units out in the open to get shot to pieces is not going to work out too well for you. Each map in DoW II will have dozens of terrain features you can use for cover: large rocks, fallen trees, wrecked vehicles, sandbags…the list goes on and on. When you’re behind cover, you take very little damage from ranged units (unless they get behind you).
You can also garrison empty buildings and have your guys shoot out the windows. This will offer even more protection than cover, and protects you from all directions. But camping out in a building does make you more vulnerable to certain weapon types (like grenades and flamethrowers). And you also have to pay attention to what you use for cover, because some objects can be used against you if you decide to take cover behind them. Explosive barrels would be a good example of this.
GS: Are you planning on bringing over any of the RPG elements, like unit customization, over to multiplayer?
MN: We can’t say too much about multiplayer gameplay just yet, but we're excited that Dawn of War II will offer free, fully functional, multiplayer gameplay using Games for Windows LIVE. From day one, achievements, TrueSkill multiplayer matchmaking, voice and text chat, a friends list that is consistent across both Windows and Xbox 360, and all other features of the Games for Windows LIVE service will be available free to all Dawn of War II players. Relic is excited to be partnering with Microsoft to join one of the largest multiplayer communities in the world and to be delivering an online experience that is second to none. We have some really awesome things planned and are creating a really unique experience that players are going to love. GS: Have you considered any co-op options for the campaign mode?
MN: Our campaign mode is definitely playable cooperatively if that’s what you’re asking. At any point in your campaign you can invite a friend to join and team up for as long as you enjoy playing together. More details on how co-op is going to work will be announced in the future.
GS: What can you tell us about multiplayer?
MN: I can tell you that it’s shaping up to be a really unique experience. With Dawn of War II, our goal was to not only deliver an awesome sequel, but to push the genre forward and innovate. We’re not happy with the status quo. We think players want fresh experiences. Our multiplayer game is going to offer that in spades.
You can find the interview here and download the trailer here.