Questions about DoW2 single player

[BurnedToast]

So I tried the demo for DoW2 and I see what people are talking about - it is a whole different game!

I want to say first off, before anyone flames me, that I don't think different is bad. I don't mind no base building - I'll miss it, but OK it's not a big deal. I don't mind the new cover system, or anything like that.

The problem I had with it, is that it was..... well, mindless for lack of a better word. You commanders can't die, and you get infinite reinforcements from the beacons just in case you mess up, and you get massive piles of resupply every 2 feet. All I really did for every single map was attack-move my guys forward, throw the (unreasonably powerful) grenades into the mass of enemies, then watch them pew pew pew for a bit till the stragglers were dead. I was, quite honestly, sort of bored with it by the time the demo was over because it required almost no skill or thought on my part.

Now, I'm not saying the DoW1 AI was great, or the game was a huge strategic challenge... but at least you could lose, ya know? If you put it on the hardest mode without ever having played before, the computer would probably stomp you.

So my questions are thus: does the single player campaign ever get any less mindless? do you ever actually have to worry about managing your guys? do losses ever matter, at all? Or is it just attack-move, lob grenades, wait, repeat?

Bonus multiplayer question: can you control more then 4 squads at a time in multiplayer? It seems... way too few to me.

[ApexOfDE]

In multiplayer, at the beginning, you only have your hero and your scout/gaunt/guardian/slugga. Then you must use your units to capture points around the map and build your army by yourself. Your units will not have any wargear equipped like in campaign.

[HiveMind]

What difficulty setting did you play on? The challenge is that you can often enough have leaders fall down and be unable to get them back up. Playing on Sergeant or Recruit is pathetically easy, because that basically never happens, but I've failed a decent number of missions on Captain, and lots on Primarch. Also, the defence missions are murderous on higher difficulties. You have to play perfectly or your pitiful force gets ripped to shreds by huge masses of enemies, in particular venom cannon Warriors and Singing Spear Councils. So yes, you can lose missions. It doesn't happen all that often, but then, it would be rather frustrating if you lost more missions than you won.

And yes, multiplayer games will almost always involve more than 4 squads. I can't think of any games in which I haven't made at least 5 extra squads in addition to the starting 2.

[BurnedToast]

I played on primarch (which is the hardest). I didn't see any of those guys you mentioned, but... that's probably because it's just the demo. The enemies I did fight were stupid and just charged into the gun line - the defense mission in particular I just set them up, dropped the turrets it gave me on the other side and I didn't have to even do anything else.

So there is never any resource management (other then the supply drops...) in the campaign though? You always get unlimited revives and unlimited reinforcements?

[-Ghost-]

The first few levels are pretty easy, but the difficulty definitely ramps up later in the game. The campaign is a little mindless, but I think that's because it was going for the "small, elite Space Marine force" thing, with a few squads holding off hordes. Multiplayer is basically completely different, which kind of sucks if you try to use the campaign to practice or anything. :P

[Shuma]

Dificulty ramps up as in "Every enemy gets more health and they come in bigger numbers" the campaign sucks, the fun is in Multyplayer.

[Meatkin]

I really enjoyed the campaign, I've played it through twice now, once on Co-op. Co-op is extra juicy as you can micro a lot better.

[Aquila]

So my questions are thus: does the single player campaign ever get any less mindless? do you ever actually have to worry about managing your guys? do losses ever matter, at all? Or is it just attack-move, lob grenades, wait, repeat?
In just about every game, the ideal difficulty setting is one above the standard. In this case, that's captain. In my experience the game is typically 'designed' based on this difficulty level. Normal settings are for beginners, hardest settings are grindfests designed for people that like a punishing challenge.

Holds true for DoW II. Primarch is quite mindless - constant retreat and reinforce, move forward inch by inch because even gaunts and sluggas can beat your elite assault troops.

Personally, I think the best way to enjoy the campaign is to play on Captain and challenge yourself to complete the missions as quickly as possible. I had a blast.

[FooF]

Hyperspacing to Single Player Discussion.

[CommissarRezail]

I like the Op atitude to this game, he glass is half full and he doesn't expect the same old same old like everyone else does.

Legitment it is a whole different game its Dow 2 I for one like it execept the no base building part, >.> it could use listening post back and some other stuff, but all in all its a very good game which require skills more then in dow 1 since dow 1 alot of things shouldnt been >.< .

[dr.mcninja]

I started on primarch off the bat and it was hell fun. Early on, i would wtf at my commander getting one shotted. Other times i would painstakingly revive squads with my ninja team... I played the demo and i found it's 'fun' level decline slowly until i was tired of it, but that was conveniently the last mission which involved the nidzorz which i absolutely love and wanted to see.

Ctrl A click wont work! lets see you ctrl a onto the laughing warp spiderman...

:D