Poll: Warhammer: Dawn of War vs Starcraft/Warcraft; advice needed

[4RM3D]

So I am not really into strategy games. However I did enjoy Warcraft (1-3) and Starcraft (1-2). The Blizzard RTS games are fast paced and have a pretty interesting story. I have also tried Command & Conquer but couldn't really get into it.

Now I see that Warhammer: Dawn of War 1 and 2 + expansions is on sale at Steam. My question is, do you think those games would be interesting for someone who likes Blizzard RTS's and is looking for fast paced gameplay? Also, does Warhammer have an interesting story campaign? I know the Warhammer universe spawned countless of books and things.

 

[Bostur]

Dawn of War is mostly interesting for people into the Warhammer 40K setting. The games have too few units to really get much tactical depth. It's mostly about moving a few units around the map to see the story, usually ending with an action-oriented boss fight at the end of a map.

The stories and feel to the universe is good though. I think DoW can best be described as an RPG/RTS/Action hybrid with most of the focus on storytelling.

I can't comment on multiplayer since I haven't tried it, very few games can compete with Starcraft 2 in this respect.


Some people prefer storytelling over gameplay, and they would probably like DoW. People for whom gameplay is more important would be better of avoiding it.

 

[4RM3D]

*snip*

I like stories, but I am not into the Warhammer universe yet. That coupled with lack of tactical gameplay means I'll probably skip Warhammer then.

 

[Bostur]

As an extra note, I can recommend Company of Heroes. It uses the same core system as DoW, but since it has more units and a traditional economic system it gets much more depth.

One of the unique things about the system is that they have a very good way of using cover, and keep track of the facing of units and vehicles. Thats something unique for CoH and DoW. Battles get more static and defensive than most other RTS games, but also feels slightly more realistic.

 

[AdeptaSororitas]

Well seeing as Starcraft and Warcraft are based directly off Warhammer I'd say yes, you most likely would. They are a bit faster paced then the 'crafts but they make up with a larger amount of tactical options. Just my opinion however.

 

[Nouw]

Personally I found the most fun in Dawn of War to be from it's skirmishes. I spent countless hours playing massive battles in Dark Crusade, hours well spent. It's not as difficult or complex as Starcraft but it's a very fun game. Even better if you have a friend to play with. The campaigns are fun too but in the original series, they can end up masturbating. The 2nd series however, the campaign is far more fun. At least, that's what Dawn of War 2 was like. Can't comment on Chaos Rising and Retribution.

And Company of Heroes, if that's on sale I definitely recommend it. It's a fantastic RTS that, like the guy above me said, uses cover. You can add sandbags, mines, wires and machine-gun nests which makes defense very interesting.

 

[The Madman]

Sure, you'll probably enjoy them. Not terribly similar to the Blizzard rts however, having a more solid focus on individual unit tactics than Starcraft's more unit heavy design.

If it's singleplayer campaign you're looking for I'd actually quite highly recommend Dawn of War 2 as among rts games the narrative is actually pretty strong. Chaos Rising especially is pretty damned good and there are more than a few fantastic cinematic moments. The characters are also ridiculously fun... I don't mean the characters in the story, but just the units your controlling and using. The voice acting and design is brilliant and it's just a ton of fun to be controllin these crazed little lunatics.

But again gameplay-wise there are some pretty big differences both in unit control and even victory objectives with your typical DOW match revolving more around capturing points than trying to eliminate an enemy base. Picture if you will Starcraft 2 where you only had, say, six or seven units but each one had a couple different abilities and the ability to take cover and retreat. Your focus is more on controlling those units than trying to produce more ala Starcraft.

Still I'd recommend them. The entire Dawn of War series both 1 and 2 are fantastic. 1 is a slightly more typical rts with a few neat elements and then 2 is where the developers decided to take a more unique approach with the franchise. All excellent however!

 

[4RM3D]

As an extra note, I can recommend Company of Heroes. It uses the same core system as DoW, but since it has more units and a traditional economic system it gets much more depth.

One of the unique things about the system is that they have a very good way of using cover, and keep track of the facing of units and vehicles. Thats something unique for CoH and DoW. Battles get more static and defensive than most other RTS games, but also feels slightly more realistic.

And Company of Heroes, if that's on sale I definitely recommend it. It's a fantastic RTS that, like the guy above me said, uses cover. You can add sandbags, mines, wires and machine-gun nests which makes defense very interesting.

It seems that one is on sale too. I've always ignored it (and any other World War game), because the World War setting seems to be ABused in games too much. And I am not really into the whole setting. Anyhow, the gameplay sounds interesting. I'll check out some videos.