Dawn of War

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, also known simply as Dawn of War is a real-time strategy computer game devloped by Relic Entertainment based on Games Workshop's popular tabletop wargame, Warhammer 40,000. It was released by THQ on September 20, 2004 in the North America. Since it's release, two expansion packs have been released: Winter Assault in 2005 and Dark Crusade in 2006.

The Single Player campaign deals with the Blood Ravens Chapter's 3rd Company who are called to assist against an Ork invasion on the planet Tartarus. The game places an emphasis on combat and warfare and utilises an innovative resource and squad based conrol system. Dawn of War was received well by critics, with a Metacritic average of 86 out of 100.

Gameplay
Gameplay like the majority of real-time strategy games is initially focused on base and unit construction. The player starts with a single HQ building and a few basic units. The player can then construct various units and buildings in order to build up a base. Subsequent focus then shifts to capturing and holding various points on the battlefield. These points are captured by infantry squads and serve as mission objectives, provide additional resources to construct additional units and buildings or, in the case of relics, unlock certain units in an army's tech tree. Battles are won by either holding a certain number of critical points for a given time or alternately by destroying all of the opposing armies.

Resource Management
Two primary resources exist: requisition and power. Unlike the majority of strategy games of the time these resources are not harvested or otherwise collected. Instead, requisition is generated constantly by the army headquarters, supplying players with a constant and potentially unlimited supply of resources, allowing the player to focus on combat without being concerned about resource gathering. The player can increase the rate with which requisition is aquired by capturing and controlling certain strategic points on the battlefield. Only infantry squads can capture these points and it takes a certain amount of time for them to do so. Points can be de-captured and then captured by the enemy. These points can be reinforced which in addition to making them harder for the opposing to capture, also serve to additionally increase the rate of requisition accumulation.

Power is similarly generated by building generators, with each base supporting up to six generators. Additionally, some maps have "slag deposits", upon which special generators can be constructed and produce power at a higher rate. As the player progresses up the tech tree, reliance on power increases.

In addition to these primary resources, the Orks also have a third resource, Waaagh, which is generated by Waaagh!! banners and dictates the rate at which Ork units can be generated.

Warfare


Unlike most strategy games of the time, units are given orders as squads rather than as individuals, save for certain heroes and vehicles. Each squad consists of anything from 4 units upwards, and moves and attacks as a single entitiy. In addition to normal commands, squads can also be reinforced in the field by adding additional members, equipped with additional special weaponry, attached leaders or special units. For example, a Space Marine squad starts with 4 marines, but can be expanded up to 8 standard marines and a sergeant, and equipped with up to 4 (5 after a patch update) heavy weapons. The player is also free to choose particular upgrades and can specialise each squad for a specific purpose. Squads also have 2 choices of attack: ranged and close combat, and certain squad types will

Vehicles function differently to how they do in other RTS games. Vehicles are highly resistant to certain types of weaponry, so it is near impossible to destroy them with mass infantry fire as is possible in other games such as the Command and Conquer series for example. Thus vehicles must be targeted with specific weaponry to be destroyed. Vehicles can also be uprgraded with multiple weapon systems.

An addition to a typical hitpoint system there is also morale. While units in a squad take damage individually, morale damage is applied to a squad as a whole. When morale drops to zero the squad is broken and whlst the player reatins control of the unit, its combat ability is greatly reduced. Different weapons deal different amounts of damage to health and morale. With the addition of a squad system and more realistic ranged-close combat dynamics, Dawn of War is different from the majority of strategy games. Terrain in the game also offers various advantages and disadvantages depending on the type and location, with walls and buildings offering additional protection and cover from ranged weaponry, and swamps hindering movement and decreasing a unit's defensive capability.

Strategy


The strategic-point system in copmbination with the minimal emphasis on base defense means that defensive players will find themselves quickly overcome, and as such, the game favors an aggressive gameplay style.

The game is, overall, very micromanagement-oriented. With the reinforcement system, extra armament for troopers, and special skills, the player is often forced to switch back and forth between different squads and vehicles quickly, making fast decisions to keep their combat effectiveness.

The scope of the squad mechanics means that strategy plays an even bigger part in the game, especially with infantry warfare. Holding of strategic avenues (not necessarily Strategic Points) - such as those with valuable heavy cover near a bottleneck leading to a player's base - with infantry becomes a worthwhile task, unlike in others, where the strategic value of a location without a building or resource on it is usually next to nil and not worth defending.

In other strategy games, retreat and "pulling one's losses" are not effective; unless infantry are retreating to a place where they can find more units to help them fight or to take shelter in turrets or buildings, the squad will fight as well in any other location as it does at the point at which it is already fighting. Strategic retreat is thus an ineffective tactic in most circumstances. In Dawn of War, however, with the added scope of squad-based infantry combat and reinforcements, withdrawing a squad can allow it to replenish and regain its morale at the next set of fortifications or the player's base, allowing it to perhaps drive off its attackers once they attack again - this is almost unique in the field of real-time strategy gaming.

Setting


The Setting of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is a gothic, distopian 41st millenium. Humanity has forged a large galaxy spanning empire, The Imperium, with the immortal Emperor as it's leader and god. The Imperium is in a state of constant war with a multitude of alien aggressors and fallen members of humanity who now serve the gods of Chaos. The single player campaign is set on an Imperial planet called Tartarus.

Races
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War features four playable armies, which share units and characteristics with their tabletop game incarnations.

The Space Marines are genetically modified superhuman soldiers, and are the elite soldiers of the Imperium. Due to their elite nature, Space Marines have high morale and are extremley tough and versatile and unit for unit are stonger than the majority of other units in the game. Their troops and vehicles are however more expensive and can field a smaller number of men compared to the other races. The campaign features the Blood Ravens chapter, and leading them are Captain Gabriel Angelos and Librarian Isador Akios.

The Orks are a savage, warlike race. In Dawn of War they rely on a tremendous amount of infantry, with the typical "Wave of Green" removing the need to micromanage an army. The tech tree for Orks differs compared to the other races in that it depends on the amount of orks currently in your army and the number of erected WAAAGH! banners. Several clans are featured in the campaign, and leading them is Ork Warboss Orkamungus.

The Eldar are an ancient, technologically advanced race. Eldar in Dawn of War are fast and have highly specialized troops, which are superior when used correctly by micromanaging. They are also able to move quickly across the map via webway gates. The campaign features the craftworld of Biel-Tan, and their leader, Farseer Macha.

The Chaos Space Marines are traitor Space Marines that instead worship the gods of chaos. In Dawn of War they use heavy and skilled close combat troops similar to the their Imperium equivilants, supplemented with morale-draining daemons and powerful psychic powers. The campaign features the Alpha Legion, with their leaders, Sindri Myr and Lord Bale.

Plot


The Single player campaign is set on the planet Tartarus, an Imperial planet that is currently being besieged by a large Ork Waaagh!! The campaign begins with Colonel Brom and his 37th Tartarus Planetary Defense Force Regiment under seige by a large group of Orks. The Blood Angels 3rd company, led by Captain Angelos makes planetfall and saves Brom and his remaining men and then proceed to exterminate the remaining Orks in the vicinity. In the aftermath of the battle, Gabriel is joined by the Librarian Isador Akios. Brom asks Isador about a recently conducted Exterminatus of the planet Cyrene, however Isador makes it clear he is not to bring it up again. The Blood Ravens then prepare for a mission of Extermination of the orks surrounding the port, in order to protect the evacuation craft.

Gabriel orders the ordering the exterminatus of the planet Cyrene may be clouding his judgement. Gabriel tells him not to bring it up again, stating the destruction of his homeworld was his responsibility. After the extermination of the Orks, scouts reveal to Gabriel that Chaos are operating on the planet. Soon after this they are joined by an Inquisitor, Toth, who orders them to leave the planet, warning that a Warp Storm is approching the planet and will consume the planet in 3 days time. Toth orders a complete evacuation of the planet. On further investigation, it is revealed that the Eldar are also operating on the planet. The Blood Raven's find an altar dedicated to Chaos, confirming Gabriels suspicions, and resolves to destroy the traitors, unknowing that Isador is already under the influence of Sindri, the chaos sorceror.

Upon destruction of most of the remaining Eldar by Gabriel's forces, the Farseer pleads with Gabriel to heed her words, however during their moment of distraction, Sindri steals an artifact, which Macha reveals to be a key to "the undoing of this world". Upon inquiry, Toth reveals that the world is cursed, and bears an artifact of chaos: the maledictum, a stone that contains the essence of a Daemon. Isador is then completely overcome by the temptations of Sindri and chaos, and resolves to steal the Maledictum himself.



The Blood Ravens destoy the army of Lord Bale, and Sindri leaved him to be destroyed, during which time Isador seizes his chance and steals the Maledictum. In the face of Isador's betrayal, Gabriel persues him in an effort to bring him to justice, decimating his Chaos troops and defeating Isador in single combat. Isador pleads for forgivness to Gabriel, however the Captain shoots him in the head with his bolt pistol, as an example to his men about the dangers of Chaos.

Meanwhile Sindri has used the power of the Maledictum to turn himself into a Daemon Prince. The Blood Raven's launch a final assualt on the Chaos troops in a bid to destroy Sindri before the warp storm consumes the planet, successfully destoying sindri with the aid of the Eldar. The final scene sees Inquisitor Toth ordering Captain Gabriel to destroy the Maledictum. Despite farseer Macha's warnings, he destroys it with Godsplitter, unwittingly releasing the Khorne daemon which Macha had sealed in it. The Daemon lets Gabriel escape as thanks for releasing him, but promises to persue and consume them all, and Gabriel replies that when he comes, he will be annihilated.

Voice cast

 * Brian Dobson - Space Marine, Assault Marines, Terminators, Apothecary, Slugga/Shoota Boyz, Tankbustas, Stormboyz, Killa Kan
 * Mark Oliver - Librarian, Aspiring Champion, Imperial Colonel Carus Brom
 * Michael Dobson - Space Marine Scouts, Big Mek, Imperial Guardsman (Singleplayer Campaign), Imperial Citizen, Imperial Leman Russ (Singleplayer Campaign), Inquisitor Toth
 * Nicole Oliver - Farseer Macha, Howling Banshees
 * Paul Dobson - Force Commander Gabriel Angelos, Chaos Space Marines, Raptors, Obliterators, Possessed Chaos Marines, Chaos Rhino, Chaos Predator, Warboss Orkamungus, Grots
 * Peter New - Mad Dok, Nobz, Wartrukk, Wartrak, Looted Leman Russ
 * Richard Cox - Cultist, Heretic, Guardians, Warp Spiders, Avatar, Wraithlord, Falcon Grav Tank, Fire Prism, Vyper, Rangers, Dark Reapers, Warlock, Bonesinger
 * Scott McNeil - Space Marine Sergeant, Servitor, Chaos Lord Bale, Chaos Sorcerer Sindri Myr, Daemon Prince
 * Tony Gronick - Dreadnought, Land Speeder, Rhino, Whirlwind, Predator, Land Raider

Winter Assault
The first expansion pack for the game was Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Winter Assault. Released in 2005, this expansion pack added a new army, the Imperial Guard, as well as a new unit for each army, and a new single-player campaign, where the player could play as the Forces of Order (Eldar and Guard) or Disorder (Chaos and Orks) as they battle over the planet of Lorn V.

Dark Crusade
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade is a stand alone game as the game mechanics have been revised. Dawn of War and Winter Assault are not required to run Dark Crusade. In addition to the races from the previous games, two new playable races are available: the Tau and the Necrons. The single player campaign mode has been re-worked as well, each having their own race and fighting for control of the planet Kronus. The player can attack and defend provinces, collect planet resources from units when starting to forward bases, similar to the board game Risk, and as various challenges are completed, wargear can be obtained to upgrade the commander unit.

Dark Crusade is sold as a 'stand alone expansion pack'. If only Dark Crusade is installed then users will have access to all of the factions in the campaign mode and skirmish but will be limited to the the new races, Tau and Necron, in multi-player mode. All seven factions are only available in multi-player mode if all games are installed.

Game of the Year Edition
Dawn of War was re-released as a game of the year edition on September 20, 2005 in the USA and on September 23 in Europe. In addition to the regular game the game of the year edition also included 8 new maps, 4 of which were exclusive to the package, new multiplayer features and all the patches released up until that point.

Collections
Subsequent to the release of the Winter Assualt expansion pack, both Dawn of War: Game of the Year Edition and Winter Assault were released in a single package, called the Gold Edition in the USA. In addition, THQ has also released the game and the two expansions in a single package, called The Platinum Collection in the USA or as the Dawn of War: Anthology in the PAL regions. In addition to the games the Platinum collection also included demos of Company of Heroes, Supreme Commander and Titan Quest.

Novels
In December 2004, Black Library released a novelization of Dawn of War by Cassern S. Goto (Goto, 2004). The book expands on the story found in the Single Player campaign, with additional characters and in more detail. A follow-up novel, Dawn of War: Ascension (Goto, 2005) was released in November 2005, continuing the story of Captain Angelos and the Blood Ravens. A third book titled Dawn of War: Tempest, again by Goto, was released 2006; telling the story of Blood Ravens Librarian Rhamah and his struggle to save his chapter's gene-seed in the Eye of Terror, as well as continue the story of Angelos following the events of Ascension. Because of the liberties that Goto takes with the game storyline and the characters, however, many fans of the game series and the Warhammer 40,000 setting do not regard these novels as canon.

Miscellaneous

 * Dawn of War has an active modding community. Relic Entertainment released official modding tools for the community to use.
 * Dawn of War is also the name of a cancelled Real Time Strategy game set in prehistoric times by SouthPeak Interactive.
 * A model of Captian Gabriel was created as showcased in the back of Codex: Space Marines.

Awards

 * GameSpot's Award for Best Expansion Pack of 2006