E3 2008: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II Exclusive Q&A - E3, New CG Intro, E3, and E3

The yearly E3 convention is traditionally the time and place to reveal exciting new details on upcoming games, so what better venue to take the wraps off of the hard-hitting new intro video for Dawn of War II, the sequel to Relic's fast-paced and violent real-time strategy game based on the classic sci-fi universe? The mighty Space Marines return to battle against the feral Orks and their other rivals in a sequel that will feature impressive destructible terrain and a brand-new single-player campaign in which you'll guide a small squad of soldiers and equip them with piles of loot, not unlike how you'd normally develop an adventuring party in a role-playing game. While you watch the new trailer from Plastic Wax, you can also pick up some new details on the game at E3 in our exclusive interview with producer Mark Noseworthy and lead designer Jonny Ebbert.

GameSpot: The intro video for the original Dawn of War was excellent. What's in store with the Dawn of War II intro?

Jonny Ebbert: You'll definitely be seeing more of the brutal combat you saw in the original trailer. The trailer also introduces the Eldar, the next playable faction that will be featured in Dawn of War II.

GS: Once you have fans excited with the trailer, what are you planning on showing off for the actual E3 demo?

Mark Noseworthy: Our actual E3 demo this year is going to be a full play-through of an actual mission that will be shipping in the final game. Warboss Bonesmasha [an Ork character] has captured Mt. Siccoris, and it's up to the Space Marines to head down to the planet's surface to take him out and regain control of the area. The demo will showcase the importance of wargear on the battlefield and answer some of the outstanding questions that players and writers have asked every since we announced that [the sequel] will be a game centered around controlling an elite strike force of named soldiers; namely, how does reinforcement work, what happens when your heroes die, and the role of capturing territory.

GS: We understand that the single-player campaign will focus more on a smaller squad of individual Space Marines, not unlike your award-winning RTS hit Company of Heroes. Why are you deciding to narrow the focus instead of going bigger, as we often see in sequels?

JE: We're really trying to drive up the sense of attachment people feel to their units and to the action happening on the ground. We've found that players get very attached to their squads if there are a few of them and they have to control them closely. Players get even more attached to their squads if the squads get better at what they do and carry their progress from mission to mission.

There's something really exciting about controlling a small force you know by name, and knowing that there are no reinforcements coming... It's all on you to win the next mission.

GS: Walk us through a few of the customization options of these individual marines. What are some fun combinations of weapons and armor you can outfit them in?

MN: The leader of each squad can be customized on your battle barge prior to each mission. Each of these heroes can be equipped with unique weapons, armor, and accessories. These customization options can dramatically alter the squad's role on the battlefield. Here's an example.

Sergeant Avitus is a heavy-weapons specialist and leads a devastator squad. Some of the weapons archetypes he can equip include the heavy bolter, missile launcher, and plasma cannon. As for his accessories, he has access to some pretty deadly weaponry including frag grenades and melta bombs. Equipping both the heavy bolter and frag grenades at the same time is a deadly combination because you can suppress your enemies to keep them pinned down, then take them out with a tactical grenade toss while they're helpless. It's a beautiful thing, really.

GS: As you can choose which planets to visit next, will the campaign be affected if you choose to save one planet before another? Or is this simply a matter of choosing your missions in any order you see fit?

JE: The campaign is built entirely around player choice, so you decide which planets you want to try to save, and how you want to save them...or if you want to save them at all. The decisions you make have a huge impact on the campaign's outcome. You lead a strike force on a mission to save an entire sector of the galaxy from a massive invasion, and you get to save it however you choose.

GS: Take us through some of the new units in the game and some of your favorite new attacks.

JE: Two of my favorite Space Marine squads are the Scout Marines and the Assault Marines. We'll have more details on each later, but here's a quick preview.

The Scout Marines are your special-ops squad. They can infiltrate to scout out the enemy, or they can infiltrate to move behind enemy lines. They have a lot of cool abilities to play with once you are behind enemy lines. They can snipe enemies, plant demolition charges, disable enemy vehicles, or throw stun grenades. I've had hours of fun playing with this squad.

Assault Marines are more straightforward but also extremely fun to play with. They have jump packs, and are usually equipped with chainswords. You can launch them several hundred feet in the air and land them behind your enemies, or you can land them right on top of your enemy and send them flying (it's pretty devastating to land on people when you're wearing two tons of power armor). You can also send your Assault Marines in to chop people up the old-fashioned way with their chainswords. Or you can equip them with flamethrowers and watch them torch enemies to a cinder. Good times!

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.

GS: Finally, what do you think fans are going to think once they see the trailer and check out coverage of Dawn of War II at E3?

JE: We'll let the players judge the end result. But the team has worked hard on the trailer and the gameplay, and we definitely hope that players are excited by both!

GS: Thanks, gentlemen. Good luck at the show.