Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Designer Diary #2

Relic's Jay Wilson brings us up to speed on Dawn of War. Click the stream option for a larger view.

You could say that real-time strategy games used to all follow the same formula. Basically, you would collect resources, build a base, and build an army to squash your opponents as quickly as possible. Fortunately, many developers are breaking from this time-worn format to try something new. Take, for instance, Relic Entertainment, which is currently hard at work creating Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. The game will feature the official license for Warhammer 40,000 from veteran tabletop game studio Games Workshop. What this means is that you can expect to see armies of grim space marines wearing power armor and carrying advanced futuristic weaponry while marching into battle against armies of vicious aliens who are similarly armed and similarly determined. Designer Chris Degnan sheds more light on the game's development in our latest designer diary.

Dawn of Development

By Chris Degnan
Designer, Relic Entertainment

Hey there! I'm Chris Degnan, one of the designers on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, and today I get to present to you a designer diary! As part of the Dawn of War design team, I work closely with Jay (the lead) and the other designers, and I get to poke my nose into a lot of cool stuff! For me, one of the most exciting aspects of the game development process has always been the creative process that goes into developing the game and all of its many bits and details. And that's what I'll be delving into in this diary.

The creative process starts with the identification of the core ideas or goals of the game. In this case, we had this great license in Warhammer 40,000, which is filled to the brim with tough warriors with big guns and bloodthirsty enemies, in addition to some really strong concepts for where we wanted go with our real-time strategy (RTS) game. So we took these concepts--and the license--and outlined what would define our core gameplay. We wanted to depict brutal, frontline combat in a manner never before seen in a real-time strategy game. We also wanted to make a game that appealed to the casual gamer without losing touch with the more avid RTS or Warhammer 40,000 fan. We wanted to capture the feel and the energy of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and we wanted to create a fun and compelling resource system.

Once the core concepts were defined, numerous gameplay elements were filled in, and the "proof of concept," or "POC," phase was entered. For the POC, we set about prototyping the look and the feel of our future game as well as the gameplay and core functionality behind our concepts. The goal of the POC is to find out whether our ideas work in practice before committing a full team and a couple of years to the game. We try to shake out as many kinks as we can, prove all of our "fun" things, and highlight troublesome features that may give us grief or require further thought down the line.

Our prototype consisted of only one of our four races, the space marines, and only a fraction of their final inventory of units and buildings. But with that handful of units, we were able to implement and test all our basic gameplay features. With our space marine unit, we were able to test the playability of squad-based unit control, reinforcing squads in the field, upgrading weapons (only a missile launcher in those days), and executing modal infantry combat (that's when they use their guns at range and pull their combat knives out at close range). We had our builder to make our buildings, we had our basic vehicles to test our vehicle-versus-infantry balance, and we had our new resource system of "strategic points" to test the feasibility of an economy based around a military.

All in all, the POC went amazingly well. Armed with a working example of where we wanted our game to go, we hired some more talent and set about the construction of the game properly. Now in a prototype, a lot of what we do is done for expediency, and a lot of the prototype assets must be set aside and replaced by the real thing, developed from scratch. By doing this, we ensure that all of the art assets and gameplay features are done right, without the potential limitations of rough prototype solutions.

As the phase of the development cycle shifts from planning to full production, the creative process changes from being very open-ended and expansive to being a lot more focused on problem-solving and getting the most out of our resources. At this point, as the programmers start to code all of the final features, the artists start churning out final models and animations for approval. And as the art assets are completed, they are dropped into the game with amazing results. Throughout this period, features are scrutinized to ensure that they reinforce our core goals, and we are always on the lookout to trim the excess work from the schedule. The creative process isn't limited to just the game either, because even the approach to constructing the tools we use to make the game can benefit from some creative thought.

For example, the "attribute editor" tool that the programmers provided for the designers lets the designers actually access and modify the abilities for all of the units, abilities, and buildings in the entire game. Now, when we have to change some stat so that the Orks are worse at shooting and better at chopping, we don't have to bug anyone else; we can just step in to do it.

All of that hard work and planning in the early stages of development has led to something that we really feel delivers on our core vision. Thanks to all the effort put in by the artists and programmers, you can watch as ranks of armed combatants take aim and blow one another apart before charging in with swords and axes drawn to beat one another in close combat, complete with stunning special attacks and vicious killing blows. Warhammer 40,000 fans and newcomers alike can feel the earth shake as buildings drop from the sky, warriors in power armor clash with horrible aliens, and monsters summoned from the warp stride into battle and stomp their foes to pieces.

We've focused very intently on the look and feel of the game, but we've also never lost sight of the tactical elements. You can quickly counter a special-weapons squad by tying them up in close combat or using stealth abilities to take a quick peek inside their base. Fund your economy by capturing strategic points all across the battlefield, or concentrate your resources by developing a set few. Will you spend all of your resources to constantly reinforce your existing squads--as they get punished in battle--or will you leave squads high and dry as you save up for the next big rush?

As players take to the field in Dawn of War, the initial calm belies the carnage that waits just a few moments into the game. As the builders start frantically calling in and assembling buildings, squads of basic infantry push out to both capture points and secure resources. Soon the commander takes to the field and leads the first charge against the enemy. Looking for any advantage, the players use superior numbers, cover bonuses, or weapon upgrades to draw first blood. Then it becomes a mad dash to secure more points and maintain existing forces while adding new units to counter the opponent's army. Soon, the first vehicles rumble on to the killing fields, perhaps catching an unprepared foe completely by surprise and decimating infantry ill-equipped to deal with the new threat. But soon counters are called in, and the battle again evens out. Before long, victory becomes a matter of who can protect their economy and maintain their military might while denying their opponent these same luxuries. And when death comes, it's usually in the form of a landslide of monstrous killing machines and hordes upon hordes of gun-wielding warriors.

Since the project began, the reference material from the Warhammer 40,000 universe--which includes both the fiction and the existing games--was overwhelming, but we all benefited greatly from it. Working within such a dynamic and well-conceived universe has been absolutely awesome, and the creative process that has led us to our current game has been incredibly rewarding.