Relicnews: the definitive source for all things Relic

The folks over at Worthplaying have posted nine Dawn of War screenshots, five of those are new, the others have either been released before in one form or another. You can view them here, and discuss them in this thread.

Looks like the german site, Gamestar.de, has slapped up a preview of Dawn of War, which most notably includes two new screenshots from within the game. You can check out the preview here. Thanks to the folks at dawnofwar.de for the heads up.

Click here for the babelfish translation.

You can discuss the new screens in this thread.

As you might have noticed, the forums are currently down and are undergoing an update, which shouldn’t take much longer (or so I hope).

[update]: Ok… the update may take a little longer then I expected….

[update #2] : The forum upgrade is now complete. There are still some issues that need to be resolved, but they shouldn’t prevent you from using the forums.

A patch is now available for Insect Invasion, bringing Relic’s free IC mod up to version 1.4. Here’s a list of some of the more significant bug fixes:

Size 1 ant / rat problem fixed, they don’t smurf now.

Coal/Electricity Conversion bug fixed

You can no longer spawn henchmen at enemy workshops.

The patch also includes several balance fixes, for a full list of these check the readme file found in the IC root folder after installation. Please note that as the II mod, this patch is unsupported by Microsoft Support, and they will not be able to help you if you experience problems with the game.

You can grab the patch here. Thanks to ICP for the news.

Here’s the news from Relic.com!

The accolades from PC Gamer Magazine continue to unfold. In addition to recently naming Relic Entertainment the ‘It Developer’ of 2004 and listing Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War as one of the top-10 titles to watch out for in 2004, PC Gamer has chosen Dawn of War for the cover of its April issue. Inside, readers will find a 5-page preview written by PC Gamer Editor-in-Chief, Rob Smith, with exclusive information about Dawn of War, including races, gameplay, and other juicy details. Here are some quotes from the article:

• “Mobbed by Orks, the Force Commander pivots and delivers a devastating swirl attack. Though the story will explain the weapon upgrade from power sword to ass-beating bludgeon-stick (as it will likely come to be known), Angelos will be the only real persistent character. And the game design decision backing this function is critical to catapulting this DoW from hardcore-strategy niche to broadly appealing genre leader.”
• “Even at this early stage, DoW’s firefights could be the definitive statement on explosive combat. Swirling the fully 3D camera around the devastated landscape, slowing time to watch the detail of spent shells flicking out of a machinegun chamber, and panning back to drench yourself with the spectacle of Space Marines wailing on Orks is a thing of beauty.”
• “At a distance, squads will cut down charging opponents before switching to power swords to carve up, cleft, cleave, and c-c-c-crucify the ravenous hordes of Orkish brutality.”
• “Ammo and amputations, bullets and blood - each battle scene ends with a collection of cadavers. It’s that simple.”
• “We have high hopes that the setting and the license serve merely as the icing on a satisfying strategic battle cake. Cry havoc and unleash the Dawn of War.”

The April issue should be available in news stands across North America. We’ve included a couple of the screenshots used in the article on the Dawn of War page for those who can’t wait to get their hands on a copy.

These are the two screenshots…

Direct to Fans on the forums, came this bit of concept art.

Enjoy!

[edit]Note this is not NEW, this is from the 15th, it got bumped when I was adding in the dawn of war news markers.

Looks like the first dedicated Warhammer 40K:Dawn of War fansite is up. DevlshOne runs a large IC Fansite as well (the largest?).

They’re looking for staffers that are Warhammer fans.

The same screens from IGN’s preview are up at Gamespot. No real meat in their article, but at least the screens have no watermarks.

Jay Wilson’s done a spectacular 4 page interview at IGN.com. There’s a few brand spanking new screenshots as well.

Check out this bit about the resourcing model, sounds great!

IGNPC: Most RTS’s have some sort of resource system in place to train units and construct buildings on the battlefield. Will Dawn of War be using a new resourcing structure or be using something a bit more traditional to the genre?

Jay Wilson: Traditional RTS resource systems simply don’t fit well with the background of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. In this universe entire planets are geared towards the production of a single chassis type of tank for instance. Space Marines take a dozen years to train and represent some of the most elite, well-equipped fighting forces that have ever existed. The idea that they might collect minerals 100 yards from the front lines, or be ‘trained’ in 30 seconds at a structure just doesn’t sit right with fans of the universe, and frankly is an abstract aspect of RTS’s in general.

In addition, resource systems in most RTS games have become the bane of most players. Your entire military operation is dependent on your weakest unit that is centrally located in one, predictable spot. That has led to gameplay in RTS’s being more about side-stepping your enemy to hit their harvesters and avoid their military altogether.

However, we recognize that base-building and resource systems both provide elements that we believe are critical to making RTS’s enjoyable: pacing, conflict points, motivation for exploration, reward, and progression.

Our resource system revolves around capturing strategic locations in the world. The more strategic locations you have, the more you can justify bringing in troops to hold those locations, and therefore the more requisition they produce. Requisition is used just like any resource to bring in new units and supplies. The best part about this system is there are no harvesters. You use your military to capture points. And because the points are spread throughout a map your economy is spread out, and can’t be taken out in one fatal blow.

There is quite a bit of base-building in the game, but we’ve changed the context of this as well. Bases in our game are not meant to represent cities or empires, but rather ‘field bases’; the last refuge before the front line. They’re locations for troops to rest, re-supply, and get back to the fight. Structures aren’t built, and units aren’t trained. Space Marines, for example, drop their structures from orbit, unfold them, and they’re ready to go. A similar mechanic is used to bring in units, which arrive via drop pods, transports, or teleportation. Typical structures include things like ammo stashes, communication centers, and power generators (which produce power for the base, our second resource).

I’m Stoked!

Check it out!

The latest ATI Catalysts fix some performance issues with HW2 version 1.1 (with Antialiasing turned on). There’s also a note about a problem with Windows in the SP version being fixed (new to me!).

Looks like Relic will have a booth setup at GDC this year. Here’s a blurb from the Relic site:

Relic is looking forward to having everyone come by their booth at GDC, Wednesday the 24th of March through Friday March 26th. We will be located in the Career section of the GDC show floor, booth # 1937. Take a look at the postings in our employment section for an idea for details on the positions we are looking for. Bring your resumes, portfolios and questions – we want to talk to everyone !

Check out Relic’s employment section here.