DoW II: The Next Big Thing?

I spent a substantial amount of time last weekend playing the open multiplayer beta for Relic's Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II. These are my preliminary thoughts.

Couple of quick disclaimers here: (1) I played the first one for a while, but ultimately thought that, as an RTS, it had more potential than substance; and (2) the beta I played was clearly incomplete (no campaign, no skirmish mode, etc.), so this shouldn't be considered comprehensive. But it's never too early to begin speculation, so here I go.

First off, the game looks pretty impressive: whether you're talking about the extensive list of individual animations, the (almost) completely deformable terrain, or the highly-detailed units, this is inarguably a very polished product. It's clear that the developer was intending from the beginning to give the player exciting, detailed, and authentic (at least for a fantasy-inspired futuristic RTS) battles, on which subject the game succeeds quite nicely. Explosions frequently shook the entire battlefield, and the violence that takes place between "armies" is positively giggle-inducing. And yes, there is a reason I put that last term in quotes: for all of its eye candy, Dawn of War is still, at its heart, a glorified squad tactics game.

And to me, that's the biggest problem about DoW II. When I saw my supply counter (you know, the current/maximum number of troops in combat), I noticed that it topped out at "100". No big deal, since troops in these things are usually delegated in single digits...............whoops, strike that. Out of the four races, the cheapest unit you can buy comes in at nine supply points, which means that under no circumstances can any race field more than eleven units at a time.

And that just seems to make the battles kind of small. While skirmishes are a fact of life in DoW, pitched battles are intense, satisfying.......and absurdly short. It seems that there is a TON of buildup initially for about three minutes worth of good action. Assuming the losing side can piece itself back together, there is potential for rinsing and repeating. But it'll be more of the same, since the unit selection for each side leaves a good deal to be desired. Not only are choices kinda sparse (maybe six or nine per race), but they ALL fall under the same basic templates, echoing my complaint about every RTS since, like, Warcraft III. Melee. Light ranged. Heavy ranged. Mech walker. Heroes are OK, but I think they were better implemented in Lord of The Rings: BFME II -- in this game, they are fairly cookie-cutter, and aside from various pre-sets of gear, there's virtually no customization. And why is everything ground-based........?

So, my (admittedly) pre-mature verdict? Entertaining for a weekend, but DoW's apparent lack of depth bodes ill for its long-term playability. Here's hoping the single-player campaign is as good as Relic says it is.

Hold that thought, actually: just double the unit limit and I'll be good to go.