Hotcod
10-30-2009, 06:47 AM
The first real hands on (http://ow.ly/xzHa) of the DoWII expansion pack Chaos Rising has been posted and it seems better than I could have hoped for!
It's answers a lot of questions that people have been asking like how you can bring your squads forward but you'll lose the equipment you'd gained in the first campaign. But for me the most important reveal would have to be about the corruption system.
Like Dawn of War II, players receive various bonuses and rewards based on their performance in battle. However, there's more of an impact to your players that simply acquiring gear and experience. Thanks to the appearance of the Chaos Marines, your soldiers will find themselves tainted by the corruption on their souls during each mission, which will affect your troops and their abilities. In fact, this adds a new feature to the game represented by a morality bar which indicates how far you've fallen under the chaotic shadow based on your actions. For example, while I jump jetted on top of the base walls, I could have directed my troops to blast through the gate itself, which would have corrupted my forces because they would have left the few remaining defenders open to future attacks from enemies. I was told that each mission that you take on will have variable corruption objectives that you can be presented with, such as not retreating from the enemy or searching the entire map to avoid its effects, and that there would also be different redeeming missions as well.
So not only will we be seeing corruption from the use of equipment but from choices made during the missions! Those of you that have read my comments on the matter before now and especially on the corruption system will know that this was something I was really hoping to see. It's unsurprising to see traditional RPG elements like a moral alignment finding there way in to the game but it is gratifying. It's one element that has always been missing from gameplay mechanics when you have Chaos vs SM. The only unanswered question is if this will have an impact on the story or ending of the campaign.
It's answers a lot of questions that people have been asking like how you can bring your squads forward but you'll lose the equipment you'd gained in the first campaign. But for me the most important reveal would have to be about the corruption system.
Like Dawn of War II, players receive various bonuses and rewards based on their performance in battle. However, there's more of an impact to your players that simply acquiring gear and experience. Thanks to the appearance of the Chaos Marines, your soldiers will find themselves tainted by the corruption on their souls during each mission, which will affect your troops and their abilities. In fact, this adds a new feature to the game represented by a morality bar which indicates how far you've fallen under the chaotic shadow based on your actions. For example, while I jump jetted on top of the base walls, I could have directed my troops to blast through the gate itself, which would have corrupted my forces because they would have left the few remaining defenders open to future attacks from enemies. I was told that each mission that you take on will have variable corruption objectives that you can be presented with, such as not retreating from the enemy or searching the entire map to avoid its effects, and that there would also be different redeeming missions as well.
So not only will we be seeing corruption from the use of equipment but from choices made during the missions! Those of you that have read my comments on the matter before now and especially on the corruption system will know that this was something I was really hoping to see. It's unsurprising to see traditional RPG elements like a moral alignment finding there way in to the game but it is gratifying. It's one element that has always been missing from gameplay mechanics when you have Chaos vs SM. The only unanswered question is if this will have an impact on the story or ending of the campaign.