The game's campaign departs from those of its predecessors in several key features. The campaign can be played either as single-player or cooperatively with another player through an online connection. Campaign ĭawn of War II features a non-linear interplanetary campaign, playable as the Space Marines. On June 17, 2014, an optional update was released that removes Games for Windows Live and the defunct GameSpy multiplayer servers for Steam solutions, including Steam Cloud. The game also requires authentication via Steam. Because of this, a player must be able to connect to the Windows Live servers in order to access the game's multiplayer features. Īs a Games for Windows - Live game, the game uses the Achievements system from Xbox Live, and is the first widely released, PC-exclusive game to use it. This game also includes a fall back command which the AI will use somewhat liberally, making the squad or command unit fall back at a higher speed and become resistant to range damage while being more vulnerable to melee. Other differences between Dawn of War II and its predecessors include improved unit AI (squads under fire seek cover, for example), more realistically sized vehicles, and an improved physics engine, though the AI is easy to manipulate, by means such as placing suppression squads which the AI will instantly know have been placed and avoid, thus allowing to funnel the army to the player needs. Some weapons, such as grenades and other explosives, can destroy cover, while others, such as flamers, ignore cover bonuses completely. Accordingly, there is also new emphasis on methods of dealing with units in cover. Jonny Ebbert, the game's lead designer, describes the feel of the game by saying that it 'takes everything that was great about the original and combines it with the best that Company of Heroes had to offer.' There is a heavier focus on cover, which gives more substantial defensive bonuses. The gameplay of Dawn of War II is markedly different from that of Dawn of War and its expansions. The Chaos Space Marines and the Imperial Guard were later added to the game through its two expansion packs. Playable armies at the initial release of the game include the Space Marines, Orks, Eldar, and Tyranids.

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