While we once were largely concerned about managing resources and researching new technologies for our units, players must now focus on things like the directions individual squads are facing, and whether or not to equip their Healer with a sword or a gun. While I might grumble about a bit of unfair unit costs for my beloved Space Marines, the developers at Relic Entertainment have gone a long way in making success largely dependent on utilizing superior stratagems.ДЄnd yet, many players will likely be disillusioned by how differently the game handles, particularly if they're not a fan of role-playing games. This command is crucial when facing superior forces, or when you've simply got too much to deal with at once, and losing a control point is a far better outcome than losing even a single squad in your army.Д«alance is a key element of any strategy game вЂ“ it's largely the reason we're still talking about Starcraft 10 years down the road. Players are also able able to quickly order their units to retreat, automatically sending them scurrying to the nearest fortification point, or back to your headquarters, where they can rally and regain some of their health. These elements are fully destructible however, so you'll have to be sure to keep an eye on enemy movements вЂ“ hiding behind a wall or inside a building won't spare your soldiers from a well placed grenade, or tank treads. If your infantry comes under fire or sees enemies approaching, for example, they'll immediately seek cover: Much of the environment will provide bonuses, mitigating some of the damage that troops receive. Micromanaging your entire army can be a daunting skill to learn, but your troops are actually fairly adept at getting themselves out of trouble. Many others prefer a much more aggressive approach, utilizing the popular Assault Marines with their jetpacks to land directly on top of the enemy, disorienting them while a ground force maneuvers in for the kill. Using the Space Marines, for example, I'm inclined to start each map by sending a group of scouts equipped with shotguns and cloaks to explore and harass the enemy, slowing them down while my heavy weapons teams set up ideal defensive positions around resources. The result of these rather stringent mechanics is a focus on carefully micromanaging small squads of units, and purchasing abilities and equipment tailored to particular threats and play styles. The match ends once a team's score has fallen to zero. Owning victory locations will drain points from your opponent's score, provided you've captured at least one more location than they have. This latter mode works much like the Domination or King of the Hill games in popular first person shooters вЂ“ each team of three players starts with a score of 500 points, and are tasked with capturing and defending three locations on each map. There are two multiplayer modes in the beta: Annihilate, which requires that you simply wipe out the opponent's headquarters, and Victory Point Control. Resource management is a simple as capturing Requisition and Power nodes, but these must be defended, as the enemy can swipe your supply nodes fairly easily. There also isn't much in the way of base building in Dawn of War II, though a few of the Commander units are able to build turrets and emplacement to defend key areas, or fortify their squads. Commanders can be revived should they fall in battle, and have a large swath of equipment at their disposal that can alter their abilities to fit your play style. Consider the Ork Mekboss, who can build turrets and repair vehicles, or the Tyranid Hive Tyrant, who specializes in trudging onto the battlefield and flattening the enemy. Each race can choose choose between three Commander units, Heroes with special abilities that generally fall into Offensive, Defensive, and Support roles. Despite the real-time-strategy moniker, Dawn of War II has a lot in common with traditional role playing games, a distinction that will take some time to get used to.

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