Some time ago the open beta of Warhammer 40.000: Dawn of War went online. A great opportunity for us to test the multiplayer part of this gritty sci-fi real-time strategy game and thus to write this new preview (our E3-coverage of the game can be found here.) We'll also give a short brief of things that have already been made public about the singleplayer campaign of this game.

The Warhammer 40.000-setting in Dawn of War is not often used in games. A pitty since the excellent atmosphere present with the four races created by developers Relic and Games Workshop asks for more, a whole lot more. The futuristic style and the raw, war-torn environments are highly suitable for lots of epic battles.

Each race has a distinctive look and several unique possibilities/methods of play. The Space Marines (SM) for starters are the most recognisable faction and the only race with an own campaign in the singleplayer portion of Dawn of War (but a bit more about the singleplayer later). They are the tough but just crusaders of the future, all packed with lots of things to shoot with. Their strength relies mainly on their expansive arsenal of vehicles, disciplined squads and drop-possibilities.

Very much opposed to the SM are the Forces of Chaos (aka Chaos Marines). These nutty chaps show quite some similarities with their Space Marines counterparts but what sets them apart is that it seems as if they returned from a day in hell. They worship their Chaos gods as if these last ones are all Satan-like. Some of their units have even already transformed into demons. The Chaos Marines possess strong infantry (including the all-in-one mayhem Obliterators) and just enough warvehicles to make a decent stand.

And then there are the perhaps not so obvious sci-fi species, the Orks (yes, written with a 'k'). That's Warhammer 40k of course and hell, even for a Warhammer-newbie like me it doesn't prove irrating/odd or whatsoever. On the contrary even, the Orks are the side which is the most responsible for the needed humouristic touches here and there.

Although they make up for some funny moments the Orks are not a faction to be mocked at. Even with their clumsy-looking wargear and hastily-built warmachines they can still overwhelm you because of their sheer numbers. More 'Boyz' do the trick here and that also makes them the perfect side to rush with or to hand out carnage in close combat.

Last but not least are the Eldar, highly sophisticated and at the looks from their infantry quite a thin race.:) These aliens got very powerful psychic abilities (through their main heroine the Farseer) and the devestating power of supporting weapon platforms and Fire Prism tanks.

Even with all these differences, every race needs the same resources. Power is one of those, you need it the most for vehicles and advanced units. By the means of generators, this resource is the easiest to gather, unlike Requisition. You'll only get more of that latter by acquiring strategic points on the map. In other words; you just can't afford to stay in your base and go the defensive/fortify yourself-way. This kind of resourcegathering is in no way really innovative but it's a lot easier than letting peons transport the goods back (both Power and Requisition come in at a constant stream). And besides, maintaining and conquering these points around the map is more intense than any other fast-paced rts.

The biggest difference with other games in the genre is coming from how the micromanagement behind the squads/some vehicles is worked out. Squads can be equipped with special weapons for a specific purpose (e.g. missile launchers for anti-vehicle means), can receive a leader (for a better morale) or become enforced by more of the same units till a certain limit. This all can be ordered with a comfortable and easy-to-use interface which allows queuing. Some vehicles can also be improved with better firepower that would definitely make a difference in combat.

The whole unitmanagement thing makes you forget that there is no form of experience-gathering at all for any of heroes/units, you just don't need a feature like that anymore. Units have abilities that can be researched at buildings like Transportation or Berserk Fury. Another peculiar ability of some squads is Jump. In Dawn of War there are no real flying units which can get everywhere or pass over obstacles just like that. Instead there are units who got jetpacks to leap a certain distance over obstacles through the Jump-ability.

Remarkable are some spots on the terrain which can provide positive or negative cover for an infantry squad. Ambushing an enemy squad like that can create panic, if you got some snipers/flamethrowers it's double the fun because more than likely the enemy squad will lose its morale (and become 'broken'). They get weakened then and if you would be the enemy commander then you'll get to hear beggings from the likes of 'Get us out of here' or 'We're done for'. Broken squads are still controllable though and they even get a boost in speed just to get their asses as quickly as possible out of the firing zone.

A way to personalise your squads somewhat more are badges; for example a Space or Chaos Marine squad get these on their left shoulder. You can make one of your own and add it via the Army Painter feature. Tons of color patterns and such are also available to toy with there.

Next to the 'normal' units (some don't deserve that label if you just look at their actions and presence on the battlefield) you have the heroes; each race has two of them, all with their unique abilities. Heroes can also be attached to infantry squads. Even more deciding/life-saving hero-like creatures are the superunits. These lads maximise the spectacle with factor 10. A dazzling impact on the battlefield is achieved through their size, animations and lust for destruction. Orks got their Squiggoth, an impressive Dumbo with big sharp tusks and a horrifying laser for anyone who makes that joke. Or what to say about the Chaos Marines' Bloodthirster; he's raised by sacrificing an own hero/leader which explodes onto the ground into a big bloodsplash. When these boys come into play you'll see the ground shake, and really a lot of units thrown away with single blows or just getting swallowed. Although I am calling them superunits they can be stopped easily though if they roam alone on the map so nothing is really invincible in this game.

Unit-animations like they occur in Dawn of War should be in every rts. They're just so lively and incredibly diverse. Even finishing moves haven't been let out. Add to that the possibility to turn the camera and to zoom in on all the bloodshed and you have a real treat for the eye. It must have been since Battle Realms that I have been so impressed with such animations.

The pure graphical qualities are astonishing too with very detailed textures, nice light effects and just a coherent good feel to everything. Lots of details means heavy specs and that's not different here, you are able to scale details down a bit but even then there were quite some performance/lag problems. Hold in mind this is just a beta of course and thus a relatively old build of the game. The sound departement is already more than decent; unit voices are very enjoyable (especially with the Orks) and sound effects support the on-screen violence very good.

As said before the singleplayer campaign only contains the Space Marines as playable side. The story puts you in the command of the Blood Ravens Chapter (Chapter being Warhammer 40k-ish for a legion of some sorts) on the planet Tartarus where you encounter all three other races during eleven missions.

"Only eleven missions" sounds not that promising but with many subparts in every mission and lots of in-game cutscenes there should be a playlength of about 15 hours or a bit less. We'll need to wait till September 24th before we know if that's enough. The multiplayer sessions which I've been through already though are even in this unfinished state of the game great and at times quite refreshing. If Relic adds its finishing touches correctly we might get a small surprise next to other rts games as Rome and Battle for Middle-Earth this year.