Relicnews

Dawn of War II update beta starts this afternoon, 2:00pm pst (with patch notes included) edit: was delayed, now out

Someguy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:53:17 +0000

The beta for ‘There is Only War’ update will commence this afternoon at 2:00pm PST and will last until July 13th. This includes all the balance changes, fixes and World Builder.

Here is a quick snip from their community page,

By participating in the Beta, you’ll get to play ‘There is Only War’ early, where you can play with new balance changes, new updates, and new features, all before the update is officially released. Steam will update your copy of Dawn of War II when you decide to participate. By playing the Beta and giving us feedback, you’ll also become an active contributor towards the game’s development. The more you tell us about your experience in the Beta, the better the game will be when ‘There is Only War’ is fully released.

Follow this link for instructions on how to participate.
Patch Notes

Edit: Delayed until Thursday, July 2nd, 2pm PST.
Edit 2: Now on steam.

Map Editor included in next Dawn of War 2 update

Someguy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:24:25 +0000

World Builder, the map editor for Dawn of War 2, will be released in the next major update. There is a quick snippet of what to expect from this map editor,

World Builder lets you add victory points, power nodes, and requisition points under Urban, Desert, Tyrannoformed, and Jungle map tilesets. You can deform terrain, place cover objects, choose the weather, and define the size of the map. Maps can be released for two, four, or six players.

Relic will also include a sample map and documentation on how to publish a map for online usage.

No word on online distribution of maps.

Dawn of War II ‘There is Only War’ Update to include Map Editing Tool

Game Replay’s Trip to Relic

ÜberJumper — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:39:03 +0000

Gamereplays had the opportunity to fly (on Relic’s coin) one of their people up to Relic to report, first hand, on some of the changes going into Relic’s upcoming “There is only War” patch. They focused largely on the Replay and Gamecasting features.

Commentated on and compiled by our resident cast-guru - Senior Gamecaster Bentguru - the replay used is a curious hybrid of two eras. Featuring the brand new replay and observer featured but added into the current 1.3 retail version of the game, the cast showcases all of the fantastic additions Relic have given us free reign to reveal and explain to you all! With commentary on the new features provided by the ever-present vocal talents of Bentguru and a crystal clear visual representation of some of the additions we can look for this summer, this ground-breaking exclusive is a must-watch for anyone with more than a passing interest in Dawn of War 2

There’s a video report posted in addition to an interview.

Bentguru’s an old school Homeworld player, so he knows Relic’s games as well as anyone!

There is Only War - the next DoW2 update

Someguy — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:53:37 +0000

Relic announced a major update for Dawn of War 2. Dubbed “There is Only War”, this update will add new features such as observer and referee modes (sounds very tourney like), balance improvements, and new maps.

Starting early July, Relic will launch the open beta for this update. They will announce details on how to join the beta in the next couple of weeks.

Announcing the Dawn of War II ‘There is Only War’ Update

Extended Space Marine E3 trailer

Someguy — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:39:43 +0000

Someone on youtube posted a number of videos he collected from E3. One of the video is the E3 presentation on Space Marine. Runs about 4 minutes.

Enjoy

Company of Heroes 2.600 released, patch notes

Someguy — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:53:23 +0000

Relic’s Thunder posted the patch notes for 2.600. A great deal of fixes and a new Panzerkrieg map to go along.

Complete notes after the jump or you can go here.

Edit: Patch has been released via Relic Online.

Additional mirrors:
Worthplaying

Patch 2.600 Notes

Bug Fixes

* Fixed an issue where Bergetiger audio volume was lower than intended.
* Fixed an issue with speech mixing.
* Fixed an issue with the game crashing while trying to exit from cinematic mode.
* Fixed a number of issues with the World Builder.
* Updated the help text for a few units.
* Fixed an issue with incompatibility between save games and version.
* Fixed a bug with long scenario descriptions.
* Cool-downs are now working properly for all weapons.
* HMGs in buildings will now switch targets as intended; there is a 3.5 second delay before the hmg will fire at another target.
* Squads will no longer rush at an undeployed weapons crew when ordered to attack.
* Fixed an issue where Pak38s could stack their first-strike modifiers.
* Fixed an issue with the lobby and front-end slowing down and operating slowly. This makes joining games and automatch teams much more reliable.
* Fixed a networking issue that caused a player’s stats to appear as all zeroes.
* Fixed an issue that caused the last played map to be forgotten when starting a game of the same type.
* Fixed an issue where a host’s game would crash when both host and client would try to move to an empty slot simultaneously.
* Fixed a few issues with players swapping slots and gameplay types within the lobby.
* Fixed an issue with “Swap Starting Location” functionality.
* Fixed a usability issue with the Autopatcher error messages.
* Fixed an issued that caused the game to crash upon loading the Mission 4 from Invasion of Normandy.
* The help text for the British Staghound has been updated to correctly reflect its role.
* Raised Panzerschreck squads preference to target Light Vehicles while garrisoned in buildings.
* SCAR Bug reporting has been turned off while players are running with -dev.
* Purple box no longer appears when trying to place British emplacements next to each other.
* Panzerkrieg: Fixed exploit that let players create Defensive Infantry for free ignoring the cool down timer.
* Repair bunker pioneers now repair engine criticals when repairing damaged vehicles.

Maps

* Added a new map called Panzerkrieg: Hebecrevon.
* 2p Sturzdorf has been updated to its proper version.
* 2p Beaux Lowlands has been updated to its proper version.
* 2p Wrecked Train has been updated to its proper version.
* 2p Langres has been updated to its proper version.
* 6p The Scheldt has been updated to its proper version.

Gameplay

* Improved the reliability and effectiveness of the American’s Strafing Run.
* The T17 armored car’s damage output has been reduced.
* Penetration of the T17 armored car has been reduced.
* The Panzer Elite’s Schwimmwagen Scorched Earth ability has been replaced with an “Incendiary Trap” ability.
* The British Command Truck’s mobile ability will no longer be available while the Truck is setting up.
* Panzergrenadier’s Suppression Volley can properly target weapon crews that are set-up.
* Infantry sections with Bren upgrades can now use ‘Button Enemy Vehicle’ when garrisoned inside a building.

Panzerkrieg

* Recon flight will now detect camouflaged vehicles and infantry (Panzerkrieg only).
* Panther health decreased by 11%.
* Panther Damage Multiplier reduced by 7%.
* Panther Range Multiplier reduced by 7%.
* Hellcat weapon reload modifier decreased by 11%.
* Hellcat damage multiplier increased by 9%.
* Hotchkiss health decreased by 10%.
* Churchill range increased by 7%.
* Stealth infantry units now cost 35 Manpower.
* Stealth infantry sticky bomb damage reduced by 27%.

Additional fixes not in the patch notes due to localization:

Gameplay

* Panzer Elite Infantry Halftrack suppression lowered.

Bug Fixes

* Fixed an issue where British Howitzers could use their barrage ability when it should be disabled.
* Fixed an issue where British MG nests would not open fire at targets within range.

GameReplays DoW2 Q&A With Thunder

ÜberJumper — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:47:36 +0000

Game Replays had a chance to interview Graham "Thunder" Somers, Relic's community liason. It's a two pager that covers a fair amount of detailed info, mostly focusing on balance and multiplayer issues.

GameReplays.org: Could you tell us a bit about the procedures Relic use to balance the game? How many people are working on DoW2 balance issues? Do they work solely on balance or do they also have other tasks? Is Relic going to hire expert players with good community involvement as balance testers like they did with DoW1? When balancing the game, does Relic focus on satisfying the more casual player or do you aim at high-level competitive play balance?

Relic: We are playing the game a lot, looking at costs, statistics, and the forums to gather information. Our balance department is involved full time on balance along with our full team of designers and programmers who contribute to the process. We have some of the best RTS players out there involved in balancing the game with some members of our team having been attendees at the World Cyber Games. The entire DOW II crew will play games to try out new changes which we did recently with a build of 1.4. The whole team is committed to making DOW II balanced and fun to play.

We don’t currently have any positions open on our balance team, but when we are looking for balance testers the community is the first place we look.

There's some great info on the second page giving you some insight into the work behind designing RTS games.

THQ Booth Tour

ÜberJumper — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 04:11:30 +0000

There’s a bit of Space Marine in THQ’s booth tour. Nothing ground breaking, but interesting none the less. Starts about 3:30 into the video. First part is Red Faction Guerrilla.

E3 Interview with Dave Cheong

ÜberJumper — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 04:02:46 +0000

Gamespot’s posted an interview with Dave Cheong.

Dave’s been at Relic for 10+ years and is one of their top artists.

New Relic Studio Manager

ÜberJumper — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:53:49 +0000

Hidden in the E3 Space Marine Interview is news that JD’s been promoted to General Manager at Relic.

The former studio head was Tarnie Williams.