04-26-2006, 04:52 AM
I've had it and the expansion for a while now, and I enjoy it quite a bit, especially the post-expansion game. Pre-expansion, there was very little difference between Chaos and Space Marines (save Chaos having lower overall Morale and instead having a few variety units tossed in.) Post-expansion, however, the difference is night-and-day; while Space Marines remain about the same (a high-Morale, very versatile race), Chaos have become an assault-oriented powerhouse, surpassing even Orks in that field. Additionally, ALL Chaos units (save Chaos Marines, Raptor squads, Horrors, and their Commanders) are completely and utterly immune to Morale - a common tactic to countering Possessed Chaos Space Marines in the original game (they were the strongest assault unit in the original game, and remain that way, though they deal less damage per-hit than other assault units like Mega-Armored Nobz) was to simply kite them around with Flamers until the squad broke, and then use abilities like Weaken Resolve to keep them broken until you could wipe out the entire squad.
I do admit that I do find myself wishing for Starcraft 2 like this (especially while playing as Space Marines.)
Additionally, keep in mind that the AI - even with the Dawn of Skirmish mod that GREATLY increases its capabilities - is about as challenging as a retarded child compared to human opponents. Except to be harassed, rushed, harassed some more, rushed some more, and harassed again in games against human opponents, and expect to see blatant zerging at various tiers.
On another note, this is not a game for the defensively-minded; even the "defensive" race, the Imperial Guard, are a very aggressive race (possessing one of the best tier 1 rushes in the game), and the entire game revolves around constant attack; this means that - for the most part - mines and bolter/missile turrets are of extremely limited use in multiplayer games (although mines are handy for keeping Scout Marines and Cultists out of your base.) If you aren't attacking, you're losing.
On top of this, there is an extremely large difference between tech tiers; that is, very few units from a previous tier will have a good chance against units from a higher tier. Your Raptor squads will have quite a bit of fun shredding Cultists and Chaos Marines in tier 1, but when your enemy rolls out that first squad of Berzerkers - especially if he gets them well before you do - you're SOL.
Finally, the game demands good micromanagement skills (though not nearly as much so as Warcraft III) AND good macromanagement skills; to truly compete, you need to be able to fight effectively on multiple fronts, dancing your ranged units away from his assault units at one location while sneaking off to go ninja one of his strategic points at another location halfway across the map.
It's a fun game, to be sure, but it's not for everyone.
I do admit that I do find myself wishing for Starcraft 2 like this (especially while playing as Space Marines.)
Additionally, keep in mind that the AI - even with the Dawn of Skirmish mod that GREATLY increases its capabilities - is about as challenging as a retarded child compared to human opponents. Except to be harassed, rushed, harassed some more, rushed some more, and harassed again in games against human opponents, and expect to see blatant zerging at various tiers.
On another note, this is not a game for the defensively-minded; even the "defensive" race, the Imperial Guard, are a very aggressive race (possessing one of the best tier 1 rushes in the game), and the entire game revolves around constant attack; this means that - for the most part - mines and bolter/missile turrets are of extremely limited use in multiplayer games (although mines are handy for keeping Scout Marines and Cultists out of your base.) If you aren't attacking, you're losing.
On top of this, there is an extremely large difference between tech tiers; that is, very few units from a previous tier will have a good chance against units from a higher tier. Your Raptor squads will have quite a bit of fun shredding Cultists and Chaos Marines in tier 1, but when your enemy rolls out that first squad of Berzerkers - especially if he gets them well before you do - you're SOL.
Finally, the game demands good micromanagement skills (though not nearly as much so as Warcraft III) AND good macromanagement skills; to truly compete, you need to be able to fight effectively on multiple fronts, dancing your ranged units away from his assault units at one location while sneaking off to go ninja one of his strategic points at another location halfway across the map.
It's a fun game, to be sure, but it's not for everyone.
ArrayPaladins were not meant to sit in the back of the raid staring at health bars all day, spamming heals and listening to eight different classes whine about buffs.[/quote]
The original Heavy Metal Cowâ¢. USDA inspected, FDA approved.
The original Heavy Metal Cowâ¢. USDA inspected, FDA approved.