Blogger and RTS enthusiast The Wayward Strategist (sometimes known as Brandon) is a writer whose insight and keen knowledge of the RTS genre has led to many pieces that have made the rounds in our studio. Knowing that, we jumped at the chance to let him chat with members of the Dawn of War III team about our newest title, and how our past has informed our present, and where we’re going in the future. Brandon’s first piece touched on the legacy of Dawn of War, and what learnings we took from Dawn of War I and II into the upcoming third entry.
For this second entry, Brandon chatted with Game Designer Carolina Mastretta about all things customization. From the Army Painter, to Doctrines, to Elites, and beyond, player choice is a major factor of Dawn of War III. To find out more about what our intentions were, head on over to read the full piece. Below are just a few excerpts;
On Cosmetic Upgrades in Dawn of War III…
[As with] Dawn of War 2, there will be not only paint colors but paint material that affects its appearance. Matte and glossy options will be available, as well as metallic colors. The big reveal in terms of cosmetics to me was that some options are tied to specific elites and are a reward for using them.
On Strategic Loadouts…
Regarding Commanders, Carolina had more to say, "We didn't want to change the core play style of the faction. That was one complaint we saw regarding some Commanders. We wanted to steer Dawn of War III more into readability and clarity, and clear opportunities for counterplay, more clear than previous titles."
On How These Choices Affect Combat…
Carolina continued talking about Super Elites: "The player has to take advantage of the mobility of smaller units, and abuse ability cooldowns. Opportunities certainly exist to take them out. It's a big part of our ongoing balance, though, to make sure that Super Elites aren't a win button." She also noted that in her personal experience, it's not all that common to see a player call in all three of their Elites in a match, that it's common to see a single Elite unit called in early and used throughout a match, with the other two Elites held in reserve.
Be sure to read the full piece over at The Wayward Strategist! As well, you can head here to read his first piece if you missed it!