One day after
IGN's big preview sees a bevy of new
Retribution previews on rather diverse subjects.
Relic stepped up to the task by sending Clint Tasker to give a breakdown of
Retribution's new matchmaking, leaderboard, stats, load screen, and army painter improvements. Matchmaking is now based on an ELO system that includes rest. This replaces the
Games for Windows Live-specific
TrueSkill that
Dawn of War 2 and
Chaos Rising utilized. The leaderboard won't change much, but it will leverage ELO rating directly for ranking. Player stats will be integrated into
Steam and thus are viewable both in-game and out of game (which I am sure many people here at
GameReplays will love as they prepare their ad hominems). The army painter is also getting a revamp, offering players the ability to view most non-vehicle units from each race instead of just heroes. Furthermore, players will be able to use custom badges, which other players can choose to view or not view as they please. And finally,
Retribution will use new load screens that look eerily similar to those found in other recent strategy games:
"Catachan Devils' vast experience with premethium has given them resistance to flame weapons, above and beyond other guardsmen units." So says the very relevant loading screen tip. also stepped-up to the plate, delivering a
Retribution preview centered on the new
Last Stand map and hero. The new map is set on the new volcanic tileset (don't quote this writer or
PC Gamer on the exact title of that tileset- it just looks volcanic). The waves are all new, and far more brutal than they are on the current
Last Stand map. The author of the
PC Gamer article made it no farther than the fourth wave, and as dismissive as many here may be of journalists, the first four waves of the current
Last Stand map are such a cakewalk that at least within a few tries most players attempting it would make it through. So this is definitely going to be more of a challenge.
It begs the question- is the mug deadlier than the sword?The Lord General himself seems to follow more in the footsteps of the
Chaos Rising Last Stand heroes rather than the original three, in that he relies heavily on summonable units. He has access to a bevy of troop and turret call-ins which he relies upon to be effective, seeming to make him a squishier Hive Tyrant in some respects. Also of note is that current levels will transfer to
Steamworks, so if you have a level 20 Farseer or something then do not fret about having to grind again. No word on any sort of rebalancing, extra wargear, or increased level cap though for the mode.
Finally,
THQInsider conducted a question and answer. Probably the biggest answer to come out of it relates to the ability to "delete" structures that have run their course. There is also interesting mention of "new gear" in multiplayer and existing gear and weapons having been "changed around". And the final noteworthy tidbit is that
Chaos Rising saved games will not transfer and apparently which
Chaos Rising ending is canon is a spoiler of sorts for
Retribution's ending, so do not expect
Relic to hand you that piece of information until you beat
Retribution.
All in all, another big news day for
Retribution.
Relic and
THQ are really keeping the intensity high leading up to the beta.
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