This is a guide on how to create your own mods if you're interested, specifically how to extract and pack .sga files. It doesn't seem to be a well documented process, so hopefully this post will make editing them easy to understand. Hopefully. I'll be using the Elite mod 2.4 .sga files to demonstrate.
Retribution is the second expansion to the 2nd-generation Warhammer 40,000 RTS game, Dawn of War II. It was released in March 2011 with six campaigns, a new multiplayer faction, improved The Last Stand mode and a new online service. The Dawn of War II multiplayer scene has migrated to Retribution from the old matchmaking system. Dawn of War 2: Elite Mod. This is a bonus entry covering Dawn of War II: Retribution, because for some reason people still like playing that game. At least it’s not as bad as Dawn of War III, I. For Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution on the PC, a GameFAQs message board topic titled 'Death Korps of Krieg Mod - Online compatible'. ↑ 2.0 2.1 DoW II: Retrubution Patch Notes/Updates:: Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® II – Retribution™ General Discussions ↑ Calico - FAQs Feral Interactive Categories.
Dawn of War 2: Retribution - Elite Mod 2.3 Preview - Duration: 1:11:22. Indrid Casts 37,264 views. THE EMPEROR OF MAN 1 The Rise of Humanity.
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Update:
I put together a little tool that I think makes packing up mods much simpler and intuitive. Everything I've tested it with has worked well, but if you have any issues, let me know here. The .sga extraction process below still applies, so if that's what you're having trouble with, skip ahead.
- DataPacker.rar
- (1.22 KiB) Downloaded 63 times
Instead of a small program with a UI, this tool is just a set of 4 files that you can place in a folder, double-click one of them, and then you're done. This will be a quick explanation on how it should be set up, and how you can modify it to suit your needs.
The first thing to do is download the above DataPacker.rar, AttribPacker.rar, and SoundPacker.rar files and place them in the proper folders. Within your Dawn of War ii Retribution installation folder, go to the GameAssets/Mods folder and create three additional folders within the Mods folder: 'Data', 'DataAttrib', and 'Sound'. The folders must have those names to function properly. Now, unpack the DataPacker files within the Data folder, the AttribPacker files within the DataAttrib folder, and the SoundPacker files within the Sound folder. It should look like this:
The DataPacker is used to create the Data .sga Archive type; the AttribPacker is used to create the Attrib .sga Archive type; and the SoundPacker is used to create the Sound .sga Archive type. So then, all you have to do is place the files you want to pack into one of those three folders. If you're creating a Data Archive, it would look something like this:
Dawn Of War 2 Campaign Mods
DataAttrib would just have a simulation folder:
Sound could have a number of different folders, as well as a .cache file that can be placed alongside the SoundPacker files:
Dow 2 Retribution Wargear Mod
Then you just run the AttribPacker.bat, SoundPacker.bat, or DataPacker.bat, and the .sga file will be output in the GameAssets/Mods/Archives folder. The default file name for a Data archive will be Elite_config.sga, for DataAttrib it will be Elite_attrib_test.sga, and for Sound it will be Elite_sound.sga. These can be changed in the append_bot.bat file, which can be opened in a text editor like Notepad++, by changing the following line (identical location in files for Data and DataAttrib):
Finally, if you want to change the file types added into the .sga file, you'll have to open up the AttribPacker.bat or DataPacker.bat and edit the 5th line in this format:
Simply add another file type in the format: *.filetype before the '>'. You'll also have to change the append_top.txt file and add a new, identical line with the highlighted part changed to the new file type:
I'm planning on automating this last part soon. edit: I made a version that automates the creation of the append_top.txt, but it takes longer to run because it has to interact with every file path and determine its file type before it starts packing. Probably not going to post it here, but if you're interested in it for some reason, let me know. It can be useful for smaller mods, but mods with a large number of files can take more time.
I think all of the necessary file types should be there by default, but it's always possible I missed something. That should be all there is to know, and if you find any issues, please let me know.
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*This used to be a guide on how to edit the army scheme colors for Elite, but hakon came up with an easier way to do it, wizard that he is.
First, you'll need to download these two applications:SGA Reader 2: http://www.mediafire.com/download/6l6g3 ... 150209.rar
DK SGA Archive GUI: http://www.mediafire.com/download/y42ic ... .4.1.0.rar
Install them wherever you want. All you have to do to install is extract the files.
Next, check the files in your Dawn of War II - RetributionElite installation folder. Within the Elite folder, you'll find an Archives folder, and within that are the game files packed as .sga files. The file you want to edit is called Elite_config.sga.
Go back to the folder in which you installed the SGA Reader 2 and open the application.
From the top left corner of the application, File > Open, navigate to your EliteArchives folder and open the Elite_config.sga file. You'll see a drop down tree to the left of the application that has Data at the top, with a config folder below it. Within the config folder are two files, defaultchaptercolours.lua and armypaintercolours.lua. On the top of the screen is a dropdown that says 'Default directory action'. Click the dropdown and make sure it is set to Extract.
Then double click both of the files to extract them. It will ask for a destination folder, and you can make it whatever you want. But if you don't change it, it will just extract the files into your EliteArchives folder, which is fine and probably easier. You should now be able to see a Data folder within your Archives folder. Within that are both of the files you just extracted, which you can edit as you like.
When you are finished editing the files you want, you'll need to repack them into a .sga file using the DK SGA Archive GUI you downloaded above.
You may have to do some editing of settings if you do not have Elite installed to your standard C drive, so I'll go through that.
The application should look like this
Set the SGA Archive Name to 'Elite_config', the Archive Type to 'Data', the Input Directory to the 'Data' folder you extracted the files to (so if you extracted them to your C drive in the EliteArchives folder it will be: 'C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonDawn of War II - RetributionEliteArchivesData'), and the Output Directory to your EliteArchives folder.
Next, open the File > Settings window, shown below.
You'll need to set up the Archive.exe location, which is in your Dawn of War II - Retribution folder: Dawn of War II - RetributionToolsBinArchive.exe
And make sure the dropdown on the top says SGA v5 (DoW2). That should be all you need to change. Save the settings and exit out of the Settings window.
Note that in the Settings window, there are a lot of file extensions listed. If you downloaded the files from the link above, all of the extensions you'll need should be included already (edit: You may need to add *.layers to the list if you're trying to pack map files). You can check them, as well as the file path for the Archive.exe, without opening the program, by opening the DK - SGA Archive.ini file in the installation folder.
In the main window, with everything filled in as explained above, click the Create SGA button.
And then you're done! Mod packed and ready to go. If you have any issues or questions, post them here and I'll try to help.
Dawn Of War 2 Retribution Campaign Mods
Keep in mind also that any files already present in the Elite mod will not be overwritten if placed in the Mods folder. To make any art files work, pack the files in with the Elite_config.sga. Files from .sga files other than Elite_data.sga will not be compatible with Elite_config.sga. If any files from the Elite_attrib.sga are changed, your game will not be compatible with other default installations.| Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Relic Entertainment, Feral Interactive(Mac OS and Linux) |
| Publisher(s) | THQ (former) Sega (current) |
| Producer(s) | Jeff Lydell |
| Designer(s) | Daniel Kading |
| Programmer(s) | Beau Brennen Stephen North |
| Artist(s) | Michael J. Moore |
| Composer(s) | Doyle W. Donehoo |
| Series | Warhammer 40,000 |
| Engine | Essence Engine 2.0 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Linux |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing game, real-time tactics, real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution is the stand-alone second expansion to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, part of the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series of real-time strategyvideo games. Set in Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe, the single player campaign is playable with multiple races.
Imperial Guard is introduced as a new faction, and all races including the races from the original game and the first expansion (the Eldar, the Space Marines, Chaos, the Orks and the Tyranids) are playable in single-player.[2]
Gameplay[edit]
Campaign[edit]
Dawn of War II: Retribution offers a campaign for every race, including the Imperial Guard. The campaign takes place across Sub-sector Aurelia, which appeared in the previous two games. The worlds include the jungle world Typhon Primaris, the desert world Calderis, and the hive world Meridian from Dawn of War II; the arctic world Aurelia and the derelict ship Judgment of Carrion from Chaos Rising; and the dead world of Cyrene, mentioned in the original Dawn of War as having been subjected to Exterminatus (complete sterilization of all life on a planet corrupted by Chaos or alien influences) by Blood Ravens Captain Gabriel Angelos.
Setting[edit]
Dawn of War II: Retribution takes place ten years after events of Chaos Rising. Sub-sector Aurelia is now suffering from conflict between Ork pirates called the Freebootaz led by Kaptin Bluddflagg to pillage the sub-sector,[3] the arrival of the Eldar of the Craftworld Alaitoc led by Autarch Kayleth to seek about a prophecy and recovering an ancient artifact,[4] a Tyranid Hive Lord restoring the remnants of the Hive Fleet Leviathan and to the link of the Hive Mind,[5] the Blood Ravens defending the sub-sector led by Captain Apollo Diomedes to hunt down Chaos as well as investigating their Chapter Master, Azariah Kyras, for being corrupted by Chaos,[6] the return of Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion led by Eliphas the Inheritor to fulfill his promise to Abaddon the Despoiler to annihilate the Blood Ravens,[7] and the newly arriving Imperial Guard of the 8th Cadian Regiment led by Lord General Castor, performing an Exterminatus under Inquisitor Adrastia to investigate for corruption within Sub-sector Aurelia as well as the Blood Ravens' Chapter Master Azariah Kyras. These events may have been caused by Gabriel Angelos' actions (from the original Dawn of War game) when he destroyed the Maledictum, a Chaos stone containing the bound essence of a daemon of Khorne, with the hammer 'God-Splitter'.[8]
Multiplayer[edit]
The Imperial Lord General will be added to the current selection of The Last Stand heroes as well as new environment and new waves of enemies. It can also update all the previous heroes from Dawn of War II and Chaos Rising by importing the Games for Windows account to the Steam Account.
The Last Standalone is a stand-alone version of the Retribution version of The Last Stand. It was released on April 20, 2011 as a separate Steam purchase. Owners of The Last Standalone' receive a discount on the full version of -Dawn of War II: Retribution.[9]
Multiplayer will introduce base building to a small degree, as well as every race getting a Global Ability Advance Unit. Retribution is a stand-alone title and does not require ownership of earlier games in the series to use any of the factions in multiplayer.[10]
Plot[edit]
The player's character arrives on Typhon Primaris engaging and battling an opposing faction and defeating their leader. (Space Marines vs. Chaos, Eldar vs. Orks, and Imperial Guard vs. Tyranids). It is learned that the Imperial Inquisition has deemed the sector beyond redemption, and will be arriving soon to perform Exterminatus on all the inhabitable worlds in the area. Later, the faction leader is given the objective to eliminate Azariah Kyras who intends to use the impending Exterminatus as a sacrifice to Khorne and ascend to daemonhood. The motivation varies depending on the player's faction, for example the Space Marines, Imperial Guard and Eldar wish to oppose Chaos, their ancient evil enemy; the warlike Orks simply want a good fight and to thump the strongest foes they can find; the Tyranid splinter wishes to overrun the sector and summon a new hive fleet to consume all the biomass; the Chaos faction are Kyras' rivals and wish to surpass him. Regardless, it is deemed by the player faction that Kyras must die. The player quickly attempts to secure a means of transport off Typhon, escaping a local cult along the way.
Arriving on Calderis, the player character fights against Kyras' Chaos-corrupted Blood Ravens Space Marines, operating under orders to purge the planet. After destroying a Warp portal on Aurelia, the faction learns of an attack on Meridian ordered by Kyras and arrives there killing the traitor guardsmen and uncovering a transmission from Kyras revealing his location on Typhon.
The player character returns to Typhon Primaris to confront Kyras himself, only to be ambushed by Eldar from Craftworld Biel-Tan. Wary of a ritual they are undergoing, the player's character kills the Eldar there. Following this, Kyras reveals that the Eldar ritual was preventing the Imperial Inquisition fleet from arriving at the sub-sector. The Inquisition fleet arrives, beginning Exterminatus on Typhon Primaris. The player escapes Typhon before the Exterminatus finishes. A cyclonic torpedo reduces Typhon to ash.
Finding themselves on the space hulk (a huge conglomeration of drifting space-borne detritus consisting of many wrecked ships) known as the Judgment of Carrion, the player's characters recover, and find their determination to stop Kyras. It is deduced that he is hiding on Cyrene, as the planet has already undergone Exterminatus decades ago, and therefore the Inquisition will not travel there to perform Exterminatus again. On Cyrene, the player characters launch an attack against a joint alliance of Chaos Space Marines, corrupt Imperial Guardsmen and traitor Blood Ravens by using their most powerful unit against them. Kyras begins to ascend into daemonhood. Gabriel and his 3rd Company launch an attack on Kyras' forces while Gabriel's own command unit confronts the daemon prince himself; however they are defeated by Kyras. The player's faction then launches their own attack, ultimately successfully killing Kyras.
Ending[edit]
After Kyras' death, the ending of the game will depend on which race the players character chose:
- Chaos – Eliphas allows the Exterminatus to continue, thus sacrificing the sector to Khorne. He is thus granted daemonhood by the Blood God, usurping Kyras' place.
- Eldar – Ronahn defeats his enemies and recovers the Spirit Stone containing the spirit of his twin sister, the Farseer Taldeer (taken captive by Kyras after being slain), and decides to return to Craftworld Ulthwé with her. This ending is confirmed as canon (as a sort of composite with the Space Marines ending) in Dawn of War III, where Taldeer and Ronahn both return, the former as a Wraithknight.
- Imperial Guard – Inquisitor Adrastia returns to the Inquisition to suspend the Exterminatus on sub-sector Aurelia, by presenting Kyras' psychic hood as proof that the threat has ended, while Lord General Castor and Sergeant Major Merrick commend each other for their exemplary actions rather backhandedly.
- Orks – Inquisitor Adrastia attempts to renege the deal between her and Kaptin Bluddflagg with assassination. Unfortunately, Kaptin Bluddflagg catches her off guard and takes her hat, which he wanted in their deal. Following that, he claims the Judgment of Carrion as his new Krooza, and uses it to leave the subsector.
- Space Marines – Captain Diomedes contacts Inquisitor Adrastia to halt the Exterminatus. The Chapter is then purged of any remaining chaos taint and Gabriel Angelos, after being revived from the brink of death and rebuilt with bionics, is appointed as the new Chapter Master. This appears to be the canonical ending, as corroborated by other Warhammer 40,000 materials: a squad of Blood Ravens appears in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, in which their victory over the conflict in Aurelia is mentioned; meanwhile, the exact course of events of the successful Blood Ravens campaign in Retribution is likewise mentioned in some publications (such as Fantasy Flight Games' 'Deathwatch: Honour the Chapter' supplement). In Dawn of War III, the rebuilt Gabriel Angelos returns as Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens and Diomedes was made a Chaplain and Jonah Orion was made chief advisor. Meanwhile, at least a portion of the Eldar ending is considered canon as Ronahn managed to retrieve his sister's spiritstone before the two are waylaid by Kyre during their return trip to Ulthwé.
- Tyranids – The Hive Tyrant's psychic strength summons a Hive Fleet, that launches a surprise attack and consumes the entire sub-sector, resulting in a 94% casualty rate for the Imperial Guard forces and the complete annihilation of the Blood Ravens, who refused to retreat.
Development[edit]
On September 15, 2010 Relic Entertainment announced that Retribution would be dropping the Games for Windows – Live multiplayer platform in favor of using Steamworks as its primary and only platform.,[11] and the new multiplayer platform does not communicate with the old Live platform. This makes the game entirely stand-alone with all the races included (unlike Chaos Rising, which required the original Dawn of War II to use the original four races in multiplayer). Plot-wise, two playable characters (Cyrus and Tarkus) have been carried over from the original campaigns. A new multiplayer matchmaking service was developed for Retribution. The addition of Steamworks also allows inviting Steam friends directly to multiplayer matches as well as free-to-play multiplayer weekends and a much faster patching process.
There were speculations that the new playable race would be Imperial Guard and/or the Inquisition, due to the Inquisition's triple-lined 'I' used in the word 'Retribution' in the game trailer;[12] in addition, the expansion's wishlist icon in the Steam system features a female Witch Hunter Inquisitor. On December 21, 2010, the German PC gaming magazine Gamestar revealed the new race would be the Imperial Guard.
A multiplayer beta of the game was launched on Steam on February 1, 2011 and ended on February 25.
Release[edit]
Specific race packs were released for each of the six races within the campaign, containing special items for that race in the campaign of Retribution, such as armour, weapons and accessories. The Ork race pack is a Steam exclusive[2] and Tyranid pack a THQ online store exclusive,[13] although all were made available as DLC after release, and all come in the Dawn of War II: Retribution Collector's Edition retail box.[14]
_vs_Caeltos_(CL)_-_1_of_2/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20130618231806&path-prefix=dow "Graphics")
Wargear packs were also released for The Last Stand multiplayer mode. Each pack added new wargear to a specific hero class.[15]
There were also two DLC packs released adding new sub-races to use in multiplayer game with unique models and color schemes for units: Dark Angels Space Marine chapter[16] and Eldar Craftworld Ulthwe.[17] Similar DLC pack adding the Ultramarines Space Marine chapter was released on August 16, 2011.[18][19]
The Tau Crisis Suit Commander is another hero for Last Stand mode available by download.
Reception[edit]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 81.65%[20] |
| Metacritic | 82%[21] |
The game received generally positive reviews upon release. It received an aggregated score of 81.65% on GameRankings based on 36 reviews and 82/100 on Metacritic based on 52 reviews.[20][21]
Sequel[edit]
A few months after Retribution's release, Relic revealed that work had begun on a sequel.[22]
Shortly before THQ's filing for bankruptcy in December 2012, Sega secured a licensing deal agreement with Games Workshop.[23] Sega then purchased Relic Entertainment from THQ in January 2013.[24] This made a future of the sequel uncertain and, in May 2014, Relic would not comment on its status.[25]
However, in September 2015, Relic opened up a new web page featuring Dawn of War III.[26] In October 2015, PC Games News wrote that they expected Dawn of War III to be released in 2016.[27]Dawn of War III was displayed at E3 2016[28] and was released on April 27, 2017.
References[edit]
- ^'Dawn of War II: Retribution preorder bonuses, CE detailed'. New Game Network. January 6, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
- ^ abDawn of War II: Retribution on steam
- ^Retribution - Ork Campaign Heroes
- ^Eldar Campaign Heroes
- ^Tyranid Campaign Hero
- ^Space Marine Campaign Heroes
- ^Chaos Campaign Heroes
- ^Imperial Guard Campaign Heroes
- ^[1], Dawn of War 2 Community.
- ^Dawn of War II: Retribution on Steamworks
- ^As a result of this, the campaigns do not import or continue directly from Dawn of War II and Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising
- ^Retribution Trailer , 'I' seen at 0:51 seconds into the video
- ^Dawn of War II: Retribution pre-order page on the THQ estore
- ^PC Gamer article revealing Dawn of War II: Retribution Collector's Edition
- ^The Last Stand Wargear Packs - Dawn of War II Community
- ^Dark Angels Invade Retribution - Dawn of War II Community
- ^Eldar Ulthwé Pack Now Available - Dawn of War II Community
- ^Ultramarines DLC Preview - Dawn of War II Community
- ^Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II Ultramarines Pack at Steam
- ^ abWarhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution
- ^ abWarhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution
- ^Dawn of War 3 will let you 'build your own custom mega army' - PC Gamer
- ^SEGA secures Games Workshop licensing deal - VideoGamer
- ^SEGA has purchased Relic from THQ, now owns Warhammer and Company of Heroes - Escapist Magazine
- ^Relic's five-year plan for Company of Heroes 2 - Eurogamer
- ^Sega Registers Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 Domain - Gamespot
- ^Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3: release date - PCGamesN
- ^E3 2016: New Dawn of War 3 gameplay trailer - Gamezone
External links[edit]
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution at MobyGames