In mid-21st century, a human presence on ~Primus IV was established. Once heroes for their fortitude and establishment of ~Earth's first true resource mining outpost in space, the settler-miners of the colony were eventually abandoned or, perhaps more accurately, neglected.
After the colonists fought a bitter war of losing attrition against indigenous creatures that were incensed at the desecration of what they considered holy land, ~Earth and its people, rather than sending help, reinforcements, and aid, decided the effort wasn't worth the cost. Left alone, the colonists managed to drive the ~Mantai into inhospitable areas of the ~Primus IV.
Needless to say, this harsh treatment by their home planet caused the colonists to harbor great enmity toward ~Earth, an advanced planet in the ~Imperial Order domain. Then came the discovery of ~SL18, initially thought to be good only for insulation.
But a military scientist posted to ~Primus IV soon realized that processed ~SL18 far exceeded the strength and usefulness of standard ~Kevlar or ~E-Scale Armor in terms of vehicle construction, weaponry and protection. Suddenly, ~Earth was interested again and an uneasy process of supplying ~Earth's military with ~SL18 was established.
The status quo was maintained until the ~Imperial Order's new emperor, Invictas Grell, imposed a third tax on off-world colonies. Still embittered over their ignored plight during the Mantai conflict, ~Primus IV inhabitants, under the leadership of Professor Ashton Fletcher, the discoverer of ~SL18, revolt and attack ~Earth's on-site communications center, taking control. Using the center, they declare their independence and begin trading ~SL18 with non-human races, eliminating the need to rely on ~Earth.
Emperor Grell immediately launches his fleet to ~Primus IV to quell the insurrection. With advance knowledge of the military action, colonists invest their newly found trade fortune and hire a mercenary group to help defend against the incursion.
This force, the ~Warmonkeys, use ~SL18 armor and blunt attack philosophy along with the ability of every unit to instantaneously read any observed enemy position through a process known as the ~Shared Battlefield Awareness System. On the other hand, ~Imperial forces use finesse and lean toward quick, surprise attacks and withdrawal before the enemy can react. Thus, the stage is set for conflict on ~Primus IV.
But, what of the ~Mantai? Are they still a force to be reckoned with on the planet? Extremely dangerous at close range combat, the ~Mantai, consisting of ~Raptors, ~Corvoids, ~Rhinoids, ~Psychoraptors and ~Firebugs, may certainly have something to say about this invasion. And what better time to do it then when the two human factions are at war? In fact, using their deadliest weapon of all, the ~Crash Bug with its long-range bio-electric disabling neural surge that allows the slower ~Mantai units to close in, the indigenous population may be the humans worst nightmare.
At the beginning of Dogs of War, you are given the option to play one of two alliance missions: ~The Imperial Order or ~Warmonkeys. A third alliance mission, ~The Mantai, is not available until after you complete all levels within the others. A multiplayer mode supports up to eight opponents via LAN or Internet connection.
In this action strategy, squad-based game, control is affected from either a third-person over-the-shoulder viewpoint of particular units or through a top-down perspective. Both strategic and direct control modes are available for gameplay.
Requiring 3D acceleration, Dogs of War features environments ranging from canyons to ice fields to cities. Line-of-sight combat is the rule and strategic use of terrain is mandatory for successful completion of missions. Through several gameplay management options, you assemble troops, configure squads, view individual infantry soldiers and assign them to units, establish staging areas for combat, assign armor, and sell and buy equipment. No resource management is required in the game.
The game features voiceovers by Craig Charles (~Lister from the television program Red Dwarf) and a soundtrack by Fatboy Slim. Feel up to some off world combat action? Join the Dogs of War and fight aliens and humans ~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide
