Helldivers 2 style 40k game

[chubbyninja89 (TNB)]

I decided to rework this thread's OP because I had a bit epiphany about just how the devs at Arrowhead could make not only a good 40k game, but a truly great one.

But I have reworked it a bit more to include some major things that I think were very important. They'll be under the different sections with the bold titles.

I originally thought that I would want to see the devs give us a 40k game that is considerably different from HD2, but maybe shared some elements with it, and I thought to just have the game be just the astartes space marines and have the primaris marines come in as a expansion pack DLCs later on, but I realized something VERY important.

And that is, maybe the game doesn't HAVE to be too crazily different from HD2, at least not at first anyway.

And that's the key words, at first.

But what I think that they could do with the game is to actually start the game with players playing as captains/squad leaders of elite Imperial Guard units, but then bring in stuff from other factions over time.

I would say that there should be a LOT of options for customization of your squads, so that they're not only Cadians or another famous IG regiment.

To keep it simple, I'll put it like this

Phase 1: Launch with the HD2 style of of elite squads of guardsmen units fighting the "basic" forces of chaos.
Phase 2: The forces of chaos get reinforcements and that hammering the guards hard, which could bring the Sisters of Battle in as playable squads and such as well.
Phase 3: The Orks start attacking from the other side of the large sector, which prompts space marines to send in aid to the sector as well.

And I am thinking that the SoB and Space Marines would each be a large expansion pack DLC that comes along with the large patches that introduce of new enemies or something along those lines.

As far as squad sizes go, I would say it would be something like this

Imperial Guard: 1 Squad Leader and 11 men.
Sisters of Battle: 1 Squad Leader and 5 squad members.
Space Marines: 1 Marine.

But I think that there many ways in which they could make customization options for all three faction's troops.


Start Simple but Solid
This is something I think that more devs should consider before trying to make a game that includes everything they wish to add.

I'm not saying that HD2 is a terrible game because it has bugs and such in it, but let's be real guys, it could've used and still needs a lot of bug fixing and work done to fix it.

I just think that, if Arrowhead was to plan on making this sort of 40k game, they should strive to start with a slightly simpler but more solid foundation rather than try to add everything all at once, which will only leave more room for bugs and such.

I will say I'd much rather have the devs give us a more solid game that starts with us only fighting the basic forces of chaos rather than trying to include every single unit from the various chaos rosters and leading to more bugs and such.

Like I said before, they could have different phases and such to introduce the SoB and the Space Marines, but they should REALLY focus on making a solid foundation from which to build a truly great game from first and foremost.


Simple Progression > Overly Complicated Progression
Well, I know this one will be kinda simple.

I think that the devs should scrap all the ideas of having a bunch of ultimately needless things, like having 6 or more resources and battle passes and so on, and keep things simple.

I think that this sort of game should simply have all the weapons, armor, and so on be tied to to the basic level progression of the IG platoon you command (basically 4 squads at least) and all them all be unlocked on your way to level 50.

And I will say that the progression should be very much the same for the SoB and Space Marines when they're added to the game.

And I would say that the only "resource" that should be in the game should be Renown, which should more so just level up and allow you to improve your "stratagems" and such rather than having ones that become useless and all.

That may seem old fashioned, but I would much rather have the joy of the game come from the customization and gameplay rather than forcing players to worry about managing a bunch of dumb resources all the time.


DLC Method
As I mentioned before, I'd be 100% for the Arrowhead devs making the Sisters of Battle and Space Marines their own separate expansion pack DLCs for this sort of game.

I think they could charge 20-25$ for the SoB and maybe up to 30-40$ for the space marines, but that's only they do it right.

And I will push back against the stupid idea that companies making paid DLC for their game is somehow wrong, as it's only wrong when it gets to be pay to win and such things.

But here's the how I would see the DLCs working, which would make them worth being paid DLC.

The Sisters of Battle would come with their own progression, armor and weapons, and all that stuff, while still having squads of you and 5 other sisters. But they would certainly be different from the elite IG units you would've commanded up to that point.

As for the Space Marines possibly costing up to 40$.

I would say that, if I could have it all my way, the space marine DLC for this sort of game would come with

6 classes of astartes space marines (see the first comments to know about them) and 1 class of primaris marine, each with their own progression.

I mean, 7 classes of marines with their own progressions sounds like it'd be worth 40$ to me, especially if the game is solid and has been updated and such up to that point.

Though I will say that while I would expect to see a HD2 style armor selection for the IG, SoB, and Primaris Marines, I wouldn't want to see the same thing for the older astartes marines.

I say this because if you look up their various marks of astartes power armor, you'll see that the Mark 8 armor is basically just the best parts of all the previous marks, which would make having them as armor choices kind of pointless.

Though I do think that they could make up for that by giving the astartes some different cosmetics and such that only them and the primaris marines could get.

[chubbyninja89 (TNB)]

General Space Marine Lore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV1jqwhSHBY

Assault Marine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cin9NKwzQTw&t=3s

Tactical Marine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCk7N6wC2wo&t=1s

Devastator Marine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx_jZbc6MgI&t=1s

Apolothcary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtpQvh0E9ck&t=1s

Tech Marine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMxbm5f9Oe8&t=2s

Librarian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17c4QuqryW4

Boltguns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuwjGfigrg&t=3s

Added in the primaris unit types to give an idea of what could be done with them.

Primaris Vangaurd Units
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHq2BzJSXK4&t=2s

Primaris Fire Support Units
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChxnLtRdUsQ&t=1s

[Butter Bot]

Cool, now you only need to get the right from GW and then you can finance your own team to make the game.

Edit:
Chubby never fail to deliver

[Zero]

Sorry to say this.. but Games Workshop is or was a few years ago, an insane stickler for 'big budget' IP licensing. you either cram it full of mtx at their behest, OR you pay an insane upfront licensing fee, while also agreeing to have very VERY strict representation within your title, can't stray out of a set type of factions represented, specific unit types etc.

[Iratus Machina]

I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/002/655/730/e27

[shadain597]

All-in on Chaos as enemies is a mistake. Yes, there's unit variety, but thematically it's all still dark demon cult stuff. If it had to be only one enemy--which is itself a mistake--I think Orks would probably be a better pick. But given the variety of factions in WH 40k, there could be several opponents.

Though it's even less likely to happen than OP's idea, I think being able to play as multiple factions would be cool. For example, today you are crushing the enemies of the Imperium as the Emperor's finest, tomorrow you are blasting enemies of the Greater Good with plasma.

[chubbyninja89 (TNB)]

Originally posted by Butter Bot:

Cool, now you only need to get the right from GW and then you can finance your own team to make the game.

Edit:
Chubby never fail to deliver

Well, if you're going to be like that Butter, have fun being ignored again.

[chubbyninja89 (TNB)]

Originally posted by Zero:

Sorry to say this.. but Games Workshop is or was a few years ago, an insane stickler for 'big budget' IP licensing. you either cram it full of mtx at their behest, OR you pay an insane upfront licensing fee, while also agreeing to have very VERY strict representation within your title, can't stray out of a set type of factions represented, specific unit types etc.

I don't know about that, because not too long ago, they seemed to be allowing almost anyone to make a 40k game. But I kind of get what you mean.

But I think that GW could easily see the potential these devs have with how successful Helldivers 2 has been.

I just think that it could work out.

[chubbyninja89 (TNB)]

Originally posted by Iratus Machina:

I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/002/655/730/e27

Yeah, me too.

Because while I think Helldivers are cool and all, the Astartes could feel really powerful without being broken when it comes to gameplay.

[Buntkreuz]

Why must it ever be Space Marines?
Wouldnt it be more fun if it was a Squad of Tau?
Maybe Orcs (at last, they constantly want to blow up stuff)?
Or at least a task force of an Inquisitor? (ups, we already have that)

I would also enjoy to finally play Chaos Marines, that drop down and specifically want to destroy, disturb and prepare for an invasion or already undergo an invasion.
Im a bit bored out by the "good" side of WH40k.
In fact, i think i would have enjoyed Darktide far more if it were a Chaos related side.
And i could see why they dropped down to destroy com stations to delay Imperial Forces to arrive or do whatever they do.

[chubbyninja89 (TNB)]

Originally posted by shadain597:

All-in on Chaos as enemies is a mistake. Yes, there's unit variety, but thematically it's all still dark demon cult stuff. If it had to be only one enemy--which is itself a mistake--I think Orks would probably be a better pick. But given the variety of factions in WH 40k, there could be several opponents.

Though it's even less likely to happen than OP's idea, I think being able to play as multiple factions would be cool. For example, today you are crushing the enemies of the Imperium as the Emperor's finest, tomorrow you are blasting enemies of the Greater Good with plasma.

I'm sorry if this sounds mean, but that just shows how ignorant you are of 40k and what the forces of chaos can truly bring to the table.

Now I won't try to make this too long, but there's 5 main sub factions with the chaos forces. They're Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh, Tzeetch, and Chaos Undivided, and all of them have their own unique units that could be added into this sort of game.

I mean, even if you combine even just the basic things from those sub factions, you could have as much variety of enemies in Helldivers 2 if not a little more.

The chaos space marines alone could behave differently from each other. I could explain the differences between them if you would like.

[Ishan451]

Why am i not surprised to read that this is about Smurfs... Skittles Colored Smurfs are boring to begin with and make absolutely no sense in context of a Helldiver game.

Each mission 10 Space marines die... 10 missions later one company of ten is no more. 100 missions later.. the Chapter was annihilated. That's it, pack it up boys...

And then of course you would want them to make it a squad of multiple chapters, because that makes sense outside the Death Watch. And now someone is going "so let's make it about the Death Watch"... not only does that preclude you to have chapter specific colors, outside the shoulder pad, but also would you be playing a hardened Veteran that got consigned over to the Death Watch. So it becomes even more farcical to have them die in troves.

Imperial Guard Drop Troopers would make much more sense. Space Marines don't ride in 1 person Drop pods but you could have Drop Troopers drop in on Grave Chutes. And you could have multiple regiments to give some variety and not everyone needing to look like GI Jane from Cadia.

Also can we please stop abusing the Warhammer 40k Setting? There is a lot more to it than the most boring faction in existence.

[chubbyninja89 (TNB)]

Originally posted by Buntkreuz:

Why must it ever be Space Marines?
Wouldnt it be more fun if it was a Squad of Tau?
Maybe Orcs (at last, they constantly want to blow up stuff)?
Or at least a task force of an Inquisitor? (ups, we already have that)

I would also enjoy to finally play Chaos Marines, that drop down and specifically want to destroy, disturb and prepare for an invasion or already undergo an invasion.
Im a bit bored out by the "good" side of WH40k.
In fact, i think i would have enjoyed Darktide far more if it were a Chaos related side.
And i could see why they dropped down to destroy com stations to delay Imperial Forces to arrive or do whatever they do.

I'll give you that while it'd be fun to play as a squad of ork nobz, but I do think that the Astartes space marines would just work out better than the others.

And as someone who knows a bit about 40k, I'd much rather be on the side of the Imperium than be a slave of the dark gods and such where I really have no free will.

And I can also say that the loyalist space marines are just more appealing, as they're powerful super soldiers who are the elite of humanity and fight the greatest threats.

But a big reason is that the loyalist space marines are more organized and easier to design than many of the other major factions in 40k.

I mean, you have the 6 classes I mentioned above, which could each have their own options to play around with. And then stuff that could be added with the Primaris Reinforcements expansion pack DLC. And I think that they could bring in some things from Helldivers 2 in that sort of expansion pack.

[Buntkreuz]

Originally posted by chubbyninja89 (TNB):

Originally posted by Buntkreuz:

Why must it ever be Space Marines?
Wouldnt it be more fun if it was a Squad of Tau?
Maybe Orcs (at last, they constantly want to blow up stuff)?
Or at least a task force of an Inquisitor? (ups, we already have that)

I would also enjoy to finally play Chaos Marines, that drop down and specifically want to destroy, disturb and prepare for an invasion or already undergo an invasion.
Im a bit bored out by the "good" side of WH40k.
In fact, i think i would have enjoyed Darktide far more if it were a Chaos related side.
And i could see why they dropped down to destroy com stations to delay Imperial Forces to arrive or do whatever they do.

I'll give you that while it'd be fun to play as a squad of ork nobz, but I do think that the Astartes space marines would just work out better than the others.

And as someone who knows a bit about 40k, I'd much rather be on the side of the Imperium than be a slave of the dark gods and such where I really have no free will.

And I can also say that the loyalist space marines are just more appealing, as they're powerful super soldiers who are the elite of humanity and fight the greatest threats.

But a big reason is that the loyalist space marines are more organized and easier to design than many of the other major factions in 40k.

I mean, you have the 6 classes I mentioned above, which could each have their own options to play around with. And then stuff that could be added with the Primaris Reinforcements expansion pack DLC. And I think that they could bring in some things from Helldivers 2 in that sort of expansion pack.

Dont get me wrong, i love playing a Space Marine and stomp stuff.
But i think that the universe of WH40K has so much more to offer than yet again your typical Space Marines or Inquisitor of which we have, lets be frank, enough games, even if not exactly with the gamedesign of Helldivers.

If the question would be either Space Marines or nothing, i pick the Space Marines.
But if there was a studio developing a game around a similar gamedesign, i would hope they went through the material and came up with a far more interesting and unique choice other than "muh Spaiz Mahrines".

Like, bring back Space Dwarves at last (DRG xD)

Im siding a bit with Ishan up there.
A bit of a boring choice, a bit hard to fit in or make sense and if it did, it would be like the games we already have.
Darktide already attempted to bend the source material around it to make sense.
Im no diehard deep lore Warhammer fetishist, but i would also rather see something else be wasted on the frontline than the guys that come as an unstoppable cleanup force.

And if we did, we already get Space Marine 2. admittedly, not exactly HD-like, but thats the premise that makes sense.

[chubbyninja89 (TNB)]

Originally posted by Ishan451:

*sigh*
Someone didn't read the title.

It's a Helldivers 2 style 40k game, not a 40k style Helldivers games.

And it's very clear you don't know too much about the setting of 40k, or how to have fun.

Because you clearly don't know that space marines drop pods are MUCH bigger than those of the Helldivers. They can literally fit up to 10 or 12 8-9 foot tall armored space marines. Not exactly tiny things.

But then again, this sort of ignorance just shows how little you know if you think that the space marines are boring and can't be interesting.


And as far as the reason for space marines being in the sector they're in. Just do another Helldivers 2 thing and keep it freaking simple.

The forces of the Chaos Black Legion have invaded a crucial sector and a number of space marine chapters and other imperial forces have been sent to save the sector.

Boom! That's all you would need.

[TheAceOfSpodes]

I mean it'd be neat, but it won't ever exist. The 40k IP is allergic to making decent video games. ♥♥♥♥'s straight up cursed.

Even Fatshark couldn't make a decent 40k game.