Info about Door Kickers 2: Task Force North:

Official game description:
_“Charge set”, my Alpha Team leader said._
_Not knowing what lay in wait for us behind the door, I commanded, “Burn it” into the radio._
_“Burning”, he replied. Sliding his finger into the pull ring of the ignition system, he pushed the pin in, turned it a quarter turn, and pulled._
_The night was no longer silent as the sound of shredding timber filled the night. Windows shattered and pieces of glass fell to the ground. The walls around me shook. Where a door once stood, only smoke remained. Like water bursting forth from a dam, men flowed into the unknown._
\--- from “Violence of Action” by Marty Skovlund
The sequel to the hit tactics game **Door Kickers, Task Force North** brings you the best portrayal of modern **Close Quarters Combat and Tactics** in a video game.
Control Special Operation Units in daring raids to rescue hostages, neutralize and capture terrorists in the fictional country of Nowheraki, Middle East.  
**Top-down tactics** with **Real Time** gameplay but **pause-at-will** allows you to think, rethink, and still **bite your nails** as the action happens. And there's **no turns, hexes or action points** to manage.   
The game models deadly threats and techs: suicide bombers, IEDs and Rocket-Propelled Grenades - but gives you tools to dominate: Light Machine Guns for **suppressive fire**, **Night Vision Goggles** to own the night and **wall breaching** charges to open new entry points.
**Destructible environment** lets you progress through the **non-linear levels**. If something stands in your way, tear it down! Any strategy is viable.
You can even choose the unit to deploy for any mission:
*   **U.S. Army Rangers** - firepower, numbers and skilled, coordinated violence.
*   **CIA Special Activities Division** - small unit of Covert Operators, able to go undercover but also deliver surgical strikes when needed.
*   **Nowheraki SWAT** - grit, improvised tech and gear borrowed from their US advisors.
It's NOT  just skins and weapons, but **distinct playing style, abilities and unit doctrines**.  
Should there be more units? Tell us what **YOU** think!
Play unique, hand crafted **Operations** or endless, procedural generated **Tours of Duty**. Each has their own challenges and rewards. For the bravest, mix it with the **optional** **Iron Man Mode**: troopers lost during campaign missions are gone forever.  
**Dead stays dead\*, but memories are forever!**
_\*only in Iron Man mode._
**Online Co-Op Multiplayer** is available, for **up to 4 players**. Each player brings his own Squad but you must work together to complete your mission. Choose your gear, draw your plans, strategize and combine your tactical prowess! In the end, you **win or lose together**.
**Door Kickers 2** comes with over 90 handcrafted missions, plus **Handcrafted and Generated Campaigns, Random Mission Generator** and a **Full-blown Mission & Level Editor** to create your own content.  
And you can share it with the world, or enjoy what others have built: The **Steam Workshop** already hosts over 7000 missions and is now open for Custom Units, Total Conversions and all sorts of wild stuff our modders are famous for.
With full **SteamDeck** compatibility and custom **touch screen controls**, you can play Door Kickers 2 anywhere! Enjoy unparalleled strategical freedom both ingame and in real life!

Release date: Feb 10, 2025

Categories: Tactical, Real-time with Pause, Close-quarters Combat, Top-Down Tactical Shooter, Cooperative Multiplayer, Character Progression, Mod Support, Procedural Generation

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 10; verdict: Fair; summary: The game is generally well-received for its lack of microtransactions and DLC, with users appreciating the free updates. There is a desire for additional content, and some users are willing to pay for it. However, there are mixed feelings about the pricing, with some users feeling it is overpriced.
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Needs Improvement in Guidance and Performance; summary: The primary user complaints revolve around game mechanics, performance issues, and the lack of in-game guidance. Users highlight the need for better understanding of game systems and technical improvements, as well as the necessity for more integrated instructional data to avoid reliance on external guides.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals a mixed experience with the game on Steam Deck. While many users appreciate the game's optimization and smooth performance on the device, significant issues related to controller support and technical bugs have been reported. These issues severely impact the user experience, leading to a lower overall score.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Diverse and replayable gameplay (weight 0.97): The game offers multiple ways to play, with a variety of tactics, missions, and equipment. It includes a random mission generator and extensive mod support, which enhances replayability and keeps the gameplay fresh.
- Realistic CQB simulation (weight 0.22): The game is praised for its realistic close-quarters battle (CQB) mechanics and tactics. It serves as a good learning tool for CQB principles and is recommended for both professional training and amateur tactical enthusiasts.
- Challenging and rewarding missions (weight 0.12): The game features well-designed, challenging missions that feel like puzzles. Completing these missions, especially with high ratings, is satisfying and rewarding.
- Deep tactical strategy (weight 0.11): The game is noted for its amazing tactical and strategic depth. It offers a variety of unit types, tactics, and roles, making it a standout example of modern tactical strategy games.
- Extensive modding support (weight 0.11): The game has a rich modding community that adds a lot of content and enhances the gameplay experience. The workshop support and community content are highly praised.
- Enjoyable and engaging experience (weight 0.08): Players find the overall experience enjoyable and rewarding. The game becomes more enjoyable as players become familiar with its mechanics, and mods further enhance this experience.
- Progression and customization (weight 0.06): The game features a progression system for characters and squads, as well as extensive loadout customization. This allows for a high degree of personalization and strategic planning.
- Improvements over predecessor (weight 0.06): The game is seen as a major improvement over its predecessor, Door Kickers 1. It offers new features, better graphics, and enhanced gameplay mechanics.
- Well-crafted levels and challenges (weight 0.05): The game features well-made levels with optional challenges and a random level generator. The level design is praised for its tactical choices and cool scenarios.
- High-quality visuals and sound (weight 0.05): The game is praised for its crisp, clean visuals and effective sound design. The graphics and 3D tilt in replay mode are particularly noted for their quality.
- Diverse factions and units (weight 0.04): The game includes different factions and units, each with unique strengths, characteristics, and equipment. This diversity adds depth and variety to the gameplay.
- Top-down tactical perspective (weight 0.02): The game is praised for its top-down perspective, which is both fun and engaging. The maps are designed to force players to think outside the box, adding to the tactical depth.

Common complaints:
- Unintuitive UI and poor tutorials (weight 0.28): The user interface is often described as clunky and unintuitive. The tutorials and guidance for new players are inadequate, making it difficult for newcomers to understand the game mechanics.
- Repetitive and poorly designed missions (weight 0.26): Missions can feel repetitive and lack variety, especially in larger maps. Some missions are criticized for being poorly designed and overly difficult, relying on trial and error.
- High difficulty and steep learning curve (weight 0.23): The game is noted for its high difficulty, which can be frustrating and punishing, especially for new players. The steep learning curve and complex controls can make it overwhelming initially.
- Price and value concerns (weight 0.18): Some players feel that the game is overpriced given its current state and content. There are also concerns about the game's accessibility and the value it provides.
- AI and squad behavior issues (weight 0.14): The AI is frequently criticized for being unintelligent and unresponsive. Squad members often do not prioritize tasks correctly and can be difficult to control effectively.
- Developer communication and updates (weight 0.08): There is a lack of regular updates and poor communication from the developers. This has led to a perception of the game being incomplete or abandoned.
- Minor bugs and technical issues (weight 0.08): There are occasional bugs and technical issues that can affect gameplay. These include problems with controls, collision, and line of sight mechanics.
- Game mechanics and realism issues (weight 0.05): The game lacks certain realistic elements such as bullet penetration and effective cover systems. Additionally, some combat mechanics and weapon handling are seen as flawed or incomplete.
- Balancing issues with factions and units (weight 0.04): Certain factions and units, such as the SWAT team and CIA operatives, are seen as poorly balanced. This can affect the gameplay experience and make some missions unnecessarily difficult.
- Multiplayer and co-op limitations (weight 0.04): The multiplayer mode is often described as lacking, with few players and no server browser. Co-op mode also has limitations, such as not allowing iron-man campaigns.

Gameplay feedback:
- High replayability and variety (weight 0.66): The game features high replayability with randomly generated missions, diverse gameplay modes, and a variety of maps. Players can approach missions in multiple ways, enhancing the game's longevity and appeal.
- Tactical and strategic depth (weight 0.56): The game offers a rich tactical experience with a variety of missions, including hostage rescue, elimination missions, and cooperative multiplayer modes. It emphasizes realistic CQB (Close Quarters Battle) tactics and requires careful planning and execution.
- Customization and progression (weight 0.54): Players can customize their squads with a wide range of weapons, armor, and equipment. The game also features character progression and unlock systems, allowing for a tailored gaming experience.
- Cooperative multiplayer and community content (weight 0.52): The game supports cooperative multiplayer modes and has extensive Steam Workshop support for custom maps and missions. This encourages community engagement and content creation.
- Real-time tactics with pause (weight 0.51): The game combines real-time tactics with a pause-and-plan mechanic, allowing players to strategize and adjust their plans mid-mission. This feature enhances the tactical depth and accessibility of the game.
- Detailed mission planning and execution (weight 0.47): The game emphasizes detailed mission planning and real-time execution. Players must consider various factors such as enemy placement, line of sight, and environmental interactions.
- Complex mechanics and AI behavior (weight 0.11): The game features complex mechanics for squad control, mission execution, and AI behavior. Enemies react dynamically to player actions, adding to the game's challenge and realism.
- Mod support and quality of life features (weight 0.1): The game supports extensive modding capabilities, allowing players to create and share custom content. It also includes quality of life features such as saved plans and frequent updates.
- Different playstyles and factions (weight 0.06): The game offers a variety of playstyles and factions, each with unique strengths and equipment. Players can choose from different squads and approaches to tackle missions.
- Use of specialized equipment (weight 0.02): The game features a wide range of specialized equipment, including breaching charges, smoke grenades, and LMGs. Players must creatively use these tools to succeed in missions.
- Tours of duty and long-term challenges (weight 0.02): The game includes tours of duty, which provide long continuous challenges with squad dynamics. This feature adds depth and longevity to the gameplay experience.

Performance notes:
- Optimized Performance and Low Requirements (weight 0.11): The game is noted for running smoothly even on low-end hardware, including devices like the Steam Deck and modest PCs. It has low system requirements and is praised for its optimization, although there are occasional performance issues on high-end hardware.
- New Graphics Engine and Visuals (weight 0.09): The game features a new graphics engine with 3D graphics, detailed environments, and advanced lighting effects. The visuals are technically solid with good 3D modeling and scene details.
- Minor Bugs and Freezing Issues (weight 0.08): While the game is generally stable, there are reports of minor freezing issues and occasional bugs that can affect gameplay. These issues are noted but do not significantly detract from the overall experience.
- Intuitive Interface and Controls (weight 0.08): The game has an intuitive interface and precise command execution, making it easy to play and navigate. This contributes to a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended for tactical fans (weight 0.22): The game is widely praised by fans of tactical and strategy games. It offers a deep and engaging experience with smart AI and flexible mission design, making it a must-play for enthusiasts of the genre.
- Mod recommendations enhance gameplay (weight 0.2): Several mods are recommended to improve the gaming experience, including 'IOV MOD : Main Pack', 'No Plan B', 'Nowhere to Survive', and 'Realistic Sounds mod'. These mods add convenience, realism, and additional content.
- Worth the price (weight 0.18): Many players feel the game is worth its asking price, offering great value for those who enjoy tactical games. Some suggest buying it on sale for even better value.
- Recommended for fans of the first game (weight 0.18): Players who enjoyed the first game in the series are likely to appreciate this one as well. However, some suggest waiting for sales if you already own the first game.
- Desire for more content (weight 0.03): Players express a desire for more mission packs, operations, weapons, and customization options. There is also interest in additional DLCs or sequels.
- Recommended despite flaws (weight 0.01): The game is recommended for its engaging mechanics and tactical depth, even though it may have some flaws. Players find it enjoyable and worth trying.
- Realistic and modern setting (weight 0.01): The game features a realistic modern setting, which adds to its appeal for fans of tactical and strategy games. This setting provides a fresh and engaging experience.
- Deep planning mechanics (weight 0.01): The game offers deep planning mechanics, which are appreciated by fans of tactical and strategy games. Players can spend many hours planning and executing missions.
- Fans of specific series (weight 0.01): The game is recommended for fans of specific series like Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, UFO, and Blitzkrieg, offering a familiar yet fresh experience.
- Feature requests (weight 0.01): Players have specific feature requests, such as the ability to pick multiple troopers to move at one time and more work on doctrine trees.
- Good for beginners (weight 0.01): The game is considered a good title for beginners, offering an accessible entry point into the tactical and strategy genre.
- Multiplayer campaign interest (weight 0.01): Players express interest in the possibility of a campaign that can be played online, suggesting a desire for more multiplayer content.

Other player notes:
- Early Access Status (weight 0.01): The game is currently in Early Access, which may affect the overall gaming experience.
- Romanian Patriotism (weight 0.01): The game activates feelings of Romanian patriotism, which can be a unique selling point for some players.
- Tactical Communication Apps (weight 0.01): There is a potential overuse of tactical communication apps, which might affect gameplay immersion.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.24): Players derive satisfaction from the game's realistic and detailed gameplay mechanics, including successful mission planning and execution. The variety of mods, replayability, and tactical depth, along with improvements and new features, contribute significantly to this feeling. Additionally, the game's forgiving mechanics and the ability to master complex scenarios provide a rewarding progression system that enhances player satisfaction.
- Excitement (weight 0.2): The game generates excitement through its realistic tactical gameplay and the variety of maps and playstyles. Players are particularly thrilled by the high replay value, addictive gameplay, and the unique blend of gameplay styles. The introduction of new threats, environmental interactions, and the tactical freedom offered by the game also contribute to this excitement.
- Frustration (weight 0.19): Frustration in the game primarily stems from its high difficulty and complex mission planning, which can be overwhelming for new players. Issues such as bugs, poor AI responsiveness, and lack of in-game guidance further exacerbate this frustration. Additionally, the lack of certain features like an undo action and the punishing nature of some missions add to the players' frustrations.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.16): Players enjoy the game due to its engaging and tactical gameplay, which offers a variety of missions and interactions. The high replayability, unique gameplay mechanics, and the ability to play with mods enhance the enjoyment. The game's detailed and immersive missions, along with its tactical strategy elements, make it a fun and rewarding experience.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.03): Enthusiasm is driven by the game's realistic and complex CQB simulation, which offers depth and variety. Players are enthusiastic about the game's tactical depth and customization options, and they often recommend it to others. The high praise and potential for the game to be a Game of the Year also fuel this enthusiasm.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Joy in the game comes from the entertaining and engaging gameplay, which includes addictive and fun missions. Players find joy in learning CQB principles and getting into a flow with the game's mechanics. The variety of missions and the appreciation for the development team's efforts contribute to this joyful experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.02): Disappointment arises from the game not meeting expectations based on its genre and gameplay feel. Players are disappointed by the lack of significant improvements, lazy development, and the slow pace of updates. The absence of promised content and fewer squads and weapons compared to mods also contribute to this disappointment.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation is felt for the game's mod support and additional content, which enhance replayability. Players appreciate the complex and varied environments, as well as the commitment to quality and polish. The actual progression and immersive campaign are also highly valued.
- Love (weight 0.01): Players express love for the game due to its positive experience and high replayability. The game's controls, customization, and challenge are particularly loved. The overall enjoyment and fun derived from the game contribute to this strong emotional attachment.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement is driven by the game's tactical gameplay and variety, which keep players interested and involved. The mix of real-world tactical and arcade-style puzzle elements makes the gameplay engaging. Players find the game interesting and enjoy perfecting action phases for optimization.
- Challenge (weight 0.01): The game offers a significant challenge through its long planning time for larger missions and the Ironman mode with permadeath. Some missions are particularly challenging due to limited soldiers, which tests players' strategic and tactical skills.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): The game provides a relaxing gameplay experience that helps players relieve stress. The enjoyable and fun aspects of the game contribute to this relaxing effect.
- Excited (weight 0.01): Players are excited about the variety of maps and gameplay mechanics, which offer diverse missions and factions. The anticipation of future updates and the overall variety in gameplay keep players excited.
- Satisfied (weight 0.01): Satisfaction comes from the game's immersive and well-designed experience. The content of the game and the community mods contribute to a fulfilling and satisfying gameplay experience.
- Frustrated (weight 0.01): Frustration is caused by the difficulty in obtaining tickets for missions and hostage deaths. The lack of certain features like undo action and saving dynamic changes, along with bugs and gameplay issues, add to the frustration.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Nostalgia is evoked by the game's similarity to original classics like Rainbow Six and SWAT4. Players who enjoyed these earlier games find a sense of nostalgia in the familiar gameplay elements.
- Regret (weight 0): Some players express regret for not supporting the developers more, indicating a sense of missed opportunity or guilt for not contributing to the game's success.
- Amusement (weight 0): Amusement is derived from the game's generic plot and humorous scenarios. Players find certain bugs entertaining and request that they be kept for their amusement value.
- Sadness (weight 0): Sadness in the game is tied to the emotional attachment players develop with their characters, especially when they face in-game losses or setbacks.
- Initial disappointment (weight 0): Initial disappointment stems from the game feeling routine and difficult to understand at first. New players may find the learning curve steep and the initial experience less engaging.}