The original Homeworld earned many accolades from the gaming press. Relic's debut game was one of the first Real Time Strategies to take on the third dimension. I recall all the controversy of how implementing 3d would make the game unnecessarily complicated control-wise. Once the demo came out and the game shipped, the folks at Relic proved that not only could a 3d RTS be done, but also that the controls didn't require you to have four arms. The third dimension also introduced a myriad of additional tactics that were to be taken into account. Throw in a great story, beautiful graphics that didn't require a monster PC, and excellent multiplayer, and the guys at Relic had a hit on their hands. The skeptics became the believers.

A little over six months ago, an announcement was made that Cataclysm was in the works. Many dismissed it as a mere expansion or add-on pack. Once we learned that it would be a stand alone game being developed by relatively unknown Barking Dog, we wondered whether they could deliver an improved game, let alone something of the same quality that Relic had shown us.

We thought it couldn't get any better…

The Story

Cataclysm takes place 15 years after the Kushan completed their journey to Hiigara, their Homeworld. Instead of breaking open a six pack and commencing to party down, the Kushan began their period of strife. The populace awoke from their cryogenic sleep to find out the world they knew was destroyed, and all they had to look forward to was this unknown world. The remaining people broke into Kiithid (clans), each taking whatever political power they could. Although this has little to do with the story line, it is a good introduction to the events that unfold.

You take control of the Kuun-Lan, a Kiith Somtaaw mining vessel going about its routine gathering resources. The game begins with a distress call sent out by another Kiith being attacked by Taiidans and Turanic Raiders. Being the great guys you are (actually, you have no choice), you jump in to lend a hand. There's only so much you can do, seeing as you're mining vessel doesn't have the resources or technology to crank out some serious firepower. You manage to help the Kiithid in distress and fend off the raiders, but then things start going down hill. The mining vessel picks up a signal which, upon investigation, is being broadcast by an derelict pod that cannot be identified. The Somtaaw, being a bit behind in the times, see an opportunity to gain alien technology that may boost their technical knowledge over that of the other Kiith. Do you see where this is going?

You are ordered to haul off the pod and bring it to one of your technology vessels to be examined. Once the techies get there hands on the thing, they release a 'biotech' virus which not only affects humans, but also takes over ship systems. Don't these guys watch any sci-fi movies?

As they say, 'Curiosity killed the cat' - only in this case, you're going to wish you were dead. It's up to you to stop this thing you unleashed.

The Game

In an era where game developers cut corners everywhere they can to maximize profits, it's very common to see one of the most important part of a game's packaging, the manual, rather lacking. Both Homeworld and Cataclysm broke out of this mold, shipping with quality manuals. The manual for Cataclysm weighs in at over 140 pages and includes everything from the background story, to tactical formation and ship statistics. Of course, all the 'how to' gameplay essentials are also in the manual.

Upon launching Cataclysm, you'll be introduced to a myriad of setup options. The lack of a selectable difficulty level in Homeworld has been remedied in Cataclysm. If the game proves to be too much of a challenge, just bring the excitement down a notch.

Once you're in game, you'll find a bit of a change to the interface. The original interface, streamlined as it was, has become even more minimalist. Everything can be accessed from the right-click menu, including build and research screens. The original hidden menu bar at the bottom has been removed altogether and small transparent windows have taken their place. If you feel out of place with these changes, you can always set it to the 'classic Homeworld' interface in the setup options.

Probably one of the most welcomed changes has got to be the ability to command your units from the Sensors Manager. Everything that can be done from the gameplay screen can be done here. Want to attack a group of incoming enemies? No problem! Select your squad(s) (either by hot key or drag selecting) and click/drag select the enemies you want to attack. This beats having to see the incoming enemies on sensors, but having to wait for them to come into visual range before you have the option to strike. Other useful additions include time compression up to 8x for those slow-to-build single player games, and a waypoint system for setting up reconnaissance patrols.

Camera control and unit movement is as easy as it ever was. Even the uninitiated will find a low learning curve to moving around the battlefield and positioning your point of view to keep an eye on your units. The in game tutorial does a great job with familiarizing both veterans and greenhorns to the Homeworld modus operandi and the new controls of Cataclysm.

 

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