Homeworld: Cataclysm

Research

The research tree has been much expanded and modified. It is not simply a matter of picking a technology and researching it to open up new ones -- oh, no. Now you must build Modules to research different areas:

Hangar Bay - Advanced Fighter Drive, Linking Tech, Frigate Drive, Adv. Frigate Drive, Destroyer Drive, Adv. Destroyer drive.
Armur Module - Armor level 1, 2, Force Field level 1,2,3.
Engineering Module - Holographic Emitter, Support Module, Afterburner, Repair Systems, Salvaging ability, Crystal Harvest ability.
Adv. Engineering Module - Micro Ship construction, Repair Bots, Phased Telemetry, Advanced Sensors, Infection Vaccine, Crystal Harvest Ability.
Weapon Module - Adv. Ion Cannon, Missile Launcher, Siege Cannon, Energy Cannon, E.M.P. Cannon, Quantum Explosive Charge, Repulse Weapon.

As you can see, research now takes a lot more planning and no two people will do it the same, so each player will develop his/her own mix of ships and technologies.

Playing House by Yourself.

Okay, introduction over. [That was just the introduction? - Ed.]

If you have played HW, the interface will be second nature…if you have not, it will take some time to get used to controlling the camera. I tell people that it will take about an hour to get comfortable and 2 hours for it to feel natural. Once learned, it is never forgotten. The hilarious thing is that I have a HW:C screen shot as my desktop and I keep trying to rotate it.

The single player missions play out a story of secrets and survival over 17 missions. The missions range from simple escort to convoy protection (mission 6 was the one I had the most trouble with). Each mission will take about 20-40 minutes to play out, depending on your skill level and the difficulty level you set the game at. As usual, if you fail a mission it’s game over, so save often! Also, be prepared to replay some missions a few times. I do wish the mission tree was a bit more dynamic, but you can’t have everything.
The AI is up to the challenge most of the time. It still has the occasional weakness, but I’ll let you find those yourself.

The story itself is quite gripping, and the arrival of the Beast was a great moment that still gives me shivers when I watch it. The cut scenes for missions are done with the in-game graphics engine and the major plot points are done with the black and white sketch art that HW used to such good effect.

The mission objectives also change rather quickly, so be prepared to be in a rush. HW:C does have a time compression feature so you can speed up those slow sections of just travelling, but beware when you use it. Use it at the wrong time and you can open a big ol' can of wump-ass on yourself.

The same selection of formations is available, and make sure you pay attention to them. Bombers in Broad formation are target practice for the enemy; in Sphere they create a withering attack on any ship caught in the middle.

Playing House with Others.

HW:C has the same multiplayer options as HW; if you want to play against others you are limited to Sierra’s network, Sierra.com or direct LAN connection. I am greatly disappointed by this. I would love a TCP/IP option, as I generally find services such as WON, Zone, Mplayer, and Sierra.com to be a major bottleneck to my ping. Having said that, the five games I played over Sierra's network all went fine, with no real lag problems due to anything other than playing against people with 56k connections.
You can customize your colors, the game parameters, number of CPU players, amount of resources, turn the research tree on and off, etc.

One thing in HW is that in Multiplayer you could not have black on black as your colors. If you used the Black on Black edit, your main color would default to pink. This has not been addressed in HW:C. This is not a problem; I just like the black/black color scheme and am happy to be able to use it.

Supporting up to 8 players, the games can get very intense. The ability to record a MP game is back and you can send your friends mementos of their destruction and humiliation. For those not familiar with the Record game feature, it records the entire game like a VCR so you can go back and watch just what happened anywhere on the map.
With the SUs, the games do not degenerate into the massive battles HW did, but have a tendency to be more controlled forms of mayhem.

The other MP option is Skirmish against the CPU. This allows you to take on up to 4 computer opponents. At the simplest skill level, the computer will present a mild challenge; at its highest rating and set to attack humans only, it becomes a 4 vs. 1 fight for survival. I recommend cranking the difficulty to give yourself a real challenge.

Build your own Home

HW:C includes Mission Man, the map/scenario builder that came with HW. I find it full-featured and impossible to use, but then I can’t use most map/mission editors so this is not a strike against it. Many have used it and made some spectacular maps; check the fan sites for their handy work. I would recommend printing out the manual and taking a good look at it before playing with it.

HomeComing

Homeworld: Cataclysm is a worthy successor to the Homeworld crown. The changes that have been made all enhance and refine what the boys at Relic started. Barking Dog did a phenomenal job of finding HW’s weak spots and shoring them up with some inspired programming and writing. The story is intriguing, and pulls you in; the gameplay is stellar and the game itself is stable.

If you like RTS or Space-based games, you owe it to yourself to pick up both HW and HW:C. Once you master the interface (not a big hurdle), you will find yourself immersed in a universe that is very hard to leave. Homeworld: Cataclysm is the best follow-up/sequel I have ever played, and it is a good thing that it is a stand-alone, because it does stand on its own achievements, not those of its predecessor.
What are you waiting for? Go get the game or download the Demo and start the fun now.

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