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Page 6 of 7

The Resulting Cataclysm

With but a click, I can instantly upgrade this guy so that he can fix and salvage stuff.

There were a few other additions to Cataclysm that we didn't get to fiddle with. We knew about energy-crystal harvesting and noted that we had to research it in the beta, but we didn't get to actually harvest any in the beta.

We also don't know of any new multiplayer types. Perhaps the Barking Dog team is working on multiplayer at the moment. Regardless, we were unable to test any new multiplayer modes or test out the possible strategies that would be inherent to the two sides: the Somtaaw and the Beast.

This massive, ugly ship is none other than the Beast. At least that's what it looks like in multiplayer.

The game's graphics seem refined, mostly in the explosion area. Things explode with greater effect, with more colors and flame effects. And because the new mothership is made up of components, when you see one go down, it will fragment into pieces before exploding in a great ball of fire and particles. The new mothership also seems more detailed and alive, with moving and spinning parts. The ships likewise have even more animations and parts.

Our interest in Homeworld has definitely been rekindled with this game, which is more than an expansion but somehow less than a sequel. With its work here outshining its contributing effort on the Counter-Strike mod for Half-Life, Barking Dog Studios seems to be making a name for itself.

There are still plenty of pretty explosions and ion trails to wow friends with.

Barking Dog has really put a lot of thought into making Homeworld a better game. Not only will there be simple game tweaks and enhancements, like time compression, fog of war, waypoints, more strategic research, and better graphics, but there should also be deeper gameplay. There will be new types of ships that lead to new types of gameplay, such as the mimic and leech and their propensity for camouflage, subterfuge, and sabotage. And there appear to be a lot more new ships, technologies, and upgrades. Barking Dog seems to be taking quite a few cues from Blizzard's Starcraft, and it looks like such inspiration will pay off.

With everything looking so good, it will take an unforeseen disaster to sidetrack this game. All signs indicate that this game has the right ingredients for success. We'll have to wait and see whether Cataclysm does indeed have the right stuff, but if everything comes together, we could have one of those rare expansion packs that turns out to be superior to the original.

Next: Screenshots gallery
 
 

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