The interface itself is mostly the same as that from Homeworld, but with a few tweaks and enhancements. The strategic map has been cleaned up, and there is now a better system to represent which area of the map is within sensor and visible range. There is also the option to call up a detailed window to display the statistics and information of any vessel that you have selected. There is also the introduction of a time compression feature, and this is perhaps the single most important addition to the game, as it makes it so much easier to deal with the end of missions its not even funny. I used to get extremely frustrated while waiting to harvest resources at the conclusions of the missions in the original Homeworld, and the time compression feature really solves that issue in a big way. The technology tree itself is also quite expansive, and there are more options that you can research to upgrade your vessels with. I chose to research everything, but never really bothered to upgrade any of my strike craft, as I dabbled mostly in heavier ships for the majority of the game.
The graphics engine in Cataclysm is mostly identical to that in Homeworld, and that is a very good thing. The graphics are still, a year later, utterly fantastic and get even better as the resolution increases. Homeworld was a graphical marvel at the time of its release, and it looks just as fresh today. The only real difference I could find with the graphics was the cleaner and less pixilated look of the ships in Cataclysm, especially at higher levels of zoom.
The sound, while not quite up to par with the original Homeworld, is still fantastic. The music is excellent and appropriately moody, while the voice acting on the whole is excellent. Weapon effects are still a bit wimpy, and I hope that eventually someone puts the punch back into the behemoth weapons that these ships of destruction carry.
Cataclysm also features a full suite of multiplayer options, much as the original did, and now offers the chance to play as the Somtaaw or as The Beast. The Beast contains a mixture of ships of all different races and is thus fairly interesting to play with. The inclusion of their biogenic attack also adds a whole new level of strategy to the multiplayer game.
Cataclysm is an excellent game and a superb addition to the Homeworld universe. It would have been easy and expected for a game that was not a sequel yet not an expansion to flop, but Barking Dog put together an intriguing look into another chapter of the evolving story of the Homeworld universe. If future titles hold to this level of quality, this franchise will have a long future in front of it.
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