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Homeworld: Cataclysm Review

Multiplayer

Just like most (all?) Sierra multiplayer games, Homeworld is "WON.net enabled". The job is pretty well done here. There's absolutely no problem in finding a game and actually getting to play. With the integrated in-game browser, you can chat with other players at the same time you're looking for the perfect match. When you're done with this step, the game will launch and custom maps will automatically be distributed to all the clients. During this operation, players can chat together and see other player's loading progress bars. This is a nice feature that can make load times somewhat less boring (not that they are very long but still…). Once you're in the game, Homeworld includes everything one would expect from a quality multiplayer game: that is alliances, credits sharing, whispering to other players, etc. The net code seems very stable, and I didn't experience any lag. The commands are still very responsive and there is no delay between the time you give an order and the moment the unit executes it (Blizzard's Starcraft had problems with keeping lag at a low level). Homeworld supports a maximum of 8 players in the same game.

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Conclusion

I have in my hands another fantastic piece of work from Sierra. With Christmas coming soon, this is definitely a good gift for any RTS fan (this one is a must). Even when you have completed the single player missions, the multiplayer is so well done that it will keep you hooked on the game for more action. I will still be playing Homeworld in the next weeks (months?) and who knows, you might find me online playing under my nickname ("=(MadMan"). Until then, farewell!

-Matthieu "=(MadMan" Pepin

Score:

• Gameplay: 90%
• Graphics: 95%
• Sounds: 85%
• Multiplayer: 95%

Final Score: 90%

More info: Official Cataclysm Site

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