Alloy: Will there be any code enhacements like better jumpgate animations or explosions so that rendering is more hardware-based to benefit those who have up-to-date graphics accelerators? 

BD: Gamers will have a lot to look at. We’ve got ships that turn into other ships, shockwave explosions, dynamic Gouraud shading, natural slipgate holes in space that leak charged gasses, new weapons, and familiar weapons with new effects, lens flare, energy shields. And that list doesn’t include effects on the Beast side. There’s also new animations, new repair effects, like little repair drones that wander the hull of large ships, ships that link, colour by vertex, and polygonal accurate collisions. 

Alloy: It seems as though corvettes are no longer a big part of HW:C, at least on the Somtaaw side. Are they to be replaced as the anti-fighter solution by cap ships like the MBF and Hive Frigate? 

BD: Corvettes are still an important part of any fleet. Every ship in the fleet has a role to play and most have more than one. Upgrades to armor, weapons, and technology increase the uses of ships and in cases such as the worker, which can be upgraded to repair and salvage as well as harvest, they gain new roles. We’ve made it so that players, depending on their battle and research strategy, can build a fleet that suits their tactical style. Alternately, if their strategy sucks, they can change it to respond to the opposition. Ships that served a defensive role can be pressed into offensive service and visa versa. 

Alloy: What can you tell us about the mysterious repulse cannon? 

BD: It’s a mysterious repulse cannon. We’re saving this one for players to discover for themselves. We don’t want to give everything away before the game comes out. 

Alloy: Will the juggernaut's missiles be anti-fighter or anti-capital ship? 

BD: Both. Everybody fears the Dreadnaught, but wants one in their fleet. 

Alloy: How will fog of war work? 

BD: The Fog of war will be familiar to war and RTS gamers. The sensors of any given ship can see most all ships and resources in the immediate area (with the exception of ships with surpressed systems, such as cloaking or mimicking). As players move throughout a sector, they’ll be able to see where they’ve been and what was in an area at the time they moved through it. The only exception to the fog of war are crystals, which resonate and can be seen in the Sensor Manager at any time. This means you know exactly where to find these rich deposits of resources, but then, so do your opponents. And everyone will know when a crystal is in transit as they’ll be able to see it moving. Retrieving crystals can be very rewarding, or it can end badly. Why search for an opponent’s command ships when you can just follow the crystals? 

Alloy: How does external building work? 

BD: Your main command ship, the Kuun Lan is about half the size of a full blown mothership. As such, larger ships have to be built externally. When you initiate a build, you’ll be able to visually see the ship come together. Keeping the fact that you’re building capital class ships a secret from your enemy will be tough. 

Alloy: Any word on porting Homeworld: Cataclysm to other OS's or to consoles? 

BD: Homeworld: Cataclysm is currently being built for PC, as Homeworld was. Beyond that, who knows? 

Alloy: How wide is the area of effect for the infection beam?  Will we lose entire squadrons of fighters to a single blast like the heavy corvette's attack? 

BD: Heavy corvette or heavy cruiser? In any case, the beast infection is very dangerous, but it’s not an overwhelming weapon. Letting your ships wander close enough to be in danger of infection wouldn’t be a smart idea however. 

Alloy: Will the maps be so large that control of slipgates is necessary? 

BD: Slipgates are free passage, a hyperspace sized jump without the cost, so there’s a huge advantage to controlling both points of a slipgate passage. At the very least players will have to guard the points nearest to their fleets so nobody can arrive unannounced without a welcoming committee ready to meet them. 

Alloy: About customization, will you encourage MOD making?  How approacha ble is the new map generator? 

Related Links:

The Guidestone

Relicnews

Official Homeworld: Cataclysm Site

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