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Windows Windows. Most Popular. New Releases. Desktop Enhancements. Networking Software. Trending from CNET. Developer's Description By Sierra Entertainment. This is the 1. Full Specifications. What's new in version. I guess it was no secret that I was something of a Homeworldtan the first time round, but after swearing off the thing for four or five months mainly to have it replaced with an equally unhealthy Counter-Strike obsession I thought that maybe it was out of my system.
That maybe now I could look at it with a more objective eye. Criticise its unwieldy 3D system, its cartoonish graphics, its hackneyed storyline.
Five minutes into Cataclysm and the glassy-eyed stare of concentration, the lack of awareness regarding the real world, the nervous twitching on my fingers and the slowly-drying reservoir of sputum forming on my chin gave me my answer. Homeworld is back. Barking Dog Studios apparently started working on Cataclysm a year before the original game was actually finished. The plucky developers who seem to be making a habit of improving other peoples' games - part of their team had a hand in Counter-Strike!
At the same time Relic had a bucket full of ideas that for one reason or another weren't able to be included in the original game. Cupid's arrow hit and the two teams pooled their talents. Hence the reason Cataclysm isn't being touted as a sequel to Homeworld, but as a sort of official follow-up. It's the first 'episode' to take place in the Homeworld universe which indicates more may follow. So what's this 'episode' all about?
Actually that's a good description, since unlike the grand, sweeping tale of a lost race that was seen in Homeworld, Cataclysm's single-player game does feel more like a traditional episode of any science fiction TV show.
It's the old 'alien life force infecting allied ships' plot - the Borg with organics rather than technological origins. Despite the hackneyed background, it is remarkably well told considering it mainly uses the in-game engine.
You start in command of a simple mining vessel, are quickly called in to lend a hand with some rebel insurgents, get sent to investigate a distress call and find a strange alien artefact. Despite every sci-fi fan on the ship screaming at you not to, the device is brought on board and quickly infects the lower decks. You ditch them before it spreads and so is born The Beast.
As forces are sent to attack they become infected and the race is on to stop it before it, er, assimilates the galaxy. Part of the reason why it works is the well thought out universe where it all takes place. Unlike the two basic sides in Homeworld, Cataclysnfs world is populated with many different clans, all dealing with each other in different ways. Hence you often find yourself called in to help out an allied clan in a fight, which opens the original game's tactical element to whole new levels.
Working with friendly forces in the midst of a battle is often as rewarding as working out your own strategies.
It also adds a bit of variety. Although you only have a limited number of ships at your personal disposal, each clan has variations on themes and things hardly ever get repetitive one of the criticisms that was often thrown at Homeworld.
Which is also true of your mothership. It starts out as a basic carrier style affair, but once the infected decks have been jettisoned you're free to upgrade it however you wish. One of the biggest criticisms levelled at Homeworldms the basic nature of its research tree. Barking Dog has tried to vary things here by assigning certain research paths to different research modules.
If you don't build the module, you can't follow the path. Unfortunately, the research areas can also be used to build support bays for your ships, allowing for larger fleets and better defences.
So it's a balancing act. And it does improve things, albeit slightly. The actual nature of the research remains the same, but since no one else has come up with any innovations in this area it remains a minor criticism at best. Other improvements come in the form of waypoint commands allowing useful patrol routes to be set up , linking technologies that allow two or more ships to join together Power Ranger-style, new units such as ramming ships, hive frigates, multi-role worker units, and mimics who do exactly what they say on the tin allowing for all sorts of sneaky infiltration tactics , and a generally greater feeling of control all round.
Those that found things somewhat confusing in Homeworld find things a little easier here. Being able to issue orders from the improved map screen helps immensely and everything just seems to run smoother than it did before. At the least they should have followed Microsoft's Age Of Empires model and released it as a cheaper expansion pack.
This is a tricky situation. On the one hand they're right. There is nothing particularly different about any of it and the fact that a seasoned Horneworld veteran felt so at home right from the off sort of confirms that. On the other hand it is still incredibly playable and although the new features don't sound like an awful lot, they do increase the playability by a factor of ten while eliminating a lot of the problems Homeworlds critics may have had with it.
Should you buy it then? Honestly, yes. If you didn't buy Homeworldthen I'd recommend you skip it and go straight for Cataclysm. It's a more rounded product and less overwhelming than its predecessor. There's enough here to please Homeworld fans too, more than enough.
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