Homeworld 3 is just around the corner, and in that case, a “Game of War” demo was recently made available as part of the latest Steam Next Fest. This is a mode combined with team-based real-time strategy inspired by roguelike games.While this is only a small portion of the game, it contains a full tutorial, which we’re looking forward to “Extensive campaign mode” means nothing.
The demo is limited to four maps, and you’re dependent on other players, who in my experience don’t always have the same skill set. You also have the option to play with friends, and whatever you achieve in the demo carries over to the full game. This is a huge motivation for me.
The game is published by Gearbox and developed by Blackbird Interactive. The last game I remember from them was Hardspace: Shipbreaker , but Homeworld is arguably their main series. It originally started as a 1999 game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Studios, and it guaranteed high-quality entertainment during my childhood. Blackbird’s last game was a prequel to the original game, just to add to the confusion. However, Homeworld 3 makes everything more chronological and takes place after all the other games. No more rickety, sometimes clumsy stuff. To my surprise, the design director, soundtrack creator, and lead writer (Marin Cirulis) are the same as the original game, at least in theory, which is crazy to think about the level of continuity this provides.
Some may complain that while the game is beautiful, it doesn’t take full advantage of the modern graphics potential of using Unreal Engine 4 instead of the new version UE5 – but it’s less than a year old and a PC game of this scale needs Time to make. This game has been postponed several times, so we hope to make it to May 13th this time. That said, it’s important to note that the full game is quite different and the game isn’t as demanding as other instructions suggest. I consistently ran over 100 fps at 4K resolution using an RTX 4080, and despite having quite a few moving elements on screen at once, everything zoomed in and out, the camera even flew over objects (such as asteroids), and Zoom into the building corridor. The first few times it was visually overwhelming.
The game itself, in a very limited mode, is really simple. In an advanced sci-fi environment that was in its prime but has begun to decline, you must gather resources, build a battle-ready fleet, research new and better units, and survive attacks on your enemies. The key here is scale. You have 60 planes at your disposal, not the X units per plane you’re often used to, but 60 individual units, and that’s just the beginning. In space, move between giant asteroid fields, huge spacecraft graveyards, and be able to use the surrounding terrain to hide in true Star Wars style, which is impressive with the light, shadow, and dust effects that occur. is also like this.
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To make things a little easier, there is only one resource to focus on, collect it, and if not fully automate it, then get close to it. If you’ve played a lot of C&C, you’ll recognize the logic and approach, which is probably a good idea since the military part requires your full attention. Granted, moving in three dimensions is very different than what you’re used to, and it takes some practice. Additionally, after being impressed by the scale, detail, and light-based reflections, realizing that there are huge differences in the physics of weapon types, you also realize that using terrain is crucial for survival and catching enemies off guard. This involves quite a bit of micromanagement, and aside from a nice tutorial, my only criticism is that both “Cancel Move” and the free camera controls are tied to the right mouse button by default, which can only cause a lot of problems in critical situations – You only realize it after a few games.
But would I play this now when the campaign is truly unknown? Yes, I really do. I really hope Blackbird insists that the upcoming DLC be co-op oriented so you can enjoy single player without buying extra content, and co-op has the added benefit of making you feel like you’re part of the many One of the fleet commanders trying to protect civilization.
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