Homeworld 3
Blackbird Interactive will soon release the final updates for Homeworld 3, concluding the Season 1 DLC content. Homeworld 3 launched on May 13, 2024, and our review of the game is available – here.
The release will be a mix of two premium DLC packs plus free content updates. These updates are designed to deliver the complete vision for Homeworld 3. The premium DLC packs will enhance the War Games mode while the free content will enhance the gameplay mechanics plus provide optimizations to existing features. Blackbird Interactive states the November 21st offering will also include performance improvements.
Two factions of the Homeworld universe form the basis for the DLC packs. They are the Somtaaw and Taiidan. These two new packs will extend the War Games Mode. Each faction has their own specific ships with different capabilities, two unique fleets, many new Artifacts, and ten new Challenges. Based on which faction you choose to play, you will need new combat strategies.
The Taiidan ships harken back to the classical designs from the first Homeworld. They differ from all the other War Game fleets in that they are resource independent. They do not depend on the Carrier and its Resource Collectors. The Taiidan faction also has a new offensive tool at their disposal, the Taiidan Missile Destroyer.
New Clans, New Strategies
The Somtaaw faction is much like the dwarfs from Tolkien’s Middle Earth. They are great miners. This was true on the lost Hiigaran homeworld, Kharak, and they continued this tradition in the outer reaches of space. Somtaaw ships reflect their mining heritage. Their skill at smashing asteroids led to armed Resource Carriers and Ion Beam turrets on their Carriers.
Player feedback from the original game release is the basis for the free update. The ability to Hyperspace Jump in Skirmish mode and the ability to decide when you move to the next campaign are two of the most requested features. Another common piece of feedback was that resourcing was too efficient. Blackbird Interactive has heard the fans and has made it so.
Hyperspace capabilities in Homeworld 3 differ from the previous games where it was a global setting. This time, hyperspace capabilities are unlocked via individual ship-type research options. So each unit in the Frigate, Capital, and Mothership classes will have a hyperspace core research option. Players unlock it in the same way as other tech advancements. The use of hyperspace remains the same. The cost of each jump, determined by its length in RUs, necessitates careful consideration of whether to surprise your opponent.
On the flip side, you can research Hyperspace Inhibitor’s abilities to defend against such attacks. This ability is available for the Hiigaran Support Frigate and Incarnate Disruption Corvette. The Hyperspace Inhibitor ability creates a protective sphere that blocks Hyperspace passage. If the Inhibitor ability is active, the inhibitor field will instantly force any ship that flies through it during a Hyperspace Jump out of Hyperspace.
Resources? We Don’t Need No Stinking Resources!
Players said that the abundance of resources made strategy unnecessary. They have the resources to do everything in the current game state. Homeworld 3 reduced micro-management. An unfortunate side effect of doing so removed key strategic decisions related to economic development, present in previous titles. Before players had to balance resource investment carefully with tech progression and defense. To address the issue, developers made several changes. Resourcing rates are reduced by a meaningful amount. Developers also reduced starting resources in Skirmish to make early-game decisions more crucial. Finally, the devs significantly increased the cost of Resource Controllers to make them a riskier, more meaningful investment. These changes aim to reintroduce the tension and rewards of economic decision-making.
The net result of all these changes should bring the Homeworld 3 gameplay back to its roots. Plus, the new DLCs will deepen the strategy and gameplay.
You can find out for yourself when the new update lands on November 21, 2024.
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