Homeworld 2 Preview

There's no doubt that Relic Entertainment's successful Homeworld franchise was one of the most groundbreaking and innovative strategy games of its time. The game's epic tale and revolutionary graphics (i.e. z-axis), made Homeworld into the master of the 3D RTS genre. Many strategy games that have been released since its day have, in some way or another, borrowed from the Homeworld gameplay concept; such as O.R.B, Hegemonia, and others. Relic's 3D masterpiece soon captured the hearts of gamers worldwide and proved to be an excellent model for other game designers. Almost four years after the original, we finally have the opportunity to learn more about the game's long-awaited sequel, Homeworld 2.

Multiple cannons on all sides. We are impenetrable!

She can’t take much more of this!

This full-blown sequel has once again summoned the talent of renowned artist Rob Cunningham, one of the co-founders of Relic Entertainment and the Art Director in the original Homeworld. Some of the game's preliminary ship designs and sketches demonstrated Rob's exceptional flair for sci-fi art, almost worthy of the legendary Jean Giraud (a.k.a. Moebius - whose drawings and comic books inspired many sci-fi authors). The designing team at Relic worked with Rob by building fully rendered 3D models based on his designs. The models have clearly improved from the original game (just check out the new ship models in our screenshot gallery). Another experienced member of the development team is Lead Designer Josh Mosquieara, who previously collaborated with Activision and Microsoft on Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro and Impossible Creatures. Relic was also strengthened with Lead Programmer Stephan Morichere-Matte, who specialized in artificial intelligence and robotics (no doubt, a perfect addition to the AI programming crew).

From what we've learned so far, the story is worthy of its predecessor. Hardcore Homeworld fans will probably recognize the great Hiigaran leader Karan S'jet, who once again must guide her race in an epic struggle for survival, having to face an even deadlier foe - the Vaygr warrior race (don't know about you lot, but I'm still having a hard time pronouncing all these weird names - Ed.). The exact details of the storyline have remained undisclosed for the present, but we do know for a fact that the game begins one hundred years after the Exiles returned home. From the Inner Rim, the Hiigarans have to stand up to this bitter enemy that wields the power of the ancients. In Homeworld, the Exiles fought valiantly and have managed to reclaim their home. In Homeworld 2, they will have to reclaim their destiny...

We were told that the game's plotline was well-structured and refined so as to appeal to new consumers and Homeworld fans alike. In case you're worried about the game being too short or anything, it might interest you to know that there will be over 15 lengthy missions, which will mostly likely feature a couple of sub-missions as well, and a skirmish mode to boot. Also, players will get to choose one of the two races, the Hiigaran and the Vaygr.

Each race has a wide-variety of units. This time around, the designing team took a more in-depth approach in the creation of frigates, cruisers, and various fighting units. Besides being different in appearance, most of the ships have their own unique abilities, technological and tactical advantages. For the record, it seems that the developers decided to keep some of the ships that were present in the original game. For instance, the Ion Frigate and Assault Frigates will be reappearing, because they were regarded as very tough and very efficient ships in battle, so there was no point in excluding them from the picture. The rest of the units will feature new design, new weapons, and new capabilities. Naturally, each unit, from the smallest scout to the largest frigate, can be valuable and if players research new technologies they can upgrade their fighters and cruisers and make them even more competent in battle.

The lovely shades of blue and purple are almost tranquil - serenity now.

Ship models look greater than ever.

So, what about the engine then? Well, as far as we can tell, the programmers, artist, and 3D designers have made a great effort to give the game a well-deserved up-to-date visual treatment. In regards to the specifics about the engine, I'm afraid there's not much we can say at this point. Although, some details were uncovered. Unlike in the first Homeworld game, players will now be able to optimize the GUI any way they see fit. Also, panning the camera is a lot easier and less restricted, offering the players a straightforward and intuitive control over their fleet and individual units. These valuable improvements will also help players arrive to their preferred destination a lot quicker than before.

Furthermore, it seems that the universe in Homeworld 2 will be much larger than in the previous game, giving players more freedom to cruise throughout various star systems. Also, judging from the screenshots we've received from the team at Relic, significant improvements have been made to the in-game ship models, which are now considerably richer in texture detail. We also very impressed with the size of certain space-ship models - they seem to fit perfectly into the epic sci-fi tale. Another commendable note would be that the explosions and particle effects have also been enhanced, making the whole atmosphere believable and therefore more exciting.

Some of you are probably aware that the previous game featured music the music of YES, which, unfortunately, won't be the case in Homeworld 2, so I guess that comes as a bit of a blow to all you YES fans out there. Even so, you shouldn't be upset too much because, if you recall, the quality of the sound in Homeworld was top notch.

The team at Relic was still reluctant to let us in on the details regarding the AI, certain aspects of the story, and many other issues. Luckily, they did mention that Homeworld 2 is going to have an improved and highly addictive multiplayer mode, which features a much wider variety of tactical and strategic possibilities. If all goes well, you can look forward to seeing the game on the shelves by July 2003 (and, we're waiting to find out more after this year's GDC and E3 shows). Until that time, we're sure to have more info.