KickStarter Homeworld 3 from Blackbird Interactive

[CyberWhale]

So, anyone pre-ordering? It's $180, but since I live in a relatively poor country I could only get it via Amazon, and that means additional $100 for shipping and stuff. That is about half of the average monthly wage in this country.

I'm tempted still to be honest ...

 

[Zibniyat]

What can I say, I do like Homeworld a lot, its aesthetics especially. Having that physical stuff is quite appealing, even if the game ends up a failure. If the shipping cost was $50 or less I would probably pre-order it, but as ti is I'm unsure.

 

[CyberWhale]

What can I say, I do like Homeworld a lot, its aesthetics especially. Having that physical stuff is quite appealing, even if the game ends up a failure. If the shipping cost was $50 or less I would probably pre-order it, but as ti is I'm unsure.

Find PDFs and woodworking tutorials online and try to build the replicas yourself if you want to be autistic. At least you will gain some skillz n shiet.

 

[underground nymph]

So, anyone pre-ordering? It's $180, but since I live in a relatively poor country I could only get it via Amazon, and that means additional $100 for shipping and stuff. That is about half of the average monthly wage in this country.

I'm tempted still to be honest ...

Do you know any services in your country that provide a virtual address in the US in order for it to be used for shipments from Amazon? These services typically charge much less then Amazon for delivery. I know many Russian services, but they work with Russia and CIS mostly.

 

[Zibniyat]

Do you know any services in your country that provide a virtual address in the US in order for it to be used for shipments from Amazon? These services typically charge much less then Amazon for delivery. I know many Russian services, but they work with Russia and CIS mostly.

I don't, but I also rarely bought anything off Amazon so I did not research much. But I will check out if there is something similar around here. The last things I bought off Amazon were two 4TB HDDs, and even though I payed full shipping and other fees (which was around $100), the whole purchase still cost me like at least $100 less than what I would have payed here to local retailers, to my shock. The prices of tech these days are outrageous. Anyway, thanks for the information, will check it out.

 

[Grotesque]

Do you know any services in your country that provide a virtual address in the US in order for it to be used for shipments from Amazon? These services typically charge much less then Amazon for delivery. I know many Russian services, but they work with Russia and CIS mostly.

I don't, but I also rarely bought anything off Amazon so I did not research much. But I will check out if there is something similar around here. The last things I bought off Amazon were two 4TB HDDs, and even though I payed full shipping and other fees (which was around $100), the whole purchase still cost me like at least $100 less than what I would have payed here to local retailers, to my shock. The prices of tech these days are outrageous. Anyway, thanks for the information, will check it out.

have you searched on amazon.co.uk or amazon.de?

the shipping costs would be reduced because it will ship from Europe mainland

 

[Zibniyat]

have you searched on amazon.co.uk or amazon.de?

the shipping costs would be reduced because it will ship from Europe mainland

German Amazon doesn't have it on offer, and I seem to remember the UK's one being on par with the USA when it comes to shipping costs.

 

[Grotesque]

Yes, there is an Up and DOWN in space, depending of the chosen point of reference.

The planetary system plane or the galactic plane

 

[Zibniyat]

Find PDFs and woodworking tutorials online and try to build the replicas yourself if you want to be autistic. At least you will gain some skillz n shiet.

You aren't being rational and you aren't giving logical arguments. If you had simply said that it is too expensive given the country I live in and my probable income level, then it would be a proper response, even if basic and expected in its essence. Instead you involve autism, which regardless if it is taken in its literal or figurative sense is stupid. People spend their money on all sorts of expensive things, "autism" has nothing to do with it.

Some arguments you could have used also:
- I would be giving money to Gearbox, a company known to have used crowdfunding for a well-known IP, despite itself being a successful and rich company able to finance the whole thing by itself;
- the content of the collector's edition is of questionable quality (here you would explain why and how), or the quantity of things received therein is too small;
- better to conserve my money due to this or that economical and political trend;
- some other game is worth my attention far more, better to spend my money on it.

And so on.

Instead you seem to be needlessly butthurt about this particular thing. I do not know why that is and it does not concern me, but it would do you good to, you know, not be. Since it is such a trivial thing in essence, the only issue being quantity (that is, price) of it.

 

[Keshik]

I just want that keychain.

 

[Zibniyat]

The keychain is the most questionable thing here, it does look nice, but I feel those sharp edges of the "wings" would tear up your pockets. For what it's worth, I currently have an agate keychain, with rounded edges and relatively small. Can't imagine stuffing my pocket with this one.

 

[Late Bloomer]

 

[Grotesque]

Homeworld 3 Moves to Next Year and An All-New Combat Update​

Hey folks, we’re starting today with the news that we’re moving the release of Homeworld 3 from the end of 2022 to the first half of 2023. We think the below message speaks for itself, but to sum it all up, we’re giving this game more time to reach the dream we all want it to be. We appreciate your patience as we build toward a game that delivers the experience we expect from this legendary franchise.

We also want to let you know that the next big moment for Homeworld 3 will be at gamescom. We’re excited for you to learn much more about the game in late August during the show. As we move closer to launch, you can expect to hear from us more often in terms of larger news about the game. There’s still quite a bit of (spoiler-free) content to show you ahead of launch in the first half of next year.
All that news aside, we have a beefy new update for you. This one’s all about how you’ll need to use your brain to take advantage of Homeworld 3’s significantly upgraded combat mechanics.

The Limits of the Past​

Today, we’re going deep on all the tactical options for you to enjoy in Homeworld 3. Let’s start by revisiting past titles.
The 3D gameplay in the original games remains an incredible fantasy, but when it comes down to the tactics of winning a battle, there’s not a ton of substance. Outside of some armor differences on the tops, bottoms, and sides of ships in Homeworld 1, the gameplay difference of attacking or defending from any particular angle is lacking. That’s what Homeworld 3 (and more modern hardware) can deliver, a more realized battlespace for 3D gameplay. Key to that are large structures littering the battlespace, forming a landscape for your genius to play out.
In Homeworld 1 & 2, the ability to move your ships in 3D space was groundbreaking at the time and something that’s held for 20 years as a defining moment in the genre’s history. We’re proud of that legacy. However, if we look critically at our past work, we think there’s room to improve your experience.

​

Art as Gameplay​

These structures include the ancient Progenitor megaliths you’ve seen in our most recent trailers, gargantuan ice shelves suspended in space, dangerous asteroids, and modern Hiigaran-built structures. Homeworld’s always had a fantastic sense of scale from elusive strike craft to well-equipped frigates, truly imposing capital ships, and of course the awe-inspiring Motherships. When we add super-sized structures to the mix, we gain a whole new avenue to bring scale to Homeworld.

The detailed artwork on these structures helps your eye understand scale and distance quickly, critical factors in a fast-moving naval battle. In the GIF above, you can see our nifty tool for painting detail into megaliths. These greebles, portholes, and time-worn details subtly guide your eye and brain toward how big a ship is, how far away the surface is, and all kinds of tactical info you’ll use in the conflicts ahead.
One thing that isn’t changing in Homeworld 3 is the value of every ship in your fleet. Because your fleet is persistent across campaign missions, every ship you save matters. Each tactical scenario outlined below allows clever leaders to guide more ships safely back to their berths at the end of combat operations.

Ballistic + Terrain = Cover​

A key difference for Homeworld 3 compared to many other strategy titles is our ballistics system. In most games, there’s a complex behind-the-scenes series of dice rolls that determines your ship’s accuracy or the damage they take in combat. In Homeworld 3, our ballistics operate on physics. If the bullet or beam hits your ship, the ship takes damage. If the bullet or beam slams into a piece of terrain you're tucked behind instead, no damage is taken at all.

Click to watch​

We mentioned the use of terrain and cover before, but today we can show you a wing of strike craft putting it all to use in a development environment. Watch carefully and you will see them duck behind the floating, broken panels of a nearby megalith to dodge fire from the assault frigate. While the dangerous frigate guns cool and reload, they pop from behind cover for a strafing run before safely scooching behind the other panel. Caught in this pattern, the far more powerful frigate will be chopped to bits in no time. Without usage of that terrain, the battle would end with every strike craft lost and only a bit of damage to the enemy frigate.
These tactics aren’t exclusively for strike craft. Frigates behind terrain will intelligently nudge their guns over the lip of the structure to fire at nearby foes while shielding the bulk of their… bulkhead. Through clever play, terrain becomes cover. Combine this tactic with the knowledge of your enemy’s weapon cooldowns and ship speeds and you’ll score victories that lesser commanders stand no chance of achieving.
Finally, for longer-range battles, you can imagine how the presence of pock-marked monolith plates or the slowly tumbling, burning wreckage of half a destroyer from an earlier encounter could provide ideal coverage to approach a deadly target without taking damage. Even amid a full fleet slugfest, a destroyed capital ship will explode into valuable pieces of cover for your remaining ships. Even in death, these ships can act as guardians for the remaining fleet.

Information Denial and Ambush Tactics​

Cover and all its tactical affordances are still only the tip of the ice shelf. Tunnels run through many of these superstructures, with openings dotting the way across the megaliths. These secret passageways were once used for space traffic and maintenance, but now are the perfect way to spring a trap on unsuspecting foes. They shape the battlespace by denying info to your enemy. If your ships were on the hull of the megalith, they’d be easily spotted. Inside, they’re guarded from sensor detection.

Imagine you place a pair of hapless frigates near a tunnel exit, ostensibly acting as guards. An enemy’s lumbering destroyer approaches, brimming with kinetic and beam weaponry and sure to rip the pair of frigates apart. But just as your frigates begin to take fire, you spring your trap. The salvage-capable craft you hid inside the megalith pour out from the tunnel entrance, quickly overrunning the enemy capital ship, hauling it back to the Khar-Kushan, and securing a well-armed addition to your fleet. It’s a Homeworld classic given a new dimension.

Hide and Seek and Destroy​

Trenches shape the battlefield too. On an ice shelf surface dotted with dangerous gun emplacements, a canyon carved into the land offers a safe path for your strike craft to navigate. If you can stealthily guide them past your enemy’s gun emplacements, their resourcing operations will be at the mercy of your wing of bombers and their escorts.

Click to watch​

See More Homeworld 3 at gamescom​

We hope you dig this deeper look at how battle in Homeworld 3 will be updated from past titles. We’re so excited to be sharing much more detail about Homeworld 3 at gamescom in Cologne, Germany. Don’t plan your travel just yet though. We’ll share more soon about the opportunities you’ll have to learn about Homeworld 3 as we approach the show. See you soon!

 

[Kem0sabe]

All of that sounds glorious, hopefully their claims pan out once the game is released.

My biggest worry is not gameplay but the storytelling. I really enjoyed the story of the homeworld games and it's an important part, for me, to enjoying the games.

 

[underground nymph]

Looks promising, although raises some questions about how playable these new mechanics will be.

 

[Perkel]

Looks promising, although raises some questions about how playable these new mechanics will be.

I don't think they will use them for whole game but rather for some missions. Especially at start.

Eitherway i love that they went back to ballistics. Only true fans know failures of games they love and try to improve upon it. H1->H2 removal of ballistics sucked ass and with H3 we get again it.

I like effects of it too. Ricochets, decal left on ships environment.

 

[Corbin Dallas Multipass]

The concepts sound cool but I can imagine a lot of room for suckiness.

OK so the strike craft hid behind a wall and killed a bigger ship because they waited on cooldowns. So... was the big ship just stupidly firing its weapons into the wall? Why didn't it wait for the little guys to poke out? Was this automated, or did it require serious micro on the part of the strike craft players? What will I do, as an intelligent human, if the computer parks some strike craft behind a wall? Would I be spam clicking the "stop" key until a strike craft comes out from behind cover, then frantically try to right click it? Because that sounds just terrible.

In the example of hiding a bunch of salvage ships in a derelict hull, with a couple frigates as bait... why? How would that play out differently without the derelict hull? Is the idea that the destroyer would just stay away from the apparently superior force?

I don't see how this stops the most obvious best strategy from being the fleet deathball still. Sure, I could micro a bunch of guys into interesting positions to ambush tiny strike forces sent by a campaign opponent who isn't actually trying to destroy me, but that just seems like a recipe for defeat against a foe who is just trying to destroy my valuable assets rather than play games with me.

Also also, you just know the cover system won't work like they describe, and will instead be exactly the same as nucom. I've seen all these dev promises and claims a billion times before. I'd love to be proven wrong but I won't be...

 

[Perkel]

The point is to give additional layer of strategy.

In homeworld oftentimes you ignored lower tier units precisely because they would get quickly dispatched by anti fighter frigates. Now with such layer main force can say attack from front focusing anti fighter frigates while bombers can take canal, sneak and hit vulnerable ion frigates at the back.

Stuff in those canals will have lowered down sensor range so it is kind of sneaky way of moving units.

I just hope they won't overdo it.

 

[Corbin Dallas Multipass]

The point is to give additional layer of strategy.

In homeworld oftentimes you ignored lower tier units precisely because they would get quickly dispatched by anti fighter frigates. Now with such layer main force can say attack from front focusing anti fighter frigates while bombers can take canal, sneak and hit vulnerable ion frigates at the back.

Stuff in those canals will have lowered down sensor range so it is kind of sneaky way of moving units.

I just hope they won't overdo it.

That's fun headcanon and all, but I bet you one hundred billion codexbux that it doesn't play out that way in practice.

 

[underground nymph]

What I really do appreciate though is their adherence to the overall feel of the Homeworld. Sounds, music and aesthetics remind very strongly of the original game.

Their desire to add an additional tactical layer is understandable, though I would opt for something more realistic than a huge debris. I would probably make some experiments diversifying weapons by range and see how that gonna play out. Probably add some very long range stuff (seeing modern conflicts I’d bet this is how any future war will look like) countering it by some specialized defense equipment. Think about either building a very long range static fleet or a maneuverable very mobile fleet that rely on stealth and hit’n’run tactics.

 

[Corbin Dallas Multipass]

Realistic space combat would probably be really boring. I mean realistic airplane combat is pretty boring right now and there is an atmosphere and gravity and such to worry about there.
It'd just be ultra long range missiles and lasers that blow you up before you know what happened.
Forget realism, stick with WW2 fighter planes in space with naval analogs for the big spaceships, and absurdly short range weaponry. That way it can be exciting and in a scale you could take in.

I get what the space debris is trying to do, but it's just hard to imagine non frustrating gameplay coming out of that.

At a certain point, if you clutter things up enough, it's not really a space game anymore. If I have to carefully direct my space ships around giant chunks of debris how different is it from directing my hydralisks around the terrain on a StarCraft map?

 

[Grotesque]

My biggest worry is not gameplay but the storytelling.

story will be mediocre at best.
storytelling will be shit and also the aesthetics conveying the "story" will be insipid/lame, because it will be put together by man-children, by artistically bankrupt progressive hipsters which have a very distorted and simplistic view of the world we live in.

 

[Dayyālu]

All of that sounds glorious, hopefully their claims pan out once the game is released.

My biggest worry is not gameplay but the storytelling. I really enjoyed the story of the homeworld games and it's an important part, for me, to enjoying the games.

I've grown to entertain the opinion that HW1 was a fluke. HW2 was a complete mess of insipid story and rabidly hacked together concepts - the dev cycle was terrible on their defense, but the results were mediocre nonetheless- and DoK wasn't anything remarkable.

The fact that The Blob In Space (Cataclysm or Emergence as it's called now) had a better ambience and plot and was written by rabid pre-historical SJWs (and not the original team) reinforced my opinion.

 

[jebsmoker]

All of that sounds glorious, hopefully their claims pan out once the game is released.

My biggest worry is not gameplay but the storytelling. I really enjoyed the story of the homeworld games and it's an important part, for me, to enjoying the games.

I've grown to entertain the opinion that HW1 was a fluke. HW2 was a complete mess of insipid story and rabidly hacked together concepts - the dev cycle was terrible on their defense, but the results were mediocre nonetheless- and DoK wasn't anything remarkable.

The fact that The Blob In Space (Cataclysm or Emergence as it's called now) had a better ambience and plot and was written by rabid pre-historical SJWs (and not the original team) reinforced my opinion.

i agree that cataclysm is the *real* homeworld 2, and that 2's story is absolutely horrid (although 2's great modding community saved the game and gave it a lasting legacy), but i'd argue that saying that 1 is a fluke is just being contrarian for the sake of being so

 

[Zibniyat]

Cataclysm isn't a Homeworld game.