Gameplay

Admiral vs Admiral

The beta we have only includes multiplayer online through Won.net, so we took the game out for a spin there. Depending on the settings, you'll start out with a small amount of money, and a small fleet of fighters and corvettes for defense. You'll also get a resource collector and a research ship which you can use to find new technologies for better ship. Last but not least, you've got your massive mothership, which is basically your mobile base. All new ships are created in the beginning from your mothership. And until you get resource controllers, your resource collectors are going to have to dock at the mothership to deposit more money. Steer the big mama closer to those asteroid belts!

Docked with a controller

Unlatching to get more money

Money money money

The opening part of the game is usually pretty slow because the money takes time to flow in. More resource collectors can speed things up but the most time is spent waiting for your collectors to ferry back and forth from the asteroid belts or the dust clouds. This can be remedied by moving your mothership closer to the loot or, when technology allows, building a resource controller ship which serves as a mobile docking station for your collectors to dump money.

Research ships hook together

A mothership with asteroid to left

Science is free

What's strange about Homeworld is that developing new technology costs no money, only time. Creating more research ships to create a larger research station is a good idea (and one that costs money) though, because you'll be able to develop multiple new tech at once. Developing new technology opens up your mothership to build newer, more powerful ships, so it's a good idea to climb up the tech tree as fast as you can.

A group of fighters, 4 assault frigates and 2 super ships

Attacking the enemy mothership

Ship balance

There's a sort of rock, paper, scissors balance with Homeworld and its 3 main ship classes. There are the small ships which include fighters and corvettes, the capital ships like the frigates and the destroyers, and then the super capital ships like carriers and cruisers. The weapons on capital ships can rip through fighters like a hot knife through butter. Likewise with the huge guns and missiles on the super ships vs the capital ships. However, the smaller fighters can run circles around the huge super capital ships and eventually do them in if there isn't enough support from smaller ships. In this way, it's important to always have a well balanced fleet with ships of all types. One thing's for sure - it takes forever to take out a mothership, even with big capital and super capital ships for support. Don't worry, you'll be able to use some sweet special ships like cloaking vessels and grav well generators that can freeze any ships caught inside of it.