For starters, Iām playing HWR and enjoying it.
However ā¦
The MP experience could use some help.
As many people have said (myself multiple times), we need a proper lobby where people can see whoās online and chat with them. Why is this important? If you log on and see someone you know, you can strike up a conversation with them and get a game hosted. People are simply more likely to host a game if they know their friends are there. Yes, I suppose you could use Steam friends, but this is an additional screen to keep track of and, frankly, it looks intrusive to me if youāre in a game.
Hereās the point of view Iām coming from. I loved the original Homeworld. I thought I loved Total Annihilation (and I did/do), but I REALLY loved the original Homeworld. When Cataclysm came out, I loved it too. In fact, about the only thing I didnāt like about Cataclysm was that it had hard coded random starting positions. (Maybe asteroids were too easy to kill) Both HW1 and HWC played fairly similarly ā formations mattered, controlling your units mattered; players had a connection to their units. Both games implemented a fairly decent Rock/Paper/Scissors balance. On the other hand, I never quite got into HW2 as much. I enjoyed the subsystem and environmental damage aspects, but the connection to the units that I enjoyed in HW1 and HWC was largely gone. Balance was ā¦ ok. Battlecruisers seemed overpowered and Frigates seemed weak, as I recall. Although the balance was ok, it seemed to lack some of the Rock/Paper/Scissors aspect of HW1 and HWC. Generally, games ended up being a race to get BCs out. Other unit-based strategies didnāt seem as effective. It, also, didnāt help that HW2 online game stability wasnāt very good. I still played it, but the game experience wasnāt nearly what Iād come to expect from Homeworld.
So, when it was announced that HWR would be based on the HW2 engine, it gave me pause. Some of the concerns I associated with this choice have come to pass ā poor online stability (though Iām finding it seems to be improving) and the strategic limitations of HW2 vs HW1/HWC. Is this a limitation of the game engine? I donāt know. I, certainly, hope not. I suspect it that may be the case, though.
When I look at HWR, I see HW2 ā the good and the bad. I, also, see that the HW1 aspect of the game is majorly lacking. Things I miss from HW1 ā formations, a properly functioning āZā function like support frigates ā¦ supporting (and I havenāt figured out minelayer corvettes yet); and being able to allocate research among the research ships as I wanted. There are good things still there, such as parallel build queues and the graphics are stunning. But, again, the HW1 flavor is missing. Iām almost exclusively playing HW2 races at present and thatās a primary reason.
Iād like to know if itās possible to get that flavor back. Iām here playing regardless, the answer to that question determines for how long. Iād like a reason to hope thatās more concrete than trusting Gearbox to do the right thing. Can the HW2 game engine accommodate HW1 playstyle? Does Gearbox see these issues the same way? Or, can the original games that came with the download have their MP options unlocked again so we can at least play them on Game Ranger (or a Steam alternative)?
Can you help us out, Gearbox, with some answers? Iām still taking the beta label to heart. Iām still taking your professed passion for the Homeworld universe to heart as well. But, Iād sure like some more feedback.
