KickStarter Homeworld 3 from Blackbird Interactive

[Grotesque]

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/homeworld3/updates/994

Only 48 Hours Remain!
POSTED: 09/27/2019

It feels like just yesterday that Homeworld 3 was announced at PAX West and the Fig campaign started. Now, we’re at more than $1,000,000 raised with only 48 hours left in the campaign! Thank you everyone for going on this journey and investing with us.





In 48 hours, the initial campaign will be over and you'll see a few changes to the Fig campaign page starting next week. We’re still really early in Homeworld 3’s development and understand that some fans may want to see and learn more about the game's development before jumping in. We're confident we're going to deliver a breathtaking Homeworld experience, but we know where these fans are coming from. So, we'd like to keep the campaign open to allow anyone who wants to invest in Homeworld 3 to still have the option to do so as we get further along in development and have more to show.

On the campaign side, we will be making some changes to the pledge tiers. All of the initial tiers from the first 30-days will no longer be available after this weekend. We’ll be adding new tiers for those that want to join us later. These new tiers will not have the bundled Deserts of Kharak and Homeworld Remastered Collection, and the special $10 discount for Homeworld 3 will go away. In addition, the limited-time $1000 tier will no longer be available, otherwise Rob would be spending all his time signing artwork. If you or any of your friends are on the fence about moving up, these remaining 48-hours are the time to take advantage of these tiers and their perks!

If you've already pledged, these changes will not affect you - you will get exactly what you've signed up for when the initial campaign closes on Sunday night. Once the initial campaign ends, you’ll be charged and will keep your spot at the bundle level you pledged into.

For the tiers that do have Deserts of Kharak and Homeworld: Remastered, those Steam keys will be delivered within two weeks of the campaign ending on Sunday. You should receive the key to the same email you used to set up your Fig account!

As a reminder, the survey is still open to backers and will remain open until October 13th!

If you have not yet, fill out the survey to help influence the development of Homeworld 3!

Thank you everyone who has joined us so far in making Homeworld 3 with us! We’re so excited to see what everyone is looking forward to in Homeworld 3!

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Trans-Financial-Man]

Yes, goys loving fans. In the next 48 hours, this company (who have the backing of Gearbox games) really need your support. They desperately needed that 1$ but now they have it, it is vital to the future of Homeworld 3 for them to hit those stretch goals so they can give you the goyim people the game you deserve. Of course, BB will listen to all of your concerns. Epic haven't paid up yet so it's vital they listen to you until they do! The fate of Higgara hangs in the balance, glorious Homeworlders! The game might not even get made if they can't reach those stretch goals! Yes, they have the backing of Gearbox! But goys - fuck, guys they really need your voices, and more importantly your money to see this project through!

 

[Grotesque]

Yes, goys loving fans. In the next 48 hours, this company (who have the backing of Gearbox games) really need your support. They desperately needed that 1$ but now they have it, it is vital to the future of Homeworld 3 for them to hit those stretch goals so they can give you the goyim people the game you deserve. Of course, BB will listen to all of your concerns. Epic haven't paid up yet so it's vital they listen to you until they do! The fate of Higgara hangs in the balance, glorious Homeworlders! The game might not even get made if they can't reach those stretch goals! Yes, they have the backing of Gearbox! But goys - fuck, guys they really need your voices, and more importantly your money to see this project through!

 

[Infinitron]

Finished at $1.5M, including $813k from regular pledges.

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/homeworld3/updates/995

The Initial Campaign for Homeworld 3 is Over, But We're Still Going Strong!
POSTED: 09/30/2019

WE DID IT! A huge thank you to the 8,414 backers and investors that joined us in the Homeworld 3 campaign! We are now the second highest-funded RTS game ever! We’re so humbled by your response to the franchise and are so excited to take your feedback to make Homeworld 3 the best experience it can be!

What now?

Your pledges have been locked in and backers should start seeing their cards charged. For those in a tier that includes Deserts of Kharak and the Homeworld Remastered Collection, we will be distributing those keys after payments have gone through. Expect to see your keys in the email you used to create your Fig account within the next two weeks.

The survey is still open to backers and will remain open until October 13th! If you have not yet, fill out the survey and make sure your opinions on multiplayer features, the Collector’s Edition, and more are heard! Once the survey closes, we’ll be taking all of your responses, analyzing the data, and going over the findings with the team. In November, we’ll be sharing the results and how those answers are helping shape the game.

While the main campaign is wrapped, we're making some adjustments so new fans can still pledge and invest. Homeworld 3 is still in pre-production, and there are some fans of the series that want to hold off until we’re a bit further along in development to jump in or invest. We still have more things to share in the near future that we’d hate for other fans to miss out on.

As mentioned in the previous update, the limited-time tiers are going away, and new backer tiers are being introduced. This does not affect any tiers for those already on the project.

These are the changes:

• The limited-time discount for Homeworld 3 during the initial campaign has been removed from the base tier. It is now $60.
• Deserts of Kharak and the Homeworld Remastered Collection are not offered in the new tiers.
• The time-limited $1,000 tier is no longer going to be available.

We will be keeping you updated as we hit milestones on the project with a regular cadence of at least once a quarter, starting with your survey results in November. As we start creating really cool concept art, screenshots, design thoughts, art tests, and (eventually) gameplay to show you, we’ll sprinkle some bonus updates and additional surveys in there as well!

Thank you so much from all of us at Gearbox Publishing and Blackbird Interactive! We’re so charged by your enthusiasm and ready to get back to working on Homeworld 3!

 

[Grotesque]

 

[Grotesque]

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/homeworld3/updates/1036

Final reminder: Survey closing 10/13
POSTED: 10/11/2019

It's already been two weeks since we wrapped up the initial Fig campaign. Thanks again for coming aboard with us. Today we’re talking game keys and next steps on the survey.

For backers who pledged at a level that included Deserts of Kharak and Homeworld: Remastered Collection, those keys are starting to roll out today! The keys are distributed via an email from Fig and will include one code for each game. You will also be able to view those keys from your Fig Account page under "My Game's Library." If you do not see your keys by the end of the day on Monday, the 14th, please let us know.

If you haven't yet taken the backer survey yet, please fill it out before it closes at 11:59 PM CT, October 13. Our next exciting step is collecting all your sweet, sweet feedback from the survey, analyzing it, and sharing how it will actually impact the development of Homeworld 3. This actually won't be a fast process, but that's because we're taking it seriously. Here's what's next.

First, the User Research team at Gearbox will be analyzing all of your feedback. Their goal is to transform an Excel spreadsheet of your survey responses into a useful, unbiased, and actionable presentation for BBI to understand how the community's feeling about each question we've asked. That analysis will take a couple weeks to put together.

From there, BBI will compare the data to their current production plan. Some data points will exactly mirror the team's plans. Some might shake things up a bit! That's the exciting part. Once they've had a couple weeks of their own to understand the feedback and decide how it should impact Homeworld 3's development, we'll write up a major backer update shining a light on a selection of data points and how they impacted our thinking and the game. We should be ready to talk more about that by late November.

Now, if you want to be part of this game-shaping process, fill out that survey! You've got until the end of day on Sunday, October 13.

 

[CyberModuled]

Survey results starting to come up

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/homeworld3/updates/1107

Fig survey results and your megalithic impact on development!


Hey everyone,

Now that we’ve had some time to compile, sift through, and think about all the survey results from the initial Fig campaign, we want to share back some of the findings and how it’ll impact the ongoing development of Homeworld 3.

About making video games
First, let’s talk a little bit about the nature of game development. Put simply, game development is a business with infinite ideas and limited time, funding, and human energy. Given those inputs, it’s gigantically important to prioritize a development team’s efforts if a game’s going to ship, let alone ship at high quality. Trust us when we say that we could craft beautiful spaceships forever, but at some point, a call needs to be made that we’ve got enough spaceships and it’s time to get on with designing, engineering, QA’ing, and all the rest of the work (audio, dialogue, marketing, localization, etc.) that comes with releasing an ambitious title into your waiting arms.

That’s a hugely simplified example, but the point is that your feedback will help us make those priority decisions. We’re excited to share this part of the sausage making with the community because most game developers simply don’t— because it can be ugly. Prioritizing one piece of the game to make it truly great often means letting another part be only fine or even cut from the game. That means your feedback and our vision will meld into what not only needs to be in the game, but what needs to be great in the game. We hope this process demonstrates respect for the franchise and continues earning your confidence over the course of development.

Your feedback and how it shapes the game
Characters

It was important to us to find out how important characters, factions, and ships truly are to the fans of Homeworld, and we received a ton of awesome feedback - some of it expected, and some pleasantly surprising!

• We all know Karan S'jet is an integral part of the Homeworld flavor, so instead we wanted to look at what faction identity means to you. The good guys won out, with the Hiigarans, Bentusi, and Progenitors coming out on top - far ahead of the pirates, and even the Taiidan. We believe this shows us just how important the role of emotional connection is, and it's something we want to focus on further with the hope that we can re-create that same unique connection you have built with the Bentusi and Hiigarans alike.
• More surprisingly, it appears that ships are just as important to you as characters, with the Mothership coming a close second to Karan for most important narrative elements.
• What with the visual immersion of Homeworld being so exciting for you, as well as your love for the ships, we've been busy creating amazing new ship designs that will build a strong sense of character and identity.

Story
Homeworld's story has always been its bread and butter, but we wanted to get a better idea of what this means to you. The survey responses were a great help - not only to clarify our direction, but to inspire us the way Homeworld has inspired all of you.

• We believed that the narrative was absolutely integral to the franchise - and you overwhelmingly agreed. The single-player experience is something we always planned to focus heavily on, and it gives us huge confidence to hear and read this is what you want too. What makes this comforting from a production perspective is that prioritizing single-player has always been the case for Homeworld development.
• We have been looking closely at previous Homeworld games to really get an idea of the core elements that make it so unique. We also asked you what the most important themes were in the franchise, and the top answers were: exploration, redemption, and exodus. We agree, and we are working hard to craft a narrative that really speaks to the true Homeworld experience - and to all of you.
• As part of the survey, we asked you what narrative elements spoke to you the most. Among the top were monoliths, which told us that you found environmental storytelling to be not only exciting, but a fundamental part of the Homeworld experience. We aim to take this franchise further than ever before, and we're excited to share that we've been busy building massive interactable environments using monoliths that will truly immerse you in the universe and the story.

Gameplay
We wanted to get an idea of how the gameplay in Homeworld spoke to you. As a non-traditional, 3D RTS, the game doesn't mirror many others - and we feel it's important to know what drives your wish to keep playing.

• We were curious to see how important certain gameplay features were to your experiences - and what we found was a love of strategic and thoughtful playstyles, such as salvaging and cloaking. We’re thrilled to hear that, because we’re working on several super exciting features that are too early to discuss in detail today, but we know you’re going to love!
• As we push interaction with the environment further, we are realising the amazing gameplay implications this has. Combined with the ballistics system we are building, it will offer the player even more strategic options in gameplay, as they use the environment itself to take cover and hide or gain an advantageous position over their enemy. We are also exploring new ways to navigate through the 3D environment using object-relative movement. For example: Click the underside of an asteroid and your ships will position beneath it. Click on the top-side and that’s where they’ll take cover. It should unlock new tactics while still feeling intuitive on the mouse.
• As mentioned earlier, you feedback on the importance of single-player experience and story is loud and clear. We want to be clear too: Our first priority is making an amazing Homeworld single-player experience. While we are focused on the core campaign, we are also looking at what that means for multiplayer. We believe that by crafting an alternate game mode we can bring the game to new levels. As such, we have been exploring how best to bring this experience to you. We have some exciting ideas in the works that we’ll talk about later in development!

Wrapping up
There’s a lot more to this survey than what we’re sharing today. The rest we plan to discuss alongside meaningful updates to the game itself. Speaking of which, we plan to share updates with you once a quarter for the remainder of the game’s development. Things will probably pick up in pace during the final year ahead of the game’s release, but for now we need to spend most of our time heads-down and building the foundation of Homeworld 3. Please leave your thoughts and feedback on the post below. We’ll have more to share in 2020. Have a great holiday! This is Fleet Command, signing off.

-Homeworld 3 Development Team

 

[Dayyālu]

I almost forgot this was a thing.

The rape never ends.

 

[Trans-Financial-Man]

I'll give the devs some credit. So far, they're telling me what I want to hear from a Homeworld sequel and at least for now it actually does look like they're trying to move the franchise forward with modern tech. But I thought the same thing about Phoenix Point before the devs put their fingers in their ears and told backers to fuck off. Also I know with the gift of clairvoyance known as hindsight that this is absolutely an Epic Store exclusive. I had the thing for the half an hour or so of trying out my free copy of Phoenix Point I didn't even want. Really didn't like it. Buggy, glitchy and just inconvenient compared to Steam.

 

[CyberModuled]

Also I know with the gift of clairvoyance known as hindsight that this is absolutely an Epic Store exclusive.

Eh, I personally don't think it is tbh. Considering the game is estimated to release in Q4 2021 (to which I'm going on a limb to say 2022 is more likely) I'm going to be surprised if EGS is a thing at that point in terms of exclusivity. Seems like a lot of devs have slowly started backing away even with the promise of money due to bad PR (to the point where it's now considered good PR to go out of your way to say it's not going to be exclusive). That plus it is the publishing side of Gearbox and not outright "Gearbox" who published Risk of Rain 2 on Steam only recently this year around the time BL3 was said to be EGS exclusive (and considering how quick some flips have been in the past, I think it was an internal choice to stay non-exclusive) and is currently one of the biggest Early Access games this year. Though yeah, the industry has hit an all time low at this point where being cynical and jaded is the better to not get hopes too high so I understand your sentiment completely.

 

[Grotesque]

 

[karoliner]

Is there really a need for this? What can it do that 1, cataclysm and 2 didn't already?

 

[Grotesque]

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/homeworld3/updates/1199

Moving Megaliths (From Home!)

Hey, Everyone!

We’re doing everything we can to stay safe and productive. BBI and Gearbox moved people to a work-from-home setting where we can move full steam ahead on production of Homeworld 3! We hope this update helps bring some positivity and excitement during these times.

We’re excited to get to bring this to you. We have reached a point in technology where a lot of the initial ideas for Homeworld are now finally possible.

During this quarter, BBI developed a lot of the core pieces of the game that are going to support Homeworld 3 through its development. These are the systems and designs that the game will use for movement through the space, combat, upgrading, controls, and more. Over the course of the year, these systems will be fine-tuned, art will be applied, and we’ll be excited to talk more on those things in future updates.

We are incredibly proud to share with you concept art from one of the giant structures that will be in Homeworld 3:

The above concept art is a target for the scope of the battlefield and establishing the feel of the environmental storytelling we will achieve.

These megaliths are in the process of being blocked out and designed. We’ve always wanted players to be able to explore the beautiful backgrounds of Homeworld and this is a step towards that. These megaliths are massive in the space, and something that we’re excited about using to bring a greater sense of scale and awe to Homeworld 3. We are excited to see how players find themselves thinking strategically and stretching their imagination on how combat can take place in, around, and with the Megaliths and space debris.

Controls and movement systems are being built around these structures to make it a streamlined, seamless process to the legacy fans and new players alike. Missions and combat are being designed with the idea of using the space and environment to its maximum potential.

In the coming updates, we will explore a few different themes to match our upcoming milestones. In future updates, we’re looking to give an update on the core combat and gameplay, as well as the cinematic experiences of Homeworld 3. We want to dive into some of the goals and philosophies behind each of these pillars and some of what you can expect when diving into Homeworld 3 for the first time!

Feel free to comment with questions regarding the future content and we’ll answer as many as we can in the next update!

We’re thankful for everyone who has joined us for this journey, and we’ll talk soon!

 

[Zibniyat]

God, those ships look fuckable. Damn. So good, so beautiful to see.

 

[Grotesque]

 

[Grotesque]

44 min long

 

[Grotesque]

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/homeworld3/updates/1324

Q&A with Homeworld 3’s Karl Gryc, Part 2

Hello Fig backers! Following up on our last update, we’re back with more answers and awesome artwork from Homeworld 3 Art Director Karl Gryc.

Also, don’t forget to register for the Homeworld Mobile Technical Test! Registrations for the current testing phase close on Friday September 18, with more details here.

In Homeworld 3, how do you design ships? Based on Homeworld 2? or developing its own design for Homeworld 3? - Seongkyun K.

“Evolution not revolution is the best way to describe the fleet designs. This is a topic I’ve discussed extensively with both Aaron and Rob. The fleet design in Homeworld 3 will have its own voice but still have strong DNA from the previous games. If I were to sum up the visual designs using Jet fighters - Homeworld 1 is an A-10 Warthog, Homeworld 2 is an F-15, and Homeworld 3 will be an F-35 Raptor. I do feel the drastic change between Homeworld 1 and 2 are justified narratively, just how a civilization can hit a technological plateau before the next event brings in new wonders - for homeworld 3 it is the opening of hyperspace gates. So we will need a new more mature fleet to brave the unknown” - Karl

Can we expect to see any designs from previous games such as Homeworld cataclysm, re-imagined for HW3? - Shadowgaz

“Maybe as an Easter Egg hidden in the map or decommissioned at a naval base ” - Karl

What steps are you taking to make the ships readable from a long distance? Previous HW games showed you class icons, but you would always have to zoom in quite close to properly tell them apart. - N

“That’s a great question! We’re hoping to improve on the class icon readability by introducing smart amalgamation of information (Allowing us to group elements together). As for unit specific readability, this is a nice segway into the unit design process:

We start every unit design by thinking of the fleet as a whole. We ask questions like; what is their technology? What is their visual identity? How do they behave? And most importantly how do they fit into the narrative? Once we have an initial understanding of what the core design is of the fleet we start to get into the details. Does the shape read based on its role? Does the ship feel unique from other silhouettes? What is the light composition? What is its engine trail composition? What are the unique flight and combat characteristics? All these inform a level of readability for a unit, also coupled with old school techniques like NLIPS (Non Linear Inverse Perspective Scaling)” - Karl

[Early ship sketches and ideas - Various Artists]

The first Homeworld is well known for its attention to detail, and one of those little things is the smooth changing of scenery as you get closer to the center of the galaxy – so, the background matches our location fairly closely. Will this inspiring approach be preserved in the new game?

Another interesting thing is damage effects, very authentic to its nature. Sparks of impact of projectiles from railgun cannons, clouds of ablative vapors from ion beam hits, plasma splashes from plasma bomb explosions, flames bursting through breaches in the hull, dust clouds ionization... Hope this authenticity will be remains and evolved to whole new level.


In early concept designs of ships from the first game we can see upgradeable ships – like upgradeable units in Heroes of Might and Magic and so on. Will this ability finally appear 20 years later, and will the modernized ship silhouettes look even more menacing and aesthetically pleasing? - p2ambassador

“Absolutely, Homeworld series has always been about an epic road trip. Completely spot on with the damage effects! I can’t really speak to the upgradeable ships, but this has been on the radar of our game director Lance Mueller. Though I’m keeping the hiigaran aesthetic open ended with hardpoints to allow the possibility.” - Karl

[Early sketches of weapon hits - Micheal Kessler]

I remember reading that the visual identity of Homeworld 1 & 2 were strongly influenced by Dune, Battlestar Galactica, the works of Chris Foss, and even tropical fish. How have these and other cultural touchpoints/references changed for Homeworld 3 and what is the most unusual or obscure source you’ve taken inspiration from?

“Great question! The DNA of Homeworld 1 & 2 is still very strong, the challenge from the start has always been forward facing and seeing the franchise blaze into new territory but still preserve familiarity of a beloved IP. I’ve touched on this earlier, but more obscure sources would be animal stances for ship designs... yes even a slab ship can have an aggressive or passive stance ” - Karl

May I ask how much influence will there be from each of the previous games, and if you're looking to take influence from both HW1 and HW2, can you give any insight into how you will be going about blending these elements with any new ones as well as each other and if you're looking for it to be closer in style to one of them over another? - Kyle R

“Great questions, let me break this into parts. There is influence from both games, as mentioned above. The style would be closer to Deserts of Kharak, but let me unpack that a bit - there will be more of a sense of scale and detail like DoK, with more contextual visual effects, stronger behavior in units, and strong emphasis on environmental storytelling. If we’re talking about ship design, I look at the aesthetics of either game as a narrative decision and not a stylistic choice.” - Karl

Homeworld, particularly the first game, has also given an excellent sense of scale that few other space games have achieved and really showed how small you are in the grand scheme of things. How will you be looking to show this scale and the vastness of the galaxy in the game? - Kyle R

“The yardstick of measure is even larger in Homeworld 3. The size between ships will remain consistent with previous games but the journey is more vast. We do this with a galactic metamap in between missions that answers three important questions (Where have you been, Where are you now, and where are you going)” - Karl

[Screengrab from our midmission metamap]

------------

That's it for now, but we'll be back with more answers and artwork in the future. For now, stay safe out there!

-Karl and the HW3 Team

 

[Storyfag]

If I were to sum up the visual designs using Jet fighters - Homeworld 1 is an A-10 Warthog, Homeworld 2 is an F-15, and Homeworld 3 will be an F-35 Raptor.

Seeing as how an A-10 is not a jet fighter, this choice of comparison does not breed confidence.

 

[Dayyālu]

Seeing as how an A-10 is not a jet fighter, this choice of comparison does not breed confidence.

Shh, don't tell him the F-35 Lightning II is not the F-22 Raptor (and the F-35 isn't a pure fighter either), but those are details for the bad nerds.

I find more worrisome the references to Desserts of Carrack, a completely mediocre and forgettable RTS devoid of interesting mechanics, interesting design and with a plot so clumsily written to be almost pathetic. The fact that they think anyone liked it is impressive.

 

[gerey]

The fact that they think anyone liked it is impressive.

Story and gameplay aside, the art and sound design really did make it feel like part of the Homeworld universe.

Also, I can't imagine the H3 devs shitting on DoK in an interview that is meant to promote the next game in the franchise. The question seems to have been about inspiration for the design of the ships, not the gameplay itself. Then again, I am a sucker for Homeworld, so this might just be my wishful thinking and hope that the game will be good.

If the devs are smart they'll copy the first Homeworld and try to avoid the many questionable decisions that led to Homeworld 2 being what it was.

 

[Dayyālu]

If the devs are smart they'll copy the first Homeworld and try to avoid the many questionable decisions that led to Homeworld 2 being what it was.

You know, I have realized one thing:

Homeworld, much like Star Wars, was a fluke. Cata was written and developed by deranged howling monkeys and it was a better product than HW2 or DoK. They can't copy it 1:1 because it would end up like HW2, with annoying fake mysticism thrown there just because , or DRAAAAMA/senseless callbacks like DoK.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

Ohh fuck off, HW2 and Kharak are excellent.

 

[Dayyālu]

Ohh fuck off, HW2 and Kharak are excellent.

This is the 'dex, we can't have nice things.

That said, even HW1 isn't "perfect" if we start dissecting it (gameplay has its share of problems) but HW2 is a mess and DoK is simply mediocre.

Without repeating something that has been repeated dozens of times, HW2's is a barely coherent mess built on a cancelled game that they tried to salvage: the result is a game that has passable gameplay for HW standard (if we ignore the flat-out mistakes in unit coding, like the frigates not having armour or the massacre they did to fighter/bomber units) but the plot is a colossal dump of bad writing and retcons for the sake of it, plus the writers believed themselves far smarter than they were. It's enough to annoy me.

DoK is simply mediocre as fuck for a RTS (it feels like a cheap game, and it is) and the entire gist of its writing is misbegotten and unneeded nostalgia. DoK was so excellent that the MP scene was dead in less than a week, and I could not even be bothered to finish the campaign as the game was an uncreative chore.

 

[Grotesque]

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/homeworld3/updates/1331

Hello Fig backers! Since our last update, you had even more questions for Homeworld 3 Art Director Karl Gryc. So we’re back with more behind-the-scenes details about cinematic space battles and fleet design that you can expect for the future of Homeworld 3!!

In the past, you had mentioned that your ambitions for the 3D nature of Homeworld far exceeded what many thought was possible, yourselves included. With today's landscape offering new and exciting technologies (Vulkan, Ray-Tracing, HDR, Spatial Audio, 8+ core CPUs, etc, etc) what is BBI doing to once again redefine what is possible with the production of Homeworld 3? - Drew D.

“Very tech heavy question, I’ll answer to the best of my abilities. Homeworld has always been more than just a gallery to show off the awesome art that Rob, and Aaron have created; it's about letting players step into the experience that their imagery promises. The experience that we never fully managed to capture from those pieces is the transition from open space to upclose terrain dog fighting. This Is what we are striving to deliver using the tools, technology and experience available to us and our team. I nominate Andrew Ritchie, our tech director, to do an update in the future. ” - Karl

[Early concept thinking about terrain combat - Karl Gryc]

Previous Homeworld titles did a great job leveraging the technology available to create a gorgeous universe, but there must have been sacrifices made. Two decades later, I'm curious what grand ideas (apart from monoliths) you may have had, that are finally plausible for Homeworld 3? - SirGuelph

“Lots! Sometimes our appetite is bigger than our bellies and Homeworld 3 is a hungry beast Still very early but a few things that are known - We want the space battles to feel cinematic - ships maneuvering around obstacles and shooting down enemies only to have them spin out of control into the environment, sense of thick Volumetric Nebulas that would require you to leverage sensors to navigate, and environmental hazards that can change the course of your battles. Sorry if this is vague, but we’re still deep in exploring what is possible.” - Karl

Are all ship models/specifications finished by now or will we fans have an opportunity to incorporate our ideas/wishes? - Seeras

“We’re tinkering away each day on ships and fleet design. This is a long process that requires a lot of attention throughout the entire project to get just right. We'll work with our partners at Gearbox to facilitate a way of getting fan input focused around ship design in the future, and get some of your ideas to inspire our team ” - Karl

What are your inspirations in real world for the new ships of the game? - Hellstar

“There are strong elements of modern navy ships lifted right out of the water. There is something really menacing about a clean slab.” - Karl

The design styles I enjoyed most recently comes from Horizon Zero Dawn, more specifically the "white" wild animals . Are you being influenced by these designs that in detail resemble hi-tech parts like plates and wires, while at a distance they become animal drones? Or the designs will be more traditional/mechanical like HW2 and DoK? - Henrique S

“Have not played Horizon Zero Dawn, but very much want to one day when I’m not busy with Homeworld. One thing that has been a core value since DoK is grounding the art and technologies in plausibility; even though the possibility of building a 2km mothership is not attainable by today's standards, I always look at what would a technological plateau be in Homeworld and what would be the practical limit of the rules governed in the universe.” - Karl

A lot has changed in terms of expectations and tech since Homeworld 2 - are there major changes in art direction compared to the predecessor? What is going to be a major difference? - theZJ

“There should not be any major changes in art direction unless you count new ship designs. The environment itself will no longer be a flat texture but more physical and rich with detail. The noticeable difference will be the narrative journey and locations we visit along with the feeling of moving through celestial atmospherics.” - Karl

[Campaign Sketches - Paul Chadeisson]

I also really like it when races have their own distinctive design but still look like they're all part of the same setting, something that previous games have done a good job with and I feel Homeworld 1 nailed in particular. What kind of challenges do you have when trying to design ships so that they look distinctive, but also so that they feel truly like part of the same fleet? - Kyle R

“Touched on this earlier with the ship design process, but let's talk specifically about the visual design for fleets as a whole. For DoK we knew early on that our visual identity for both factions was going to be binary (good vs bad); for the coalition we used angular CAT machinery and the Gaalsien we had more rounded MA.K. as inspiration. With HW3 we’re going to encounter different foes as we venture into new areas of space and that poses challenges to remain consistent. The game design and narrative are constantly evolving throughout the development and as artists we try to catch up and adapt - but once story is more solidified we use narrative as the key identifier for a fleet. Let’s use Raiders as an example; These are people that live on the fringes of our known galaxy, maybe they once used to be part of our society, but, upset with the system they formed gangs and started to pick off transport ships along the gate network. So in that same thought process, they’re a biker gang that wears their own colours and styling. Their fleet would be made of repurposed parts from raids, but because they are an organization they would still be cohesive. Example below shows the thought process from our lead concept artist Dave Cheong (also one of the original artists on HW 1/2) ” - Karl

[Raiders Fighter Concept - Dave Cheong]

We want to thank all of our Fig backers for submitting questions to make this an interesting and insightful Q&A! The Homeworld 3 team at Blackbird Interactive is hard at work to bring you an astonishing experience that will push the boundaries of the Homeworld series. In the meantime, we’re looking forward to bringing you more updates at the end of the year. For the Homeworld!

 

[Grotesque]

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/homeworld3/updates/1338

A Homeworld Giveaway, Homeworld Mobile Registration, and an ArtBook Update-Oh My!
In this month’s update we have a lot of exciting news for all of you. Today we’re updating you on the Art of Homeworld reward, a new chance to take part in Homeworld Mobile, and a brand new Homeworld giveaway!

Homeworld Mobile Limited Time Registration

First of all, we want to thank all of our Fig backers who took part in the first Homeworld Mobile Technical Playtest! Your feedback is vital to the future of the Homeworld Mobile, and we look forward to your participation in future tests!


[Homeworld Mobile Developed by Stratosphere Games]

As we prepare for future Homeworld Mobile playtests, we wanted to re-open registrations for those that missed it the first time around! There’s no need to re-register if you've already registered for a previous test here on Fig -- you're already set for future tests

Not only will future Homeworld Mobile testers have a chance to try out the newest build once testing kicks off, but you will be able to make your voice heard with player feedback and talk with the developers via our private Homeworld Mobile Discord.

Registration will be open until November 20 via the link below:

Homeworld Mobile-Fig Backer Technical Test Registration

Art of Homeworld Update

For backers tiered $300 and above, the Art of Homeworld 2nd Edition art book was set to ship in Q4 of 2020. In order to ensure you have the highest quality recreation of the original printing, we're now targeting a Q1 2021 delivery date for eligible backers, including: :

· $300 Homeworld 3 Collector's Edition and Art of Homeworld Bundle

· $1,000 Admiral’s Bundle with Signed Concept Art Print and Art of Homeworld 2nd Edition

Not only will this include a second edition reprint of the very limited Art of Homeworld art book with 5 original Homeworld 3 art cards, we are adding an additional 5 art cards featuring all 10 of the art cards the team at Blackbird Interactive designed. Which 5 designs made it to print was initially going to be based on a survey , but after reviewing all 10 options, we couldn't bear to only print half of them.


[The Art of Homeworld: 2nd Edition Art Book]

To make sure that every eligible backer will receive their Art Book, we will send out a survey in Q1 of 2021 so that we can get your mailing address. We will have more information for you once the physical books are printed and en route to the fulfillment warehouse!

Homeworld X Brick Formation Giveaway

To celebrate the upcoming Homeworld 3, we are teaming up with our friends at Brick Formation to give 3 lucky Homeworld Fans a collectible kit in our Homeworld x Brick Formation Giveaway. We are also launching a brand new Instagram channel where fans will be able to check out art from the Homeworld series. Participants can enter the giveaway from 1pm CT on 11/13 to 1pm CT on 11/20 by following our new Instagram page and other Homeworld social channels using the Gleam link below:

Homeworld x Brick Formation Giveaway Entry