After several years in development, Blackbird Interactive finally released the long-awaited space-based RTS sequel Homeworld 3 on May 13. Today, Blackbird announced the first major update to the game, which adds some new content and also offers a number of improvements.
In a post on the game"s site, Blackbird outlines what"s new in the Homeworld 3 1.1 update. One is a variant of the Suppression Frigate ship called the Heavy Suppression Frigate that"s available in the War Games mode. Blackbird states:
What sets the Heavy Suppression Frigate apart from its base version is the addition of a pair of Dual Heavy Mag Cannons mounted on top and Pad Mk. 2 Light Rapid Fire Railguns along the bottom hull. That’s a lot of extra firepower, but the Heavy Suppression Frigate has a nasty trick up its sleeve: Enemies hit by the dual cannon will take extra damage from ALL sources.
The ship variant is available if players collect the correct artifact in War Games. There are also 12 more new artifacts that allow players to unlock more upgrades for both the Suppression Frigate and the Heavy Suppression Frigate. The update also includes nine more War Games challenges.
In addition, there"s a new Skirmish map called Karos Graveyard with a more open setting similar to Skirmish maps that have been a part of older Homeworld games. The update also adds support for the game"s Time Dilation and Tactical Pause in solo War Games and Skirmish modes.
Finally, Blackbird has announced that the promised mod tools for Homeworld 3 will be added to the game in another update that will drop sometime later in June. Officially, the mod tools are only supposed to be used to make new Skirmish maps. However, Blackbird does hint that mod makers could do even more with the tools if they are not "afraid of swimming in uncharted waters."