In a desert world, one has to master the desert. Sounds logical, but then, high-tech space travel is possible…so why would you need a desert aircraft carrier?
That’s my first thought while watching the new trailer for Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. The prequel to 1999’s Homeworld, the real time strategy game is based on land. There’s aerial combat (hence the carrier), and hyper-space travel as seen at 1:13 of the trailer. If that level of technology is available, why couldn’t you just drop down from space instead of basing your air units on a large slow-moving easy-to-kill aircraft carrier? You could probably destroy those aircraft carriers from space. And how mobile are they anyway? Won’t it sink? Will it be able to traverse over loose sand? Why do fighter planes of the future even need a runway?
That carrier is asking to get blown up.
Overall, though, the game seems highly engaging.
The plot is simple. There’s a “Primary Anomaly” (AKA crashed star cruiser with cool stuff on board) and your mission is go get it. Again, take your tortoise (AKA desert aircraft carrier) and move on out. It’s RTS, like Command and Conquer, so build stuff, make units, fight, protect, destroy. Yay!
Second thought that came to mind while watching the trailer is of course, Dune. The YouTube blurb says, “Before you can find your Homeworld, you must first unlock the secrets of the desert”. Cool, what secrets? Is there some supernatural stuff like in Dune? Worms, perhaps?
We’ll find out on January 20, 2016. Coming to Steam/Windows.