An extended interview with Homeworld designer Rob Cunningham, Ars Technica

Fleet command online –

Experience a masterclass in how to bring a 3D realtime strategy game to life.

</p><div class="adace-slot-wrapper adace-after-paragraph-2 adace-slot-wrapper-main" > <div class="adace-disclaimer"> </div> <div class="adace-slot"> <div class="adace-loader adace-loader-662c1248a22fb"> <script> (function ($) { var $self = $('.adace-loader-662c1248a22fb'); var $wrapper = $self.closest('.adace-slot-wrapper'); "use strict"; var adace_load_662c1248a22fb = function(){ var viewport = $(window).width(); var tabletStart = 601; var landscapeStart = 801; var tabletEnd = 961; var content = '%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22adace_adsense_662c1248a2279%22%3E%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%22%2F%2Fpagead2.googlesyndication.com%2Fpagead%2Fjs%2Fadsbygoogle.js%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E%0A%09%09%3Cins%20class%3D%22adsbygoogle%22%0A%09%09style%3D%22display%3Ablock%3B%22%0A%09%09data-ad-client%3D%22ca-pub-9992104173109424%22%0A%09%09data-ad-slot%3D%229811368611%22%0A%09%09data-ad-format%3D%22auto%22%0A%09%09%3E%3C%2Fins%3E%0A%09%09%3Cscript%3E%28adsbygoogle%20%3D%20window.adsbygoogle%20%7C%7C%20%5B%5D%29.push%28%7B%7D%29%3B%3C%2Fscript%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E'; var unpack = true; if(viewport<tabletStart){ if ($wrapper.hasClass('.adace-hide-on-mobile')){ $wrapper.remove(); } } if(viewport>=tabletStart && viewport<landscapeStart){ if ($wrapper.hasClass('.adace-hide-on-portrait')){ $wrapper.remove(); } } if(viewport>=landscapeStart && viewport<tabletEnd){ if ($wrapper.hasClass('.adace-hide-on-landscape')){ $wrapper.remove(); } } if(viewport>=tabletStart && viewport<tabletEnd){ if ($wrapper.hasClass('.adace-hide-on-tablet')){ $wrapper.remove(); } } if(viewport>=tabletEnd){ if ($wrapper.hasClass('.adace-hide-on-desktop')){ $wrapper.remove(); } } if(unpack) { $self.replaceWith(decodeURIComponent(content)); } } if($wrapper.css('visibility') === 'visible' ) { adace_load_662c1248a22fb(); } else { //fire when visible. var refreshIntervalId = setInterval(function(){ if($wrapper.css('visibility') === 'visible' ) { adace_load_662c1248a22fb(); clearInterval(refreshIntervalId); } }, 999); } })(jQuery); </script> </div> </div> </div> <figure> Video shot by Justin Wolfson, edited by Aulistar Mark. Transcript coming soon. <time data-time="1587481814" datetime="2020-04-21T15:10:14 00:00"> You all have been very vocal in your feedback (thanks to everyone who has taken the time to email!), and we’ve heard you: you want more War Stories extended interviews, and we’re gonna give them to you. So we’re happy to present our extended multi-hour chat with Relic’s (and now Blackbird Interactive’s) Rob Cunningham, co-designer of (Homeworld) , the great granddaddy of space-based RTS games. </p> <figure> Even if you’re not a huge </p><div class="adace-slot-wrapper adace-after-paragraph-3 adace-slot-wrapper-main" > <div class="adace-disclaimer"> </div> <div class="adace-slot"> <div class="adace_ad_662c1248a2acf adace-dont-remove"> </a> </div> </div> </div> <figure> Homeworld </figure> <p> fan, Rob’s interview contains some wonderful hidden gems — there are lessons here for contemporary game designers, but also for historical participating interested in how game design worked in the late 1990 s. Like so many genre-defining titles, it’s a game that nearly did happen because it was almost too hard to create; the challenge of 3D navigation almost sank the entire project. <time data-time="1587481814" datetime="2020-04-21T15:10:14 00:00"><time data-time="1587481814" datetime="2020-04-21T15:10:14 00:00"> We have several more of these extended interviews in various stages of production. —Including the long version of our chat with (Dead Space) (‘s Glen Schofield) and 14 Star Control </time></time></figure> <p> creators Fred Ford and Paul Reiche. Stay tuned!                                                      (Read More) </time></figure> <div class="adace-slot-wrapper adace-before-last-paragraph adace-slot-wrapper-main" > <div class="adace-disclaimer"> </div> <div class="adace-slot"> <div class="adace-loader adace-loader-662c1248a364b"> <script> (function ($) { var $self = $('.adace-loader-662c1248a364b'); var $wrapper = $self.closest('.adace-slot-wrapper'); "use strict"; var adace_load_662c1248a364b = function(){ var viewport = $(window).width(); var tabletStart = 601; var landscapeStart = 801; var tabletEnd = 961; var content = '%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22adace_adsense_662c1248a35c9%22%3E%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%22%2F%2Fpagead2.googlesyndication.com%2Fpagead%2Fjs%2Fadsbygoogle.js%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E%0A%09%09%3Cins%20class%3D%22adsbygoogle%22%0A%09%09style%3D%22display%3Ablock%3B%22%0A%09%09data-ad-client%3D%22ca-pub-9992104173109424%22%0A%09%09data-ad-slot%3D%229859470071%22%0A%09%09data-ad-format%3D%22auto%22%0A%09%09%3E%3C%2Fins%3E%0A%09%09%3Cscript%3E%28adsbygoogle%20%3D%20window.adsbygoogle%20%7C%7C%20%5B%5D%29.push%28%7B%7D%29%3B%3C%2Fscript%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E'; var unpack = true; if(viewport<tabletStart){ if ($wrapper.hasClass('.adace-hide-on-mobile')){ $wrapper.remove(); } } if(viewport>=tabletStart && viewport<landscapeStart){ if ($wrapper.hasClass('.adace-hide-on-portrait')){ $wrapper.remove(); } } if(viewport>=landscapeStart && viewport<tabletEnd){ if ($wrapper.hasClass('.adace-hide-on-landscape')){ $wrapper.remove(); } } if(viewport>=tabletStart && viewport<tabletEnd){ if ($wrapper.hasClass('.adace-hide-on-tablet')){ $wrapper.remove(); } } if(viewport>=tabletEnd){ if ($wrapper.hasClass('.adace-hide-on-desktop')){ $wrapper.remove(); } } if(unpack) { $self.replaceWith(decodeURIComponent(content)); } } if($wrapper.css('visibility') === 'visible' ) { adace_load_662c1248a364b(); } else { //fire when visible. var refreshIntervalId = setInterval(function(){ if($wrapper.css('visibility') === 'visible' ) { adace_load_662c1248a364b(); clearInterval(refreshIntervalId); } }, 999); } })(jQuery); </script> </div> </div> </div> <p>