Simplex started as a branch from Complex. It has combined features from Path To Victory as well as many other mods through a long history of R&D. This mod aims to excavate the full potential of the Homeworld 2 engine and it will simply blow your mind with incredible fun!
This is a fantastic mod that adds depth to an already deep game. The newly enabled campaign support makes the original levels as epic as you always dreamed they could be, and the multiplayer/skirmish options with new races/units/maps provide endless replay value.
The main drawback is that it is too epic for its own good. On large maps with multiple players the framerate can really chug unless you have a powerful rig. And the expanded gamplay takes a fair amount of experimentation to figure out for a newcomer. And then there are those f***ing vagyr "swimmers", seriously that unit has NO PLACE in this game. They are not lore, they look stupid, and to top it off they are insanely OP, I cant figure out any reason for them to exist except to troll players.
Add a .pdf gamplay manual to the downloads and get rid of the swimmers, then this mod would be 10/10 hands down.
This is an awesome mod, specially when all you want is to overkill your enemies with DAKKA and Overpower lol.
No really, i like this mod, i love the intensified number of weapons in every ship, however i dont like mods that focus on blowing up everything to the hell using as main feature Overpowered ships and weapons.
Since i'm a strategy and tactics lover and i like much more when the battles are prolongued and my units suvirvability depends of the orders that i give them and not by the number of weapons.
Complex stills as the best mod that i've played (and still playing) and i recomend it to the ones who like tactics and challeging battles.
In the other hand, i recomend this awesome mod to everyone who likes more a fast play with lots of explosions, dakka, overkill and death.
Good job man ^^
Many hours of playing and this mod won't let me go. Author made this mod many years ago, and continues to add new features, gameplay changes, models, etc. I guess main reason for this mod to be addictive is almost undiscoverable amount of maps+combinations of strats. Every new skirmish game can be drastically different from others..
Even though there are some unbalanced combinations of ships (in my opinion, kadeshi and sajuuk after a while is unbeatable, so you have to destroy them as early is possible, this kills the long-play style) the mod after all is unique for Homeworld 2.
10\10 for years of work and great atmosphere.
First off, I'd like to say that this is a beautifully crafted mod with a lot of great ideas that build upon its foundations (the Complex mod). Unfortunately, I feel like this mod is ultimately broken in the current state. Let me list the pros and Cons so that you understand:
Pros:
1. strong unit designs provide a diverse and unique selection of units and a massive selection of weapons with which to blow up your enemies.
2. great level design, lots of unique and interesting maps with awesome sky boxes (though a few could use higher resolution images).
3. Stations have been upgraded to include a better selection of self defense weaponry.
4. Over-all stunning graphics
Cons:
1. Far to many fighter/bomber class ships that can easily wipe your starting force. The damage tables need some serious work here.
Merc bombers and fighters will absolutely destroy your civilian stations as the hiigs. No amount of upgrades will change this. Same issue with the Kadeshi missile drones (or whatever they're called) and I've read a lot about the Vagyr's OP sperm boat (swimmers or whatever).
2. Some of the sky boxes cut in and out of focus as a result of either screen tearing or because of glitches.
3. Ship health is in need of work as is the armor system.
4. Ship speed - hi, I'm a mother ship that turns as fast as a fighter and moves at light speed. To the creator of this mod, what were you thinking?
Ultimately, unit balancing is non-existent.
"Simplex is a sister mod of Complex. It will bring your gaming experience to a whole new level by showing you for the first time how the gap between the strategic way of thinking in Complex and the tactical one in other mods like Path To Victory can be bridged, unleashing the real potential of both Complex and PTV, and of course, the Homeworld 2 engine itself! "
No it doesn't do any of this. There is horrendous lag unless settings are set to minimum once you hit mid game - though this can be avoided by playing the less scenic maps. Further more, there is no strategic think outside of spam a few OP units and rush the enemy before they rush you and wipe your starting force. Of course this means that there is no tactical thinking either. If you want tactics and strategy, stick to complex which is unfortunately plagued by a never ending need for more shields and missile spam which renders frigates useless.
Thus, this is a brilliant idea. Don't get me wrong, I like this mod and will still play it - in the hopes of getting a game where the AI doesn't spam OP units and wreck me from the start (it likes to ignore your defensive units). But those who play need to really consider the reality of this mod before giving such high praise and those who are considering whether or not to play should be aware of the broken state of the mod.
I will edit this once issues are resolved and I really hope they are - I love what this could be and for what it does successfully.
Great mod with great graphics, but like what some other reviews say it would be good to get some performance issues updates and some of those OP units could be removed to make it beter.
Nice expansion and simplification of the original complex mod, great design, too. Requires tons of re-balancing both regarding maps, units, upgrades and pre-requirements however.
I wish to give so much better rating for this mod, but it just keeps lagging. even with graphics,resolution and unit limit to minimal,no matter who I'm against,right after that mod lags so much it becomes unplayable. this is very weird as actual Complex mod works perfectly fine with even higher settings.
Excellent mod, well done to te creator/s , plus you get to play the main campaign.
What an absolutely amazing mod. I've been playing Simplex for the past 3-4 years and it's been an absolute blast. I didn't realize just how much of a quality leap this mod has been over Complex until I played a match of 9.1 yesterday for comparison. The improvements to the UI, the graphics, the units, the combat... Fantastic job, thank you.
The best and the bigest mod ever done for the homeworld universe