part i: historical + technical briefing
a kharakid environment question of origins The debate over our past on this world reaches back through the entire documented histor y of civilization, a period covering over 1300 years. The harsh conditions across this world, Kharak, [A1] fueled the myths of other places and times where we did not have to spend so much of our strength on simple survival.
mission silumiin riots CIRCA 1024 tor CIRCA 810 A3 A4 The Heresy Wars left our Space exploration was not people greeted on extinction, the brink with of precious favorably entire by population. the Large resources and infrastructure factions from some of the destroyed during 3 centuries poorer of religious conflict. In 810, technology with all factions exhausted output was being wasted on and internal this effort.
showing that exotic, high tensile composite materials could exist. This in turn led to advances in propulsion, first with limited fissioning of unstable heavy elements and then with more viable hydrogen fusion powerplants, as effective shielding systems became lighter and smaller. The combination of these technologies spurred our fledgling space program even further and our first steps became leaps.
during the first triad of 1112, engineers opened a shielded chamber containing the remains of the ancient ship’s powerplant. Painstakingly transported to the modern polar capital of Tiir, this ancient device was backengineered to provide another generation of breakthroughs in power and material sciences. But what catapulted our technology 500 years forward was the analysis of a module attached to the powerplant. This device was nothing less than a solid state hyperspace induction module.
The effect on our culture of this simple artifact, now known as the Guidestone, has been unprecedented. Our materials scientists confirmed the age of the artifact at approximately 3000 years, and are assured that they can match the Guidestone to its system of origin should we come across it. After a long history of struggle, strife and inter-clan warfare, the confirmation that Kharak was never our true home inspired an era of co-operation like none ever known.
then allocated them to the various industrial hubs throughout the polar zones. In the meantime, clans that had been trailing the cutting edge in technology and production turned their efforts completely over to agricultural work, feeding those who were occupied by the construction effort. construction challenges The planned Mothership was so massive that it took twenty years simply to build up the infrastructure required for the construction project.
Over the next 25 years, the Mothership slowly took form inside the Scaffold, building up in layers from the center sections outward, until the final layer of ceramic armor was laid down just last year. For the last eight decades, there have been over 10,000 technicians along with another 25,000 robots working on this ship continuously. Many of the fusion torches and materials plants Fig. 1.5: Four generations witnessed the Scaffold silently orbit the moonless Kharak.
the same ones being used across various hull designs, thus saving time and allowing for faster simultaneous construction. The foundry floor is capable of using multiple construction tracks to simultaneously build a fleet of scouts, assemble a squadron of corvettes, and create enough ordinance for both sets of new ships.
designed to vent high-energy plasma through an opening in a shaped magnetic bottle. Maneuvering jets are fed plasma from the main exhaust through a series of conduits, and this allows a portion of the main thrust to be diverted to maneuvering. hyperspace physics A7 The solid-state Hyperspace Module is a quantum oscillation device capable of generating The Mothership’s secondary drive is less well understood, but it is the system that makes this voyage possible.
energy required for such a stunning distance. Should we wish to travel a more appropriate and cautious distance, we must crudely halt the wave effect by discharging the module’s energy, and dropping back into normal space-time. [a8] Currently the Hyperdrive Module is programmed for three priority interrupts. The Achieved Target interrupt is based on our own astronavigation technology, which takes a ‘sighting’ in normal space and will discharge the module once the time vs.
working on experimental biological circuits that would mimic brain functions. When she heard that an information bottleneck was facing the systems of the Mothership, she realized her research could be put to another purpose. karan sjet solution A9 The drawback was that her research was still decades away from even a basic neuronic interface, and the Neuronisist Sjet suggested using an existing brain - her own - to bridge the gap between living nerve branches and the Mothership’s data shunts.
new colony was life support. The resources needed to keep 600,000 people alive for years in deep space are simply impossible to store and transport; the Mothership would have to be so huge that no number of fusion plants could move it. To solve the problems of a long spaceflight, our life-scientists turned to cryogenic suspension. [a10] With the technology tested and perfected, engineers began filling the cryonic hold with the 600,000 pods that would be required for the voyage.
The vast hall aboard the Mothership containing our people is in the most protected and armored area of the vessel. The cryonic vault stretches for three kilometers and is almost a kilometer across. All that is required for life support is a constant supply of power to the freezing units. A deviation of even a single degree can be fatal to the occupants if it occurs outside the intricate revivification procedure.
construction of a new Capital Ship class, provided the necessary chassis and drive research is successfully completed. Vector-altering maneuvers are achieved by ducting small amounts of the main drive plasma through various ports scattered across the hull of smaller ships. Since the mass directly affects the inertia of ships in space, small fighters are capable of extreme maneuvers from the ducting of small amounts of plasma. These craft are capable of intricate attack and defense maneuvers.
Fig 1.11: Early mass-drives were cumbersome, inefficient and unreliable. Designers continued to refine super-ballistics until compact and powerful weapons were available for the Mothership and it’s accompanying vessels. Armor and Defensive systems: Survival in space through the preservation of pressurized crew areas, is the highest priority of ship designers.
mission priorities The mission facing the crew of the Mothership is profound. It is nothing less than the quest for the origins of an entire people. Our mission is now irrevocable. It has become clear through the past 120 years of driven industrial and technological expansion that Kharak can no longer sustain us.
Fig. 1.12: Kharak’s position in the outer spiral arm of the galaxy can be seen encircled at left in this celestial navigation chart. The horizontal line indicates the projected heading of the Mothership as it moves towards the galactic core. formed by slow accumulation of layers; some of these layers are composed of high-energy isotopes, which could only have been created with bombardment by extremely high-energy photons. These are produced only in the most violent of galactic phenomena.
Command also will be required to order new auxiliary vessels to be constructed and will be expected to monitor resource levels aboard the Mothership, assigning resource collectors to priority targets if necessary. The Automated systems in the Fleet Foundry will attempt to devote equal amounts of resources to whatever production assignments are queued up but will halt all construction across the board should resources be depleted.
clan histories
the kharakid social system Society on Kharak is organized along loose family associations, many of which now include hundreds of thousands of members. An extended family grouping is called a kiith (plural: kiithid), and most archaeologists agree it is a social artifact that dates back before our arrival on Kharak itself.
advancement in a particular field. For example, Kiith Sjet has been associated with the sciences on Kharak for over a thousand years and is known to have the most advanced computer labs in the world. Bonded couples interested in the field often apply to a Sjet family associated with such labs. Alliances between kiith are also based on mutual interests, and they often lead to closer ties or complete reorganizations.
Kharak - undesirable acts were always described in terms of punishable arrogance. These beliefs helped keep our people alive during the great trek from the central deserts, but once in the temperature polar regions, the same beliefs held back useful innovations that the more hospitable environment made possible. Generally, how wrathful one believed Sajuuk to be tended to dictate how wary one was of cultural and technological advances.
Naabal. One night, during the height of the spring winds, Saju-ka was lost to our people. In a single act of divine madness, Miirpat Gaalsien-Sa ordered his people to blow up the entire system that held back the sand. The light from the hundreds of explosions was still visible when the hungry sands began pouring down the streets of Saju-ka. Within two days the city was completely buried, and thousands died in the mass evacuation.
kiithid on Kharak were exiled from a heavenly paradise, was abandoned. The truth, according to the proclamation of 462, was that only the Siidim were of divine origin - - all other kiiths were native to Kharak, and therefore inferior, their blood tainted by corrupting sand. In accordance with the new Dogma, many cruel pogroms were passed against non-Siidim kiiths -- the people known as “Gritiidim,” or “sand people.
south of the desert came from mad Mannanii travelers, rambling about endless seas and “grasses that touched the sky.” The Migration offered slim hope at best, so slim that no Kharakian dared to risk it until there was no other hope at all. The rest, as they say, is history. Nearly 50 kiithid set out from the plain at Albegiido in 490 and sailed into the Great Banded Desert, sweeping over the burning sands on the winds of the seasonal storm, the Chak m’Hot.
was no stopping it. Dozens of families built sandsailers on the famous plain of Albegiido every year, trying to escape the Heresy Wars and the madness of their Siidim and Gaalsi masters. Alas, Siidim and Gaalsi were not quite finished with the people who escaped their tyranny. Although they ignored the Migrations for many years, both Siidim and Gaalsi lost many hectares of holdings to the war.
the kiith soban, “the kiith of spirit” In Kharakid society, the majority of citizens are secure in their kiith ties. Within the immediate family and within the larger circle of more distant blood relationships, not to mention our professional associations and alliances, most of us are bound at many levels. If we should ever have a falling-out with one kiith-sa, we belong to many other kiithid by marriage and inclination and could change our alliances at any time. This was not always the case.
error of their ways, and waited for the men and women of his kiith-sa to join him in a rush across the Sparkling Desert. Unfortunately, this support was never to come. Soban’s kiith-sa, afraid of the possible repercussion or perhaps simply realizing the kiith was not strong enough to prevail against a larger and stronger kiith, refused to attack the reavers. Instead, members of the smaller kiith became vassals to the larger, joining their blood to the blood of the murderers.
To this day, the Sobanii are completely devoid of standard family groupings. No “marriage,” as such, is permitted among their ranks; and although male and female Sobanii are permitted to form whatever alliances they might want, there is no such thing as a Sobanii child. Children born to the Soban are left as foundlings with other kiiths or their parents are made to leave Kiith Soban to raise them.
found make several mentions of a group of astronomical philosophers with the family name of Sjet. Even the Sjet sigil, a series of embedded circles representing the celestial spheres, can be found etched in the temple doors. It is now an accepted fact that Kiith Sjet once was responsible for the preservation of the Guidestone and constructed the Temple-Observatory to protect it and scan the heavens. And therein lies the true power of Kiith Sjet -its undying desire to question, observe, predict and record.
served the truth, however disturbing that might be. With the advent of the Mothership project, Kiith Sjet finally found a goal wherein pure science could be applied without the danger of corruption. This belief was strong enough for Sjet to overcome its distrust of Kiith Nabaal and join their theories to Naabali applied sciences. Sjet supercomputers have worked out the theoretical quantum waveforms of the hyper drive module.
archaeologists have put forth the theory that the Naabal are actually direct descendants from some sort of engineering core that ran the ship that brought us here. While the theory is convenient in terms of linking the unknown past with the present age of exploration, the evidence is just too circumstantial for most scholars to give it much weight.
And in three short years they had done it. Ifriit Naabal-Sa’s last act before stepping down as Sa was to establish the Daiamid in Tiir as a place where all kiith, powerful and weak, could gather to resolves disputes and set policy for all of Kharak. In the decades to follow, Naabal rebuilt the damaged infrastructure of Kharak and improved upon it with their no-longer-secret construction and metallurgical techniques.
all considered one family, especially by outsiders, who for centuries viewed these nomads as a dire threat to decency and morals, to unprotected holdings, and to the virtue of young men and women from good families. The antipathy toward Manaani is simple enough to explain. During a time when the majority of Kharakians were hard-working farmers, clinging to life with teeth and fingernails, the Manaani maintained a traditional nomadic existence.
were still some who undoubtedly traveled in greater strength and might have been capable of carrying off a few water barrels. The majority of travelers were probably guilty of a little judicious pilfering from time to time, even if it was only picking a pocket or picking fruit in the night.
Manaani exhausted their appetite for bloodshed and began to use their ships for more profitable ventures. When the great mother of their kiith-sa, Jora Manaan, declared the war on the Siidim at an end in 656, the Manaani built a new Dancing Ground in the Paktu-held south and turned their fleet completely to trade. The questing spirit of the Manaani is not dead even today. Kiith Manaan still controls enormous wealth, and of all the Kharakid kiithid it is the most likely to produce a diplomat or a statesman.
deployment plans, with each Capital Ship escorted by six Interceptors or three multi-gun Corvettes. Once each Capital Ship has its Strike Craft escort, they should be organized into attack divisions based on class and combined arms theory. Frigate divisions should consist of two or three Ion Cannon ships in a tight V formation, with an Assault Frigate positioned below and another in a higher slot.
already busy hunting the scouts. Corvettes should be the other priority target for the Interceptor wing. And finally, with all of the enemy fleet assets tied up in tracking small fast targets, the plasma bombers wings, in V-formations five to eight ships and ordered to attack aggressively, should vector in on all Capital Ships positioned on the outer edge of the enemy fleet. Backing up this attack should be two Support Frigates, guarded by five to ten multi-gun Corvettes.
part 2: gameplay guide
table of contents 1 Installation page# 43 2 Training 43 Starting the Training Saving a Lesson Loading a Lesson 43 43 43 Game Controls 45 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 Camera Controls Ship Selection The Rightclick Menu Movement Combat Formations and Tactics Other Commands Misc. Commands Multiplayer Controls Technology Tree 45 46 46 47 48 49 54 55 56 57 4 Managers and Overlays 59 4.1 4.2 Interface Overlays The Manager Screens 59 60 4.2.1 4.2.2 4.2.3 4.2.4 60 61 62 63 2.1 2.2 2.
page# 87 87 87 88 88 88 89 89 89 90 90 91 91 91 92 92 93 93 93 94 94 94 95 95 8.2.7 8.2.8 8.2.9 8.2.10 8.2.11 8.2.12 8.2.13 8.2.14 8.2.15 8.2.16 8.2.17 8.2.18 8.2.19 8.2.20 8.2.21 8.2.22 8.2.23 8.2.24 8.2.25 8.2.26 8.2.27 8.2.28 8.2.29 8.2.
page 23 43 h o m e w o r l d 2.2 Saving a Lesson Your progress will be saved automatically at the beginning of each lesson. You can therefore quit the tutorial at any time and restart it where you left off. To start the training, leftclick on the button in the Main Menu, then leftclick on . 2.1 Starting the Training It’s strongly recommended you pass the Homeworld training section before starting a singleplayer or multiplayer game.
game controls
3 game controls 3.1 camera controls command action rotating command action alt focusing command action home Press the [HOME] key or press [ALT]+[F] keys. page h o m e w o r l d command action focusing or Hold down the left and right mouse buttons and drag the mouse forward or backward. Select a ship and press the middle mouse button or the [F] key. OR: If you are using a mouse with a wheel, this can be used to zoom as well.
3.2 ship selection command action selecting Place mouse pointer over desired ship and click the left mouse button to select it. NOTE: If you leftclick on a group of ships in formation, they all will be selected. command command or esc Leftclick on empty space or press the [ESC] key. command action drag selecting selecting everything Hold down the left mouse button and drag a box around the desired ships. Press [E] or [CTRL]+[A] to select all of your ships presently on the screen.
3.4 movement command horizontal movement action m Select a ship or group of ships and then press the [M] key. This will bring up the movement disk. Simply move the mouse pointer to where you wish to go and click the left mouse button to issue the move order. command 3d movement action + shift With the movement disk up, hold down [SHIFT] and drag the mouse to add elevation to your destination. As before, clicking the left mouse button will issue the move order.
3.5 combat command cursor icon attacking Move the mouse pointer over an enemy ship and click the left mouse button. command cursor icon group attacking action ctrl Hold down [CTRL] and drag a box around the targets with the left mouse button. command cursor icon action ctrl force attack + shift Hold down [CTRL]+[SHIFT] and leftclick on the target. To force an attack on a group of targets, hold down the same keys and drag a box around the targets with the left mouse button.
3.6 formations and tactics command action setting formations tab OR: Formations can be accessed directly via the F-keys: To set a formation, select the desired ships and bring up the rightclick menu. From the section, you can choose one of seven formations. OR: Formations also can be cycled through by pressing the [TAB] key. [SHIFT]+[TAB] will cycle the formations backward.
formation descriptions formation broad f6 This flattened line is not effective for Strike Craft as it disperses their firepower. It is more useful for squadrons of Capital Ships, where unit quick identification and selection are as important as firepower. It is useful formation to approach in if you are planning to break ships off to strike at specific targets once the battle is joined.
formation descriptions formation wall f9 Most effective for Capital Ships, the wall formation allows larger vessels to concentrate firepower without dangerously crowding each other. The wall is not a subtle formation but does give large groups of big ships an effective attack mode. formation sphere f10 This is the deadliest of all formations in terms of continuous firepower.
3.6 f o r m a t i o n s a n d t a c t i c s ( c o n t ’d ) command setting tactics To change the tactics setting, select the desired ships and bring up the rightclick menu. From the section you can choose one of three settings: Evasive, Neutral or Aggressive. OR: Tactics can be accessed directly via the F-keys: f2 Evasive f3 Neutral f4 Aggressive The tactics setting can be increased using the ] key and decreased using the [ key.
tactic descriptions tactic neutral f3 This is the normal stance for ships. Strike Craft set to neutral will perform evasive maneuvers while attacking enemy ships. If no orders are issued and enemies are nearby, ships in neutral will fire from their current position, but will not engage in full combat. tactic aggressive f4 Ships in Aggressive mode are out for blood and will attempt to destroy the enemy even at the cost of their own lives.
3.7 other commands command harvesting action command h docking action d cursor icon cursor icon Select a Resource Collector, move the mouse pointer over any resource and click the left mouse button. Select the desired ship(s) and then doubleclick on the vessel you wish to dock with (it must have docking capabilities). OR: Bring up the rightclick menu and select the command. This will cause the Resource Collector to begin harvesting the nearest resource. OR: Press the [H] key.
3.8 miscellaneous commands command action cancel orders ~ Select the desired ship(s), bring up the rightclick menu and select the command. OR: Select the desired ship(s) and press the [~] key. command action kamikaze k After giving a ship normal attack orders press the [K] key. Only Strike Craft can kamikaze. command action pause p Press the [P] key at any time during gameplay to pause the game.
3.9 multiplayer controls A small number of commands are active only during multiplayer battles. These are used to interact with other players: command sending a chat message command t Press [T] and then type in your message. Press [RETURN] when done. command breaking alliances Turn on the Tactical Overlay, rightclick on the player’s name you wish to end your alliance with and choose from the menu.
page 57 h o m e w o r l d technology tree MULTIPLAYER technology icon Technology Description Ships Produced Technology description technology tree legend light corvette corvette drive fighter drive salvage corvette corvette chassis defender mine layer corvette minelaying tech heavy corvette heavy corvette upgrade multigun corvette fast tracking turrets defense fighter (taiidan) cloaked fighter (kushan) cloaked fighter / defense fighter attack bomber interceptor defender subsystems
homeworld gameplay guide page 58 technology icon Technology Description Ship Produced Technology description technology tree legend proximity detector proximity detector support frigate resource controller capital ship drive sensors array sensors array assault frigate capital ship chassis cloak generator cloak generator gravity well generator gravity generator † also requires ion cannons ** also requires super capital ship drive carrier** super heavy chassis destroyer † super capi
page 59 h o m e w o r l d overlays Cursor Text: When the cursor is on top of a ship, its type will be displayed on the bottom lefthand corner of the screen. Taskbar: When the mouse pointer touches the bottom of the screen, the taskbar will appear. It contains a set of buttons for the Managers, a display for the current health of your Mothership, your current amount of Resource Units, and a Fleet Intelligence box that will display mission objectives in single player games.
homeworld gameplay guide page 60 manager screens (e) (d) (c) (b) The build manager gives basic details of each type of ship presently available for construction as well as your current number of resource units. The build manager allows you to build ships and set up the construction queue in order to build many units at once. or Carrier from which you wish to build. Select the ship you wish to build. Bring up the rightclick menu and then select the command.
page 61 h o m e w o r l d research manager screen shot Technology List: This panel contains a list of technologies you can currently research. When a technology has been selected, a brief description of it and a graphic appear in the right-hand side panel. Technologies that have already been successfully researched will appear on the list with a green dot beside them. (d) Press the [R] key. (c) Bring up the taskbar at the bottom of the screen and leftclick on the research button.
homeworld gameplay guide page 62 sensors manager screen shot Using The Tactical Overlay: Leftclick on the button along the bottom edge of the manager. With this button activated, the Tactical Overlay symbols from the normal gameplay screen will appear for Resource Collectors and Capital Ships. Note: The normal camera commands of rotate and zoom are still fully functional in the sensors manager.
page 63 h o m e w o r l d Launching Ships: Leftclick on the type of ship you wish to launch and then leftclick on the button along the bottom of the screen. If you want to select multiple ship types for simultaneous launch, hold down the [CTRL] key or the [SHIFT] key while you select ship types. The launch manager allows you to check which ships are currently docked and set automatic launch parameters.
homeworld gameplay guide page 64 Choosing Your Fleet: Leftclick on the or button to choose which fleet to play. A sample ship appears in the window in order to show the currently selected color scheme. 5.1 Starting a Game In order to start a new single player game, leftclick on the button in the Main Menu.
page 65 h o m e w o r l d mission objectives screen shot Mission objectives in the single player game are displayed on the right side of the taskbar. You can leftclick on an objective to replay the speech event that describes it. Primary objectives must be completed for the mission to end, but secondary objectives are optional. 5.3 The two characters you will hear from most often in Homeworld are Fleet Command and Fleet Intelligence.
homeworld gameplay guide page 66 IPX LAN: Homeworld will auto-detect if you have IPX and/or TCP/IP LAN and choose the appropriate protocal, so normally you will never have to touch this setting. If you have both IPX and TCP/IP installed, Homeworld defaults to IPX. Users who want more control and both protocals installed can select the IPX button for IPX, and the TCP/IP button for TCP/IP. To play Homeworld on a Local Area Network, choose from the multiplayer menu. 6.
page 67 h o m e w o r l d Chatting: If you wish to send messages to the other players in the lobby, just leftclick here and type your message. If you wish to whisper a private message to just one player, type / and the rest of your message. The lobby is where you go to see who else is on the LAN, chat, organize your own game, or see what games are still accepting players.
homeworld gameplay guide page 68 CPU Difficulty: This slider lets you set the difficulty of the computercontrolled opponents. Number of CPU Players: Leftclick on the arrows to increase or decrease the number of computer players you want in the game. Naming Your Game: Click on this panel and type in a name for your game. Start With: This setting lets you decide whether to start the game with a Mothership or a Carrier.
page 69 h o m e w o r l d waiting for players screen shot After you create the game, you are returned to the lobby to wait for players to join your game. When you are ready to start, you can leftclick on the button. If you wish to change some of the game options, click on the button and this will take you back to the game options screen. If you no longer wish to host a game, leftclick on the button. 6.2.
homeworld gameplay guide page 70 internet Firewall Settings: If you are behind a firewall, you should select the button. If you know you're not behind a firewall you should check the button. If you are unsure or don’t know what a firewall is, choose Autodetect, which is the default. Launch WON!: To connect to the World Opponent Network, leftclick on this button and you will find yourself in the Homeworld lobby on WON.
page 71 h o m e w o r l d Chatting: If you wish to send messages to the other players in the lobby, leftclick here and type your message. If you wish to whisper a private message to just one player, type and then the rest of your message. WON is organized into rooms. Players can leave and enter rooms and create or join games in the current room. Players in the current room are listed in the panel on the right, and chat messages are listed in the panel on the left.
homeworld gameplay guide page 72 From this screen you can see a list of games in the room displayed in the large panel. You can join any of these games, view the options for each of them, update their ping times, or create your own game. available games screen shot 6.3.3 Creating a Game: Leftclick on this button to create a game in the current room. See “setting multiplayer game options” for more information on creating the game.
page 73 h o m e w o r l d available rooms screen shot From this screen you can see a list of the rooms on WON in the large panel. You can join one of these rooms or create your own. 6.3.4 Creating a Room: To create a room, leftclick on the button and fill in the necessary information. Joining a Room: To join a room, first leftclick on its name in the list, then leftclick on the button.
homeworld gameplay guide page 74 set up game multiplayer screen shot Carpe Diem: “Seize the day.” This game type requires you to capture an enemy ship to win the game. Bounty Hunter: Bounties are turned on in this game type, meaning each enemy ship you kill brings in a bounty -- in RUs. Players with larger fleets have higher bounty ratings, making them more attractive targets. I Hate Harvesting: No harvesting of resources is required in this game type.
page 75 h o m e w o r l d set up game multiplayer screen shot Game: Homeworld allows you to record any multiplayer game and watch it later, from any angle. When you wish to start recording a game, hit the [ESC] key and leftclick on the button. Follow the same process that you would if you were saving a game. You may load a recording at any time by leftclicking on from the multiplayer menu.
options
page 77 h o m e w o r l d Headphones: This setting equalizes the audio engine for optimal performance with average headphones. Custom: By pressing the change button, you can tune the optimal equalization settings for your speakers or headphones. Multimedia Speakers: This setting equalizes the audio engine for optimal performance with the average multimedia speaker system.
homeworld gameplay guide page 78 video options screen shot Level of Detail Threshold: This slider bar controls the level of geometric complexity in rendered images. Sliding the bar to the left reduces the number of polygons in a single frame and results in chunkier looking ships. Adjust to achieve a balance between game performance and visual fidelity. Rendering System: All systems that can run Homeworld will be able to run it in software.
page 79 h o m e w o r l d video options screen shot Stipple Alpha: Selecting this option will cause the software rendering system to display transparency effects with a screen-door appearance, which results in higher graphic performance at the expense of visual quality. Background Images: This determines whether the galactic backdrop is displayed instead of the blackness of space.
homeworld gameplay guide page 80 gameplay options screen shot Info Overlay: With this toggled on, every time you select a ship or group of ships, their type and number will appear in the upper right corner of the screen. Mouse Sensitivity: This slider bar controls how much mouse motion it takes to move the cursor on the screen. Leftclick and drag the indicator to the left to make your cursor move more slowly and to the right to make it respond to mouse movement more quickly. 7.
page 81 h o m e w o r l d This menu allows you to change which gameplay commands are activated by which keystroke. To change a command key, doubleclick on the command you wish to change and press the new key you wish to trigger the command. Should you wish to erase all the changes you have made and return the command keys to their original assignments, leftclick on the button. key bindings screen shot 7.
ship data
8 ship data 8.1 Ship Categories Ships in Homeworld are divided into several broad categories based on tonnage. Initially, no combat vessel larger than a Corvette is available, but through research all classes become available. Those classes are as follows: Strike Craft: This small ship class includes both Fighter and Corvette hulls.
8.2 Ship Stats and Descriptions some definitions: Mass: The mass of the ship in tons Firepower: The amount of damage the ship can inflict (relative weighting) Armor: The amount of damage the ship’s armored hull can withstand Coverage: The percentage of a sphere the ship can cover with its guns Maneuverability: How maneuverable and agile the ship is Max.
8.2.1- 8.2.3 fighter class kushan designation taiidan scout description True to its name, the Scout is a fast, cheap ship that is useful for scouting out enemy locations. Because of its high maneuverability, the Scout is excellent for creating diversions and light harassment while avoiding enemy fire. mass: firepower: armor: coverage: 40 tons 10 110 maneuverability: Very high max.
8.2.4 - 8.2.6 fighter class kushan designation taiidan cloaked fighter description With cloaking sails active, the Cloaked Fighter is the stealthiest (kushan only) ship around. Highly useful for simple surveillance, the Cloaked Fighter is also a good attack craft. It must, however, de-cloak to fire, making it vulnerable for a short period of time. mass: firepower: armor: coverage: 40 tons 10 150 10% maneuverability: high max.
8.2.7 - 8.2.9 corvette class kushan designation taiidan light corvette description Its heavy-duty engine, chassis, and armor make the Light Corvette significantly slower than any of the Fighter-class ships. Its salvation comes in a powerful turreted gun which is fast enough to hit Fighters flying at full speed. mass: firepower: armor: coverage: 400 tons 100 900 maneuverability: medium max.
8.2.10 - 8.2.12 corvette class kushan designation taiidan salvage corvette description This beefy Corvette was once used exclusively for towing junk and salvaging derelicts. After being adapted for combat, the Salvage Corvette gained the ability to capture enemy ships that are heavily damaged. Once captured, these ships are towed back to a Carrier or the Mothership for refitting. mass: firepower: armor: coverage: 1200 maneuverability: medium max.
8.2.13 - 8.2.15 frigate class kushan designation taiidan assault frigate description The Assault Frigate is the most general purpose combat ship of the capital ships. It has four large turrets, which afford it excellent coverage, as well as two fixed plasma bomb launchers. While its turrets are too slow to track fastmoving Fighters, they can take out the slower Corvettes with ease. mass: firepower: armor: coverage: 45,000 2400 16000 maneuverability: low max.
8.2.16 - 8.2.17 frigate class kushan designation taiidan drone frigate description The Drone Frigate is essentially a holding and control system for (kushan only) the 24 drones it houses. These highly maneuverable drones each contain a powerful gun and, when launched, form a sphere around the Drone Frigate, giving it superb protection against Fighters. mass: firepower: armor: coverage: 16000 maneuverability: low max.
8.2.18 - 8.2.20 super capital class kushan designation taiidan missile destroyer description Although its total firepower is significantly less than that of a regular Destroyer, the guided missiles it launches make the Missile Destroyer a formidable foe to Strike Craft and Capital ships alike. For supply, the Missile Destroyer has a full missile manufacturing center in its belly. mass: firepower: armor: coverage: 200,000 8500 42000 - maneuverability: low max.
8.2.21 super capital class kushan designation taiidan destroyer description When it comes to taking down other Capital Ships, the Destroyer is a first choice. It has twin ion cannons and two modified large turrets. With maneuverability almost equal to a Frigate, the Destroyer is able to move around well in combat and react quickly to changes in the battle. mass: firepower: armor: coverage: 185,000 10500 44000 maneuverability: low max.
8.2.23 - 8.2.25 non-combat class kushan designation taiidan resource collector description Using a modified Phased Disassembler Array, the Resource Collector extracts at a molecular level the base elements in any resource. It then converts these elements into Resource Units, the generic term for base levels of material necessary for construction. mass: firepower: armor: coverage: 10800 maneuverability: medium max. velocity: 300 m/s special function: can refuel strike craft.
8.2.26 - 8.2.28 non-combat class kushan designation taiidan cloak generator description The Cloak Generator creates a cloaking field large enough to contain up to two Frigates. Any ship inside the field is completely invisible except when firing. The generator can operate only for a fixed amount of time before recharging must occur. mass: firepower: armor: coverage: 22,000 6000 maneuverability: low max.
8.2.29 - 8.2.30 non-combat class kushan designation taiidan sensors array description Expanding the sensor ability of the Mothership with its largerscale design, the Sensors Array provides full data on the local environment, letting you see the position and number of all enemy ships, as well as resource pockets. mass: firepower: armor: coverage: 2900 6000 maneuverability: low max.
technologies
designation 9.1 capital ship chassis The new heavy drives require a whole new hull technology based on heavily reinforced alloy skeletons that can bear the stress of multi-level decking and heavy weapon mounts. The groundwork has been laid to design the ship’s spine to incorporate theoretically very heavy beam weapons. This breakthrough can be adapted to several special purpose designs as well as the creation of Frigate class warships.
designation 9.4 cloaked fighter (kushan only) While researching electromagnetic ram-scoops, a Kushan scientist stumbled across a process by which intense fields could wrap photons around an object and render it invisible. Because the ratio between the size of the field and the mass of the generator kept the effect minimal, it was considered nothing more than a scientific curiosity.
designation 9.7 corvette drive This improvement to the Fighter drive trades mass for power. While far too big to wrap a Fighter around, this new drive is perfect for the Corvette class of ships. The higher power output allows for heavier weapon systems and powered turrets. Unfortunately, despite a higher degree of fusion efficiency, these drives still require reaction mass to be injected into the fusion torch and must be refueled regularly.
designation 9.10 defense field (taiidan only) The defense field is actually an extremely low frequency EM transmitter - ‘mass wave’ being the common name for extremely low frequency, high amplitude EM radiation. To broadcast waves with enough energy to block a cannon round, but at a low enough frequency to match that of the round's mass wave required extensive research and testing by Taiidan scientists. The system that was devised is so bulky that it could only be fitted on a Frigate chassis.
designation 9.13 fighter drive The first requirement for more powerful Strike Craft is a better engine. Fighter Drive technology allows us to modify the plasma ducting and reaction efficiency of our smallest reactors and create a whole new generation of high-performance Strike Craft that can carry heavier armor and payloads. required tech: leads to: needed for: none Fighter Chassis Interceptor, Defender, Cloaked Fighter, Defense Fighter, Attack Bomber designation 9.
designation 9.16 gravity generator When the attempt to create a gravitational lensing system went awry, researchers found themselves with a runaway gravimetric distortion field and no way to escape -- their shuttle craft were pinned in the same intensified gravity field that was threatening to crush them. Luckily, a passing Assault Frigate was able to target the lab ships’ engines and cut off power to the field generator.
designation 9.19 fighter chassis Once the full capabilities of the new Fighter drives are documented, scientists quickly will begin designing new frames that translate this power into better armor, longer range and heavier loadouts. The Fighter chassis is the blueprint for a new generation of heavy Fighters and Interceptors.
designation 9.22 minelaying tech When scientists tried applying plasma bomb launcher technology to the larger Corvette hulls, they accessed a more powerful fusion drive that allowed them to experiment with the size of the plasma bomb containment field and new deployment methods.
credits
credits Director: Alex Garden Lead Designer: Erin Daly Lead Programmer: Luke Moloney Art Director: Rob Cunningham Lead Artist: Aaron Kambeitz Designers: Adam Bullied Quinn Duffy Programmers: Gary Shaw Keith Hentschel Falko Poiker Darren Stone Bryce Pasechnik Drew Dunlop Jason Dorie Sound Programming: Shane Alfreds Janik Joire Artists: Arthur Shimizu David T.
Joe Johnston Nilo Rodis-Jamero Rhett Brewer Elijah's Mantle Ridley Scott Vangelis Astronomy Magazine Space Telescope Science Institute Ed Konyha Johan Thornton HempBC Cannabis Canada Starbucks (Yaletown) Subeez Cafe The Cambie Bakery The Elbow Room Tigalo’s Rainman The Lemon Grind God (whoever She is) Geoff Keighley Dan McBride Elliot Chin Genevieve Ostergard Jim “Don't hurt me...
QA Leads: Torsten “Uwajimaya” Reinl Bernadette “Audona” Pryor QA Analysts: Erinn “Ares” Hamilton Phil “Nautikus” Kuhlmey Andrew “Queen Mum” Coward Danny “RosterCogburn” Harrison Matt “Slinky” Julich Marc “The Stalker” Nagel Bryan “Kung-Fu Chicken” Walker Lester “Mr.
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