Homeworld
Description official descriptions
A discovery is about to turn the culture of Kharak upside down. The people, Kushan, are not native to Kharak at all. The discovery of the Guidestone is the ultimate proof that Kushan had came from another solar system, far away. And it's time to go home. The Mothership project united the world. Part base, part construction yard, the Mothership is capable of everything, as you never know what you will find in the void...
Homeworld is a 3D strategy game where you control a mothership and a fleet as you harvest resources, conduct research, and build up your fleet that can vary from small, fast, and nimble scouts to lumbering heavy cruisers. Move your camera in full 3D (up/down/around) and issue full 3D movement orders. Specify 3D formations for your ships, employ cloaked vessels to ambush enemy or employ salvage vessels to capture enemy ships, or defend against them with prox sensors and mines. There is a 17-mission single player campaign, or you can play online in true internet multi-player.
Spellings
- 家园 - Simplified Chinese spelling
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Credits (Windows version)
175 People (132 developers, 43 thanks) · View all
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[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 90% (based on 35 ratings)
Players
Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 96 ratings with 10 reviews)
An experience, not just a game.
The Good
The idea of a fully-three dimensional real time strategy game is, in and of itself, a bold and innovative idea. The concept of using outer space isn't difficult to foresee,then, considering this was what Relic wanted to go for, regardless of whether or not this relegates the Kushan as humanoids in their perception of space-time.
The implementation of rule sets that are both deep and yet possible to master are what make this idea worth playing. The research mechanic is shallow, resource gathering and production are centralised. But then, what they lack in immediate complexity, they return with bringing focus to the one thing no one could see without going back to those Star Wars films that were about two decades old (for the one that came out that year was the one no one wants to speak fondly about). And even those were based on the mercy of the once-hailed but now-maligned director.
The eerie feeling that you are standing at the edge of a never-ending abyss is always there. Maybe it is the claustrophobic soundtrack that gives you a glimpse of how small you really are. Maybe it is how long it takes for you to get to the land that was yours, each landing having a boundary of a 1000 kilometres at the very least. Maybe it is the Kushan meeting on the way to your land those who could not come with you and see what became of them. Maybe it is all of them, none of them and everything in between.
You are the Kushan. You are hunted by the largest empire in the known universe. And you are alone. Mostly.
The Bad
Its past and its future. Make no mistake, this game is not a Star Wars battle simulator, for that is all its screenshots would impress upon those who would remember them, whether they would like to or not. This game became a niche title, played now by those who do not necessarily flock to Lord PewDiePie and his enviable ability to provide consumable opinions to over 25 million people with one video.
It is not Star Wars and it is not part of the RTS canon of StarCraft and Total War.
The Bottom Line
Homeworld was the first true indicator of what Relic, and the video game industry in general, could do to create works of art. The combination of music that questions the notion of secure presence in any physical space just by the use of background sounds, tactical combat that subtly tells you that your units have a mind inside of them and the systemisation of the attraction a moth must feel to the brightest source of light in its vicinity to tell you where you are supposed to be going results in only one conclusion: Homeworld has yet to lose its power as a piece of art.
Windows · by Victor Joseph (9) · 2015
A fresh, new perspective on the otherwise stale RTS world.
The Good
Homeworld is certainly unique in its approach - a realtime strategy game, set in a true 3D environment. In order to survive in this game, one must abandon the conventional 2D thinking involved with most RTS games. The game maps are set in large cubes, instead of a flat map - enemies can, and often do, attack from above and below. Intelligent resource management is also key - quite often, you only have just enough resources in a given mission to build what you need.
The graphics are quite crisp, the music is wonderful, and the voice acting is also very well done, while at times a bit emotionless (although I believe this to be intentional).
There is also a very extensive backstory and plot to this game - while a bit on the thick side, the backstory in the manual is well worth a read in its entirety.
And my favorite part? Large battles in space - the ships move smoothly through their formations, and combined with the ambiant music the battles become more of a well-orchestrated dance, than a fierce dogfight.
The Bad
At times, managing enormous fleets can get a bit cumbersome; keeping track of all of your units at all times can be a bit of a challenge.
Also, some missions had rather obvious "triggers" - i.e., you complete a certain action, which triggers an attack that you're (usually) unprepared for. But to its credit, even an overwhelming battle can be won with the proper strategy.
The 3D interface can be a bit frustrating at times to the new player, but the tutorial explains the game world very well. The initial learning curve may deter some casual players, but it doesn't take long to become accustomed to it.
The Bottom Line
This game will grab onto you, pull you in, and refuse to let go.
Windows · by Dave Schenet (134) · 2001
3-D Gaming that breaks new ground
The Good
The tutorial makes learning the interface a snap...When I heard of the game, the first thing I thought was that they couldn't pull it off becuase it would be difficult managing in 3-D...but they did it, and just spending the few short minutes in the tutorial can familiaize you with the interface fast...
The unit balance of the game is good...even in the late game process, you still have to build basic units and each ship class has its disadvantages and its strong points...
The single player campaigns are extremely well scripted...the ingame scripts makes the game very interesting, but doesn't interefere with the game play...
The idea is fresh...In a desert of no end of C&C clones, this is one hell of an oasis...
The graphics is detailed to the point that you can see the engine trails of a scout, or the tractor beams of a salvage corvett...zoom in to see every little detail on the ship, or zoom out to control your whole fleet...the camera control is extremely easy to master...
Brilliant control scheme...you can basically play the whole game with a mouse...Homeworld allows you to command an armada with a mouse wheel and two buttons...
Everything from formations, to rules of engagement, Homeworld provides a large amount of tactics for RTS fans
The Bad
I tried as hard as I could but could only find two bad things about this game...
The two sides are almost the same, with the exception of two units...As different as they may look, they are still all do the same thing...This doesn't take away anything from the game, but just lacks the depth in that area that Starcraft revolutionized
With wonderfully scripted missions in single player, it would have been nice if a editor was included in the game, so that more missions and maps can be created, as the single player campaigns were a little too short...
The Bottom Line
Tired of C&C clones? Homeworld is leading a revolution in RTS gaming, space combat has never been so entertaining...
Windows · by MadCat (53) · 2000
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
---|---|---|
Not a 4X game | SharkD (425) | Feb 4, 2009 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Homeworld appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Cut content
When asked, the development team at Relic said the game will feature 5 different races: Taiidan, Kushan,Turanic Raiders, Kadeshi, and T-mat. In the final version, the T-mat was absent. Although the modders community have found a reference to some of their ships in the source, Relic never released more info about them.
Music
The British rock band Yes approached Alex Garden to have their coming song put into an idea for the game. They both came into an agreement liking the idea of how Homeworld is pretty down to reality ('we're all finding a way home') and for this specially this game, Yes produced the song Homeworld / The Ladder which was the newest single of 1999 and the opening song for their album The Ladder. On the album was a Homeworld trailer.
Online servers
The game's online servers (which were hosted on World Opponent Network, or WON) were shut down on 1 November 2008 in the wake of WON's total closure.
References
The game contains a reference to the movie Blade Runner. After playing past mission 7, look at your autosaves. Some of them will have a prefix of "Tenhauser Gate," which is part of the dying words of replicant Roy Batty.
Source code
On 26 September 2003, the Homeworld source code and accompanying documentation was released by Relic on their Relic Developer Network. It has been stripped of code not owned by Relic Entertainment (including but not limited to the Bink SDK). On 21 February 2004, the code was released to the public
Awards
- CNET GameCenter
- 1999 - Strategy Game of the Year
- Computer Gaming World
- March 2000 (Issue #188) – Strategy Game of the Year
- March 2000 (Issue #188) – Best Manual of the Year
- Gamepower
- 1999 - Top 5 Strategy Games
- Gamespot
- 1999 - Best Music of the Year
- GameSpy
- 1999 - Strategy Game of the Year
- 1999 - Outstanding Music Award (together with Omikron: The Nomad Soul and Nocturne)
- 1999 - Outstanding Sound Award (together with Hidden & Dangerous)
- 2012 – #9 Top PC Gaming Intro
- GameStar (Germany)
- Issue 12/1999 - #98 in the "100 Most Important PC Games of the Nineties" ranking
- Gonegold
- 1999 - '99 Must Have
- I.D. Magazine
- 2000 - Silver Award (Interactive Media Design)
- PC Gamer
- 1999 - Game of the Year
- April 2005 - #46 on the "50 Best Games of All Time" list
- PC Player (Germany)
- Issue 01/2000 - Most Original Game in 1999
- PC Zone
- 1999 - Game of the Year
- Power Play
- Issue 02/2000 – Most Innovative Game in 1999
Information also contributed by Carlos Aquino, DarkDante; Henry Aloni, Indra was here, Maw; PCGamer77, Sciere and Scott Monster
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Related Sites +
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Homeworld
Relic's website for reference of the game. Includes screenshots, concept art, ships descriptions... -
Homeworld @ GamingHaven.com
Game reviews, links, screenshots and more. -
Pilotview How-To
View the battles from a pilot's point of view! Right click your Homeworld shortcut and add the switch /pilotView to homeworld.exe. In game, focus on any unit and press "Q". This even works for enemy units! The pilotView functionality requires Homeworld version 1.4 or greater.
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Rynok.
Additional contributors: Kasey Chang, Unicorn Lynx, Arvin Chandra, Scott Monster, DarkDante, cow, Patrick Bregger, Plok, FatherJack.
Game added September 30, 1999. Last modified March 31, 2024.