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Part 2
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

Part 2

Dive into Part 2 of the Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak guide. Learn about unit adjustments, build time changes, and important patch notes from versions 1.03 and 1.04.

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Dive into Part 2 of the Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak guide. Learn about unit adjustments, build time changes, and important patch notes from versions 1.03 and 1.04.

Alright, let's get into the nitty-gritty of Part 2 for Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. This section is less about direct gameplay steps and more about understanding the game's evolution through its patches and the underlying mechanics that make it tick. Think of it as getting the inside scoop on how the game was balanced and what technical bits you might run into.

First off, let's look at the changes that came with Homeworld V1.04, released on October 21, 1999. Relic was busy tweaking the units:

  • The support frigate's repair rate got a nerf.
  • Repair corvettes also saw their repair rate reduced.
  • Defender firepower was decreased.
  • The hyperspace ram ability was altered.
  • Defender gun stats were adjusted.
  • Heavy Corvette build time and cost were reduced.
  • MultiGun Corvette build time was reduced.
  • Minelayer Corvette build time and cost were reduced.
  • Cloaked Fighter gun stats were adjusted.
  • Carrier build time was decreased, but their hyperspace cost went up.
  • Attack Bomber armor got a boost.
  • Missile armor and tracking were decreased.
  • Missile Destroyer mass increased.

Beyond the unit tweaks, V1.04 brought some quality-of-life and multiplayer improvements:

  • The bounty rating in multiplayer was capped at 250.
  • Homeworld now checks all available CD-ROM drives for the Homeworld CD, making it more flexible where you put the disc.
  • Cheat detection for multiplayer games was added.
  • Screensavers will no longer pop up while you're playing.
  • Various save game bugs were fixed.
  • New features were added to the lobby for multiplayer.
  • The game was made compatible with NT4 and Windows 2000.

Now, let's rewind a bit to Homeworld V1.03, which dropped on September 16, 1999. This patch mainly addressed issues from V1.02:

  • A persistent problem with auto-detecting firewalls was fixed; it used to incorrectly report that you were behind a firewall.
  • OpenGL support, previously unavailable for Nvidia TNT cards under Windows 9x due to driver issues, was re-enabled for Win98 (but still not for Win95).
  • The Intel i740 graphics chip became more reliable under Direct 3D.

The guide author also shared some insights from their test systems, which can be super helpful for troubleshooting or just understanding performance:

  • Test System 1: AMD900 CPU, 512MB RAM, 32MB TNT2, 17-inch monitor, 40GB HDD, Win ME. This system ran flawlessly, with only occasional crashes in skirmish games when there were too many enemy ships.
  • Test System 2: AMD 1400XP, 1GB RAM, 64MB ATi Radeon, 17-inch monitor, 80GB HDD, Win 2000. This system was generally good, though the unpatched version had startup issues. Minor problems occurred in the 15th mission, where ships were sometimes forgotten or transformed into other types (imagine your destroyers becoming frigates!). Save game warnings due to disk access settings in Win2K also popped up. The author loved this system for its ability to suspend the game without crashes, making guide writing easier.

For those looking at the official specs, here's what Relic recommended back in the day:

  • Minimums: Pentium II 233, 32 MB RAM, 100 MB HD Space, 4x CD-ROM, 4 MB PCI Video Card (16-bit color, DirectX compatible), 16-bit DirectX compatible Soundcard. The author notes that onboard sound *does* work, but an old system meeting these minimums would be painfully slow and prone to crashing in larger battles.
  • Preferred: Pentium II 350+, 64 MB RAM, 400 MB HD Space, 12 MB+ 3D Accelerated Video Card. Again, the author suggests these are still on the low side for a smooth experience.
  • Internet/Multiplayer: 32-bit ISP with 28.8+ kbps Modem or LAN. The author couldn't offer much advice here, having primarily played on LANs and not having access to the large ones used previously.

Finally, the guide uses some specific terminology you'll see throughout:

  • Guns: Usually refers to massdrivers on most ships.
  • Bombers: Specifically plasma bombs used by assault frigates and attack bombers.
  • Ion Cannon: The blue (Taiidan/Kadeshi) or red (Kushan) energy weapon.
  • Super Ion Cannon: The powerful, rapid-fire beam weapon used by the Bentusi.
  • MS: Mother Ship (can also mean Carrier in multiplayer).
  • CV: Carrier.
  • HCV: Heavy Cruiser (also called

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