HW2 did a neat job incorporating this, but again, Cata did it first.īeing a small Kiith, your fleet size was much more limited, and as such, it was important to keep your units alive. The Command Ship and the carriers could build modules to enhance their functionality.

You may think the sensors manager in HW2 and HW:R are improved, but Cata did it first.Ĭarriers had not one but two large hangars for frigates, complete with shielded blast doors that would open and close.

The sensors manager was actually more useful, with more functionality and control given to units. The Somtaaw Command Ship constructs super-capital ships like the destroyer, carrier, and dreadnought externally, so you can actually see the ship's construction process instead of watching a progress bar in the construction menu. While capital ships in Homeworld 1 would slowly repair themselves internally over time, Cataclysm added actual repair bots as a ship upgrade, complete with visuals to show them working on a ship's hull, crawling around, making sparks, and so on.Īfter capturing an enemy ship, you actually get to see the paintjob being changed as an energy field scans over the hull, switching the colors to match your fleet's color scheme as it goes. Ramming frigates could use afterburners to smash into targets while cutting through them with mining lasers. Mimics could project holograms of other ships to either make your fleet look stronger than it was or disguise itself as an enemy ship to infiltrate and kamikaze an unsuspecting hostile vessel. Workers could harvest, repair, AND salvage. The Dreadnought could use a repulse weapon to knock enemy ships away from it. Leeches could cover an enemy ship and vent bits of its hull out into space, slowly and discreetly damaging it over time. Acolytes could link together like space transformers to form a tougher corvette-sized ship called the Avenger. I thought it was great how the most prominent Kiithid still used their traditional Kushan ships, but smaller Kiithid like Somtaaw had to basically scrounge for whatever tech they could get their hands on, resulting in a hodgepodge of very distinct vessels, like the Bentusi-based Acolyte or the mining-ship-turned-military Ramming Frigate (Heavy Tug.) It really brought a fresh feel to the game.Īlmost every ship had its own unique special function. I'd like to show some appreciation for what I consider to be a very underrated stand-alone expansion and mention things Cataclysm did right in my opinion.

After spending many hours playing through Homeworld: Remastered, I've found myself revisiting fond memories of Cataclysm, which is actually the first Homeworld game I ever played that got me into the series.

Homeworld cataclysm units