Kharak is burning

[@michaelhandy4018]

What I love about this is that the mission setup is so clear and urgent, you've gotta get back fast, warn Kharak, and then defend the planet while your mothership is finished so you can kick ass. Standard RTS turtle mission. A mission you've already lost.

[@primachpepe8597]

It is a brilliant twist to the formula, and a brutally beautiful one. Probably my favourite scene in all of gaming

[@TheNaturalscorpio]

22 years later and hearing Karen say 'Kharak is burning' still tugs at my chest

[@primachpepe8597]

@@TheNaturalscorpio same here

[@Damorann]

@@primachpepe8597 Homeworld is probably one of the best RTS ever made from both a gameplay standpoint and a storytelling one. Everything is compelling you, pulling you into the story in a beautiful and terrifying way. You are the Kushan. You suffer with them, you feel their anger and despair, and the overwhelming odds against you. To this day, I can't think of a game that does it better.

[@Warglein]

@@Damorann actually, i only know it has higara from the old disk version

[@Trueholycrapfish]

The subject did not survive interrogation.

[@ewzanzsipw]

Monsters

[@weldonwin]

It gets worse, when I think in HW2, there is an image of a man being 'interrogated' strapped into a torture machine, that is basically an automated rack of scalpuls.

[@KingThrillgore]

He speaks so matter of fact about it, like everyone onboard the Mothership was fine with letting their rage out on some pilot.

[@GlobstersMessenger]

I always liked the writing in Homeworld cause it's got a few subtleties to it. Cataclysm was a bit more emotive, which was good too, but I love how the focus of this cutscene isn't really the plot reveal or the information, but just the absolute rage and hatred that has been immediately fostered between that fleet intelligence officer (and everyone on board that ship) and the Taiidan. The whole point of this scene is for the payoff later at the end of the game where the Kushan basically burn the Taiidan's entire empire to the ground and with the help of rebel forces and the galactic council, completely crushed the Emperor, killing him outright. I'm sure they'd have been interested in capturing the Emperor if possible... but burning every single symbol, emblem and trace of his authority throughout the entire Taiidan empire, that's pretty satisfying. The Taiidan Empire tried to exterminate the Kushan like vermin, so they turned right around and strangled the entire empire to death.

[@cake6476]

I mean those pilots were pretty nonchalant when they glassed Kharak and killed everyone in the system for a treaty they forgot they signed 4000 years ago, their anger doesn't seem too unjustified

[@Biggestbingu]

The most gut wrenching part of this mission is at the very end “There’s nothing left for us here, let’s go.” Fleet Intelligence tries so hard to keep it together the whole time but throughout the mission you catch glimpses of the cracks forming in his iron hard calm he has to have as a high ranking officer. And at the end of the cutscene it really hammers home just how devastated the Kushan are and how much rage they’re holding back when Fleet Intelligence calmly states: “Subject did not survive interrogation.”

[@hisdudeness8328]

I always smiled savagely when I heard that they killed the Tiidan in interrogation after seeing Kaharak burning.

[@MrCoolguy425]

The one part that always gets me is that it sounds like he almost bursts into tears when he says “standby for playback” when talking about the recording. He honestly sounds just about broken at what he is about to witness

[@keennickolas8575]

​@@hisdudeness8328😢😢😢

[@keennickolas8575]

it made me gravely sad ... ... I could understand it ... and feel it being wrong at the same time ... two wrongs doesn't make one right ...

[@LadyMoonweb]

Every time. The way the narrator gets a lump in his throat when he says 'all orbital facilities destroyed' is the bit that does it.

[@pjthebarbarian]

Stephanie Shellam I make it all the way to "not even beacons"

[@DancerVeiled]

Like Paul Jennings, "Not even beacons" does it for me.

[@KommandantDahl]

A testament to the voice actors for Homeworld in general because this is a re-recording for Remastered.

[@ragzaugustus]

That's not the narrator, that's Fleet Intelligence, he stays with you all the way to the end.

[@MrCantStopTheRobot]

The professional and disinterested delivery of all the lines makes little hints of emotion impactful. They all know there's no room left for self-indulgence... But even so, they find opportunities to let it slip.

[@RyanHDR]

"The subject did not survive interrogation." This game has brilliant writing; what an absolutely chilling line. What you don't see is far more brutal and shocking than anything they could ever depict.

[@beentheredonenothing1941]

This WAS actually nicely depicted in HW:C in cutscene #14. Kiith Somtaaw captured one of the Imperialist Taiidan on occasion and "nicely" asked for some information they needed. The Beast Slayers don't screw around with prisoners as well.

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

@@beentheredonenothing1941 I doubt anyone would screw around with genocidal bastards who blindly followed the orders of a deranged madman.

[@Turtleproof]

They're stone cold clinicians, they didn't miss a bit even after seeing their entire planet engulfed in flame.

[@boxtank5288]

Implying it was ORIGINALLY just coaxing info and then the bastard said what they did and then came the Scalpels and Saws.

[@Umaril100]

he was just an officer execute orders from his superior was not his fault rip +_+

[@masterofThardus]

"Their ascent into space was a violation of the Will of Sajuuk. Unchecked, they will bring down his wrath upon us all."

[@AugustAutumn]

They weren't wrong.

[@darthjekyll3648]

@@AugustAutumn the gealseian did nothing wrong.

[@logictom7254]

@@darthjekyll3648 I mean, they were believing in fake gods who just wanted the people on Kharak to not be a threat

[@entropybear5847]

@@AugustAutumn Completely wrong equation, somehow got the correct answer. Irony.

[@boxtank5288]

​@@AugustAutumnThey were, in fact it wound up being a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts.

[@HowlingWolf518]

The goal is no longer to beat the game. The goal is to save the top-right pod.

[@Turtleproof]

My goal was to capture one of the pirate carriers that warps away and I did, tho it took about 20 reloads of my save game files.

[@raethebig3473]

Lmao

[@ThatZenoGuy]

@@Turtleproof I mean, you can't capture the pirate carriers due to their in-code listing of 0 salvage nodes. Same with Kadeshi Needleships. Homeworld: Splendor mod allows for it though.

[@boxtank5288]

@mandellorian SHOW THE BASTARDS THEIR BLACKENED HEARTS!

[@ydoumus]

@@Turtleproof Then you must have modded the game files, because in both original HW1 and remastered, Turanic Raider carriers did have salvage hardpoints, but they were NOT able to be moved and captured. This was a measure taken by Relic back in the 90s to avoid players having a way too easy time with a carrier on their hands since the very beginning of the game.

[@CaptainZlex]

This hits a lot harder after playing Deserts of Kharak.

[@MajesticDemonLord]

Especially the ending speech by the Galsein. They didn't want War, their religious myth/laws were based on a real thing, but through the mists of time were only half-remembered.

[@ohnoo104]

​@@MajesticDemonLordare we the bad guys are we the baddies in homeworld deserts of kharak i fell kinda like it.

[@sicksock435446]

Kind of yes but also kind of no. Like you think the hundreds of intact starship hulls jutting out of the sand would have been something of a clue. Something for scientists and zealots alike to study and interprate. Instead they're just resource deposits.

[@Keyboard_Thoughts]

​@@ohnoo104yes, yes we are.

[@antoniomigueljimenezmartin4018]

Four dislikes did not survive interrogation.

[@Thuliummaximmus]

6 now, kkkk

[@IdentificadorNoDisponible]

21 one dislikes did not survive interrogation.

[@NoiseMarines]

As an experiment, I want to introduce someone who has never played a Homeworld game by having them play Deserts of Kharak first. Then this game. I wonder how they'd feel when they got to this part.

[@GodHatesWeebs]

Well that's exactly how it went down for me .-. Yeah it was pretty fucin nuts

[@TheWorldBroadcast]

That’s me. I played Deserts of Kharack first and am having trouble playing this one because of the emotional hit, but also with unfamiliarity with the controls.

[@TheArakan94]

My case as well. Those fuckers are going down! And it was quite unexpected to me..

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

Normal people. Sheer outright shock, horror, excitement (it is a game after all) , disturbed, disgust, anger, rage, hate.. Revenge... The Taidian will pay for the crimes they committed and will burn under your hand... People with lack of empathy or most human emotions: Meh its a game and they probably deserved it for not abiding by the treaty. The Taidian Emperor is likely a great guy if you met him. Hmm who would those people be.

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

I remember playing this game a long time ago and of course the remastered. For me it was a shock, and then the determination and anger kicked in and I knew I had to play the game to the end and end the reign of a evil empire.

[@DL-cs2cj]

Homeworld 3 wishes it had writing anywhere close to this. Instead we got 45ft tall women arguing with absolutely zero attachment to the fleet, higaara, or even the wider galaxy. In complete contrast to this scene, zero emotion or attachment.

[@rh906]

Oh there is emotion, sheer disgust and annoyance.

[@bendunster8859]

The voice acting in this particular sequence is masterful. The cool calm exterior is just a shell, you can hear the rage and grief churning just below the surface, the slight cracks and wobbles in some of the lines as they’re given. Just freakin perfect. This still gives me goosebumps and a tear every time I watch it. HW3 feels so amateur and whiny. Nothing even close to this.

[@lucianosschlieper]

arguing? more like chimping... dude, I am not even mad, just sad

[@hughjass5494]

Came here to rewatch this after just starting HW3. I could hardly believe that when they have THIS formula to work from, they decided instead to go with the mewling self-doubt trope. It reeks of contemporary storytelling for 'modern audiences'. I keep half-expecting Skywalke - I mean S'jet - to start complaining about her student loans. I knew I was in for disappointment when they very first shot was a severely uncanny valley closeup of the whiny lady. HW didn't have room or time for cheap, hackneyed character development - its story was too big, and too important. The gameplay is fun, though. I used some probes to scout a big space hulk, and found some missile frigates patrolling the perimeter. I quietly maneuvered some resource controllers into position, then swarmed the whole zone with recon craft so I could swoop in and capture the missile platforms. That put a smile on my face.

[@GyldariaTanoGen]

when i was a kid i thought the voice acting here was so monotone. only now do I hear the cracking of the voices. the sadness. This is such a horrifying scene. peak world building.

[@Turtleproof]

Commenting on an entire planet, the only home he's ever known: "There's nothing left for us here." "Our colonists are safe for now." The dialogue in this game has more body blows to the gut than any boxing match.

[@Wolf-ln1ml]

Yeah, it's the second most nasty gut punch I can remember empathizing with... The first is in Dan Simmons' "Endymion", where the protagonist describes how he once got into a fight on board a ship, got gut punched so badly that he blacked out and only came back to his senses after having fallen overboard into the water - and compares that experience to his love interest telling him that she had a child, with just three words: "This was worse."

[@KingThrillgore]

It's worth pointing out that the Taiidan emperor felt it necessary to show the same footage the Kushan intercepted to the public, as a reminder of the power of their Empire. It promptly fractured the Taiidan empire, and turned the public (and ultimately Captain Ellison) against him. The Battle for Hiigara was won with the help of Captain Elison. 10/10 pro governing/certified bruh moment

[@xavierrodriguez2463]

and then it gets more dislikes the youtube rewind 2018

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

The Taiidan Emperor was also a clone from a long line of clones, the original family was long erased eons ago. Apparently by the time of Homeworld the constant cloning and near immortality of the Emperor came to the point he was outright insane to the point that he pretty much ran the empire with a paranoid iron fist.

[@DSFARGEG00]

@@xavierrodriguez2463 >OOOOOOOOH THAT'S HOT >THAT'S HOT

[@CHURCHISAWESUM]

"..Are we the baddies?"

[@avanstrash6149]

@Reborn 2021: ROFLMAO XD

[@danieldorn2927]

Imagine waking up on Hiigara, and getting told that Kharak was sterilized, taking the lifes your whole family ...

[@gcHK47]

In the manual of Cataclysm, it is said that the colonists in the Cryo Trays were filled with “bloodthirsty rage” after learning what happened.

[@KingThrillgore]

It's also mentioned in Homeworld 2's manual. Many of the colonists skewed as older adults. There were a lot of suicides.

[@boxtank5288]

@@gcHK47 Fair to be honest...I'd likely want to personally march up to that Emperor and rip his heart out of his chest Kano style after getting THAT bit of news.

[@atreides213]

@@gcHK47 It also mentions one guy who woke up to discover he was the last surviving member of his kiith, who then took a frigate and hurled himself into Taidani space, becoming a famous bounty hunter who killed more than 300 prominent taidani war criminals.

[@JohnnyJohnJohnson]

@@KingThrillgore Many of the ones ones that didn't commit suicide soon after hearing the news volunteered to drive Mimic suicide bombing ships. You can hear them yelling things *"FOR THE FALLEN!!!"* and *"I'LL SEE YOU ALL IN HELL!!!"* when given the order to activate their bombs.

[@EnterpriseKnight]

I love how you scramble immediately on the CryoPods. Gotta save those damn pods.

[@Piombo65]

This level was worse than a Dream speedrun

[@Piombo65]

@KZbinr I mean the fact that even if you master this game, there's always that cryopod in critical conditions because of the enemy frigates and to save them all (my experience) you need to immediately move the fleet during the first dialogues and doing tricks even with salvage corvettes.

[@Eli-uu4vt]

@@Piombo65 2 or 3 of the frigates can be distracted by interceptors. The other one is so laser focused on the top-right tray that you can salvage it right away. I had zero problems sacrificing a few interceptors to capture all of the frigates and salvaging all of the trays.

[@Piombo65]

@@Eli-uu4vt I know. My strategy was moving immediately the damaged cryopod and using scouts to distract the possible frigates and even capturing all of them later.

[@Eli-uu4vt]

@@Piombo65 One of them doesn't want to be distracted, it zeroes in on the damaged tray. So you have to take it out of the battle immediately. That means salvage, which also likely means you don't get to keep one of the other frigates since the Scouts will eventually wear it down.

[@soulgamer612]

It was at this point I realized Homeworld isn’t an RTS game, it’s an experience. I knew next to nothing about Homeworld when I started playing the Remastered collection and this moment got me hooked

[@wiresvn]

Stream/record it bro

[@bendunster8859]

I picked the original homeworld 2 up on a whim a little while after it first came out. This scene made me a homeworld groupie. One of the all time most emotional moments of any game I’ve played.

[@unclesloppy8518]

that voice crack when the Intelligence guy says "all orbital facilities destroyed" absolutely hurts every time i hear it

[@TheRealSkeletor]

"Not even beacons."

[@Dermacrosis]

This is the scene that introduced me to the pain that was Adagio. #NeverforgetKharak I loved this game so much I bought a new graphics card just to play Homeworld 2 when it was released.

[@entropybear5847]

I love when games introduce us to classical music. Wolfenstein introduced me to Moonlight Sonata. It was playing over a radio in a bunker on a multiplayer map. Hearing that haunting solemn song playing while all around was the chaos of (virtual) war actually made me stop to listen. It's a moment in gaming I'll never forget, and it was such a small little thing.

[@Dermacrosis]

@@entropybear5847 I agree 1000%.

[@jsinjapan1689]

Thing is, it's the same music as in mission 1. There it was upbeat and full of wonder and excitement at the beginning of an adventure. But on the return in mission 3... it just rips your heart out.

[@adamrobledo3996]

There's nothing left for us here. Let's go.

[@dathouse2818]

Thats the fuckin part that got me. I know im A year late but yeah

[@TheGuwrovsky]

"Not even beacons..."

[@Timebomb787]

This will always be the game with the most of my respect. It was perfect in every way.

[@Turtleproof]

I was going to say Silent Hill 2 but there are plenty of aspects of that which irritate me, Homeworld really is a masterpiece of storytelling and gameplay.

[@SalocinDotTEN]

This scene tugs at your emotions. Very well done game. I extracted the audio files and play them back once in a while.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

You're one crazy yet gutsy fool.

[@gusfring8451]

2:10 “Standby for playback.” You can hear the hopelessness, the sorrow, the pain in his tone.

[@bendunster8859]

This is so well written and performed. The music is masterful too. In the first 5 minutes of a game I’d never even heard of until I saw it at a GameStop or something and bought it on a whim and I’d already experienced more emotion than almost any other game I’ve played before or since.

[@toddhoward5555]

It was a profound moment. I hope now that they announced a 3rd one that they do more of that storytelling

[@TheRealSkeletor]

@@toddhoward5555 Deserts of Kharak is the 3rd game in the series.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

No, Cataclysm/Emergence is the actual second, 2 is the actual third, and Deserts of Kharak is the fourth. Mobile is the fifth.

[@Amorfis]

Adagio for Strings will always hit hard

[@geegee952]

This hit me so hard. Especially because I played Deserts of Kharak just before that..

[@keennickolas8575]

No one's left ... everything's gone ... (Kharak is burning) those lines ... I always remember those lines ... and then the planet...

[@keennickolas8575]

... not even beacons ...

[@keennickolas8575]

I'll be coming back here ... let's see, if I can watch this someday, without crying...

[@keennickolas8575]

😢 ... had personal struggles ... had to rebuild my life from scratch SO OFTEN ... and my circle of friends ... I feel this so much ... "No one's left. Everything's gone." ... I had my personal Kharak burning too many times ...

[@keennickolas8575]

... that last line: "there's nothing left for us here" ... 😢😢😢 TOO OFTEN in my life ... TOO OFTEN! ...

[@jurajhezel942]

Still remember... The shock... Seeing the scaffold destroyed... How Sarah said that no ones left... And than seeing the planet on fricking fire! How I tried to play this mission and couldn't! Because I couldn't see! With my stupid eyes all wet! Non of the games EVER went so deep into me like Homeworld did ❤️ The song was a perfect fit too. I wonder the emotions of the programmers that did this mission 😊

[@toddkes5890]

"The players are going to say they can just return to their home planet for extra resources. How can we prevent that" "I got an idea"

[@StefanSalowsky]

No matter how many years it has been, this scene still hits me every time... The story telling, the music, the scenery... A punch in the gut I still can feel...

[@bendunster8859]

@@StefanSalowskysame. Still get tears welling up and goosebumps.

[@HayTatsuko]

"Stand by for playback." ....I would prefer not to.

[@Veshgard]

A hundred years ago, the K'Had Sajuuk warned you this would happen. You did not listen.

[@Amoth_oth_ras_shash]

but instead of showing the derelict treaty about stay put or nasty empire comes and kills ya like all religious nuts they instead declared war in the name of ther religion when not taken at face vaule XD

[@TauridBorn]

I doubt the Gaalsien still had the treaty; it probably got buried when they allowed their last city to be buried in the sands and went nomad. But tradition and ritual can keep alive things that were once essential to know

[@igorokinamujika2073]

They would die anyway if they did'nt build the mothership as Kharak was becoming inhabitable. In the expedition guide its said that in a matter of 200 years the planet wouldn't be able to sustain the Kushan civilization, that was 100 years prior to the launch of the mothership. Kharak was doomed.

[@mammothmk3355]

If they stay on Kharak, they die. If they go to space, they die. So I don't think they have any good choice here. And considering the Taiidan have intention of *killing the whole Hiigaran people* , I think their choice ultimately have the best outcone. ;)

[@KingThrillgore]

DOK establishes that the Taiidan were not only aware of the Kushan building the Mothership, they were waiting patiently to torment those that once ruled over them. They had satellites in orbit over Kharak, ready to finish what they had started. They didn't act until after they made their first hyperspace jump, presumably because the treaty allowed a response in case of violation.

[@jinxPad]

Im still crying 20 years later... ;_;

[@Geamr]

me too buddy

[@sethgilcrist8088]

Stupid desert sand it gets everywhere even into space ships

[@entropybear5847]

@@sethgilcrist8088 irritates the eyes, makes them water...

[@Ely76]

me too dude, 25 years after.

[@bendunster8859]

Same

[@barbariusbarbarius9897]

There are very few precious moments in all my years of gaming that carried such an emotional load that they will stay with me for the rest of my days. This is definitely one of them... It will join a collection of emotional moments, such as staying in the bookshop in "Gabriel Knight - Sins of the Fathers" just to listen to the "Bookshop Theme" a little more and think about what the future will bring... Or watching my miserable little band of soldiers walking day after day after day through the hostile jungle of Vietnam in the "Lost Patrol" with the sombre main theme playing... Or watching Zoë reunited with her sister in the "Dreamfall: The Longest Journey" while in "reality" she is lapsing into coma, with the sad and emotional "Faith" theme playing in the background... Or travelling back to Colorado Springs for the final showdown in Wasteland 3, with an awesome version of "the Land of Confusiuon" playing... Great moments...

[@zombiewafle]

"They were defeated. They didn't abandon ship, they did not signal surrender. They knew not to expect mercy. We kept firing until our gun barrels deformed under the heat, we fired until the last of our ammo left our holds. SHE...said nothing. I think in this moment, she envied us."

[@Darth234Ravenous]

Is this a quote from the game or from something else?

[@zombiewafle]

@@Darth234Ravenous No I wrote it in a drunken stupor lmao

[@kallemort]

@@Darth234Ravenous It's from an old fan comic depicting the scene.

[@blu5543]

Anyone notice the Gatling gun pointed at the camera? No points for guessing how he died. I like to think that was the last thing he saw. "The subject did not survive interrogation" Beautiful voice

[@Turtleproof]

The what and the where? The dial thing on the entryway at 5:30 ? I don't fink that's a gun.

[@blu5543]

@@Turtleproof eh yeah looking at it again it might not be, I just thought it was a cool idea but idk I made this comment a year ago.

[@caav56]

@@Turtleproof It kinda looks like it has a linkless feed.

[@albinogingerblackman7739]

"There's nothing left for us here... let's go."

[@Quanfalone]

so much better than the cinematics in hm3

[@darkdogzstudioz]

this hit like a truck when I was 15, playing it for the first time. no body models for animated gestures, no character faces for expressions, but still the dialogue and music shows more emotion and pain than anything made today.

[@zentran2690]

20+ years later and it still hits so hard

[@gohanf2285]

I love that this scene shows how DEVIOUS the Taiidan Emperor so Desperately wants to keep Hiigara for himself from the Actual TRUE OWNERS of Hiigara: the Exiles. Even the Bentuusi knew they were the TRUE people of Hiigara and why they helped them back to their true Homeworld, not Kharak. I can't wait to play HW3 and find what is next for the Exiles and Karen S'Jet.

[@tytoalbasoren9457]

That moment when they realize the Gaalsien warnings were true after all.

[@noisywan]

Never sign a treaty that will be valid even after 4000 years. ...and also frequently check your local planning office in Alpha Centauri for planet eviction and demolition plans on display.

[@TheRealSkeletor]

“There’s no point in acting surprised about it. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display at your local planning department in Alpha Centauri for 50 of your Earth years, so you’ve had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint and it’s far too late to start making a fuss about it now. … What do you mean you’ve never been to Alpha Centauri? Oh, for heaven’s sake, mankind, it’s only four light years away, you know. I’m sorry, but if you can’t be bothered to take an interest in local affairs, that’s your own lookout. Energize the demolition beams.”

[@MegaRazorback]

Except it can't be valid as they didn't develop the hyperspace core/tech, they found it in the Khar-Toba wreck that was one of the prison ships that initially brought the Higaran people to Kharak due to a satellite malfunction that ended up making it scan the surface of the planet which picked it up even though that core was the very same one that took with them into exile but then lost for ages... Hell, the hyperspace cores weren't even developed by the Higarans or the Taiidan, it was the Bentusi that developed what they all used after they found the First Core in the First time after the Progenitors vanished.

[@taurohkea2169]

homeworld is a masterpiece in gaming history

[@connoro1373]

I love how they used Barber for this...

[@respectyourtherapist]

we are all that's left of our world. our culture. our people.

[@sandakureva]

"The subject did not survive interrogation" goes *so* hard.

[@mixazizu]

On Adagio for Strings i saw a comment saying "Kharak is burning..." Thats what brought me here

[@Dermacrosis]

After all this time I am still playing Homeworld on an old PC, let along cataclysm and HW2 thanks to a friend giving me his old PC, built in the days of Vista, when his other half bought a new one and so he had an 8 machine for me to update for him. I bought the "update" and was a tad disappointed, but now I can play the game as it was released at the time. Even after all these years I still only managed to recover 100% of the chryo trays 70% of the time.

[@rangerunner6274]

Know whats nerve wrecking? hearing kahn sajuuk lines in the end deserts of kharak and understanding that he was actualy right, kharak burns because of its inhabitants taking to the starts

[@tytoalbasoren9457]

I love how you could tell that the intel officer, who's mostly calm and collected in all of the missions, was devastated when he realized he just lost his homeworld and almost everyone he knew when his voice slightly faltered along with glimpses of his emotions slipping through the cracks that was forming on his hard stoic exterior. Then when he ordered you to take one frigate for interrogation you can hear his boiling rage when he told you to eliminate the other. He was trying his best to hold it back and stay calm just as a high ranking officer should.

[@NaNa-kj2gw]

hurts more after playing Deserts of Kharak

[@RetroAmateur1989]

I like how they brought Michael Sunczyk back for homeworld 2 remastered, though it doesn't make much sense.

[@FiksIIanzO]

You can hear a single crack in the fleet intelligence officer's voice. He's a true professional. Keeping his cool in the most outstanding situations. Especially considering that he had just lost everything he held dear.

[@doomvision8075]

"All orbital facilities destroyed". That subtle waver in an otherwise matter-of-fact report. Top-tier voice acting and incredible delivery.

[@owenyin3316]

one of my proudest achievements in a game is saving all 6 cryo trays

[@coren5911]

I did it too!

[@Wulfilasify1]

Very few games had the same level of emotional impact on me than Homeworld. I have never felt such intense loneliness and hopelessness in space ever before or after in any computer game and those pods were the most precious assets to take care of. I replayed this chapter over and over again but can't remember if I had ever been able to rescue them all.

[@sholva6809]

This mission still brings tears to my eyes

[@Mobius_118]

Taiidan: They violated the treaty that said they couldn't develop hyperspace tech. Taiidani Rebels: Cool motive, still murder.

[@acwarrilow]

Omg this sound of the mothership jumping out of warp! Chills

[@seermayton-el3488]

Kushan: *violates a 5,000 year old treaty for not going to space* Taiidan Empire: ...and I took that personally

[@Fr0st1989]

"The subject did not survive interrogation." Not surprising given the context

[@seanadams314]

the story telling in this game was absolutely brilliant

[@Shyraton12]

This scene is why the correct order of the series is to play deserts of Kharak first

[@AgarthianTrapstar]

“No one’s left… Everything’s gone. Kharak is burning.”

[@Dermacrosis]

This is the scene that introduced me to the pain that was Adagio. #NeverforgetKharak I loved this game so much I bought a new graphics card just to play Homeworld 2 when it was released. Though it took some communication with the makers and it was that my GC was not unsupported so I spent nearly £100 for a FX-5200, god I am old, bu it was worth it. It's a shame HW:Cataclysm was never an official sequel and yes I also bought it when released. This was one hell of a god mode game. It took me over 20 startings of the game HW to save all the trays, after that first time it still took atleast 10 starts of the game to do the same.

[@Dermacrosis]

This is the scene that introduced me to the pain that was Adagio. #NeverforgetKharak I loved this game so much I bought a new graphics card just to play Homeworld 2 when it was released. I had problems at the time, I emailed the makers, they asked for info and told me how to give them the info. I followed them and when they told me I needed to update my graphics I did and it cost me over £80 at the time t buy the FX-5200 n-vidia card. I was introed to this by a security guard at my local supermarket back then. I am not sure who was the major beneficiary as he introed me to this and I introed him to "Half Life", though it cost me more as he had moved onto "Cataclysm" when he gave me the game disc.

[@JehutySet22]

This gets worse , you learn later in the lore that no children survived all the colonist were adults , many of them committed suicide when they arrived in Hiigara once they learned the fate of Kharak.

[@MalXcontent]

A really well developed game. I reckon I might play it again soon.

[@ambraxis2706]

Nothing is left... everyone's gone... Kharak is burning

[@Tericc1]

of all games they turn into shows.. why not this one?

[@mikemironov7551]

Please, PLEASE, do not!

[@inzyniertv9305]

Battlestar Galactica but the fleet can expand

[@lancourt]

The music kicks in... the same music that sent you off in triumph is now a funeral dirge

[@darthbane3937]

You wouldn't believe how little I hear the extinct line because the ship captured is the last ship and that overrides them saying to salvage the cryo trays.

[@eiplays2768]

ah the second best moment in homeworld. great scene but will never be better than the shaming of the bentusi in emergence/catacltysm

[@gameoverinsertcointocontin8102]

Girl boss S'jet reaction: "But isn't torture bad?"

[@Prockski]

God I remember when I first played this. This hit me so damn hard.

[@sethgilcrist8088]

I remember playing homeworld when it First came out. This scene broke my teenage heart.

[@thefaithfulwisp6272]

When i saw this i immediately tried my best to keep everyone on my fleet alive

[@Tiirshak]

They were defeated... They didn't abandon ship, they didn't signal surrender. They knew not to expect mercy from us... We kept firing until our gun barrels deformed under the heat. We fired until the last projectile had left our ammo holds. She ... didn't say anything... I think in this moment, she envied us

[@spooky2466]

For new year I was at a friends place and he made me play his favourite game Homeworld...beat the game in that 1 night and I never felt so much sadness and patriotism for a fictional race that I knew for a few minutes before their world was destroyed...

[@Arthezius]

Old man Vanu's voice cracking always gets me. If you know the reference, you know.

[@nickolasturner]

The first game that moved me to tears in my youth

[@Edward135i]

I remember the first time I playing this how shocking this was. I miss Sierra so much, they always made the best games.

[@Ama-hi5kn]

Ok, the imperials didn't want the Kharakians to leave the system. But a warning up ahead after a few thousand years before blowing up the planet would have been nice. Just saying... Before committing a near genocide. It must have gotten lost in the paperwork.

[@evinbraley]

I know its a joke, but wasn't the reason why they burned Kharak without warning because the emperor was having riots back home and wanted to prove he was ruthless to his people?

[@chaz706]

Deserts of Homeworld answers your question: Hard to warn people when there's something weird happening to all of the ships you're sending there...

[@thesupreme8062]

​@@evinbraley didnt hiigarans get banished to kharak though?

[@jamsam2100]

The embers of our destroyed world still burn bright in me and will slowly one day become a roaring flame of revenge that will engulf our enemies for their genocide...

[@pavilpezinsky3914]

Now thats a Karen thats easy on the ears.......

[@javierguardiola7122]

0:02 tbh that beep sounds like a register machine from a little convenience store from near a hiway

[@woodwyrm]

HW3 did not survive interrogation. Safety blanket mega Hitler ffs

[@Dermacrosis]

HW:3? I only know of two official HW games. Cataclysm is not an official sequel and so not part of the canon. I am not saying you are wrong just know of officially Homeworld and Homeworld 2 to as official releases. That means I want more info on the HW:3 thing. I still play HW and Cataclysm on an ancient PC just to enjoy some of the game I liked back then, as despite their basic nature they beat many of the modern games, stand alone only. After all you can't compare MMPOGs with single player games.

[@embiggenedbadger4297]

"There's nothing left for us here. Let's go."😮‍💨

[@battlehawks1]

If you are quick enough, you can save all the cryotrays. I love the game;-).

[@gordonstewardson7683]

4 people did not survive interrogation.

[@PillowWillow007]

Now six Taiidani lay dead in the interrogation room ...

[@antcow1239]

I captured all those frigates before i loaded the trays. I made the enemy fleet mine!

[@austingole4861]

I tried that, but I didn’t have enough salvage corvettes and so most of them died and I was only able to take the required one ship, happy you were able to pull it off though

[@antcow1239]

@@austingole4861 That was my winning strategy in the game. The enemy always provided a new class of ship to steal. I stole the ion array frigates, the first taiidan carrier, destroyers, battlecruisers etc. I recycled what i couldn't use or what i didnt need. I had a LOT of RU's by the end of the game

[@austingole4861]

@@antcow1239 Taiidan sensors officer: uh sir, sir, we’re picking up enemies on radar Taiidan commander: well what do they have? Taiidan sensors officer: well a couple cruisers, destroyers, some frigates, and uh a couple hundred of those salvage corvettes they have Random Taiidan soldier on the bridge: *has flashback of previous battle he survived* oh no

[@antcow1239]

@@austingole4861 Thats basically what happened, i stole everything XD

[@ehold6877]

One of the most important and significant phrases with the soundtrack ever.."kharack is burning"... it also made me fall in love with adagio for strings.

[@sava1811]

I liked this because I cry every time

[@Maladjester]

Ow. Right in the feels.

[@DessJ]

thank you for this. :)

[@Eli-uu4vt]

"No one's left...Everything's gone...! Kharak is burning!" Karan literally *is* the Mothership. Its sensors are providing her with near-exact information on *everything*: Body parts in debris clouds, casualty counts in orbit and on the surface, surface temperature contrasted to livable norms. She knows *exactly* what happened, how it happened, and how long it took. And she cannot hide from it or use revenge to focus herself. She *is* Kharak now and has no choice but to console her grief with saving everyone she can.

[@evag6370]

Of all the media properties being greenlit for films. Why not Homeworld?

[@gcHK47]

Do you have any idea how expensive and difficult such a film would be? Not only would it cost an effing mint just to make, but the film would be hated if it lacked such things as character, character development, emotional subtext, and if it didn’t run in a timely and logical manner. Nope, Homeworld is definitely better as a video game franchise.

[@SDNate760]

This is more or less the premise of Battlestar Galactica 2000s version. Remnants of humanity desperately flee their devastated home world in search of a new home. Also Titan AE. I agree this game would make for a good tv series if it could be different enough from BSG

[@KingThrillgore]

This would be hard to adopt to the screen because the Kushan are depicted (and played as) a collective of like-minded people with a common goal. There's no drama in that. No hooks to make the story personal. To make adjustments for that purpose would borderline on parody of BSG or Star Wars. Leave it as a video game.

[@TheRealSkeletor]

@@SDNate760 Too bad BSG focused so much on sexuality and character drama, rather than the bigger themes which Homeworld explored.

[@SDNate760]

@@TheRealSkeletor The one thing I'll say to that is that some of the character drama was legitimately great. Apollo's guilt from what he had to do in "33" haunts him for the entire series, for example. There are some other examples, but none of them involve Starbuck IMHO since she's just awful

[@RedSntDK]

SHIT! One of those titles I definitely could've played around the time it came out. I guess I missed the nostalgia boat on this one :

[@Squadron007]

homeworld deserts of kharak is the best

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

The most heartbraking moment in gaming history. What a game.....

[@Sitz_Krieg]

where real men cry

[@Kerze]

Man, the remaster loses a lot of the charm the original had, especially in the voice lines which I swear had someone else for the male's lines from how defeated and resigned he sounded during the line "There's nothing left for us here. Let's go.". I even remember the fighters attacking the scaffold moving more dynamically, rather than just flying in a straight line, though the rest of the taidaani fleet getting hit with missiles was new (a good addition imo, since it fleshed out some aspects of what happened) edit: Okay, I found a video of the scene from the original and I was wrong on a lot of counts. The only thing I actually did remember even a *little* correctly was how the fighters moved during the cutscene, but even then it could be chalked up to some jankiness.