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This is the article on the ship in the Homeworld War. For the ship in the Vaygr War, see Minelayer Corvette.

The Minelayer Corvette was a corvette-class combat vessel designed for the purpose of laying mines used by the Kushan and Taiidan Empire in Homeworld.

Overview[]

Unlike most other ships, minelayer corvettes have no specific weapons to be able to shoot enemy vessels from afar. Instead, their weapon is the ability to launch mines, which can detect enemy ships and cause large scale damage. Minelayer corvettes can be ordered to lay a zone of mines, designated by clicking and dragging the cursor. While mines are harder to use against enemy strike craft, they are extremely potent against slower capital ships, making them ideal ships to set up large minefields before retreating to safety.

Unfortunately, minelayers are quite fragile, and their mines can be disabled via long range weapons such as ion cannons. Fleets with Support Frigates in them can also counter-act the negative effects of minefields, to some degree, but larger minefields can very quickly destroy ships in seconds.

The mines launched by the Minelayer Corvette have a maximum speed rating of 400 m/s, which means any ship faster than the mines can avoid being hit by them. However, only a very small number of ships are able to actually outrun the mines. To avoid players filling a map with infinite mines, the mines themselves have a time limit before vanishing automatically. Those mines fired directly at a target will stick around for 2 minutes [120 seconds], but those dropped in specific patterns will stick around for 15 minutes [900 seconds]. The amount of damage done by a mine on impact with an enemy ship is somewhere between 829 - 939.

In Homeworld Remastered, only two minelayer corvettes may be built, limiting the potential presence of mines on the battlefield.

Lore[]

Kushan[]

Minelaying technology was very new during the Homeworld War, even to the Taiidan, and so it was great improvisation on Fleet Intelligence's part to copy the Taiidan's methods and apply them to Kushan corvettes. The Kushan, who had adapted remarkably fast to the dynamics of space combat, knew well that it was necessary to exploit all dimensions and that this made designing a defensive mine system difficult.

There are differences between the Resolute and Wodaan minelayer corvettes. Though the concept is the same the Kushan did not actually have a working Wodaan to work from and so improvised. Not knowing that the Wodaan used an electronic identification system, the Kushan instead used a simpler, more crude magnetic tracking device. To avoid friendly fire Kushan vessels were equipped with the proper electric countermeasures systems to redirect a friendly mine's tracking system.

The system, while crude, was quite effective and Kushan mines will do significant damage to any vessel they meet that doesn't destroy them first, particularly slow-moving super capital ship which have little defense against a mine. Once a mine has detected its target it uses a small jet of its plasma bomb interior to propel itself and then slams itself into the defenseless vessel. And, unlike Wodaans, the Resolute was more soundly designed, meaning jamming is almost unheard of. Unfortunately it does have its own problems most notably the fact that the fast rebuild rate of the mines means that the Resolute's more primitive fusion drive is put to their limits.

Taiidan[]

The minelayer corvette was not originally designed as a minelayer. Mines, problematic in a three-dimensional environment where defenses meant little seemed impractical. Rather, the Wodaan, with its checkered history, was originally designed as an ECM weapon. But unfortunately, the Taiidan Empire spent little effort on researching new technologies and the Empire's enemies were often ahead in sensors enhancement rendering the Wodaan's advanced technology useless.

So the Wodaan lay dormant for twenty years until somebody realized that it was possible to adapt Plasma Bomb technology to make high energy tracking mines with small PDA units. This would make space mines for the first time effective. Rather than invent a new chassis the Wodaan chassis was reused, replacing the ECM systems with a minelayer apparatus. It was then decided that the Wodaan was fit for service. Composing of three crewmembers: a pilot, a WO, and an engineer the Wodaan was prepped for combat duty.

Unfortunately, the corrupt Empire used "fit" to mean barely workable. Mine jamming in Wodaans is not that uncommon and many a crew have been lost when an armed mine jammed in the launcher and then exploded, leaving no chance of survival.

Wodaans are usually deployed in four-ships squadrons and patrol through areas, laying down mines in grid semi-3D patterns. Wodaans, while possessing no weaponry, are still dangerous in combat, at least when met by Capital Ship resistance. Even with other strike craft they are fairly effective as the mines are fast enough to track fighters and corvettes when moving below full speed.

The mine, which is basically an inactive plasma bomb much like those used by Assault Frigates or bombers locked in a shell with a small but efficient PDA unit. The mine locks on to an enemy target by following its electromagnetic cross signature which bases itself on the electromagnetic equipment carried on any ship. If the signature is a friendly one then the mine ignores it. If it is hostile the mine locks on and ejects a small vent of its plasma to propel itself while simultaneously arming the warhead. A large minefield spells certain death for any capital ship.

Legacy[]

Although the Kushan chose not to use minelayer corvettes after the Homeworld War, they still featured heavily by the Taiidan Imperialist Faction during the Beast War, with the mines much larger and stronger than their earlier counterparts. By the time of the Vaygr War, minelaying was still a worthwhile technology as both Hiigarans and the Vaygr were able to construct their own minelayers, although rarely chose to employ the use of them.

Trivia[]

  • In the Homeworld: Cataclysm manual, the Kushan ship is codenamed Resolute and the Taiidan ship is codenamed Wodaan.[1]

Appearances[]

References[]

Main Factions Minor Factions
Kushan and Hiigaran Ships
Fighters
Microships Sentinel-class Defense Pod (HWC) • Leech-class Breaching Pod (HWC)
Scouts Arrow-class Scout‎ (HW) • Seeker-class Reconnaissance Fighter (HWC) • Hiigaran Scout (HW2)
Interceptors Blade-class Interceptor‎‎ (HW) • Spectre-class Cloaked Fighter (HW) • Acolyte-class Heavy Fighter (HWC) Hiigaran Interceptor (HW2)
Bombers Thunderbolt-class Attack Bomber‎‎ (HW) • Hiigaran Bomber (HW2)
Defenders Shield-class Defender‎ (HW)
Weapons Platforms Hiigaran Gun Platform (HW2) • Hiigaran Ion Platform (HW2)
Fireships Mimic-class Infiltration Craft (HWC) • Martyr-class Mimic Composite Vehicle (HWC)
Corvettes
Light Corvettes Cavalier-class Light Corvette (HW)
Corvettes Avenger-class Acolyte Composite Vehicle (HWC)
Heavy Corvettes Hammer-class Heavy Corvette (HW) • Ambassador Corvette (HW)
Gunships Hiigaran Gunship (HW2) • Pulsar Gunship (HW2)
Logistical Support Corvettes Porter-class Salvage Corvette (HW) • Mercy-class Repair Corvette (HW)
Multi-Weapon Corvettes Tempest-class Multi-Gun Corvette (HW)
Minelayer Corvettes Resolute-class Minelayer Corvette (HW) • Hiigaran Minelayer Corvette (HW2)
Frigates
Assault Frigates Vengeance-class Assault Frigate (HW) • Minion-class Heavy Tug (HWC) • Flak Frigate (HW2) • Torpedo Frigate (HW2)
Logistical Support Frigates Matriarch-class Support Frigate (HW) • Marine Frigate (HW2) • Hiigaran Defense Field Frigate (HW2)
Ion Cannon Frigates Firelance-class Ion Cannon Frigate (HW) • Hiigaran Ion Cannon Frigate (HW2)
Multi-Weapon Frigates Dervish-class Multi-Beam Frigate (HWC)
Drone Frigates Puppeteer-class Drone Frigate (HW) • Hive-class Advanced Drone Frigate (HWC)
Super Capital Ships
Destroyers Revelation-class Destroyer (HW) • Perdition-class Missile Destroyer (HW) • Deacon-class Destroyer (HWC) • Hiigaran Destroyer (HW2)
Carriers Imperator-class Carrier (HW) • Shaman-class Carrier (HWC) • Hiigaran Carrier (HW2)
Heavy Cruisers Avatar-class Heavy Cruiser (HW)
Battlecruisers Hiigaran Battlecruiser (HW2)
Dreadnoughts Archangel-class Dreadnought (HWC) • Kalash (DoK)
Motherships
Motherships Kushan Mothership (HW) • Hiigaran Shipyard (HW2) • Pride of Hiigara (HW2)
Non-Combat Ships
Resource Collectors Providence-class Resource Collector (HW) • Worker-class Resource Collector (HWC) • Hiigaran Resource Collector (HW2)
Resource Controllers Redemption-class Resource Controller (HW) • Chieftain Mk. 3-class Ore Processor (HWC) • Hiigaran Mobile Refinery (HW2)
Drones & Probes Target Drone (HW/HW2) • Seeker-class Probe (HW) • Proximity Sensor (HW) • Hub-class Research Ship (HW) • Trapper-class Gravity Generator (HW) • Veil-class Cloak Generator (HW) • Kushan Sensors Array (HW) • Hiigaran Probe (HW2) • Hiigaran Proximity Sensor Probe (HW2) • Hiigaran Sensor Distortion Probe (HW2)
Other Logistical Ships Khar-Selim (HW) • Scaffold (HW) • Explorer-class Deep Space Mining Vessel (HWC) • Clee-San (HWC) • Hiigaran Crew Transport (HW2) • Khar-Toba (HW/HW2/DoK)
Space Stations Chimera Station (HW2) • Tanis Station (HW2)
Taiidani Ships
Fighters
Scouts Fiirkan-class Scout‎ (HW)
Interceptors Triikor-class Interceptor‎‎ (HW) • Koshiir-Ra-class Defense Fighter (HW)
Bombers Kaark-class Attack Bomber‎‎ (HW)
Defenders Seejur-class Defender‎ (HW)
Weapons Platforms Orbital Ion Cannon Turret (DoK)
Fireships Cruise Missile (HWC)
Corvettes
Light Corvettes Raachok-class Light Corvette (HW)
Heavy Corvettes Taiidan Heavy Corvette (HW) • Ambassador Corvette (HW)
Logistical Support Corvettes Tiirshak-class Salvage Corvette (HW) • Taiidan Repair Corvette (HW)
Multi-Weapon Corvettes Diirvaas-class Multi-Gun Corvette (HW)
Minelayer Corvettes Wodaan-class Minelayer Corvette (HW)
Frigates
Assault Frigates Kudaark-class Assault Frigate (HW)
Logistical Support Frigates Heeshk-class Support Frigate (HW) • Tiifal-class Defense Field Frigate (HW)
Ion Cannon Frigates Sajuuk Cor-class Ion Cannon Frigate (HW)
Super Capital Ships
Destroyers Skaal-Tel-class Destroyer (HW) • Skaal-Fa-class Missile Destroyer (HW)
Carriers Saarkin-Cho-class Carrier (HW)
Heavy Cruisers Qwaar-Jet-class Heavy Cruiser (HW)
Motherships
Motherships Imperial Flagship (HW) • Headshot Asteroid (HW)
Superweapons
Superweapons Low Orbit Atmosphere Deprivation Weapon (HW/HW2)
Non-Combat Ships
Resource Collectors Taiidan Resource Collector (HW)
Resource Controllers Siim Salla-class Resource Controller (HW)
Drones & Probes Target Drone (HW/HW2) • Taiidan Probe (HW) • Proximity Sensor (HW) • Taiidan Research Ship (HW) • Koraal-class Gravity Generator (HW) • Fushai-class Cloak Generator (HW) • Raakel-class Sensors Array (HW)
Other Logistical Ships Field Generator (HW) • Colony Ship (HWC)
Space Stations Research Station (HW) • Nomad Moon (HWC)
Kadeshi Ships
Fighters
Interceptors Swarmer (HW)
Defenders Advanced Swarmer (HW)
Frigates
Frigates Kadeshi Multi-Beam Frigate (HW)
Motherships
Motherships Kadeshi Mothership (HW)
Non-Combat Ships
Fuelships Fuel Pod (HW)
Bentusi Ships
Fighters
Interceptors Super Acolyte (HW/HWC)
Motherships
Motherships Bentusi Exchange (HW) • Bentus (HW2)
Non-Combat Ships
Barges Cargo Barge (HW)
Unknown Ships
Corvettes
Salvage Corvette Junkyard Dog (HW)
Non-Combat Ships
Derelicts Junkyard Office (HW) • Ghost Ship (HW)
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