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  • Subject: Unexplainable errors in the Halo canon. (Spoilers)
Subject: Unexplainable errors in the Halo canon. (Spoilers)

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Posted by: manwith
Then I shall advice you to read this.


Urgh, and here we all were hoping you'd died in some horrific accident or something.

Justify the timeline all you like, how did the Covenant get a Supercarrier and about 12 Corvettes (according to the LNoS map) onto Reach without being noticed?

[Edited on 08.16.2011 4:43 AM PDT]

  • 08.16.2011 4:41 AM PDT


Posted by: The Dutchman
With everything taken into account, i see my only course of action being ignore reach.

I feel better already.

TFoR has a much better story, and to be honest, the events it portrays make more sense in terms of covenant behaviour.

As an aside, 2 small things bugged me about reach; first, why o why did they make the troopers look like copyandpasta generic modern day soldiers? Yes, i know it's the army and not the navy, but it diminishes our ability to recognise them as part of the Haloverse.

And my second point, why, in a world where Cortana can be stored on a chip the size of a credit card, was 6 carrying a part of cortana, yet appeared to be Jerrod in a cylinder the size of my arm?



It's a damn shame, Bungie, but Reach has been sullied for many of the hardcore fans.

Now we have to see what kind of damage 343 feel like doing...


Actually on its own TFoR doesn't make much sense, not its depiction of the Battle of Reach anyway. With the other books in the expanded lore or even just with itself, TFoR's account of the Reach's Fall makes little to no sense. The Covenant would inevitably win, yes, but they would not completely over-run the planet in a mere two hours time.

Why does it matter what the Marines look like? And frankly I don't really see the resemblance to any modern military :/

I don't know. Because they felt like doing something different? Perhaps all of the data from the SWORD Artifact was being transported to the Autumn and a little chip wouldn't be able to hold that?

Feh, that last claim is pretty ridiculous, you can't claim to know the minds of all the hardcore fans. I'm just as if not more of a hardcore fan of the Halo series and its story as you are, yet I love Reach, and I don't see any major canon flaws or anything of the sort in it at all. In fact, Reach is quite possibly one of my favorites out of all the campaigns so far.

  • 08.16.2011 1:41 PM PDT

Coma, shall I find the list of why the Ground battle as described in Fall of Reach is stupid as hell?

  • 08.16.2011 2:09 PM PDT

Like a bossss

I'm glad that the guy who wrote this did so very neatly and stated valid errors in the story without ranting on and on incoherently about how "Bungie sucks now because of Reach", like you see now in the comments on virtually every halo related video on youtube.

  • 08.16.2011 2:27 PM PDT


Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron
Coma, shall I find the list of why the Ground battle as described in Fall of Reach is stupid as hell?


Haha XD Sure why not, I'll even copy and paste it so I have it on easy hand reference, giving credit for it to you of course :P

  • 08.17.2011 8:11 AM PDT
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Deva Path


Posted by: DecepticonCobra

We are all going to get banned aren't we?


Posted by: OrderedComa

Posted by: The Dutchman
With everything taken into account, i see my only course of action being ignore reach.

I feel better already.

TFoR has a much better story, and to be honest, the events it portrays make more sense in terms of covenant behaviour.

As an aside, 2 small things bugged me about reach; first, why o why did they make the troopers look like copyandpasta generic modern day soldiers? Yes, i know it's the army and not the navy, but it diminishes our ability to recognise them as part of the Haloverse.

And my second point, why, in a world where Cortana can be stored on a chip the size of a credit card, was 6 carrying a part of cortana, yet appeared to be Jerrod in a cylinder the size of my arm?



It's a damn shame, Bungie, but Reach has been sullied for many of the hardcore fans.

Now we have to see what kind of damage 343 feel like doing...


Actually on its own TFoR doesn't make much sense, not its depiction of the Battle of Reach anyway. With the other books in the expanded lore or even just with itself, TFoR's account of the Reach's Fall makes little to no sense. The Covenant would inevitably win, yes, but they would not completely over-run the planet in a mere two hours time.

Why does it matter what the Marines look like? And frankly I don't really see the resemblance to any modern military :/

I don't know. Because they felt like doing something different? Perhaps all of the data from the SWORD Artifact was being transported to the Autumn and a little chip wouldn't be able to hold that?

Feh, that last claim is pretty ridiculous, you can't claim to know the minds of all the hardcore fans. I'm just as if not more of a hardcore fan of the Halo series and its story as you are, yet I love Reach, and I don't see any major canon flaws or anything of the sort in it at all. In fact, Reach is quite possibly one of my favorites out of all the campaigns so far.


I don't see how it "didn't make sense" and if you really believe that then blame the crystal because it makes "sense" after that.

um they should because they are an advanced alien race that had better tech and numbers. i even gave excerpts were keyes,cortana, and a station worker said they were F***** if the covenant got to reach. I even gave excerpts on the battle in which the UNSC really lost due to have only 100 ships, i don't see why people won't accept the fact 100 ships and 20 SMACs aren't going to cut it.

Reach is the space alamo.

That wasn't anything new that was the container AIs must be placed in while not in any other storage device. That wasn't the data from the artifact.


  • 08.17.2011 11:54 AM PDT


Posted by: grey101

Posted by: OrderedComa

Posted by: The Dutchman
With everything taken into account, i see my only course of action being ignore reach.

I feel better already.

TFoR has a much better story, and to be honest, the events it portrays make more sense in terms of covenant behaviour.

As an aside, 2 small things bugged me about reach; first, why o why did they make the troopers look like copyandpasta generic modern day soldiers? Yes, i know it's the army and not the navy, but it diminishes our ability to recognise them as part of the Haloverse.

And my second point, why, in a world where Cortana can be stored on a chip the size of a credit card, was 6 carrying a part of cortana, yet appeared to be Jerrod in a cylinder the size of my arm?



It's a damn shame, Bungie, but Reach has been sullied for many of the hardcore fans.

Now we have to see what kind of damage 343 feel like doing...


Actually on its own TFoR doesn't make much sense, not its depiction of the Battle of Reach anyway. With the other books in the expanded lore or even just with itself, TFoR's account of the Reach's Fall makes little to no sense. The Covenant would inevitably win, yes, but they would not completely over-run the planet in a mere two hours time.

Why does it matter what the Marines look like? And frankly I don't really see the resemblance to any modern military :/

I don't know. Because they felt like doing something different? Perhaps all of the data from the SWORD Artifact was being transported to the Autumn and a little chip wouldn't be able to hold that?

Feh, that last claim is pretty ridiculous, you can't claim to know the minds of all the hardcore fans. I'm just as if not more of a hardcore fan of the Halo series and its story as you are, yet I love Reach, and I don't see any major canon flaws or anything of the sort in it at all. In fact, Reach is quite possibly one of my favorites out of all the campaigns so far.


I don't see how it "didn't make sense" and if you really believe that then blame the crystal because it makes "sense" after that.

um they should because they are an advanced alien race that had better tech and numbers. i even gave excerpts were keyes,cortana, and a station worker said they were F***** if the covenant got to reach. I even gave excerpts on the battle in which the UNSC really lost due to have only 100 ships, i don't see why people won't accept the fact 100 ships and 20 SMACs aren't going to cut it.

Reach is the space alamo.

That wasn't anything new that was the container AIs must be placed in while not in any other storage device. That wasn't the data from the artifact.


What does the crystal have to do with the battle making sense, and how exactly does it fix it? I'm not talking about date issues, I'm talking about numbers, resources, and just the general way Nylund played the battle out. Especially since 50+ UNSC ships just randomly up and disappear for absolutely no reason at all and he never gives any explanation whatsoever for why the UNSC suddenly doesn't have them anymore.

  • 08.17.2011 8:54 PM PDT

Signatures are for squares.

I will never understand why people complain that the UNSC lost a battle when they were outnumbered more than FIVE TO ONE(700+ ships to the UNSC's hundred something.)

Yet, these same people argue that "REACH THE UNSC'S MILITARY STRONGHOLD WOULD'VE HELD THEM OFF FOR WEEKS." Yet, these same people are perfectly okay with the fact that dozens of CORVETTES managed to spread across the planet and cause the UNSC trouble.

I know some of you argue, "TFoR makes the UNSC look way too underpowered and the Covenant way stronger than they are." But I feel Halo Reach does the COMPLETE opposite. The UNSC pulls 6 spartans out their ass, their own ships with shielding(wut?), and plenty of other things that just don't add up with what we know the UNSC has. Not to mention that the Covenant is COMPLETELY different than how they are in the novels. Suddenly they're innovative now? Cloaking ships that are miles long, not glassing the planet right away like they always did in the past? Ships larger than Seraphs not having and shielding?

  • 08.17.2011 10:14 PM PDT


Posted by: manwith
Then I shall advice you to read this.


O friggen please, that Nihilus guy is practically making -blam!- up with that supposedly accurate timeline of his.

His list only *attempts* to make the numbers(days) fit, while not accounting for logical transgression of events, i.e. fracking common sense and a depiction of war that should competently run, which instantly fails when you try to factor in the most absurd and illogical plot from the game into the book. His explanatory timeline is just as bad as Halopedian's crap.

  • 08.17.2011 10:31 PM PDT


Posted by: privet caboose
I will never understand why people complain that the UNSC lost a battle when they were outnumbered more than FIVE TO ONE(700+ ships to the UNSC's hundred something.)

Yet, these same people argue that "REACH THE UNSC'S MILITARY STRONGHOLD WOULD'VE HELD THEM OFF FOR WEEKS." Yet, these same people are perfectly okay with the fact that dozens of CORVETTES managed to spread across the planet and cause the UNSC trouble.

I know some of you argue, "TFoR makes the UNSC look way too underpowered and the Covenant way stronger than they are." But I feel Halo Reach does the COMPLETE opposite. The UNSC pulls 6 spartans out their ass, their own ships with shielding(wut?), and plenty of other things that just don't add up with what we know the UNSC has. Not to mention that the Covenant is COMPLETELY different than how they are in the novels. Suddenly they're innovative now? Cloaking ships that are miles long, not glassing the planet right away like they always did in the past? Ships larger than Seraphs not having and shielding.


It was not 700+ ships, that is an error, and I believe has been confirmed as such. The Covenant still have approximately 300 or so ships. I am not complaining that the UNSC lost the battle, I am stating that the timeline of their loss is, in my opinion, quite absurd and utterly laughable.

The Covenant would definitely have been held off for at least week. A paltry two hours makes the UNSC look like a bunch of complete and total morons who don't know anything about fighting the Covenant despite the fact that they've been fighting them for the last 25 or so years!

Hit and run tactics are hard to deal with, and that is what I'd imagine the Corvettes were doing as they are not really powerful enough on their own to pose much of a threat to major locations. Waging a guerrilla style warfare would work quite well for them though. And their homebase area can't exactly be assaulted without extremely heavy losses to the UNSC either.

They introduced six new Spartan III characters, so what? And where has it ever been said the UNSC was not able to ever apply shielding to anything other than Mjolner?
And what would these other so called things that don't add up be? I saw nothing in the game that didn't all ready fit in with what the UNSC has had previously or used in the past.

The Covenant have never glassed a planet immediately unless it was completely defenseless. They have to remove the UNSC forces that pose a threat to them first before they start anything even close to glassing. So the Corvettes don't have shielding. Why the hell does that matter? It's all ready been established that they can't put shielding on everything. And the Covenat have never been imitative in strategy, it's far too common that I see everybody underestimate them >_>

  • 08.18.2011 1:57 PM PDT


Posted by: OrderedComa

Posted by: privet caboose
I will never understand why people complain that the UNSC lost a battle when they were outnumbered more than FIVE TO ONE(700+ ships to the UNSC's hundred something.)

Yet, these same people argue that "REACH THE UNSC'S MILITARY STRONGHOLD WOULD'VE HELD THEM OFF FOR WEEKS." Yet, these same people are perfectly okay with the fact that dozens of CORVETTES managed to spread across the planet and cause the UNSC trouble.

I know some of you argue, "TFoR makes the UNSC look way too underpowered and the Covenant way stronger than they are." But I feel Halo Reach does the COMPLETE opposite. The UNSC pulls 6 spartans out their ass, their own ships with shielding(wut?), and plenty of other things that just don't add up with what we know the UNSC has. Not to mention that the Covenant is COMPLETELY different than how they are in the novels. Suddenly they're innovative now? Cloaking ships that are miles long, not glassing the planet right away like they always did in the past? Ships larger than Seraphs not having and shielding.


It was not 700+ ships, that is an error, and I believe has been confirmed as such. The Covenant still have approximately 300 or so ships. I am not complaining that the UNSC lost the battle, I am stating that the timeline of their loss is, in my opinion, quite absurd and utterly laughable.

The Covenant would definitely have been held off for at least week. A paltry two hours makes the UNSC look like a bunch of complete and total morons who don't know anything about fighting the Covenant despite the fact that they've been fighting them for the last 25 or so years!

Hit and run tactics are hard to deal with, and that is what I'd imagine the Corvettes were doing as they are not really powerful enough on their own to pose much of a threat to major locations. Waging a guerrilla style warfare would work quite well for them though. And their homebase area can't exactly be assaulted without extremely heavy losses to the UNSC either.

They introduced six new Spartan III characters, so what? And where has it ever been said the UNSC was not able to ever apply shielding to anything other than Mjolner?
And what would these other so called things that don't add up be? I saw nothing in the game that didn't all ready fit in with what the UNSC has had previously or used in the past.

The Covenant have never glassed a planet immediately unless it was completely defenseless. They have to remove the UNSC forces that pose a threat to them first before they start anything even close to glassing. So the Corvettes don't have shielding. Why the hell does that matter? It's all ready been established that they can't put shielding on everything. And the Covenat have never been imitative in strategy, it's far too common that I see everybody underestimate them >_>
I'm not really sure why people keep saying that "longer battles" are better than the planet falling in two hours, when most of the battles in Halo Reach were pretty lame, not to mention the UNSC barely gives a fight.

I don't think that people really understand the reason why Reach fell so fast. Sure, it's quite a shame that the UNSC Military stronghold fell, but against the biggest Covenant Fleet ever to attack a planet, not to mention it's a symbolism of how humanity would literally need a miracle to survive this war. They chose to destroy Reach and most of the Spartans-II to prove that humanity was on the brink of destruction. This is in fact so genious, I doubt anyone involved in Halo Reach even understood why the fans love the book AND the battle.

As for the Covenant being forced to remove the UNSC forces that pose a threat to them before glassing the planet, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of glassing the planet to begin with?

Oh, and the Corvette argument wasn't about the Covenant not being able to shield everything, it was to prove that even a ship that lacks of shields was causing the UNSC trouble when they should be above that. Wasn't that the reason we were losing the war? Because of the Supercarriers being shielded and stuff?

[Edited on 08.18.2011 2:12 PM PDT]

  • 08.18.2011 2:12 PM PDT

Um, because in Halo Reach we totally toured the entire planet and say the entire battle despite the fact we only saw things through Six's eyes.

Anyway, my problem is not with the space battle. It's the ground battle. In the Fall of Reach, the ground defenses are described to be non-existent. People complain about "Halo Reach makes Reach look like a farming colony!" When the book made Reach sound nothing like humanity's stronghold on the ground.

  • 08.18.2011 2:27 PM PDT

Is there a better description for the ground battle other than "non-existent"?

Weren't they desperately trying to defend the generators before being killed by the Covenant and all their forces?

  • 08.18.2011 2:32 PM PDT


Posted by: Juan Teran
Is there a better description for the ground battle other than "non-existent"?

Weren't they desperately trying to defend the generators before being killed by the Covenant and all their forces?


I'll re-write my list of reasons the book version of the ground battle was filled with holes/stupidity and get back to you when it's done.

  • 08.18.2011 2:41 PM PDT

Signatures are for squares.


Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron
Um, because in Halo Reach we totally toured the entire planet and say the entire battle despite the fact we only saw things through Six's eyes.

Anyway, my problem is not with the space battle. It's the ground battle. In the Fall of Reach, the ground defenses are described to be non-existent. People complain about "Halo Reach makes Reach look like a farming colony!" When the book made Reach sound nothing like humanity's stronghold on the ground.


That's certainly not how I felt in First Strike. The ground operations were explained perfectly. They were in utter chaos. Desperately fighting for ground, death everywhere, commanders accidentally bombing their own troops...it really felt as if the planet was being invaded.

Much better than, "The covenant is on Reach...I repeat the Covenant is on Reach." Which was delivered with ZERO emotion.

[Edited on 08.18.2011 2:49 PM PDT]

  • 08.18.2011 2:41 PM PDT


Posted by: privet caboose

Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron
Um, because in Halo Reach we totally toured the entire planet and say the entire battle despite the fact we only saw things through Six's eyes.

Anyway, my problem is not with the space battle. It's the ground battle. In the Fall of Reach, the ground defenses are described to be non-existent. People complain about "Halo Reach makes Reach look like a farming colony!" When the book made Reach sound nothing like humanity's stronghold on the ground.


That's certainly how I felt in First Strike. The ground operations were explained perfectly. They were in utter chaos. Desperately fighting for ground, death everywhere, commanders accidentally bombing their own troops...it really felt as if the planet was being invaded.

Much better than, "The covenant is on Reach...I repeat the Covenant is on Reach." Which was delivered with ZERO emotion.


What ground operations? In First strike they talked about ONE generator complex. ONE.

They never described these large scale battles over a good amount of land. They talked about how one generator was holding out, the forces moved to flank the Covenant, and then when somebody called for air support the command bombed the entire area killing near 100% of the defenders.

That doesn't make the UNSC sound very intelligent.

  • 08.18.2011 2:49 PM PDT


Posted by: Juan Teran

Posted by: OrderedComa

Posted by: privet caboose
I will never understand why people complain that the UNSC lost a battle when they were outnumbered more than FIVE TO ONE(700+ ships to the UNSC's hundred something.)

Yet, these same people argue that "REACH THE UNSC'S MILITARY STRONGHOLD WOULD'VE HELD THEM OFF FOR WEEKS." Yet, these same people are perfectly okay with the fact that dozens of CORVETTES managed to spread across the planet and cause the UNSC trouble.

I know some of you argue, "TFoR makes the UNSC look way too underpowered and the Covenant way stronger than they are." But I feel Halo Reach does the COMPLETE opposite. The UNSC pulls 6 spartans out their ass, their own ships with shielding(wut?), and plenty of other things that just don't add up with what we know the UNSC has. Not to mention that the Covenant is COMPLETELY different than how they are in the novels. Suddenly they're innovative now? Cloaking ships that are miles long, not glassing the planet right away like they always did in the past? Ships larger than Seraphs not having and shielding.


It was not 700+ ships, that is an error, and I believe has been confirmed as such. The Covenant still have approximately 300 or so ships. I am not complaining that the UNSC lost the battle, I am stating that the timeline of their loss is, in my opinion, quite absurd and utterly laughable.

The Covenant would definitely have been held off for at least week. A paltry two hours makes the UNSC look like a bunch of complete and total morons who don't know anything about fighting the Covenant despite the fact that they've been fighting them for the last 25 or so years!

Hit and run tactics are hard to deal with, and that is what I'd imagine the Corvettes were doing as they are not really powerful enough on their own to pose much of a threat to major locations. Waging a guerrilla style warfare would work quite well for them though. And their homebase area can't exactly be assaulted without extremely heavy losses to the UNSC either.

They introduced six new Spartan III characters, so what? And where has it ever been said the UNSC was not able to ever apply shielding to anything other than Mjolner?
And what would these other so called things that don't add up be? I saw nothing in the game that didn't all ready fit in with what the UNSC has had previously or used in the past.

The Covenant have never glassed a planet immediately unless it was completely defenseless. They have to remove the UNSC forces that pose a threat to them first before they start anything even close to glassing. So the Corvettes don't have shielding. Why the hell does that matter? It's all ready been established that they can't put shielding on everything. And the Covenat have never been imitative in strategy, it's far too common that I see everybody underestimate them >_>
I'm not really sure why people keep saying that "longer battles" are better than the planet falling in two hours, when most of the battles in Halo Reach were pretty lame, not to mention the UNSC barely gives a fight.

I don't think that people really understand the reason why Reach fell so fast. Sure, it's quite a shame that the UNSC Military stronghold fell, but against the biggest Covenant Fleet ever to attack a planet, not to mention it's a symbolism of how humanity would literally need a miracle to survive this war. They chose to destroy Reach and most of the Spartans-II to prove that humanity was on the brink of destruction. This is in fact so genious, I doubt anyone involved in Halo Reach even understood why the fans love the book AND the battle.

As for the Covenant being forced to remove the UNSC forces that pose a threat to them before glassing the planet, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of glassing the planet to begin with?

Oh, and the Corvette argument wasn't about the Covenant not being able to shield everything, it was to prove that even a ship that lacks of shields was causing the UNSC trouble when they should be above that. Wasn't that the reason we were losing the war? Because of the Supercarriers being shielded and stuff?


The significance of the Battle of Reach is not how long it took to fall, but rather that it fell. People (I do at least) say that the battle should have taken longer than two hours because it is not a believable time-table of events. It's one of those things where the poor story telling is bad enough that common sense just won't let me willingly suspend my disbelief. As I said earlier, the important thing is that Reach feel, not the amount of time the battle took, all of that symbolism you mentioned is still there regardless of whether the battle took two seconds, days, weeks, or years. And Halo: Reach did not change any of that, it only added a far more believable scale of time that doesn't distract from the overall symbol of Reach's fall.

No, the glass of a planet is a religious act, it is purging the planet of blight the Covenant perceive Humanity to be, they weren't glassing it to just remove Human strongholds. And also, it's just common sense to not begin such an action where you are rather vulnerable until you've cleared away the majority of the biggest threat(s) to your ship.

  • 08.18.2011 3:16 PM PDT

Signatures are for squares.

No, the symbolism comes from how badly the UNSC was stomped. It made the Covenant out to be an unstoppable force. The point of the novel was to show just how large of a losing battle we were fighting. Our largest stronghold was taken out so swiftly by the Covenant. It gave a feeling that all hope was lost.

By stretching the battle out to more than a month, that entire feeling is lost. It makes Reach hardly more significant then say, Jericho or Sigma Octanus.

  • 08.18.2011 4:52 PM PDT
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Posted by: DecepticonCobra

We are all going to get banned aren't we?


Posted by: OrderedComa

Posted by: The Dutchman
With everything taken into account, i see my only course of action being ignore reach.

I feel better already.

TFoR has a much better story, and to be honest, the events it portrays make more sense in terms of covenant behaviour.

As an aside, 2 small things bugged me about reach; first, why o why did they make the troopers look like copyandpasta generic modern day soldiers? Yes, i know it's the army and not the navy, but it diminishes our ability to recognise them as part of the Haloverse.

And my second point, why, in a world where Cortana can be stored on a chip the size of a credit card, was 6 carrying a part of cortana, yet appeared to be Jerrod in a cylinder the size of my arm?



It's a damn shame, Bungie, but Reach has been sullied for many of the hardcore fans.

Now we have to see what kind of damage 343 feel like doing...[/quote]

Actually on its own TFoR doesn't make much sense, not its depiction of the Battle of Reach anyway. With the other books in the expanded lore or even just with itself, TFoR's account of the Reach's Fall makes little to no sense. The Covenant would inevitably win, yes, but they would not completely over-run the planet in a mere two hours time.

Why does it matter what the Marines look like? And frankly I don't really see the resemblance to any modern military :/

I don't know. Because they felt like doing something different? Perhaps all of the data from the SWORD Artifact was being transported to the Autumn and a little chip wouldn't be able to hold that?

Feh, that last claim is pretty ridiculous, you can't claim to know the minds of all the hardcore fans. I'm just as if not more of a hardcore fan of the Halo series and its story as you are, yet I love Reach, and I don't see any major canon flaws or anything of the sort in it at all. In fact, Reach is quite possibly one of my favorites out of all the campaigns so far.[/quote]

I don't see how it "didn't make sense" and if you really believe that then blame the crystal because it makes "sense" after that.

um they should because they are an advanced alien race that had better tech and numbers. i even gave excerpts were keyes,cortana, and a station worker said they were F***** if the covenant got to reach. I even gave excerpts on the battle in which the UNSC really lost due to have only 100 ships, i don't see why people won't accept the fact 100 ships and 20 SMACs aren't going to cut it.

Reach is the space alamo.

That wasn't anything new that was the container AIs must be placed in while not in any other storage device. That wasn't the data from the artifact.


What does the crystal have to do with the battle making sense, and how exactly does it fix it? I'm not talking about date issues, I'm talking about numbers, resources, and just the general way Nylund played the battle out. Especially since 50+ UNSC ships just randomly up and disappear for absolutely no reason at all and he never gives any explanation whatsoever for why the UNSC suddenly doesn't have them anymore.


what ships are you talking about that "disappeared"? Can i get a page number for that?


nothing is wrong with the way the battle played out you people are just stripping the significance of it.


It was a surprise attack, not to mention the UNSC was low on ships as it is. So when 300 ships come knocking at your door what the hell are you suppose to do? not to mention reach being a huge planet didn't help the UNSC either.


Nothing is wrong with the battle. 300 advance alien ships should be able to beat a lesser race quickly. If the humans won at reach they should have been winning the entire damn time and what is the point of arguing this anyway?

Even if the UNSC did some how manage to beat the first attack force the covenant would only send more. They would tell the fleet of what 500+ ships that were going to attack earth to go to reach then go to earth.


So the point isn't even worth defending, there is no reason for the UNSC to last any longer than it did. nor would it be better for the battle to drag out since it would be wasting resources.

  • 08.18.2011 5:49 PM PDT

"Where ere thou hast been, here or in yon world manifest? Canst thou tell what is, or what was, or what is to come? No thing shall last. Yet there are some things that will never change. History is written in blood, yet are battles really lost on the battlefield? Canst thou tell me where thou comest, and where thou goest, and what is, or what was, or what will be? For everything remains, AS IT NEVER WAS."

Posted by: privet caboose
Yet, these same people are perfectly okay with the fact that dozens of CORVETTES managed to spread across the planet and cause the UNSC trouble.

Correction: A small section of the planet.

Posted by: privet caboose
Much better than, "The covenant is on Reach...I repeat the Covenant is on Reach." Which was delivered with ZERO emotion.

Well, he's a Spartan. They're trained to deal with problems like that with no emotional hitches. There was plenty of "My god, holy crap" in Colonel Holland's voice.

  • 08.18.2011 6:24 PM PDT
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Posted by: DecepticonCobra

We are all going to get banned aren't we?


Posted by: jack0fhearts
Posted by: privet caboose
Yet, these same people are perfectly okay with the fact that dozens of CORVETTES managed to spread across the planet and cause the UNSC trouble.

Correction: A small section of the planet.

Posted by: privet caboose
Much better than, "The covenant is on Reach...I repeat the Covenant is on Reach." Which was delivered with ZERO emotion.

Well, he's a Spartan. They're trained to deal with problems like that with no emotional hitches. There was plenty of "My god, holy crap" in Colonel Holland's voice.


they were all over the planet check the hologram again.

Um a marine said that, not a spartan.

  • 08.18.2011 6:26 PM PDT

Brains beats brawn get used to it

Fear the Red Comet

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Death to all fanboys.


Posted by: grey101

Posted by: jack0fhearts
Posted by: privet caboose
Yet, these same people are perfectly okay with the fact that dozens of CORVETTES managed to spread across the planet and cause the UNSC trouble.

Correction: A small section of the planet.

Posted by: privet caboose
Much better than, "The covenant is on Reach...I repeat the Covenant is on Reach." Which was delivered with ZERO emotion.

Well, he's a Spartan. They're trained to deal with problems like that with no emotional hitches. There was plenty of "My god, holy crap" in Colonel Holland's voice.


they were all over the planet check the hologram again.



Actually, given the numbers, the yellow dots that number at about 120 may indeed stand in for UNSC defenses whether they be static or ships.

Either way though, even if the Covenant landed on a small portion of the planet, it's still a rather important part as their forces landed smack dab in the middle of territory that contains assets such as HighCom HQ, various training facilities, ONI sites, dig sites, and the MAC gun generator complexes among who knows what else.

  • 08.18.2011 6:38 PM PDT
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Deva Path


Posted by: DecepticonCobra

We are all going to get banned aren't we?

there were covenant corvettes all around the planet save for that location. we both know that since we were the main ones trying to decode that thing for weeks!

  • 08.18.2011 6:43 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

Posted by: privet caboose
Not to mention that the Covenant is COMPLETELY different than how they are in the novels. Suddenly they're innovative now? Cloaking ships that are miles long,

Aye, one of the whole points of the Human-Covenant war was to highlight the difference between these two modes of thought. The Covenant are supposed to be imitative; the UNSC are supposed to be innovative. Anything else and you ruin what the story is saying: That reliance on dogma, tradition and handouts is inferior to self-reliance, innovation and reason. Eventually those in the latter category are going to rocket on ahead of you, and outmanoeuvre you in time. This is one of the main points brought up in First Strike. Cortana's soliloquy like moments whilst she was inside the Ascendant Justice came back to this multiple times.

The Covenant are imitative, and given enough time, the UNSC could surpass them in almost every measurable standard and win the war. And that is not me saying this, Cortana said it after analysing the Covenant's own technology. Military application of technology is driven by innovating war tactics. The fact that the Covenant's designs are dogmatic suggest the same of their war tactics.

Following this franchise's releases over the years, one can see this, and the obvious, shallow changes that are being made. A few years back this would not be an issue as it was clear what was going on with the Covenant, and there was no significant deviation from that established formula.

  • 08.18.2011 7:17 PM PDT

Why not stop by my File Share while you're here?

~Long Live Halo 2
Only regret is I didn't play more of it.

If you haven't noticed by now, I'm sort of a jerk.

Lack of the PoA Symbol on Keyes' jacket. Keyes looking 20 years younger on Reach despite that CE isn't far after.

  • 08.18.2011 7:54 PM PDT