Bungie Universe
This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo's Technology Today
  • Subject: Halo's Technology Today
Subject: Halo's Technology Today

Expressing my strong liberal views without shame. Favorite quotes below:

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
"One starts to live when he can live outside himself."

- Albert Einstein

The Halo Universe features a lot of cool technology from both the Covenant and human side of things. The humans have super soldiers, as well as advanced exoskeletons that allow them to increase their agility and strength five-fold. The Covenant have plasma weaponry, and pinpoint slipspace capabilities.

But when you analyze the technology of the humans further, you come to realize that a lot of the "new" technology isn't that far off. Halo is set in the 26th century. It seems to me that our technology would be leaps and bounds further ahead in the 26th century than what the UNSC have shown. This is assuming that our technological advancement is steady.

Now, there are things that we probably aren't going to accomplish anytime soon, such as faster than light travel. But there are many aspects that are plausible soon. It seems that the ballistics weapons of the Universe aren't too much more advanced than current weaponry today. As for guided energy weapons, those exist today. Although we don't have plasma rifles to issue to our soldiers due to practicality issues, they exist nonetheless whereas humanity didn't really seem to have a grasp on that technology in the canon.

For example, we have a general idea of how to create something along the lines of a force field which will deflect bullets. Using plasma for our energy weapons and shielding systems is already a big research field.

Of course, I am making this analysis on the one critical presumption that the humanity in the Halo Universe is based off the same humanity we know of, and not totally made up to fit an entirely new system of constraints in regard to advancement. However, seeing as Halo is science fiction, I think that making this assumption is fair and safe enough.

What do you think? Did the Halo Universe accurately describe our species' advancement in the future based on the rate of advancement for the past several hundred years, or did fall short, or go too far? What other examples of technology do you think is still plausible within the next hundred or so years that is present in the Halo Universe in the 26th century?

  • 12.18.2010 1:44 PM PDT

Error 404:
-Error not found.

I would want to be a spartan.

  • 12.18.2010 1:49 PM PDT

I actually believe that it is fairly accurate. Chemically propelled weaponry is more practical than Laser/Plasma/Coil weaponry when you get down to Infantry Weapons.

Flying Cars (A common complaint abut the timeline) are an idiotic notion. It has been estimated for a small car to levitate would require the same amount of energy as a whole neighborhood. Not to mention that a drunk driver can create a miniature 9/11.

The UNSC also seems to be more about colonization before the Inserrectionist movement. What makes matter worse is the 300 or so years of peacetime.

The colonization effort would have also yielded lage amounts of resources. This would have mad metal dirt-cheap. Having these resources would motivate us to continue ballistic weaponry. Quick Question: are the UNSC bullets made out of Tungston? I would actually be surpised if they weren't.

The Scorpion Tank is actually more advanced than our current tanks. Self-reloading, only requiring only one person to utilize it, ect. It also has a more powerful cannon than the Abrams (Note: The Abrams shoots a 30-40mm dart, not a 120mm slug).

[Edited on 12.18.2010 2:05 PM PST]

  • 12.18.2010 1:59 PM PDT

Posted by: Plasma3150
I actually believe that it is fairly accurate. Chemically propelled weaponry is more practical than Laser/Plasma/Coil weaponry when you get down to Infantry Weapons.

Flying Cars (A common complaint abut the timeline) are an idiotic notion. It as een estimated for a small car to levitate would require the same amount of energy as a whole neighborhood. Not to mention that a drunk driver can create a miniature 9/11.

The UNSC also seems to be more about colonization before the Inserrectionist movement. What makes matter worse is the 300 or so years of peacetime.

The coloniation effort would have also yielded lage amounts of resources. This would have mad metal dirt-cheap. Having these resources would motivate us tocntinue ballistic weaponry. Quick Question: are the UNSC bullets made out of Tungston?

The Scorpion Tank is actually more advanced than our current tanks. Self-reloading, only requiring only one person to utilize it, ect. It also has a more powerful cannon tha the Abrams (Note: The Abrams shoots a 30-40mm dart, not a 120mm slug).


Add to the fact that the ROF of the Scorpion is much faster, the scorpion would nail 4 shots on the Abrams before the Abrams could fire its second shot if its still standing.

  • 12.18.2010 2:05 PM PDT

It seems that the UNSC was pretty far-spread before the UNSC-Covenant War. This makes sense because they have advanced things such as better AI than the Covenant and Megapoli like New Alexandria and New Mombasa.

The Covenant, which has spent most of it's time on conquest and research, giving them better technology and weapons than us. (The Covenant is not per say a government, so they really don't colonize planets other than to put basses/mines/construction facilities on them)

It seems as if the UNSC is fairly civilian-based, with the Army and Navy for Insurrectionist control, while the Covenant is a war machine that keeps improving it's technology, with basically no civilian class.

  • 12.18.2010 2:13 PM PDT

Wake me when the jews are gone.

actualy the covenant has civilians but they only try to colonize worlds with relics

  • 12.18.2010 2:53 PM PDT

me and my friends did some research on energy sheilding and are makeing a small scale sheild at the momment XD althought it cant defend against a bullet (a key component needed to make it powerful anoth is too exspensive to use on a large scale =( )

  • 12.18.2010 3:00 PM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

A walking contradiction.

The human civilisation has a knack for not learning from history. For example, back in the 14th-16th century, there were tons of long-forgotten technologies that have only been rediscovered in the 20th-21st century.

Talk about 400-600 years of technological gap.

  • 12.18.2010 3:01 PM PDT

Posted by:ScubaToaster
Posted by: HipiO7
This man, this man right here put it so eloquently that I actually cancelled my own 2000+ word long post.
/slow clap for respect


:)
The person who said participating is important, not winning, obviously never won anything.

Posted by: Plasma3150
I actually believe that it is fairly accurate. Chemically propelled weaponry is more practical than Laser/Plasma/Coil weaponry when you get down to Infantry Weapons.

Flying Cars (A common complaint abut the timeline) are an idiotic notion. It has been estimated for a small car to levitate would require the same amount of energy as a whole neighborhood. Not to mention that a drunk driver can create a miniature 9/11.

The UNSC also seems to be more about colonization before the Inserrectionist movement. What makes matter worse is the 300 or so years of peacetime.

The colonization effort would have also yielded lage amounts of resources. This would have mad metal dirt-cheap. Having these resources would motivate us to continue ballistic weaponry. Quick Question: are the UNSC bullets made out of Tungston? I would actually be surpised if they weren't.

The Scorpion Tank is actually more advanced than our current tanks. Self-reloading, only requiring only one person to utilize it, ect. It also has a more powerful cannon than the Abrams (Note: The Abrams shoots a 30-40mm dart, not a 120mm slug).


This is why I love Halo. Because it's actually realistic, it's not all futuristic exagerated kind of like Mass Effect.

Halo shows a truely belivable future.

  • 12.18.2010 3:02 PM PDT


Posted by: HipiO7
Posted by: Plasma3150
I actually believe that it is fairly accurate. Chemically propelled weaponry is more practical than Laser/Plasma/Coil weaponry when you get down to Infantry Weapons.

Flying Cars (A common complaint abut the timeline) are an idiotic notion. It has been estimated for a small car to levitate would require the same amount of energy as a whole neighborhood. Not to mention that a drunk driver can create a miniature 9/11.

The UNSC also seems to be more about colonization before the Inserrectionist movement. What makes matter worse is the 300 or so years of peacetime.

The colonization effort would have also yielded lage amounts of resources. This would have mad metal dirt-cheap. Having these resources would motivate us to continue ballistic weaponry. Quick Question: are the UNSC bullets made out of Tungston? I would actually be surpised if they weren't.

The Scorpion Tank is actually more advanced than our current tanks. Self-reloading, only requiring only one person to utilize it, ect. It also has a more powerful cannon than the Abrams (Note: The Abrams shoots a 30-40mm dart, not a 120mm slug).


This is why I love Halo. Because it's actually realistic, it's not all futuristic exagerated kind of like Mass Effect.

Halo shows a truely belivable future.

This, so much this.
Why would UNSC ever bother to make laser weaponry while good old bullets do the job good enough? If there's no need for it then nobody bothers to make it, just like IRL. We could replace fossile fuel engines, but there's no need and it would heavily damage our economy....

In cliche Sci-Fi like ME all "cool" futursistic crap is put togheter, it does not matter if it actually makes sense (like flying cars, most retarded idea of Sci-Fi), it just have too look like its from the future...

  • 12.18.2010 3:20 PM PDT

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

I wonder what computing base they use. 500 years and they should have Quantum computing. Silicon base computing is expected to peak by 2020.

I wonder why string theory is still a theory as well. Would it not be expected to have this either ruled out or proven by then?

I do not think it accurately describes advancement to be honest. Although if it did, then it would be boring and unrelatable. Humans might not even be biological beings in 500 years (Would they even be Human then?) Quantum Computing makes storing a Human mind in electronic form easy. Then just build yourself a machine for your specific ergonomic and environmental needs. Humans would not wear Mjolnir, they would be the Mjolnir. Same with ships, weapons, etc.

Or if not for abandoning their Humanity, then ageing would not exist either by nanotechnology or Telomerase based drugs (Question: Telomerase drugs can extend lifespan indefinitely but increase the risk of cancer. They have cured cancer, so why are they not immortal?). Nanites would eliminate disease of all kinds I would think. Then there is genetic research and improvements as well.

To be fair, Halo was conceived at the beginning of last decade and most of these breakthroughs have occurred since then. There was not really anyway Bungie could have foresaw all of this. I would say that weaponry and military based technology is about right (although I do not know much about it to be honest) but other areas seem to be lacking.

  • 12.18.2010 3:21 PM PDT

Wake me when the jews are gone.

Like supreme commander

  • 12.18.2010 5:09 PM PDT

Don't worry, you're still your mom's favorite Bnet member.

Honestly I think we're pretty much reaching the pinnacle of human achievement. A lot of our technology is pretty advanced. Society has done so much growing in the last 200 years and there really isn't much left. Plus there are so many things that just aren't practical. Why spend billions making hovercraft when cars work just fine? I don't imagine electric cars in the future, I image cars that get 3,000 miles to the gallon.

During colonization, our weaponry and military was sort of pushed out of the way until the Insurrection in the 2500's. This was a lot of time for our technology to be become more standard and basic. Why have so many different long range rifles when you could have just one plain old Sniper Rifle?

[Edited on 12.18.2010 6:45 PM PST]

  • 12.18.2010 6:41 PM PDT