Bungie Universe
This topic has moved here: Subject: Is the UNSC stupid?
  • Subject: Is the UNSC stupid?
  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 2
  • of 2


Posted by: manwith
ODPs are pretty damn expensive to build, I suppose.

I honestly don't think even 300 SMACs could have saved Reach. Even if it was a pyrrhic victory for the UNSC, the Covenant could pretty much launch a second attack against devastating UNSC forces, leaving Earth pretty much defenseless in the process.


I don't think the average ODP would be all that expensive, in comparison to a ship at least. I think it'd be the SMACs that are the expensive ones. There is a difference between a SMAC and a normal ODP.

  • 05.03.2011 7:31 PM PDT

Posted by: Dustin 6047
Posted by: Mutoid Log
Posted by: Dustin 6047
50 (15 + atleast 30 and at most 40, so 35) Ships attacked Earth
Where the hell are you getting that from?

In fact, the numbers of the mac cannons are pretty definitive proof of Earth being attacked by hundreds upon hundreds of ships. The space battle lasted for weeks, remember?

And the total size of the Covenant navy is something like 3000, not hundreds of thousands.


15 ships represents Regret's fleet. And the second attack on Earth was responsible by Truth's fleet making up around 30 ships. We know that because in Halo 3, the battle of the Ark took place and an Elite said, "They outnumber us 3 to 1". And since there were 10 Elite ships, that means 30 or so survivor ships from the battle of Earth. But 30 is the survivor count, there is also the number that must have been there when they first restarted the attack on Earth. So, I thought around 5 ships. That means 15 + 30 + 5 = 50.
Around 5 ships? Do you seriously think that the Covenant could fight 298 super MACs and dozens of UNSC ships for 3 weeks and only lose 5 ships?

  • 05.03.2011 7:39 PM PDT


Posted by: Dustin 6047

Posted by: Docterweegee

Posted by: Swamptik
Guys, the UNSC isn't real. It was WRITTEN. It is FICTION. They can't be stupid because they don't exist. The numbers of MAC guns are a plot device by WRITERS.



Get out.


I might agree with you for once.

Yeah, I hate how some people just come on to the fourum just to say its not real. But we do agree most of the time, I just dont comment.

  • 05.03.2011 7:59 PM PDT

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

Posted by: ExquisiteDragon
300 canons wouldn't have stopped 300,000 ships.

>Implying that the Covenant had 300'000 ships.

Come on dude...

Posted by: StealthSlasher2
It's baffling that the UNSC never bothered to reinforce Reach with space defenses as the war went on against their favor, yet the second it falls they're able to muster up 300 functioning platforms over the course of a mere month.

Do we know exactly how long Earth's defences have been around and how quickly they were established? It was still in the "blueprint" stages when Johnson shipped out to basics, but that sounds like a long time frame in which the defences could have been built, considering Johnson is like 80 or something. These defensive nets could take a while to beef up to Earth standard.

Posted by: StealthSlasher2
Unless of course there were far more strategic resources available at Earth that were left unsaid.

It did have billions of inhabitants, quite possibly the most populous Human world. That means that it is the largest source of the most valuable resource: People. All those people will be supporting the economy, billions of them. It is also a moral thing I guess. If Earth is there, Humanity still has something to look back to. It also had HIGHCOM, and depending on their level of influence (and whether they are still there or not) the AI assembly may also be wishing to keep their asses covered.

Many large industries, like Traxus, are located on Earth as well. There is also the Misrah armouries on Mars as well, which was a major supplier of weaponry to UNSC forces. As well as its own shipyards (The place where the Pillar of Autumn was built; the name eludes me) If you have a powerful stronghold in a system (Like Earth was), it would allow better tabs on things like Mars and its assets.

Posted by: Dustin 6047
50 (15 + atleast 30 and at most 40, so 35) Ships attacked Earth

300 on Earth (although most unoperational)

Earth holds 20 million people
Reach has 99% of ship manufacturing

Those underlined bits. Where the hell are you pulling these from?

Posted by: Dustin 6047
Posted by: jvc8996
Posted by: Spartan 100
Earth is more important. Earth's were newly built.

Yep, after Reach fell, everyone was like "oh no!" and then started to build a lot more defenses for Earth.


There was about a month of time between the Fall of Reach and the Assault on Earth. You can't build a ton of ships in that time frame especially on a world with no space and most likely only 1 or 2 ship yards.

You cannot claim to know how many shipyards Earth had. Given it is the most built up world and the place where the original colony ships were built, it would make sense for it to have quite a few.

Also, Mars has its own shipyards too. The Sol System sounds like it had sufficient production power. I also do not know why people are saying and implying that the defences were constructed in a month. Have I missed something?

  • 05.03.2011 8:07 PM PDT

I encourage fair gameplay, but I warn you, if you are facing me, watch your six.

All of you high rankers might not listen to me, but I believe the reason Earth had so many MAC guns was because it is our home, our origin. You cannot lose where you started. Reach was a military world. When the Outer Colonies started falling, the UNSC fell back to Reach with all of their ships. Do you have any clue how many ships were destroyed in space defending Reach? The UNSC had at least 200 ships in orbit when the Covenant attacked. You only hear of two or three. In Halo 2, Cortana mentions the fleet that attacked Earth being smaller than the one that attacked Reach.

  • 05.04.2011 4:57 AM PDT


Posted by: Dustin 6047

Posted by: OrderedComa

Posted by: manwith
ODPs are pretty damn expensive to build, I suppose.

I honestly don't think even 300 SMACs could have saved Reach. Even if it was a pyrrhic victory for the UNSC, the Covenant could pretty much launch a second attack against devastating UNSC forces, leaving Earth pretty much defenseless in the process.



I don't think the average ODP would be all that expensive, in comparison to a ship at least. I think it'd be the SMACs that are the expensive ones. There is a difference between a SMAC and a normal ODP.


Weren't all 300 of them Super MACs?


I don't think so? >_> I don't really remember, I never really payed too much attention to Johnson describing Earth's defenses.

  • 05.04.2011 12:22 PM PDT

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

Posted by: OrderedComa
Posted by: Dustin 6047
Posted by: OrderedComa
Posted by: manwith
ODPs are pretty damn expensive to build, I suppose.

I honestly don't think even 300 SMACs could have saved Reach. Even if it was a pyrrhic victory for the UNSC, the Covenant could pretty much launch a second attack against devastating UNSC forces, leaving Earth pretty much defenseless in the process.

I don't think the average ODP would be all that expensive, in comparison to a ship at least. I think it'd be the SMACs that are the expensive ones. There is a difference between a SMAC and a normal ODP.

Weren't all 300 of them Super MACs?

I don't think so? >_> I don't really remember, I never really payed too much attention to Johnson describing Earth's defenses.

He does not say anything about different types. He just says that there are 300 stations like the Cairo, and that its MAC cannon could put a hole right through a Covenant capital ship.

[Edited on 05.04.2011 1:25 PM PDT]

  • 05.04.2011 12:28 PM PDT

Brains beats brawn get used to it

Fear the Red Comet

Variety is the spice of life.
Long live games.
Death to all fanboys.


Posted by: anton1792

Posted by: StealthSlasher2
It's baffling that the UNSC never bothered to reinforce Reach with space defenses as the war went on against their favor, yet the second it falls they're able to muster up 300 functioning platforms over the course of a mere month.

Do we know exactly how long Earth's defences have been around and how quickly they were established? It was still in the "blueprint" stages when Johnson shipped out to basics, but that sounds like a long time frame in which the defences could have been built, considering Johnson is like 80 or something. These defensive nets could take a while to beef up to Earth standard.

Posted by: StealthSlasher2
Unless of course there were far more strategic resources available at Earth that were left unsaid.

It did have billions of inhabitants, quite possibly the most populous Human world. That means that it is the largest source of the most valuable resource: People. All those people will be supporting the economy, billions of them. It is also a moral thing I guess. If Earth is there, Humanity still has something to look back to. It also had HIGHCOM, and depending on their level of influence (and whether they are still there or not) the AI assembly may also be wishing to keep their asses covered.

Many large industries, like Traxus, are located on Earth as well. There is also the Misrah armouries on Mars as well, which was a major supplier of weaponry to UNSC forces. As well as its own shipyards (The place where the Pillar of Autumn was built; the name eludes me) If you have a powerful stronghold in a system (Like Earth was), it would allow better tabs on things like Mars and its assets.


For the first part I am open to the idea that Earth's orbital defenses were underway prior to Reach's fall as I noted in the second paragraph after the first quoted block, but my main focus is why Reach didn't receive equal treatment over the course of the war and have any MAC stations added on over the years should it be the case for Earth.

As for the second part while Sol did have factories for vehicles, weapons, and ships as well as manpower the issue in that regard I'm trying to bring up is raw resources to produce said vehicles, weapons, and ships for the manpower to man. This late in the history of colonization it's an unknown factor how much resources Earth had to continue a war should it repel any initial assault. We do know at least that Reach is the major supplier of titanium for ships for the UNSC. Surely at some point the UNSC recognized that should it be lost it would severely cripple the UNSC's efforts to produce ships and planetary defenses (the key when considering that the deciding factor in a planetary battle is whoever wins in space) among other assets in the long run. Halsey certainly recognized that if Reach fell the weeks they had left would be reduced to days.

So again it leads up to why Reach wasn't equally reinforced. Now I don't deny that Sol could sustain itself for a while, but without the support of a system that can provide additional vital resources for the war effort it might as well be metaphorically cut off and isolated from the rest of the galaxy. And yes we do know that other colonies have been bypassed when Reach was destroyed, but as far as we were all aware currently we know that Reach is a supplier of titanium and a massive producer of ships, weapons, and other assets outside of Sol and we know that if it ends up destroyed (which it eventually does)the UNSC no longer benefits from those resources.

Now of course there is the possibility that they knew Reach would inevitably fall, and rather than waste too much resources on defending it (no I'm not saying they threw it away to the wolves carelessly), they stockpiled those resources and reinforced Earth as the ultimate last line of defense to buy any time should something come up, and Reach is unable to be protected with the resources allotted to it.

  • 05.04.2011 1:05 PM PDT

Fear my Pink Mist...

Uh, IDK. Why don't you ask them? Oh wait.


But yeah, I guess its cause Earth is the most prioritized planet.

  • 05.04.2011 2:23 PM PDT

  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 2
  • of 2