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This topic has moved here: Subject: The Reapers>The Covenant.
  • Subject: The Reapers>The Covenant.
Subject: The Reapers>The Covenant.
  • gamertag: Fin
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"but you already knew that, I mean, how couldn't you?

Only when no Human brick is left atop another, shall we be satisfied with your destruction.


Posted by: Xd00999

Posted by: anton1792
@XD: People who are not a member of Archive cannot see it.

But Fin is a member. He posted there. He can see it.


Yep, I'm a member, I just don't post much, RL is keeping me a bit busy for Halo :(

Thanks for linking it though, even though I have read it previously, it is a well constructed argument and a good post. I simply think it's more likely that the AI's have made a mistake, their numbers don't entirely add up in my opinion.

  • 09.13.2011 3:12 PM PDT
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not specifically replying to anyone here, but to clear things up.
the datapads said it'd take "2000 ships 30 years" and that the covenant were unable to do that.
a few weeks (or whatever) later, a fleet of 50,000 (ish, can't remember exact, someone help me here) turned up and destroyed reach in a single day, were it not for the Chief destroying the Unyielding hierophant, a fleet of much larger size was lined up for earth.
I quote cortana "that's the biggest fleet I've ever seen, the biggest anyone's ever seen" when the homefleet turned up on delta halo, this means it's WAAAAY bigger than the 50,000 that glassed reach.
the theoretical numbers add up.

I'd also like to add that the "excavation beams" were used to uncover forerunner objects, the covenant only found human planets with forerunner objects on (detected by the luminary) and so glassed every human world they found.
(hence the rings cut into the surface of the planets)

  • 09.13.2011 3:13 PM PDT

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

Posted by: Xd00999
Posted by: anton1792
@XD: People who are not a member of Archive cannot see it.

But Fin is a member. He posted there. He can see it.

I did not realize.

  • 09.13.2011 3:13 PM PDT
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50,000 ships?!

I think you are mistaken. I would say the entire Covenant fleet at it's prime was 5,000-10,000 ships

  • 09.13.2011 3:15 PM PDT
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"but you already knew that, I mean, how couldn't you?

Only when no Human brick is left atop another, shall we be satisfied with your destruction.


Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron

Posted by: superiorarsenal
I think those moments in New Alexandria would out-canon the Data Pads. Also, if you wait around at the MAC canon and don't fire it, the Covenant ship does a lot of damage to an area much larger than an acre.


Um... Two things.

A: In new Alexandria there was still ruins/ground was uneven. If it was glassed completely it would be all even.


Exactly.

It's not even using full power when it fires, and it *still* covers several city blocks.





EDIT:

Jake, I'm pretty sure the Covenant didn't bring that many ships to Reach, even if you count the fighters!

[Edited on 09.13.2011 3:18 PM PDT]

  • 09.13.2011 3:17 PM PDT
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At Alexandria it wasn't even firing for 15 seconds and did damage on a scale MUCH larger than an acre.

  • 09.13.2011 3:21 PM PDT
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Jake, I'm pretty sure the Covenant didn't bring that many ships to Reach, even if you count the fighters!

I'm gonna find some info, even if I have to re-read the fall or reach.
I know for a FACT there was at least 314 ships (estimated 341 before casualties) in the fleet of particular justice, that followed the autumn to installation 04

  • 09.13.2011 3:24 PM PDT


Posted by: superiorarsenal
At Alexandria it wasn't even firing for 15 seconds and did damage on a scale MUCH larger than an acre.


Um...

A: The far end of the city was more on fire ingame then glassed.

B: When you come out of the bunker, it's what... THREE days later? And the ground isn't even fully glassed.

Edit: What large scale damage do you speak of anyway?

[Edited on 09.13.2011 3:30 PM PDT]

  • 09.13.2011 3:26 PM PDT
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Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron

Posted by: superiorarsenal
At Alexandria it wasn't even firing for 15 seconds and did damage on a scale MUCH larger than an acre.


Um...

A: The far end of the city was more on fire ingame then glassed.

B: When you come out of the bunker, it's what... THREE days later? And the ground isn't even fully glassed.

reach was actually completely destroyed in a single day, the game screwed up...AGAIN

  • 09.13.2011 3:30 PM PDT
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I didn't say large scale. I said larger than an acre.

  • 09.13.2011 3:35 PM PDT


Posted by: jakemaidment

Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron

Posted by: superiorarsenal
At Alexandria it wasn't even firing for 15 seconds and did damage on a scale MUCH larger than an acre.


Um...

A: The far end of the city was more on fire ingame then glassed.

B: When you come out of the bunker, it's what... THREE days later? And the ground isn't even fully glassed.

reach was actually completely destroyed in a single day, the game screwed up...AGAIN


*Sigh* Even if you go by the book only, Reach was not 'destroyed' in a single day.

It wasn't destroyed at all. UNSC presence wiped out mostly in a few hours (however retarded that is), with spartans fighting for a good while later. The planet was never completely glassed/ stripped of life ever.

  • 09.13.2011 3:35 PM PDT


Posted by: superiorarsenal
I didn't say large scale. I said larger than an acre.


Is an acre not fairly large? Then "MUCH larger then an acre" would be 'large scale'

You still didn't answer the question.

Anyway, if Energy projector/plasma torpedo glassing was so powerful...

Why, after three days does New Alexandria look like this? http://www.halopedian.com/images/b/b1/NA_Glassed.jpg

Shouldn't it be a flat stretch of glass?

  • 09.13.2011 3:38 PM PDT
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"but you already knew that, I mean, how couldn't you?

Only when no Human brick is left atop another, shall we be satisfied with your destruction.


Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron

Posted by: superiorarsenal
At Alexandria it wasn't even firing for 15 seconds and did damage on a scale MUCH larger than an acre.


Um...

A: The far end of the city was more on fire ingame then glassed.

B: When you come out of the bunker, it's what... THREE days later? And the ground isn't even fully glassed.

Edit: What large scale damage do you speak of anyway?


This is kind of the reason I don't think those weapons are involved in really glassing a world at all. They are employed in a tactical manner, in support of redeploying ground forces (you are told they are pulling out), it is used as an area-denial weapon-wrecking the city so the UNSC cannot possibly reclaim it and killing all expsed enemy forces.

They are not strategic weapons. Orbital bombardment, as described in the quotes I had up earlier, and as observed in the trailers for Halo 2 and Reach (though only tentitavely observed in Reach itself), *is* a strategic bombardment situation.

The Ventral energy projector/excavation beam/glassing beam/whatever you want to call it, isn't depicted as a strategically viable weapon in-game at all.
It's local, extremely so.

Edit:

Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron
Is an acre not fairly large? Then "MUCH larger then an acre" would be 'large scale'


Nah not really mate, it's considerably smaller than a football pitch.

Anyway, if Energy projector/plasma torpedo glassing was so powerful...

Why, after three days does New Alexandria look like this? http://www.halopedian.com/images/b/b1/NA_Glassed.jpg

Shouldn't it be a flat stretch of glass?


Because, as I thought was quite clear from the game itself, the Covenant ships only hit the area with their Ventral beam weapons.

That level of devastation rendered the city worthless strategically to the UNSC, and likely killed most of the Human population that wasn't in hardened sites.

There is no reason to assume they came back and gave it a more thorough going-over than we saw in-game.

[Edited on 09.13.2011 3:57 PM PDT]

  • 09.13.2011 3:40 PM PDT
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*sigh*

I do not, I REPEAT, DO NOT, believe the covenant actually turn a surface to glass. What I DO believe, is that the AI's calculations don't really apply, as the Covenant don't actually tun a surface to a molton state. What they do do is cause 25-100 years of terraforming to repair the planet(Data Pad 14).

  • 09.13.2011 3:41 PM PDT

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Quote from Glasslands:
"No... that's not a lake... [...]
It was vitrified sandy soil, mirror-smooth, square hectares of it where there had once been rye and potatoes.
When the covenant glasses a planet, they really did just that."
There you go.

  • 09.13.2011 3:54 PM PDT


Posted by: Spartan 100
Quote from Glasslands:
"No... that's not a lake... [...]
It was vitrified sandy soil, mirror-smooth, square hectares of it where there had once been rye and potatoes.
When the covenant glasses a planet, they really did just that."
There you go.


Okay... now where is the rest of the page?

I mean, somebody post the first chapter online so everybody can read it and make sure you aren't pulling something out randomly.

  • 09.13.2011 3:58 PM PDT
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Posted by: Spartan 100
Quote from Glasslands:
"No... that's not a lake... [...]
It was vitrified sandy soil, mirror-smooth, square hectares of it where there had once been rye and potatoes.
When the covenant glasses a planet, they really did just that."
There you go.


Interesting, but I really have no comment.


BTW, what form of canon do the Data Pads count as? Are they game canon or other media source canon?

  • 09.13.2011 3:59 PM PDT

Welcome to bungie, you have no rights. play nice!
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... You think I'm lying.
Post the first chapter? No.
First of all, I thought about typing it and I didn't think it was correct but people asked so I asked Veronica. She told me not to so I will not and no typed/scanned chapter 1s should be found. I did a wavely chapter one summary for people to know what I'm talking about and join in a bit. That's as far as someone should go.

  • 09.13.2011 4:00 PM PDT


Posted by: Spartan 100
... You think I'm lying.
Post the first chapter? No.
First of all, I thought about typing it and I didn't think it was correct but people asked so I asked Veronica. She told me not to so I will not and no typed/scanned chapter 1s should be found. I did a wavely chapter one summary for people to know what I'm talking about and join in a bit. That's as far as someone should go.


Lying? No. Cautious of information from the book that has not been released yet? Yes.

  • 09.13.2011 4:03 PM PDT
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Quick question

What is the Archive. It looks interesting.

  • 09.13.2011 4:05 PM PDT

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It's from the official xbox magazine special halo the 10th anniversary issue. It contains chapter 1 of glasslands.

[Edited on 09.13.2011 4:06 PM PDT]

  • 09.13.2011 4:05 PM PDT
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"but you already knew that, I mean, how couldn't you?

Only when no Human brick is left atop another, shall we be satisfied with your destruction.

When is it out anyway?

I have a bit of a bad feling about it, but I'll likely buy it anyway.

  • 09.13.2011 4:06 PM PDT


Posted by: Spartan 100
It's from the official xbox magazine special halo the 10th anniversary issue. It contains chapter 1 of glasslands.


Which not everybody has, nor, as you say, can it be posted on the interest for us who do not have it.

Thus, your statement doesn't really have a context to me.

  • 09.13.2011 4:11 PM PDT

Welcome to bungie, you have no rights. play nice!
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The 25th of October, 400 pages.
So far I love it! I like the way she aproaches thing and I want to discover the environment a lot.

Edit: You dismiss what you will have to accept. Why not accept it now instead of making yourself look like [I don't know what to say but I hope you understand me]?

She was looking at a lake but she saw it wasn't a lake, it was glassed land, she checked the CAA factbook and saw it was no lake.
Edit 2: That's no lake, it's a glassland! [:P]

[Edited on 09.13.2011 4:14 PM PDT]

  • 09.13.2011 4:11 PM PDT
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"but you already knew that, I mean, how couldn't you?

Only when no Human brick is left atop another, shall we be satisfied with your destruction.


Posted by: Spartan 100
The 25th of October, 400 pages.
So far I love it! I like the way she aproaches thing and I want to discover the environment a lot.


Thanks for the info, I'm just hoping the Sangheili don't get all 'Mando'd' as it were. But I should reserve judgement.

  • 09.13.2011 4:14 PM PDT