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Subject: Orbital Defense Grid, A Bit Unlikely
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Is it just me, or does it seem slightly unlikely that the only defence grid in orbit around Earth are the MAC Cannons? After The Fall of Reach, wouldn't it be likely that humanity would learn that dropships as well as other smaller vessels could manuever through or around the MAC grid. You would assume that a series of slightly smaller MAC Cannons or heavy missile pods or the such would also be positioned around Earth, and while its possible they were, they were never shown. A good idea employed by the rebels was the Nuclear Bombs in the asteroid field, wouldn't it be logical to have a few of those out a decent distance into space to destroy the covenant cruisers, but don't misunderstand, the main focus of the thread is on the lack of anti-dropship defenses that were quite literally The Fall of Reach.

  • 07.20.2006 7:24 PM PDT

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I'm sure they can take out the smaller ships.. The Capital Ships are the ones they're worried out. Maybe they did have secondary (smaller) defenses. No one's to say the Covenant didn't push through anyway.

  • 07.20.2006 7:26 PM PDT
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Halo 3 is just a game. don't overthink this

  • 07.20.2006 7:27 PM PDT
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Mac guns lack point defense lol, yeah, put Hafnium-178 ballotechnic weapons in the asteriod best, near Jupiter.

[Edited on 7/20/2006]

  • 07.20.2006 7:27 PM PDT

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Isn't Earth already taken over by the covies so how is this possible?

  • 07.20.2006 7:28 PM PDT
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Posted by: SS_Zag1
I'm sure they can take out the smaller ships.. The Capital Ships are the ones they're worried out. Maybe they did have secondary (smaller) defenses. No one's to say the Covenant didn't push through anyway.


They couldn't take out the smaller ships, hence the Covenant strategy at Reach, they sent a flood of dropships straight past the MAC grid to the planet and turned off the generators from there, and the could build the defenses closer to Earth than the MAC grid so that the Covenant couldn't simply breeze through them. Simply speculation.

  • 07.20.2006 7:28 PM PDT

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Posted by: BASs13
Halo 3 is just a game. don't overthink this


It's a game with a story. Don't underthink it.

Sinister, I'm just saying Earth might have closer defenses. Of course, Reach got creamed by dropships due to their lack thereof. Earth, however, might be different, we don't know yet.

[Edited on 7/20/2006]

  • 07.20.2006 7:29 PM PDT
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If you had read the Halo novels you'd know that the MAC guns are pretty much the only weapon of any use Humans have against Covenant ships. That's why there is a orbital defense grid that consist mostly of MAC Canon stations.

  • 07.20.2006 7:38 PM PDT
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Posted by: Recon Number 54
The problem with a defense system that is not in Earth orbit would be a matter of scale and range.

A system in the asteroid belt would need to have millions of platforms to saturate the belt and have no "open spots" and would still be easily defeated by the opposing force coming in from above or below the orbital plane of the system.

A defense system for Earth would need to be near Earth, distance-wise.

Even if it were at lunar distances, the amount of platforms needed to give a complete sphere of coverage would be monumental just due to the increase in the surface area of the "sphere". Plus, even MAC rounds or missiles are not traveling at luminal or near-light speed. If fired from too far away, the missile or projectile could be dodged or avoided.

An orbital grid is a very practical solution.


Practical, but not wise considering the fate of your race is at stake here, and while I'm at it, what about the lack of human desperation in the Halo series, not to insult it, great games, great story, but it has sort of this epic feel without any showing of the desperation of a race on its last legs, even a bug backed into a corner will (figuratively) whimper and scratch with everything it has (the latter Halo has plenty of). I did mention that this anti-dropship defense would be closer to Earth than the MAC grid, and would form a grid as well, and there are other effective weapons against Covenant dropships, one would assume. I thought that MAC guns were the only defense against larger or capital ships...

[Edited on 7/20/2006]

  • 07.20.2006 7:46 PM PDT

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  • 07.20.2006 7:52 PM PDT

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Posted by: Recon Number 54
I'm not sure, but I believe that it was mentioned that Reach may have been (at the time of it's destruction) more hardened and defended than even Earth. I might be wrong, but I seem to recall reading that it was because Reach was solely military and had nothing that wasn't intended for offense or defense.


I believe you're correct on that last part. (Not to say you're not correct on the other parts) Earth may be completely outgunned, (more-so than Reach).. That could cause some problems. Afterall, Reach was a military planet, was it not?

[Edited on 7/20/2006]

  • 07.20.2006 7:55 PM PDT
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You have to remember that this is a game and if Earth had perfect defenses, then the Covenant wouldn't get to Earth and all of the stuff in the trailer would never exist... which means no game since it'd be so utterly boring.

  • 07.20.2006 8:03 PM PDT
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Earth has 300 Orbital Super MAC Gun platforms (Sarge states this in the begining of halo 2), compared to the 20 Orbital Super MAC Gun platforms at Reach (TFoR) :)

  • 07.20.2006 8:08 PM PDT
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There were over 500 orbital defense platforms.....i would think that would be enough

  • 07.20.2006 8:14 PM PDT
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Posted by: Sinister Silence
Is it just me, or does it seem slightly unlikely that the only defence grid in orbit around Earth are the MAC Cannons? After The Fall of Reach, wouldn't it be likely that humanity would learn that dropships as well as other smaller vessels could manuever through or around the MAC grid.


Reach didn't have a "Defense Grid" They had 13 MACs hangin' around, it wasn't as extensive as Earths ODG...

  • 07.20.2006 8:35 PM PDT
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yes but seriously we have yet to learn how many ships attacked earth if they do in halo 3 again like in halo 2 and if so how many ships it could be from 20-800 not to mentio the forerunner ship that the covenate have in the center of there city and it arives at the end of halo 2 it might have anti fighter and ship wepons and if so it coudl posibly destroy the mac cannons well they go groudn side and ocupie the planet with the drop ships and so on

[Edited on 7/20/2006]

  • 07.20.2006 8:36 PM PDT
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The problem I have with the Halo series is that a nuclear device does not destroy capital ships. Nuclear bombs destroy everything, either with the intense explosion of over 50 million tons of TNT,and even if the bomb only took out the sheilds the nuclear radiation would definetly do some damage.

Nuclear weapons would be vastly diminished power-wise because their primary means of destruction, the extreme shockwave, doesn't exist in space. Only the energy from the blast, which is still large, would impact the ship. It wouldn't be hard to shield the ships against that.

  • 07.20.2006 8:38 PM PDT
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I've been around these parts for almost eight years now...wow! Maybe I should be concerned about that...

MAC guns are cool and all, but why not just create a grid of one hundred megaton bombs that form a protective shield around every part of earth except for Kazakhstan?

  • 07.20.2006 8:40 PM PDT
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Posted by: Recon Number 54
I'm not sure, but I believe that it was mentioned that Reach may have been (at the time of it's destruction) more hardened and defended than even Earth. I might be wrong, but I seem to recall reading that it was because Reach was solely military and had nothing that wasn't intended for offense or defense.


On August 30, 2552, Reach may have more defended then Earth. This was because the new orbital guns at Earth weren't online at the time. I would say that Earth in Halo 2 had a better defense than Reach. Reach only had 20 orbital guns and maybe 200 ships. Earth had 300 guns and a large amount of ships.

  • 07.20.2006 8:40 PM PDT
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True they most likely wernt online but then they got them online as fast as they could befor the covenate attack earth and kill them all but my question is why when they ocupire earth do they let any city's survive and some humans why not destroy them all if i was attacking earth id destroy the cannons and ships then surond the planet and then orbital bombard the cities and then send down the invasion force

[Edited on 7/20/2006]

  • 07.20.2006 8:43 PM PDT
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Maybe you've uncovered one of the biggest points of the story?!?!?!?! [/sarcasm]

  • 07.20.2006 8:50 PM PDT
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Who knows it may be a twist to the stoy i just picked out i guse well have to wait and see becuase it makes no sence they hate humans why let any on there home planet survie like look at the planets in fall of reach they glassed thos planets from orbit killing them all why not do it to earth esept posibly the spot were that building is?

[Edited on 7/20/2006]

  • 07.20.2006 8:54 PM PDT

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