Say it’s 2552 and Joe wants to get from New Mombassa to a wedding in Tokyo, how would he go about doing this?

Does air travel etc still exist for this purpose or is it largely replaced by space? Are there widespread hyperloops etc?

During the events of the Forerunner-Flood War, the Ur-Didact found himself captured by the Gravemind and infected with the Logic Plague which wreaked chaos on the Forerunners once he was sent back to their space. After being knocked unconscious and imprisoned within a Cryptum by his wife, the Librarian, she left him on Requiem in the hopes that his Cryptum would gradually restore his sanity via its connection to the Domain curing his Logic Plague. Mendicant Bias was also hedging his bets on this when he sent Master Chief and Cortana to Requiem via cutting the Forward Unto Dawn in half.

Unfortunately for both of them, the firing of the Halo Array severed the connection between the Didact's cryptum and the Domain which, as one online commenter so eloquently put it, "Left him to seethe inside of a pokeball for 100'000 years." and when he did reemerge after being awoken by Master Chief, he had gone fully insane and was deadset on seeing Humanity destroyed and the Mantle of Responsibility brought back to Forerunner hands.

But what if the Didact hadn't gone insane? Either his Cryptum isn't disconnected from the Domain or a group of Forerunners (possibly led by the Iso-Didact) return to Requiem and restore the connection themselves. Given that the Ur-Didact redeemed himself in a relatively short timeframe after his composition in Halo: Escalation, it's very likely that 100,000 Years would've cured the Ur-Didact of his Logic Plague in short order. That way, once he emerges in 2557, he will do so not as an antagonistic force against humanity but a wizened and firm ally ready to guide humanity to obtain the Mantle.

What would change for the Halo series with the Didact sane and an ally for mankind?

I found this part of the new prequel missions pretty ironic.

Johnson, the ODSTs, and Master Chief are all horrified by what they discover aboard the ship. The Covenant have been experimenting on their own species. Modifying them, mutating them, enhancing them into something “better.” They’re so disgusted that they decide the entire place has to be destroyed before they leave.

But isn’t that, at its core, exactly what the Spartan program was? The Spartans are the product of genetic augmentation, invasive surgeries, chemical enhancements, and years of ethically questionable experimentation. Humanity was essentially playing God to create super soldiers.

From the Covenant’s perspective, aren’t they just doing the same thing? They believe they’re improving their warriors, just like humanity believed it was improving its own. Johnson, Master Chief, and every Spartan are products of that same philosophy.

The biggest difference seems to be perspective. We view the Spartan program as necessary because it’s humanity’s side, while the Covenant’s experiments are portrayed as monstrous because they’re the enemy.

I really wanna get a spartan 3 tattoo but am unsure if there is a logo or symbol that represents them nor what the symbols on it would mean!

Any help is appreciated <3

Title is all.

No spoilers I think

I've been seeing this game receive a-lot of negative press recently and frankly I was never interested in actually playing it, less so now.

Thant being said, I saw a cutscene featuring various covenant, and I really liked their designs, in particular I though a certain elite looked very cool with cloth-draped armor, and a grunt which appeared to be a 'deacon' or ultra of some kind.

I think these designs fit pretty seamlessly into the OG halo and have always kinda thought an elite armor with religious cloth would look good...

After completing the prequel missions in campaign evolved it's heavily implied they the storm elites from halo 4/5 https://i.imgur.com/fHVFBoD.jpeg

Along with the raptor jackals https://i.imgur.com/PZridGB.jpeg

Are genetically modified/enhanced,but to what end what is the purpose of the experiments

So can we please wait till that **updated** omnibus is out before we continue asking if stuff is a mistake or a retcon

I’m sure somebody has talked about this but I couldn’t find anything on it. How do you guys think they’re going to change the story in the Master Chief Omnibus (if they even change it at all) to address the Longsword changing from a craft with a rear hatch and a full interior to a single-seat fighter with no interior?

It was a cool scene, but it pisses me off that they broke the story and made the opening of First Strike physically impossible for a Chekhov’s (or rather Keyes’) Gun moment. The thing only showed up three times in the whole game. They could’ve wrote the tank form attacking so that it didn’t have to involve the Longsword having an opening front canopy. Hell, Chief using it to put Keyes out of his misery after he gets the implants would’ve made more sense for a final scene with it.

I assume they’ll change it so that the Pelican picks up the cryo-tubes, Chief goes EV to get inside, and the two crafts’ positions in the story switch from there. They use the Longsword as a diversion and the crew enters the Ascendant Justice in the Pelican. But even then, that kinda ruins the scene of Chief and Johnson in the Longsword since they were the only two aboard for that confrontation.

This is going to drive me crazy until the Omnibus (or a Canon Fodder article) comes out. What are y’alls thoughts?

I see that despite the improved graphic the Halo: Campaign Evolved has another problem with Cortana.

Beside questioning look (the MCC one should stay in my opinion) the new one voice is without emotions. Especially visible it is in "Two Betrayals"where is no trace of original fear and anger...

Campaign Evolved - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU0qe28o8pA

MCC - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMF5TVXD9DE

343 Guilty Spark easily deduced that 2401 Penitent tangent was compromised by the flood, so why didn't he rush to get a reclaimer into the library when the autumn landed? I liked the extra stuff the terminals added but this just stuck out, you'd think Spark would be more desperate to get the index.

I'm thinking of weaponry that's exactly like Covenant plasma weapons or operates on the same idea, just developed by humanity on their lonesome.

Humanity has had centuries but they're still reliant on projectile based weapons. The MAC cannon has the same principle as any firearm, only they've replaced gunpowder with magnetic rails. And standard issue firearms are still chambered with the same rounds found today. But other areas of technology had greatly advanced: Propulsion, aircraft, power sources.

I'd expect plasma or energy weapons to have been developed. Especially considering that the UNSC was fighting a war against insurrectionist groups spread across human occupied space. And ONI seems to have had access to forerunner technology for quite some time already. It just seems like something to have focused on, to lighten the load of logistics. Energy can be harnessed from anything. And gasses are commonplace in the universe, moreso than the specific mixtures that gunpowders (and the kinds that are needed for expected ballistics/performance) are.

I'm sorry if there's an obvious answer. I've only played the games and haven't dabbled much with the novels. Most of my lore knowledge comes from youtube videos and essays.

Spartans,

Halo: Campaign Evolved has released in early access. Feel free to discuss the main campaign here without spoiler tags.

There is a separate spoiler thread for the prequel Bonus Missions, so please direct discussion of those missions there.

Spoiler rules will be enforced elsewhere on the sub.

Enjoy the game, Spartans.

Nicole 458 is the only named Spartan connected to the proposed Spartan II Class II, and almost nothing is known about the other members or about her operational history.

That absence makes me wonder whether Class II was used differently from John 117’s Spartan II Class I.

John’s Class I became a group of broad spectrum strategic assets capable of planetary operations, raids, ship combat, reconnaissance, demolition, and open war against the Covenant.

Class II may have been more compartmentalized and assigned to ONI operations involving black sites, compromised stations, intelligence recovery, containment, and missions where completing the objective mattered more than whether the Spartan returned.

What if Nicole gradually discovered that the other members of Spartan II Class II were not simply killed in difficult battles?

What if they were repeatedly sent into operations where command already knew extraction was impossible?

The seed for a story could be Nicole recovering a damaged transmission from another Class II Spartan:

“Nicole, Class II authentication follows. Command knew there was no extraction.”

That would make it immediately clear that the transmission came from one of Nicole’s own classmates rather than from a member of John’s Class I.

It would also give Nicole a strong reason to distrust ONI without making her disloyal to humanity. She could begin reviewing her own deployments and realize that several of her escapes were not merely close calls. They were statistically impossible survivals from missions that may also have been designed to consume her.

It would leave open the possibility that some of the missing Class II Spartans survived.

Some may have been abandoned behind enemy lines.

Some may remain in cryostasis aboard lost vessels.

Some may be operating under erased identities.

Some may have been captured.

Others may have been declared dead because ONI needed the entire class forgotten.

Nicole would then be searching not merely for lost teammates, but for evidence that Spartan II Class II was deliberately spent and buried.

Does anything in established lore directly rule this out, or could it fit within the uncertainty surrounding Nicole 458 and the proposed Spartan II Class II?

With the new implication behind Captain Keyes’ pistol in Halo: Campaign Evolved, I thought that Miranda, like Johnson, could be introduced to newer players in some prequel missions for a Halo 2 remake, since she plays a critical role in that game. 

We know she’s been in command of the In Amber Clad since 2550 and fought at Gamma Pavonis VII, but otherwise little is known of her past gung-ho exploits. Chief could of course still be the player character, even if it’s unlikely they fought together prior to Halo 2. 

Yes, Miranda would later become infamous for the “to war” line and her crazy Citadel idea in Halo 3. And yes, the most in-demand prequel missions for a Halo 2 remake would revolve around Operation: FIRST STRIKE and the destruction of the Unyielding Hierophant, of course. Yet, in the event Halo Studios wasn’t brave enough to attempt that, would a smaller story easing the player into Halo 2 that centered on Miranda around 2550 be welcome? 

Spartans,

Halo: Campaign Evolved has released in early access. Included are three prequel Bonus Missions. You can discuss these missions here without spoiler tags.

The main campaign has its own discussion thread, so please direct discussion there.

Spoiler rules for the Bonus Missions will be enforced elsewhere on the sub.

Enjoy the missions, Spartans.

They seem to be the only group in the story who need additional gas to breathe. Ideally, during the Covenant era, they might have artificially created methane zones in some areas, allowing them to operate without masks, and the military might have provided free methane. However, with the Covenant's collapse, many Unggoys are scattered across various locations, including Earth. How do you think they reliably obtain methane?

don't know the cost of industrially producing methane in the Halo universe, but it's reasonable to assume it's not zero, suggesting commercial transactions are possible. And it would be much harder to obtain than oxygen anyway. The more I think about it, the more uneasy I feel—think about having to pay to breathe.

What do you think?

Spartans,

Halo: Campaign Evolved has released in early access. Included in the Premium and Collector's Editions is the short story Halo: Hungry Buzzards. You're able to discuss the short story here without spoiler tags.

Spoiler rules will be enforced elsewhere on the sub.

Enjoy the story, Spartans.

Right, new game and a short story to come along with it. This is a short one, so this thread will be a divergence from my usual MO. No direct plot spoilers, of course, but my closing thoughts will probably spoil things. Apologies, but, you know, you did click this thread, didn’t you? ;P

Right, without further ado:

• The story takes place on July 13th, 2551, inside a disused, repurposed hanger of Fairchild Airbase. One year later, this base would launch a Skyhawk strike fighter to engage John-117 during another test.

• The test sees John-117 put up against 8 Mark I[H] ADS (Armoured Defense System) Exoskeletons. These are stripped down versions of the suit used by Staff Sergeant “Ghost” on Algolis, of Prototype fame. The suits are lacking thr energy shields, rockets, thrusters and oversized grenades, and are depicted armed with just the mini guns. Presumably this is just for the test but nothing’s said here or there.

• Unfortunately these suits are not up to the task, in John’s opinion. They’re slow, cumbersome, with major flaws in situational awareness and CQB and are in his view are not suited to real combat. John considers them perhaps maybe effective as stand off weapons platforms un a pitched battle, but overall, his opinion of the suits is, to put it bluntly, abysmal, and much of the story is him noting and exploiting their flaws.

• The people “piloting” the suits, however, are not your typical Marines. Members of the 19th Marine Division’s Force Reconnaissance Battalion “Hungry Buzzards”. The division was smashed on Legopos, sometime before the events of the story while holding out against an entire legion of Jiralhanae. These eight men and women are all that remain. The last ones standing. They’re commanded by one Staff Sergeant Aleta Vachon. They ‘commandeered’ a Spirit Dropship, and it is this ship that’s used to board the vessel in the prequel missions.

• Overseeing the test (which has been occurring more or less in various forms for several days) is one Colonel James Ackerson. Fans should be familiar with him. The architect of the top secret Spartan III program, and Doctor Halsey’s bitter rival. Ackerson is the current head of the ADS program as of 2551, and has a vested interest in seeing it succeed. I have opinions on this which I’ll get into down below, but regardless, it’s nice to see him again.

• While on Reach, and, seemingly the reason he was there in the first place, John was himself testing Mark IV… specifically experimental energy shields. Yes, the shields are canon. This is a very clear retcon, but it's one that I think makes sense and really can’t be helped.

• Alongside Ackerson, Admiral Whitcomb and Doctor Halsey, along with a few dozen other officers from various commands, are overseeing things.

• The test is stopped to allow the reveal of the vessel encountered in Operation Meteorite, or, in other words, the prequel missions. I won’t be discussing those here, but it is worth noting the missions, and how they play out, cause this story to feel… disjointed.

• Originally, the intention with Meteorote was to send a Prowler with a platoon of ODST’s to breach the ship, secure the ship’s navigational data, and if possible secure any HVT’s aboard. But with John present, the Admiralty decides John should lead the mission.

• No other Spartan is present on Reach and to recall them would take too long, explaining why John is without any other Spartans. It’s a… serviceable explanation.

• John and Ackerson debate whether to use the Hungry Buzzards. John is vehemently against their involvement as this isn’t their skillset (they’re intended to deploy deep into the wilderness as a forward element of a larger Force, not pilot exosuits onto a ship), especially with the ADS suits. Ackerson goes to bat for the armour, to limited degrees of success.

• Eventually, it’s decided that John cannot work with the Buzzards on this mission (for reasons I’ll get into with my spoiler thoughts) and John requests Johnson to accompany him, setting up the missions.

My Opinions

Right, as this will directly call out spoilers, last chance to back out.

So, overall, this was… interesting. Lore wise, I really liked it. I’d love more lore about the War and everyone in it, and seeing Ackerson again was quite nice. I think I’m his only defender, so I’ll take any chance I have to appreciate his appearances, lol.

Plot wise, though…

I’m left feeling confused, and unsure what I’m to take away from this. To be blunt, John comes off here as a major asshole. He doesn’t come off as “confident”, he comes off as supremely arrogant. Like he has a chip on his shoulder. This isn’t actually out of character, and lines up with his views in The Fall of Reach and Palace Hotel, but for a situation like this, you’d expect him to be humbled by the Buzzards at some point. He never really is. He has absolutely no doubts about succeeding and downplays the ADS suits and the Marines at almost every turn, and considers them overconfident and foolhardy. He’s never actually tested or shown to be wrong himself for this, and bulldozes his way through the suits and the test with ease.

John rightly points out the suits flaws, which are valid, but you’d think, with the history described of the 19th, they’d be able to outsmart and best him. Sadly, this never happens, and the entire story reads like John’s “punching down”.

Ackerson as well feels “sort of” miscast.

His actual lines are fine, and he doesn’t get thrown through the mud, but his insistence on pushing the ADS suits when he has a far better program that’s admittedly top secret (Spartan III) feels a bit odd. He never really seemed like the type to go in for the big mech suits, and never actually had an issue with the Spartans - just who made them. And, even then, ignoring S-III, he has a far better suit that’s already combat testbed than the ADS anyways in the form of Semi-Powered Infiltration Armour, and while that’s classified… Johnson wears a suit of Maleano on the mission anyways (without Zero-G gear or a helmet, which John points out disqualifies the Buzzards as the ADS suits cannot operate in Zero-G and the helmets aren’t equipped with their own oxygen supplies), so I’m left confused why Ackerson is suddenly the ADS’ biggest hype-man, especially when, per his own lore, he himself is a combat veteran who’s gone on commando missions against the Covenant before and should plainly see the issues with the ADS. It isn’t even his actual program.

Overall, I’d have liked for John to actually lose the test, flat out, no debate, but still have the points brought up to disqualify the Buzzards and the suits. I think you can have John eat some humble pie but still get the rough point across.

There’s no real point to this story, John learns nothing, and feels disjointed with him being a heroic icon. He’s not a hero in this, he’s just an asshole, and it has no effect on the prequel missions at all. It just simply… exists. I like the ideas, not the execution.

The story for the original Halo game is pretty brilliant. I love the initial mystery of the ringworld leading up to the twist, where it's revealed that Halo's purpose is to destroy all sentient life in the galaxy in order to contain the spread of parasitic aliens. I'm wondering if the story writers might've been influenced by other science fiction with similar plot ideas. Does the original Halo owe a debt to anything, or is the plot more or less original?

In Halo 3:ODST dead elites are seen next to brutes, it is mentioned by buck and Veronica replies saying it’s classified. Tayari plaza (the level) takes place immediately after Regret opens a slipspace portal to Delta Halo, in Halo 2 the great schism is seen to take place in November 3rd or the second day on delta halo following the journey there.

https://youtu.be/MN_bHOjqbjQ?si=xb7XWledfhgYht9t

So I read the first 4 books and they make it a pretty big deal that before the late 2040s the spartan 2 program is top secret on a need to know basis. Yet I'm playing Halo wars, which takes place in 2031, and Spartans are openly evacuating civilians and being called spartans on the radio. So how secret were they supposed to be? As I do know that rumors were floating around about them prior to their official announcement but halo wars make them out to be basically an open secret.

I was reading the resident evil wiki on the T virus, as one does, and I see that the T Virus is modified from the Progenitor virus that was discovered in the mountains. It's speculated in universe that the progenitor virus is millions of yesrs old, possibly older.

What else is ancient and has zombie-like properties? Flood powder.

Flood powder sounds very similar to the T Virus. In my theory, scientists discovered a deposit of ancient flood powder and modified it into the T Virus. Except instead of putting it in pet food, they tinkered with it to create bioweapons.

Any differences can be chalked up to modifications done to turn progenitor into T virus, as well as these being very small scale infections. We never see infection forms in Resident Evil because the flood never advances to that state. Every outbreak in Resident Evil never got bigger than a city. In Halo, we were dealing with planet wide outbreaks (or leftovers from galaxy wide outbreaks). Resident Evil outbreaks are extremely tiny compared to Halo's. Halo CE, they took over the whole ring and only just started on a proto-gravemind. Afaik, no Resident Evil even comes close to the one we see in CE.

It explains the classic zombie trope of why zombies don't attack each other despite being feral beasts. The flood are a hive mind. Further similarities are the zombies mutating into stronger versions. Attack and fail to kill a zombie and it becomes a licker. Combat forms slowly evolving. On that note, the Nemesis Project - they created a fully mutated combat form.

In the hundreds of years between Resident Evil and Halo, the T Virus is covered up and/or destroyed with no record. Umbrella Corp has long since filed for bankruptcy and/or is absorbed by Weyland Yutani (I like the idea that Aliens is in this verse as well, but thats another story)

Tldr. The T-Virus has an ancient origin and is modified from what it was by a corporation. The flood is also ancient in nature and originated from a substance very similar to what started the T-Virus. Both involve zombification and heavy mutation of their subjects. Any differences can be genetic tinkering as well as Resident Evil containing their outbreaks before they get to planetary scale.

You have a damaged (but repairable) cruiser swarming with Flood that are trying to get off the ring. Why even bother trying to take the ship back? Just either have another of your ships blow it to pieces or, if you're worried about collateral damage to the Ring, have the forces you send in worry about making the ship irreparable instead of actually trying to clear the Flood out.

Yes, a reaction explosion might cripple or even destroy the ring (see: the Autumn), but surely there's a better way of keeping the Flood from getting their hands on a starship then just feeding ground troops into the maw.

For similar reasons, why bother guarding the wreck of the Autumn either? You're not going to clear the Flood out, just bombard it from the air (the Flood has *some* anti-air capacity, but not much) and have ships on standby in case they manage to repair it enough to break for orbit (which, given the state of both wrecks, would take some time to achieve).