[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] HerSeksBiscuit Yeah I do like how realistic Halo is. It take place about 500 years from now. Who the hell knows what will be possible by then? God may be tired of us by then, but still.[/quote] I honestly doubt we would be at the technological apogee that Halo is at during the 24th century. By the 24th century Humanity would have already explored most of the Orion and Sagittarius Arms by then. We'll be far past "bullets" in a couple hundred years, that is for damn sure.

Yeah I do like how realistic Halo is. It take place about 500 years from now. Who the hell knows what will be possible by then? God may be tired of us by then, but still.

[quote] Obviously no human scientists would try to explain the Q or the Precursors.[/quote] Why not, humanity (like all other spieces) wants to gain power,why wouldn't they want to study an ascended civilisation so they may become one themselves? [Edited on 06.01.2011 5:50 AM PDT]

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] dr spartan32 Anyone who genuinely believes Halo to be realistic and within the boundaries of science, ought to take a look at [url=http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/]this site[/url] for starters. [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] ROBERTO jh In fact, Star Trek is very scientifically accurate (for a sci-fi with lazer beams). They have great scientific advisors to ensure the validity of the technology in the universe.[/quote]You are sadly mistaken. [/quote] 1) Nobody is suggesting Halo is actually 100% realistic; we're comparing it to other universes in terms of how the characters act, how most of the human's technology is scientifically feasable, etc. 2) I said "for a sci-fi with lazer beams." Dilithium Crystals powering a Warp core doesn't make any sense at all, but real and legitimate scientific advisors do indeed work with Trek to keep the sci-fi explanations within the realms of physical science. Obviously no human scientis would try to explain the Q or the Precursors.

The Jackals wouldn't be possible, as their homeworld orbits a real, discovered planet but doesn't exist itself.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Grugg The Covenant to me didn't seem as realistic. It came close with the heretics and mentions of rebels but doesn't really sell the fact several intelligent space faring races are all convinced so easily of the forerunner religion. The elites came closest with their Japanese-esk sense of Bushido because it was not religion based. I think they should of focused on that aspect more than the religious one.[/quote] The Covenant is perfectly realstic, the only races that were advanced before they joined the Covenant were the Prophets and Elites. The rest has been absorbed on lower tech levels which made them easier to believe in the Great Journey, Covenant's advanced tech also helped, especially when someone decided to reist. And there were rebellions and people who doubted the Great Journey before the War, we just haven't explored alot of the Covnenant's history to really know enough about it. And you would be suprised how easily you can convince people to believe in whatever you say if the circumstances are right...

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] spurkis [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Vercetti24 But the plasma is made on contact with the kinetic barriers, right? I haven't read any of the ME novels and comics, but is it ever pointed out that the kinetic barriers actually don't protect against plasma? Besides, ME has a pretty advanced protection layer system, so if kinetic barriers were ineffective against "plasma" weapons I think it would matter more. Just look at how biotics, cryo rounds etc. aren't effective on certain layers of protection. How is Incinerate explained? [/quote] It's still not weaponized Plasma, from the Codex on the impact of the Geth shotgun: "The resulting impact, heat, and electrical charge overloads shields and barriers and causes massive trauma to unarmored targets." If the gameplay in ME2 was like canon then even if the shields held the health of you enemy should still drop because kinetic barrriers won't stop the heat and the electrical charge. Kinetic Barriers don't protect against energy weapons, it's pretty clearly stated in the codex and in the name self, they only deflect kinetic energy. ME2's gameplay is not a reliable source of canon since itcontradicts it many times, for example if you melee someone with shields ine ME2 his shields will be drained, this shouldn't happen since kinetic barriers don't react to slow moving objects, that's why you can sit without shileds activating. Also as it happend a couple times in the novels (and was also precisely said) the barriers also won't acticate if your close enough, for example if you shove your gun in someone's face (and that's perfectly possible since the barriers won't activate when the gun self passes them) and fire it. You mean the shields/armor/barrier crap Bioware came up with? That's just gameplay, Bioware did it to make it more "tactical" that's also why the shileds funaction like Halo's shileds in gameplay even when they shouldn't, the devs have explained it on BSN a couple times, it's just gameplay, nothing has changed in the canon. Armor gets pierced by weapons easily as you can see it cutscenes and novels. The purpose of armor in ME is more about protection from hostile enviroments then protection from weapons, they can barely deflect anything. Biotic barriers can't be hold indefinetly like the gameplay makes it look like, it constantly drains the power of the Biotic and eventually the Biotic will pass out. Incinerate hasn't really been explained, I haven't seen it being used anywhere outside gameplay so it MAY be a gameplay power made to balance out tech users (this is just speculation though). However from the info provided it should ignore shields and burn their victims and even if somehow the shields stopped it you will still get burned by the heat since barriers don't stop it. Now this discussion shouldn't be continued since its offtopic, I hope this anwsers your questions.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Vercetti24 You're wrong and confusing gameplay with canon, the Geth Plasma Shotgun still fires projectiles, it creates Plasma on impact so its not really a plasma weapon as we see it and still has kinetic energy which the barriers do block. ME2's gameplay really doesn't go along with the canon, if you meelee someone their shields still work and absord the impact, they should've been ignored and the codex still states the same, it's just a classic case of Gameplay =/= Canon[/quote] But the plasma is made on contact with the kinetic barriers, right? I haven't read any of the ME novels and comics, but is it ever pointed out that the kinetic barriers actually don't protect against plasma? Besides, ME has a pretty advanced protection layer system, so if kinetic barriers were ineffective against "plasma" weapons I think it would matter more. Just look at how biotics, cryo rounds etc. aren't effective on certain layers of protection. How is Incinerate explained?

Yeah agree with the shields as being a little (ironically for sci-fi) old. One of the reasons I loved the Homeworld series - no shields, very deep storyline and a sense of playing a small part in something so much bigger. Halo has been similar in some ways though the MC being the walking mute tank kind of kinked the plot side of things sometimes. Since the Chief didn't talk, it was Cortana who did the thinking out loud to progress the story and give the human (again ironic for an AI) feel to things. I think some of Halo's weakest moments were without Cortana in the helm. Reach addressed the issue partly with a stronger interaction with the locals and partly with the interactions of Noble. Reach is by far my favourite for its' darker sense of loss. I really had hoped Halo 3 would be that, but it just didn't tackle the feel. With all the characters being "hoo-ha" macho their were few moments for a Cortana moment where it is "So many people... gone". The Covenant to me didn't seem as realistic. It came close with the heretics and mentions of rebels but doesn't really sell the fact several intelligent space faring races are all convinced so easily of the forerunner religion. The elites came closest with their Japanese-esk sense of Bushido because it was not religion based. I think they should of focused on that aspect more than the religious one.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] spurkis [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] SC Matt Klassen Weak to kilotons = weak to everything in Halo and Stargate. Also Kinetic Barriers have no defense against plasma. Which is something that is widely used in Stargate, and the Covenant spam the stuff in Halo. Ground battles are a different story though. That's where ME begins to get scary.[/quote] Let's not start another debate, but I'd just like to put in that kinetic barriers do protect against plasma. Examples are the Geth Plasma Shotgun and the Incinerate power.[/quote] You're wrong and confusing gameplay with canon, the Geth Plasma Shotgun still fires projectiles, it creates Plasma on impact so its not really a plasma weapon as we see it and still has kinetic energy which the barriers do block. ME2's gameplay really doesn't go along with the canon, if you meelee someone their shields still work and absord the impact, they should've been ignored and the codex still states the same, it's just a classic case of Gameplay =/= Canon

I like the fact that humans are still using bullets. Even with all the plasma technologie that could or should be avaliable by 2552. Pumping your enemy full of lead is still they way to go, even 500 years into the future.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] SC Matt Klassen Weak to kilotons = weak to everything in Halo and Stargate. Also Kinetic Barriers have no defense against plasma. Which is something that is widely used in Stargate, and the Covenant spam the stuff in Halo. Ground battles are a different story though. That's where ME begins to get scary.[/quote] Let's not start another debate, but I'd just like to put in that kinetic barriers do protect against plasma. Examples are the Geth Plasma Shotgun and the Incinerate power.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Sparty Boy 117 [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] firedune One thing that confuses me a bit is how in the world the POA got airborne with those tiny (in comparison to the rest of the ship) thrusters. Shields are pretty realistic, as we're already developing radar absorbing shields. who's to say a sufficiently advanced race can't create shields that can absorb(or rather deflect) bullets?[/quote] that shouldn't be considered canon. a halcyon cruiser isn't even rated for atmosphere.[/quote]Is it somewhere stated what "rated for atmosphere" means? It could be ability to move around and float without help (PoA had those rockets, maybe it also has not-so-powerful floating devices to help in crash-landings and stuff shown in Reach). [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Omanisat ^Forget flying or taking off, the simple strain of gravity on a vehical built in and designed to operate in zero-gee would break the PoA's back. [/quote] PoA didn't look so bad on 04...

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] SC Matt Klassen [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] That Atheist [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] spurkis Halo should get credit for atleast trying, and succeeding, to be very realistic. I like the detailed stuff around the Spartan projects, like all the controversy and failures. Not just pure heroism and victory. [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] fsabran [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] PLUT0NIUM 235 what about Mass Effect? that the Reapers are one of the poorest enemies ever in a science fiction universe? they are giant mechanical lobsters that talk the talk and walk the walk, but really aren't that frightening or impressive?[/quote]no that all their tecnology is based on a magical element[/quote] I can't help but notice that you hold some kind of grudge towards Mass Effect. I hate to sound like a fanboy, like you, but how is Element Zero more "magical" than i.e. the alloy the Forerunners use? [/quote] I love how the designers of ME and Halo actually went and found or created a hypothetical explanation for the stuff that happens in there universes, instead just saying"This is what happens and that is it" like Star Wars or "My way overpowered 800 gigaton bomb goes boom!" like Stargate (no offense to Stargate, it s a pretty interesting universe). [/quote] 800 gigaton bomb wtf? Where'd you get that?[/quote] Its an exageration for dramatic purposes.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] OniLink147 Halo has a surprisingly realistic story which I definitely like.[/quote] Wait, What? (Looks at the Flood and Halo's) O.o?

^Forget flying or taking off, the simple strain of gravity on a vehical built in and designed to operate in zero-gee would break the PoA's back. The inner colony/outer colony conflicts always seemed like an interplanetary version of the American revolution, with the main difference being instead of meeting the UNSC head on line the Americans did the British, they resorted to a terrorist campaign. [Edited on 05.12.2011 1:43 PM PDT]

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] firedune One thing that confuses me a bit is how in the world the POA got airborne with those tiny (in comparison to the rest of the ship) thrusters. Shields are pretty realistic, as we're already developing radar absorbing shields. who's to say a sufficiently advanced race can't create shields that can absorb(or rather deflect) bullets?[/quote] that shouldn't be considered canon. a halcyon cruiser isn't even rated for atmosphere.

probably due to the outer colonies being more 'isolated' from the rest of human space, thinking 'why should they control our colonies, when they are X light years away?!...' and the rest will happen by itself! would also guess the outer colonises (newest ones) will be less developed than the inner colonises, another reason for the outers to feel 'hard done by', adding more fuel to the fire.

The in-depth universe surrounding the games is what makes it realistic. The fact that there is so much around; civilisation, politics and invention. Afterall, it is set in the year 2552 - anything could be possible! But its the links to current society that make it realistic. My personal favourite is the Carver Findings, where Dr. Carver makes a prediction that a rebellion will rise from the outer colonies. For some reason, its plainness just makes it realistic to me. [Edited on 05.12.2011 1:00 PM PDT]

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] That Atheist [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] spurkis Halo should get credit for atleast trying, and succeeding, to be very realistic. I like the detailed stuff around the Spartan projects, like all the controversy and failures. Not just pure heroism and victory. [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] fsabran [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] PLUT0NIUM 235 what about Mass Effect? that the Reapers are one of the poorest enemies ever in a science fiction universe? they are giant mechanical lobsters that talk the talk and walk the walk, but really aren't that frightening or impressive?[/quote]no that all their tecnology is based on a magical element[/quote] I can't help but notice that you hold some kind of grudge towards Mass Effect. I hate to sound like a fanboy, like you, but how is Element Zero more "magical" than i.e. the alloy the Forerunners use? [/quote] I love how the designers of ME and Halo actually went and found or created a hypothetical explanation for the stuff that happens in there universes, instead just saying"This is what happens and that is it" like Star Wars or "My way overpowered 800 gigaton bomb goes boom!" like Stargate (no offense to Stargate, it s a pretty interesting universe). [/quote] 800 gigaton bomb wtf? Where'd you get that?

Anyone who genuinely believes Halo to be realistic and within the boundaries of science, ought to take a look at [url=http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/]this site[/url] for starters. [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] ROBERTO jh In fact, Star Trek is very scientifically accurate (for a sci-fi with lazer beams). They have great scientific advisors to ensure the validity of the technology in the universe.[/quote]You are sadly mistaken. [Edited on 05.12.2011 11:53 AM PDT]

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] fsabran [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] MegaMuffin16 Slip space is a little farfetched.[/quote]actualy slipspace is nothing more than artificial punched/open wormholes[/quote] Slipspace is another dimension other than 3D.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] PLUT0NIUM 235 how do room temperature super-conductors make several million tons of warship float in the air with no obvious signs of propulsion?[/quote] Magnetic fields cannot pass through superconductors, so the field lines must go around it. That exerts an upwards force on the starship, due to Newtons third law and the fact that the inertia of a planet is far higher than that of a starships. [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] fxhomedude [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] MegaMuffin16 Slip space is a little farfetched.[/quote] That and other planets that can support life.[/quote] That is most certainly not farfetched. Empirical evidence is right now leaning heavily in favour of other Earth like planets existing. The findings of NASA's Kepler mission for instance.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] fxhomedude [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] MegaMuffin16 Slip space is a little farfetched.[/quote] That and other planets that can support life.[/quote]Terraforming?

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] MegaMuffin16 Slip space is a little farfetched.[/quote]actualy slipspace is nothing more than artificial punched/open wormholes

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] MegaMuffin16 Slip space is a little farfetched.[/quote] That and other planets that can support life.