Gross Tactical errors by the Covenant

[TheMatt]

Before proceeding watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djOt3CDRq9A from 1:00 to about 1:15.

Is it just me or did that battle ship not just nuke his own troops?

So.. Why do you think the covenant battleship over head orbitally bombarded its own troops? One of whom had just stabbed a marine in a suitably bad ass fashion?

Was the Captain angry at that particular elite?

Was it an incident of friendly fire?

Had the Captain been drinking?

Am I over analyzing this?

Continuity issues bother me.

 

[Shadow Law]

Before proceeding watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djOt3CDRq9A from 1:00 to about 1:15.

Is it just me or did that battle ship not just nuke his own troops?

So.. Why do you think the covenant battleship over head orbitally bombarded its own troops? One of whom had just stabbed a marine in a suitably bad ass fashion?

Was the Captain angry at that particular elite?

Was it an incident of friendly fire?

Had the Captain been drinking?

Am I over analyzing this?

Continuity issues bother me.

I'll take option 4 from your list, anyway did you ever think that that beam was their lift beam which looks just like their kill everything beam.

 

[Jarc42]

I think it was just a crappy transition effect, because no one would bother carefully analyzing that video like you dd.

 

[TheMatt]

I think it was just a crappy transition effect, because no one would bother carefully analyzing that video like you dd.

Wow, you guys really took the fun out of this didn't you?

 

[Jarc42]

Wow, you guys really took the fun out of this didn't you?

...I mean, uh... lift beam! It was a lift beam. Happy?

 

[RikSharp]

my take on this is:
the covenant (prophets of whatever) dont actually like the brutes and never have, they were the cannon fodder, so to speak.
so yes that was an orbital kill everything beam and yes the brute got moltonified.

 

[thiosk]

I have long wondered about the military strategies behind what the covenent does. Mostly, what they do makes no sense.

They seem to have vastly superior technology... plasma weapons and the like, and little "hunams" with grossly inferior projectile weapons give them a run for their money at every turn. PSh, i mean, one dude with no previous military training (me) was able to shoot his way through whole batallions of covenant forces and like, blow up their home planet (or whatever the hell it was i did at the end of the 2nd game).

As for the orbital bombardment, i think the way to do it is first bombard, THEN invade... not invade, rout the enemy forces, THEN bombard. Makes no damned sense!

But they are a bunch of religous nuts, who whatcha gonna do.

 

[Tvayumat]

PURGE THE HERETICS!

 

[WingedFortress]

I hate this video
Like from 0:21 - 0:28, with that crappy scene with the elites just kind of walking about while marines and warthogs smash em' up. Something really irks me about that.

 

[beddo]

Could be like the Necromongers where the value if individuals does not matter to the commander. In fact, that actually wouldn't be too different to 20th Century wars.

 

[BrEnNo1023]

my take on this is:
the covenant (prophets of whatever) dont actually like the brutes and never have, they were the cannon fodder, so to speak.
so yes that was an orbital kill everything beam and yes the brute got moltonified.

let me start by stating the obvious: it's an elite getting vaporised in that dramatic little transition effect..

on other news... yes, the covenant battle tactics are crude and ruthless. in the books, their usage of grunts as cannon fodder aims to make the human forces simply run out of bullets so the elites, jackals and hunters can move in for the kill. elites are usually the shipmasters too, and elites were favoured by the prophets until 1/2 way through halo 2, so i dont believe that this ship was intentionally destroying that elite.
basically, they have ground and space battle tactics down pat, but they underestimate humanity again and again. humanity usually wins little victories on the ground, while the covenant wreck humanity in zero-G.

There's a funny sub-plot in the book: Halo - The Flood (which takes place during halo 1) where an assassin is sent to kill the master chief, but is constantly thwarted by his errors, his brethren's errors, or even the MC's plain luck . i suppose this little subplot sums up covenant ground tactics a little bit.

 

[Holydevil]

Somebody just sat on the big red button........

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

"Now what have we learned today kiddies? That's right Shanghileii, never, never date your boss, and if you break that rule, never, ever, ever for Christ's sake, sleep with their sister and then say 'Well I mean she is hotter'. Tomorrow we learn the benefits of taking away grunts grenades when they have just had juice."

 

[IrrelevantTangent]

It's not like the Covenant has any experience with tactical errors or anything, what with them inexplicably abandoning, alienating, and viciously attacking the Sangeheili because....well...er....because they weren't faithful enough? I mean seriously, WTF? You do NOT start attacking a significant portion of your own forces, not even if their commander slept with your sister. Oy vae. And because of that the UNSC won!