Africa on Delta Halo?

Wild, speculative theories born from the communications with AdjutantReflex.

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smallfry
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Africa on Delta Halo?

Unread post by smallfry »

Ok, this is only tangentially related to the ARG proper, and may be old news, but I've never seen it mentioned anywhere.

Playing Halo 2 again, I noticed that in the helljumper cutscene, beginning of Delta Halo level, as the odsts are dropping, the continent below them looks an awful lot like Africa; not exactly, but perhaps it looks how Africa would've looked 100,000 years ago.

Here's the link to the video: http://halocinema.bungie.org/halo2/14_helljumpers_l.wmv, check it out at 1:45. You can clearly see Africa, the Mediterranean (a little different from present day, but distinctive), the Arabian Peninsula, and the west coast of India.

The reason I'm bringing it up here is because, if Earth geography was important enough to replicate on a Halo, that would mean something regarding the ARG.
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Avateur
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Re: Africa on Delta Halo?

Unread post by Avateur »

I compared it to a map and there are some similarities, but not as complete as the Africa seen on Earth from Cairo Station. They'd probably just bring it over from there. Could be a coincidence, but considering how it is Bungie, hey.
smallfry
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Re: Africa on Delta Halo?

Unread post by smallfry »

Ok, thanks for the reply--
Chainz
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Re: Africa on Delta Halo?

Unread post by Chainz »

:ugeek: http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Forerunners# ... _Humans.3F

I figured that this might be of some interest to you.
crymsonnite
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Re: Africa on Delta Halo?

Unread post by crymsonnite »

i saw that, my friend and i were playing and suddenly he was all WTF AFRICA IN THE HALO?
XBXSplod
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Re: Africa on Delta Halo?

Unread post by XBXSplod »

I saw this too but just dismissed it as bungie bein lazy or rushed for time in halo 2's production but maybe your right and now we have this information it could actually mean more, nice one for bringing it up =b
smallfry
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Re: Africa on Delta Halo?

Unread post by smallfry »

Hey, thanks for that link. I'd read a fair bit of that info in other places, but never the Africa thing, strange.

Then, I went and read this faq (and specifically http://highimpacthalo.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9200, sixth q under "movie/cutscene related") through and well, damn I'm humbled to silence, there's NOTHING that hasn't been found in H2.

But still, in light of N'Gala's comic and the other info that's come out of Iris, I'd say that the fact that Africa has been replicated on a Halo, and that the major action of H2 takes place in the area that the Ark seems to be located on the actual Earth (look in that still where they're falling towards), speaks volumes to the debate of humanity's relationship to the forerunners. One theory I read was that the Ark carried not actual beings but genetic samples and 'reseeded' the galaxy after the firings, and that there were supposed to be protocols in place to educate reborn humanity as to their heritage (including the halos and the flood), but something went wrong, and the prophets got (at least part of) the education intended for humanity. And, of course, comically misinterpreted certain vital aspects of it. So maybe the debate of forerunners = (or not =) humanity'll turn out that way.

Hell, maybe all those old decaying temples on Delta Halo were taken from Earth and put in there replicated-geographic location. Or who the hell knows exactly what yet? Besides Frank O'Connor, that is.

all I can say is H3 is going to be good.

Anyway, thanks for humoring my newbieness.
DeepEcho
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Re: Africa on Delta Halo?

Unread post by DeepEcho »

I did notice that strange similarity when I first played Delta Halo as well smallfry, but I always passed it up as coincidental or perhaps a rushed texture. What always interested me in the level Regret, and mentioned in an earlier post, was the strange ancient structures that some how existed on a "modern" Forerunner Halo.

CORTANA: (Level - Regret, upon reaching lake edge structures)
You know, I think the forerunners built these new structures around the old, to protect them, to honor them. Pure speculation, mind you. I'd need to make a thorough survey to be sure.


If you take a close look at the structures built at lake edge in the begining of the level Regret, you can see the inside structure is made of stone, while the outside is some sort of formed Forerunner material of obvious newer construction. Taking an even closer look, you will see the old internal structures are encased in the newer external structure. The external structure looks as though it were designed to hold the internal structure together, (roughly Diamond shaped with many lateral and vertical braces) which I assume is to keep the older structure intact for transport from another site. Once the containment structure carrying the older internal reached its destination on Delta Halo, the entire structure was set down and secured to the Halo super-structure on the lake bed.

Cortana speculates (see above) that these new structures were built around the old to possibly protect them [for transport] and honor them [by placing them in a "safe" location on Delta Halo]. This makes me wonder for what reason the old structures were transported. Many times I have considered the Forerunners not only built the Halos to serve as a weapon, but to act as a monument to their culture should it ever be found again. By placing these ancient, and most likely important, structures on Delta Halo, they would be quite safe from any uncertain planetary conditions had they been left where they were built.

Other supposedly ancient structures seen in the earlier level Delta Halo, such as the Temple (near the end of the level) and other courtyards might have been rebuilt on Delta Halo for the same purpose, however, considering the Forerunner have a pencant for doing the impossible to show off their technological prowess, I have another theory.

CORTANA: (Level - Regret, upon starting the first Gondola)
This lake couldn't have been created by volcanic action, which means it was either built this way on purpose, or was created by some other cataclysmic event. ...


Seeing how most of the structures in the earlier level Delta Halo were built into the terrain (note the many tunnels) it seems unreasonable that the Forerunner would spend the time to reassemble each aspect of these locations brick by brick on Delta Halo. Drawing from my previous speculation about the lake edge structures, is it unreasonable to think that the Forerunner might have done the exact same thing with the entire area? Could it be possible for the Forerunner to excavate an entire area containing their most important ancient structures and then transport them, landmass and all, and resecure the entire area on Delta Halo?

If you look at all the Delta Halo locations, they are situated atop cliffs, which I assume are the excavation boundaries the Forerunners dug out when detaching the area from its original location, most likely on one of their homeworlds. When Cortana states the above quote "it couldn't have been created by volcanic action" we assume this to be true since volcanic actions can not occur on a structure without continental plates, however, who's to say, if the area was indeed transported as I theorize, that the area was threatend by volcanic action in its original location on a Forerunner homeworld? Perhaps the area actually was created by volcanic action in its original location and due to the threat it might have posed, the Forerunner relocated the area to where it is now, on Delta Halo.

One last bit of evidence is the strange wall-like structure seen off in the distance across the lake on the levels Delta Halo and Regret. It looks to be a wall, which for a while I thought to be the edge of Delta Halo, but, there is one bit of evidence that exists to prove this is not the edge of Delta Halo. In the next level, Sacred Icon, you play as the Arbiter and start off the level on the edge of a precipiece built into the outer Library Barrier wall. Looking down at the valley far below, you can see many lakes surrounded by high hills and mountains. Looking carefully, you will notice this is the area you played in as Master Chief on the levels Delta Halo and Regret.

This is particulary interesting because it proves Gravemind is nearby below the surface since he is within reach of the Master Chief at the temples and the Arbiter at the Library. Also, Miranda Keyes sends many Pelicans to aid Master Chief's team in the previous levels. Usually, the Pelican arrives fairly quickly, which proves the In Amber Clad must not have been far away and is actually just outside the Library and can be seen in the end, just after boarding the bi-directional elevator, holding station above the Library. What does this have to do with the previously mentioned walls? If you look down on the Delta Halo level area on the Sacred Icon, you can see the entire lake area is no where near the edge of Delta Halo, which means that the wall seen in the levels Delta Halo and Regret is not the edge. In my opinion, this wall might have been part of the containment structure that held the entire area together in transport from it's original position on the Forerunner world.

Note, that if the edge of a Halo were ever to be shown, it will not be a particulary high wall. If you read the end of Halo: The Fall of Reach, Cortana speculates the Halo's atmosphere is held in by some sort of gravity field at the edges of the Halo. This does not imply the presence of a wall at the edge of the Halos, but instead implies one could look out the edges of a Halo and see the starts beyond, considering the gravity field does not interfere with visability.

Sorry for seeming to go off on a tangent, but this seemed like the best place to post possible non-Halo-Halo location relations. Had Earth been a Forerunner world at one point, this may be where all their structures disapeared to, lol.

[/rant]
smallfry
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Re: Africa on Delta Halo?

Unread post by smallfry »

That's some good speculatin'. Thanks for the read! :)
endejas
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Re: Africa on Delta Halo?

Unread post by endejas »

In reply to DeepEcho's post, there's also evidence about that in the multiplayer map description. Either Sanctuary or Relic (can't check, 360 red-ringed) said that the structures were transported and rebuilt brick-by-brick.

Also makes me wonder why they would do that. Maybe they deemed the world where these buildings were weren't adequately protected from the Flood (showing the failure to prevent the Flood from getting to their homeworld?).

Also, on the edge-of-Halo part, it would need a big wall. Coupled with the rotation and off-center axis, it would need a few kilometer-high walls to contain the atmosphere, or else, it would just spill out while it spun.
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