With the cutscene up, we've got quite a bit more to work with.
First off, the pictures below are not actual infestations, but a predicted image of what the Earth would look like had the Flood taken it.
[url=http://cdn2.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/9555569/Halo_Spartan_Assault_Xbox_One_Cinematic_Still_02.jpg]Pic 1[/url]
[url=http://cdn2.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/9555565/Halo_Spartan_Assault_Xbox_One_Cinematic_Still_04.jpg]Pic 2[/url]
Here are the facts:
-Public told Glassing of Kenya was a Covenant surprise attack
-Covenant Separatists glassed Kenya without prejudice; civilian centers vaporized
-Earth would have fallen in hours to the Flood
-Spartans train against the Flood in simulations in order to be Humanity's best defense against them if they ever return
Analysis:
Something that I was rather intrigued about was that the orbital view of Africa indicates that roughly half of it was destroyed. Probably less. However, this ties into the official logistics of Glassing. The Covenant only glass very specific areas, such as the poles, and population centers. The resulting Firestorms then burn up the planet. Based on the image, there are molten red rings very close to the shore that are recognizable as areas recently glassed. The other red areas I believe are simply the resulting firestorm.
Glassing has had such a huge impact on Human morale due to the fact that the UNSC never really found out about the actual process of glassing because no one could ever stick around long enough to witness the full process. Thus, Hood's statement of "half a continent", is accurate in the context that the UNSC doesn't fully understand Glassing.
Well done 343, you managed to tie up Hood's exaggeration nicely.
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Some cool details/info right there. Thanks for sharing.
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Why can't 343 just leave Halo alone? Halo did nothing to them. The only reason Master Chief killed 343, is because 343 killed Johnson!
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inafter343isuksbungiecannonisonlycannonstahplol43industriesfrumfukinguphalo
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>2 Marines walking in New Mombasa >Hey John look at that Cruiser >Dude john it's about to glass us! >Shut the -blam!- up Jack, that's in order-
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Man, it pains me to see people shitting 343i on this. I mean, they didn't even retcon anything. I guess it seems that people just want to shit on 343i whenever they can.
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Those Marines seem awfully calm
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The flood cutscene didn't appear on mine
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Found the cutscene.
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To all the people who are saying this retcons anything from past Halos, are you sure there ins't a gas leak in your home? It doesn't retcon anything.
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Game was a snooze fest gameplay wise as I got to play it over a friends house before he got rid of it but I guess this stuff is nice
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Interesting. I love the tiny details they're injecting into the past games.
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lol 343i and their fan fiction.
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Herpderp. 343i appears to still be havin' fun scrambling up Halo.
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I guess our old buddy R'tas was right in his concerns. Wouldn't there be leaks through survivors in africa though? I mean it's not like 100% of the population was destroyed. Unless the UNSC payed them to be quiet.
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Actually, now that I think about it, was it possible that more Flood landed on Earth after John left for the Ark with Thel's forces? In order to get to the Ark, High Charity had to access the portal at earth, and appeared late in the end-game. I doubt even if the gravemind knew the location, that High Charity could make the journey fast enough without using the portal. And in this regard, since Thel's forces all went to the other side, the last defending UNSC forces on the planet must have had to engage the Flood that no doubt attempted to take Earth. So, we come to the end-game, and all ships pull away from the Ark, enter the portal back home, and once again R'tas has to do more glassing. Makes sense. And, now that I'm really thinking about it, I want to know just how bad Earth got hit. Just what was the extent of the Brute forces that ravaged the planet after the Schism? I know Africa got hit pretty hard, and Australia got utterly [u]dunked[/u]. My question is why exactly? Australia have something of importance there? And what of the rest of the planet? Population before and after the Covenant Invasions? Gah, too many stories left to tell that will never be told.
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Oh boy more non needed retcons from 343.
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Edited by BaconShelf: 12/24/2013 7:44:40 PMOut of interest, have any sources said if anywhere such as Europe, South America or Asia been attacked by the Covenant? Wait. Just remembered that Rio was attacked as seen in SO.
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This would've been a better plot than Halo 4 IMO. New trilogy, new idea, and new storyline.
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Tis the beauty of Halo. So many faces, so many places, so many untold stories. The truth is, with Halo, there was enough backstory for an entire franchise. One of my favorite books is Cole Protocol because of the timeline. Its set in the middle of the war, when the action, desperation, and heroism were raw. There will never be a point where I think Halo is milked, because they have so many untold stories that already exist in the lore... I love it all.
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Pretty cool info, thanks for sharing!
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[quote]-Most of Kenya was glassed[/quote] Uh, wasn't it most of Africa?
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what are you talking about? i'm confused
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Thank God it is just a simulation. Heads were going to roll if a widespread outbreak occurred before Halo 4 and it was just dealt with all willy-nilly.
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Is dat new Mombasa?
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Hmmmm... Could this mean we might see Chief called back to Earth to help "clean up"?