The Precursors were responsible for seeding the galaxy with life, creating the Milky Way's diverse composition of species. Over time, they would also judge whether or not a species was worthy of the Mantle. If the species was not deemed worthy, or was found to be problematic, the Precursors would eliminate that species. Amongst the large numbers species that they had created, the humanoid species native to the world of Ghibalb, coming to be known as the Forerunners, were next chosen for this task.
This species was eventually judged to be unworthy of taking on the Mantle, and was slated for elimination. It was at this point that the early Forerunners became aware of this threat, engaged the Precursors, and succeeded in eliminating them, though a small but unspecified number managed to escape the Forerunner's campaign of extermination. Prior to their destruction, however, the Precursors had created and shaped yet another potential holder of the Mantle, a collection of humanoid species referred to as humanity, hailing from the planet known as Erde-Tyrene.
Before their ultimate downfall, a plan was created and put into play by the surviving Precursors, which would involve a reunifying of the Forerunners and humanity from their shared origin. This plan centered on the targeted species to be subject to the Flood, and whether or not the humans would be able to overcome this parasitic foe, or ultimately succumb to it.[4] While the humans would eventually prevail, their nearly concurrent defeat at the hands of the Forerunners would temporarily stifle this plan.
Does the BR have spread? Is it hitscan? –xBrutaIity
The BR is a three-shot burst weapon. It is hitscan. In its current tuning, it has recoil (not bloom) which causes it to rise slightly (in a predictable and suppressible way). It is not a replacement for the DMR as has been discussed in the community. You will not see bloom as it currently exists in Vanilla Reach on any weapon, but there will be different methods for reticle targeting that vary depending on the weapon, and players will have a wide arsenal of weapons to choose from. More news about that later.
Will the mid-construction mech seen on one of the Multiplayer levels appear in some form in the campaign of Halo 4? –Franc and Co
The Cyclops 2 seen in the center of War House will not be playable. But we will have some vehicle surprises, at least one of which will dwarf that weapon.
Will there be any Covenant presence in Campaign or Multiplayer? Be it weaponry, equipment, architecture, etc. –Lloyd Jo en es
Yes. The Covenant will definitely return, albeit in a completely (graphically, politically and sonically) overhauled form, but they may be the least of your problem
Are there going to be more, fewer, or the same number of guns in Halo 4 compared to Halo: Reach? Is there one gun that when you saw it you just went "WOW!" –Someone
It is not the same number of guns. I can state bluntly that we have made significant changes to the sandbox. Perhaps the most radical overhauls and additions it’s ever had in a single iteration. Fans should expect to see very new stuff. And not just weapons. As usual a couple of things will get deleted (or changed), but on balance, it will be more new stuff. And yes, a lot of guns have made me go wow. New ones and old ones. Almost every single gun sound effect makes me go wow.
The Precursors seem to play a similar role to the Reapers in Mass Effect
http://www.halopedian.com/Precursor
And Mass Effect in turn rips the same Precursors/Eternal Ones backdrop from Star Control III:Oooh wow!... Kinda seems like they ripped off Mass Effect's Reapers and Prothian backdrop, or vice versa. It kinda cheapens it knowing how similar they both are now.
And all these games are based on good old classic sci-fi novels and their concepts from Clarke and the others. Some SF tropes are very, very old, like even Alien is borrowing a lot from Voigt's Space Beagle stories. Also, the Reapers are pretty much like Cthulhu and the others in Lovecraft's universe. Giant ancient tentacle-monster gods from the depths of space whose mere presence drives the tiny humans insane.
So it's not about who 'rips' who nowadays, but more about who does it well. Mass Effect has very good storytelling and compelling characters, not sure if those were there in Star Control. Then there's the gameplay which is of course another completely different issue.
That poor camel is gonna be out of feet soon.