Talk:GA-TL1 Longsword

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

Size differences[edit]

Am I the only one who thinks that Tempest's Longsword is a tad too tiny? Can someone please explain the brutal size difference of it? --SpartanOfTheArk 14:14, 14 February 2012 (EST)

It is too tiny. If you look closely, it can't even fit a single SPARTAN in the cockpit. My guess is that it was made small on purpose as an easter egg.--Spartacus TalkContribs
What purpose would that serve as an easter egg? There are small Longswords in Halo 3 that fly past you - I assume it's to go without taking up too much memory. Maybe they just transferred over one of the small ones rather than make their own 1:1 scale version (would the exploded Halo 3 one work?)-- Forerunner 18:18, 14 February 2012 (EST)
Good point.--Spartacus TalkContribs

The size difference most likely what forunner said but if we want a canonical explanation it could be the remote control ones considering the fact they dont need room for crew--Thehalocodplayer 23:09, 26 March 2012 (EDT)

This one is easy to clear up. The only time the Longsword has been shown in it's proper size was in Halo 1 and again in Halo 3 with the crashed version on the Ark in the sand. That's it. Every other Longsword seen in Halo 2, Halo 3, and even Reach, they are approximately half their intended size because they are in flight and not near anything to judge their size against. It's because the Longsword model in Halo 3 was mostly available as the half-size version and that was what was adapted into the multiplayer map. If you want to see the size difference, watch the mini-cutscene where the Longsword crashes on the Ark, stop the in-flight one in theater mode and pause it, and compare its size with the one already in the sand. -ScaleMaster117 (talk) 08:29, 14 February 2014 (EST)

Longswords not in Halo 4?[edit]

Okay, here's a question. I couldn't help but notice that Longswords were not at all present in Halo 4. Which begs the question, why? Have they been rendered obsolete when compared to the YSS-1000 Sabre and F-41 Broadsword starfighters? I mean, why not just upgrade the Longswords with the same technology as the Sabre and Broadsword fighters? I suppose that maybe they still are in service, but they just weren't included as part of the UNSC Infinity's complement, and possibly not fielded as often anymore. But this is all hypothetical. I don't suppose there isn't any information on this, is there? --Xamikaze330 [Transmit|Files] 12:33, 21 March 2013 (EDT)Xamikaze330

I second that, what is the status of Longswords in the post-war UNSC?262VigilantGuardian (talk) 00:16, 14 February 2014 (EST)

Its possible that they were only kept in production as long as they were due the war being on, and that if they changed the type of spacecraft being produced that they would have to shut down all the factories that made longswords for several months whilst they are reworked to make more modern planes. Maybe. VARGR (talk) 00:22, 14 February 2014 (EST)

Do not mistake the absence of a game model from a particular game with its absence from the fiction. It was caused by the same reason as the true Pillar of Autumn model missing from Halo 2 or the MA5B not being in Halo 2 or 3. Each game has space and memory for only so many models, sounds, textures, etc., so they can't pack the games with everything. -ScaleMaster117 (talk) 08:29, 14 February 2014 (EST)
Okay, good point. So, then, I wonder if they continued use in 2557 or 2558 and so on, or were they phased out and made obsolete due to the more advanced nature of the F-41 Broadsword? I guess I can understand if it was phased out, but still, it was kind of a cool starfighter. Maybe they didn't, and they upgraded it with some of the same technological enhancements for the Broadsword, but then again, that might be too expensive to upgrade and retrofit an existing fighter. Probably cheaper to manufacture the Broadsword than upgrading old ships and fighters. --Xamikaze330 [Transmission|Commencing] 16:14, 4 March 2014 (EST)Xamikaze330

Longsword Game Changes section[edit]

Shouldn't there be a Changes section describing how each model differs from its past and future iterations? Or does that not really matter in this case? --Xamikaze330 [Transmission|Commencing] 16:18, 4 March 2014 (EST)Xamikaze330

If there are any gameplay changes between the Halo titles, we should have a section on those changes. However, Longswords are not part of gameplay: they are just objects scripted to appear in certain scenes or in the background of a level. If however you're referring to graphical updates, we should not have a section on graphical updates as such updates are expected to happen and such info is more than not to be redundant to users/readers. — subtank 11:32, 8 March 2014 (EST)

Crew Compliment[edit]

I was just looking at a "tour" of the interior of the Longsword and it makes me wonder: where do the other two crew members sit? I am wondering if there really is four crew members or if the pilot and co pilot are the only two on board. The page says the information about the other two operators comes from The Essential Visual Guide...which already makes the canon status shaky.

Looking at the pictures, I see different control panels but no other chairs. I can assure you that going mach 3 the other two crew members are going to need to sit somewhere. Should we clean try to verify that there ARE supposed to be four crew members even though there are only two positions?

The interior pics I was looking at are found here: http://halo.bungie.org/misc/sloftus_longswordtour/

I know there is a door in the picture, but I think that just leads to the maintenance bay. You would think the navigator and systems operator would be better suited to be in the cockpit than anywhere else. Rprince418 (talk) 18:57, 16 April 2014 (EDT)

Thanks for using my old article as a basis of comparison. You'll notice in my article I list only 2 crew, not 4. :) It's not hard to justify I don't think. I don't know if you're familiar with Star Trek: The Next Generation, but on that Enterprise bridge, there were 5 stations at the back. Often crew members would stand at those stations, but they actually had pull out chairs flush with the station itself. Even had a lifting backrest. But when closed, it disguised very well that there was a seat there. Same could be said of the Longsword. There may well be seats hidden in the consoles themselves. There are also 3 different variety of Longswords. My article example was from Halo 1, but Reach and Halo 3 had different varieties of the craft and we've never seen the interiors of those. Maybe they have chairs for four... -ScaleMaster117 (talk) 22:10, 16 April 2014 (EDT)

Good article then! Do you think we should mention somewhere that the cockpit of at least the C709 only appears to have room for two crew? It kind of would make sense on the C709 as it is primary used as a fighter instead of a bomber. I do agree with your theory about the other Longsword models. But for at least the 709 we have only two "visible" seats. I also like your idea of fold out chairs. I don't know if we can ad that though without any evidence to back it up like your screen captures of the two visable seats back up the two crew members theory.

Think of the F-15. The A-D models all have room for one crew member as they are used only as fighters. But the E model is used for ground attack and has a second seat.

At the end of the day though I am just a VERY junior member. The final say so goes to you guys. I'm just making a really not important opinion.Rprince418 (talk) 22:31, 16 April 2014 (EDT)

I'm junior-ish myself, having only started editing and commenting last year, but... having worked with 343i on a couple of projects, what I suggested is how their thought process works. They try and justify adding some detail where it doesn't interfere with what came before. Now, having said that, I'm not an employee and I don't make up canon (unless I'm actively working on something with them) but Halopedia deals in documenting verifiable canonical facts about Halo. In this instance, nothing more needs to be said. There's the fact that the interior of the C709 variant has two visible seats and there's the fact that the Visual Guide indicates 4 crew members. That's where the Halopedia article should end on it. It's not Halopedia's job to speculate about what could be, but to document what is. If more info is revealed in the future about where 4 could sit in a C709, that would be the time to amend the article. -ScaleMaster117 (talk) 06:45, 17 April 2014 (EDT)

Ok, thanks!Rprince418 (talk) 07:47, 17 April 2014 (EDT)

I understand this is 6 months old, but I wanted to throw this in here. I just read for the first time ever the Halo Reach manual (I just skipped it and went to the game before) and it clearly states that the Longsword holds 4 people. I am an idiot. I know manuals are taken with a grain of salt, but it's canon status is better than my personal opinion. I apologize for making an a** out of myself and am now humbled by the experience. I will do more research on the matter before I comment next time. lol. Rprince418 (talk) 11:51, 8 October 2014 (EDT)

Slipspace capability?[edit]

Isn't it a tad early to reference that the Longsword is slipspace-capable on its own? We know from the past it cannot. Where was it parked in the comic when they introduced Fred, Linda, and Kelly? Perhaps in the hangar of a ship? The Longsword doesn't have all that much room inside. Room for 4 about. In the comic, when the 4 Spartans call back to report their sitrep to "ops", is that the Longsword or could that be the UNSC ship that got them to Gamma Halo? I think it's too much of a supposition that the Longsword is slipspace capable. Was there a UNSC ship just out of panel? It wasn't really needed for the storytelling of this issue although I'd have preferred they show something. -ScaleMaster117 (talk) 09:32, 25 July 2014 (EDT)

Well ever since the Huragok started putting Slipspace drives in Pelicans I figured it was only a matter of time before they would do it for other small ships. Looking through the comic again it seems like Blue Team takes the Longsword directly from HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-Six to Gamma Halo. Not much evidence for another ship besides the possibly of the "ops" part.Sith-venator Wavingstrider Fett helmet.jpg (Commlink) 11:17, 25 July 2014 (EDT)
I think what he means is that it's kind of inferred based on recent events in the Kilo-Five Trilogy. And I have to agree. I haven't read any of the Halo: Escalation graphic novels (except for previews), but it does highly probable that is what happened. --Xamikaze330, Halopedia Team Talk 13:37, 25 July 2014 (EDT)Xamikaze330
I was only cautioning citation. If they made a panel in the comic showing the Longsword in slipspace, I'd too make the inference that the Longsword itself was slipspace-capable. Was the Longsword at Earth inside the hangar of a ship or in the open outdoors? Not clear. -ScaleMaster117 (talk) 15:02, 25 July 2014 (EDT)
I am going to agree with ScaleMaster on this one. Assumption is not good enough. We need actual proof that the Longswords are slipspace capable. I don't care if the Engineers are working on Pelicans or that a Longsword appeared suddenly at a different location far away from the original. Just because we don't see a ship drop off the fighter at Gamma Halo doesn't mean there is none. Until we have proof that they are now slip capable, we should continue saying they are not. Just like in real life, circumstantial evidence is not conclusive enough.Rprince418 (talk) 00:32, 28 July 2014 (EDT)