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Design pattern: Difference between revisions

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{{Status|Canon}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Under Construction}}
'''Design patterns''', commonly known simply as '''patterns''', are a system of design templates used by the [[Covenant]] and its [[Covenant remnants|remnants]]. Design patterns are an integral result of the use of [[Assembly Forges]] for materiel construction.


'''Design patterns''', commonly known simply as '''patterns''', are templates used by the [[Covenant]] and its [[Covenant remnants|remnants]] to make and classify the numerous different types of their technology. Design patterns comprise instructions fed to [[Nanotechnology|nanomachines]] that construct Covenant machinery. Many patterns are based on the analysis and replication of [[Forerunner]] technology; however, improving or substantially altering the work of the "gods" was heavily restricted by the [[Prophet]]s.<ref>''[[Halo: Warfleet]]'', Glossary</ref>
==Overview==
A design pattern is a specific manufacturing template used to program an assembly forge with the appropriate instructions on how to create a given piece of equipment. Materiel created via this system incorporates a huge swath of designs, ranging from the smallest infantry-portable weapons to the largest [[Sh'wada-pattern supercarrier|supercarriers]]. Assembly forges then use the instructions fed into them by the design pattern template to direct the actions of [[Nanotechnology|nanomachines]], allowing them to "grow" subassemblies and integrate various pre-manufactured components into one overall piece of equipment{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22p216|Enc22|Page=216}} - a process partially-responsible for the Covenant's distinctive curvilinear-organic design stylings.


==Equipment patterns==
While useful for manufacturing, the design pattern system does have limitations and downsides especially for a society that restricts the usage of [[artificial intelligence]]; they are extremely cumbersome to make and modify, and their use in manufacturing can be subject to mutations and unpredictable errors in design replication. In addition, the materials fed into the template can have a drastic effect on the end product, with design pattern manufacturing being extremely sensitive to variations in input materiel.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22p261|Enc22|Page=261}} This can lead to wild and unintended variation in the end products of assembly forge manufacturing; for example, the diminutive {{Pattern|Zanar|light cruiser}} was originally created as an accidental - but stable - mutation of the much larger and more standardised {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser|}} and {{Pattern|Elefen|battlecruiser}}s. This mutation led to the creation of a ship several times smaller than its intended size, though retaining almost identical proportions.{{Ref/Book|HWF|Page=72-73}}
===[[Covenant supply case|Supply case]]===
*[[Almar-pattern repository|''Almar''-pattern repository]]


===[[Plasma battery]]===
The creation of design patterns is an art handled by (predominantly-[[Sangheili]]) tradesmen known as artisans, and their various specialties such as [[artisan-armorer]]s and artisan-engineers.{{Ref/Reuse|HWFG}} New patterns are the result of dedicated labour, with each artisan building upon the work of their forebears, with design pattern lineages stretching back to the eras of Sangheili [[Sangheili colonies|colonial expansion]] prior to the founding of the Covenant. The careful study and refinement of [[Forerunner]] relics is also employed in the creation of new patterns, a process undertaken by Sangheili and [[San'Shyuum]] artificers.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p216}}
*Vantus-Pattern Eolipile


==Sangheili harness patterns==
The [[Jiralhanae]] do not use design patterns in their traditional weapon and equipment designs, instead opting for a system of manufacture based around [[clan workshop]]s.
===Combat harness===
The [[Sangheili]] [[Combat harness]]' helmet pattern was virtually unchanged for eleven hundred [[cycle]]s.<ref name="H3 armory">'''[[Halo 3]]''', ''armor description''</ref>


===Commando harness===
===Classification===
The Sangheili [[Commando harness]]' helmet pattern for the Commando Unit formed in [[2552]] was based on a pre-contact ground forces pattern with upgrades that include hardened communications gear and uplink capabilities.{{Ref/Reuse|H3 armory}}
Covenant standardisation and categorisation has historically been a loose affair, especially by the standards of humanity, due to the Covenant's disdain for serial manufacturing techniques.{{Ref/Reuse|HWPP}} The UNSC and [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] could identify dozens or even hundreds of distinct permutations of a given design - such as the veritable [[Wraith]] tank - while by Covenant standards they are considered effectively identical.{{Ref/Site|Id=wraith|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/wraith|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Wraith|D=04|M=01|Y=2020}} Human forces during the Covenant War categorised many of these design pattern variations under the [[type classification system]], though these classifications were often incorrect. In many cases, the Covenant lacked any clear etymology for various stylings and armament packages for their equipment - instead considering them under a single banner.{{Ref/Site|Id=shade|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/shade|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Shade Turret|D=04|M=01|Y=2020}}


==Infantry weapon patterns==
==Etymology==
===Beam Rifle===
Patterns have no known consistent standard for naming, save for that their names are typically derived from the [[Sangheili (language)|Sangheili lingua franca]]. In some cases, the translated pattern name translates to a general concept (such as the {{Pattern|Suspa Al|Individual Assault Carapace|}} roughly corresponding with the term "''fire seed"''{{Ref/Book|HWF|Page=66-67}}), while in others the pattern may be named after the given technology's creator or inventor (such as the {{Pattern|Elo'Nakada|concussion rifle}} being named after its designer [[Nakada 'Zadum]]{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=296}}).
During the [[Human-Covenant War]], after [[Human]] snipers showed that pinpoint firepower could throw entire armies into disarray, [[Type-50 particle beam rifle|Particle Beam Rifle]] patterns were quickly selected. Despite this, the Covenant do not distinguish the various Particle Beam Rifle patterns from one another, and simply group them together based on core components and intended use.<ref name="beam">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/beam-rifle '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Beam Rifle'']</ref>


===Needler===
Pattern names do not generally denote a specific series; the {{Pattern|Wuzum|Spectre}} does not necessarily imply the existence of other ''Wuzum''-pattern vehicles - rather, the pattern names themselves can be considered more comparable to [[human starship]] classification. The ''M'tara'' in {{Pattern|M'tara|focus rifle|}} has the same equivalency as the ''Scholte'' in {{Class|Scholte|missile corvette}}. However, similar groupings of vehicles or weapons created by the same manufacturer or intended for similar roles may share similar names with one another, indicating they exist as part of a series. This is perhaps best observed with the roles of the {{Pattern|Brhi Xur|Leech}} and {{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit|}}, {{Pattern|Taaku Xur|Spirit|}} and {{Pattern|Nuro'k Xur|Spirit}}s - all of which sharing the ''Xur''-suffix on the end of their names. In some cases, this naming may be abbreviated, such as the ''Dextro Xur''-pattern simply being shortened to ''DX-class''.{{Ref/Novel|GOO|Chapter=31}} Similar naming schemes can be observed in [[Lodam Armory]]'s {{Pattern|Gloto|Breaching Carapace|}}, {{Pattern|Gloto'kas|Assault Carapace|}} and {{Pattern|Gloto'kef|Assault Carapace|}}, {{Pattern|Yado|Intrusion Carapace|}} and {{Pattern|Yado'kef|Assault Carapace|}}, and {{Pattern|Kalu'qeh|Breaching Carapace|}} and {{Pattern|Kalu'teh|Breaching Carapace|}} drop pods.
[[Needler]] pre-Covenant design patterns use [[Subanese crystal]] in interesting but poorly understood ways. [[Sangheili]] artisan-armorers were researching to unlock the crystal's secrets after the fall of High Charity.<ref name="needler">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/needler '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Needler'']</ref>


===Plasma Rifle===
==History==
The most recognizable pattern of the {{Pattern|Okarda'phaa|plasma rifle}} is believed by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] to date back at least 500 years with only minor modifications over time.<ref name="PlasmaRifle">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/plasma-rifle '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Plasma Rifle'']</ref>
===Sangheili origins===
Assembly forge manufacturing - and thus by extent design patterns - are a technology developed by the [[Sangheili]] of [[The Former Age]], prior to the founding of the Covenant. [[Covenant ship classification system#Vestiges|Ancient Sangheili warships]] constructed in assembly forges and bearing pattern designations were employed by the Sangheili during the [[War of Beginnings]] in [[850 BCE]], with many later being decommissioned or abandoned. Over time these ancient ships would later be reintroduced into service nearly three millennia later, with many salvaged from the ashes of long-since destroyed assembly forges.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22p270|Enc22|Page=270}}


The [[Type-25 Brute plasma rifle|Brute Plasma Rifle]] was made when the artisan-engineers in the [[Prophet of Truth]]'s employment were allowed to modify the Plasma Rifle's sacred design pattern to suit the nature of the [[Jiralhanae]].{{Ref/Reuse|PlasmaRifle}}
===Covenant era===
During the reign of the Covenant, the creation of new design patterns was a heavily-bureaucratic process. New designs were subject to intense scrutiny, and attempting to improve, build upon or substantially alter the work of the "gods" was heavily restricted.{{Ref/Book|Id=HWFG|HWF|Section=Glossary}} Attempting to alter [[Hierarchs|hierarch]]-approved designs could be viewed as blasphemous at best and heretical at worst{{Ref/Reuse|HWPR}}, as the Covenant tried to enforce strict controls over pattern standardisation to minimise problems.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p261}} Despite this, the Byzantine politics of the Covenant meant that certain [[Ministry|ministerial organisations]], or even particularly notable heroes and influential figures of Covenant high society, could commission specific design patterns for their own ends.{{Ref/Site|Id=HWPR|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/plasma-rifle|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Plasma Rifle|D=23|M=10|Y=2021}} In one such case, the [[Ministry of Concert]]'s {{Pattern|Kewu|battleship}} was able to break a number of the usual pattern approval processes and go to manufacture thanks to a direct (and unorthodox) blessing from the Hierarchs themselves.{{Ref/Book|Enc22|Page=267}}


===Plasma Pistol===
In perhaps the most high-profile examples of such meddling, in the Covenant's final years the [[Prophet of Truth]] commissioned an armoury's worth of new design patterns in secret to be constructed by the [[Sacred Promissory]]. These weapons were intended for the [[Jiralhanae]] in the [[Great Schism]], and in many cases - such as their [[Brute plasma rifle|custom-made plasma rifle]] - contained upgrades that would have been deemed outright heresy were it not for the Hierarch's personal blessing.{{Ref/Reuse|HWPR}}
The design pattern of the Plasma Pistol was reverse engineered from a Forerunner tool of indeterminate function, which was standardized and blessed for full-scale replication.<ref name="PlasmaPistol">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/plasma-pistol '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Plasma Pistol'']</ref>


There are several patterns of Plasma Pistols, most of which are grouped under the [[Type-25 Plasma Pistol]] label, and with the loss of [[High Charity]], Plasma Pistols started to appear with numerous cases and variants.{{Ref/Reuse|PlasmaPistol}}
===Post-Covenant===
Following the end of the [[Human-Covenant War]] and the Covenant's dissolution into innumerable [[Covenant remnants|disparate states]], the San'Shyuum-enforced approval processes for design pattern approval no longer exist. As such, Sangheili engineers and architects have been able to freely explore new avenues limited only by the resources they have available. However, the loss of critical installations like [[High Charity]] and the ensuing civil war has seen the remaining available assembly forges become an extremely valuable strategic asset. As such, many post-Covenant factions have sought to reintroduce design patterns - including Vestige warships and other armaments like the {{Pattern|Chwich|Saker}} - which served in conflicts fought centuries or millennia prior to augment their existing stocks.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p270}}


===Shade turrets===
The colony world of [[Hesduros]] has spearheaded this movement, kickstarting a massive arms industry with manufacturers such as the [[Hearth of Aspero]] to manufacture massive amounts of materiel for the [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|Covenant remnant]] group led by [[Jul 'Mdama]]. This action has seen a huge increase in the amount of variations in the design of the [[plasma pistol]].{{Ref/Site|Id=HWPP|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/plasma-pistol|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Plasma Pistol|D=25|M=06|Y=2021}}  
[[Shade]] turrets for thousands of years, were simply provisioned to fleets, often of almost unrecognizable chassis shape and armament compared to contemporary patterns.<ref name="shade">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/shade '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Shade Turret'']</ref>
 
==Vehicles patterns==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
'''[[Banshee]]'''
*[[Oghal-pattern Banshee|''Oghal''-pattern Attack Flyer]]
**[[Drailaac-pattern Banshee|''Drailaac''-pattern Banshee]]
*[[Is'belox-pattern Banshee|''Is'belox''-pattern Banshee]]
**[[Te'ved-pattern Banshee|''Te'ved''-pattern Banshee]]
*[[Irdnekt-pattern Banshee|''Irdnekt''-pattern Banshee]]
*[[D'nomlhe-pattern Banshee|''D'nomlhe''-pattern Banshee]]
 
'''Insertion Pods'''
*[[Covenant drop pod|''Suspa Al''-pattern insertion pod]]
 
'''[[Scarab]]'''
*[[Protos-pattern Scarab|''Protos''-pattern fortress breaker]]
*[[Deutoros-pattern Scarab|''Deuotoros''-pattern fortress breaker]]
*[[Sumda'te-pattern Scarab|''Sumda'te''-pattern sky stalker]]
 
'''[[Seraph]]'''
*[[Kai-pattern Seraph|''Kai''-pattern Seraph]]
*[[Morsam-pattern Seraph|''Morsam''-pattern Seraph]]
{{col-2}}
'''[[Spirit]]'''
*[[Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit|''Dextro Xur''-pattern warrior transport]]
*[[Taaku Xur-pattern Spirit|''Taaku Xur''-pattern warrior]]
*[[Mokol'ta-pattern Spirit|''Mokol'ta''-pattern heavy Spirit]]
*[[Nuro'k Xur-pattern Spirit|''Nuro'k Xur''-pattern warrior transport]]
 
'''Tarasque'''
*[[Keljiric-pattern Tarasque|''Keljiric''-pattern Tarasque]]
 
'''Revenant'''
*[[Phelent-pattern Revenant|''Phelent''-pattern Ground Striker]]
*[[Rizvum-pattern Revenant|Prizvum-pattern Swift Tank]]
 
'''[[Phantom]]'''
*[[Type-44 Phantom|''Ru'swum''-pattern warrior transport]]
*[[Type-52 Phantom|''Kez'katu''-pattern warrior transport]]
*[[Mikpramu-pattern Phantom|''Mikpramu''-pattern warrior transport]]
 
'''[[Wraith]]'''
*[[Type-26 Wraith|''Zurdo''-pattern Wraith]]
*[[Muz-pattern Wraith|''Muz''-pattern Wraith]]
*[[Type-58 Wraith|''Kemu''-pattern Wraith]]
{{Col-end}}
==Vehicle weapon patterns==
===[[Fuel rod cannon]]===
*''Novox''-pattern - Used on the Kai-pattern Seraphs.
 
===[[Heavy plasma cannon]]===
*''Murien''-pattern - Used on the ''Dextro Xur''-pattern Spirit.
*''Tevaas Mu''-pattern - Used on the ''Kai''-pattern Seraph.
 
==Ship patterns==
 
===[[Hekar Taa-pattern blockade runner|Blockade runner]]===
*''Hekar Taa''-pattern
 
===[[CAS-class assault carrier]]===
*''Kerel''-pattern
*''Syfon''-pattern
 
===[[CCS-class battlecruiser]]===
*''Elefen''-pattern<ref>[[Stephen Loftus]] on the [[Talk:Autumn-class heavy cruiser|''Autumn'' class' talk page]]</ref>
*''Ket''-pattern
 
===CPV-class heavy destroyer===
*{{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}
 
===CRS-class light cruiser===
*{{Pattern|Zanar|light cruiser}}
 
===DAS-class storm cutter===
*{{Pattern|Mutan Et|storm cutter}}
 
===DSC-class support ship===
*{{Pattern|Mjern|agricultural support ship}}
 
===ORS-class heavy cruiser===
*{{Pattern|Varric|heavy cruiser}}
 
==Ship specification patterns==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
'''Repulsor engine'' (Maneuver Drive)'''''
*[[Callipoas-pattern repulsor engine|''Callipoas''-pattern repulsor engine]] - Used on the SDV-class heavy corvette.
*''Gablien''-pattern - Used on the ''Ket''-pattern CCS-class battlecruisers.
*''Raphyus''-pattern - Used on the ''Kerel''-pattern CAS-class assault carrier.
 
'''Borer ''(Translight Engine)'''''
*[[Ophon-pattern drive core|''Ophon''-pattern drive borer]]  - Used on the ''Ket''-pattern CCS-class battlecruisers.
*''Primus''-pattern - Used on the ''Kerel''-pattern CAS-class assault carrier.
*''Tyros''-pattern - Used on the SDV-class heavy corvette.
 
{{col-2}}
'''Dispersal field generators ''(Shielding)'''''
*''Corvex''-pattern - Used on the ''Ket''-pattern CCS-class battlecruisers.
*''Morelia''-pattern - Used on the SDV-class heavy corvette.
*''Tantalus''-pattern - Used on the ''Kerel''-pattern CAS-class assault carrier.
 
'''Stealth generator'''
*''Ushab''-pattern - Used on the SDV-class heavy corvette.
{{col-end}}
 
==Ship armament patterns==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
'''[[Energy projector|Excavation beams]]'''
*''Profero''-pattern - Used on the ''Ket''-pattern CCS-class battlecruisers.
*''Phar''-pattern - Used on the ''Varric''-pattern ORS-class heavy cruiser.
*''Pherex''-pattern - Used on the ''Hekar Taa''-pattern blockade runner.
 
'''Superheavy excavation beams'''
*''Infernus''-pattern - Used on the ''Sinaris''-pattern CPV-class heavy destroyer and the ''Kerel''-pattern CAS-class assault carrier.
 
'''[[Plasma lance]]s'''
*''Ignis''-pattern - Used on the ''Ket''-pattern CCS-class battlecruisers.
*[[Muesh-pattern flensing lance|''Muesh''-pattern flensing lance]] - Used on {{Pattern|Kewu|battleship}}s.
 
'''Light plasma lances'''
*''Emri Ka''-pattern - Used on the ''Mutan Et''-pattern DAS-class storm cutter.
 
'''Heavy plasma lances'''
*''Ventrax''-pattern - Used on the ''Varric''-pattern ORS-class heavy cruiser.
 
'''Superheavy plasma lances'''
*''Urpeon''-pattern - Used on the ''Kerel''-pattern CAS-class assault carrier
 
'''Plasma beam emitters'''
*''Aljordan''-pattern - Used on the ''Sinaris''-pattern CPV-class heavy destroyer.
*''Corven''-pattern - Used on the ''Hekar Taa''-pattern blockade runner.
*''Enteros''-pattern - Used on the ''Mutan Et''-pattern DAS-class storm cutter.
*''Erex''-pattern - Used on the ''Zanar''-pattern CRS-class light cruiser.
*''Felo''-pattern - Used on the ''Varric''-pattern ORS-class heavy cruiser.
 
'''Heavy plasma beam emitters'''
*''Luxor''-pattern - Used on the ''Kerel''-pattern CAS-class assault carrier.
 
'''[[Plasma cannon (starship)|Plasma cannons]]'''
*''Gaff Naran''-pattern - Used on the ''Hekar Taa''-pattern blockade runner.
*''Sono''-pattern - Used on the ''Ket''-pattern CCS-class battlecruisers.
 
'''Heavy plasma cannons'''
*''Melusean''-pattern - Used on the ''Sinaris''-pattern CPV-class heavy destroyer, the ''Varric''-pattern ORS-class heavy cruiser, the ''Mjern''-pattern DSC-class support ship, and the SDV-class heavy corvette.
 
{{col-2}}
'''[[Plasma torpedo|Plasma torpedo silos]]
*''Serpens''-pattern - Used on the ''Ket''-pattern CCS-class battlecruisers.
*''Sintra''-pattern - Used on the ''Zanar''-pattern CRS-class light cruiser.
*''Jaet''-pattern - Used on the ''Sinaris''-pattern CPV-class heavy destroyer and the ''Mjern''-pattern DSC-class support ship.
*''Litrex''-pattern - Used on the ''Hekar Taa''-pattern blockade runner.
*''Qur''-pattern  - Used on the ''Varric''-pattern ORS-class heavy cruiser.
 
'''Heavy plasma torpedo silos'''
*''Mictix''-pattern - Used on the ''Kerel''-pattern CAS-class assault carrier.
 
'''[[Pulse laser turret|Pulse laser]]s'''
*''Eriu''-pattern - Used on the ''Hekar Taa''-pattern blockade runner.
*''Ferriel''-pattern - Used on the ''Kerel''-pattern CAS-class assault carrier.
*''Gon''-pattern - Used on the ''Sinaris''-pattern CPV-class heavy destroyer, and the Ket-pattern CCS-class battlecruisers.
*''Pallio''-pattern - Used on the ''Mjern''-pattern DSC-class support ship.
*''Phot''-pattern - Used on the SDV-class heavy corvette.
*''Phot Et''-pattern - Used on the ''Varric''-pattern ORS-class heavy cruiser and the ''Mutan Et''-pattern DAS-class storm cutter.
*''Pok''-pattern - Used on the CRS-class light cruiser.
 
'''[[Beam laser]]s'''
*''Pok''-pattern - Used on the ''Zanar''-pattern CRS-class light cruiser.
 
'''[[Plasma bombardment mortar]]s'''
*''Carnax Et''-pattern - Used on the ''Sinaris''-pattern CPV-class heavy destroyer.
*''Carnax Nu''-pattern - Used on the SDV-class heavy corvette.
*''Fet''-pattern - Used on the ''Varric''-pattern ORS-class heavy cruiser.
{{col-end}}


==Sources==
==Sources==

Revision as of 17:56, June 9, 2022

Design patterns, commonly known simply as patterns, are a system of design templates used by the Covenant and its remnants. Design patterns are an integral result of the use of Assembly Forges for materiel construction.

Overview

A design pattern is a specific manufacturing template used to program an assembly forge with the appropriate instructions on how to create a given piece of equipment. Materiel created via this system incorporates a huge swath of designs, ranging from the smallest infantry-portable weapons to the largest supercarriers. Assembly forges then use the instructions fed into them by the design pattern template to direct the actions of nanomachines, allowing them to "grow" subassemblies and integrate various pre-manufactured components into one overall piece of equipment[1] - a process partially-responsible for the Covenant's distinctive curvilinear-organic design stylings.

While useful for manufacturing, the design pattern system does have limitations and downsides especially for a society that restricts the usage of artificial intelligence; they are extremely cumbersome to make and modify, and their use in manufacturing can be subject to mutations and unpredictable errors in design replication. In addition, the materials fed into the template can have a drastic effect on the end product, with design pattern manufacturing being extremely sensitive to variations in input materiel.[2] This can lead to wild and unintended variation in the end products of assembly forge manufacturing; for example, the diminutive Zanar-pattern light cruiser was originally created as an accidental - but stable - mutation of the much larger and more standardised Ket-pattern and Elefen-pattern battlecruisers. This mutation led to the creation of a ship several times smaller than its intended size, though retaining almost identical proportions.[3]

The creation of design patterns is an art handled by (predominantly-Sangheili) tradesmen known as artisans, and their various specialties such as artisan-armorers and artisan-engineers.[4] New patterns are the result of dedicated labour, with each artisan building upon the work of their forebears, with design pattern lineages stretching back to the eras of Sangheili colonial expansion prior to the founding of the Covenant. The careful study and refinement of Forerunner relics is also employed in the creation of new patterns, a process undertaken by Sangheili and San'Shyuum artificers.[1]

The Jiralhanae do not use design patterns in their traditional weapon and equipment designs, instead opting for a system of manufacture based around clan workshops.

Classification

Covenant standardisation and categorisation has historically been a loose affair, especially by the standards of humanity, due to the Covenant's disdain for serial manufacturing techniques.[5] The UNSC and Office of Naval Intelligence could identify dozens or even hundreds of distinct permutations of a given design - such as the veritable Wraith tank - while by Covenant standards they are considered effectively identical.[6] Human forces during the Covenant War categorised many of these design pattern variations under the type classification system, though these classifications were often incorrect. In many cases, the Covenant lacked any clear etymology for various stylings and armament packages for their equipment - instead considering them under a single banner.[7]

Etymology

Patterns have no known consistent standard for naming, save for that their names are typically derived from the Sangheili lingua franca. In some cases, the translated pattern name translates to a general concept (such as the Suspa Al-pattern roughly corresponding with the term "fire seed"[8]), while in others the pattern may be named after the given technology's creator or inventor (such as the Elo'Nakada-pattern concussion rifle being named after its designer Nakada 'Zadum[9]).

Pattern names do not generally denote a specific series; the Wuzum-pattern Spectre does not necessarily imply the existence of other Wuzum-pattern vehicles - rather, the pattern names themselves can be considered more comparable to human starship classification. The M'tara in M'tara-pattern has the same equivalency as the Scholte in Scholte-class missile corvette. However, similar groupings of vehicles or weapons created by the same manufacturer or intended for similar roles may share similar names with one another, indicating they exist as part of a series. This is perhaps best observed with the roles of the Brhi Xur-pattern Leech and Dextro Xur-pattern, Taaku Xur-pattern and Nuro'k Xur-pattern Spirits - all of which sharing the Xur-suffix on the end of their names. In some cases, this naming may be abbreviated, such as the Dextro Xur-pattern simply being shortened to DX-class.[10] Similar naming schemes can be observed in Lodam Armory's Gloto-pattern, Gloto'kas-pattern and Gloto'kef-pattern, Yado-pattern and Yado'kef-pattern, and Kalu'qeh-pattern and Kalu'teh-pattern drop pods.

History

Sangheili origins

Assembly forge manufacturing - and thus by extent design patterns - are a technology developed by the Sangheili of The Former Age, prior to the founding of the Covenant. Ancient Sangheili warships constructed in assembly forges and bearing pattern designations were employed by the Sangheili during the War of Beginnings in 850 BCE, with many later being decommissioned or abandoned. Over time these ancient ships would later be reintroduced into service nearly three millennia later, with many salvaged from the ashes of long-since destroyed assembly forges.[11]

Covenant era

During the reign of the Covenant, the creation of new design patterns was a heavily-bureaucratic process. New designs were subject to intense scrutiny, and attempting to improve, build upon or substantially alter the work of the "gods" was heavily restricted.[4] Attempting to alter hierarch-approved designs could be viewed as blasphemous at best and heretical at worst[12], as the Covenant tried to enforce strict controls over pattern standardisation to minimise problems.[2] Despite this, the Byzantine politics of the Covenant meant that certain ministerial organisations, or even particularly notable heroes and influential figures of Covenant high society, could commission specific design patterns for their own ends.[12] In one such case, the Ministry of Concert's Kewu-pattern battleship was able to break a number of the usual pattern approval processes and go to manufacture thanks to a direct (and unorthodox) blessing from the Hierarchs themselves.[13]

In perhaps the most high-profile examples of such meddling, in the Covenant's final years the Prophet of Truth commissioned an armoury's worth of new design patterns in secret to be constructed by the Sacred Promissory. These weapons were intended for the Jiralhanae in the Great Schism, and in many cases - such as their custom-made plasma rifle - contained upgrades that would have been deemed outright heresy were it not for the Hierarch's personal blessing.[12]

Post-Covenant

Following the end of the Human-Covenant War and the Covenant's dissolution into innumerable disparate states, the San'Shyuum-enforced approval processes for design pattern approval no longer exist. As such, Sangheili engineers and architects have been able to freely explore new avenues limited only by the resources they have available. However, the loss of critical installations like High Charity and the ensuing civil war has seen the remaining available assembly forges become an extremely valuable strategic asset. As such, many post-Covenant factions have sought to reintroduce design patterns - including Vestige warships and other armaments like the Chwich-pattern Saker - which served in conflicts fought centuries or millennia prior to augment their existing stocks.[11]

The colony world of Hesduros has spearheaded this movement, kickstarting a massive arms industry with manufacturers such as the Hearth of Aspero to manufacture massive amounts of materiel for the Covenant remnant group led by Jul 'Mdama. This action has seen a huge increase in the amount of variations in the design of the plasma pistol.[5]

Sources

  1. ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 216
  2. ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 261
  3. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 72-73
  4. ^ a b Halo: Warfleet - Glossary
  5. ^ a b Halo Waypoint, Plasma Pistol (Retrieved on Jun 25, 2021) [archive]
  6. ^ Halo Waypoint, Wraith (Retrieved on Jan 4, 2020) [archive]
  7. ^ Halo Waypoint, Shade Turret (Retrieved on Jan 4, 2020) [archive]
  8. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 66-67
  9. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 296
  10. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, chapter 31
  11. ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 270
  12. ^ a b c Halo Waypoint, Plasma Rifle (Retrieved on Oct 23, 2021) [archive]
  13. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 267

See also

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