Marathon Spoiler Guide


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Tempus Infinity - Solo Levels

1 Gates of Delerium

Tips and Secrets

Named after a song on the Yes Relayer album, this is the scenario's first Italy level. According to the dictates of the plot, it is an easy level monster wise, and light on puzzles. Like the song it is named after, it starts out light and airy but develops into a pitched battle by the end.

You start out in an outdoor courtyard area. Run forwards to grab some ammo and open the door to the building. You will encounter several rooms surrounding a central open area marked by arches. In the open area you will find ammo and weapons. As you explore the rooms you will notice that you are in some sort of living quarters.. beds, wine bottles (which break if you shoot them) tables and desks. If you explore the rooms to the right of the entrance, you will encounter a crucifix on the wall... this is a secret save terminal. At the northwest corner of this building is a door that seems to be locked. Enter the northwest rooms to find the switch that unlocks this door. Don't miss checking out the bookcase on one wall... it is the "terminal" for this level!

Head up the stairs and you will be standing at the top of an outdoor area surrounded by buildings. Look to your right and you can just see into the windows of the upper library area... your objective for the level.

Jump down, and head for the building opposite, where you will encounter a dining area, decorated with Leonardo da Vinici's "Last Supper" fresco. In a small alcove directly ahead of the entrance, you will find a switch that opens a door into the first building you entered in the level. You will need to exit the dining hall, and return the light-brick building where you will find a switch that unlocks the courtyard door. Head to the east side of the building to find the door you just opened from the dining hall. This leads to a hedge maze.

Like of lot of hedge mazes of the time, this maze is nearly symmetrical. Just as you get to the entrance of the maze, head to your left. You will find some ammo and powerups, and a gate that returns you to the courtyard area. Feel free to fully explore the maze.. ammo has been sprinkled around here and there. Head to the center of the maze where you will find a large gazebo which holds a key. Grab the key, and head south until you come to the southernmost edge of the maze, and then head west. You will come to a brick paved area and a door that is locked... the key will allow you to open the door.

Once the door is open, head up to the library area. You are looking for the last bookcase by the end door, directly opposite of a window that looks down on the building across the way, where an "L" switch holds the door locked and is inactive. Tab on the bookcase, and it will slide down into the floor to reveal the hiding place of the scenario's first manuscript. Grab it, and head back to the window... you will notice that the "L" switch is now active. Open the door, head right, and jump down. Go to the "L" switch, open the door, and you see a large square room dimly lit by candlelight. Head for the door opposite, and you'll enter a private library with fireplace. As you approach, one wall of the library will open to reveal the exit.

Map Making Notes

The hardest part of making this level was maintaining a clear view of buildings so that "sky" textured walls would not cut into the player's view. Another trouble spot was the area around the tower that contains the entrance to the dining hall... some very crafty polys had to be laid down there to maintain the illusion of a capped tower overlapping a roof over an area that the player can enter.

Marathon has no key controlled doors. This trick came from Kendal Redburn via alt.games.marathon who suggested having the switch to be controlled by the key be "light dependent" and the poly the key rests on be a trigger for that light. It was my trick to hide the real switch behind a fake lock texture. This trick is used throughout the scenario.

The save terminal behind the crucifix is a small hole about 1/8 wu square, and the hole is plastered over with a SHIFT applied texture containing the crucifix. The base texture for the crucifix texture is the same as that used on the walls, so care was taken to make sure the two were aligned to allow the crucifix to blend into the wall perfectly.


Michael K. Neylon / mneylon@engin.umich.edu
Last Modified: Thursday, July 31, 1997