I've recieved alot of mail about Marathon 4. Some of the nicest, kindest, and most intelligent letters are compiled here. Also here (after the emails) are a few posts from alt.games.marathon concerning M4.
No names have been changed, as nobody is innocent.
Date: Fri, 06 Dec 1996 13:19:48 -0500 From: Quartz <Quartz@shore.net> Subject: nice try hey stompbox, nice try on your marathon d'rater thing. I think it would have been a little more beliveable had you done a better job on the pictures and not over compressed them to cover it up. It also didn't help that we all know that bungie isn't beating a dead horse. My very first email! And from such a nice young man.
Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 14:07:55 -0800 From: "Tyler L." <tylerl@geocities.com> Subject: The Marathon Dr'ate'r Page Hey, are you making this up, or are you telling the truth? Any way, it isn't too big, I've downloaded a 64 meg Harmony beta on a 28.8 modem. I need to see if this is for real. I'm not a person that would wreak havoc on the 'net. Thanks. Tyler sent me many nice emails, I think i'll put them all up! Naughty boy with that Harmony beta! Thats not very nice!
Date: Fri, 06 Dec 1996 18:12:14 -0600 From: "Tyler L." <tylerl@geocities.com> Subject: Re:Re: The Marathon Dr'ate'r Page WHY YOU LITTLE %)#*%* $%#^#*@ I'M GUNNA RIP YOUR $@%*^) EYES OUT WITH A CHAINSAW! DON'T MAKE ME E-MAIL YOU THE HARMONY BETA!!!!!!!!!!!! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! --Tyler L. (AN' DON'T YOU FORGET IT!) He seemed to be mad at first when I told him I wouldn't send him M4, but he cheered up.
Date: Fri, 06 Dec 1996 18:23:11 -0600 From: "Tyler L." <tylerl@geocities.com> Subject: Re:Re:Re: The Marathon Dr'ate'r Page AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! THOU HAST MADE ME ANGRY! NOW I'M NOT PUTTING A LINK TO YOUR SITE ON MY PAGE! YOU WILL BE WOLLOWING IN AGONY WHILE I GET DARTH VADER TO SLOWLY CHOKE YOU WITH THE POWERS OF THE FORCE! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! -- Tyler L. It certainly is good that he can work thru his problems, and be happy!
Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 23:07:45 -0800 From: David <psuse306@slc.shorelin.wednet.edu> Subject: M4 I know that you are spreading a hoax. There is no Marathon 4, and may never be. There is no alpha. You did, however, do a nice job touching-up picts from Prey. And using the blue S'pht that are in the shapes file but left out of the game might throw a few off. Not me. I have alread informed those who need to be informed. Admit your crime to the Marathon Mythos and we may let you retain a bit of your dignity. -David Such an intelligent young man! Its nice to know people like this exist!
From: Pfhorrest@aol.com Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1996 20:41:41 -0500 Subject: M4 and Prey I got a link to your page from the Marathon Story Page <www.marathon.org/story/newnov-dec96.html>, and I downloaded your screenshots. I thought it was all some hoax you did with Photoshop and M2 sprites Now, I followed that link on your page to the Prey sight, and I noticed that one of the screenshots there is EXACTLY the same as one on your M4 site, but without the Pfhor, and another is EXACTLY the same, as one on your M4 sites, but without the S'pht. Now, I could have taken Netacape and d/led those screenshots, and then used Anvil to copy the Pfhor images, and then used Photoshop to make it look like the Pfhor were in the original screenshots. But my question is...did you? You DO have some images not on the Prey site, but still, I don't know. I don't like whoever wrote that Prey site, they use PC's and call everything PC's even when the game should run best on a Mac. Look within yourself for the answers, Pfhorrest!
Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 08:58:24 -0800 From: Astro <AstroNine@aol.com> Subject: M4 alpha? I'm not sure i belive you. tell me where you got it or give it to me, then i MIGHT belive you. Astro Astro and I had a nice conversation. I'll post some of his letters.
From: AstroNine@aol.com Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 19:02:03 -0500 Subject: Re: M4 alpha? Yea, well where did you get the alpha? I went to prey. What did you want me to see? Astro This is after I told him to go look at the PREY page.
From: AstroNine@aol.com Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 19:15:04 -0500 Subject: Re: M4 alpha? I notice it's the same engein. I want to know where to get an alpha of the engein that is used. Astro This is after I told him to look at the identical PREY screenshots. I guess he just doesn't get it.
Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 16:08:24 -0800 From: Josh Noel <carinoel@mail.gte.net> Subject: m4 hoax i just wanted to ask if this m4 site is a hoax? I ask this because it looks like a couple of the shots are from the prey page and the MARATHON DR'ATE'R title shot looks an awful lot like the one for the links at the bottom of each page. Also, next to each picture you say [yup, this one is fake] or something along the lines. is it a hoax thought up by you to make people like me happy? Josh apparently doesn't know the old saying; If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, odds are, its a duck.
Subject: Re: Marathon 4
From: sue <piac@peg.apc.org>
Date: 1996/12/05
Newsgroups: alt.games.marathon
Jim Head <jhead@extro.ucc.su.oz.au> wrote:
>Ok, to me this looks like total bullshit, but i thought i might atleast
>give out the url to the unnoficial Marathon 4 page, since i haven't seen
>it posted here yet.
Sorry to be replying to my own post but both Jim and I missed the
obvious: the scenario's title "Dr'ate'r" is simply retard backwards. I
think this proves it's a hoax (or bungie have a wierd sense of humour
indeed). Good artwork though whoever you are - shame you can't put your
talents to better use!
Dr. Nicholas J. Head
Ah, a doctor of chemistry! I see those years of schooling are going
to good use! Hope you get your own email address soon, Nick!
Subject: Re: Marathon 4 (me too! me too! me too! )
From: Quartz <Quartz@shore.net>
Date: 1996/12/06
Organization: Shore.Net/Eco Software, Inc; (info@shore.net)
Newsgroups: alt.games.marathon
you know, after reading my own post complaining about his editing, I'm
compelled to prove that it's not hard to do a better job. just for the
hell of it, I'll be working on this for the next few days and will put
my results on my page when i'm finished. however, I'll say that they are
just what-if pictures and not try to say they're real.
I'm still waiting for those screenshots, Quartz! You havent given
up have you? Oh, and dont spend too long on them, I only spent 45 minutes or so!