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Marathon's Story Page
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It's November 4, 1996 and Double Aught adds Hastur's Workshop to their web page.
You can see it... here .
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Jeff Nosanov writes to point out that there is a Marathon reference in the Halo Infinite multiplayer video from e3 2021
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Wait what? Another update on the PID page? What's up with that? Are the the rumours true?
Check out the tale of the Cedar Box, the Flashlight, the Silver Medal and the mysterious war hero.
Pyramid entry is on your left.
<------- no your other left.
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The PID page has been updated with more stuff from the Archives.
<------- click on the pyramid to enter. But remember... lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate.
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Added Double Aught's 3rd web page design from October 13, 1996.
Just two days before the release of Marathon Infinity.
But in true ydnar fashion you had to know where to look for it.Can you find the path to... Prague .
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Marathon board game... sort of.
Eric Salzman <esalzman5@gmail.com> writes:
I'm creating a board game that drips with my leftover Marathon memories.Wormwood is the title of the game and is based on a large cooperative scenario that I created for
Marathon: Durandal back in 1995, called Operation: Wormwood, (which is probably floating around
somewhere on the internet). I'm currently in the testing phase of the board game and still
getting marketing images and such put into place, but do have a couple links that might be
of interest for your audience.Wormwood at TheGameCrafter (publisher)
https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/wormwoodWormwood at Boardgamegeek.com
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/303959/wormwoodI've attached the first sneak peak at the initiative cards I've created for the game.
Obviously, those who know Bungie and Marathon will recognize the tip of the hat in the character names. ;)
Eric Salzman's 8-level solo scenario Operation Wormwood is available in its original format or as an Aleph One/SDL conversion here.
There is also a 10-level sequel.
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Back on April 9, ukimalefu posted a link to a framed Japanese ad for the Windows 95 version of Marathon 2.
I have added this to the Bungie's Marathon Ads section along with the English version of the same ad.
Now you can read what the original said.
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For your viewing pleasure...
I have added Double Aught's 2nd web page design.
This was released just 4 days after the site went live on October 3, 1996.It was originally designated as... ~maschine .
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Well I thought this one was lost...
Back in February 1997 Computer Gaming World magazine published a list of 1,001 Tips & Cheats for a vast range of games. Included in this list was a cheat code for Marathon and Marathon 2 (Macintosh).
This was the cheat code to end all cheat codes. Programmed by Bungie to release all secrets in the game and make you invincible. Apparently it was left in Marathon Infinity as legacy code and could imbue you with God-like powers.
Well that was the theory anyway... but since the code was lost few could test it.
Until now.
Added "The Cheat Code to end all Cheat Codes to the Blast from the Pasts section.
But remember what Bungie said about cheaters.
Cheaters don't really win,
and winners don't really cheat,
Unless you're talking politics.
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No. I remember now. It was
here. Yeah, that's it. This
was the place.Found a box in the archives marked DO NOT OPEN at MIDNIGHT... so I opened... at.
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Theoretically, testing Rampancy should be easily accomplished...
Click if you dare... random link... of the day.
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Remember the painting Homesick Pfhor?
Well it seems to have gone missing.
So I added it to the Blast from the Pasts section so we wouldn't forget.
WHERE AM I
Click if you dare... random link... of the day.
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Added The Escapist review of the Marathon series and its influence on Halo entitled "From '94 to Infinity: Before Halo"
to the Blast from the Pasts section. It appeared in Volume 1, Issue 7 of The Escapist back in 2005.
Click if you dare... random link... of the day.
We are leaving behind many F'lickta to keep
the links clean and working.Yeah... right.
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What to save and throw away?No... I had to keep.... everything!
Click if you dare... random link... of the day.
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How deep does the Story page go?
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.And so the Story page grew to where I no longer remember why half this stuff is here.
Click if you dare... random link... of the day.
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A 24 year old mystery... solved.
Thanks to President People in a Story forum post for solving this one. See the ck on infinity section for more details.
One less puzzle to solve before we can escape the hangar created by the masters of obfuscation and obscurification (oo).
To escape. To escape.
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So former Bungie employee Stefan Sinclair (aka "My modem is on fire") sold his Bungie game collection on eBay for charity. He wrote:
Thank you for checking out my auction! I'm a former Bungie employee from the
Myth / Oni / Halo era, and current Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteer, auctioning
off my Bungie games collection to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas.
Here is list of the some of the prices obtained. I have also included his comments describing some of the items.
Minotaur: The Labyrinths of Crete. (shrink wrapped copy) Sold for $1,425.00
This game really belongs in a museum, especially as that's likely to be one of the few places you will be able to find a classic Mac capable of playing it (not that you'd ever even think of removing the shrink wrap and exposing the 3.5" floppy disks to the 21st century's atmosphere).Pathways Into Darkness. (shrink wrapped copy) Sold for $338.33
This game was an early, but significant milestone in Bungie's path toward world domination. No serious Bungie fan's game collection is complete without Pathways into Darkness. And this one is still brand new in the box!Marathon. (shrink wrapped copy) $800.00
This game is the one that made me want to become a game developer. The first time I witnessed grad-students in the university's computer lab playing networked Marathon on Quadra Macs, my mind was blown having just witnessed the future of 3-D shooters, as Marathon is the spiritual predecessor to Halo in every sense.Marathon 2: Durandal (Mac version). (shrink wrapped copy) $500.00
No true vid-master's Bungie game collection is complete without Marathon 2 : Durandal.Marathon Infinity. (shrink wrapped copy) $372.00
In the late 1990s, months of playing networked Marathon Infinity was causing me to have dreams in the Marathon universe... the kind that cause you to wake up sweaty and screaming with your heart racing as you manage to awaken just before an opponent's fusion pistol overcharge impacts with your cranium. Sometimes they still happen. For that reason, I recommend leaving this game title safely sealed in its original shrink-wrapped packaging.Marathon Trilogy Box Set. (Open and used) $500.00
This is my personal copy of the Marathon Trilogy Box Set. Not gonna lie, there are possibly trace amounts of game developer crunch-mode sweat and take-out food in this, but it's 100% fully functional and 777% awesome and collectible.Bungie Mac Action Sack. (New) $179.50
Still housed in its original packaging, this Mac Action Sack is looks and even feels like the treasure from bygone days that it is.Marathon: The Strategy Strategy Guide. (like new) $38.00
Fun fact: after writing this book, the author Tuncer Deniz went on to work at Bungie as a producer on the Myth franchise.Oh and...
Marathon 2: Durandal (Win95 version). (shrink wrapped copy) $63.00That says a lot.
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Added more information about ck on infinity.
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On the Story forum Aaron Freed writes about Pfhor gender.
Are they all male?
What is the Hindmost?
Added this to The Pfhor section.
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Thanks to treellama (yea, I checked it twice) Double Aught's Hastur's Workshop breathes new life. This was originally dutifully saved by Gary Simmons (aka the Battle Cat) back in the day.
Check out the The Citadel of Antiquity for the BattleCat's Litterbox site as well. Preserving the past... one byte at a time
On the subject of preserving the past and antiquities I have added the long awaited ck on infinity to the Blasts from the Past section. Did lilbuddha leave us a message?
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On the subject of textures I occasionally get asked "Where are Mark Bernal's initials?"
His what?
The Marathon Scrapbook states:
Mark revamped and created a large portion of the textures,
making them not only useful individually but also as a unified group.
(He managed to hide his initials in one of the switch textures.)They were found of course and posted to the Story page but over time they have been lost... until now.
Check out the Mark Bernal's initials section.
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A number of people have commented that there are legacy textures in the terminals graphics of Marathon 2 not just Marathon Infinity.
Yes indeed. Check the Textures section for details.
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Added an old Bungie Order Form from early 1994 to the Blasts from the Past section. Thanks to Jeoku for this one.
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Thanks to Jeoku for sending
in a scan of Bungie's Spring 1995 catalogue "More Things From Bungie To Waste Your Money On".
This has been added to the Blasts from the Past section. Because all those moments will be lost in time...
Jenko also sent in a scan of the now very rare Official Hint Book for Pathways Into Darkness.
This has been added to the Pathways Into Darkness page.
Don't forget to check out Jeoku's YouTube channel for a lot (and I mean A LOT) of Myth content and some recent videos on Operation: Desert Storm and Minotaur: The Labyrinths of Crete.
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Want to take a break from understanding quantum decoherence? Then head on over to reddit Marathon (r/Marathon) for a very good idea. <Made me chuckle>.
As sirblastalot remarked:
Nah man it's cool, if we start getting our asses kicked we'll just deploy the Trih'Xeem. That never goes wrong.
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sirblastalot writes concerning the Final Screen on Marathon Infinity and the
line... But you were dead a thousand times.
See the You section for details.
As one professor remarked... explaining Marathon Infinity is like explaining Schrödinger's cat. "The only difference is there is no cat."
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(circumstances are cyclical)
Marathon Infinity discourse tends to occur in iterations. With each iteration (about 4 years) we learn a little more. Building on the knowledge of those who have come before.
So over the years we had some excellent community initiatives such as Volunteers and Tour of Duty and also individual analyses such as Philtron's.
A vast network of fans across the globe continue to forensically dissect Infinity's story searching for meaning to answer the ultimate question.
So... as we enter the next iteration one thing is certain. Marathon Infinity has... durability.
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So here I am after 20+ years later playing through multiple versions of Marathon Infinity for a 'super secret project' and I get stuck on "Thing What Kicks..." again!!! Don't get me wrong I use to know the solution to this vexing switch puzzle... many years ago. Come on how hard can it be? But Durandal's terminal sucks you into an iterative logic loop that is hard to break out of. Thanks Greg. So I am wandering around looking to see what I did or shouldn't have done when I remember...
The Thing What Kicks... Spoiler.
Yes folks... the only Marathon level to have its own dedicated Spoiler page. Now sadly long gone.
No worries... fire up the Jjaro boxers and let's bring this puppy back.
Ah yes... The Care and Feeding of Switches.
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Thanks to Aaron Freed <aaronjfreed@gmail.com> in a Story forum post for putting together a very useful side by side comparison of the textures used in Marathon 2 and Marathon Infinity.
This has been added to a new section on the Story page called... Textures.
To misquote Greg Kirkpatrick... "textures tell stories".
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In a Story forum post President People makes an interesting observation about the Forge splash screen and the Rorschach test-like Infinity terminal pic posted a few days ago.
If you rotate the Forge splash screen you get the same (or very similar) image as the one in the Infinity terminal pic.
Of course this begs the question what is the original pic these two images are based on?
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The Rorschach test for Marathoners.
What do you see?
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Marathon Iceberg by orihaus.
Saw this this on r/Marathon a subReddit about Marathon.
The Marathon Iceberg pic is a pretty amazing piece of work. Hats off to orihaus for this one.
How deep do you go?
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Aleph One 1.4 is available from https://alephone.lhowon.org
This update provides a number of new features, including:
• Adds new high frame rate interpolation. Choose 30 fps for authentic classic play, 60 fps or 120 fps capped, or unlimited fps
• Restores some retro/nostalgia features in the software renderer: every-other-line mode, and 8-bit color
Thanks to treellama and the rest of the Aleph One team for continuing to offer the classic look, feel and sound of the original games.
If you want the bells and whistles just turn them on.
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Two Blasts from the Past on the Story forum.
ukimalefu posts an image of a Japanese poster for the Window 95 version of Marathon 2.
Sharkie Lino posts a video on YouTube of a nice haul of old Marathon memorabilia .
Ah the nostalgia. Check them out.
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Curiouser and Curiouser...
Marathon the game that keeps on giving... even after 25 years.
See the Latin in Marathon 2 section for more details.
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Thought you knew all the latin in Marathon 2?
I did... until now.
See the Latin in Marathon 2 section for details. Note this section was last updated on Jan 22, 1998.
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Never Eat Yellow Snow
I occasionally get asked why Marathon starts out on the first level of Pathway Into Darkness?
To those... I recount the tale of... Never Eat Yellow Snow.
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On the subject of porting Marathon 2 to Windows 95 I had the opportunity to ask Matt Soell (Bungie Software) the following question shortly after the announcement:
Q. Will M2 Win95 have a slightly altered story to reflect the fact that PC users have not
played Marathon? Specifically do you forsee a section on the Marathon's Story page along
the lines of Marathon 2 Windows 95 text changes?
A. "I think an additional page of background info in the M2 Win95 manual is a far more
likely proposition. Otherwise we get into the realm of alternate realities and stuff like
that, which would probably be as much of a pain for us as it would be for you."
Alternate realities? I think they call this... foreshadowing.
Marathon Infinity was released 7 months later.
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Happy TBWSAF Day.
Yes folks... on this day 25 years ago Bungie announced that they were porting Marathon 2 to Windows 95. The rest they say is... history.
Oh the profanity!
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So with only two days to go before the 25 year anniversary of the historic announcement of the porting of Marathon 2 to Windows 95 some folks are replaying these long forgotten official Bungie levels.
Back in the day the Story page had a section detailing the Undiscovered Secrets of the Windows 95 version of Marathon 2. But it was sadly never completed.
Andrew Milnthorpe now unearths another undiscovered secret on the Windows 95 version of What About Bob?
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Every so often I get an email from a Story page reader trying to recall a story they vaguely remember about a Lead Box and a German submarine off the coast of Africa or somewhere. The details of what they recall vary widely but for some reason they cannot remember what it was about or why they should even recall it.
Enough said. The Lead Box story is of course from the mind of Matt Soell.
And you can read it here.
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Except on St. Patrick's Day.
Have a good one!
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Thanks to David Cornwell <floatingskull@gmail.com> for writing in to point out that
today is 26.2th anniversary of the release of the original Marathon on the MacOS.
He sent in the following pic:
He goes on to say:
Please note that it falls on March 4 (pfhor), which could be represented as 3+4, which is 7.
Coincidence? I think not! ;)
Ah... just like the old days. :)
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On the Story forum it's nostalgia time.
General-RADIX posts a link to scans of an old Marathon Infinity review in MacFormat issue 43.
Lion O Cyborg lets us know that Before Halo Part 2 is out containing a retrospective of Marathon 1. Direct link on YouTube is here.
Tim "Mordeir" Branin lets us know that Marathon is mentioned in an Outside Xbox Video entitled "7 Failed Videogames That Were Too Ahead of Their Time". Direct link on YouTube is here.
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Thanks to Jeoku for sending in more scans of manuals and other documentation from some of Bungie's older games.
I have added these to the Story page for completeness.
Minotaur Manual
Actually the second version of a Minotaur Manual scan on the Story page. You can see the first one here.
Minotaur contains the first use of the name "Durandal" in a Bungie game.Minotaur Manual Read Me
Contains the first reference to "BLAM!"?In-game instructions and information for Operation: Desert Storm
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Hey... YOU. Yes you. If you are reading this then you are one of the last seven Story page readers.
Thought the PID Story page was dead? Misplaced your Yellow Crystal? Well no worries. You can read the latest update here. Thanks to Jeoku for sending in a scanned version of the original PID manual with the password protection codes. Yes... those secret codes... which when pieced together reveal a secret yet untold.
Jeoku also sent in a scan of the Operation: Desert Storm! manual. You can see it here. It's BIG so go make yourself a cup of tea.
Now if you are one of the last seven readers of the Story page you'll remember that we did a comprehensive walk-through of this game some time ago and revealed the long lost secret buried beneath the sands of the final level. That's right. You know the one.
Now if you are asking yourself what "comprehensive walk-through?" What "long lost secret buried beneath the sands?" Then ask yourself this... am I really one of the seven... and where's my overcoat?
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Some light humour for the first Sunday of 2021. And a little competition.
And in case you are wondering... there are actually 3 ways you can play the opening part of "One thousand thousand slimy things".
About this level Chris Geisel (Doubleaught) wrote:
No one can figure out how Greg convinced the troopers to run all the way into the fortress,
up the stairs, and keep going. Normally the monsters just aren't that smart. Anyway, it
is one of the most enjoyable ones to play,
Very enjoyable indeed.
If you don't have Infinity you can grab it here. Thanks to all the folks who still make this possible even today.
Enjoy.
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Thanks to those of you who wrote in pointing out that 2021 will be the 25th anniversary of Marathon Infinity.
Yes folks, Marathon Infinity was released on October 15, 1996. Marathon Infinity will be 25 years old on that date.
Do you know what kind of hat I'm wearing?A party hat; you don't get one.
For the chosen few who still follow...the hard path of thought... Marathon Infinity remains an enigma, elusive, that one mystery we have not solved.
Perhaps in the next 25 years we will all get to wear party hats.
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Happy New Year to all Story page readers... everywhere!
And to start the year off... here is a little blast from the past I found while digging around in the Story page archive.
Mac Hall's "Things That Hoot" created for Inside Mac Games.
And... it is still available at IMG here.
Go Back to Marathon's Story Home Page
***TRANSPORT WHEN READY***
Page maintained by Hamish Sinclair
Hamish.Sinclair123@gmail.com
Last updated Oct 27, 2021