Marathon total conversions
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Many marathon total conversions have been available for free over the internet. Many have taken great leaps with the engine itself and many so are being converted to Aleph One an open source engine available for: "Marathon Infinity", Marathon 2: Durandal, and Marathon. After the release of Forge and Anvil in 1996 many players put their best efforts into this and made new experiences for new players.
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[edit] Creation tools
Two basic and simple programs were released in 1996 with Marathon: Infinity
[edit] Forge
Forge is used to create levels to play in marathon. Forge was used in the creation in Marathon, Marathon 2:Durandal, and Marathon: Infinity. How ever Marathon and Marathon 2 were not released with a map editor. They were released with a sharewhare program known as Pfhorte which had some same elements as forge did but had no Visual mode and didn't require merging.
[edit] Anvil
Anvil is the sister program to forge and is used to apply: Shapes, Sounds, and physics. However sounds and shapes cannot be created in Anvil it's self that requires a photoshop or other graphic editor.
[edit] Other
Other programs are available to make scenario making and total conversions easyer. Such programs like Hex make editing terminals simple as Forge. Fux! is used to change colors on overhead maps and in terminals. These programs are third party and don't represent Bungie in any way.
[edit] Conversions
[edit] Trojan
Trojan is a total conversion scenario for the Mac OS Marathon 1 game engine, originally released in June 1997. It includes 27 levels, 15 new aliens, 6 new weapons, new music and sounds, and completely original music and sounds. The story begins with a distress signal from the human-colonized planet Trojan. The player and a squad of marines are sent to investigate. It turns out that mysterious aliens are invading the colony and the player and his squadron must drive them out of the colony with force. (I am not entirely sure about the middle or end of the storyline.)
[edit] Weapons
The player starts off with his pistol, three clips for it, and a combat knife. Later on in he game, he can pick up and use a shotgun, an assault rifle that doubles as a grenade launcher, among others.
[edit] Devil in a Blue Dress
Devil in a blue dress is a scenario for the Mac OS Marathon and Marathon 2 game engines, originally released in June 1995. It is based on an entirely new storyline, using Bungie's environment, but not related whatsoever to the U.E.S.C. Marathon.
[edit] Scenario features
- 21 solo levels.
- Entirely new storyline.
[edit] Excalibur: Morgana's Revenge
Excalibur: Morgana's Revenge is a scenario for the Mac OS Marathon and Marathon Infinity game engines, originally released in March, 1997, for the Marathon 1 engine. It was then released for the Marathon Infinity engine, when it was released, and finally the Aleph One engine. It is a sequel to Devil in a blue dress.
[edit] Scenario features
- 37 solo levels.
- new textures, sounds, physics, graphics, storyline, maps and interface.
- musical scores incorporated into Infinity's ambient sound slots.
[edit] Marathon: EVIL
Marathon EVIL is a scenario for the Mac OS Marathon Infinity game engine, originally released in 1997.
[edit] Scenario features
- 17 new solo levels.
- 22 new network maps.
- new enemies, sounds, textures and weapons.
[edit] Weapons
You get all the weapons from Marathon Infinity, and a few new ones like the Pfhor Staff.
[edit] Tempus: IRAE
Tempus Irae is a scenario for the Mac OS Marathon Infinity game engine, originally released in 1997.
[edit] Scenario features
- 37 new solo levels.
- new textures, sounds, scenery, shapes, terminal pictures and chapter screens.
[edit] Marathon: Rubicon
Marathon Rubicon is a scenario for the Mac OS game Marathon Infinity. The project started in 1997 as Marathon Chimera. It features a nonlinear plotline that can be traversed in any number of ways, with different endings based upon a player's choices over the course of the game.
[edit] Scenario features
- More than 360 new textures
- Over a dozen new characters
- New scenery
- 8 new weapons
- 67 solo levels
[edit] Weapons
- Magnum .44 Ultra Class Pistol : An improved variant on the original Magnum .44 Mega Class pistol. It can hold 12 bullets per clip, and fires at a much faster rate. These pistols can be dual-wielded as well, resulting in an incredible firing rate.
- MA-75B Assault Rifle/Grenade Launcher¹ : The MA-75B Assault Rifle/Grenade Launcher is not very different from the original Assault Rifle, except cosmetic changes. It appears to have the same firing rate for both triggers. It has a more compact design than the previous assault rifle, as well as different sounds. In the Chimera scenario, Durandal transfers different ammo in mid-teleport, giving it the ability to fire underwater, at a slow rate.
- Mercury A3 Fusion Rifle : The Mercury A3 Fusion Rifle is a combination of the Zeus B4 and D2 Fusion Pistols, which shoot out powerful bolts at a steady rate, and rapidly discharges small fusion bolts, respectively. Both of the triggers on the Fusion Rifle can be held down at once, as well, allowing for plenty of firepower overall.
- WSTE-M Combat Shotgun : Identical to the WSTE-M Combat Shotgun from the original series of Marathon. Still can be duel-wielded, and flipped over to reload it.
- SPNKR X-34 SSM Launcher : The rocket launcher for Marathon Rubicon. It has 3 barrels total, allowing for 3 missiles to be in the launcher at once. The secondary trigger for this weapon launches all the missiles at once, but less accurately.
- UESC Carpet Mortar : A heavy-duty assault weapon. The Carpet Mortar fires around 10 grenades in a single shot, for wide-spread attacks, and it has two barrels, allowing two shots to be fired before it must be reloaded.
- Dangi AI324b Maser : Created by the Dangi corporation onboard the UESC Salinger, the maser fires a constant, incredibly accurate, and deadly laser. An excellent sniper weapon, and can be used effectively on almost anything in Marathon Rubicon. When fired, it gives out a low hum. Various personnel with the Dangi corporation carry this weapon, as well, as may use it on the player.
- Alien Weapon : The weapon used by the Pfhor Enforcers in Marathon Rubicon, which can be stolen from them after they are defeated. The primary trigger sends out a bolt with a static-like texture on it, which will evaporate anything that it kills. When the Enforcers use it, the weapon will track it's target. They also have a secondary lightning effect with the weapon, almost instantly killing anything at close range.
¹ The Assault Rifle in the original (from Marathon 2 : Durandal and Marathon Infinity) was also called MA-75B Assault Rifle/Grenade Launcher. The in-game terminals as well as the HUD call it the MA-75B Assault Rifle/Grenade Launcher. It may or may not be a typo.
[edit] Marathon Eternal
Eternal is a free, stand-alone first-person shooter game for Mac OS, Windows, and GNU/Linux. It is a mod for Aleph One, the cross-platform, open source first-person shooter engine derived from Bungie's Marathon 2 engine. Its story is a direct, unofficial sequel to Marathon Infinity, the last installment of the original Marathon trilogy. While Eternal is a near-total conversion, featuring all new levels, textures (including landscapes), weapons, music, and interface, most of the characters are retained from the original games.
[edit] Features
As of the "Mark V" pre-release of Marathon Eternal featured the following weapons -
"Cronus Class Fusion Pistols" Like the Zeus Class Fusion Pistol but doubled fisted and without a charging mechanism.
"Ouranus Class Plasma Cannon" Automatic Plasma Cannon with Charging Mechanism.
"Aggregate Issue Staff Weapon" The staff weapon carried by Pfhor Fighters with melee and ranged attack functions.
"Aggregate Issue Havoc Rifle" The Rifle carried by Pfhor Troopers, superior to the assualt riffle in the origonal Marathon Trilogy in that is vacuum capable.
"Willful Issue Scatter Riffle" The weapon which was carried by Pfhor Enforcers in the origonal Marathon "Marathon 1" it fires automatic high velocity pulses.
"Willful Issue Flamethrower" The "Alien Weapon" from the origonal Marathon Trilogy.
"S'pht Orb Device" Spherical shaped weapon which fired both S'pht'Kr projectiles and S'pht compiler bolts.
"Wave Motion Cannon" Weapon which has as its primary fire a power explosive attack and as its secondary function a "beam?" (possibly of infra-red or ultra-violet spectra).
As the more recently released Alpha builds the S'pht Orb Device has been replaced with dual fisted energy blades.
[edit] Portal of Sigma
Marathon: Portal of Sigma is a scenario for the first-person shooter, Aleph One. It is a three-chapter scenario, the first chapter being released on March 4, 2006. Due to a lack of updates by its creators prior to the release of the first chapter, it was long believed to be vaporware.
[edit] Features
- Enhanced aliens sprites
- Eight new weapons
- Five large texture sets, with improved textures from Marathon 2 and Marathon Infinity as well as original textures
- 16-bit sounds
- Eleven single-player levels and 37 multiplayer arenas
[edit] Marathon: RED
Marathon RED is a total conversion of the Marathon engine. It is set in the Marathon universe, with a new story, graphics, weapons, and people to go along with it. It was released by Ian McConville who is also the artist and creator of the webcomic Mac Hall.
[edit] Marathon: The Gray Incident
Marathon: The Gray Incident takes place at some undetermined point past Marathon Infinity. It was released on March 4, 2006. It's one of the more linear (and shorter) scenarios, but one of the key features of the scenario is its straightforward difficulty. It is a prequel to the above Portal of Sigma.
[edit] Features
- 17 new single-player levels and 7 multiplayer arenas
- Five new weapons
- Several new and improved enemies
[edit] Dead scenarios
Only few Total Conversions have made it to the light of day. Many have been attempted and few have seen success. Many dead scenarios can be found at The Big House which hosts many classic Total conversions and scenarios. A few dead scenarios (like marathon: Veitnam) have contributed to a place known as The Orphanage which hosts unused sounds, maps, shapes, ideas, and more.
[edit] External links
- The Traxus Project: Wiki site devoted to the Marathon Trilogy in detail, as well as alternative scenarios utilizing the Aleph One game engine
- [1]: A site that still hosts many Total conversions and scenarios.
- [2] Updates on new scenarios and Total conversions.
