Bungie's revisionism in Win95 M2 + stupid ideas

[Blastfrog]

I'm curious what you guys think of the Windows 95 maps. While if I had to pick one or the other, I'd go with the Mac set, I do find some of the changes in the Windows 95 set interesting and worthwhile. Playing the 95 maps with the Infinity shapes feels like a whole different game, to an extent.

I do like some of the added hidden passageways, the room with machinery behind the AR, but I especially like how you can get to the outer water filled rim. I like the switch to raise the stairs in the second map (not needed, but cool anyway), and I like the added rooftop area in the third. In other maps, there are various added rooms. Now, obviously, there are things that the Mac set does better. Not much need for a recreation of Arrival or unneeded retexturing, or how the terminal was moved to the center rather than the left in Waterloo Waterpark. Sometimes the changes makes the game too easy, like not requiring that you explore the flooding room in the third map. In general, I like that they fixed many of the the doors so that they actually split open like they're supposed to.

Would it be sacrilege to create a hybrid set of maps that adds some of the niceties of the Windows version? Obviously, mission objectives and texture schemes should remain like the Mac version, but added opportunities for exploration. I mean, Bungie must've revised these maps for a reason when given the opportunity to. The Jaguar version of Doom made a few gameplay adjustments that I think were for the better.

Aside from that, I think it'd be neat to make just two changes to Marathon 1. First off would be you-know-what in Colony Ship, and secondly, I'd like to see the beta BOB room from Arrival make a return. Everything else is generally fine as it is, design-wise. Visually, though, it'd be nice to use Marathon 2 sprites for the shapes that weren't deliberately supposed to be different, but just polished (stuff like ammo, Pfhor fighters, etc) and the Marathon 2 beta Pfhor ship textures (since they're polished versions of M1's). Definitely have M2's sounds, at least for monsters. Perhaps polished versions of other graphics with no M2 equivalents, like unarmed BOBs, the weapons

More inane and unrealistic ideas include merging the above with Infinity's campaign as a big, unified all-in-one single player/co-op scenario, and splitting the competitive multiplayer separately into its own "ultimate" net game scenario. Clearly using Infinity as the basis, but adding in the net maps from M1 and M2 that never carried over.

Am I crazy for thinking any of that is a good idea?

[2Tie]

I must say I've liked the 95 maps over the regular ones on the basis that they're mostly faster (the exception being the beginning of Slings&Arrows afaik, though I haven't fully beaten the 95 version yet) and I like the added touches to Waterloo Waterpark and such. Regarding the third level, you can still play through it the same, you just don't have to.

Having a "complete scenario" would actually be pretty cool I think, especially with some polish. I've never really played much Marathon netplay though, so I can't really comment on that. I don't think you're crazy though.

[Crater Creator]

It would take a lot of work to get any sort of consensus on what tweaks and enhancements would constitute an idealized version of the original game(s). M1A1 took some liberties like the ones you describe (like simplifying the Colony Ship for Sale, Cheap platform puzzle) and people disagree on the wisdom of those changes. Doors that split the way they look like they should sound good to me, while on the other hand I liked the hunter's activation sound in Marathon 1. So perhaps this engenders some interesting discussion, but one's unlikely to make everyone happy.