Marathon: Istoria is a 10-level single player RPG scenario set in the Marathon universe and designed for the Aleph One engine. It pushes the engine to its limits by using advanced character progression, combat, and storytelling.

Customize your character by choosing from seven different player classes, each with their own unique active and passive abilities. Decide which conventional weapons you want to specialize in, and make use of a brand new arsenal of spells. Explore Istoria while discovering its secrets and how you fit in the world through a combination of terminals and communicating with the recently deceased. Istoria features an original soundtrack by Jon Irons.

Notes for version 1.0:

• Initial release.

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Marathon 2 replacement textures based on the originals, created with AI.

There's no reason for this to exist. I just wanted an excuse to screw around with some new technology.

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Landscape replacement plugin that uses high definition James Webb Telescope images.

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A very simple MML script which helps me greatly with some of the in-game flashes which are too bright. Feel free to edit to suit your needs.

Notes for version 0.1:

Made this for Scraniel, but might help others. Just makes some of the flashes less bright. It should be copied into the Scripts directory of Aleph One, and as of AO v1.6, does not need to be enabled in preferences. It should work with most 3rd-party scenarios, depending on what those creators have modified.

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First off, I want to make something abundantly clear: This is not a conventional remix album – I categorise it as an arrangement album. Anyone expecting these songs to preserve the originals’ mood and atmosphere is in for a severe disappointment, though I do have a much older set of remixes¹ that might be more to your taste. I also strongly recommend against using this album for your first playthrough; it’ll substantially alter the game’s atmosphere, which is one of its most memorable qualities. It would (hopefully) still be enjoyable, but it wouldn’t really be Marathon.

That said, these intricate, dense, yet dynamic mixes are brimming with retro synths, arpeggiation, musical cross-references, reverb, and entirely new instrument parts and melodies: where the OST runs for forty minutes, these run for seventy-eight. They’re Marathon’s OST by way of ’70s progressive rock songwriting and arrangement, ’80s pop production, and ’90s Japanese games’ atmosphere, with secondary influences from genres as disparate as jazz, blues, disco, ambient, post-rock, classical, electronic music, Krautrock, and metal.

I’ve included both a lossless FLAC version of this album and an Ogg Vorbis version suitable for in-game use. The Vorbis versions are mostly based on the FLAC files. The sole exception is “Flowers in Heaven”, which loops infinitely² in-game. Thus, the FLAC version in the album simply fades out after completing a loop.

The album also comes with a 16-page PDF featuring additional album artwork and my commentary on each individual song and the album as a whole.

My complete discography, including some works in progress, is available here: https://aaronfreed.github.io/aaronfreed/discography.html

I also have these on YouTube, although I strongly encourage use of an adblocker, since YouTube has decided to take the liberty of running ads that I do not want on my videos and do not make a single cent from. There’s no copyright claim on the video, so this is just Google violating its erstwhile mantra of “don’t be evil”. https://youtu.be/bRiDh3PziWU

Plus, I’ve posted videos of “Cool Fusion” and “Bob-B-Q” showing how, respectively, “Flowers in Heaven” and “What About Bob?” play in-game.

“Cool Fusion”: https://youtu.be/QfF01WLolgM

“Bob-B-Q”: https://youtu.be/mj_Jy5HMxRc

—

¹You can get my older remixes at https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuD0MykSsmaRpiobXz51kqObAIqH?e=WogGPt

²Explanation of how looping works: https://aaronfreed.github.io/aaronfreed/mapmaking.html#looper

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Marathon's original QuickTime 2.x instruments, brought to modern DAWs in sample form.

Suitable for playing back Marathon MIDI files or incorporating these instruments into a new Marathon soundtrack.

Just set the user folder path of your SFZ player to the Aiffdisk and enjoy!

QuickTime Musical Instruments is property of Apple Computer, Inc. and Roland Corporation ©1994 All rights reserved. Do not use or distribute this reproduction for purposes other than Marathon-related activities. Do not sell this reproduction.

Notes for version 1.0:

ampeg_release may need to be adjusted on some of the instruments to properly recreate.

2.1 accented hi-hat sounds weird but that may just be how QuickTime processes it in a mix.

Random spikes in MIDI playback may be caused by duplicate notes.

If more instruments are needed, please contact me on Discord: @Solar-Tron #6173

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[Credit to Windbreaker for the title.] ""Until they've searched thoroughly, one can never be clean."" In this scenario, you get to spend a bunch of time cleaning up a space of its filth balls with your trusty Yucatan Suckaman™ vacuum cleaner. But watch where you step, and be sure to empty the bag often so the vacuum cleaner doesn't explode!

Notes for version 2:

Embedded physics file in map too so as to guarantee the ""monsters"" and ""weapons"" do act and look different.

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Eternal is one of the largest scenarios ever created for Aleph One, initially created by Forrest Cameranesi (Pfhorrest) and subsequently revised and expanded by a massive team known as the Xeventh Project, which, as of this writing (February 2023) now includes more than 40 people. Besides Tempus Irae, it may be the oldest scenario still being actively developed; it was first released in 2004 and has been refined and expanded almost continuously ever since. Features include, but are hardly limited to:

• 52 levels, some revisiting familiar locations from the Marathon trilogy and some being among the largest ever created for the engine
• An intricately layered plot featuring dense political and philosophical themes, a tragic romance, time travel, major events from Marathon’s backstory, complex original characters, and returning faces from the Marathon trilogy’s cast
• A huge, acclaimed soundtrack containing some fifty tracks, lasting more than six hours, and created by some thirteen composers and arrangers (significantly expanded in 1.3 previews 4 and 5)
• Redesigns of most of the game’s familiar cast (new in 1.3), some old foes from Pathways into Darkness, and some new faces (some new in 1.3)
• Hundreds of gorgeous terminal images (many added for 1.3 preview 4)
• Five texture sets, encompassing 650 high-resolution textures, 12 detailed original landscape textures, and several separate human and alien environments
• A secret tracking system (new in 1.3 preview 4)
• More than 360 sounds, remixed or remastered in CD quality, in stereo where possible (new in 1.3)
• Atmospheric weather like rain and snow (new in 1.3)
• A “quicksave on level transition” feature (new in 1.3)
• A final boss battle of sorts (new in 1.3)
• Detailed documentation including illustrated field guides to Eternal’s weaponry, aliens, and humans, detailed credits, a meta-history of Eternal, and technical notes on how its maps and scripts work (new in 1.3)

The current development release, 1.3 preview 5 (released on 2023-02-08), is perfectly playable despite still being incomplete; it is now our recommended way to play the game. We’ll refrain from estimating the release date of 1.3 final, as we’ve overshot too many estimates to count (thank you, feature creep). The current “stable” build, 1.2.1 (released on 2021-11-07), is missing several features listed above but is still an enjoyable game in its own right.

The screenshots seen on the right are from a development release from between 1.3 previews 4 and 5 and are a reasonable reflection of Eternal’s current appearance. Although they were taken on Normal (so as to show more monster types), we do recommend playing Eternal on the highest difficulty you can manage.

Notes for version 1.3 preview 5:

Current development release. 1.3 incorporates several new features, many detailed above. New in 1.3 preview 5:

• Fixes to several major bugs, including crashes in six different levels, the HUD messing up in non-16:9 aspect ratios, and problems in network games with the secret counter and map overlay.
• Over an hour of new/updated music since preview 4.
• New secrets in a few levels.
• Jjaro sludge is no longer coloured like M1’s toxic Pfhor goo.

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This is the original READ ME!!!!!!!!!!!!11 for RKYOKOTK's CARNAGE VILA 46!

NOW WITH A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDd

Notes for version 3.0:

yo i tried real fame and fortune, but the reviewer YOULOVEME was all like YO DIS GAME IS DEAD and i was like SHEEIT DAWG THEN WHY U REVIEWIN and he was like J'ACCUSE and i tried askin wut was wrong then he said DAMN I TAKE JOKES SERIOUSLY FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK so we laughed bout that but he stopped laughin and said U WORSHIP THE DEVIL so i told him DAWG DAT WAS 2.5 YEARS AGO DAYUM

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This mod restores the original fonts used in the Macintosh version of Marathon.

NOTE: This only works with the DEFAULT HUD, custom HUDs have been reported to have issues with this plugin, so experiment at your own risk.

Notes for version 1.0:

v1.0 - Initial Release

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This mod restores the original fonts used in the Macintosh version of Marathon.

NOTE: This only works with the DEFAULT HUD, custom HUDs have been reported to have issues with this plugin, so experiment at your own risk.

Notes for version 1.0:

v1.0 - Initial Release

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This is a map file for Portal 2 hammer editor.

This shows how to do 5D space in Portal 2.

Notes for version 1:

This can only be opened with Portal 2 Hammer editor.

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Over the course of 2021/2022, multiple people in the marathonruns.net discord worked on a project that had the goal of making maps that intentionally went against the conventional style of mapmaking normally associated with Marathon. Instead, what you are about download is an incubator anthology of maps that promoted thinking outside the box not only for the mapmakers in making their respective maps, but also for the players themselves tackling them.

We're gonna be completely honest with you, this is definitely not easy. You will more than likely spend countless attempts on some, if not all maps. With this said, be creative and you may find alternative solutions to what may seem like the intended solution. If you are truly stuck on a level and need the minuscule life preserver of help, you can ask in the #get-a-clue channel in the official hellpak discord (link in the readme) and we can provide a somewhat hint at what to do.

\|\||X |X|X

In addition to perusing the fine selection of experimental gameplay in this beautiful space station of a map pack, why not also take 2 seconds of your day to switch over to the full original soundtrack, which features 10 tracks not part of the map pack itself. Similar to hellpak the map pack, hellpak the OST also follows the same experimental and avant-garde principles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djme8sJfwOo

Good luck and Finish Durandal.

Notes for version 42069.3:

Quality of Life and other fixes. As always, Read the ReadMe or we will dunk on you for not doing it.

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This is a basic fullscreen HUD for any scenario that uses the default Marathon 2 or Infinity HUD, and doesn't come with its own HUD. It attempts to make as few assumptions as possible, which allows it to work on a wide variety of scenarios, but is a little ugly. See the screenshots for details.

Software mode works but is even uglier due to the inability to circle clip the motion sensor.

The only supported HUD size in this version is Normal.

Based on the Default HUD script by Hopper.

To install, create a Plugins directory next to the Scripts directory in the scenario you want to add it to, and copy this zip file to the Plugins directory.

Notes for version 1.0.1:

Changes:

• Fixes display of dual wield weapon ammo when you only have one

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Liver and Onions is a collection of maps I originally made for an unreleased scenario called hellpak

Levels are divided into three chapters, normal combat, platforming and explosive jumps and mandatory explosive jump combat, accessible from a hub. They are also marked in the vidstart menu which I encourage you to use since many levels start difficult sections without a pattern buffer.

Keep in mind chapters do not proceed in order of difficulty, the last few levels of the normal combat chapter are some of the hardest in the scenario.

These levels were created as either niche gameplay experiments, glitch exhibitions or injokes. I am mainly releasing them to vid some of them but if anyone else enjoys these I would be happy.

Notes for version 2:

Aaron properly credited, level 4 appears in level skip dialog

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I copied Pfhactory N Utopia into the Source game engine using Source Hammer editor.

There are no textures.

This is a map for the Source Hammer editor.

Geometry and platforms are made.

The 5D space bridge really moves up and down.

Notes for version 1:

This can only be opened with the Source game Hammer editor.

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[2022-11-06 - One new map has been made: “In the Newly Discovered Contours of the Microcosm's Interior”. It can be downloaded separately at the provided link directory or with the scenario itself if you don't already have it.]

In this NEFX shell based on Pathways Into Darkness, you've probed too deeply into matters unknown and found yourself in the forbidden zone, at the mercy of a once-dormant deity ordering your retrieval of diamonds to escape.

Notes for version 4:

2022-11-06 - One new map has been made: “In the Newly Discovered Contours of the Microcosm's Interior”. It can be downloaded separately at the provided link directory or with the scenario itself if you don't already have it.

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In this latest Marathon content shell from NEFX, a once-promising new sector of Nampa, Idaho has gone to shit along with its possibly clone-based citizenry, and you're caught in it. Escape?

Thanks to Alex Scobell for those ""Earth"" textures! He made them like 20 years ago when he was 10 and they never really got used, but he offered me to make something with them, so I made this. :3

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Apotheosis X is a total conversion featuring 24 massive levels of carnage brought to life with entirely reimagined sprites and textures, high frame rate animations, 16 bit audio and an original soundtrack.

The campaign features engaging combat that scales with player skill and aggression, with a roster of new enemies and weaponry that complements the original games' nuance and high skill ceiling.

Notes for version 1.1:

Key updates for 1.1:

• Sound effects are louder and punchier, with more variety.
• The player's arsenal is more powerful, with many adjustments that make it more effective on total carnage.
• Additional saves, items and resources throughout the campaign.
• Weapon and item pickups are more visible.
• Numerous bug fixes, including the removal of 2 soft locks.
• Numerous small updates to level designs.
• Included PDF manual with a weapon manifest and additional backstory.

An extensive list of updates is available in the download.

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[2022-11-06 - New map added, ""Dusk Questioning for the Glyphs"". It can be downloaded separately at the provided link directory or with the scenario itself if you don't already have it.]

In this latest NEFX shell to be added to map-wise over time, you accidentally teleport into a messy, long-abandoned, and now-infested storage complex run by an AI who has gotten imaginative in isolation but who is thwarted in progress and needs someone to retrieve missing keys amidst a great mess in order to both grow unabated and help you escape. All maps in this scenario shall be Retrieval missions.

Notes for version 4:

2022-11-06 - New map added, ""Dusk Questioning for the Glyphs"". It can be downloaded separately at the provided link directory or with the scenario itself if you don't already have it.

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