Yeah, the pattern buffers are just a game device to give the player a method of saving their game that is integrated with the setting of the game. The technical explanation of their use is that they record and store the player's molecular makeup and engrams and can restore the player to life from the last saved state.
Of course this doesn't explain why all the Pfhor the player killed up to his death suddenly coming back to life when the stored pattern is restored...
: I REALLY do not think that the pattern buffers take you back in time.
: Although that is what they actually do for us players, I do not beleive
: for the purpose of the story that this is their function. You yourself
: said they seem to be everywhere, which is extremely unrealistic if only
: you could use them. Bungie just had to make up something to allow you to
: save the game, and they came up with the pattern buffer. I don't think I'm
: alone on this. Time travel just seems like a shallow and cheap way to
: explain your victories. Where is the courage? Where is the heroism? Where
: is the skill? It seems like cheating. I am in favor of the timeless
: warrior ressurection theory to interpret the "you were dead a
: thousand times" line. I just don't think Bungie would resort to time
: travel in their story lines. And I think that pattern buffers be
: considered a forgiven aberrancy when considering Marathon's story.
: Dr.D
