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Re: Infinity Speaker Identities
Posted By: SiliconDream =PN=Date: 1/3/02 9:59 a.m.

In Response To: Re: Infinity Speaker Identities (Hamish Sinclair)

: I can give you a quick answer here. According to Randy Reddig it was never
: planned that you could access "Two For The Price Of One" in solo
: play. This was one of a number of co-op levels in the game, accessible
: only when you played co-op. The original idea on "Poor Yorick"
: was for the co-op players to use the two uplink chips found on "Robot
: World Arena" to activate two underwater doors in order to reach a
: terminal (Shakespeare's Sonnet 131) which teleported you to the second
: co-op carnage break level "Two for the Price of One". See The
: Co-op Carnage Break Levels section for details on this.

Actually, I already read that section--believe me, I've logged my fair share of obsessive late-night reading of the Story Page. :-) Hence my going on to say:

Now of course you aren't actually supposed to get to Two For The Price Of One in the solo game, but the fact that it's "almost possible" suggests that Electric Sheep One could be needed to jump to the timeline where it was possible, if you follow me. :-)

In other words, I know it was intended to be a Carnage Break level; but that doesn't mean it can't contribute to the story. The terminals taking you to and from Robot World Arena may be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but to my mind they still establish that level as a "real" training area on a Pfhor ship in the Marathon universe. It's just a training area you don't ever go to. (By contrast, the terminals, unit spreads and layouts of the Vidmaster Levels have no connection whatsoever to the solo story; they're explicitly grafted on just to test your skills).

Likewise, Two For The Price Of One is a CB level, but it could also be a "real" currently unmanned installation on L'howon, and the two Shakespeare terms could be "real" messages exchanged by Tycho and Durandal. You're not supposed to be able to see them in solo, but if you could--because, for instance, Tycho left his message in a more accessible location--then 2FTPO1 suggests how that might detour you long enough to delay Thoth's activation. And that activation delay is one of the very few differences we see between the Confound Delivery timeline and the Naw Man He's Close timeline.

My phrasing was bad, I admit. Poor Yorick isn't a true "decision level," a branching point for two timelines, because the Marine isn't supposed to be able to reach 2FTPO1 in solo play. But I think the true branching point was only a little earlier, in the form of some minor difference like a relocation of Tycho's message, which allowed the Marine to take that detour. Thoth's activation was delayed and Naw Man He's Close proceeded from there.

--SiliconDream

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Replies:

Infinity Speaker IdentitiesSiliconDream =PN= 1/2/02 12:26 p.m.
     Re: Infinity Speaker IdentitiesHamish Sinclair 1/2/02 10:36 p.m.
           Re: Infinity Speaker IdentitiesSiliconDream =PN= 1/3/02 9:59 a.m.
                 Re: Infinity Speaker IdentitiesHamish Sinclair 1/3/02 10:45 a.m.
                       KISS Principle? *NM*REB 1/3/02 2:15 p.m.
                             Keep It Simple, Stupid! *NM*Steve Levinson 1/3/02 4:56 p.m.
                                   YOUR MOM! *NM*REB 1/3/02 8:15 p.m.
                       Re: Infinity Speaker IdentitiesSiliconDream =PN= 1/4/02 12:52 a.m.
                             Re: Infinity Speaker IdentitiesHamish Sinclair 1/4/02 3:55 a.m.
                                   Re: Infinity Speaker IdentitiesRincewind MoG 1/4/02 4:19 p.m.



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