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	Rubicon Volunteers - Hex Level 73
	Posted By: Steve Levinson	Date: 6/16/02 7:40 p.m.
	Simple task – throw a couple of switches to lower some power rods, so that you can reach the power junction that will allow you to cut off the power to this Tycho “clone”. Durandal tells you that disabling Tycho will swing the balance of the war back in favor of the USEC, making up for the loss of Carroway. When I first played Rubicon, I thought that Durandal really had humanity’s interests at heart. The more I play and study it, the more and more convinced I am that this is only what Durandal wants you to believe. This level in particular proves the point. Durandal passes up an opportunity to destroy Tycho now in return for access to the Pfhor network. Now, it turns out that neither Durandal nor Tycho are on the up and up, as we’ll see later. But Durandal has much, much more in mind. Do you really think for one minute that Durandal is willing to unleash Tycho from the Pfhor? Do you think that Tycho would trust Durandal to just let him go? Stay tuned for more action! By the way, does anyone have any idea what the significance of the name Hex Level 73 is? Is that based on the hexidecimal number 73 (decimal number 115), or the hexidecimal equivalent of the decimal number 73, which is 49, the square of 7? As I mention in my Rubicon Secrets Guide, This is really an amazing level – an explorer’s delight. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad guys to fight and, except for the occasional enforcer that you can kill to get their weapon, there’s absolutely no fresh ammo to be had. From a strategist’s standpoint, you want to find the two switches as quickly as possible and get out. Trust me, it really is possible to finish the entire level in under 60 seconds, even on TC. Maybe someday I’ll get around to making a film of this, but don’t count on it. On the other hand, fully exploring the level is so much fun. And if you don’t know your way around, you’ll likely end up covering much of the level whether you intend to or not. The textures on this level are unique, and everything is given a bluish cast using a trick never seen before in the Marathon universe, at least that I’m aware of. The effect is really eerie, but it works in ways much better than I think the Rubicon Team envisioned. This level provides your first encounter with a MOAH in Rubicon. In addition, you have your first encounter with Thinkers – super brainy Pfhor who have heads that are too heavy for them to be supported by their own bodies. Funny – I didn’t think that the Pfhor valued intelligence – but I guess even they need to have an intelligencia to help control the masses. I can certainly understand why they would be present around Tycho, but why would they be so heavily armed? We tend to surround our most important thinkers and leaders with body guards, but the Pfhor are a warrior society. And perhaps the Thinkers need to protect themselves from possible insurgencies – after all, we’ve seen how readily the Pfhor can be made to fight each other. In any case, once you do manage to flip both switches and log back onto a terminal, it is not Durandal but rather Tycho who greets you: Durandal and I have come to an agreement; The two of you will free me, and in return, I will hand over the entire pfhor network. Everyone has a price. Durandal will take you through the necessary steps from here on in. Funny that Tycho would tell you this. Why would Durandal trust Tycho to tell you what to do? There’s a lot more to this than is visible on the surface, and not all of it is explained in Rubicon. “Some things we will never know.” Oh well . . . it’s off to the next dream levels – Things May Happen III and Science Stands alone.

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Replies:

	Rubicon Volunteers - Hex Level 73	Steve Levinson	6/16/02 7:40 p.m.
	Re: Rubicon Volunteers - Hex Level 73	Inverted Sock Puppet	6/18/02 12:54 a.m.
	Re: Rubicon Volunteers - Hex Level 73	Steve Levinson	6/18/02 10:45 a.m.
	Re: Rubicon Volunteers - Hex Level 73	Scott	6/18/02 3:24 p.m.
	Re: Rubicon Volunteers - Hex Level 73	C Lund	6/18/02 3:30 p.m.
	Re: Rubicon Volunteers - Hex Level 73	C Lund	6/18/02 3:26 p.m.
	Re: Rubicon Volunteers - Hex Level 73	Inverted Sock Puppet	6/19/02 12:54 a.m.
	Re: Rubicon Volunteers - Hex Level 73	Sean	9/19/02 9:02 p.m.

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