Uncover hidden tricks and secrets in Marathon Infinity mapmaking with this comprehensive guide. Learn advanced techniques for doors, bridges, and more.
This guide is designed to help those who wish to make their own gameplay maps (levels) for use in Marathon: Infinity. Mapmaking is done by using Forge, which is included on the original Marathon: Infinity game disc.
For those like myself who acquired the game fairly recently, it likely did not come with a manual, so the only Forge assistance available is the small set of tutorial films included with Forge. What is presented in this guide takes the information from the tutorial films and goes beyond. I apologize if some of this information is included in the Forge manual, but - as mentioned above - I did not receive a Forge manual.
The standard door can be used as a trap. Set so that the door opens and closes VERY quickly and that it causes damage WITHOUT reversing when it encounters an obstacle, any creature or player caught in its path of motion it will suddenly regret moving so slowly. Also, while selecting a Door automatically defaults to Extends from Ceiling, there is no reason why it cannot be set to Extend from Floor or Extend from Both.
There is no limit on the size of a door, so long as the total viewing distance and the number of transparent vertices do not exceed the limits of Forge and Marathon: Infinity (should either of these instances occur, an alert box will be displayed in Forge). This means that an entire corridor can become a 'door,' which sets up a rather nice trap.
A single corridor can be set as a door which never deactivates. Giving this 'door' a FAST rate of motion and a LONG delay/pause can surprise unsuspecting players. If the Speed is set to 55 and the Pause set to 300 seconds, the player might pass underneath this 'door' several times in five minutes and not suspect anything. Then, while the player is underneath the 'door,' the 300 seconds expires, and the player is suddenly crushed. At the very least, the player may come back toward the corridor and find it suddenly blocked, forcing the player to find another path to a desired area of the map.
I also like to use two or more corridors as 'doors' connecting other areas or cross-corridors. The beauty of this is that the three 'doors' can all have the same Speed, but differing Pause lengths; also, some can be initially Extended and others initially NOT Extended. This means that when a player comes to a set of 'doors' like this, one may already be closed, and one or more already open. If the 'door' which is closed looks just like the surrounding wall, the player will not suspect anything unless she or he happens to see it (or the other 'doors') move. Then, while the player in underneath an open 'door,' it suddenly slams down and the player is crushed.
If the 'door' trap is to be used with a lengthy corridor, there are two options which should be used to permit the player to pass unharmed. First, the Pause should be just long enough that the player can begin running through the corridor as soon as the 'door' opens, and be able to get safely to the other side just before it closes and the player is crushed; this can take some time to find the exact Pause length required for the player to JUST make it to safety. Second, one or more 'safe havens' should be added to either side of the corridor along its length; these can simply be one World Unit by one World Unit by one World Unit in size (if there are two or more 'door' traps, a single 'safe haven' can be placed between each pair).
Of course, there is no rule stating that mapmakers MUST allow players safe passage. Also, ANY entity can be crushed in these traps - including the massive Juggernauts.
A particularly nasty trick to use - especially in a map intended for multiplayer/network play - is to make a hidden teleporter, perhaps hidden behind a door which looks indistinguishable from the wall around it. Then, when the player steps onto the teleporter and stops, the player is wisked away to a tiny enclosed room with NO doors or windows to provide a means of escape... and the ceiling and/or floor in this tiny room are actually doors set to crush anything or anyone in the room at regular intervals. A player who is excited about finding a hidden element in the map will suddenly be extremely dejected (and/or extremely angry) at being killed in such a manner.
One thing must first be made clear here: There is no such thing as a 'true' bridge in Marathon: Infinity or Forge, meaning that a player on a lower level cannot see who or what is on (or rather, 'in') a bridge above. However, it IS possible to create a multi-level area where a player on a lower level can 'see' the base and side(s) of a bridge on an upper level. There is, however, some 'trickery' involved here.
The creation of a bridge within Forge takes some careful planning. First, two levels are required which will overlap to some extent; this could be simply a corridor for the upper level, the base and side(s) of which extend down from the ceiling of a tall lower room. Second, BEFORE creating the upper level (the corridor, etc.), the first level needs to be created with polygons specifically designed and placed to accommodate the upper level itself with some EXTRA ROOM to spare (to ensure that the Forge and Marathon: Infinity engines will not become confused). For example, the asterisks below show the polygons for a lower room, with the middle third of the room designed to accommodate a bridge:
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In this example, the lower room has a floor of 0.000 World Units. If the mapmaker wants the floor of bridge itself to be placed at 2.000 World Units, then the central third of the lower level's ceiling will need to be somewhat lower than that (again, to ensure that the Forge and Marathon: Infinity engines will not become confused); I prefer to use a difference of 0.500 World Units at a minimum, and experiment from there, making any changes as necessary - therefore, the ceiling for the central third of the lower room should be set to 1.500 World Units for this example.
Next, the polygon for the bridge itself (here, a corridor) can be added. The bridge polygon must not extend beyond the boundaries of the central polygon for the lower floor in order to create realism and to avoid confusing the mapmaker later:
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Now all that remains is adding textures.
One interesting feat - if it fits with the theme or the look desired by the mapmaker - is to use a different texture on the base and sides of the bridge as viewed from the lower room. The Scrolling Panels and Liquids trick can be quite useful here; for example, if the map uses a lava-based setting, then perhaps the sides of the bridge in this example can have a (fast) horizontal scroll on each side of the bridge, with an optional (fast) vertical scroll on the underside (base) of the bridge. If this does not seem appropriate, simply using a different-colored texture can make the bridge more prominent. Similarly, the bridge could be given a different lighting index and the other textures in the room, thus making the bridge either more prominent or more difficult to see.
A mapmaker may also wish to have a bridge which bends. This is done in the same manner as the example above, although more polygons will obviously be required. At the point(s) where the bridge is to bend, however, the mapmaker may wish to use a 'blank' polygon (i.e., a space of nothingness in Forge) to create the bridge support at the bend(s).
Bridges can also be a
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