What, no airfield? What a gyp!

After having "saved" all of Blake's BoBs from their assimilation, Blackstar and Narcogen turn their attention back to Thoth. However, it appears he's not the only AI waiting in the wings to make a triumphant return...

Only seven levels left!

This podcast uses:

Aleph One, free and open source versions of Marathon for Windows, Mac and Linux at http://source.bungie.org

We played through level 20 of Marathon 2 awhile ago, God Will Sort the Dead, but we partially missed one prominent feature (the crushers situated above the teleporters) and one that has apparently remained hidden and nearly secret since the game's release. It's been hinted at by the maintainer of the Marathon Story Page:

http://forums.bungie.org/story/?read=...

Now it's been exhausively investigated by PerseusSpartacus:

http://forums.bungie.org/story/?read=...

Jason Jo... I mean, Robert Blake wants us to sidetrack from our mission of reactivating the dormant S'pht AI in order to take care of some assimilated BoBs that are harassing his men. We're warned that "their minds don't work like ours" but I think he's failed to take into account how our minds work.

We're not supposed to ever leave a BoB alive, but we do. Just one. We couldn't find him to kill him.

We're also now using the 1024x1024 textures originally created for the XBLA version of the game:

As we're handed off from the deactivated Durandal to the mysterious Robert Blake, we switch from switching off an AI to trying to switch one on.

Apologies for the video quality here; for a few episodes now we've been trying out the MP4 export feature of the latest Aleph One beta; while it works well, quality varies quite a bit, seemingly dependent on how dark a level is and what textures it uses. Next episode we go back to regular screen capture.

This podcast uses:

Captured by Tycho's Pfhor after the deactivation by Durandal and stripped of all weapons save fists, Blackstar and Narcogen await rescue by human troops supposedly sent by the mysterious Robert Blake.

Naturally, life on the inside gets to them and it's shank or be shanked. Naturally.

This podcast uses:

Aleph One, free and open source versions of Marathon for Windows, Mac and Linux at http://source.bungie.org

This is it. We're performing a mercy killing on Durandal. The ones who aren't getting any mercy are Blackstar and Narcogen, because the Pfhor don't have any.

It seems only fitting that Durandal, tasked with opening and closing doors for a living should set us the task of disabling his logic cores-- by setting up a series of interlocking doors.

If things around here aren't working properly, it's probably because we're dying so hard. We're not the only ones, though. Blackstar and Narcogen continue the possibly pointless defense of Durandal's stolen Pfhor scoutship and face continued mockery from their new nemesis, Tycho.

When they said we should apply within for carnage, they never said the carnage would be applied to us. For those of you who enjoy our videos most when they feature incompetence, surprise, and humorous player death-- this episode is for you!

This podcast uses:

This message is for your eyes only: Tycho is after us. Send help. Please!

This podcast uses:

Aleph One, free and open source versions of Marathon for Windows, Mac and Linux at http://source.bungie.org

Remixes of the Marathon soundtrack by Craig Hardgrove at http://themarathonmusic.com

We use irons' Co-Op script:

http://simplici7y.com/items/co-op

Back on board the Sfiera, or "Boomer" as Durandal calls it, Blackstar and Narcogen make a desperate defense of the crippled craft against wave after wave of Pfhor attackers.

This podcast uses:

Aleph One, free and open source versions of Marathon for Windows, Mac and Linux at http://source.bungie.org

Remixes of the Marathon soundtrack by Craig Hardgrove at http://themarathonmusic.com

We use irons' Co-Op script:

Durandal has decided that the true secrets of the S'pht must be submerged in lava, rather than slime or water. Oh joy. This level gives players no ammunition (thank goodness for the scripts provided by irons and treelama) and marks the start of Marathon 2's difficulty curve getting a bit steeper.

This podcast uses:

Aleph One, free and open source versions of Marathon for Windows, Mac and Linux at http://source.bungie.org

Finding only tantalizing glimpses of the fate of the lost 11th clan of the S'pht in the lofty towers of the city of antiquity, Durandal sends Blackstar and Narcogen into the city's depths in search of more concrete information. Unfortunately, the situation in the city's bowels is quite fluid.

This podcast uses:

Aleph One, free and open source versions of Marathon for Windows, Mac and Linux at http://source.bungie.org

Having breached the lava moat and the locked door, Blackstar and Narcogen ascend to the top of the tower in the citadel of antiquity in search of clues to the fate of the lost clan of the S'pht.

This podcast uses:

Aleph One, free and open source versions of Marathon for Windows, Mac and Linux at http://source.bungie.org

Remixes of the Marathon soundtrack by Craig Hardgrove at http://themarathonmusic.com

For audio recording, we use Mumble:

Durandal has sent Blackstar and Narcogen to the S'pht Citadel of Antiquity to look for clues to the location of the lost clan, but all we find are lava, locked doors, and Pfhor. Lots of Pfhor.

This podcast uses:

Aleph One, free and open source versions of Marathon for Windows, Mac and Linux at http://source.bungie.org

Remixes of the Marathon soundtrack by Craig Hardgrove at http://themarathonmusic.com

For audio recording, we use Mumble:

Dissatisfied with his virus-infected drone playthings, Durandal sends Blackstar and Narcogen into a flooded area to search for a Pfhor computer.

This podcast uses:

Aleph One, free and open source versions of Marathon for Windows, Mac and Linux at http://source.bungie.org

Remixes of the Marathon soundtrack by Craig Hardgrove at http://themarathonmusic.com

For audio recording, we use Mumble:

http://mumble.sourceforge.net

Durandal falls victim to one of the classic blunders, and it's up to security officers Blackstar and Narcogen to bail him and his BoBs out. But if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the lava. Join Blackstar and Narcogen for level 8 of Marathon 2: Nuke and Pave.

This podcast uses:

Aleph One, free and open source versions of Marathon for Windows, Mac and Linux at http://source.bungie.org

Remixes of the Marathon soundtrack by Craig Hardgrove at http://themarathonmusic.com