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  1. - Top - End - #1
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    chiasaur11's Avatar

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    Default Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    ALERT!

    All USEC ships within signal range!

    This is chief engineering officer Robert Blake, of the USEC Marathon. We're under attack by unidentified craft. Two of the AIs are nonresponsive, we've lost all contact with the colony, and the damage this thing's guns are doing to the shields makes the cult of Traxus IV look like unusually aggressive girl scouts. We can't hold out much longer.

    We need backup!

    Repeat. We need backup.

    Robert Blake, signing off.

    Wait... What's....!



    Yes. Due to a handy flash drive, an odd gap in the best buy computer databases, a few miscellaneous glitches, and a desire for a brief break from strategy gaming and another desire to take a bit of a break from working with the battle happy joes of X-Com, I'm going to be giving a LP of the classic Bungie FPS Marathon a go before LPing Gal Civ 2.

    Lament, question, rejoice, volunteer for a cameo, etcetera.

    Same disclaimer as on X-Com, though. This let's play may end without notice due to any of the following factors: Work, lack of work, boredom, excitement, success, failure, swine flu, bird flu, human flu, or actual alien invasion. In the event of cancellation, feel free to blame Fox.
    Last edited by chiasaur11; 2009-08-05 at 02:01 PM.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (That first success? Beginner's luck.

    YES!

    I only played the original marathon, but it is really great. You're using the one version with upgraded graphic and stuffs right?
    You got Magic Mech in My Police Procedural!
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  3. - Top - End - #3

    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (That first success? Beginner's luck.

    I will definitely blame FOX. They probably pushed you out of the way for their stupid sports.
    It's been a bit, GitP. If you're reading this, you're either digging through old stuff, or I've posted for the first time in forever.

    If you want to stay in touch, reach out to me on twitter (same username).

    The best answer is always to ask your DM.
    Unless you're the DM, in which case you should talk to your players.

  4. - Top - End - #4
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    Default Bad day. Started bad, stayed that way.

    This is Security Chief Victor Jones of the Marathon.

    If anyone is reading this...

    Who am I kidding. When (I'd say "and if" here, but that implies I have a chance of making it through this alive.) I bite it, that'll probably be it for resistance on this ship. And, considering how fast the automated defenses have been offlined, I doubt any rescue crew will last long enough to reach the docking bay, let alone whatever godforsaken corridor I bite it in.

    Well, I guess this is a stupid vanity then. Not like anyone'll call me on it.

    Anyway, this whole mess started...

    Well, I have no idea when it started. All I remember is a crash, a weird dream about a lost temple in South America, and then groggily emerging into the hanger area.


    I had my standard issue Mega Class securely holstered (And empty. Been years since surfaceside had a dispute that required lethal force to resolve.)
    and was just about ready to give the standard "Good job, troops" speech to Winslow and Jacobson followed by doughnuts and sleeping till noon, when I noticed something... odd.

    Skinny biped. Three eyes. Armed. And moving towards me at a pace a bit quicker than I'd like. I ducked a quick swipe from the stick it was using, then gave it a quick tap to the thing guarding what I presumed was its chin. Simple incapacitating blow. Or it should have been. Thing crumpled a lot nastier than most. Kicked the body. Looked dead. Odd.

    I walked up to the terminal to ring up Tycho, the Science team's resident bunch of bytes and bits approximating a personality. Not the nicest program in the world, but he knows his job, and if Strauss's boys had lost a genetic experiment I could at least give them a lecture on proper specimen storage.

    It was then I realized just how bad things were. Well, not entirely. A lot of the worst bits would turn up later. But the fact things were worse than they'd ever been in the history of the good ship Marathon, well that was a gimmee.

    Not just the words, mind. The tone was even more of a giveaway. Leela's normally...

    Chirpy. Upbeat. Some of the guys complained, but me? I kind of liked it. Nice to have somebody who's sure the Marathon's the best place to be in the whole galaxy, with a crew made up entirely of swell guys.

    Not that it's true, of course, but it's nice to have someone buy it.

    I gave Leela a quick thank you for the heads up. (Always pays to be nice to the Arties. An AI can make your life hell in any number of ways without making it obvious to anyone else. Not that some of them make being nice easy. Durandal, I'm looking at you.) Figured I should grab some ammo from the security room before covering the rest of the hanger. Better to be safe than sorry.


    Place was crawling with bugs. I managed to deal with them, barely, and started walking towards the main controls.

    And I was naive enough to think that was the hard part.
    Last edited by chiasaur11; 2009-08-05 at 06:00 PM.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

  5. - Top - End - #5

    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    This game is not known by me, but this LP is enjoyed by me.
    It's been a bit, GitP. If you're reading this, you're either digging through old stuff, or I've posted for the first time in forever.

    If you want to stay in touch, reach out to me on twitter (same username).

    The best answer is always to ask your DM.
    Unless you're the DM, in which case you should talk to your players.

  6. - Top - End - #6
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    This is going to be fantastic.
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  7. - Top - End - #7
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Quote Originally Posted by The Dark Fiddler View Post
    This game is not known by me, but this LP is enjoyed by me.
    Well, it's Bungie, it's got great plotting (for its time) and it's free.

    Oughta be worth a look, at least.

    Got mine here.
    Last edited by chiasaur11; 2009-08-18 at 09:16 PM.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

  8. - Top - End - #8
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    This is your friendly note that Copper8642 watches this with interest.
    My last breath... ...is also my mintiest...

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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Looks interesting, I'll be keeping up with this one
    Quote Originally Posted by Cheesegear View Post
    Girlfriend and Parents: Why do you spend so much money on that stuff?
    Me: Would you rather I spent all my money on alcohol like others in my peer group?
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    Bossing Around Mad Cats for Fun and Profit: Let's Play MechCommander 2!

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  10. - Top - End - #10
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    Default Further on and further in

    So, about that time I figured I'd gotten the measure of our new buddies.

    Fast, none too bright, and fairly fragile. Still, better to be safe than sorry. Headed over to the Pattern buffer. Simple bit of medical tech, does a scan of vitals and records optimum biological functions, meaning any injuries, diseases, and the like are easy enough to spot. Quick look at that, then a run to the computer, organize the defenses, and we all go back home for a cold one.



    Of course, that didn't go according to plan. Seems the bugs had some officers. Better armed, better trained, better armored...

    Made me very glad for the magnum ammo I'd picked up in the supply room. Lost some shields anyway, but better that than my life.

    Well, might as well make a log for the doctor's office. Boot up the buffer, wait while it scans you, type in your name...

    And done.



    Pulled up my map and started heading towards the comp. Don't get me wrong, it's really nice to have an automatically updating map of any area, but it'd be nice if they'd make it a transparent overlay. Bumped into more than one security drone when checking where to go in some of the more cramped corridors.



    And in the current scenario, that kind of thing was worse than ever. I mean, running into Frane or Winslow just makes things awkward. Running into one of these things unaware makes things... fatal.

    Some kind of cyborg, by the looks of it. Kind of... disintigrated when I tried to hit it. Didn't seem built for combat, though. Wonder why they'd be sending something like that over.

    Well, Leela might have some idea. Found a terminal. Shouldn't be too long before I get some answers.


    Or not. Network connection was scrambled, data was halfway wiped...
    Odd. Not too odd, though. No system works perfectly, and one segment of the library going offline on a day with this much going wrong was hardly a shock.

    Well, at least the chargers were still online.

    Ah, the comforting hum of charging body armor. Always did try to keep it in top shape, even if there hadn't been much need for it (until now, at least.).
    I'd seen fighting on Icarus. After that, powering down was something you just didn't do.

    Well, no sense dwelling on the past. I got a detailed recollection every night. No need to make it occupy my waking hours as well.

    Joy. A whole room full of the things. With more than one officer.

    ... And they hadn't noticed me. Or my magnum.

    Well, at least they had it quick.

    Might as well inform Leela the area was secured.

    Of course! That's what I really wanted. Confusing, glitched up philosophical musings! Now, after going through a gauntlet of inhuman monsters trying to kill him, some folks might think a guy would like a booze and something to distract him from the blood on his hands. But the universe knows better. What I wanted was something about fire, freedom, and incomprehensibility.

    At least it vanished from the screen quickly enough. Leela managed to get a message through. Bless her silicon heart.

    Well, that explained the weird robed thing from earlier, and the glitchy terminals. The aliens were sending the guy in to disrupt the automated defenses. Which meant I would need to repair the drone systems by hand.

    This was going to be a very long day.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Ettin in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Cool update. The screenshots tend to be a little bit dark though.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cheesegear View Post
    Girlfriend and Parents: Why do you spend so much money on that stuff?
    Me: Would you rather I spent all my money on alcohol like others in my peer group?
    G&P: You keep spending as much money as you want!
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    Bossing Around Mad Cats for Fun and Profit: Let's Play MechCommander 2!

    Kicking this LP into overdrive: Let's Play StarCraft 2!

  12. - Top - End - #12
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Artanis View Post
    Cool update. The screenshots tend to be a little bit dark though.
    I'll try to correct that in the future. At least the next area is more brightly lit.

    Any other problems? I'm always eager to improve.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

  13. - Top - End - #13
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Not enough screenshot, but that's just me
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Huzza. Many vidmasters out there give you thumbs up. Well, at least I do.

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    Default Guy can't even go to the bathroom in peace these days.


    And with the knowledge that things were getting worse by the second, not to mention a fairly unsettling hum from the teleporters, I was dropped off in the security quarters. Knew this chunk of the ship like the back of my hand. Meant I knew where the shadows fall, the normal background noise...

    Pretty much meant that green armored maniac picked the worst spot in the world to hide.


    Messy. Loud. Disturbingly satisfying. I started moving quickly. Odds were somebody would notice soon, and I didn't want to be there when the welcoming committee showed.

    Managed to get to the monitor room before anyone else arrived and called up Leela. Day kept getting better and better. What started as one I-don't-know-what finding out that it picked the wrong security officer to tangle with was now a full on invasion, no backup from the colony, automated defenses down, and hundreds, probably thousands dead already.

    Leela recommended going for the weapons locker and grabbing the stuff we'd put away in the event of a vague, unspecified disaster. Seemed like a good idea, if still a good deal light a response. We'd gone long past the point where a security guard is reasonably expected to keep the peace, and a few more bits of metal a second seemed unlikely to spawn a change in the basic outlook, IE we're all going to die.


    I headed into the showers and restrooms. It was on the way, and some things remain the same, horrible disaster or no. Of course, there were bugs waiting for me.

    Lots of them. Including a new one. Seemed to be the highest ranking one I'd seen so far. Ordered one of the cloaked cyborgs to distract me while he ran. Suited me fine. If I could avoid tangling with any more of them then I had to until we had some halfway tolerable security systems, I'd avoid dying a happy man.

    Managed to lose them somewhere around the breakroom, and carefully slipped toward the ammo locker, and, more importantly, a MA-75. Hadn't used one of these things before, and from what I'd heard I hadn't been missing too much. No accuracy, the grenades tended to wipe out your guys as often as the enemy in tight corridor fights, and more kickback than's pleasant.

    What they hadn't mentioned was what a close quarters burst did to a lightly armored enemy. Not a sight that you can pop on a postcard and send to mom and pop. "Hey, having a great time reducing alien invaders to painful paste, wish you were here".

    I headed on in the general direction of the 'bot locker. Leela'd said the automated systems were offline, and I figured I'd see what I could do. Found a rather large group of aliens planning an ambush.

    A fighting retreat from that lead me to one of the last places on the ship I wanted to go. The hazard tape meant that the usual security measures preventing, say, a vacuum breach or a huge piece of the ship crashing on top of you were less rules, and more guidelines. I walked carefully, watching for any signs of disaster.

    Should have been watching more for aliens and less for hull breach, I suppose. Got ambushed by a half dozen of the guys behind the computer glitches. Managed to dissuade them of further attempts at physical combat, and headed on towards the computers I'd spotted a bit further on.



    First one did nothing to solve my current quandaries, but it did answer the long standing dispute among those of us not technically inclined, re: what bug crawled up Durandal's vent port. Thing was an exercise in monotony to read about for thirty seconds. Years of doing the work in question would make anyone surly.

    Leela had some news, when I finally reached her, that made the questions on Durandal a bit academic. He'd gone down, meaning she had to take up his slack, and I had to get some bots online for her.

    Looked like we might have a chance to turn the tide. Note the past tense.
    Last edited by chiasaur11; 2009-08-07 at 05:04 PM.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

  16. - Top - End - #16
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    Default Note to self: Hazard tape does not mean "Free Candy".


    Leela and I were agreed on the issue of drone repair. One guy with the armaments available in a standard security locker was probably not the best solution to a full scale alien invasion. Even if there had occasionally been glitches, sending out the military grade robots (well, they were when they were built, at least.) was a much better solution.

    Admittedly, the three layers of hazard tape, two security doors, and automated voice over asking if I was sure I wanted to enter a hazardous material area did make me question the decision. Not for long, mind, but...


    Of course, even if I didn't know the area, I was sure giant bugs weren't the hazards the signs warned against. They spit some kind of acid that did a number on my suit's paint job. At least their blood wasn't acidic. Would make me reevaluate the whole ammo saving bit.

    At least the light switch was clearly labeled. Figures. One thing on the whole ship is disasterproofed, and it's a flipping light switch. Of course! No reason to make sure the AIs can withstand a viral attack, say. Just make sure the lightswitch works.

    Another heartwarming example of design efficiency. Third defense chip was sent halfway across the ship. Which I'd need to retrieve. Joy of joys.

    Well, at least there were a couple of defense repair chips here.

    And... ammo? Sounds like those reports of somebody raiding the armory I'd been dismissing were true. Someone on this ship had either been planning something unfriendly, or was remarkably paranoid. Well, the sort of disaster one is paranoid about had come to pass. Be a waste to pass up on some ammo.

    And here was the elevator. No safety measures, as only drones were supposed to be in the manufacturing center most of the time.

    Met with an alien sentry on my way. Managed to deal with him before an alarm could be sounded.

    And was rewarded with the sight of one of the cyborg compilers messing with the system.

    Of course, I had to take that thing's mind off its task. Leela couldn't take much more of those thing's assault. Of course, making them focus on me was less brilliant a solution than I hoped. Cramped corridors aren't made for running.


    I made it out alive and in an acceptable number of pieces, thanks to the shielding on the armor. The check on the monitor confirmed the hacker hypothesis, at least. I think I'd read some of this before. Other bits, though...
    Weird.

    Well, at least the chip was still clean. I nabbed it and went back to Leela.

    Leela had some... not bad news.
    Durandal was still up, there was some semblance of a science team left...
    Never thought I'd be glad to here the old door opener's name, but, well, any port in a storm, and any backup now...
    Last edited by chiasaur11; 2009-08-09 at 04:33 PM.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

  17. - Top - End - #17
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    The update almost snuck past me. It was a sneaky one.

    The screenshots are much better
    Quote Originally Posted by Cheesegear View Post
    Girlfriend and Parents: Why do you spend so much money on that stuff?
    Me: Would you rather I spent all my money on alcohol like others in my peer group?
    G&P: You keep spending as much money as you want!
    Spoiler
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    Bossing Around Mad Cats for Fun and Profit: Let's Play MechCommander 2!

    Kicking this LP into overdrive: Let's Play StarCraft 2!

  18. - Top - End - #18
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    Default Okay. Obviously Deimos doesn't have to obey OSHA.


    Had the chips. Now all there was to do was deposit them into the right subsystem. Easy.

    Or not. Seems someone on the ship felt that people shouldn't be mucking about with the vital workings of the ship and handing armies of deadly robots over to an AI. To the point of putting the deposit area behind the trash compactor.

    And past the fuel vents. One of those leaks, I'm dead. I walk too slow, I'm dead. Make a wrong turn: Dead. I don't even know who designed this section of the ship and I hate him with a passion. My only relief comes from the knowledge that, given it's been centuries since this ship launched, he is almost definitely dead.

    Then I find the last thing I was expecting in the bowels of the ship. An armory that makes the good old security locker look sick. Half dozen MA-75s, and plenty of ammo. Someone was planning something nasty, or planning for something nasty. Either way, this seemed out of place on a simple colony ship.




    Odder still, there was a secure database on rampancy, containing some stuff I'm pretty sure was classified. Curiouser and curiouser.

    No sense in dwelling on it, though. We were under attack, and the fact no-one was shooting at me, at the moment at least, didn't give me a license to slack off. As much as I wished it did, given the crushers built specifically to prevent unauthorized personnel access to the drone controls.

    And... in. Leela'd been sending some files while I was ducking the compactors according to the local monitor. Might be worth a read. No pressure right now, and the return journey looked less than fun.


    Troopers?
    Hulks?
    The grunts were bad enough. Glad the drones would be dealing with them, instead of me.

    As I walked back to... I had no idea where I was going. Been a while since I had the initiative. Anyway, got hit with an ambush.

    That proved the drones were worth every penny.

    Leela seemed happy with the news. Unfortunately, she wasn't letting go of a prime errand boy that easy. Something was rotten, it seemed. Well, fortune favors the bold. (So what cowardice got her this mad at me?)



    So... In an out of character note, I'm a bit stuck. End of Cool Fusion, and I just went down the stairs and into a room with 2 switches, but now... no idea. Can't remember how I beat it the first time. Any ideas?
    Last edited by chiasaur11; 2009-08-09 at 06:43 PM.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    I've never played Marathon, so about all I can suggest is that if you get really desperate, there's always gamefaqs
    Quote Originally Posted by Cheesegear View Post
    Girlfriend and Parents: Why do you spend so much money on that stuff?
    Me: Would you rather I spent all my money on alcohol like others in my peer group?
    G&P: You keep spending as much money as you want!
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    Bossing Around Mad Cats for Fun and Profit: Let's Play MechCommander 2!

    Kicking this LP into overdrive: Let's Play StarCraft 2!

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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Have you gotten past "The Wave" in Cool Fusion?

    I can't remember specifically where you mean.

    I know you have to platform jump before they squish you to get to areas.

  21. - Top - End - #21
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Poison_Fish View Post
    Have you gotten past "The Wave" in Cool Fusion?

    I can't remember specifically where you mean.

    I know you have to platform jump before they squish you to get to areas.
    Pat that.

    Just went down some stairs, directly under where you start.

    And, might as well let you all know.

    Due to computer problems, there probably won't be another update for about a week.

    So... yeah. Sorry about that.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    I'd say punch the switches. There should be two openings, one that leads to a shield regenerator, and another that'll twist and turn to the end of the level.

    Also, if I recall, you'll hate the next level.

  23. - Top - End - #23
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Poison_Fish View Post
    I'd say punch the switches. There should be two openings, one that leads to a shield regenerator, and another that'll twist and turn to the end of the level.

    Also, if I recall, you'll hate the next level.
    Nah.

    Played it before, and although I prefer a tad more oxygen, in general it's fun.

    Not like the Vacuum levels in infinity. Eesh.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Quote Originally Posted by chiasaur11 View Post
    Nah.

    Played it before, and although I prefer a tad more oxygen, in general it's fun.

    Not like the Vacuum levels in infinity. Eesh.
    Yeah, Infinity tended to have some crazy vacuum levels.

  25. - Top - End - #25
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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Poison_Fish View Post
    Yeah, Infinity tended to have some crazy vacuum levels.
    Including a point where there were TWO IN A ROW.

    I am not ashamed to say I kindergartened through the first one of the two to ensure enough O2.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

  26. - Top - End - #26
    Titan in the Playground
     
    chiasaur11's Avatar

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    Default Note to self: In a spacecraft swarming with hostiles, don't look for the cat.

    Spoiler
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    Oh. Oh no.

    Rampant?

    RAMPANT!?

    An AI going rampant is probably one of the worst disasters possible on a spaceship in the best of circumstances. Whole systems crash, the oxygen is on the blink most of the time, and that's before the "angry" stage. Which is, trust me on this, the budget production of "I Have No Mouth and I must Scream".

    And it happened when we were already under attack. I am seriously considering calling this the worst day of my life, and considering the previous record holder...

    Of course, it got worse.
    Spoiler
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    Ran into one of the enforcers Leela mentioned. Lost shields entirely. Odd. Seemed to be defending the program node.
    Spoiler
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    I punched in some security codes, locked the module down. At least the drones would mostly be under Leela's control. One good thing today. Focus on the positive, Jones. Just...

    The positive list begins and ends with "I am not dead." And that one is rapidly moving towards the negatives. Well, that and the one AI still stable being the nice one.
    Spoiler
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    Finally finding out what happened when we left didn't help my mood. Mars apparently didn't stop falling apart when we were gone. If it wasn't for the current invasion, I'd say we left just in time. As is, I'm not so sure.
    Spoiler
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    Last switch punched. Durandal is now unable to access the security systems, the plasma conduits, life support...
    Spoiler
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    Huh. Looks like we can add doors to the list. I grabbed some ammo from a hidden cubby. Some designers on this this ship? Paranoid. All there is to it. Well, not paranoid enough regarding AIs, given we've got rampancy in one case, but paranoia seldom covers every contingency, try as it might.
    Spoiler
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    And it sounded like another passageway opened up. I could hear something, barely. Sounded like the hum of defense drones and...

    people. Hadn't seen anybody (besides Leela) not wanting to brutally murder me for hours. And given Durandal's apparent lack of control, it should be safe enough.
    Spoiler
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    Or it should have been if Pfhor patrols didn't swarm in from doors I could have sworn were locked down in the event of an emergency.
    Spoiler
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    Leela provided the explanation I was figuring on.

    Durandal.

    (Sorry about the image size. Will try to fix in the next update. Long story.)
    Last edited by chiasaur11; 2009-08-17 at 05:21 PM.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

  27. - Top - End - #27
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Artanis's Avatar

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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Other than the picture size, a pretty good update.

    In the meantime, you might consider putting them in a spoiler tag or something.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cheesegear View Post
    Girlfriend and Parents: Why do you spend so much money on that stuff?
    Me: Would you rather I spent all my money on alcohol like others in my peer group?
    G&P: You keep spending as much money as you want!
    Spoiler
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    Bossing Around Mad Cats for Fun and Profit: Let's Play MechCommander 2!

    Kicking this LP into overdrive: Let's Play StarCraft 2!

  28. - Top - End - #28
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    chiasaur11's Avatar

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    Default Re: Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting. (Let's play Marathon.)

    Edit: Scratch that.

    Managed a short update.
    Last edited by chiasaur11; 2009-08-18 at 09:25 PM.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

  29. - Top - End - #29
    Titan in the Playground
     
    chiasaur11's Avatar

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    Apr 2008

    Default Looks like I was wrong.



    Well, as dangerous as the job was, it at least was clear. No moral dilemmas, no fancy tech work, just risking life and limb to protect those in harm's way.

    Of course, the sounds of human voices steadily marched further away through the labyrinthine bowels of the ship. The doors slammed and opened at random, slowing my progress. And to be honest, I had no idea where I was headed.

    Checked a monitor for map updates. No luck. Just a history of Mars, just before we launched.






    One conflict I'd been lucky enough to dodge. Always wondered why MIDA hadn't hit the ship. Well, at least this meant one colony's worth of people had a chance to get away from the mess.

    And into a worse one. Well, at least the colony wasn't being focused on. Focus on what you can help with, and you might manage to keep some degree of sanity.

    Right. Sure.


    Unlike a certain AI piping in all of the sudden. Geeze. Knew rampant AIs were dangerous, but...

    He called them here? Durandal called the monsters currently turning what had been my first chance at peace in, well, ever into a nightmare that made the Daedalus campaign look like a bedtime story?

    $&*&.

    If he wasn't so deep in madness he'd think himself to death without a network bigger than Traxus's, I'd be trying to figre how to pull the plug now, tech training or no. As is, I was strongly considering doing that anyway, when I heard the steadily retreating footsteps of the human prisoners stop. Sounds like a riot.

    I ran to the scene.



    Oh.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

  30. - Top - End - #30
    Titan in the Playground
     
    chiasaur11's Avatar

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    Default I'd tell someone about the mess, but the janitor's probably dead.



    I must have blacked out. When I came to, I was in the middle of the impromtu arena, everythin. When I came to, what had recently been a frantic battlefield was now an impromptu grave site. Hands were covered in something. Felt like the defense of fort Helios all over again.

    I looked at my hands. Blood, but the alien kind only this time, thankfully. And oddly. If the fact the defense drones were downed in seconds is any indicator, those hulks were easily the equal of a good tank. And, given a brief inventory showed no loss of ammunition, I would have had to have done that with my bare hands.

    Very little of this was reassuring.


    I heard a whimpering in the corner. Seems there were human survivors left on the ship. (Well... other than me, I suppose.)

    He was pretty much incoherent. Didn't blame him. This thing had been hard on me, and I've dealt with this kind of thing before. And having the harmless security officer rip apart a biological tank with his bare hands wouldn't improve one's attitude, I suppose.

    In between frantic "They're everywhere"s and whimpering, he managed to mention the bugs had been moving prisoners to a central holding area.

    I intercepted a small patrol on the way to the central cell. A quick burst dealt with the guards. The survivors were a tad more coherent then the first rescued party. I sent them back to the security room. I'd managed to clean that corner of the ship up, mostly, and the majority of the drones were there.

    Should be safe. Ish.

    Or so I thought. Then I saw it. The alien ship. Accounting for distance...

    Words wouldn't describe it. The crew manifest would be longer than most craft. Not their manifests. The actual ships. And that's assuming you write small. Suddenly, all the heroics in the world were feeling inadequate.

    I managed to take out the troops guarding the bulk of the prisoners.

    For this transport.

    Seems the bulk of the group was being sent over already for who knows what end, and the disruption back in the courtyard was the only reason this bunch hadn't been sent along with them already.

    I went to talk to Leela. Might distract from my current ineffectiveness.

    Didn't.

    Should have figured. I knew the dead as faces passed in the hallway once a year at most. She knew everyone in the crew personally. And liked them. Even one dead probably'd be too many by her standards.

    (Still stuck on cool fusion. Hit the two switches, but can't see anything happening. Any advice?)
    Last edited by chiasaur11; 2009-08-21 at 01:05 PM.
    Remember how I was wishing for the peace of oblivion a minute ago?

    Yeah. That hasn't exactly changed with more knowledge of the situation. -Security Chief Victor Jones, formerly of the UESC Marathon.

    X-Com avatar by BRC. He's good folks.

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