Return to Marathon
A nostagic voyage to the future...


Brief story on the evolution of the first chapter:


At the beginning of January 1998 I had finished playing some really excellent third party Marathon scenarios. I then proceeded to play, 'just once more time', a few levels of that creaky and much beloved game, M1. Unfortunately, it proved too easy for me, I recalled almost all the puzzles, and the engine seemed a little primitive after playing Marathon Infinity. However, my best memories were still very much there, in that huge ship, playing in the middle of the night, in the middle of an unknown galaxy, in the middle of nothing. I remembered how challenging it was fighting in that cold, unforgiving vacuum at the G4 Sunbathing Station... those deadly compilers trying to stop me at every turn, sweating out the last battery in my fusion pistol... I really was there!


It was at this point that I decided I would have to return to this wonderful and now historic old ship. Constructed over one of the moons of Mars, and christened with the name of a legendary battle, it called to me to come home again. It was where I had spent so many exciting and wonderful hours of my life. Then, fueled by memories, I reached a decision... on a Return to Marathon.


After coming to this conclusion almost all of my free time was occupied with thinking about the Return to Marathon. Gathering new ideas, fleshing out new concepts of play. And always adding to a large and ungainly notebook I started keeping with scattered notes and an extraordinary collection of sketches to help me along my journey.


In March of 1999, after considerable effort; and along with numerous probes into the Marathon engine, physics model, shapes, etc., I released the first RTM Demo. I had the opportunity to make the aquaintence of Claude Errera then, my good fortune. Claude did the first beta testing, worked up an installer, a place on the net, and contributed a multitude of other work and valuable suggestions that I can't recall as well as I should for now (thanks Claude!).


Pedro Cristiani burst onto the scene around this time and offered his expertise and talent in his capacity as a professional writer. Pedro became totally involved, putting forth a terrific interest to continue the RTM scenario and bring it truly to life. Without this facet of RTM, all other efforts might have been useless (thanks Pedro!).


Pedro then took the raw material available and worked in many new and exciting ideas. A few months afterwards we met in Buenos Aires and delineated the main storyline for this work-in-progress scenario.


Today, more than a year after our first meetings; and more than two years after the conception of a Return to Marathon, the first chapter is being released. I don't know if it is a big thing, maybe so, RTM has taken the last two years of my life and a lot of work by our dynamic and talented team members. What I do know with certainty is that the team and I made this journey with much love and affection.


To some folks who may say "this is just a plain copy of M1", I say, look around and ponder. Return to Marathon does have an assortment of things from M1, but this is not a "plain brown wrapper" of a copy. This is our sincere homage to this beloved game, and to all the people who created, and continue to create, such wondrous thrills and chills in the Marathon Universe.


Antonio