Editing Marathon Trilogy (section)

==Reception and legacy==
''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' considered the ''Marathon Trilogy'' a prominent part of [[Mac gaming|Macintosh gaming history]] for its innovative features previously unseen in mainstream games. The series also presented a grand science-fiction story told through in-game terminals, in contrast to a usual lack of detailed narrative in first-person shooters; Bungie carried this concept of an FPS with a strong narrative focus into the ''Halo'' series.<ref name="wired 2020">{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/story/bungie-marathon-revisit/ | title=It's Time to Revisit the Games That Gave Rise to Halo | first=Julie | last=Muncy | date=August 27, 2020 | access-date=August 27, 2020 | magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] }}</ref> When reviewing the trilogy box set, ''[[Macworld]]'' praised the amount of content and the ability to edit levels.<ref name="Macworld">{{cite magazine|title=Marathon Trilogy Box Set |url=https://archive.org/details/eu_Macworld-1998-12-INT_OCR/page/n76/mode/1up |magazine=[[MacWorld]]|page=75|date=December 1998|location=[[United States of America|United States]] |access-date=June 6, 2023}}</ref>

In May 2023, an archive said to be the largest historic collection of Marathon items was placed on the [[Internet Archive]]. At well over 10,000 Marathon maps, the source centers on the Trilogy's 3rd party versions of solo, network, and scenario entries between the initial December 1994 Marathon release through early 2023.<ref>{{citation |url=https://archive.org/details/UltimateMarathonMaps |title=World's Ultimate Bungie Software Marathon Maps Collection |publisher=Internet Archive|date=20 May 2023 |access-date=29 July 2021}}</ref>

===Modifications===
After ''Marathon'' was released in 1994, players began to create [[Mod (computer gaming)|mods]] in the form of custom maps, shapes, sounds, and physics files. Larger [[Video game modding#Total conversion|total conversion]] mods may or may not be set in the ''Marathon'' universe. Before the official development tools were released with ''Infinity'', most map development was done with fan-built tools such as Pfhorte, created in March 1995.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://bs.bungie.org/2003/03/eight_years_of_1.html | title=Eight Years of Pfhorte | website=Bungie Sightings | access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref>

"Vulcan" was a map editor used in the creation of all three games, but it was not released to the public until ''Marathon Infinity'' was published, by which time it had been polished and renamed "Forge". "Anvil" is the sister program to Forge and is used to edit shapes (graphics), sounds, and physics. Both Anvil and Forge ran only in the [[Classic Mac OS]], but newer tools have been created by the community for modern platforms.

The need for royalty-free fonts to be distributed with the engine and games led to the creation of an [[SIL Open Font License|OFL]]-licensed [[Bank Gothic#Squarish Sans CT|version of Bank Gothic]] and of Modula Tall, fonts originally used by Bungie in connection with the games.

Some of the more ambitious total conversions created by fans include ''Marathon Eternal''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://eternal.bungie.org | title=Marathon Eternal}}</ref> and ''Marathon Rubicon'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.marathonrubicon.com | title=Marathon Rubicon}}</ref> which are both "sequels" of a sort to the events in the Trilogy,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/86369/the-original-bungie-trilogy-a-marathon-retrospective|title=The original Bungie Trilogy: A Marathon retrospective|first=Brittany|last=Vincent|date=2014-09-19|access-date=2024-07-03|website=[[Shacknews]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Get_The_Inside_Info_On_Marathon_Rubicon|title=Get The Inside Info On Marathon Rubicon|date=2001-02-13|access-date=2024-07-03|website=The Mac Observer}}</ref> and the [[total conversion]] ''Apotheosis X''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/marathon-mod-apotheosis-x/|title=This Marathon mod 15 years in the making is practically an entirely new game|first=Ted|last=Litchfield|date=2022-12-11|access-date=2024-07-03|website=[[PC Gamer]]}}</ref> In a different vein is ''[[Excalibur: Morgana's Revenge]]'', originally released in March 1997, then updated in 2000 and 2007.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.macobserver.com/columns/slackersguide/2006/20060829.shtml | title=The Slacker's Guide – A Classic Evolved: Excalibur: Morgana's Revenge | author=Chris Barylick | work=The Mac Observer | date=August 29, 2006 | access-date=2008-11-13}}</ref> An original scenario mixing sci-fi and medieval themes, it builds a single-player campaign using new textures and sound assets as well as musical scores. A game entitled ''Wheels!'' was also produced in 1998 to assist in training [[power wheelchair]] operation for children with disabilities.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005030056/http://www.rjcooper.com/wheels/|url=http://www.rjcooper.com/wheels/|title=Wheels!|website=RJ Cooper & Associates|access-date=2024-07-11|archive-date=2018-10-05}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gwcac.va.networkofcare.org/mh/assistive/detail.aspx?id=11610|title=Wheels!|website=Greater Williamsburg Network of Care|access-date=2024-07-11}}</ref>

===Relaunch===
{{main|Marathon (2025 video game)}}
During a May 2023 PlayStation showcase, Bungie announced a new ''Marathon'' game. The new game is a [[Player versus player]] extraction shooter that takes place within the canon of ''Marathon'', with events occurring on Tau Ceti IV, where a console ship remains in orbit, and its 30,000 passengers have mysteriously disappeared. Players take on the role of cybernetic Runners to seek wealth and treasure on the planet.<ref>{{cite web |last=Minotti |first=Mike |date=May 24, 2023 |title=Bungie and PlayStation resurrect Marathon |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/bungie-and-playstation-resurrect-marathon/ |website=[[VentureBeat]]}}</ref>{{failed verification|reason=Source does not verify narrative details.|date=April 2025}} The new ''Marathon'' game will release on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, but not for MacOS despite the original game being an exclusive for that system, and will support cross-play and cross-save between these platforms.<ref>{{cite web |last=Welsh |first=Oli |date=May 24, 2023 |title=Bungie is reviving its '90s classic Marathon as an extraction shooter |url=https://www.polygon.com/23734066/marathon-bungie-playstation-showcase-2023 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref>