Editing Myth (video game series) (section)

==History==
===Development===
====''The Fallen Lords''====
[[File:Jason Jones-bungie.png|thumb|right|190px|[[Jason Jones (programmer)|Jason Jones]] conceived of ''Myth'' as an alternative to [[Bungie]] developing another [[first-person shooter]].]]
''[[Myth: The Fallen Lords]]'' was originally conceived by [[Jason Jones (programmer)|Jason Jones]] as [[Bungie]] was nearing the end of development of ''[[Marathon Infinity]]'' in late 1995. They had planned to do another [[first-person shooter]] as their next game. However, when Jones saw the first screenshots from [[id Software]]'s ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'', he became concerned that Bungie's new game would be too similar.<ref name="Strategies263">{{cite book | title=Myth: The Fallen Lords: Strategies & Secrets | last=Farkas | first=Bart | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Sybex]] | location=New York, NY | year=1997 | page=263 | isbn=9780782121407}}</ref> As such, he approached his colleagues with the question: "What do you think about having this world with 100 guys fighting 100 other guys in [[3D computer graphics|3D]]?"<ref name="Monsters"/> His idea was to bring Bungie's experience in 3D [[action game]]s to a [[real-time strategy]] (RTS) game.<ref name="PostmortemFL">{{cite web | url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/postmortem-bungie-s-i-myth-the-fallen-lords-i- | title=Postmortem: Bungie's Myth: The Fallen Lords | website=[[Gamasutra]] | last=Regier | first=Jason | date=July 31, 1998 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> The team agreed their new shooter was developing along lines too similar to ''Quake'', and, as such, they abandoned the project, and switched focus to what ultimately became ''Myth''.<ref name="Strategies263"/>

Dubbed "The Giant Bloody War Game",<ref name="Strategies263"/> initial inspirations were films such as [[Mel Gibson]]'s ''[[Braveheart]]'' and literature such as [[Glen Cook]]'s ''[[The Black Company]]''.<ref name="PostmortemFL"/> Doug Zartman, Bungie's director of [[public relations]] and one of the game's writers, explained: "We wanted to capture the feeling that you get watching large groups of people clashing on the open field".<ref name="PreviewFL">{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/myth-the-fallen-lords-preview/1100-2558942/ | title=Myth: The Fallen Lords Preview | website=[[GameSpot]] | last=Dulin | first=Rob | date=March 7, 1997 | access-date=May 6, 2016}}</ref> He was also eager to differentiate the game from standard RTS games:

{{blockquote|We tried real hard to come up with a term that was different from "[[Real-time computer graphics|real-time]]". We're calling it a "multimetric tactical game". "Multimetric" - I made that word up - because it's not an [[Isometric graphics in video games and pixel art|isometric game]] in the conventional sense. There are many angles a player can have and many views the [[Virtual camera system|camera]] can take. And we're calling it "tactical" because there are no elements of the game that focus on [[Micromanagement (gameplay)|resources]] or [[Macromanagement|management]]. It's strictly a tactical game.<ref name="PreviewFL"/>}}

Once they had decided on the basic [[game mechanics]], which ultimately became known as "[[real-time tactics]]", they drew up a list of elements they wanted to avoid (RTS [[cliché]]s, references to [[Middle-earth]], allusions to the [[King Arthur|Arthurian legend]], any narrative involving "little boys coming of age and saving the world") and those they wanted to incorporate ("any ideas that contributed to the visual realism of the game", such as a 3D landscape, [[Polygon (computer graphics)|polygonal]] buildings, [[Particle system|particle-based]] weather, and battlefields littered with body parts). They were also determined to include a robust [[Multiplayer online game|online multiplayer mode]] as a key gameplay feature.<ref name="PostmortemFL"/>

Work on the game began in January 1996, with a major early decision being to develop and release the game simultaneously for both [[Classic Mac OS|Mac OS]] and [[Microsoft Windows]]. At the time, Bungie's only Windows game had been a port of ''[[Marathon 2: Durandal]]'',<ref name="History">{{cite web | url=http://www.bungie.net/Inside/CustomPage.aspx?section=History&subsection=Main&page=4 | title=Inside Bungie: Myth! | publisher=[[Bungie]] | access-date=May 7, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061202191320/http://www.bungie.net/Inside/CustomPage.aspx?section=History&subsection=Main&page=4 | archive-date=December 2, 2006}}</ref> with which they had been unhappy, and they were determined ''The Fallen Lords'' be a genuine cross-platform release. As such, 90% of the game's [[source code]] was platform-independent, with 5% written for Windows [[subroutine]]s and 5% for Mac-specific functionality. All of the game's data was stored in platform-independent data files called "tags", which were automatically [[byte]]-swapped when necessary and accessed via a cross-platform [[file manager]].<ref name="PostmortemFL"/>

Although ''The Fallen Lords'' employs a fully 3D terrain, with 3D polygonal buildings, the characters are [[2D computer graphics|2D]] [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth: The Fallen Lords: Strategies & Secrets | last=Farkas | first=Bart | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Sybex]] | location=New York, NY | year=1997 | page=264 | isbn=9780782121407}}</ref> To bring the 3D environment and the 2D characters together, the team developed four separate [[programming tool]]s: "Tag Editor" (edited the [[Constant (computer programming)|constants]] in the cross-platform data files), "Extractor" (handled the 2D sprites and the sequencing of their [[Computer animation|animations]]), "Loathing" (the [[Level editor|map editor]]), and "Fear" (dealt with the 3D polygonal [[3D modeling|models]] such as houses, pillars, and walls).<ref name="PostmortemFL"/> Of the four programs, Jones explained:

{{blockquote|The Tag Editor lets you edit everything from the physics of the game, to the color of the units, how they move, and how they attack. There's another tool that we use to import [[Video game graphics|graphics]] called the Extractor, and there's a third tool called Loathing. Loathing is basically the map editor for ''Myth''. You import your map into it, you change the heights, and you place your units on the map in Loathing. The fourth tool that complements Loathing is called Fear. Fear takes care of all the models; it is used to import the 3D [[Rendering (computer graphics)|rendered]] models.<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth: The Fallen Lords: Strategies & Secrets | last=Farkas | first=Bart | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Sybex]] | location=New York, NY | year=1997 | page=268 | isbn=9780782121407}}</ref>}}

By November 1996, Bungie had a demo with rudimentary gameplay in place. In an effort to create media buzz, they took the demo to several gaming magazines. Speaking in 2000, Doug Zartman explained the [[physics engine]] was a major factor in the game even at this early stage:

{{blockquote|There wasn't much gameplay in what we showed them - two small groups on opposite sides of a small map rushing at each other, becoming a bloody knot at the middle where they all collided and blew each other up. And the [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] was crude. But the reviewers could see that it had strategic combat on real 3D terrain - something no other game at the time had, something that radically changed how the game was played; an archer could fire farther from the top of the hill than from in the valley. It was easy to demonstrate to the press that an archer on high ground was going to defeat an archer down in the valley.<ref name="Monsters"/>}}

''The Fallen Lords'' originally supported both [[software rendering]] and [[3dfx Interactive|3dfx]]'s [[Glide API|Glide]] hardware acceleration.<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth: The Fallen Lords Instruction Manual | url=http://tain.totalcodex.net/items/show/myth-the-fallen-lords-manual | publisher=[[Bungie]] | year=1997 | chapter=Preferences | pages=13–14 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> Soon after it was released, Bungie released a v1.1 upgrade [[Patch (computing)|patch]], which added support for [[Rendition (company)|Rendition]]'s [[Redline (API)|Redline]],<ref name="GSpotFL">{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/myth-the-fallen-lords-review/1900-2542746/ | title=Myth: The Fallen Lords Review | website=[[GameSpot]] | last=Ryan | first=Michael E. | date=December 11, 1997 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> and 3dfx's [[3dfx Interactive#Voodoo Rush|Voodoo Rush]].<ref name="PostmortemFL"/>

====''Soulblighter''====
''[[Myth II: Soulblighter]]'' went into development immediately after ''The Fallen Lords'' proved a commercial success.<ref name="Secrets235">{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter: Strategies & Secrets | last=Farkas | first=Bart | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Sybex]] | location=New York, NY | year=1999 | page=235 | isbn=9780782124422}}</ref> One of Bungie's main goals with the sequel was to include gameplay aspects and game mechanics which they had wanted to feature in ''The Fallen Lords'', but had been unable to implement due to time constraints.<ref name="Secrets235"/> Of the initial planning for ''Soulblighter'', [[Alex Seropian]], Bungie's co-founder, said:

{{blockquote|We had a lot of specific [[Game design|design]] goals for ''Myth II''. Part of those things are enhancements to the [[Game engine|engine]] as well as the gameplay. There were some things in the gameplay and artificial intelligence that made the original annoyingly difficult, and those were some of the things we wanted to enhance. In addition to that, we decided to touch basically every facet of the game. We wanted to make the music and sound better, the graphics - so we basically retouched every area of the ''Myth'' gaming experience.<ref name="Secrets235"/>}}

New to ''Soulblighter'' were moving 3D models within the gaming world, something none of Bungie staff had ever created before. For example, the opening [[Level (video gaming)|level]] features a fully functional windmill, and a later level features a drawbridge that closes as the level begins, and which the player must then lower so their army can gain access to a castle. Although the original game featured the same kind of 3D polygonal models, none of them moved, and implementing this feature proved to be one of the biggest challenges the team encountered in making the game.<ref name="Monsters"/> Another challenge also involved something not seen in the first game: a level set indoors. For this level, which is set in a large castle, the AI had to be rewritten as two enemy units could be right beside one another but not be able to see each other because of a wall between them. Previously, two units standing beside one another would automatically attack. Writing this new code into the AI [[scripting language]] proved especially difficult for the [[Game programmer|programmers]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter: Strategies & Secrets | last=Farkas | first=Bart | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Sybex]] | location=New York, NY | year=1999 | page=239 | isbn=9780782124422}}</ref>

In terms of the game's graphics, as with ''The Fallen Lords'', each level in ''Soulblighter'' is constructed on a [[Polygon mesh|polygonal mesh]]. However, the mesh used in the sequel is four times finer than in the original, and hence the graphics are more detailed and smoother. Like the first game, although the game world itself is fully 3D, the characters populating each level are 2D sprites. The sprites in ''Soulblighter'' have many more frames of animation than those in ''The Fallen Lords'', and so move more smoothly.<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter: Strategies & Secrets | last=Farkas | first=Bart | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Sybex]] | location=New York, NY | year=1999 | pages=237–238 | isbn=9780782124422}}</ref> Explaining why the team stuck with the concept of using 2D sprites in a 3D terrain, [[Video game producer|producer]] Tuncer Deniz stated:

{{blockquote|It's a performance issue. The reason we went with sprites for the characters is because in ''Myth'' you can have one hundred units on the screen at the same time, and if they were all polygonal models, even those with the fastest home computers wouldn't be able to play the game.<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter: Strategies & Secrets | last=Farkas | first=Bart | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Sybex]] | location=New York, NY | year=1999 | page=238 | isbn=9780782124422}}</ref>}}

''Soulblighter'' originally supported software rendering, all 3dfx and Rendition [[Graphics processing unit|GPU]]s, and any [[Video card|graphics cards]] that supported [[Direct3D]] for Windows and [[QuickDraw 3D]] for Mac.<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter Instruction Manual | url=http://tain.totalcodex.net/items/show/myth-ii-soulblighter-manual | publisher=[[Bungie]] | year=1998 | chapter=Using 3D Acceleration | page=7 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://ie.ign.com/articles/1998/10/22/myth-ii-adds-direct-3d-support | title=Myth II Adds Direct3D Support | website=[[IGN]] | date=October 21, 1998 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> The game also supported [[3D audio effect|3D audio]], specifically [[Aureal Semiconductor]]'s [[A3D]] and [[Creative Technology Limited|Creative Labs]]' [[Environmental Audio Extensions|EAX]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter Instruction Manual | url=http://tain.totalcodex.net/items/show/myth-ii-soulblighter-manual | publisher=[[Bungie]] | year=1998 | chapter=Getting Started | page=18 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Myth screenshot.jpg|thumb|250px|Screenshot from ''Blue & Grey'', an [[American Civil War]] set [[Mod (video gaming)#Total conversion|total conversion]] of ''Soulblighter'', created by the community using the Fear and Loathing tools.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://tain.totalcodex.net/items/show/blue-and-grey | title=Blue & Grey | publisher=The Tain | access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref>]]

When ''Soulblighter'' was released, Bungie included the "Fear" and "Loathing" programming tools, which allowed players to create new units and maps.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ie.ign.com/articles/1998/09/18/bungie-to-release-myth-tools | title=Bungie to Release Myth Tools | website=[[IGN]] | date=September 17, 1998 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> Bungie themselves strongly encouraged the creativity of their fan base in using these tools. For example, in April 1999, they issued a press release regarding the [[World War II]] [[Mod (video gaming)#Total conversion|total conversion]], ''Myth II: Recon'', saying: "This kind of [[Plug-in (computing)|plug-in]] was exactly what the ''Myth II'' tools were intended to inspire, and is an excellent sign that ''Myth'' mapmakers are taking this game world in fascinating new directions."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ie.ign.com/articles/1999/04/17/myth-ii-goes-world-war-ii | title=Myth II Goes World War II | website=[[IGN]] | date=April 16, 1999 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref>

====''The Wolf Age''====
In 1999, Bungie sold 19.9% of their [[Share (finance)|shares]] to [[Take-Two Interactive]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bungie.net/Inside/CustomPage.aspx?section=History&subsection=Main&page=5 | title=Inside Bungie: Oni! | publisher=[[Bungie]] | access-date=May 7, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061202191332/http://www.bungie.net/Inside/CustomPage.aspx?section=History&subsection=Main&page=5 | archive-date=December 2, 2006}}</ref> In June 2000, Bungie was purchased outright by [[Microsoft]], with Take-Two acquiring the ''[[Oni (video game)|Oni]]'' and ''Myth'' [[intellectual property|intellectual properties]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ie.ign.com/articles/2000/06/20/microsoft-buys-bungie-take-two-buys-oni-ps2-situation-unchanged | title=Microsoft Buys Bungie, Take Two Buys Oni, PS2 Situation Unchanged | website=[[IGN]] | date=June 19, 2000 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://ie.ign.com/articles/2000/06/20/microsoft-acquires-bungie | title=Microsoft Acquires Bungie | website=[[IGN]] | date=June 19, 2000 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> ''[[Myth III: The Wolf Age]]'' was announced by Take-Two subsidiary [[Gathering of Developers]] in January 2001, when they revealed [[MumboJumbo]] were developing the game for Windows and Mac OS.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ie.ign.com/articles/2001/01/10/more-details-on-myth-iii-the-wolf-age | title=More Details on Myth III: The Wolf Age | website=[[IGN]] | date=January 9, 2001 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> ''The Wolf Age'' would be MumboJumbo's first game.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ritual-splits/1100-2673059/ | title=Ritual Splits | website=[[GameSpot]] | last=Walker | first=Tray | date=January 9, 2001 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref>

Addressing the issue of remaining faithful to the two previous games whilst still introducing new elements to the franchise, MumboJumbo president Mark Dochtermann explained the developers did not intend to reinvent the series' basic gameplay, although they were keen to try out new things: "There's a lot left to explore in the ''Myth'' franchise even before we go in a somewhat different route. Although, we are taking a [new] route in terms of adding 3D acceleration, 3D models, and doing stuff with the terrain engine and physics that are still way beyond what the other RTS games are doing right now."<ref name="PreviewWA">{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/myth-iii-the-wolf-age-preview/1100-2675831/| title=Myth III: The Wolf Age Preview | website=[[GameSpot]] | last=Bergman | first=Jason | date=January 18, 2001 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> Similarly, producer and lead designer Scott Campbell stated: "We intend to pay respect to ''Myth'' and its fans. We don't care to change the whole appeal of the game just so we can call it ours."<ref name="Radar">{{cite web | url=http://www.dailyradar.com/features/game_feature_page_2142_1.html | title=Myth III Interview | publisher=[[Daily Radar]] | date=January 20, 2001 | access-date=May 7, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010202150300/http://www.dailyradar.com/features/game_feature_page_2142_1.html | archive-date=February 2, 2001}}</ref> With this in mind, MumboJumbo hired three members of ''Soulblighter''{{'}}s modding community to work on the game.<ref name="PreviewWA"/><ref name="Radar"/> Although initially hired to work on technical aspects, they became invaluable to MumboJumbo in terms of writing the storyline. Executive producer Mike Donges explained that "they're our ''Myth'' lore experts, so if we try to put in something new, they have the ability to [reject it]".<ref name="Preview Update">{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/myth-iii-the-wolf-age-updated-preview/1100-2812466/ | title=Myth III: The Wolf Age Updated Preview | website=[[GameSpot]] | last=Parker | first=Sam | date=September 14, 2001 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref>

[[Image:Myth III gameplay.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Screenshot of ''Myth III'' showing the [[3D computer graphics|3D]] character models in a 3D terrain. In contrast, the previous games in the series used [[2D computer graphics|2D]] [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]] in 3D terrains.]]
Although ''The Wolf Age'' was built using ''Soulblighter''{{'s}} source code, the developers made significant changes, the single biggest of which was that everything in ''The Wolf Age'' is rendered in [[OpenGL]] 3D, including the characters and all environmental objects. ''The Wolf Age'' was the first ''Myth'' game to feature fully 3D characters, rather than 2D sprites in a 3D environment.<ref name="PreviewWA"/> Of the move to full 3D, Dochtermann points out that the 3D engine allows for things not possible in the previous games: "There's some very cool [[kinematics]] stuff. So when you have explosions, and when your units move through the world, the trees will respond. And not just blowing them up. You'll see the shock waves from explosions, and you're affecting the environment a lot more. It's a lot more realistic."<ref name="PreviewWA"/> The new game engine also supported [[Real-time computer graphics|real-time]] [[Shadow mapping|shadows]] and [[Computer graphics lighting|dynamic lighting]], as well as being capable of blending six to seven different [[Texture mapping|texture]] layers, depending on how close the camera is to the action.<ref name="ImpressionsWA"/><ref name="Preview Update"/>

Regarding the programming tools used to create the game, MumboJumbo initially began by using Bungie's "Fear" and "Loathing". However, they never intended to use them for very long, with the plan always being to develop their own tool. Speaking a few months into development, Campbell stated: "We are planning on doing a merger of the tools later on [...] we're actually making tools right now that we will be using for ''Myth III'' that are not only cross-platform compatible, but will also allow you to do all the neat new things, use all the new scripting commands and the new models and 3D units and stuff that we're using in this game."<ref name="PreviewWA"/> The new tool was eventually called "Vengeance".<ref name="Preview Update"/> At the [[Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3]] event in May 2001, MumboJumbo promised that Vengeance would ship with the game.<ref name="ImpressionsWA"/>

''The Wolf Age'' [[Software release life cycle#RTM|went gold]] on October 17, 2001,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ie.ign.com/articles/2001/10/17/myth-iii-goes-gold | title=Myth III Goes Gold | website=[[IGN]] | date=October 17, 2001 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> completing a development cycle of only ten months, a relatively fast time to develop a major video game.<ref name="GSpotWA"/> Soon before the game's release, ''[[PC Gamer]]''{{'}}s Jim Preston wrote he was skeptical as to whether the developer had been given enough time to satisfactorily complete the game.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Preston | first=Jim | date=December 2001 | title=''Myth III: The Wolf Age'' | journal=[[PC Gamer]] | issue=91 | page=24}}</ref>

On November 16, lead programmer Andrew Meggs posted on Mythvillage.org that the entire ''Myth III'' PC team had been laid off by MumboJumbo the same day the game had been released, November 2. In a post titled "Some ugly, but honest truths", Meggs wrote:

{{blockquote|The basic reason was that there was no next project lined up and funded, nor was there expected to be in the near future, it's expensive to keep a team of salaried people around doing nothing, and MumboJumbo was not a huge business with infinitely deep pockets. There's a tangled web between the MumboJumbo Irvine project team, its parent company United Developers and the game's publisher Take-Two. I wouldn't blame anyone specifically for the collapse - call it everybody's fault if you're the angry sort or nobody's fault if you're charitable.<ref name="Ugly">{{cite web | url=http://www.mythvillage.org/forums/general_archive/index.cgi/read/2485 | title=Some ugly but honest truths | publisher=Mythvillage.org | last=Meggs | first=Andrew | date=November 16, 2001 | access-date=May 7, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041029110112/http://www.mythvillage.org/forums/general_archive/index.cgi/read/2485 | archive-date=October 29, 2004}}</ref>}}

Meggs explained the team knew there were problems with the Windows version of the game that needed addressing, but, as they had been fired, they were unable to do so. He stated they had been working on a patch to fix many of these problems when they were let go, and he was unsure if this patch would be released. He also acknowledged that many of the criticisms regarding [[Software bug|bugs]] in the game would be addressed by the patch.<ref name="Ugly"/> The same day Meggs made his post, November 16, MumboJumbo closed their offices in [[Irvine, California]], with a view to consolidate their resources in their [[Dallas]] headquarters.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mumbo-jumbo-closes-irvine-office/1100-2825369/ | title=Mumbo Jumbo closes Irvine office | website=[[GameSpot]] | first=Walker | last=Trey | date=November 16, 2001 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref>

Three days later, MumboJumbo denied the ''Myth III'' team had been laid off, saying all staff members had been invited to work in the Dallas office. They also announced the patch Meggs had spoken of would be released within the week.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/myth-iii-patch-demo-coming/1100-2825826/ | title=Myth III patch, demo coming | website=[[GameSpot]] | first=Walker | last=Trey | date=November 19, 2001 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> On December 19, Mark Dochtermann promised the patch would be released before Christmas, along with Vengeance, which had not been shipped with the game.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/myth-iii-patch-on-the-way/1100-2833847/ | title=Myth III patch on the way | website=[[GameSpot]] | first=Walker | last=Trey | date=December 19, 2001 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> The patch was never officially released by MumboJumbo.<ref name="Patch 1.1">{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/myth-iii-unofficial-patch/1100-6025017/ | title=Myth III unofficial patch | website=[[GameSpot]] | first=Parker | last=Same | date=April 11, 2003 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2017}}

=== End-of-support ===
After Bungie released the ''Total Codex'' bundle in 1999, which contained ''The Fallen Lords'' v1.3, ''Soulblighter'' v1.3, and the ''Soulblighter'' [[expansion pack]], ''Myth II: Chimera'', they ceased working to develop the game's source code, as Microsoft wanted them to concentrate on ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved|Halo]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://articles.cnn.com/2000-06-22/tech/ms.bungie.idg_1_ed-fries-bungie-software-products-microsoft-s-games-division?_s=PM:TECH | title=Microsoft buys Bungie in home gaming bid | publisher=[[CNN]] | last=Costello | first=Sam | date=June 22, 2000 | access-date=May 8, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121163958/http://articles.cnn.com/2000-06-22/tech/ms.bungie.idg_1_ed-fries-bungie-software-products-microsoft-s-games-division?_s=PM:TECH | archive-date=January 21, 2012}}</ref> The official Bungie ''Myth'' servers were closed in February 2002.<ref name="Server">{{cite web | url=http://www.bungie.net/perlbin/blam.pl?file=/site/3/news/stories/myth_game_server_open_source.html | title=Myth Game Server Open Source | publisher=[[Bungie]] | date=February 7, 2002 | access-date=May 8, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020804014355/http://www.bungie.net/perlbin/blam.pl?file=%2Fsite%2F3%2Fnews%2Fstories%2Fmyth_game_server_open_source.html | archive-date=August 4, 2002 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

===Community-driven development===
Despite the official [[End-of-life (product)|end-of-life]], the ''Myth'' series continued to have an active online fanbase, particularly ''Soulblighter''. The first organised group of programmers, artists, and coders from the game's community was known as MythDevelopers, who requested and were granted access to the [[source code]] so as to continue its development.<ref name="Code">{{cite web |last=Wen |first=Howard |date=June 10, 2004 |title=Keeping the Myths Alive |url=http://linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/06/10/mythdevelopers.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130111043717/http://linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/06/10/mythdevelopers.html |archive-date=January 11, 2013 |access-date=October 6, 2024 |publisher=Linuxdevcenter.com}}</ref> With the permission of Take-Two, Bungie released their entire archive of ''Myth''-related materials to MythDevelopers, including the source code, artwork, all creative files (such as maps, 3D models, scripts, etc.), and documentation, over 80 [[Gigabyte|gigabytes]] of material.<ref name="Code"/> MythDevelopers was also granted access to the source code for ''The Wolf Age''.<ref name="Code"/> Bungie also [[Open-source software|open-sourced]] their ''Myth'' [[metaserver]] source code in 2002.<ref name="Server"/>

MythDevelopers used this material to improve and further develop the games. Although their initial focus was on the bug-ridden release version of ''The Wolf Age'',<ref name="Code"/> they also worked to update the first two games to newer [[operating system]]s on both Mac and PC, fix bugs, and create [[unofficial patch]]es to enhance both the games themselves and the mapmaking tools.<ref name="Code"/> They also developed their own library, dubbed the Myth Core Library, which provided networking, input routines, and other [[Low-level programming language|low-level functions]]. This enabled MythDevelopers to avoid the necessity of licensing any external libraries, and instead allowed them to develop everything in-house. This was part of their deal with Take-Two, as they couldn't incorporate anything into the games which they would be unable to give Take-Two the rights to should the company ever ask for the source code back; all modifications remained the intellectual property of Take-Two, who were free to use them in a future commercial version of ''Myth'', if they ever wanted to re-release an upgraded version of one or more of the games, or incorporate the modifications into the development of a new ''Myth'' game.<ref name="Code"/>

In April 2003, MythDevelopers released a v1.1 patch for ''The Wolf Age'' for both Windows and Mac. Fixing over forty gameplay and stability issues, and addressing numerous bugs, the patch also included new multiplayer maps and gameplay modes.<ref name="Patch 1.1"/> MythDevelopers disbanded in December 2003, with Project Magma becoming the main development group for ''The Fallen Lords'' and ''Soulblighter'',<ref name="PostmortemSB">{{cite web | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2380/postmortem_project_magmas_myth_.php?print=1 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227113608/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2380/postmortem_project_magmas_myth_.php?print=1 | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 27, 2008 | title=Postmortem: Project Magma's Myth II 1.5 and 1.5.1 | first=Alexei | last=Svitkine | website=[[Gamasutra]] | date=August 23, 2005 | access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref> and FlyingFlip Studios for ''The Wolf Age''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://flyingflip.com/ | title=FlyingFlip Homepage | access-date=May 8, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001140554/http://flyingflip.com/ | archive-date=October 1, 2007}}</ref> Magma's final patch for ''The Fallen Lords'' was v1.5, released in 2005, which added support for [[OpenGL#OpenGL 1.3|OpenGL 1.3]] for both PC and Mac.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.projectmagma.net/downloads/tfl/ | title=Myth TFL Patches | publisher=Project Magma | access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref> FlyingFlip's final patch for ''The Wolf Age'' was v1.3, released in 2004, which introduced multiple gameplay and stability improvements, as well as bug fixes, and performance enhancements.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://tain.totalcodex.net/items/show/myth-iii-1-3-1-patch-pc | title=Myth III 1.3.1 Patch (PC) | publisher=The Tain | access-date=May 3, 2016}}</ref> FlyingFlip disbanded in 2007.<ref name="Flying">{{cite web | url=http://elusivemind.net/index.php/elusivemind/comments/to_the_myth_community/ | title=To The Myth Community | publisher=ElusiveMind.net | date=October 1, 2007 | access-date=May 2, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016054749/http://elusivemind.net/index.php/elusivemind/comments/to_the_myth_community/ | archive-date=October 16, 2007}}</ref>

''Soulblighter'' received considerably more attention from the modding community than either ''The Fallen Lords'' or ''The Wolf Age''. Between 2003 and 2013, Project Magma released multiple major patches, each of which included fixes for bugs, graphical problems, gameplay problems, and interface issues, as well as improve the Fear and Loathing tools and the online multiplayer mode. However, each patch also tended to feature one or more "major" enhancement. For example, v1.3.2, developed in association with MythDevelopers in 2003, allowed ''Soulblighter'' to run natively under [[OS X]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://projectmagma.net/downloads/myth2_132/ | title=About Myth 1.3.2 | publisher=Project Magma | access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref> Also developed in association with MythDevelopers in 2003 was v1.4, which introduced OpenGL support for the OS X version and allowed the player to play ''Soulblighter'' with ''Fallen Lords'' style gameplay (dubbed v''TFL'').<ref name="Patch1.4.3">{{cite web | url=http://projectmagma.net/downloads/myth2_143/ | title=About Myth 1.4.3 | publisher=Project Magma | access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref> In 2004, Magma released their first standalone patch, v1.5,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://projectmagma.net/downloads/myth2_151/ | title=Myth II: Soulblighter Patch 1.5.1 | publisher=Project Magma | access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref> which was originally intended as a minor clean-up patch for some of the problems introduced in v1.4.<ref name="PostmortemSB"/> For example, v1.4 broke a number of fan-developed plug-ins. Additionally, as the developers did not have access to ''The Fallen Lords'' source code when designing v''TFL'', the feature was unreliable.<ref name="PostmortemSB"/> Magma's plan with v1.5 was to get the gameplay and plug-in compatibility back to the standard of Bungie's last official version of the game, but retain the v1.4 features that worked. During development of v1.5, they also gained access to ''The Fallen Lords'' source code, and so completely rewrote the v''TFL'' option.<ref name="PostmortemSB"/> Magma's final patch, v1.8, was released in 2013,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://projectmagma.net/downloads/myth2_180/ | title=Myth II: Soulblighter v1.8.0 | publisher=Project Magma | access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref> and added several new game modes to multiplayer gaming, improved the usage of [[Central processing unit|CPU]] resources, added a new texture decompression code which loads sprite frames twice as fast as before, enhanced both the texture mapping and the [[Shader#Pixel shaders|pixel shader]], and included (for the first time in a Magma patch) [[Linux]]-specific improvements.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://projectmagma.net/downloads/myth2_180/Readme_1.8.0.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://projectmagma.net/downloads/myth2_180/Readme_1.8.0.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live | title=Myth II: Soulblighter Version 1.8 | publisher=Project Magma | access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref>

In May 2023, an archive said to be the largest historic collection of Myth items was placed on the [[Internet Archive]]. At well over 1,200 Myth maps, the source centers on 3rd party versions of solo, network, and scenario entries between the initial November 1997 Myth release through early 2023.<ref>{{citation |url=https://archive.org/details/UltimateMythMaps |title=World's Ultimate Bungie Software Myth Maps Collection |publisher=Internet Archive|date=21 May 2023 |access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref>

===Community servers===
Prior to disbanding, MythDevelopers created and operated PlayMyth.net, the most popular online ''Myth'' server after the official servers were taken offline. Although built using the ''Soulblighter'' server, PlayMyth could also run both ''The Fallen Lords'' and ''The Wolf Age'', which was developed by MumboJumbo using a network gameplay system designed to run on [[GameSpy]] rather than Bungie.<ref name="Code"/> PlayMyth went offline in October 2007 after it was repeatedly [[Hacker (computer security)|hacked]],<ref name="Flying"/> with the most popular servers becoming MariusNet.com and GateofStorms.net.<ref name="Online">{{cite web | url=http://mythgraveyard.org/003680 | title=Where to Play Myth online | publisher=Myth Graveyard | date=January 1, 2014 | access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref>

MariusNet had been online since just prior to Bungie's ''Myth'' servers going offline, and was officially approved by Bungie.<ref name="Marius">{{cite web | url=http://halo.bungie.net/news/content.aspx?cid=15 | title=The Marius.net Interview | publisher=[[Bungie]] | date=February 27, 2002 | access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref> The original impetus behind the project was as a temporary replacement for ''Myth'' players in case the original servers were shut down, which had been rumored for some time. The Bungie servers had not supported ''The Fallen Lords'' since November 2001, and the community believed the servers would soon close for ''Soulblighter'' as well.<ref name="Marius"/> When ''The Fallen Lords'' servers closed in November, the only way to play a multiplayer game was via a [[Local area network|LAN]] or [[AppleTalk]], and MariusNet was created as a Bungie "emulator", which, like PlayMyth, supported all three ''Myth'' games, and thus gave players a way to play ''The Fallen Lords'' online.<ref name="Marius"/> At the time, Bungie had not open-sourced the metaserver source code, so creating a network for ''The Fallen Lords'' was accomplished via [[reverse engineering]]. Dave Carlile, the main programmer of the server, explained:

{{blockquote|We started with some information about the ''Myth 2'' [[Communications protocol|network protocol]], and hoped ''Myth'' was the same or very similar. [Todd Snyder] then used a [[Packet analyzer|packet sniffer]] to look at the data being sent back and forth between the ''Myth 2'' client and the server in order to learn more. We initially made a partial ''Myth 2'' server to get the basics down, then spent hundreds of hours figuring out the differences in [[Network packet|packet]] structure in ''Myth''. For a few of the more difficult pieces we used a [[disassembler]] to take apart the client code, and also a [[debugger]] to trace through the code.<ref name="Marius"/>}}

MariusNet closed in 2014 when the server company shut down, and the [[Computer hardware|hardware]] was damaged whilst being moved to its new location.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://projectmagma.net/ | title=Metaserver and Other News | publisher=Project Magma | date=December 22, 2014 | access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref> GateofStorms, which was created by Project Magma<ref name="Online"/> and only supports ''Soulblighter'' v1.8 (released by Magma in 2013), remains active, and continues to host individual games and tournaments.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://gateofstorms.net/ | title=Gate of Storms Homepage | publisher=Gate of Storms | access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref>