efforts to make the rest of the game as interesting as the story was, while never under-
mining or diminishing the impact of the game’s epic tale.
Damage Incorporated...........................
In the case ofDamage Incorporated, the publisher, MacSoft, had obtained the license to
a sophisticated (at the time) technology that they wanted to use for a game. It was the
engine Bungie Software had created for use inMarathonandMarathon 2, two games I
enjoy and admire. In particular,Marathon 2remains one of the best first-person shoot-
ers ever made, easily holding its own against its PC contemporary,Doom. What
Marathon 2lacked in fast-action battles and the atmosphere of menace thatDoomcre-
ated so well, it more than made up for with a compelling and complex story line,
superior level design, and a good (though simple) physics model. Indeed, Bungie’sHalo
built uponMarathon’s many innovations, finally bringing them to a wider audience. As a
result of my having enjoyed theMarathongames so much, I decided to make my game
embrace the technology and gameplay thatMarathonhad established. I would craft my
game around the technology that had been licensed and use that technology to the
greatest effect I possibly could.
With a starting point of technology, I crafted gameplay and a story that could suc-
ceed using theMarathontechnology. Of course, we added features to the gameplay and
engine. The primary addition to the game mechanics was the player’s ability to order
teammates around the game-world, thereby adding a real-time strategy element to the
mix. We added to the engine numerous enhancements that allowed for swinging doors,
moving objects, and other effects necessary to create a game-world that more resem-
bled the real-world. I was still concerned with story in the game, though not to as great
an extent as I had been withOdyssey. Since having conversations with NPCs did not
really fit in withMarathon’s game mechanics, I worked interesting characters into the
game experience through the player’s teammates. These fellow marines would chat
among themselves as the player maneuvered them through the game-world.
Chapter 3: Brainstorming a Game Idea 49
Damage Incorporated
(pictured) had its origins
in the licensedMarathon
technology.