Marathon Multiplayer [6 PLAYERS]: Sands Serif Remake

Multiplayer match on Bungie's Marathon Infinity, hosted online with Aleph One in 2023. Game type: Every Man for Himself.
Map: Sands Serif Remake from Second Quest: [simplici7y.com/items/second-q...]
Match Info: [metaserver.lhowon.org/game/gu...]
Download the Marathon Trilogy and play via Aleph One: [alephone.lhowon.org]
Track online games: [metaserver.lhowon.org]
Browse Marathon fan scenarios: [alephone.lhowon.org/scenarios...]
Join the Marathon Discord: [ / discord ]
Bungie's new Marathon game: [www.marathonthegame.com/]
Recorded 11/11/2023
From Wikipedia:
The Marathon Trilogy is a science fiction first-person shooter video game series from Bungie, originally released for Mac OS. The name Marathon is derived from the giant interstellar colony ship that provides the setting for the first game; the ship is constructed out of what used to be the Martian satellite Deimos. The three games in the series - Marathon (1994), Marathon 2: Durandal (1995), and Marathon Infinity (1996) - are widely regarded as spiritual predecessors of Bungie's Halo series.
In 2005, Bungie authorized the release of the full original Mac OS trilogy for free distribution online, which combined with Aleph One and the efforts of the fan community, now allows the entire trilogy to be played for free on any of Aleph One's supported platforms (Mac OS, Linux and Windows) [alephone.lhowon.org]. Aleph One features an online matchmaking server [metaserver.lhowon.org], allowing for much easier organization of Internet games than joining directly by IP address as had previously been required.
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. The new Marathon game will release on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, and will support cross-play and cross-save between these platforms.

[@jabberw0k812]

I'm not a network mapper, but I have to wonder what schools of thought there are on how many SPNKR missiles should be in any given map, and how they should be distributed. Like, when it might be good to have less, if there are occasions to funnel players towards other weapons, etc.

[@windbreaker1701]

In my experience, the more regular online players generally prefer lots of missiles on their network maps, or none at all. Most people don't really like having one or two rocket launchers on a map, as you'd see more often in the old days, on stock maps for instance. Marathon is such a fast game, and the maps are usually small enough, that having the only rocket launcher on a map is a massive advantage that makes things less fun for those equipped with lesser weapons. People prefer having most or all of the weapons right away, and then utilizing them as they see fit, with enjoyment coming from competing skillsets, as opposed to the frustration of getting killed over and over by the guy who got to the rocket first.
That being said, I have made a handful of maps where there's only one rocket launcher :P Usually I counter this by not providing any ammo, so you only get two shots with it before having to fall back on the other available weapons, and it doesn't spawn as frequently. Still, some people have complained about that. I have also made a number of maps with no rockets at all; a change of pace to a rocketless map is often welcome during online rounds.