Historical Documents
From AlephWiki
Aleph One Historical Documents
When the Aleph One project first started many people made contributions or suggestions as to how the source code could be modified to produce such an enhanced product. Most of these are now redundant: the project has moved beyond the original discourse (e.g., networking had moved from local network to internet hosting) while early ideas on creating sloped walls have been found to be unimplementable. Nevertheless, these files offer some insight into the early days and what people were first considering.
Contents |
Reference Material
3D Application Programming Interfaces
Which of RAVE, Glide or OpenGL would provide the best 3D API for Aleph One?
Graphics Rendering
Software or hardware rendering? The possibility of projecting textures onto 3D surfaces.
Lighting Textures
The calculations required for handling lighting on surfaces.
Marathon File Specifications
A detailed description of the internal structure of each of Marathon's file types.
Marathon 2 Map File Format
Similar to the above but specifically on the map contents.
Networking Overview
Marathon originally ran only on a local network. These are the details prior to being superseded by Aleph One's abilities.
Polygon Sides
Brief description of how Marathon projects textures onto vertical surfaces.
Porting to Other Plaforms
Discourse of how different computer platforms would interpret map & texture formats if Aleph One was to be ported beyond Mac.
Shapes File Format
A detailed description of how Marathon shapes files were structured.
Windows Image File Format
A detailed description of how the Windows Marathon images files were structured.
Developer Rants
In the early days (1999-2002) of the Aleph One project various people posted rants concerning the limitations of the original source code and what may be done to deal with such. Most, if not all, are now history.
Gameplay, Gameplay, Gameplay
Difference of opinion in what details should have priority (Nov/2000)
Marathon 1 Compatibility
Can the maps from the original Marathon be made compatible with a mature Aleph One? (Nov/2000)
Case Against QuickDraw3D
Similar to the discussion between OpenGL, RAVE & Glide - why to use OpenGL instead of QD3D. (Nov/2000)
Aleph One Networking
Differences between playing on local networks and the internet; what could be done to minimise the problems that would arise with the latter. (Jan/2001)
Marathon 2 for Windows
File formats in Windows. (Feb/2001)
Handling User Actions
Limitations of the InputSprocket software on enabling users to pursue certain actions in gameplay. (Aug/2001)
Potential Sloping Surfaces
A suggestion of a means to create the illusion of sloping surfaces on maps. (Jan/2003)
