Johnathan Telin <telinj4615@clarkstate.cc.oh.us> notes that in the first level of Marathon there is reference to a "teleport terminal", a "jump pad", and a "Teleporter Pad Terminal". Johnathan asks:

Jump pad, teleport pad, teleport terminal, what is it??

Interesting point. When you arrive at the exit terminal on "Arrival" you find a light colored 'square' texture in front of it.

Could this be the "jump pad" or "teleport pad"?

Note what you're standing on when you arrive on the next level "Bigger Guns Nearby". The light colored 'square' texture is the same as the one at the exit terminal on "Arrival". Was this supposed to represent a "destination" pad?

However there is no "jump pad" looking texture at the exit terminal on "Bigger Guns Nearby". Was the idea of a "jump pad" dropped?

Johnathan Telin <telinj4615@clarkstate.cc.oh.us> provides further evidence to suggest that "jump pad" areas were originally intended in Marathon as evident from "Arrival" but then dropped:

Also to further back this up, remember in the first terminal on Bigger Guns Nearby? There was no light-colored square in front of it and Leela says that you have to get to that other one so she can teleport you out because she can't do it from this one. Well why can't she? Because there is no "pad"? An original Bungie idea that was later dropped due to time wasted through implementation?

The same could be said for the first terminal on Arrival. There is no "jump pad" area in front of the terminal and Leela tells you to locate the one in the Hangar's control room.

Brett Trent <vector@cutco.com> writes:

I was thinking, unless I misunderstand this issue completely, is it not possible that Bungie dropped the Jump Pad concept simply because it would have made it way too easy for the player to identify a particular terminal as an exit point?

I can recall many happy hour running 'round levels re-reading all the terminals unsure of which would now deliver me to the next level.