Friday, 25 June 2004 - 11:39 PM CDT

ALRIGHT so im gonna type this whole god dam thing over because im nice like that. fool. jk ::cuddle:: and gomen if there are errors. and it seems like it won't indent it. oh well, gomen for that, otherwise there betta be minimal errors, and IM COLD WELKJASSDF

WELCOME TO THE DESERT OF THE REAL
Being like a designer on The Matrix Online is a little like being at bat with a full count: Strike one is the preponderance of MMOs already on the market, and strike two is the spotty perception that Matrix-branded videogames have in the minds of gamers these days. But if the pressure's on, then there's all the more incentive for Toby Ragaini's team at Monolith to deliver something special.
"There's no equivalent to killing rats in The Matrix Online," Ragaini states adamantly, and players fearing something like the Jedi lockout in Star Wars Galaxies have nothing to worry about, either. "As soon as you begin, you are an operative who has capabilities that normal people in the Matrix don't." Every player starts as a "red pill," or newly awakened initiate into Zion, although there's nothing to stop you from straying from your newfound friends. "You're approached by operatives from both the machines and the Merovingian," Ragaini explains, "and they're trying to convince you to work for them. They realize that humans who have these capabilities are very useful." So while you can't play as an Agent, "you do have an opportunity to choose which side you're going to be on."
In one sense, the three sides act as a kind of alignment system--think of Zion as good, the machines as evil, and the Merovingian as neutral, though things are a little more complicated than that. Both the humans and the Merovingian are interested in living life, while both the machines and the Merovingian are determined to protect the Matrix. In gameplay terms, though you'll be a human no matter which side you choose, the three organizatoins will all offer abilities and powers unique to that faction.
Beyond that, though, there's no rigid order to character growth. "Instead of having to, say, pick a character class, we have a much more open-ended model where players can try out capabilities and customize their characters according to their individual style," Ragaini says. The skills system will be familiar to anyone who saw Neo learn kung fu in a couple of seconds back in the first movie: Players will accumulate a library of programs that they can load while in the Construct before entering the Matrix proper, and these programs determine the abilities and special moves they have inside the system.
Exactly how special moves work is still a bit of a mystery, but regular combat should be familiar to anyone who's seen the movies. "Typically, MMO combat is sort of 'I hit you, you hit me.' Sowhat we've done is create this thing called Interlock. It's essentially tightly coupled animations where every punch and every block and every kick is lined up with a specific target on the opposing character. So that when you do a punch combo, your opponent will either get hit several times exactly where your punches land, or he will block and weave and duck in accordance with where the individual attacks fell." The mechanics determining what connects and what doesn't are invisive "so that what the player sees is a very smooth combat experience without any interruptions."
All this happens in the anonymous urban sprawl presented in the movies, populated by familiar characters, who'll show up under specialized circumstances. The team is working closely with the Wachowskis to ensure that the game carries the movies' stamp of authenticity--a refrain we've heard before, but Monolith has a better recent track record than certain other development teams. Could The Matrix Online be the One after all?

GOOD FOR:
Tech-heads who want something set in the future, as oposed to the medieval past. The MAtrix Online will attempt to rejuvenate the once-promising brand hammered by critical drubbings of both the final two Matrix movies and the moribund Enter the Matrix videogame. Finally, players can decide for themselves whether they'll take the blue pill or the red pill. As for us, we prefer Advil. It helps us get through deadlines more easily.