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Matrix Online NDA Lifted!

Rock21Rock21 Member Posts: 54
in The Matrix Online

The Matrix Online NDA has been lifted and I can finally speak freely about the game!

The first thing I'd love to get off my chest is that combat is not wire-fu rock-paper-scissors. Like any RPG it's "rolled." Now, there may be four base styles to choose from (Speed, Power, Grab, Block) but what combat discipline is being used? Kung-fu? Karate? Maybe you're a Duelist. Add in ability moves you can snap off like Body Shot, Guard Breaker, or Overhand Smash and your combatoptions become numerous. Interlock is very intuitive and the animations are spectacular.

Another one that has baffled me has been those that have logged into MxO for 15 minutes and say, "Oh, it's a cityscape so it must be CoH. It all looks the same." So it's CoH simply because the Matrix was based in a city? Gameplay aside (which is different anyway), every neighborhood in The Matrix Online has its own unique atmosphere. There may be some similar traits based on which part of town you're in (Slums, International, etc.) but you won't find the graveyard in Camon Heights, or Peg's Diner in Sai Kung, or the Heart O' the City Hotel anywhere downtown, or the entire 01 Archive (machine city) - or any of the archives - well, I think the point has been made. There is a ton of variety, just start exploring.

I love the flexibility of this game. Being able to freely use different ability trees is refreshing. No longer is a player tied to one path. I can be a Kung Fu Master one moment then turn around and switch out for coding abilities so I can create new guns or clothes. I can even tap data nodes which are like "holes" in the Matrix that can be mined for information.

But what I'm really looking forward to is the upcoming storyline. Already there are a lot of ways to handle missions. If you're not into straight out fighting you can be a spy and sneak around, disabling alarms, picking locks, etc. There are a lot of options. The driving force behind this game is its story and we've been given a few glimpses, including a cinematic with the Oracle, voice-oversfrom Morpheus and Niobe, and an issue of the city's newspaper which contains clues. I can't wait until we get the full force of it. If you've read any articles about MxO's storyline then you know that a main charcter will be murdered in the first six weeks and the players have to track down the murderer, a person what becomes aware of the Matrix thinks that because it's not real then people's pain isn't real, there will be a major weather glitch/crisis, doorways to other worlds with different physical properties will open up, etc.

If you're looking for something that is different and fun, a game in which the players have a say in where the story of a major franchise goes then this is it. Other MMO's I've played I gave up after a month or two because of the tedious grind. I've been in The Matrix Online beta for over four months and I'm still having a blast. For those that will try to flame me with "I was already in beta" - check it out again. Over the months there have been a ton of enchancements: crisper graphics, quicker load times, sleeker UI and chat area, more constructs have been added, more abilities, coding which was non-existent is becoming big... it goes on.

Well, I'll get off my NDA-free soapbox now...

Comments

  • sygmassygmas Member Posts: 949

    You're not allowed to post things like these before I do, ass! :P Haha its ok...

    Time for Sygmas ' Screenshot Archive ;)

    image

  • Rock21Rock21 Member Posts: 54

    Heh... I was furiously typing just so that I would make it in ahead of you. :P And, yes, I'm sure we all have a heck of a screenshot archive to share! I also have to update my MxO forum sig. I left the character blacked out just because of the NDA.

  • ScarisScaris Member UncommonPosts: 5,332

    I will be posting comments in the next few days as well since sygmas was rather generous and got me into the beta.

    - Scaris

    "What happened to you, Star Wars Galaxies? You used to look like Leia. Not quite gold bikini Leia (more like bad-British-accent-and-cinnamon-bun-hair Leia), but still Leia nonetheless. Now you look like Chewbacca." - Computer Gaming World

  • tehnoobtehnoob Member Posts: 20

    Woohoo, i can talk about the game!! I know a lot of you are wanting info now on how good/bad this game is.

     

    Well too bad!! imageimageimage

  • darquenbladedarquenblade Member Posts: 1,015

    Compared to others on here, I have had little time to test MxO (only played it a little throughout the Stress Test), but here are my impressions:

    I found that the game, in it's current state, has a very solid and stable feel to it right now, which I am sure will only get better towards release. Monolith makes changes to the game nearly every day in response to player feedback, which I think shows that they are really on the ball when it comes to making the game a quality experience.

    Character creation is pretty good, although I think they need a few more facial options. Clothing is not too varied either at first, but this can be quickly compensated for in-game.

    One thing I think they need to focus a little more on, however, is the tutorial. Sygmas had mentioned before that the game has a steeper learning curve compared to most MMOs, and I would have to agree. It's a lot more complex than WoW for example (not to say that's a bad thing), and I think that because of that a better tutorial would be in order. It's just too generalized right now.

    In relation to this, I think that combat is what needs the biggest addition tutorial-wise. It is much more involved and faster paced than your typical game, and (in my experience) requires a little tactical thinking when it comes to taking on the game's tougher opponents. For example, one of the first missions you do for Zion involves tracking down an Exile and taking him out. I was wasted a total of 3 times by said Exile before I actually managed to find a successful series of tactics that worked against him. The animations for combat are very detailed and cool to watch, however, and overall I like how they have handled combat. I merely think they need to introduce it a little better to new players.

    I also agree with the original poster in that the story is going to be the biggest part of this game. I know for a fact that this is the number one reason I'll be jacking in come release day. Players having an effect on the official outcome of the Matrix is just plain awesome. I still have some reservations on how much casual players will be able to affect things, however. From the way they appear to be handling the storyline content, it seems that only those hardcore players that race through the storyline missions first will have any real crack at being 'stars' in the game world. Only time will tell on that one, though.

    Overall, I think this game has great potential.

  • sygmassygmas Member Posts: 949

    Originally posted by darquenblade
    Compared to others on here, I have had little time to test MxO (only played it a little throughout the Stress Test), but here are my impressions:I found that the game, in it's current state, has a very solid and stable feel to it right now, which I am sure will only get better towards release. Monolith makes changes to the game nearly every day in response to player feedback, which I think shows that they are really on the ball when it comes to making the game a quality experience.Character creation is pretty good, although I think they need a few more facial options. Clothing is not too varied either at first, but this can be quickly compensated for in-game. One thing I think they need to focus a little more on, however, is the tutorial. Sygmas had mentioned before that the game has a steeper learning curve compared to most MMOs, and I would have to agree. It's a lot more complex than WoW for example (not to say that's a bad thing), and I think that because of that a better tutorial would be in order. It's just too generalized right now.In relation to this, I think that combat is what needs the biggest addition tutorial-wise. It is much more involved and faster paced than your typical game, and (in my experience) requires a little tactical thinking when it comes to taking on the game's tougher opponents. For example, one of the first missions you do for Zion involves tracking down an Exile and taking him out. I was wasted a total of 3 times by said Exile before I actually managed to find a successful series of tactics that worked against him. The animations for combat are very detailed and cool to watch, however, and overall I like how they have handled combat. I merely think they need to introduce it a little better to new players.I also agree with the original poster in that the story is going to be the biggest part of this game. I know for a fact that this is the number one reason I'll be jacking in come release day. Players having an effect on the official outcome of the Matrix is just plain awesome. I still have some reservations on how much casual players will be able to affect things, however. From the way they appear to be handling the storyline content, it seems that only those hardcore players that race through the storyline missions first will have any real crack at being 'stars' in the game world. Only time will tell on that one, though.Overall, I think this game has great potential.


    BTW Darq as a present from the staff all stress testers are now full testers, so you can keep playing :P

    image

  • darquenbladedarquenblade Member Posts: 1,015

    Wow Sygmas! That's pretty cool news to me. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to play as much as I wanted to over the past week, so this pretty much made my day.

    Sweet.

    (Although I was seriously considering preordering just to stay in the beta anyway ::::19::)

  • jackman1118jackman1118 Member Posts: 288

    What! stress testers can still play!!!!! ARGH!!!

     

    stress testers are terrible, its so laggy everywhere with these people and all they do is ask for your information :(

  • lotharrlotharr Member Posts: 981

    Its this way rock-paper-scissors:

    Echanced attack wins Kungfu attack

    Echanced attack wins Karate attack

    Echanced attack wins Aikido attack

    Echanced attack wins Defense attack

    image

  • Rock21Rock21 Member Posts: 54

    Originally posted by lotharr
    Its this way rock-paper-scissors:
    Echanced attack wins Kungfu attack
    Echanced attack wins Karate attack
    Echanced attack wins Aikido attack
    Echanced attack wins Defense attack
    image

    Wrong... I explained this in one of the other threads:

    This is one of the biggest misconceptions of MxO. It is a virtually rolled number, not rock-paper-scissors. For one, RPS give you three possible outcomes and we have four basic types of attack to start with (Speed, Power, Grab, Block). Now, what abilities do you have loaded up to attack with? Kung Fu? Karate? Handguns? This makes a difference. If you go in with Handguns against a Kung Fu Master be prepared to be disarmed at some point. If you're disarmed you better have some martial arts loaded as a backup or your opponent will clean your clock. Oh, and you better have been leveling up your abilities as well. So now that we've made the number of combinations numerous (Power attack with Kung Fu level 10, Speed attack with Handguns level 15, etc.) let's toss in those ability moves you can snap off in the midst of combat like Disarming Shot, or Overhand Smash, or Guard Breaker, etc. Rock-paper-scissors = 3 choices. MxO combat = many, many choices.

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