[jjacob]

The Matrix Online

Ever since the first Matrix game I've looked out for this one, looks like they've added some cool new info on the site; It sounds promising, I never played an MMORPG, but it looks like they're creating a unique 'ability' system. Players can trade and obtain 'ability code', allowing them to fly a heli (? nah), kick kung wire fu ass, drive a mustang (?) with another player re-doing the bodywork on agent cars As butthead would put it; "that would be cool". Also, it sounds as if they've fixed the button pressing fest by a system called Interlock. It has three settings: Power, speed, defense. You control these directly, meaning you can choose the style of your characters manoeuvres in combat (no button twitching) during the fight. And ofcourse the most promising of all: new monthly 'episodes' of the matrix's plot, including missions among other things. Ah heck here check out the features:

Gameplay Highlights
- Dozens of weapons and dramatic martial arts maneuvers that capture the "wire fu" Matrix experience. Use devastating special moves and sneak attacks including breath-taking bullet-time effects that are intelligently generated based on player moves and tactics.
- Plot lines by the creators of The Matrix continue the Matrix story where the movie trilogy leaves off and provide you with deep insight into the world of the Matrix.
- The Matrix Online will engage you with special events, missions, and monthly story cinematics, all of which effect the action in the game.
- A full Rich World cityscape environment with traffic, living neighborhoods and breathtaking skylines that immerse players in the most authentic Matrix MegaCity ever created (Using RichWorld technology™).
- A robust mission system designed for maximum re-playability and depth. Players receive missions from familiar organizations in the Matrix, such as Zion and the Machines.
- Authentic "Matrix style" clothing and character customization options allow players to live a virtual life that reflects the fashion of the Matrix movies.
- Find, create, or trade Matrix "ability code" that provides incredible knowledge and skill to your character. Unlike other massively multiplayer games, ability code can be swapped out and exchanged like trading cards, providing unprecedented flexibility in the development of a character.
- Players can tap into sources of "information" in the game to create or steal code fragments. Code can be used to create both special Matrix items and special abilities.

edit: What I can't seem to find is whether or not these new plot episodes are written by the Wachowski brothers, it'd seem logical since the story begins where the trilogy ended, anyone know anything I don't?

[Bard09]

The game looks really interesting!

The only thing that pisses me off about it was that it was announced before the third film was released, so, if you were a gamer, you KNEW going into the movie that the Matrix wouldn't be destroyed.

[SOG-Karimi]

Ubisoft backs out of publishing deal

Sorry man ,doesn't look like this one will make it , unless it finds another publisher.

No Matrix online for you -Game nazi.

[WontonGoodsoup]

MMORPGs in my opinion suck royally. I've played a couple and they just seem like work. There is no endings, so the only things you have to look forward to in those games are leveling and such. Not to mention that there is almost no storyline to follow. In fact, even if they came out with a Monkey Island Online or something like that, I wouldn't even play it because of my overall distaste for the genre.

/end rant

[SOG-Karimi]

Originally Posted by WontonGoodsoup

MMORPGs in my opinion suck royally. I've played a couple and they just seem like work. There is no endings, so the only things you have to look forward to in those games are leveling and such. Not to mention that there is almost no storyline to follow. In fact, even if they came out with a Monkey Island Online or something like that, I wouldn't even play it because of my overall distaste for the genre.

/end rant

I play an mmorg and i really like it , its a matter of taste i suppose. In fact im playing it right now as im typing this, erk , better get back to my group.

[SamandMax]

I saw a preview of the game on the Matrix Revolutions DVD. Meh. I'd rather play City of Heros.

[remixor]

Originally Posted by WontonGoodsoup

MMORPGs in my opinion suck royally. I've played a couple and they just seem like work. There is no endings, so the only things you have to look forward to in those games are leveling and such. Not to mention that there is almost no storyline to follow. In fact, even if they came out with a Monkey Island Online or something like that, I wouldn't even play it because of my overall distaste for the genre.

/end rant

This is certainly understandable, although it's not really a fair criticism of just MMORPGs in particular. You could say the same about people who play RTS games online, or shooters online, or in fact most games online. That's just the way most online things work. Since you're interacting with other people, the only way to have a fixed storyline with a beginning and an ending for all the players would be if you were playing with preset people who would have be online at the same time as you (essentially how co-op mode works on consoles). It's just a trade-off. These days, from what I can tell, MMOs seem to be getting more story-oriented, and bear in mind that the graphical MMO genre is still pretty new in comparison to most genres, so it's growing. There's no guarantee it'll ever be your thing, though.

[Maquisard]

Originally Posted by remixor

This is certainly understandable, although it's not really a fair criticism of just MMORPGs in particular. You could say the same about people who play RTS games online, or shooters online, or in fact most games online. That's just the way most online things work.

You're right...I think Wonton's gripe, as my own, is more about gameplay style than lack of story. It's mostly all about combat (although some MMOs use puzzles too), and the way combat is done in these games, IMO, is immensely boring.

[WontonGoodsoup]

Originally Posted by remixor

You could say the same about people who play RTS games online, or shooters online, or in fact most games online.

This is very true. I guess a big part of why I played RPGs were for the stories, and you don't get that with MMOs. I think that other online games are different because most of them have a conclusion, an ending to a certain level, and/or a 'winner'. I think these aspects are important, otherwise you get 10,000 people playing evercrap trying to be the most 'uber' when the actual truth is that no one can ever attain this. I guess the excitement of going up one level and getting the Mondo Sword after i defeat the Golden Troll just isn't enough for me.

[Outasync]

Originally Posted by WontonGoodsoup

MMORPGs in my opinion suck royally. I've played a couple and they just seem like work. There is no endings, so the only things you have to look forward to in those games are leveling and such. Not to mention that there is almost no storyline to follow. In fact, even if they came out with a Monkey Island Online or something like that, I wouldn't even play it because of my overall distaste for the genre.

/end rant

The funniest this is that MMO players would argue that the reasons you dislike MMOs are the exact reasons that they play. Leveling up, if done right does not feel like work but gives a sense of accomplishment. And its not like there is no story it's just up to the player to create the story. Then of course there is the whole community aspect.

I play adventure, action and MMOs. I have to say I enjoy adventure the most but they all have their own appeal. It's all a matter of you point of view.

[Moron Lite]

MMORPGs, at this point, have largely been unable to cash in on the premise that initially made them conceptually so appealing. Meaning creation in these games has been extremely limited in comparison to their initial promise, which isn't to say that they're worthless and nobody should spend their time with them, but it's easy to see why someone would find them disappointing. Deathmatch was never supposed to be more or less than deathmatch, but MMORPGs *were* supposed to be about more than leveling up. Or rather, having leveling up be the central mechanic around which stories and communities are formed. It's an enabler of some meaning, but a barrier against a whole lot more. There's still a long ways to go before we really start to tap the potential of the MMORPG.

[Crunchy in milk]

Character development that's limited to just levelling up gets very tedious indeed, especially when publish after publish the developers do nothing but encourage levelling up by offering great rewards at the extreme end of the range (and repeatedly pushing it further back as more people near it) and by punishing death severely by hampering that levelling. Dangling carrots way out in front of me just makes me feel like an ass.

A prime example of this is Lineage, and this game system is extremely popular, especially in Korea. Some people must love striving to be the biggest ass. Lineage has an ever improving castle/siege system that does create community (when they get it right). Some of the love/hate that flies around in that game is intense. Fighting for your lord/lady to defend his/her castle is the stuff of adventures, but with an achilles heel like Lineage's levelling focused system and the extreme gap between the rich and poor its seriously hard to stay excited about unless you're a masochist, an entrepreneur or a close friend of high placed royalty. Truly a medieval society

I think the best system I've ever tried was the one that practically started it all. None have come close to what Ultima Online offered. Sure it was a bit cramped space wise, but you could make and sell weapons, clothing, armor and even furniture. You could hunt all sorts of creatures, and if you where skilled and dedicated enough even tame them. My personal favourite was playing a bardic tour guide. Taking people on treasure hunts with nothing but a map, a set of lockpicks, a gauche outfit and my trusty lute.

The great thing about it all was you could do most things from day one. Sure your failure rate would be high, but you weren't prevented from going somewhere or doing most things, or using some item until you where level XX. The incentive lay in getting better at what you liked doing. If that was baking bread or sitting around a smithy's anvil talking to anxious soldiers eagerly awaiting your latest masterpiece so be it.

Character development is the backbone of mmorpgs, if you can't get into your role then you're not a roleplayer, you're an adventure gamer. Playing RPG's for the story alone is anathema the true joy of the RPG over the adventure game is the main character is yours. It's you. And if you can really get into the role its so much more enjoyable. Mmorpgs take that notion and extend it beyond a limited story on rails. They try to provide adventure of all kinds, even the mundane. Sure the game world has to evolve or players end up spinning their wheels but it must be pretty hard for a developer when the customer base are all moving at different speeds.

As mmorpgs get more detailed and interactive, they require more support staff which is a cost few publishers are willing to come to grips with. Its a crying shame that the attempts to involve the community in the maintenance of both the game world and its evolving story crashed around Origin's ears really. There is no programmable substitute for players interacting with players.

[Kingzjester]

Am I the only one vaguely amused befrore the prospect of entering a fake world so that you may prentend you are actually outside of it, and paying money all the while? There is just something silly about this game.

[Outasync]

I agree, MMOs have not come close to fulfilling their promises of endless adventures. However, I hope to see a day when someone smarter then me, develops an adventure generating engine that will create intersting, fun, and challenging adventures on the fly within and MMO environment. Not this random or instanced dungeons where you got kill/rescue/retrieve someone or thing.

Actually, Crunchy, I believe there is a system that fits your description of "programmable substitute for players interacting with players". It may not be an MMO but Neverwinter Nights is a fully programmable environment that several players (up to 8 I believe) can adventure together under the guidance of a DM.

I also imagine a MMO game system that would fall somewhere between NWN and EQ/UO. Game servers would handle maybe several hundred players at a time, and day to day operation would be done by an individual. The servers(hardware) and software and basic content would still owned and run by the game company. A person(or group) who wanted to run a server would basically rent one then they would be given to tool to create and manage their game world. Would manager would then create his world and either invite players or open for everyone. Manager would pay flat fee(depending on features he wanted enabled) and also set the fee for players to play on his server with and transactions handled through the game companies billing system. In theory the manager(s) could actually make a profit and the game company would no longer have to deal with the hardest part of running a persistent world, customer service. Basically, its like franchising your game world.

[Crunchy in milk]

Originally Posted by Outasync

Actually, Crunchy, I believe there is a system that fits your description of "programmable substitute for players interacting with players". It may not be an MMO but Neverwinter Nights is a fully programmable environment that several players (up to 8 I believe) can adventure together under the guidance of a DM.

These are closed adventures with a plot though, and as you mention are best run with the assistance of a REAL PERSON playing as Dungeon Master. While your character can travel from one adventure to another, it does not exist in a persistent state world that can be accessed at all hours.

As you mention, it would be nice to have an online world with more than just spawn zones etc but Interactive fiction and stories in an online world still require people skills. Back in its hey-day ultima online had player volunteers as 'seers' who had limited (and strictly regulated) control over the game world in order to create adventures for players to participate in. The 'dungeon masters' where almost exclusively limited to fixing and tracking down bugs and exploits. Occasionally a shard would be lucky enough to have a content/game GM visit but since there was such a small number of them and they where spread across all the servers the less popular or remote servers rarely got any attention.

I also imagine a MMO game system that would fall somewhere between NWN and EQ/UO. Game servers would handle maybe several hundred players at a time, and day to day operation would be done by an individual. The servers(hardware) and software and basic content would still owned and run by the game company. A person(or group) who wanted to run a server would basically rent one then they would be given to tool to create and manage their game world. Would manager would then create his world and either invite players or open for everyone. Manager would pay flat fee(depending on features he wanted enabled) and also set the fee for players to play on his server with and transactions handled through the game companies billing system. In theory the manager(s) could actually make a profit and the game company would no longer have to deal with the hardest part of running a persistent world, customer service. Basically, its like franchising your game world.

I don't mean to be rude but that Idea would never work. You're suggesting the game designer/publisher still cover the cost of hosting the servers, but rent them out to people to create their own worlds who then in tern have to advertise their world and secure paying customers to cover the rental costs (extremely unlikely event). That extra link in the chain doesn't shift the customer service load much at all either. Even if the manager provides his own people to run the game world's adventure(s) (Dungeon Masters) who fixes the bugs and exploits? How does the manager answer his paying customers when a software bug crops up? And if a manager screws up its still the designer/publisher who takes the reputation hit.

Mmorpg's are dicey ventures at best, it takes a well staffed and cash rich publisher to get one off the ground and even then it still has to have the magic 'something' that will convince people to subscribe and maybe one day recover the production cost let alone turn a profit.

[jjacob]

Well as I've said before I've never played an MMORPG before. Especially the leveling and skill-BS refrained me from trying one. But If you just read the info it looks pretty interesting, as they're trying to totally KILL leveling (with them interchangeable software skills or something or other), and instead make it MUCH more story oriented. They're also having another go at 'cinematic' experiences, which IMO didn't seem very succesful in the first game. Too bad it's out of production, would've at least liked some more information on their new concept.