Matrix MMORPG

An anonymous reader writes "As linked to in this post, Matrix: Online has been announced. The official site for the game describes it as a MMORPG of epic proportions as people will get to feel what it's like to be a part of the matrix realm. Although the details list lots of interesting information, the most important piece I found was in the FAQ section... where they state that the game takes place after Matrix Revolutions... Are they trying to hint at something?"

Comments

can't wait!

[TomSawyer]

"D00d! j00r totally cheating, quit dodging my bullets! Oh yeah! I buy that, sure, we can all jump that high. f0x0r j00!"

When the system bogs down

[AtariAmarok]

When this Matrix game system bogs down to poor planning for number of users and bandwidth, and everything starts to look like running multi-user Quake IV on a 286 IBM-PC AT with a 300 baud modem, the guys running the game can say "There's nothing wrong here. You are just watching bullet-time effects"

This game raises a few questions

[psyco484]

First off, how could they possibly incorporate something like bullettime in a multiplayer game, you can't slow down one client and keep it moving full speed for another, unless I'm missing some obvious trick to accomplish this.

Secondly, if this is an RPG, doesn't that detract some of the very qualities that made the Matrix a cool movie? I'm having a hard time envisioning a battle with an agent in terms of "attack: 9 damage!" and "Neo misses Agent" or even in terms of a NWN or Diablo style click to attack battle. I by no means claim I am an expert on RPGs, but it seems to me that the most action packed games that seem to fit what the Matrix trilogy is, would be more suited as an FPS or 3rd person view like Enter the Matrix. I'm holding out to see how gameplay actually goes before putting anything into this game.

Three, is hacking the matrix fair game? Seriously, is hacking the system's bugs to your advantage "legal" or frowned upon? One would think that perhaps bugs could be built in waiting for the clever users to exploit like in the movies. I think this would add a level of gameplay never seen before and has serious potential, but again, I'm holding out till I see how smoothly it actually goes.

This game looks damn good in concept, but it's a bit early to make a final judgement on whether this will be a success or small die hard fanbase only game. I hope it does well and they don't muck something significant up.

Re:This game raises a few questions

[cgenman]

Four, how will a squad-based 5-good-guys-against-the-world movie translate into an individualistic 20 million good guys against the 3 agents game? A large part of the ambiance of the Matrix came from the sense of isolation. What happens when there are so many people that you want to move to a different server? Hopefully they will take a cue from PSO and make it a squad-based MMPORPG that isn't really MMP.

Five, what will the player do to level up? How many innocents must you kill to get superman flight? Experience is obviously earned by fighting, but I would question the "richness" of the Matrix world as it currently stands to support a sufficiently large variety of expendable mook cows. Another run down the casino to kill guards? Or at the bank to kill... guards?

Six, is there sufficient variety in a dirty city to keep the game visually interesting? Two hours staring at subways and dirty apartments isn't that taxing, but two months? I already live in a dirty apartment. Does The Matrix provide enough potential set pieces to keep people visually stimulated? Or will that subtle shade of green drive everyone nuts.

Interesting point

[samael]

It's set after Matrix Revolutions. Which indicates that there will still be a Matrix then....

Re:Interesting point

[bob_jordan]

I have been saying this for a while. You can't just overthrow the machines and have millions of people suddenly wake up. How do you clothe, house and feed them.

I am sure that at the end of the trilogy, there will still be a matrix in place, they may just be either starting to wake people up a few at a time or starting to put people back in.

If they are taking them out, then it will take a long time. This could be where the game is set.

Bob.

Isn't this a little redundant?

[hprotagonist0]

I mean, the Matrix essentially is an MMORPG. Who knows, maybe this is how the Matrix got started. Instead of the Matrix Online, it should be called Matrix 0.0.1 (alpha). Let's just hope they don't make the AI too good.

"Hey man, I just got the Matrix Online. It's awesome. They've got this great new interface, too. The surgery wasn't too bad, but it's kinda hard to sleep comfortably with this thing on the back of my neck."

Bullet Time? Simple!

[th3walrus]

Unfortunately, present day MMORPG designers have considerably less creativity than your average banker. Otherwise they would realize how easy bullet time is to implement.

Obviously you can't slow down the whole world for everyone. Which is why you return to the wonderful world of turn based party-only combat! Take the combat system used in the pioneer MMORPG, The Realm, and add features to bring it up to date.

It's a shame that this kind of combat system would deviate too much from the standard MMORPG template. Otherwise we might have a decent game for once.

Re:Bullet Time? Simple!

[Crockerboy]

So...You want to take the fast paced action oriented style of the Matrix combat and turn it into Turn based combata a la Final Fantasy? I'm sorry sir, I will have to disagree. It just wouldn't be true to the franchise to have a menu pop up where you select Defense>Dodge Bullets and then sit back and watch the pretty animation over, and over, and over, and over again.

But its a moot point anyways, as a another poser has already pointed out that Neo is really the only one that can dodge bullets other than Agents and I think there is absolutely zero chance of playing either in the game. Which brings up another interesting point...is each server going to have 4000 or so people running around in cool black leather beating people up at will (which is totaly incosistent with the current Matrix movies) or are we going to have to play bus drivers and tax accountants like the rest of the normal stiffs still stuck in the Matrix?

when you start thinking about what this game will have after you get past the "OMG, MATRIX ONLINE!11!!ROOFLES!11!" it raises some serious questions on if this game is going to be good, or just another licensed crap game to get wads of money from unsuspecting fans of the license.

Matrix: great movie, not so great MMORPG?

[Traderdot]

MMORPGs like Ultima Online and Everquest have people roleplaying, honing their crafts, building things to earn money, etc. In the Matrix there's no need to do any of that. Want money? Want a car? Need weapons? Call the operator!

I'm presuming you'd be playing a rebel. The rebels don't really spend much time in the Matrix. They go in, do what they need to do and get out. They don't wander around much because once the agents find out where they are, it just becomes a chase since since no-one except Neo can out-fight them.

Great movies but I have my doubts about its viability as a MMORPG.

On Bullet Time

[Hellbuny]

Has anyone here ever played Giants: Citizens Kabuto? Remember the reaper Spell which slowed down time in a limited area, akin to a bubble that appeared, I imagine something similar to this for bullet time.

People outside of it would move normal time, while the person on the inside gets to move around and avoid all those nasty bullets once they enter into the sphere of bullet time.. You just create an area where incoming projectiles are slowed for anyone who is using the power.. There would be more to think about like outgoing projectiles, but I imagine firing off 10 shots in slow mode and them suddenly coming out in rapid sucession would work..

Hand to hand fighting.. I imagine a similar situation, where unless you are activating your Focus (ala enter the matrix) you are slowed down and if you are, you remain same speed..

I saw this at E3.

[Samurai Cat!]

I know the publisher's community guy who's now on the TMO project. Managed to get a private demo of the game while at E3 a couple of weeks ago.

Some of the neat stuff:
* The game world will be freaking HUGE. They illustrated this by pointing at a piece of the wall in the demo room, which was a bunch of square pieces, each about... hmm, 1.5 ft on each side. "This is the size of the game world." Then the fellow uses his finger and draws off one corner of the square wall piece, and says "This is the size of Sydney." i.e. game world city will be at least 20x the square footage of Sydney, Australia.
* "Bullet Time" is in - and beyond that, the multiple-blurry effect as well (i.e. when an agent dodges the gunshots on the roof of the first movie, or when Neo/Smith are fighting). How they'll keep the time continuity between the two chars (the target will experience Bullet Time, the attacking character won't), I'm not sure yet.
* Every damn building in the game world will (so they say) be fully accessable - not just empty boxes for looks. 80-story buildings you see across town will have 80 floors, that you can get up into, rooms, "desks with Coke cans", etc.

How much of all of this they can pull off, we'll see.