24 Hours In The Matrix

Both E! Online and Gamespy have looks at the most recently launched Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying game, The Matrix Online. From the Gamespy article: "Since the close of the beta, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced that it has employed a troupe of 20-odd people whose job it will be to enact narrative scenarios in The Matrix Online live. These people will assume the roles of popular characters, interact with players, and generally move the stories in ways that only live "actors" can."

Comments

End of Beta was excellent

[Red Moose]

I got in the beta around 3 weeks before it ended. It was buggy as hell and missions were bugged, graphics, fighting was bugged, etc., . However, the concurrently ran a QA server which was a good few patches ahead. A lot of criticism that arrived at the open beta was because of the sudden influx of people bitching abotu stability when in fact the open beta change was a Stress Test for the servers.

In the 72hrs prior to shutdown of the beta, it was patched up to the QA server updates. There was immediate improvements across the board in tability, etc., . The initial criticism of Matrix Online being a bugfest was no longer warranted but it did suffer the labelling because of Stress Test.

The end of the beta - the almighty Matrix system crash that happened in game was amazing and a very involving MMORPG experience. Agents were spawning from game characters, major player controlled characters were being hunted down which was interaction at a pretty intense level. Major clans that had been involved over the months were summoned to appearances of Morpheus, etc., . Basically, we all got a glimpse of the plot and how it would work with the game.

At the same time, we had Radio Free Zion streaming in with live actors. This was excellent immersion and was not as cheesy as you think. It was all very "real" with this added element, plus with great music streaming in the background on this station.

So it built up over a period of hours, with sightings of Neo, the machines and the zionists breaking a truce with Morpheus insisting on the return of Neos body, etc., . Very well scripted and shows a lot of story potential. I was surprised at how well it actually all came together in the end but I'd recommend it definitely.

WHile the key to the start of the game proper is you being a freshly freed human you choose your side - Merovingian, Machinist, Zionist. Characters from the movies come into play in your missions as you go up in rank. Also, the traditional warrior/magician classes remain but the magician is represented by matrix "hackers" who can fuck with the matrix world, etc., . Very well implemented.

OK, so the whole breakdown of the human-machine truce from the end of Revolutions based on Morpheus demanding Neo's body is a bit lame it's better than humans starting a trade war or something equally Lucas-esque.

Actors don't work

[yasth]

The whole idea of actors has been tried before, it is really hard to pull off, though. 20 odd people at 40 hours a week, yields 800 hours 48000 minutes. Given that they probably hope to have about that many players that means about a minute of interaction a week.

Also wouldn't the interactions mostly be a bunch of comic book guy type questions? I mean cool it is neo and some guy is playing him, but what is he going to say? "Good job on that bunny, now watch me do my superman thing?".

Graphics, how is it?

[BrookHarty]

The only review I see in detail is here.
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/gameId/8 8

Downloaded the videos from the website, didnt seem that impressive compared to what I'm playing in World of Warcraft.

Anyone have any experience? How does it look and play compared to WoW? I know I tried City of Heros after playing WoW, canceled my account to CoH after a week.