Why build the Matrix in the first place?

You know I have been thinking about this for some time, but I just watched the third instalment of the Trilogy again yesterday and decided it was time to ask the community.

The humans pulled operation DarkStorm to cut the machines off from sunlight, then the machines couldn't relly on the sun for energy anymore and had to find a new way to get electricity and they found something, us. Now, this is where it gets interesting, as we can tell the machines obviously have very advanced hover abilities and construction abilities (look at 01) right? Well when Neo and Trinity are on there way to 01 they quickly fly over the clouds which I think prooves that the cloud covering is reachable.

Now why didn't the machines just build a couple of really tall solar collection panels that reach out over the clouds? Then they wouldn't have to deal with us.

The only problem, I could produce myself, that I had with this theory was that obviously the DarkStorm is electrically charged right? Because it shut down the hovercraft and the other sentinels. But if it has some form of electricity then the Machines shurly could find a way to harness it aswell. Basically I think the hassel to build a simple construction is far more efficient than have to deal with the Matrix and a crap load of rebels, but then we wouldn't have a movie, would we?

Just a thought that has been bugging me for some time.

Laters

Maybe again it was simply a case that the machines found an alternate powersource they could farm efficiently ie humans and didnt need to make any further consideration.

The architects attitude to the matrix of reboot make a few changes and start over is indicative of an attitude of relentless pursuit of something a human might see as impossible, when we try somthing over we often try a significantly different approach in an attempt to save time, with time less of a consideration for machines they can try an iterative change many times over before a descion is made to return to the basic problem? It could be that machines genuinely lack the gift of an imagination or perhaps their imagination effectively operates over a much longer timeframe and cannot be appreciated by a human?

In some cases the temptation is to try and understand Machine motivation by reference to human standards but we may well have to accept that their methods may seem unreasonable to us just as ours might seem illogical to them?

The Machines needed a renewable power source. Nothing on the planet was as renewable, or as powerful, as the human body. Easily reproduced, constantly working, and simply maintained, the efficiency of the Matrix would have appealed to them the most.

Why? Well, it was stated in another thread that the Machines may have held onto a certain predefined purposes (the Robot Laws). The Machines may have viewed 'the Matrix plan' as a way to continue their duties to protect and nurture the humans in their care. Of course, their view of what is protecting and nurturing is decidedly skewed by their need for power. But, a Machine's basest desire is to accomplish the mission, no matter the cost. If they can accomplish their primary directives while providing for their need to survive at the same time, well, "that sounds exactly like the thinking of a Machine to me." (Sorry, I can't . . . lay off. . . the stupid . . .QUOTES! lol)

I think it is explained on a basic level in Animatrix: The Second Rennaissance Pt. 2.

The Machines brokered a truce with the humans: "Surrender your flesh. We demand it."

The defeated human leaders had no better choice of imprisonment in the matrix versus the complete extinction of all humanity.

The situation is really win-win. Humans get to live. Machines get the power they need that was taken from them by the Humans' Dark Storm operation.

Its possible that the energy stored in DarkStorm is far to high of a voltage for anything electronic to handle. I mean it knocked out a hovercraft and that storm has been going on for 600+ years and is still going strong. Now, assuming that there has been some defussion of the potentance of the storm its possible that when it was first deployed the electrical energy in it was so high that you couldnt even get near it, let alone enter it for a brief period of time.

Another possibility is the electrical energy is simply incompatable with the machines. Sort of like how Salt water is incompatable with humans. Close to what you need to survive, but not close enough.

LostProphet]This is why I support the theory of distributed computing in the Matrix.

The machines were vastly more intelligent than humanity and COULD have found a way to bypass the cloud. However, I believe that the Matrix became for them:

a) A huge experiment
b) A form of distributed computing (using the brains) either to work out how to clear the sky or just to research new things
c) An achievement that they didn't want to leave behind


Once they got the basic Matrix working, they then created the towers and the 'permanent' Matrix we all know. IMO it was originally just to get them through the war and to vanquish humanity, but then they began to realise all the other benefits of the system, they decided to make it permanent.

Also, the Matrix allows machines to connect to the human world and live as humans if they wish. This is a valuable social experiment, it allows the machine civilisation to grow and bridge the gap between the two races, and so forth.

I think your applying human thinking to how the machines would act. The machine representives we have encountered, save Agent Pace and Sati's parents, seems to indicate the vast majority favor efficenty over experimentation and living out some deep desire to be with their creators even after the war. I believe that in all likelyhood they maintain the matrix for several reasons, if the truce did not exist.

1. In many ways there was already a truce in place before Neo's. If you recall, when humanity surrendered they were placed in the pods. We then learn in the PB4 missions from one of the tablets that the machines "became humanities protectors again". This leads me to believe that the machines have been honoring the orginal terms of surrender and just dealing with the humans who go against that agreement.

2. The energy in darkstorm was far to powerfull for them to convert down to the freqency they use and humans body heat, after being combined with a form of fusion, was just what they needed. So instead of expending energy needlessly trying to tap DarkStorm, they went the path of least resistance.