The Matrix Online Producer Letter

Walrus · 03/21/2008 10:57:18

Hello again, redpills. Welcome to the first The Matrix Online producer letter of the year. Let's get the ball rolling with the first big topic.

New "Datamine" Construct is In!

If you haven't checked out Update 58 yet, then you're missing out on a great new construct added to The Matrix Online. The Datamine construct is a "free-for-all" style player-versus-player area in the game, allowing players to take on all comers, even those in the same Organization.

You'll also find the construct filled with active data nodes for you to mine, another first for the constructs. The Anniversary Event update will include new luggable Data Taps available only in Datamine. These will be must-have items for maximizing your $info extraction, but because only a few will be available, finding and keeping one away from all the other operatives will be a real challenge.

Jack in and head to your Organization's Archivist to check out the new construct.

A Fond Farewell to Paul Chadwick

As recently announced, Paul Chadwick has decided it's time for him to move on with other projects. It's been great working with him over the past four years and the team wishes him all the best in the future.

Paul wrote the first six chapters of The Matrix Online story during development of the game. He also created the material for The Sentinel in-game newspaper and storyboarded our cinematics. His work has been an integral part of MxO for years and we will miss his contributions to the ongoing storyline.

Fortunately Paul and Rarebit worked closely on the story over the past three years, so moving forward won't be a problem. Rarebit has already mapped out the storyline for the next year and more, so things will be proceeding much as they have in the past.

Cinematics and The Sentinel

Last year we committed to completing cinematics for each chapter up through and including the recently released Chapter 9.3. We've had a lot of fun making our story cinematics, and you've had fun unabashedly critiquing them, but after a three-year run, the time has come to continue the story through other means.

So we're reviving the long-neglected in-game newspaper, The Sentinel. Rarebit, with some help from the Live Events Special Interest Group, will continue building The Matrix Online story through new editions of the newspaper that flesh out what's going on in the missions and daily events. Look for updates coming to newspaper stands by your favorite hardlines in the near future!

The Matrix Online Third Anniversary

Believe it or not, The Matrix Online is about to turn three! (That's 11 for all you binary folk out there.) On March 19, 2005, redpills who preordered the game jacked in to the world for the first time. Three days later, the floodgates opened and we began learning about living in the Matrix after the truce.

We'll be celebrating our anniversary between March 20 and April 3 this year to allow two full weekends of play. The Smith virus will return for its annual infection of the system, along with twelve new T-shirt designs, and new consumable items to help fight off...the inevitable.

Jack in and join the fun!

It's not every massively-multiplayer online game that gets to celebrate its third anniversary. Many never even make it out the gate much less survive their first year. Thanks to all our players out there for continuing to jack in and fighting the good fight--whatever fight you consider "the good one", that is.

See you on the other side.

Cheers,

Walrus

Havocide · 03/21/2008 11:03:38

Thanks Walrus!

Lets see if LESIG can keep up with the Sentinel. Good luck to them!

No more cinematics? =O

See you at Fanfaire!

Outlaw · 03/21/2008 11:05:39

so wait....when you say you are continuing the story through other means through the Sentinel, you are killing the cinematics all together? =(
O_o

Archangel · 03/21/2008 11:08:24

Can there be a spot in the new sentinel reserved for player submitted articles, with proper approval, of course? That would be really an awesome feature to have.

NightTrace · 03/21/2008 11:09:04

Data mine: Nothing we didnt know about.

Chadwick Gone: Good.

LESIG Over Sentinal: Good

No More Cinimatics: WHAT?!?!

Anniversary: Yeah...we know....

So....yeah.

I love that Chadwicks gone.

Two things that are not news.

And we've traded Cinimatics alltogether for new sentinals...*CENSORED*...

Yeah happy 3rd year to us -_-

Archangel · 03/21/2008 11:13:21

Yeah, that sucks. One of the only features I still enjoyed about the story was the cinematics.

SolidRevolver · 03/21/2008 11:13:55

I dont know about you guys, but I am not that bothered about the Sentinel... I'd rather have the Cinematics SMILEY

NightTrace · 03/21/2008 11:14:41

Once again SOE has succeded in building me up thinking we're on the verge of the right direction, only to smack me upside the head and laugh.

Good game SOE, you had me fooled once again.

MxO-Insertion · 03/21/2008 11:15:34

...cinematics...

If this community can pull off great videos from this game, then I can't imagine you can't hire two people to do the same to continue the storyline. When videos like "Betrayal" and "Angels of Vengeance" were released, the developers in your office were quick to go watch it together over and over.

This Producer's Letter is just disappointing all-together. Very few times will I be one to post in objection to the game's administration, although this letter has done nothing to make me want to remain subscribed to The Matrix Online.

- New Construct: Been there, seen that, still waiting on future updates to see it grow further (although the letter makes no mention of that)
- Paul Chadwick is gone
- LESIG gets the Sentinel: Good news, although it's followed up with:
- No Cinematics.

If the Sentinel is the only means that will further this story, other than Live Events and the missions, then that's just upsetting. Being in this game for three years now + beta, it's just disappointing to see this game lose its roots each year.

edit: Oh, yea, Anniversary Update... next year, at least give us something new other than t-shirts -- it's bad enough we have to play with the same smith and oracle mission.

NightTrace · 03/21/2008 11:16:22

SolidRevolver wrote:

I dont know about you guys, but I am not that bothered about the Sentinel... I'd rather have the Cinematics " />

This. Yes, we always wanted Sentinal.

I don't think ANY of us wanted to trade the Cinimatics for them.

First we had the great in game ones...then we went to the crappier but still sometimes enjoyable comic panel style ones...now we have none.

Three years, three versions of cinimatics. Good.....ok...none.

Yeah, gg.

Phrack · 03/21/2008 11:17:20

Just another step into oblivion. Smile and nod, everyone.

*sigh*

Phluff · 03/21/2008 11:25:18

I'm giving all of this time to soak in before I say too much.

Phirst impression though....... not good, and not good to announce all of this right before a big party we should be happy at, and celebrating.

NightTrace · 03/21/2008 11:26:38

The party is going to have some very....interesting conversation I'm sure.

DarkNyte · 03/21/2008 11:27:15

Alot of this isnt news so much as keeping us informed.

However, swapping cinematics for sentinel? Not a popular move I feel - while I have nothing against the sentinel, the cinematics added to the storyline as well as the sentinel did (when it was updated).

As someone (MXO-Insertion ?) has already said - we have many many talented players here in the community itself, would it be so difficult and so 'bad' to hold a competition which showcases a player (or group of players) and their video-making skill?

You could showcase it as a competition, have a vote on it with the community (yes, this may well cause drama - but it will at least involve members of the community more - perhaps those who havent been able to get fully involved perhaps?) - of course Walrus/Rarebit/SOE would have the final 'say' on this.

You could request the player/players in question sign (much like we all agree to the T&C when we jack in) a document that states that they cant use their possibly fore-knowledge of the story for their own ends.

Of course you may well get people who abuse this - but community players - who would happily do this not for themselves but the community and game in general - wouldnt abuse this as they - like all of us - want to see this game go from strength to strength.

Im sure that this idea is unfeasible and there are reasons why - but I figured Id throw it on the table for others to shoot down or agree with or whatever.

If this idea has annoyed anyone or offended anyone, I apologise in advance SMILEY

Darknyte @ Recursion.

ManicV · 03/21/2008 11:34:31

dev/null

I'd rather not post angry, so I won't say anything at all.

Darminian · 03/21/2008 11:34:51

I want to complain about this, really i do - but i still can't get SWG working, so my escape pod is failing. Thank god for blizzard.

~Darminian

AltDimension · 03/21/2008 11:35:17

NightTrace wrote:

The party is going to have some very....interesting conversation I'm sure.

QFT! They should have told us this after the party...

Well that kinda sucks. And I'm thinking that next year the plug is going to be pulled...

Neoteny · 03/21/2008 11:38:34

So I guess it shows that Cinematics were the one and only thing that really required Chadwick.

I'm honestly not too dismayed about their loss. I will be interested to see how events in the Real will be portrayed now (if at all), however... If not properly executed, that's about the only thing that would me about the lack of a cinematic approach. Let's be honest here, most of the cinematics following the "comic" format really weren't that well-executed, and were largely about 13 different drawings with pop-up book animations. If properly done, the Sentinel could go beyond that, easily. Additionally, we already have a means of playing sound clips in-game through "audio recordings" and the like, if voice actors are to see further use (I doubt it).

Everything else is pretty standard, I guess.

Fen · 03/21/2008 11:41:56

You have got to be kidding me. No more cinematics?

How many fan-made videos have you seen made? This community has a CRAPLOAD of awesome directors and machinima makers.

If that's not the route you want to take and you want to stick with the "drawn" style, have you not seen the fanart section? There are some TRULY great artists in our midst that would be more than happy to do the cinematics for you.

Get the thumb out of your rear and use the greatest resource you have available. The group of people that pay YOU (as opposed to you paying someone to do it) and love this game.

Roukan · 03/21/2008 11:46:57

Ebola · 03/21/2008 11:49:29

My heart is broken

</3

NightTrace · 03/21/2008 11:50:44

*inappropriate*

DevilsArms · 03/21/2008 11:53:04

HAHAHAHAHAHA

OH WOW

Ok im not try to take the mic here, but SOE do you wonder why you are loosing subscribers? No seriously. I'm suprised that people even pay for this game anymore.

zdn16 · 03/21/2008 11:53:42

...I would send Rare a $30 check in the mail to get FRAPS.

MxO-Insertion · 03/21/2008 11:57:50

Considering how active Walrus used to be in this game, all throughout beta and into live until he began work on The Agency, it's such a bother to see him rarely give this community attention at all.

So, after an hour of disappointment, it would be nice to see Walrus reply to some things suggested in this thread.

NightTrace · 03/21/2008 12:00:48

Sure thing insertion, give it about another eight months and half our player base gone and he'll get back to you ok?

Virrago · 03/21/2008 12:02:34

AltDimension wrote:

And I'm thinking that next year the plug is going to be pulled...

That's not going to happen.

Croesis · 03/21/2008 12:04:29

Hmmm.... How would a Bluepill Newspaper... (I've always assumed it was a bluepill newspaper with redpill hidden meanings in it...) report on goings on outside the simulation? There is still a conflict going on, admittedly it's taken a backseat to the Halborne situation so how will that get reported? I have every cinematic on CD and was planning on making a DvD disc with them on to go with my other Matrix DvD collections, I feel it's a shame that I'll have no more to add... perhaps I'll have to store the Sentinel images on it as a slideshow....

NightTrace · 03/21/2008 12:06:38

Virrago wrote:

AltDimension wrote:
And I'm thinking that next year the plug is going to be pulled...

That's not going to happen.

So long as the playerbase brings enough intake in to cover costs of servers+devs we stay an active MMO.

That does not promise any content/good news/effort.

They can cut costs by cutting features as they see fit.

IE: See Cinimatics.

But they are not flat out ending MxO.

However, it is a very self defeating *CENSORED* purpose isnt it? They will cut features/costs until the playerbase is gone and THEN they will shut us down.

Thanks SOE for the consistent *CENSORED* you've given us over the years of our games span.

machete · 03/21/2008 12:07:37

I am not gonna hide the fact that I am mad.... For 3 years we have been here and each year more and more gets taken from us. Bad move announcing this the day of the party....

Fenshire said it best when he said...

You have got to be *CENSORED* kidding me. No more cinematics?

How many fan-made videos have you seen made? This community has a CRAPLOAD of awesome directors and machinima makers.

If that's not the route you want to take and you want to stick with the "drawn" style, have you not seen the fanart section? There are some TRULY great artists in our midst that would be more than happy to do the cinematics for you.

Get the thumb out of your rear and use the greatest resource you have available. The group of people that pay YOU (as opposed to you paying someone to do it) and love this game.

SolidRevolver · 03/21/2008 12:07:48

I still cant get round the logic of all these trial users comeing in, and this is rewarded with a Cinematic cut, and we are left with the 2D story telling of the Sentinel and text in the Crits, we have lost the Cinematics which would add something very awesome to the story telling (Seeing the General running from Agents with that awesome music) now all we have to add something to the story telling is the Live Events... unless a LET is comeing in too, then MxO may have just lost its only factor that seperated it from all the other MMOs out there SMILEY

Phrack · 03/21/2008 12:09:30

...Sorry, was feeling nostalgic.

NightTrace · 03/21/2008 12:10:19

Welcome, to the desert of the real.

Here we have only the cold truth of reality.

That we are not important in the least, and that those above us do not care for us past our monetary value.

Thanks for the harsh reminder.

TheUnknownShadow · 03/21/2008 12:10:47

Really. You've just doomed yourselves to mountains of abuse at this "party" later, I hope you know that. Don't expect a happy bunch of players.

machete · 03/21/2008 12:11:56

That's when people who still cared for the game were in it. Look who the letter was from...

But I know what you mean Phrack...

Havocide · 03/21/2008 12:12:57

TheUnknownShadow wrote:

Really. You've just doomed yourselves to mountains of abuse at this "party" later, I hope you know that. Don't expect a happy bunch of players.

lol hes there tonight remember.

TheTaxidermist · 03/21/2008 12:13:18

Me n Star are screwed.

though tbh I don't care too much it just kinda sucks to see another downgrade. Also 10bux that "time has come to continue the story through other means" means "we got another budget cut"

I JUST WON TEN BUCKS

Virrago · 03/21/2008 12:14:12

I'm only going to say this once... I understand some of you are upset, but if you can't post in a mature, civil, and constructive manner... we will have to give you a time out. Using inappropriate language doesn't help you.

NightTrace · 03/21/2008 12:14:27

Like I said elsewhere, lets start a pool on the amount of /silenced players, maybe even bans?

meh.

Now I'm just depressed when I was REALLY looking forward to this bunch of bs.

Virrago · 03/21/2008 12:16:37

NightTrace wrote:

That does not promise any content/good news/effort.

They will cut features/costs until the playerbase is gone and THEN they will shut us down.

Thanks SOE for the consistent *CENSORED* you've given us over the years of our games span.

There will still be content.. Datamine for instance.

Please name one game SOE has ever closed down?

PBlade · 03/21/2008 12:17:00

Havocide wrote:

TheUnknownShadow wrote:
Really. You've just doomed yourselves to mountains of abuse at this "party" later, I hope you know that. Don't expect a happy bunch of players.

lol hes there tonight remember.

Yeah, because that will really help proceedings.

Truly and thoroughly dissapointing read. I'm left pretty downhearted right now.

Havocide · 03/21/2008 12:18:20

PBlade wrote:

Havocide wrote:
TheUnknownShadow wrote:
Really. You've just doomed yourselves to mountains of abuse at this "party" later, I hope you know that. Don't expect a happy bunch of players.

lol hes there tonight remember.
Yeah, because that will really help proceedings.

*shrugs* We have rules, they break, we suffer the results. thus is choice.

Anyway. Im off to pirates.

MxO-Insertion · 03/21/2008 12:19:03

SolidRevolver wrote:

MxO may have just lost its only factor that seperated it from all the other MMOs out there " />

This is precisely what has just happened.

We are no longer 'different' than other MMO's, because there are others out there with their own Live Events and newspapers.

Why not just use the programs that are already at your disposal (FRAPS, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, etc) and continue providing us with cinematics?
Hell, someone who used to make MxO videos is now doing so for another game studio, having made trailers for use at E3 previously.

It isn't difficult, and practically costs NOTHING. There are still unused audio files for all of the LE characters, so where is the halt?

Gerik · 03/21/2008 12:20:55

MxO-Insertion wrote:

We are no longer 'different' than other MMO's

Really? When did the other MMOs get the IL system like MxO?

TheUnknownShadow · 03/21/2008 12:22:48

Havocide wrote:

TheUnknownShadow wrote:
Really. You've just doomed yourselves to mountains of abuse at this "party" later, I hope you know that. Don't expect a happy bunch of players.

lol hes there tonight remember.

lol *CENSORED*... that's going to cause problems... anyone know swear words in a really rare language so we can get away with it?

Oh and really, Virrago I know it sucks to be the one now stuck in the middle of all this, but upset isn't the right word to use for most people. Admittedly, the cinematics had got a lot more basic and there were those who were complaining about them, yet (as others have said above) it was one of the things that set this game apart from any other.

The story and the story-telling has always been the back-bone of this game. That's why people got upset when Paul Chadwick wasn't doing things like the newspaper, when LESIG doesn't do its job, when an event seems boring. This game was meant to continue The Matrix Story. This is a step backward in that manner... unless the paper is of a high standard, and I'm talking really high, people are going to leave as they're going to get bored of the story and how it's shown to players.

Davo · 03/21/2008 12:23:19

now im considering calling into work tonight. cant miss the party of the year, watching soon to be banned palyers disappear left and right. lol

but really, I understand ridding ourselves of cinematics frees up valuable dev time for actual in game improvements. its just the direction that worries me. who needed a datamine construct, who wanted a recycled event with horrid tshirts that arent worth wearing, who wants to hang around waiting to see when the lights go out, with or without warning?

i already planned to take another /afk trip after this current month of subscription and pop back in here around october or so, but now...now, i feel like i must stay and fight for the game that was once great but now has fallen so far.

on a side note, fight this guys, but keep your words in check and dont just go get banned or suspended. i fear the banstick is vaselined up and ready to go. some of you i completely agree with and will support but not if you just run your mouth and get pointlessly removed.

NightTrace · 03/21/2008 12:23:33

Virrago wrote:

NightTrace wrote:

That does not promise any content/good news/effort.

They will cut features/costs until the playerbase is gone and THEN they will shut us down.

Thanks SOE for the consistent *CENSORED* you've given us over the years of our games span.

There will still be content.. Datamine for instance.

Please name one game SOE has ever closed down?

Virrago I never said there wouldn't be new content, I said that it was in fact not being promised. What we have to realize is that we have been promised that what we have is what we will have. They will cut features if they see fit to, and they have. That we enjoy those featues since the start of the game means nothing. I'm sorry if you took my meaning to be something else.

And no, no SOE game has ever closed, but theres plenty that might as well have. We're not EQ, so we don't count. Thats all I've gotten from any official SOE rep in so far as how they treat us. The best thing I can say is that you are at least 100% up front about everything.

MxO-Insertion · 03/21/2008 12:25:27

Gerik wrote:

MxO-Insertion wrote:
We are no longer 'different' than other MMO's
Really? When did the other MMOs get the IL system like MxO?

PotBS is remarkably similar.

Had melee fighting been a big focus in the beginning of development, it probably would have been even more similar.

I'm not looking to argue with the player-base on these forums about minor details of any subject, I am looking for a reason to be brought to the table by Walrus regarding the loss of the cinematics. He does not present one in the producer's letter, and I feel that we do deserve such.

ZippyTheSquirrel · 03/21/2008 12:26:39

No more cinematics?

I.. I.. fu... ..

*turns red*

......

*door slams*

......

*from other side of door* Can someone help me? I got my tail caught.

Havocide · 03/21/2008 12:27:32

MxO-Insertion wrote:

Gerik wrote:
MxO-Insertion wrote:
We are no longer 'different' than other MMO's
Really? When did the other MMOs get the IL system like MxO?
PotBS is remarkably similar.

Im not convinced. You dont actualy get locked with the NPCs in pirates