slash tiphat

It's only fairly recently that I've been questioning my choice to continue subscribing to MxO.  But I've always been glad that an MMO based on The Matrix existed at all.  And the brand is mostly what has kept me here.  At least up until this point.  I love The Matrix.  But I no longer love The Matrix Online.  The MxO from days of yore is a far cry from the MxO we have now.  For those of you who only know MxO as it has existed under SOE, I don't think I can adequately express what you missed out on when the game was under Monolith.

There was a time when I would defend nearly every change this game went through because I wanted the game to succeed.  I've since run out of such energy.  More and more I'm realizing that there is less and less worth defending.  Subsequent with the "new approach", each update to this game ultimately brings in little more than new gear to farm.  For some people this is probably sufficient and worthy of a monthly fee.  As far as I'm concerned however, a new pair of virtual pants or sunglasses every six weeks will never replace an intricate and in-depth story which hinges on immersion and player interaction.  We once had a living, breathing world in which to dynamically connect with key story characters.  This is what made the game great.  Now we have static quests in which to interact with scripted robots... and a party every now and then.  With everything that made this game unique having been severely reduced or stripped away completely, I no longer know what I'm paying for.

So I suppose this is it.  For now.

-Manic Velocity

I'm sorry to see a veteran go. Furious Angels was/is a great faction. It's a sad day when any of their core members leave.

Hopefully we'll see you around again. Take care, Manic.

Regulus: "You'll be back"

I couldn't agree more.

I've always known that Rarebit couldn't keep up the punishing pace he had set for himself in maintaining the heart and soul of this game. Seriously, the guy worked non-stop for three years. It's about time he put down the yoke. Or the torch. Or whatever.

But without Live Events, I went from jacking in nightly almost, to almost never. EPN stripped of purpose and identity, well, I could stand that, I guess. If Zion would rise up and take up that flag. But there's even less of that story-building, now that LE's are gone. 

It must be a lot like watching your childhood home burn to the ground. It had to happen; the wiring was too old and overloaded, the walls were dry-rotted and the place was virtually empty. But it doesn't make it any less sad.

At this point, I'm only still paying my sub for sentimental reasons.

/salute

Well put. I can't say you're making the wrong choice, honestly.

ManicV wrote:

We once had a living, breathing world in which to dynamically connect with key story characters.

/tiphat

Right behind you, after December as my sub ends, the Matrix ends for me. The stripping of the live events was what the Matrix *had* if you ask me.

/tiphat

Don't know you. I loved the stuff you Photoshopped though. =)

It's been a ride dude you'll be back i hope vector won't be the same with out you and the Fa zerg.

-Hlew

Clouldn't agree more with was is said.

/salute

Adios, amigo. Always one of the reds I respected from the very beginning. I wish you all the best and I'll see you when you get back, maybe.

I can't say I disagree. It may be soon that my subscription runs out (and really, I mean it this time). I used to have lulls in my love for the game, but now I think it might have just died.

Farewell, my friend. It was a pleasure to be your acquaintance.

I have to admit having just returned it seems like almost all of the new content is based upon a grind / collect basis.

It is completely understandable that people are losing motivation quickly for these reasons.

I have to say i am already finding it hard to motivate myself to jack in and cannot really see myself renewing my sub too often.

Its sad to see people's interest dwindle from a game that undoubtably has massive potential.  Its just a shame the game seems to be in the wrong hands (more SOE rather than Rare).  I would imagine this kind of thread will become more and more common.  If this is the case then i really hope the powers that be sit up and take notice.

Take care, ManicV.  See you when you get you back.

:: sings :: another one bites the dust!

Farewell...for now..

sad to see another vet leave mxo.

tally ho.

ExternalError wrote:

Ever since this messed up story of the oligarchs started it amazed me that we were at war with the machines 1 chapter then bam some wireframe guy shows up and the machines couldnt be bothered with zion there after, then with the death of shimada and EPN going "underground" BS! i feel that game is dying a slow and timely death. 

I agree but it seems like there's always the, "New bad guy that everyone is against" storyline every few chapters to interrupt what actually *is* a decent storyline. Machine/Zion feud. I'm all for introducing a third party of "Oligarchs" who are more advanced beings out in the middle of nowhere, but honestly there really isn't much physical representation there to make them interesting to say the least.

The new changes Rarebit introduced were a fresh change but it wasnt enough the change to the critical missions was good although it does exclude low level players from running the latest critical missions.  What is missing though is the Live Events, the meetings and the party just dont add up to a live event.   Really the Meetings just feel like a Story time with (insert which ever org leader rarebit is playing). And the Party is a waste of time unless of course you like sitting at your computer watching you virtual character dance if you do please tell me your secret cause im at a loss to find any way you can have fun at said parties.

/Agree

Another Issue is the Reducing population of both Recursion and Vector.  As it stands both these servers are always on low.  I have seen many threads  proposing the joining of both syntax and recursion although we have not had any posts from Rarebit if this will ever happen. 

Virrago said in a previous server-merge thread that a server-merge wasn't out of the question (or at least conveyed that) but he also stated that there were no plans to merge the servers.

ZippyTheSquirrel wrote:

phi wrote:

If it's a game why does it feel so much like a second job... and if so... how come I have to pay rather than the other way around?

It's been a second job for over a year for me. I don't bother jacking in at all anymore! I just like discussing how the story's going. I'm latched on to the story like some guy clinging to the highest point of the Titanic.

It's a bit cold...

If we were here to play grindan gaemz, I could easily go play something like WoW. I'm just here for the story, and so far this new system is pretty much replacing the story to these "snapshots" every six weeks like someone mentioned.

ManicV wrote:

It's only fairly recently that I've been questioning my choice to continue subscribing to MxO.  But I've always been glad that an MMO based on The Matrix existed at all.  And the brand is mostly what has kept me here.  At least up until this point.  I love The Matrix.  But I no longer love The Matrix Online.  The MxO from days of yore is a far cry from the MxO we have now.  For those of you who only know MxO as it has existed under SOE, I don't think I can adequately express what you missed out on when the game was under Monolith.

There was a time when I would defend nearly every change this game went through because I wanted the game to succeed.  I've since run out of such energy.  More and more I'm realizing that there is less and less worth defending.  Subsequent with the "new approach", each update to this game ultimately brings in little more than new gear to farm.  For some people this is probably sufficient and worthy of a monthly fee.  As far as I'm concerned however, a new pair of virtual pants or sunglasses every six weeks will never replace an intricate and in-depth story which hinges on immersion and player interaction.  We once had a living, breathing world in which to dynamically connect with key story characters.  This is what made the game great.  Now we have static quests in which to interact with scripted robots... and a party every now and then.  With everything that made this game unique having been severely reduced or stripped away completely, I no longer know what I'm paying for.

So I suppose this is it.  For now.

-Manic Velocity

seems that needed to be repeated at least once more...

-Sayonara

/HeadBow

MV, you pretty much hit the nail on the head. I think a lot of people feel the same way. It sucks to see longtime vets just get up and leave like this, but this isn't the game we fell in love with anymore. This seems to be the turning point where people who used to say "I'm staying until the very end" now say "This isn't MXO, so that no longer applies."

In the end, people who complain about the situation but stay have zero impact; the only way to make a statement is with one's money. As such, I've cancelled all of my accounts except for one, and will use the money to subscribe to WoW instead.

(Btw, I found this fake "interview" clip from the FA/Assassin Mask drama a long time back. I think it was you playing the DJ, MV? It's still lol-worthy )

Bayamos wrote:

MV, you pretty much hit the nail on the head. I think a lot of people feel the same way. It sucks to see longtime vets just get up and leave like this, but this isn't the game we fell in love with anymore. This seems to be the turning point where people who used to say "I'm staying until the very end" now say "This isn't MXO, so that no longer applies."

QFT.

Its funny my subby ran ou Dec 1st so I thought I'd just take 2 weeks off.  Was realllly bored this w/e so resubbed.  I'm sorry I did.  I've never seen Vector so dead.  Theres nothing to do but farm, run old archives, or try and find someone at Mara to PvP.  I'm farming some stuff out of boredom and its truly a depressing, joyless task.  Knowing its an empty server.  First Recursion diede, now Vector.  Syntax is next.

That being said I am looking forward to the Winter Event.  I'm hoplding out hope for a slight uptick, like there was last year with ppl coming home from school, etc.

But come January, if the "New Approach" is firmly written in stone and not severely revisited or modified, then like you said this isn't MxO anymore, so all bets are off.

If that's the case, I only wish there would be some closure, instead of just everyone bolting and SOE shutting down the servers one day.  If I knew, say, that MxO would be formally closing up shop in May or something, with an apocalyptic final month of eye-in-the-sky meatwadding mayhem, with zombies and yetis and smith virions and all Halloween masks activated, then we could rock the Titanic and go out with a bang!   That way we could all plan accordingly, and not just fade into joyless entropy while all of us and our friends sadly attrition out.

Ville, will you stop saying Vector is dead. Back in April - June or July, it was true. Was PM or DE, that was it (we had a fair good brawls.) Over the past 3 or 4 months, we've picked back up again. PDS, SC, Insurgence, SS, new factions.

If you log in at the wrong times, yes the game is gonna be dead. People do work, eat and sleep. I'v had to many people saying to me at like 2pm GMT, where is everyone? Its like, people do have a life lol

I notice that Vector tends to start picking up about 4 or 5 pm GMT (when people finish school, work, college etc) and carries on right through to like really late night GMT.

Yes we would all like it to be like 6 or 7 hardlines lit, 24/7, but that ain't gonna happen.  As long as theres people at mara or elsewhere, i'm happy. PvP all the way.

The_Bruceter wrote:

Ville, will you stop saying Vector is dead. Back in April - June or July, it was true. Was PM or DE, that was it (we had a fair good brawls.) Over the past 3 or 4 months, we've picked back up again. PDS, SC, Insurgence, SS, new factions.

If you log in at the wrong times, yes the game is gonna be dead. People do work, eat and sleep. I'v had to many people saying to me at like 2pm GMT, where is everyone? Its like, people do have a life lol

I notice that Vector tends to start picking up about 4 or 5 pm GMT (when people finish school, work, college etc) and carries on right through to like really late night GMT.

Yes we would all like it to be like 6 or 7 hardlines lit, 24/7, but that ain't gonna happen.  As long as theres people at mara or elsewhere, i'm happy. PvP all the way.

Well I probably shouldnt base anything on one weekend, but it kinda freaked me out a little.  Plus, rumblings I hear from others that dont post on dn1.  But, I'm willing to see what happens over the holidays.  But come January if nothing changes, we've got a problem, seriously.

(Oh BTW I'm PST not GMT   Come to think of it, our GMT players are doing allright.   No worries though I get what you're saying)

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.  I can't say I'm happy to see that my sentiments are shared by so many others, as it only emboldens my reasons for leaving, but there it is.