Isn't a disenfranchised pessimist an optimist???? :p

An Owl is death on on a Velvety wing, and yet wisdom its words do relentlessly sing!

Many thanks for the info and opinions! Cloudwolf's story summary was really informative. Some interesting stuff, it seems. I guess I'll be keeping an eye on it.

"The last twist I remember" was Cryptos and reinsertion. I think.

Few questions, what's up with that JokerOfDiamonds, Scanline and whatever that background story was? There was some LE post with a large essay on that. How did that evolve?

Also, I think I read something about the General and Merv, but can't remember exactly. What happened there, again? What happened with the Trainman, and was there anything significant or interesting regarding Sati after she got captured?


PS: Hey, Tytanya! This probably has nothing to do with the topic at hand, but I remember reading that discussion about the reinsertion revelation (shortly after I went, so I wasn't that clueless back then), and one thing I wondered about in your arguments: you said it was cool to watch characters getting lost inbetween deceptions and world-view-changing twists, but not to "be that character". I always thought "yea, but actually, you're ROLE PLAYING this character, not being it; if you liked this pattern in the movies, isn't it dope to roleplay someone who's in a tough situation anyway and above all, "can't trust any information" and all?" As a role player, I would have found it cool, I guess.

Again, just my thoughts back then. I'm curious to read your opinion on this! (I also realize there are demerits to necessary information distribution [should a Merv or Machinist really ask itself where it's stationed in the Real and make up stories about it on the spot? Please], player influence on the story or, guess what, EJP; seriously, for a target audience purely interested in role playing, storyline and "becoming part of the Matrix universe", the "levelling system" and everything attached to it is rather disturbing; if you could just create a character, act on with it, and in case of death, simply create another one (without having to wine OMG I WAS AT LVL 49), it would be much better in this regard; but this is an MMORPG, things go differently, so 'nuff said.)

PS: Hey, Tytanya! This probably has nothing to do with the topic at hand, but I remember reading that discussion about the reinsertion revelation (shortly after I went, so I wasn't that clueless back then), and one thing I wondered about in your arguments: you said it was cool to watch characters getting lost inbetween deceptions and world-view-changing twists, but not to "be that character". I always thought "yea, but actually, you're ROLE PLAYING this character, not being it; if you liked this pattern in the movies, isn't it dope to roleplay someone who's in a tough situation anyway and above all, "can't trust any information" and all?" As a role player, I would have found it cool, I guess.

Again, just my thoughts back then. I'm curious to read your opinion on this! (I also realize there are demerits to necessary information distribution [should a Merv or Machinist really ask itself where it's stationed in the Real and make up stories about it on the spot? Please], player influence on the story or, guess what, EJP; seriously, for a target audience purely interested in role playing, storyline and "becoming part of the Matrix universe", the "levelling system" and everything attached to it is rather disturbing; if you could just create a character, act on with it, and in case of death, simply create another one (without having to wine OMG I WAS AT LVL 49), it would be much better in this regard; but this is an MMORPG, things go differently, so 'nuff said.)

I remotely understand your point, but isn't this comparable to a TV show, or some novel series, with constant twists and all, which are somehow done in a way that you rather distance yourself from the story and don't take any sh*t anymore, rather than getting excited and sucked in?

Depends on the manner/quality of how it's done, imo, not on the medium. After all, in a movie, you also identify with characters, rather than just observing.

Your character was a Cypherite and had the ultimate dream to be reinserted? He/she thought it was a self-evident reality that it was a possible procedure or the source he/she had the information confirming that was reliable? Well, TOUGH. Your world got crushed in pieces, see how you do with that. Or, maybe Grey lied and it's actually possible? AWWW, what to do??? Maybe there's hope after all?

Do you want to strive to see through the cobwebs of deception and see the real truth?
Oh wait, to hell with that - you won't let the authorities lie around with you - you become bitter and numb, stop giving a *CENSORED* and just feel like randomly shooting people who look at you in a wrong way (or just like that).



Just an example, of course. I never got into RPing, but I would find playing a character in such a world rather interesting. Then again, I see how MxO doesn't give players influence and all, so I can't really argue with you on this particular case.


As for the other:

I believe even Rarebit said something to the effect of "I would prefer doing without the level system".

Not saying that you can't build it within the RP, but come on - levelling your toon by doing the same kills and missions over and over again, that gives soo much "experience" that for some reason, your strikes are stronger and take more health points than those who have done less of that monotonous activity and thus have a weaker "level" of "experience" - and of course, it expires at 50, whether you acknowledge the number as such or not: when you've done enough of the same boring mission enough times, which somehow gives almost as much life experience as actually challenging yourself with more difficult and versatile tasks that actually require you to listen to what the controller is telling you, and equally increase all your areas of expertise even if all you do is pick locks, sneak OR fight, you've reached the zenith of wisdom and, apart from acquiring clothes or weapons that give you "bonuses" or share your life experience with the "abilities" you bought from vendors" by clicking on the "+" button, you can't go any further beyond the horizon, because, get this, this is the horizon... ??

I might be overdoing a little, but my point is, it's simply a game mechanic that may be ignored or artificially built into the RP. There could be other ways of collecting skills or "experience", as a gamer and as a toon, like finding unique software in the Matrix underground, gaining abilities while performing tasks, getting smarter "yourself"... whatever, I'm bad at ideas, but anything more realistic and organic than increasing the "number" of your "level". 

This might seem off-topic, but imagine this: with no EJP, you could die off at any point, after having "grinded" your way to a certain level. I this really desirable? The whole grinding system of such a game stands in the way of the vision of a realistic, threatenin environment where you could die off any minute. That would be cool with "just a character", but not with one you've grinded to the top for gaming purposes.

But this is a typical MMORPG, so EJP and all that stuff are inherently mandatory. Do they distance the player from the War and all? Sure, but that's how it works. 

I've always wanted to say that




....
Now I've ruined my own topic. Oh well.

Also, I think I read something about the General and Merv, but can't remember exactly. What happened there, again?

General got his *CENSORED* handed to him in the battle at his real world base, feld to the matrix, was desperate so accepted help from the Merv, Merv doubled crossed him by inserting control override codes into both him and all his commandos on their way back out of the Matrix (to a Merv controlled storage construct). The general is now an unwilling arm of the Merovingian, supplying a force of sentinals in the real world.

What happened with the Trainman,

He got shot up by the Machines during his escort of The General out of the simulation, he fled to one of his own personal constructs and hasnt been seen since.

and was there anything significant or interesting regarding Sati after she got captured?

Theres some speculation she might be involved in the aforementioned Oracle/Biological Interface Program conspiracy but thats about it.

There are many significant similarities between the story here and what would be seen in a film, book or tv series but in each the medium is subtly different, the film of the book is never the same, and tv series have a much longer time to develop characters than any movie etc.

It is nescessary to consider the medium when delveloping the story in order to mine its best potential and/or ensure you don't destroy the validity of some development by virtue of exposing the limit of the medium itself. The perspective of the story is quite different for someone rp'ing within an mmo to someone actually observing the structure from a distance reading/watching etc and this needs some reflection in the way the story is written.

Of course there are awkward concessions to an mmo world (though as technology improves the ability to mask them also improves) I agree that the story either ignores them or else attempts to weave a convincing excuse to cover them up..... sadly in the case of some excuses used by MxO since chapter 7 they damage larger and more important aspects of the game, namely the sensation that anything matters to the player or that any player or character has any purpose or value. Its not the events themselves but rather the mechanisms used by the story to describe them that have faltered imo.

Anyways I won't derail your thread any further I see you have the answers you requested - I believe your needs from the story are exactly what it is delivering atm so enjoy

So does anyone know what became of that Joker/Scanline/Doc Raj/whatever story? I remember there were some underground puzzles over the internet, secret events (with Chadwick saying something like "I can't give it away right now" and an "Intercepted Broadcast" or something thread with a large, mysterious essay and hidden links.

Now everyone talks about "Scanline Receivers". What is that all?

Thanks again everyone for the answers.

Well then, I'm off again (practising my arse off). Until there's something really new and "exciting" in the game, or my computer/connection get better, I guess.

Bye.