PS10N wrote:

Megacity is a real world term which applies to two or more cities whose "urban sprawl" have met, pushing their suburbs together and eliminating any rural areas between them.  Conrac has figured out exactly how many square kilometers the four available districts cover and I'll try to get figures from him soon.  If you are going to compare square kilometers available between MxO and other MMOs, you'd best remember that a lot of the Megacity is vertical, especially in downtown.  Count the surface area of every available floor in every building in the Megacity, and I'd make a reasonable wager that we're bigger than most MMOs.  I read somewhere that MxO's Megacity is bigger than the combined five boroughs of New York City.  The "greater Toronto area" of Canada is often referred to as Megacity, as are other areas mentioned below.


Link

From the Wikipedia entry for megacity: A megacity is usually defined as a recognized metropolitan area with a total population in excess of 10 million people.[1] Some definitions also set a minimum level for population density (at least 2,000 persons/square km). Megacities can be distinguished from global cities by their rapid growth, new forms of spatial density of population, formal and informal economics, as well as poverty, crime, and high levels of social fragmentation. A megacity can be a single metropolitan area or two or more metropolitan areas that converge upon one another. The terms conurbation and metroplex are also applied to the latter. The terms megapolis and megalopolis are sometimes used synonymously with megacity. The term metacity is also sometimes used to describe cities with more than 20 million people.


This is a page from a Reloaded set book showing the highways north of Megacity where the Mona Lisa Overdrive chase took place.  By the time Reloaded was in production, the brothers had settled on the term Megacity. (note the date, which looks like November 12, 2001)

 

Where did you get this picture of the Mega City Map?  Is there a version where you can actually read all the text?

GamiSB wrote:

Signs wrote:

You're assuming you've been presented with all relevant information.  It's true, the Architect knowledge relates specifically to the structure of the simulation, and the Oracle's knowledge relates to the human mind (and soul, potentially), but the Matrix consists of both the simulation and the mind, they are inextricable from each other.  And I think it's an important point that our knowledge of the Machines, from whatever perspective it comes in a particular instance, comes mostly from a perspective of being within the Matrix, and the model of the Machines presented in the Matrix is just that: a model.  It's what the Machines "think" we can comprehend, based on our own actions as human beings.  Simply put, we really don't know what goes on in the Source, and because the nature of The One, like all things in the Matrix originates from the Source and inevitably returns to the Source, we really don't know where it might turn up next, or even what it ultimately is.  We get perspectives on the nature of The One, it's a statistical anomaly, it's a state of self-knowledge, it's a spiritual rite, etc.  But these are merely interpretations of what is ultimately ungraspable.  As the nature of The One is essential to the nature of the Matrix itself, I think it would be bad storytelling NOT to bring the concept back to the forefront of the meta-narrative, in some form, eventually.  Granted, this was not the focus of Matrix Online, and this was a good thing, but if another chapter in the Matrix series is ever created, it will have to deal with what becomes of The One, because this idea is so central to the nature of the story.

 

 

We were given all the information, skepticism only goes as far as "if's" and unless you can show any hole there is no reason to think there is something we don't know. The Architect had no reason to lie to Neo or hide anything from Neo about his purpose and reason for being. With the combination of info given by the Oracle and Architect we learn exactly what is involved with "The One" program and what created it and it's purpose.

And while the Matrix is a combination of mind and simulation this doesn't prove any lack of knowledge on the Architects part. As I said he knows all possible causes and effects, he just can't predict which one a person will choose. Secondly our knowledge of the Source and machine thought is irrelevant. The Architect knows exactly what happens and tells us exactly what happens. The One inserts the code he carries into the program which resets the simulation. That program he carries is a onetime deal that is created within the Matrix and inserted into a person of their choice.

Which brings us back to square one, the program Neo carried is gone as he died before it could be uploaded. This was even confirmed by both Agent Gray and Pace. Meaning the only thing that could bring about another "One" is gone forever. 

 

 

All I can say is, presented with the exact same information you have, I have come to radically different conclusions about what the Matrix is.  One of the great things about the Matrix meta-narrative is that it is open to a wide variety of interpretations, and it will be interesting to see where the future takes it.  I say it "will" be interesting and not it "may" or "might" be interesting because I'll be damned if the Matrix ever fades slowly in the dark while I'm still here.  

Just to be clear, though, I don't think the Architect was being deceptive at any point (I don't think he's capable of it).  I think that his perspective is more limited than he cares to admit to himself.  He (along with the Oracle) is a construction of infinitely complex Machines for the purpose with dealing with humans, beings who are much more finite and limited in nature.  The Architect, the Oracle, the Agents... none of them are given all the information.  They are the middlemen.  The closest we have to the word directly from the Source (literally) about what the Matrix is came with Neo's encounter with Deus Ex Machina, who said, "We don't need you!  We need nothing!"  and asks, "What do you want?"

GamiSB wrote:

Signs wrote:

This is what is supposed to happen.  The One's code is not supposed to return in the form of another until the system is reset, but in the Matrix, as we all should know very well by now, a lot of things happen that aren't supposed to happen.  Because of what Neo did, the Matrix has entered entirely new territory, and I doubt anyone can really predict all that might happen next.  Also, in "The Matrix: Revolutions," the Oracle implied that the Architect's analytical perspective was inherently limited, and that he is thus not as omniscient as he likes to let on.  The Architect is not the final authority on what is possible in the Matrix.  According to the Architect, what Neo did should not have been possible.

 

 

Your theory depends heavily on an "if" scenario, one that has no cause or reason to bring it about.

Also you’re confusing the authorities of the Architect and the Oracle. The Architect is the end all knows all of the Matrix. He knows exactly what can and can't happen within its programming and what will cause which reaction. However he is limited by numbers and can never accurately predict what actions a person might take, this is the Oracles realm. In other words he knows all the options and outcomes of each but never which a person might take.

Also what he says to Neo in Reloaded is if anything a bluff on his own part to attempt at changing Neo's mind about which door he was going to take. As we discovered in MxO’s story the Machines are barely surviving off the Matrix as is and had Neo failed it was game over for everyone human or machine. There is no other level of survival left for the Machines which Neo knew and called his bluff on it.

 

 

You're assuming you've been presented with all relevant information.  It's true, the Architect knowledge relates specifically to the structure of the simulation, and the Oracle's knowledge relates to the human mind (and soul, potentially), but the Matrix consists of both the simulation and the mind, they are inextricable from each other.  And I think it's an important point that our knowledge of the Machines, from whatever perspective it comes in a particular instance, comes mostly from a perspective of being within the Matrix, and the model of the Machines presented in the Matrix is just that: a model.  It's what the Machines "think" we can comprehend, based on our own actions as human beings.  Simply put, we really don't know what goes on in the Source, and because the nature of The One, like all things in the Matrix originates from the Source and inevitably returns to the Source, we really don't know where it might turn up next, or even what it ultimately is.  We get perspectives on the nature of The One, it's a statistical anomaly, it's a state of self-knowledge, it's a spiritual rite, etc.  But these are merely interpretations of what is ultimately ungraspable.  As the nature of The One is essential to the nature of the Matrix itself, I think it would be bad storytelling NOT to bring the concept back to the forefront of the meta-narrative, in some form, eventually.  Granted, this was not the focus of Matrix Online, and this was a good thing, but if another chapter in the Matrix series is ever created, it will have to deal with what becomes of The One, because this idea is so central to the nature of the story.

GamiSB wrote:

Signs wrote:

Also, I disagree that Neo's death automatically means The One cannot return.  There are numerous ways one could continue the story of The One without saying "Neo didn't really die."

But there aren't. In Reloaded the Architect tells us that "The One" is an inherit flaw in the Matrix that accures once and will not accure again untill after the system is rebooted. Neo put an end to this by dying before the code inside him could reset the system and by doing so ended teh cycle makeing it impossible for another "One" to be made within it.

Reseting the Matrix from a story perspective also undoes everything that was acomplished in the movies as the overall goal of the Oracles and later Neo's was to remove everyone from their dependency of the cycle so that a peace could be made. 

This is what is supposed to happen.  The One's code is not supposed to return in the form of another until the system is reset, but in the Matrix, as we all should know very well by now, a lot of things happen that aren't supposed to happen.  Because of what Neo did, the Matrix has entered entirely new territory, and I doubt anyone can really predict all that might happen next.  Also, in "The Matrix: Revolutions," the Oracle implied that the Architect's analytical perspective was inherently limited, and that he is thus not as omniscient as he likes to let on.  The Architect is not the final authority on what is possible in the Matrix.  According to the Architect, what Neo did should not have been possible.

Plus, if you enjoyed Matrix Online's format (or at least the format it was intended to have), with one master storyteller directing the flow of major story arcs and massive in-game events that allow players to participate in that story, DC Universe Online is essentially doing the same thing, and might just be a bit more successful at it:

http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/n...-wolfman/?biz=1

Personally, I don't play video games for the purpose of role playing, specifically.  I play video games to experience interactive art.  If the interactivity, plot, characters, and visual aspects are compelling enough, you will experience a natural inclination to "play a role".  This has been one of my favorite things about Matrix Online.  It seems like the same might be true for DC Universe Online, which is the game I am gravitating most toward, now.

You can role play with any game.  That doesn't mean the game is especially fitted for role playing.

Also, how does a generic apocoalyptic sci-fi plot make Fallen Earth good for Role Players?

Villemar_MxO wrote:

Aquilae wrote:

Signs wrote:

Still, I'm partial to DC Universe Online and The Agency, as I'll be able to play them on the PS3, they seem to have the richest story content, and they are very action-oriented.  Plus, DC Universe Online has characters I already care about, much like Matrix Online.

soe ftw?

SOE can bite the big one as far as I'm concerned.  Pass.

Considering it was Warner Brothers Interactive that decided to leave Matrix Online for dead in the first place, I have no ill will toward SOE.  All SOE is guilty of is getting a bargain on a game that was already running and already had an installed base.  I doubt they ever thought they had the capital to truly revive it to what it was in its first few months, but considering a lot of my favorite experiences in the game occurred during SOE's reign, I'm glad they did take over, because otherwise, this game would have ended years ago.  Granted, they didn't keep the game alive out of the goodness of their hearts; they did it to make an extra buck, but the overall effect of this move was rather helpful to the game, because it kept it alive rather than letting it die.  Thus, I don't have a particular inclination for or against playing another SOE game based off of my experience with Matrix Online.  I gravitate toward the games I've mentioned only because they seem interesting to me.

Personally, I would have loved to see laser vision in the game (for the Unlimits, not players, of course), as well as all of the other wacky stuff Paul Chadwick cooked up for that story arc.  It made a lot of sense to me, since the Matrix has always been a very superhero comic-inspired series, and Chadwick was simply re-examining staples of that genre in unique ways.  I think a lot of people working on Matrix Online, since its inception, where worried too much about making it distinctly reminiscent of the first film throughout its entire being, and this was one of the many small failures that ultimately led to its downfall.  That chapter of the Matrix story had been told, and I think it was silly to try to take the Matrix back to that point.  Overall, I think the Matrix succeeded in a lot of ways.  It was a very unconventional and innovative interactive work of art.  It was not uncompromising enough, though.  I think it's ultimate failure lies in not being unconventional enough.

Also, I disagree that Neo's death automatically means The One cannot return.  There are numerous ways one could continue the story of The One without saying "Neo didn't really die."

I think a big part of what was holding them back at that point (in addition to the engine) was that they lacked a full development staff.

DC Universe Online is the one I'm most excited about.  I'll probably also check out The Agency and Star Trek Online (if it comes out for the PS3).

It seems like there was a lot Chadwick wanted to do that just wasn't possible, in large part because it took much longer to tell the story than had been anticipated, with everything going on with the transfer to SOE.

MetaLogic wrote:

GodTier wrote:

Sarah Edmontons.

Rarebit said something along the lines of he didn't know what the old LET wanted to do exactly with that story so he just left it alone. So, it's probably an unknown.

Well that just sucks....

Agreed.

I second this request.  This was among the most intriguing narrative threads in the game.

I love Cowboy Bebop.  Did you hear Mr. Anderson himself, Keanu Reeves, is going to be Spike in the live-action film adaptation?

Still, I'm partial to DC Universe Online and The Agency, as I'll be able to play them on the PS3, they seem to have the richest story content, and they are very action-oriented.  Plus, DC Universe Online has characters I already care about, much like Matrix Online.

Oh, never mind.  Different game.  I misunderstood.  That one does look pretty cool.

In what way is it MxO-like?  I don't see it.

I've seen people talk about Fallen Earth a lot on these forums, and I can't figure out why, really... it looks like pretty generic post-apocalyptic fare.  Did players here just look around for the first upcoming sci-fi MMO that popped up and immediately gravitate to that one?

I can't say I'm all that impressed with this game.  There seem to be some good ideas there, but nothing really stands out, and all the write-ups about the story content are pretty poorly written (a lot of sentence fragments and "someone said...").  I personally hold no ill will toward SOE, and I'll be checking out The Agency and DC Universe Online because they seem like interesting, action-based, story-driven experiences.  Star Trek Online looks cool, as well.  I hope Fallen Earth turns out well, though, for all those Matrix Online players who are going to be a part of it, and I may check it out if I hear good things about it after its release.  The "Lightbearers" faction did sound kind of interesting.

I second this.  I haven't had the same issues, but you guys have been on it.

Unfortunately, you may be right.

This is a good idea.  Maybe more people will learn that this game actually existed.

You may be The One, but...

I'M SPARTACUS!

Well, as silly nonsense goes, this is pretty epic.

I'm pretty sure there are several people trying to create mission archives.  Maybe we can eventually put all of this together into one big mega-summary of Matrix Online as a whole, and then have a big council discussion to determine what parts are cannon and what parts are not, and also how it all fits into the larger Matrix story.  Then, with things like Phrack's ARG, we can continue the ongoing narratives of the Matrix series ourselves until the Wachowski Brothers see fit to reinvigorate the franchise.  Who knows, some of the stuff we do might even catch their attention and make that happen sooner rather than later.

The true Singularity occurs at the Source.

Singulatarians for the win!

Deus Ex Machina be praised!

Deus Ex Machina... save our game!

Two questions:

When can we expect Part 2?

And..

How far are you planning on taking this... 12.3?

This is great stuff; the most complete and accessable history of Matrix Online I've come across.

There is no jelly doughnut.

Jurymen wrote:

Walrus wrote:

Fen wrote:

The last thing I need is to sign up for this, only to have a couple of unshaven, overweight dorks in trenchcoats show up to my home while I'm in my boxers, claiming that they're there to show me how deep the rabbit hole goes.

o_0

I secound that....

But to be on topic... can't wait to see what you have in mind P

To quote Ghost, "At least we have something to look forward to."

Fen wrote:

MetaLogic wrote:

Signs wrote:

I'm in.

And guys... an Alternate Reality Game is not the same as Live Action Role-Playing Game:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altern...te_Reality_Game

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larp

An example of an Alternate Reality Game would be The LOST Experience, which was amazing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_experience

Listen to Wikipedia.  It is ghost-written by the Oracle.

Yea, but it'd be kinda cool if LARP was incorporated into the ARG.  I mean throughout the Matrix movies, Animatrix and MxO, you had characters and players interacting with one another and their enviorment.

The last thing I need is to sign up for this, only to have a couple of unshaven, overweight dorks in trenchcoats show up to my home while I'm in my boxers, claiming that they're there to show me how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Brilliant.

Maybe.  But ARGs are a bit more mainstream.  There's a silliness factor to a LARP that tends to cause a barrier for entry, that's not a criticism, just an observation.  I think we'd have to use very minimal LARP elements if we wanted to aim for a wide audience, maybe even eventually get more people involved than the number who regularly followed the game.  Might not be what Phrack wants to do, but it's what I'd aim for.  One thing that would be important to focus on in an undertaking like this is the "coolness" factor to the Matrix series.  Emphasizing that part of it would be the best way to get a grassroots movement going.

Am I wrong for thinking a joke list of features for a joke sequel to this game sounds amazing?

I'm in.

And guys... an Alternate Reality Game is not the same as Live Action Role-Playing Game:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altern...te_Reality_Game

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larp

An example of an Alternate Reality Game would be The LOST Experience, which was amazing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_experience

Listen to Wikipedia.  It is ghost-written by the Oracle.

Fantastic.  Taking it in a more comedic direction was an interesting choice, and your love for the series really comes out in the kind of comedy you employ.  I look forward to future episodes.  How much further are you planning to take this, considering Matrix Online will be shutting down.  I think the quality of this comic emphasizes the untapped potential this story has, and I'd love to see a future Wachowski Brothers-sanctioned comic book continuuation, one for a wide audience, with actual pages.  As far as offering a satisfactory conclusion to the story we've experienced here on the Matrix Online, appealing to those of us who have fallen in love with its characters, plots, and potentials through lightness and humor, you have done an excellent job.  Keep it up.

You know what the title of this thread made me think of...?

"Is this really the end of Superjail?!"

I am one of the very few people (I guess) who thinks that every aspect of the Matrix series has been brilliant, so far, including the ground-breaking entry (and I'm not being ironic here) that has been Matrix Online (though this game has certainly struggled and gone through long periods of relative dormancy, it has, I think, broken some serious ground in the medium in certain shining moments, thus, it is "ground-breaking"), and, in short, I think the world still needs the Matrix.  The question I ask isn't whether the Matrix meta-narrative will or will not continue.  The question I ask is whether it needs to continue.  And I think it does.  I think it's forms and metaphors our vital to our contemporary psyche.  I think the trails it pioneers are dynamic and prophetic.  And so to me it's not a matter of whether the stars will align just right to allow for its continuation.  It must continue.  I, for one, take it as my sacred task to insure that it can continue.  As an artist, I dedicate myself to creating my own art that continues in the tradition of works like the Matrix while establishing my own new insights.  Also, I plan to provide commentary on why the Matrix series is brilliant in as many ways as I believe it is, starting with a rather lengthy blog entry I will hopefully complete very soon.  I will post a link on these forums and hopefully continue this conversation and contemplates what action we must take to truly deliver on the responsibility issued to us, like a sacred rite, on the packaging of this game, "The future of the Matrix is in your hands."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Concur