"[The Matrix is] a historic effort to fuse the philosophical, the mythic, the religious and the political in a new kind of cinematic form of expression. That kind of fusion has a synoptic vision and an analysis of so many levels of lived experience and contemporary market-driven life and yet at the same time still [has] a preoccupation with the old big questions: why is there something rather than nothing?  What is the meaning of life?  How do we talk about hope?  How ought we to treat each other?  These are the perennial questions that every human being who makes the move from womb to tomb has to come to terms with.  In the end, it comes down fundamentally to the choices we human beings can make, whatever circumstances we find ourselves in." - Dr. Cornel West

"The Sixth Zen Patriarch, thought to be the real originator of Zen, and we don't have a lot sayings from him, but one of the first things that we have is when he was asked – somebody was watching a flag in the courtyard waving – and they said, "what is it that waves?  The wind, or the flag?" And he said, "neither the wind nor the flag but your mind is waving."  And again that whole notion is that mind, consciousness can create entire worlds and when you master your mind, you have mastered the entire universe in that very special sense. The awakening that has to occur is an awakening in your own mind, in your own spirit, in your own interiority.  It's not that when you master your mind you can make spoons bend (that's sort of a gross oversimplification) but it's when you master your mind you are one with everything that is arising, so that you are the spoon, you are the sun, you are the entire universe in the deepest part of your own being, which is spirit itself.  Zen has always been one of the many ways of awakening where you realize a supreme identity with spirit and therefore with the entire world moment to moment as it is arising." - Ken Wilber

I was recently reminded what can be accomplished when body, mind and spirit work together, and this led to insight on why so many human endeavors fail.  Alone or even dually, those parts of the soul are lacking in efficacy for the same reason that someone needs two juxtapositions to triangulate location.  Polar dualism can be a blind if one stubbornly sticks to one diametric point of view or the other, but those extreme poles are necessary landmarks if one is to find their own position somewhere between them.  Being able to turn one's thoughts first one way and then the other, perhaps back again, like before crossing the street, gives us the information we need to proceed with success.  Ignore your body at the peril of your life; ignore your spirit at the cost of your success.  When the mind considers both, thoughts become dynamic and inspired and need not be limited by conventional dogma or commonly accepted boundaries of the possible.  Barkley said, "to be is to be perceived."  Reality is a cooperative construct of external forces & forms AND the mind which perceives them, a projection we can edit with every choice made, merely by changing the focus of our thoughts.  Emerson said, "to find the miraculous in the common is the invariable mark of wisdom."  Wisdom is one pole, understanding is the other, and considered together, they yield the knowledge to overcome any situation.

Within Christianity, the concept of a Trinity is a doctrinal and dogmatic one, having no direct scriptural reference, but rather it was conceived to explain elements of scripture.  Within Buddism, the Trinity lies within the realized individual, who has become Brahma in the sense of his mastery.  The Trinity in this meaning is Mind, Body and Spirit, which, when acting as One, make all things possible.  Read that again: every realized master is a Trinity unto him or herself.  How does this point of view change the symbolism of Neo crying, "Trinity, help!" when faced with a dire situation?  Remember to consider that symbolically throughout the films, the bond between the characters Trinity and Neo shows again and again that they are parts of the same being, externalized so that they may seek to become one.  When faced with a situation that puts you in danger or need, remember that this trinity of powerful forces lies within, that it can be called upon and that it is the true source of efficacy of word and action, the essential tool set which we are all born with but so few put forth the belief and effort necessary to master them.

Memento mori et carpe diem,
PS10N

These pictures were taken one right after the other, using the same camera in the same position.  The location is just north of  the bench east of the Mara Central Hardline, and the time was early evening on 9 June, 1999.  The camera is a Camon Focus 420 digital set to 1280x1024 resolution.  The images are completely unedited and appear exactly as downloaded from the camera.  If you look closely in the bottom left of the second photo, you'll notice a distinct, ghostly form.  The figure only appeared for this one frame, and is not in any of the pictures taken before or after.  It's intriguing because it seems as if the apparition waited for me to look away before appearing.  This could very well be proof of paranormal activity in the Matrix.  Maybe the ghosts of dead Redpills still haunt abandoned hardlines, forever seeking their pulled jacks.  If you see anything strange or get photos of ghostly activity, please post them here.

Since the hotfix and server restart, issues remain.  Please list the issues you're having here, as technically and dispassionately as possible, so that those who brought us the hot-fix can be aware of them.  Thanks.

(Mention: official word has come down that May re-subs will be able to play again soon and until the end, so we don't have to dicuss that topic in this thread.)

To start:

Roughly every 20 minutes after getting in game, I get the message "Connection to the Matrix lost. Shutting down." This is when I'm in active play or coding, not idle/AFK.  None of the other internet applications (on other computers) are interrupted, so I don't think it's a local or ISP issue.

If anyone else is having this or other issues, please reply.

Hillarious!  I laughed so hard I think I woke up BadKiity sleeping in the next room.  This is one of those works that is a laugh-riot for those "in" and meaningless for those who are "out."  Rarebit should read this immediately!  It's especially funny for me because of the Live Event where Ghost spoke with The Brethren and Conrac, which led him to remember the location in International.  D's comic picks up right there at the end of the event, so there was the added level of hillarity along the lines of "Enough of listening to PS10N, Trinity!  Daddy's coming!"  Excellent work, D and all involved.

OMG eyep0pper!  I haven't thought about that guy in ages... for which, I blame Keith.

We just got back from Terminator: Salvation and I was very disappointed.  The only test of a movie for me is this: did it captivate full attention from the first scene to the last, never leaving one bored for even a single frame.  I expected the new Star Trek movie to be horrible, but I was pleasantly surprised by an exciting, fun ride that kept my attention on every scene.  Though I had high hopes going in, Terminator: Salvation was boring and predictable.  All their "surprises" and "twists" could be seen coming a mile away, the character development was shallow and the special effects seemed to be thrown in with the idea of, "to distract you from the boring, predictable plot and the shallow characters, we now present this action scene with CGI robots and big explosions." Save your money and rent this one from the $1/night DVD rental machine in six months.  I think I would have rather seen the second season of Sarah Connor Chronicles instead, though with the way the series fizzled at the end of season one, the decision to not watch season two seems to have been the correct one, as it was soon cancelled.  Most Hollywood producers/writers/directors still haven't figured out how to make movies worth watching, much less worth paying for.  Keep trying, guys, someday you might be able to duplicate the magic of the very few films that are worth paying money to see.

It was very nice to see you on Recursion yesterday.  It's good to hear that you and Annie are doing well.  Congratulations on your hot new notebook computers, they sound like they could smoke every desktop gaming rig out there.  Annie's useropts.cfg files are still the standard for players starting to mod their graphics settings.  "The Bazman Sisters" are as much a part of MxO as  Morpheus and Niobe are to The Matrix and we're glad you are still here!

These kids are playing a very dangerous game.  A serious criminal is not going to think twice about putting a bullet in their costumed chest or face.  A "real" super hero has powers/abilities to keep them alive.  These kids' imaginations are not going to protect them.  If you want to play at being a vigilante,  go thru the training to become a licensed bounty hunter, learn how to use a gun and get a concealed carry permit, and learn some martial arts.  Bringing a tazer and pepper spray to a gun fight is going to get you one thing: dead.

Единственная свобода вы имеете свобода вы принимаете.

The Sunglasses have Coolness Factor 50 points
The Trench has Toughness Aura Bonus 6%
The Fedora has Attract Hot Women Bonus 6%

You're all invited to come hang out with the freaks I hang out with... if you think you can handle it.

sakuzi,

I'll have to check but I'm pretty sure that all the things you mentioned and a lot of other really awesome-cool updates and additions are scheduled to be done right after the server merge.

others,

It's fun to see someone still reaching for the piece of Blue Sky, don't you think?  *hums a melody*

PS10N wrote:

There's always a flood of great ideas, suggestions and questions from the community, which we get no response about and, really, we don't expect to ever get any response about them.  But still we post them because, even if nothing is ever done, it's still nice to let a good idea out into the world rather than it just run around the hamster wheel in your mind.

The merge idea has been supported by some, shouted down by others, and has been clearly answered by the powers that be.  As we move past it, here is hoping they will answer some of the ideas and suggestions currently on the Development Roundtable and similar forums, and address the good ideas which should continue to be posted there.

GQubed wrote:

I find it the most amusing that people get mad about a thread discussing a subject that may or may not happen ever... I would love to find this kind of passion discussion the philosophy behind the system and Plato's cave, however the option isn't there anymore, for me atleast.

The logic behind a non merge is foolish and self centered but people still feel the need to be a big fish in a tiny pond. Grow a set (the 14 people in your faction will still remember you on another server) and lets get this game going again for as long as we have left.

"May or may not happen ever" ?  It won't ever happen because there is no one at SOE who knows how to do it.  That's why this thread should be closed. 

Please, do start a thread about the philosophies behind the Matrix (like the Plato's Cave allegory) and I'll be happy to post, and urge people to watch "The Roots of the Matrix" documentaries and listen to the commentaries by Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilber for more insight and material about those topics.

The logic behind a non-merge is that it's not possible and can't happen.  No foolishness or selfishness there at all, just plain and simple provable fact, backed by the official word from Walrus, Virrago and 9mmfu. 

I agree with you that we should do anything possible to "get this game going again for as long as we have left."  We'll have to find ways to do that without a merge, as we have been given a clear answer about it.  There are ways to get this game going again without a merge: let's find them and implement them.

Silencio, perhaps you'd care to explain what a quote from BadKiity's post referring to the flaming we received from a Live Event IC post from last year has anything at all to do with the subject of the thread or the current discussion.  You've posted it twice now, and the first time it was easily ignored as being obviously irrelevant and contextually meaningless, but since you posted it again, I'm curious as to your thinking on how it applies to this dialogue about a server merge or how the population/activity of a server or servers relates to the need for a merge.

Endomorph wrote:

If you feel this strongly about someone elses opinion i suggest you take a break from the game and step into reality.

This is a great opportunity to teach those who haven't been involved in official debates or who don't have 26 years of experience dealing with electronic forums.  When someone who is debating ignores the counter-points to their argument, ignores the proof presented by their opponent and basically just ignores the issue all together and instead throws out an insult, it means they've got nothing left which can counter the argument they've just been presented with.  It's known as an ad hominem attack, and is also coincidentally against the forum guidelines. As for your "suggestion," it shows a severe lack of knowledge and understanding of my current reality, which would actually benefit from some time away from responsibilities to be able to play MxO for an extended stretch.

Villemar, I appreciate your civility and continuing the discussion on topic.  I've never heard of any case of life or death being in the eye of the beholder.  A plant, animal or person is either alive or dead: there is no in-between state except in cases where the heart stopped and was later restarted, in which case the person didn't die, wasn't dead. Even someone who is clinically brain dead has not been declared dead; is still alive.  All the signs of life on Recursion are proof that it's alive; it's not a matter of opinion.   (Whether or not there should be a merge and if server population/activity affects the need for a merge IS a matter of opinion, and is the subject of our current debate on this thread.) 

I'm glad a lot of Vectorites came to Recursion for their off-org alts, to run the critical missions, etc.  I hope that the Recursion community made you feel welcome and joined in your adventures.  I wish I could say the same for our excursions into Syntax, but the welcome has been spotty.  Catzi and people involved in like vein are to be commended for their efforts and made us feel very welcome on Syntax at the recent party.  Something would be missing from MxO if there wasn't another server to occasionally visit and get the fresh feeling of being in a different place with different people. The two servers may have the same rule set, but they have a decidedly different feel or flavor (because of the people who "main" there, and the factions which exist there but not on the other) This sense of being somewhere else is dependent on them remaining separate servers. 

I'd like to hear from Syntax and Vector people about their population/activities. (BTW, citing "other" server events wasn't brought up as evidence of Recursion activity, but as a refute to the other white lie "MxO is dead.")  Let's ALL provide more opportunities for growth on ALL of MxO's servers.  I'll be coming by Syntax more, and -gasp- may roll onto Vector, at the urging of one of my faction who's active there.  With 18 RSI slots shared between BadKiity and myself, we have a wide variety of RSIs on all servers; maybe it's time they got some excercise.

bartle doo?
PS10N

Endomorph wrote:

Recursion is dead and why you would try and dispute that in a thread spanning 36 pages discussing a merge, which is much needed for the game i'll never know.

It's never going to happen surely by now you must realise that moaning hasnt done anything either, Walrus still hasnt replied after all this time with his Producers letter, you have heard nothing meaningful from any SOE representative since Rarebit left the game, and it's not likely for them to spend resources on Mxo anymore especially for a merge.

There we have that bigoted lie again.  I'm not "disputing it," I've already disproven it repeatedly by siting the lively activities that happen on Recursion every day.  There is a group of players that has been running a smear campaign of lies against Recursion since before the Assassin('s) Mask scam and this is just the continuation of that false agenda.  They would like nothing better than to see Recursion die, especially if their lies help it to happen.  These people have been telling their deceptions and spreading misleading information for a long time now; it's long past time for someone to stand up and call them on it.  Unless you have some proof that Recursion is dead, like say 24 consecutive hours when absolutely no one logs in to it, then you have nothing behind your propaganda, especially in the face of the repeated proof of life and activity on Recursion.  (In just the time it's taken to type this message, four people have IMed me asking me to join them for activities on Recursion.)

I have heard meaningful things from reps since Rarebit left.  It was at the Anniversary party, so don't presume to tell me what I have and have not heard. The game may or may not "need" a merge but the point is moot because it's never going to happen. There will never be a merge because there is no one at SOE who knows how to merge MxO servers.  So, yes, this thread should be closed.  The consensus on Recursion, our active and alive server, is that we don't want a merge, so the majority there is pleased that it can't and won't happen.  We have a play style all our own and don't want to be homogenized into the play style that centers around Mara Central.  If there were a merge, it would be take two communities with unique characteristics and mash them into something that has the flavor of neither.  There would be issues of reconciliation and frankly, I don't want everyone on the same server.  Recursion is our home, and we play there the way we like and choose to.  Just like Syntax is other people's home, and it should and will stay that way because they don't want us there mucking up their play style any more than we want them traipsing around in ours.  Variety is the spice of life, conformity is death.

It's cool, Villemar.  I appreciate your humor because it allowed a springboard to make a point.  <*-sproing-*>  Vector, what's that?  JUST KIDDING! But seriously folks, Vector is a whole other world, and I think Vectorites know better than any Syntaxian or Recursionite that the play is how, where and when you make it.

Also, a big THANK YOU to the perpetrators of The Detective Stories; PinkPixie reports that nearly 30 people were mixing it up in Chelsea and later got event rewards for their participation.

You're basically right.  When someone attacks you with guns, your Ballistic Defense will be the major factor in whether they hit or miss (of course their Ballistic Accuracy is a factor.)  If they are attacking with Melee, then it would be their Melee Accuracy + roll vs. your Melee Defense + roll.

When you do get hit by gun fire, your total Ballistic Damage Resistance is subtracted from the amount of damage they would have caused you.  Example: you have 120 BDR, the opponent hits you for 800 points of Ballistic Damage, you take 680 points of damage.

Keep in mind that Bonus %s from apparel, like a shirt with 2% Ballistic Defense, only applies if you are wearing the shirt when you start an Upgrade which has Ballistic Defense, like Gunslinger Upgrade.  So, start Hyper-dodge, put on all your apparel with Ballistic Defense Bonus %s, start your best Upgrade that has Ballistic Defense, then put on your Ballistic Damage Resistance apparel.

Use the Awakened level 10 "Hyper" Abilities to manage your base Defense.  If someone is attacking you with Melee, use Hyper-block. Vs. Ballistics use Hyper-dodge.  Getting hacked?  Switch to Hyper-deflect.  Someone using Thrown knives against you?  Use Hyper-sense.

The Abilites below the "Hypers" in the Awakened Tree boost your Resistances, so if you're in your Ballistic Defense apparel and feel the need for additional Ballistic Damage Resistance, hit Adrenaline Booster.

Also, apply your Attribute points in the Upgrade Panel with a mind toward your Accuracy, Defense and Damage (which Attribute scores will depend on which type of attack/defense/damage/resistance you're going for.)

I didn't report Villemar's post.  There wasn't anything in it that was  inappropriate; in fact I'm glad he posted it because there could be no rational debate without an opposing viewpoint.

Villemar_MxO wrote:

Oh wow, I had abandoned my Recursion characters because I stopped seeing anyone on that server.  But apparently per you, that was just my imagination.  Maybe when I went to Mara and didn't see anyone they were all in sneak.  Also, all of my recursion friends are no longer listed as online on my buddy list.  It must be a techical malfunction.  You ought to /CCR that since apparently everyone actually *is* on.  Also, you might want to /CCR the fact that the server population is on "Low", obviously based on what you've said it isnt.

No one hangs out at Mara Central any more; there is very little reason to.  It's fully understandable how someone who sits at Mara expecting things to come to them and center on them would be very disappointed on Recursion.  The experiences of players who are out in the world making their own fun are of course much different.  Maybe all the great times we've been having on Recursion this month are in your imagination? I'm not too worried about that, as every day during my work shift, people are constantly IMing me on Station Launcher, letting me know what's happening and urging me to join them.  Your experiences are no doubt different, as it would be necessary to continue making new friends and adding people to your Buddy List as the population shifts, rather than being deceived by out dated data into thinking that no one is active because no one you know is active.

Let's not ask each other if Recursion is active, live and fun, let's ask Vericon, Setsura, PinkPixie, Airiez, Cookie, Dulux, LeMage, Greenon, Heero, BadKiity, Aeolon, Mustachio, WarWizard, SusanB, Traeladora, C0ldWhiteLight, DrkMagic, TwoGunGamble, Conrac, Ajing, or any of the Lords of War, Exemplar Triune, The Brethren or Warriors of Valor.

The fun isn't in the game, it isn't locked in a room at SOE, it isn't waiting on a server ready to leap through your internet connection.  It won't magically appear if there is a server merge.  The fun is either in you or it isn't, and if you can't have fun on Recursion because the active population only goes to Mara between all the things we're busy doing, then you're free to have your main on Syntax where Mara C is where it's at, everyone is one of the crowd, and there's no reason to ever go anywhere else in the city because the fun comes to you 24/7/365.  Doesn't it?

While the LESIG event was at Mara C, (understandable given the general false prejudice that if it's not at Mara C, it's not happening) meetings, faction RP and RPvP events don't happen there.  (Neither do Parties, Hardline Tours, Access Node Hunts, Exile Hideout Raids, Gang Token Collecting, Critical Missioning, Standard Missioning, Exile Contact Missioning, Archive Missioning, Archive Construct Excursions, Datamine Farming, Organization Outpost Excursions, Questing, Coding Sessions, Bit Farming, Red Frag Farming, Sightseeing, Roleplaying, or most LESIG Events.)  There is a huge city with wide variety to stage RPvP or whatever the event calls for.  Every day there is something going on and we are always having to split teams because there's too many involved to keep it to 3 or 4 teams.  The server population has been on Low (I never said it wasn't - how did you assume that?) since many months before "The New Approach" so, that's no different from any other MxO day.  What is different is this: many people can and do have fun on Recursion every day, and anyone else's inability to do so does not disprove that.

We're expecting close to 20 people at the next Zion meeting, where activities for the coming week will be planned.  Those involved will have a blast, those who aren't involved will continue to think that there is nothing going on because they failed to participate.

Get with a female RSI (preferably played by a female player, but you know, to each his own if that's what spins your hard drive) find a nice romantic secluded spot like the pillow rooms in the dojos or tea houses, take off all your in-game apparel and eat Merv cake like it's 1999.

Just a suggestion cause life's too short.

LESIG event on Recursion, April 13th, 2009, around 7 PM MCT.  Later that night there was a big party at Poly Vinyl.

Once again, the facts disprove those pushing their personal prejudices and totally invalidating the lie that "Recursion (or MxO) is dead."  You can't call something dead that shows signs of lively fun every day.  Well, you can, but you're just proven wrong every time something live, like this LESIG event, happens.

Vosiler wrote:

rec - dead only the lifeless zombies who insist the game is alive and has a future which infact is has none at all a merge would temp cure the prob game over ladies even soe have gave up on the game W_T_F does that tell you? lol maybe the players left shoul dstop wasting there money and come darkfall online with me

Well, from what I can understand of this around the lack of punctuation, grammar and spelling, it's just an ignorant rant to support a personal, prejudicial bias that is disproven by the fact that there are dozens of people having fun on Recursion every day.

GQubed wrote:

A) Being on the Station launcher does not count as being ingame, perhaps on the launcher it may appear that 10 people are online having fun, but in reality it is far from that. 

You misunderstand.  I run the Station Launcher on a separate computer and use it to monitor the in-game population at any given time (granted it only shows me who is on from the 1800+ in my Buddy List, but more are added every day.)  In the "By Activity" tab, the Station Launcher clearly shows who is logged in to the Launcher only and who is actually logged in the game server.  There are separate sections for "In Station Launcher" and "Playing the Matrix Online."  It's actually quite amusing, that I'm the one doing the actual, factual monitoring of server activity but somehow you "magically know" the "reality" of the situation.

GQubed wrote:

B) Obviousely your faction is active at recruiting and helping to level "new" people which is very commendable. However, 10 player event? I know of the Resolution events, the Detective stories... maybe if you posted these you are talking about i would be more apt to believe you.

The ten player events which happened/are happening during the two week period I mentioned were/are: The Skalman Live Performance, The Zion Victory Party, Monday Coding Time, The Detective Stories, Suicide Club, Support Group Wednesdays, The Rock Show with Namroc, The Sexy Hungarian, Subbz Dark Desires Tour, and the Hovercraft Battles.  Add in Resolution and the Zion Meeting, and it's 12.  (I never said 10 Recursion PEs.)  This doesn't count the spontanious activities associated with helping new players or getting rare items for the higher level RSIs.  And yes, we still actively recruit and train new operatives and always ask, "did you have fun?" at the end of a session.  The answer is always, "yeah, it was a lot of fun, thanks!"  That's a lot of gameplay and great fun going on for a "dead server."

GQubed wrote:

C)80 people on recursion? Either you having an acid flashback or your just reading 75 ppl on the station launcher with 4 or 5 actually jacked in.

Sorry, wrong again.  The 80 people on Recursion were on the in-game Buddy List, not the Station Launcher.  It was during the Anniversary Party, but I've seen it hit 50 since then (last time Virrago was in causing meyhem.)  For the record, I've never done acid.  People need to stop making the assumption that their personal experiences are the only experiences to be had.

GQubed wrote:

Like so many things in life you do NOT get back what you put into it. So many people have put more into this game than can ever be stated, and well, this is what we have gotten back. Anyways... cya on syntax lol.

It's pretty amusing, that I jack-in looking to have fun and help others have fun, and that's exactly the result.  I wasn't talking about getting something back from SOE or from the game engine.  I was talking about getting back the same kind of gaming experience that one fosters.  If you go sit on a bench, you'll be bored.  If you get involved and either find out what's already going on or make something happen by involving others, you'll get back the same kind of fun that you're providing for them.

"Recursion is dead" is just a lame attempt by some Syntaxians to boost their own server population and convince themselves that their elitism is somehow backed by actual fact, or that there is some real difference between the servers.  Recursion is not dead; there are people in there playing and having fun every day.  It's really kind of sad that people perpetuate the myth because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  If you lie to people that Recursion is dead, tell them to come to Syntax because it's more populated, then your deception fuels your desired outcome, regardless of the facts.

Now, I'm not bashing Syntax the same way that it seems to be acceptable to bash Recursion.  There are so many great community members on Syntax who go out of their way to hold events and invite people from all servers to come join them.  On the other side of the coin, I've made new RSIs on Syntax and found dozens and dozens of people playing but was met with rudeness and ignorance when asking for help getting the hardlines, access nodes, missioning, getting basic gear, etc.  It's up to each individual, no matter their "home server" to decide whether they want to be friendly, helpful players or just spread rudeness and grief.  So, are you red or blue on this?

The idea that Recursion is dead is a complete myth.  We were in the white hallways last week, with a dozen people.  The weekly Zion meetings routinely have dozens of people.  We were playing in The Detective Stories after the meeting and had around 20 people.  We had a basic combat training in the Sai Kung Dojo the other day, going over the martial arts and hacker combat for the new recruits.  Today in Sati's Playground there were around 15 people opening boxes.  Tonight we were doing access node hunts and a coding session with a full team.  PinkPixie has got to level 22 in no time at all with help from The Brethren and people in and out of E.T. like Praey and SusanB.  We held marathon hardline tours earlier in the week and people from other factions even helped finish the tours while I was away from home or at the party on Syntax.  (And we brought "Recursion People" into the party on Syntax, too.  There's no reason why people can't play on 2 or 3 servers and enjoy the different feel of the communities there.)  Aeolon had a party a few days back and it lasted for hours and had a dancefloor full of people. (I won about 50 million in the radio trivia contest and put 20 million of it back up for prizes so others could win.) Tomorrow we'll be running Yuki excursions for our new recruits in the level 15-25 range.  These are only from my own point of view; I know there are other activities going on because Station Launcher stays open about 16 hours a day; people are always going in Recursion and there for a long time.  See, here's the thing: if you just go to Mara C and sit on a bench, you'll never see anything happen.  You have to either find out where the people are and what they are doing and join them, or make something happen by getting other people involved in what you want to do.  I guess it's easier for me because of purposefully watching the population and adding /friend anyone with even casual contacts.  My Buddy List topped 1800 people the other day, and at any given time I see 10 to 80 people on Recursion.  Only in the wee hours of Monday morning have I ever seen "no one" on, and at that point, there was no one from my list on any of the servers.  Personally, and I understand that not everyone enjoys this aspect of the game, it's a lot of fun to jack-in and search thru the city for where the people are and get involved with what they are doing.  Like so many things in life, you get out what you put in and it becomes only what you make of it.  There were/are ten Player Events in this ten day period, and I know there are a lot of you out there who could put on a fun event.

Look me up in-game if you want, I'm in Station Launcher and/or game about 16 hours a day (mostly in Station Launcher, lest someone say I need serious MMO rehab.)  There were TEN Player Events this week.  TEN!  There's still a lot of fun being had here, and we're glad to have you back. 

On other threads we read about the "stone wall of silence" from SOE - how we as players are never told anything about what's going on with MxO, how MxO is not included on the main games page, how MxO is not included in the newsletters or the promotions, how all the money is being put into T.A. and DCUO, how the higher-ups at SOE don't even seem to be aware that we exist or that we have genuine questions/suggestions/demands and real needs for our game.  The die-hard among us have been so sick of being ignored that we just went back to playing.  There's always a flood of great ideas, suggestions and questions from the community, which we get no response about and, really, we don't expect to ever get any response about them.  But still we post them because, even if nothing is ever done, it's still nice to let a good idea out into the world rather than it just run around the hamster wheel in your mind.

Well, on this issue, this dead-horse-beaten-into-a-bloody-pulp merge issue, we have three times, from the executive producer himself, the community relations manager, and the former lead dev, been given a clear and concise answer.  Yes, we got a direct, understandable and explained answer to one of our questions about the future of MxO.  This is nothing short of a miracle given MxO's -ahem- storied - past. 

For those of you who have been living on Guinness Lake East for a year, the answers were:

* MxO is in maintenance mode, AKA "a matured game title" at SOE.
* There are no plans to close any server for the foreseeable future.
* There are no plans for any type of server merge for the foreseeable future. (It's been suggested that there is no one at SOE with the skills to merge servers; the two previous merges were done with Monolith personnel.)
*Anniversary, Halloween and Holiday events will be switched on and off (suggesting that we can expect to be able to keep playing at least until 2010) but there will be no new updates, events, storyline, patches or content.
* "Back in the day" of the character transfer discussion, it was said that a character would never be transferred from a normal server to a hostile one, as it would not be fair to those who had earned their level in a hostile environment. So, if another miracle/atrocity (depending on your opinion of a merge) occurs, it could only be Syntax and Recursion coming together.

Certainly no one should be denied the CHOICE to post on any thread about its topic (as long as it's within the rules and guidelines) but if I were to paraphrase Smith, I'd address this face-down-in-the-sewage thread and cry, "Why, Mr. Merge thread, why, WHY DO YOU PERSIST?"

(Now, if you're at all worked up and thinking about replying in anger and, heaven forfend, flaming me, please take a breath and realize that this was written tongue-in-cheek, dripping with ironic sarcasm, in hopes that you'll laugh about the inevitable state of MxO and her forums, and go jack-in to cause whatever mirth and mayhem in the Matrix that you can, for as long as your sub shall last.  If you must reply, please take the obvious route and ask me where I stand on this contentious and seemingly immortal merge issue; assuming of course some drastic change takes place that would make it possible at all, which at this point - it isn't.)

P.S. frakin' awesome party on Syntax yesterday.  Thanks, Catzi and crews!

While you can level up Abilities in the Ability Tree, doing so doesn't show you what benefit (if any) is being gained from spending the $info to level them up.  So, you want to Level Up your Abilities from the Upgrade Panel on the L Key.  When you click an Ability and then click the + button, the text window will show you the Points and/or % Bonus to be gained from spending the $info.  If no Points or % Bonus appears in the text window, don't click Accept.  Some Abilities (like the Styles) will give you Points and/or % Bonus at every level.  Other Abilities won't give the advantage until you apply 2, 3, 4 or even more levels to them.  Still other Abilities will only give Points and/or % Bonus up to a certain level and never again, no matter how high you level them.  The Upgrade Panel with its preview window will let you see if you are going to get any advantage before you spend the cash. 

P.S.: Even if you have Kung Fu or another Style after hitting level 10, you had better level up Awakened because it directly affects the Self Defense Style, which is used for every single gunshot you fire, regardless of any other Style(s) you have loaded.  So, if you ignore Awakened, you'll suck at ballistics.

Sometimes, if you take a long while to create your character's look and clothing, the server will drop the connection to your client and won't accept the request to actually create the character, and just hang at the screen where you enter your handle, bluepill name and background.

The solution is to create your character before the timeout.  I know that there are a lot of cool options to choose from, and it's nice to have a very custom look, so maybe you want to go thru all the choices, take your time, and learn which options you want.  Then, if the connection times out, you can go back and create your look more quickly, now knowing exactly how you want it to be.

Also, if you're stuck on that screen, I think Alt-F4 keypress will exit you back to Windows.

Good luck!

Sometimes, if you take a long while to create your character's look and clothing, the server will drop the connection to your client and won't accept the request to actually create the character, and just hang at the screen where you enter your handle, bluepill name and background.

The solution is to create your character before the timeout.  I know that there are a lot of cool options to choose from, and it's nice to have a very custom look, so maybe you want to go thru all the choices, take your time, and learn which options you want.  Then, if the connection times out, you can go back and create your look more quickly, now knowing exactly how you want it to be.

Also, if you're stuck on that screen, I think Alt-F4 keypress will exit you back to Windows.

Good luck!

Sometimes, if you take a long while to create your character's look and clothing, the server will drop the connection to your client and won't accept the request to actually create the character, and just hang at the screen where you enter your handle, bluepill name and background.

The solution is to create your character before the timeout.  I know that there are a lot of cool options to choose from, and it's nice to have a very custom look, so maybe you want to go thru all the choices, take your time, and learn which options you want.  Then, if the connection times out, you can go back and create your look more quickly, now knowing exactly how you want it to be.

Also, if you're stuck on that screen, I think Alt-F4 keypress will exit you back to Windows.

Good luck!

Dude... you're Brethren... we would have given you all the Abilities, Clothing and $info you needed... we have plenty in storage for just such an occasion.  Maybe Virrago can get Setsura un-deleted if you ask him nicely.  I'll keep an eye open for Mayrin, I helped her find the Headless earlier today.

When I first got up today, I could read/send PMs but not post or reply on the forums.  Several hours passed and I realized that noone had posted on the forums for those several hours.  At that point, I could no longer PM, either.  When people did start posting again, I was still unable to post/reply/PM until I cleared my cookies.  So, if anyone is still having trouble, clean out your cookies.

CCleaner is a great, free, safe program for cleaning out cookies, windows temporary files, histories and bad registry entries:

http://download.cnet.com/ccleaner/?tag=mncol

Obviously, the problem here is that the MxO forums don't use genuine home baked Oracle cookies, but the store-bought crumbs-in-a-bag variety.

Welcome back... we missed you.

I see from my faction roster that you were with The Brethren before and we have you listed as MIA and sent you an in-game email when the faction re-formed.  Of course you're welcome back to join us.  The Brethren are still going strong on Recursion and we've been hosting the weekly Zion meetings.  You can contact me thru PM here on the forums, or in-game thru email or chat.  I'll stay logged in to Station Launcher as much as possible and watch for Setsura to come online.  Since the loss of Rarebit, we've been focusing on participating in Player Events, helping others run their Player Events and organizing our own Player Events.  Despite what most people on Syntax will tell you, Recursion is far, far from being dead.  There's always something going on in there, and if there isn't, we make something happen! 

Glad to have you back,
PS10N

Yahoo News presents a Reuters news service report headlining

"Robot scientists can think for themselves"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090402..._science_robots

In other news... The Cylons were created by man.  In 2009.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/...3/16/robot.html

Virrago suggested I delete Cookies, which I had done previously to try to clear the issue.  While it wasn't specifically a cookie issue, it's working again now.  I use and recommend a free utility called CCleaner.  It cleans out cookies, temporary internet and Windows files, as well as a very good (safe) Registry Cleaner.

Link: http://download.cnet.com/ccleaner/?tag=mncol

Well it wasn't specifically a cookie issue, but it's working again.  I use and recommend a free utility called CCleaner.  It cleans out cookies, temporary internet and Windows files, as well as a very good (safe) Registry Cleaner.

Link: http://download.cnet.com/ccleaner/?tag=mncol

After the April Fool's Joke, where most people were set to "Bluepill" rank, I can no longer access Private Messages at all.  Even though my forum rank is restored, I have no Private Messages link at the top of any page, and when I click the PM button in a post, the board tells me "You do not have permission to send/receive private messages."  I've certainly done nothing to have my permissions revoked.  Virrago, can you please look in to this and restore my permissions for Private Messages?  I am in the middle of helping a few new players and would like to reply to them.  Is anyone else having this same issue? 

(This reminds me of the old tech support instruction "If your internet connection isn't working, send an email to [email protected]" or "If your phone service isn't working, call tech support at 1-800-CAT-CH22"

If this is something you need to reply to me about it private, send an email to [email protected] as I won't be able to read any reply in Private Messages.)

Thanks!

When you are in the Private Messages section, there will be a "Sent" link that will list all the Private Messages which you have sent.  I assume that you replied to my PM about the Zion factions on Recursion, but I can't receive or reply right now because for some reason (probably related to the Bluepill rank April Fool's Joke) the board is telling me that I don't have privileges for Private Messages.  Virrago, help!  I'll post the problem in a new thread for more visibility.