<Brekkee> Good evening and welcome to another great Stratics House of Commons chat, tonight our guests are the developers of The Matrix Online! Tonight’s topic is General Questions so all questions are welcome.
<Brekkee> Please send your questions to [QT]Gowel or [QT]Calelena - to do so type /query NICK and type in the window that pops up.  Questions sent to me or the developers will not make it into the lineup, so don't bother.  Full logs of the chat will be up on http://matrix.stratics.com shortly after the chat.
<Brekkee> We'll start with a brief introduction from the developers, now would be a good time to send those questions.
<MxO_Auberon> hi everyone, i'm toby aka auberon
<MxO_Auberon> i'm the lead designer on MxO
<MxO_Bornamadman> Hiya.  I'm Adam Bormann. I am a designer working on combat, animations, NPCs, AI, etc.  
<MxO_Foxbat> Hello. I'm Bruce aka Foxbat. I'm a game designer working on abilities, loot, crafting, weapons, inventory items, etc.
<MxO_Killrig> Good afternoon everyone. I'm Brad Lasnford. I design features and content in MxO’s Mission System.
<MxO_Auberon> lasnford?
<Brekkee> *Poom* how are you going to handle bullet time?
<MxO_Auberon> good question poom
<MxO_Auberon> bullet time is based on slightly speeding up and then dramatically slowing down the animations during a fight
<MxO_Auberon> other people not involved in the fight will see a normal animation but..
<MxO_Auberon> the two participants in that exchange will witness the bullet time
<Brekkee> *djsandman* here's my first question: can you tell us anything more about the Fanzine and is it still on track for a January release even with the recent pushback?
<MxO_Auberon> yeah, i don't have an exact date, but the fanzine has not been affected by the launch date
<MxO_Auberon> i've seen proofs and its really pretty cool
<MxO_Auberon> theres a section devoted to beta testers and we've interviewed some of our top testers
<Brekkee> *sinoth* Are there any plans for areas of the Matrix completely separate from the city setting?  An example would be a dueling arena.  This could be a relatively small room with the setting of a dense forest, a high cliff, near a waterfall, etc.  These rooms would simply provide an alternate, aesthetically pleasing location to duel and perhaps provide opportunities for great RP.
<MxO_Auberon> yes, in MxO there are game spaces called constructs
<MxO_Auberon> these constructs are separate from the main world and don't necesssarily have anything to do with the mega city
<MxO_Auberon> the first construct is available for beta and focuses on PvP gameplay
<Brekkee> *RumblingSky* Are Hackers going to stay a combat class to rival Operatives or will they fall back to their expected role as a more utility position?
<MxO_Foxbat> Hackers are going to be a vital part of combat.
<MxO_Foxbat> They fill the traditional nuker or healing role, depending on how they handle their ability load out.
<MxO_Foxbat> They will be quite excellent in a free fire mode, but won't fair as well in close combat.
<MxO_Foxbat> Close combat is really where the Operatives shine. If you want to shut down a Hacker, engage them in close combat.
<Brekkee> *XxUnforgivenxX* Questions: The combat system is definitely revolutionary. However in "matrix" terms it seems to scratch the surface of its potential. Are the plans for tweaking the combat to involve environment sensitive situations like throwing a person off a building or taking a telephone pole and whacking it on your opponent?
<MxO_Auberon> interlock was designed to be exapndable, so yes, we agree that we've only scratched the surface
<MxO_Auberon> but even in its current form there are thousands of different animations
<MxO_Auberon> i look forward to expanding interlock post-launch however
<Brekkee> *NaCl_Lick* can you ask if they will implement 2 player dance emotes, or if it is in the plans already?
<MxO_Bornamadman> We plan to eventually have 2 player dance emotes, but I can't really say when.
<MxO_Bornamadman> I want to definitely add to the dancing during the live game. 
<Brekkee> *Epic* Are we going to be able to view the indiviual members of each crew in the faction panel?
<MxO_Auberon> yes, that should be available in the next beta update
<Brekkee> *RumblingSky* I'm wondering if the UI is an XML interface, and if so does that mean users can customize the UI to their imagination
<MxO_Foxbat> The UI doesn't use XML and isn't extensible. However, we're looking at adding that capacity post-launch.
<Brekkee> *adonai* With the new live date sometime in Spring 2005, is feature lock now lifted, and can we expect to see new features make its way to beta during this time, or is the plan to focus and polish what we currently experience in day to day testing, thanks?
<MxO_Auberon> we're concentrating on polishing the existing featureset
<MxO_Auberon> i know 2 months might seem like a long time
<MxO_Auberon> but in "dev time" its actually a very short period of time for a project this big
<Brekkee> *Ling* how are you going to avoid having a million variations of N30, teh1, and merphus, name-wise?
<MxO_Auberon> we have name filters in place that we will be updating regularly, but of course some will get through
<MxO_Auberon> in this situation, our GM staff will enforce the naming policy
<Brekkee> *Teleocog* Question:  To what depth is the mxo experience committed to symbolism and metaphorical content?  In other words, are you concerned about what tiny details in the game mean in the context of the matrix, or is it limited to some larger things such as weather and color tint?
<MxO_Auberon> the matrix was a story that worked on many levels
<MxO_Auberon> so it is only appropriate the MxO does as well
<MxO_Auberon> as the episodic updates continue, i think players will begin to realize that the story of MxO continues in some of the same metaphorical directions that movies covered
<MxO_Killrig> You could stumble across an NPC while playing through a mission who has seemingly irrelevant commentary about the state of the “world” or something they saw recently… Their comments may appear to have no relevance at the moment, but the occurrence that presented itself could unravel in future mission.
<Brekkee> *adonai* A tremendous amount of content has been held back to preserve the Live game for all Beta Testers, such as story and critical locations. Potentially come Live, these beta untested elements, which I presume are being quality tested by staff, could introduce bugs directly into Live. How does Monolith intend to ensure quality testing internally on all of the "secret" game elements while maintaining the bug fixes o
<MxO_Bornamadman> We are running tests internally on all of our events, with a large number of testers, as well as testing variations of the events in the Beta. 
<MxO_Bornamadman> So the beta testers won't be getting a sneak peek into the events of the Live environment, but they will be helping us to test out the same systems that run those.
<Brekkee> *Niksis* Heya, when mxo goes retail, will it be a pay 2 play game like so many others? and if its gonna be that, how much will it costs a month aprox? and will those who are beta testers get something for testing?
<MxO_Auberon> i believe that WB has announced the pricing policy
<MxO_Auberon> there is monthly fee, but the first month is included in the retail package
<Brekkee> *XxUnforgivenxX* Question: What are your plans to keep players hooked into the Matrix? I understand some development of the storyline involved the Wachowski Bros. However will they continue to contribute for as long as this MMO will run?
<MxO_Auberon> sorry, quick jump to prev q: retail is $49.99, monthly fee is $14.99
<MxO_Auberon> we have about a year's worth of material already planned out, and there is every expectation that we will continue the story for as long as the game is viable
<MxO_Auberon> oh and yes, this is all material that the brothers have worked on
<Brekkee> *[tI]Spartan* What are their plans for factioned based PVP warfare, and what can they divulge about constructs?
<MxO_Auberon> rather than factions, PvP in MxO is organization vs organization
<MxO_Auberon> so you won't be able to have to zion factions fight each other
<MxO_Auberon> but they could still challenge each other to duels
<Brekkee> *Metel* Is there any chance for a first-person point of view in general gameplay?
<MxO_Auberon> we tested 1st person view and it just doesnt work well in melee fighting
<MxO_Auberon> the characters flip around so much that it was very disorienting and actually quite nauseating
<MxO_Auberon> so we have no plans for that at the moment
<Brekkee> *[tI]Tallon* What can you tell us about high end content, and are there still plans on still putting in constructs?
<MxO_Auberon> yes, there are several constructs that will be available in the launch environment
<MxO_Auberon> but the real high end is participating in the highest level of the game story. i'm talking about a level where you are interacting directly with movie characters
<MxO_Auberon> these scenes are scripted out and will only occur for a handful of players in some cases
<MxO_Auberon> the high end gameplay for MxO is writing yourself in the matrix saga
<Brekkee> *Kreestas* will the monthly story updates come in the way of FMV sequences?
<MxO_Killrig> Yes. In addition to the new FMV sequences which will star the characters and actors of The Matrix Trilogy, we will have new mission content being rolled out with the updates that continue the storyline.
<Brekkee> *[tI]Jabs* What are the general plans for Player-Run economy (similar to SWG) in regard to Coder's object creation ability vs. Vendors and Loot Drops? What will make it worth my time to bother?
<MxO_Bornamadman> It's not FMV as in "filmed sequences".  It's actually in-game cinematics with the voice talent of the actors from the films.
<MxO_Foxbat> I feel very strongly that player character crafters should be the primer movers and shakers of the economy.
<MxO_Foxbat> So while vendors will be there to "prime the pump" with lower level abilities and items, it is going to be the Coders who provide the middle and high end stuff.
<MxO_Foxbat> You'll find good stuff as loot drops. And then you'll be faced with a choice... you can use it and wear it out...
<MxO_Foxbat> ...or maybe you can find a Coder who can learn that recipe and make you item codes that can reproduce more copies of that item, so you can keep it around.
<MxO_Foxbat> I think Coder abilities are going to be very useful and very much in demand.
<Brekkee> *[FA]Plungerman* Qustion: What changes to the clubs in the game will be made in later releases?
<MxO_Auberon> we're working to include diffent kinds of music to suit each club's "venue". No promises, but this is certainly an area that the devs and WB are interested in long-term
<Brekkee> *[FA]boombye* Ask them if there will be constructs for items and clothing, or way to store all the cool fashions they have, and if there will be any private constructs for clan duels n what not.. thanks? ;x
<MxO_Auberon> the real way to store things is not the item
<MxO_Auberon> the item is just a temporary instance of the thing
<MxO_Auberon> what we expect players will want to collect is the code for that item
<MxO_Auberon> your inventory space is limited to 48 slots
<MxO_Auberon> but you code archive is 500
<Brekkee> *DizzyBlonde* I'd like to know if we will be able to alter our RSI's appearance, like changing hair styles, adding/removing tatoo's and that sort of thing?  Thx for taking the time to do this interview btw.
<MxO_Auberon> you can change any of your character's clothing and accessories, but initially you won't be able to change haircolor or tattoos
<MxO_Auberon> although if there is a great demand for it post launch, we would certianly investigate that functionality
<Brekkee> *[FA]Lithium* Ok heres my question: When and where will be see snow in the matrix? Thanks.
<MxO_Auberon> oh and you're welcome, dizzyblonde
<MxO_Auberon> :)
<MxO_Auberon> you'll see snow in MxO, but i'm not saying where or when ;)
<Brekkee> *[FA]FaithAngel* Will Melee weapons ever be in-game?
<MxO_Auberon> ever is a long time
<MxO_Auberon> certianly not for launch, but perhaps in the infinity of time, it could happen
<Brekkee> *Aiglos* What are the planned bonuses for being a member of a crew and having one's own hovercraft?
<MxO_Auberon> to be clear, all the hovercraft have been destroyed
<MxO_Auberon> so it will be a while before they are rebuilt
<MxO_Auberon> zion was devastated and the only way redpills are getting to bradcast depthis though these big "hoverbarges"
<MxO_Auberon> essentially non-combat transport craft
<MxO_Auberon> but when the combat craft are available, they will have options for equipment that provides bonuses and extra abilities to crew members
<Brekkee> *[tI]jetuser* How often do you look to have ingame events with the gaming crowd?
<MxO_Auberon> we're very aware of the problems with huge ingame crowds
<MxO_Auberon> so we're not likley to annouce a specific time or place when in-game events occur
<Brekkee> *[FA]FaithAngel* How do the attributes work? (as far as gettting more inner strength per lvl?)
<MxO_Foxbat> Your attributes funnel into what we call your character stats. Each of these stats governs an specific game aspect of your character.
<MxO_Foxbat> So you might have a Combat Tactics stat which acts as a bonus to your combat tactic scores.
<MxO_Foxbat> Each point of an attribute gives a bonus to a number of stats.
<MxO_Foxbat> Some times this bonus is incremental, and you'll need to raise an attribute a few points to see a change.
<MxO_Foxbat> Over time, you can start to slant your character towards certain types of activities, such as being good in close combat, or at transmiting viruses, or coding.
<Brekkee> *Dak* Is there going to be a specified level cap at launch, or are things going to be mostly open ended?
<MxO_Foxbat> The level cap at launch is 50.
<Brekkee> *Niksis* When using bullet time, won't it place to to fighters outta synch since they slow down when everyone else aint?
<MxO_Bornamadman> You actually aren't getting out of synch when you are in bullet time, because the during BT, the move speeds up at the beginning and end,  So it is actually taking the same amount of time as the move playing at regular speed.
<Brekkee> *[FA]Helez* Will Movie Characters such as the Trainman be available to be raided and defeated?
<MxO_Auberon> ok, so heres the deal
<MxO_Auberon> when a movie character dies in MxO, they don't necessarily come back in 10 minutes
<MxO_Auberon> MxO isn't a theme park
<MxO_Auberon> what happens in MxO affects the continuity of the entire matrix story
<MxO_Auberon> so if a character was defeated, that would be part of the continuing story of the game and the matrix universe in general
<MxO_Auberon> i realize this is a big departure from the way most MMOs work
<MxO_Auberon> but its also the only way to really tell a story
<MxO_Auberon> otherwise, you're just spawn camping the same cardboard cutouts over and over again
<Brekkee> *Chorion* Could you give us some background on those nasty looking exile nightmares?
<MxO_Auberon> nightmares are exiles that are part of an older version of the matrix
<MxO_Auberon> like the twins, they really don't belong in this incarnation of the matrix, but yet there they are
<Brekkee> *Imiut* Question for Toby: Aren't you getting sick of getting asked the same questions in every interview over and over again?
<MxO_Auberon> no!
<MxO_Auberon> seriously, i think its very important to get the word out to folks
<MxO_Auberon> and if that means answering the same question over and over, well so be it
<Brekkee> That will wrap it up for tonight. I’d like to thank the devs for coming! The log for tonight’s chat will be up shortly on http://matrix.stratics.com
<Brekkee> Thank you all for joining us! You can join #MxO to chat more about the game. 
<MxO_Auberon> thanks everyone
<MxO_Foxbat> Thank you.
<MxO_Bornamadman> Thanks, it's been fun!
<MxO_Auberon> i'm really glad you took the time to join us
<MxO_Auberon> oh and pre-order MxO
<MxO_Auberon> ;)
<MxO_Foxbat> Hyper-Jump Beta! It rocks.
<MxO_Auberon> ok enough pimping, im out of here
<MxO_Auberon> later folks