In this week's AetherNet Community Uplink, Aether tells lots! Fanzine delivery questions, the date for Stress Test Two and its story content sneak peek (March 1), and, we think this deserves a seperate line for oldbies...

The Death of the 500 Club!

the new MxO theatrical trailer, FSK status and more. Check it out!

On Data Node One, the team announced today that Stress Two is coming soon. What does this mean? Well, for starters it means that another round of beta keys will be given away soon. In our estimation this will be the final round of the invite-only beta program; the open beta will more than likely be the next step.

The more interesting part of the announcement is that Stress Test Two will offer a sneak peek into the game's actual launch story content! Yes, this is the moment we've all been waiting for, where we'll finally get a better idea what the game will really be like. Stay tuned!

Paul Chadwick writes an interesting article concerning the code stream of the Exiles, something that they call The Floating Feast...

For Exiles, in fact, it is sustenance, or at least one part of it is – something they call The Floating Feast. They call it a feast because it sustains them, hides them, gives them power and status and unnamable qualities akin to charisma and élan.

The final installments of The Matrix Online story trailers have been posted. Or are they final? At least the one I watched at IGN still said "To Be Continued" at the end. Will there be more? Anyway:

Gamespy's Exile trailers are available in their GameSpy Media Gallery. GameSpot's Zionist trailers are available in their Gamespot Media Gallery, and IGN's Machinist trailers are in their IGN Video Gallery as well.

Over on Data Node One today, Walrus discusses the balance and other changes coming to The Matrix Online in the next patch (due very soon). Among the highlights: mission XP exploit closures and mission system improvements, balance changes involving consumables, buffed clothing (no more Tactics boosts), Evade Combat IS consumption and Hacker ability IS consumption. This patch certainly sounds like it'll enhance the game experience for all (who don't cheat, anyway).

The full patch notes are located here.

I've added Collectors to our World Databases. Collectors offer you buffed items for killing a certain number of gangsters. There are items for all the major Disciplines, and they are all very desirable.

Also, I've rearranged the left menu bar. The world databases (Hardlines, Access Nodes and Collectors) are broken out down the left side of all our pages for easy access. Enjoy!

Starting now, you can read the first edition of The Daily Sentinel, the in-game newspaper written from the perspective of a bluepill. You can check it out by visiting any Daily Sentinel marked newsstand in the game and double-clicking on it, or by just clicking here. This first issue reports on the torrential downpour Smith caused from the perspective those yet awakened, and gives us a very good idea of the kind of story we're in for.

Over on Data Node One, the team has announced the availability of the Matrix Online skin for WinAmp 5.x. Check it out, it's cool!

Three new awesome MxO video trailers released today. Each of the three sites (IGN, GameSpy and GameSpot) carrying the trailers released their second of three. Watching these trailers, it's easy to get excited about the coming story. IGN's Machinist trailer has me ready to bring Morpheus to his death. Again:

Gamespy's Exile trailers are available in their GameSpy Media Gallery. GameSpot's Zionist trailers are available in their Gamespot Media Gallery, and IGN's Machinist trailers are in their IGN Video Gallery as well.

Today at Matrix Online Stratics we're releasing our Super Spectacular Matrix Online preview, and I must say that I'm pretty proud of it! We've gone into extraordinary detail on combat, abilities, crafting, missions, transportation and more, with full screenshot illustration. Check it out!

We've added the Soldier Discipline to our Disciplines Gallery today. Everyone you saw in the Matrix films was a Soldier, and Soldiers are the tanks of The Matrix Online. Soldiers move on to either become Martial Arts Initiates (melee combatants wielding powerful Karate, Kung-Fu and Akido) or Gunmen (ranged combatants using Pistols, Rifles and Submachine Guns).

The Matrix Online Official Manual is now live and available for your perusal (requires sign-in with a game account). This is the actual game manual. If you have any questions about anything related to MxO, this is where you'll want to look! The manual will also appear when you press the Help button from within the game as of today.

We've added details on the Patcher Discipline to our Disciplines Gallery today. Patchers play the Healer/Medic role in MxO, and can further specialize to support their team with buffs, or learn even more powerful healing techniques for individuals.

With the lifting of the NDA, the larger news sites are rolling out their previews!:

• Not a preview, but GameSpy has a detailed interview up with Toby Ragaini. It's four pages of more open and NDA-free conversation, and definitely worth your time in our opinion.
• GameSpy rolls out their preview as well. Their two-page offering impresses us with the amount of detail it packs into a relatively small space, and is worth a look.
• GameSpot rolls out their preview. There's really nothing new here for those who have played the beta for more than an hour. Those who haven't played yet might want to have a look though. Besides, we know 'Spot's Andrew Park knows that The Matrix wasn't created by aliens.

Yesterday, William Westwater posted a brief note to the MxO community concerning the Stress Test. Here's an excerpt:

Thank you all for a terrific week of MxO and server load testing. Although you may not realize the impact that you've had on The Matrix Online, your participation immediately resulted in significant game improvements. Last week we significantly improved our load balancing and general performance. We also love seeing everyone pack into Mega City.

GameSpot, in a slight error today, proclaims that the Matrix was created by invading alien species:

In The Matrix: Path of Neo, gamers will play as Neo, the sci-fi savior set to free humans from their prisons of virtual reality as created by an invading alien species.

Call it Version 0.0. We do. The presentation isn't as neat as we'd like, the ability to submit not as cool, the data not as comprehensive. But we have a treat for you. The MxOS World Database is launched! Currently, we have complete listings of Hardlines and Access Nodes for every District and Neighborhood out there. Check it out, and expect more information like this from Matrix Online Stratics in the future!

Over at Data Node One, they've announced nine new trailers. IGN will reveal three trailers on the Machines, GameSpy will reveal three on the Exiles, and GameSpot will reveal three on the Zionists. Stay tuned! WB PR promises me that these will be very high quality trailers assembled by professional trailer companies. Like the game, they'll be something to see!

Gamespy's trailers are available in their GameSpy Media Gallery. GameSpot's trailers are available in their Gamespot Media Gallery, and IGN's trailers will be in their IGN Video Gallery as well. Those wishing to download a smaller (269MB ZIP) version of the GameSpy high res video can grab the package at FilePlanet.

As the NDA lifts, information will pour out all over the place. The first significant piece of information we have managed to get our hands on is from Tbone, of The Furious Angels, a Zionist faction. Click on the thumbnail over on the right for a full sized look!

Tbone tells us this rare screenshot was taken on the QA Test Server (where the team tests what's coming in the next release of the game) during a brief window where the content was available during the beta. Thanks, Tbone!

In more official news, it was further announced today that participants in the FilePlanet Stress Test will not have their accounts turned off at midnight tonight as originally planned. Instead, participants who received their keys from FilePlanet as part of the Stress Test will be permitted to remain in the beta right up until it shuts down and the game goes live. Happy Valentine's Day!

Today, it was announced on the official forums that the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prohibiting beta testers from discussing The Matrix Online outside the official forums and communication channels has been lifted. This means that testers may now freely discuss the game and the test wherever and whenever they like.

Also, the release date was announced (it's March 22, 2005 for the US and Canada, and April 8, 2005 for Europe, for those who want to know without clicking).

Stay tuned to Matrix Online Stratics. We're working behind the scenes on transitioning from beta news to game information you will be able to use in your day-to-day play of MxO.

In still more news from the realm of The Matrix Online, the 60 day pre-paid game card was announced on Data Node One. For those without credit cards, here's your access alternative!

Also, for those unfamiliar with the state of the Matrix in the MxO universe, there's a new Story FAQ available on Data Node One as well.

Stress Test One has begun, with two servers now open for your killing pleasure: Algorithm (load: high as of this writing) and Parser (load: medium). This is the first time in the beta that we have actually had more than one "production" server to play on, so enjoy!

Ready to jack in to The Matrix Online, but maybe you'd like to brush up on your skills first? Have no fear, GameSpot is here, with a series of training videos for MxO. These videos will help introduce new players to the very different way combat works in MxO as compared to other MMOs.

Still haven't managed to get a crack at The Matrix Online beta test? We have some good news for you!

The FilePlanet Matrix Online Stress Test is underway! FilePlanet is giving away 20,000 keys to all its registered users. You do not need to be a FilePlanet subscriber to receive a key. Just register for a free account, and obtain your key today! You'll be enrolled for the Stress Test, which runs from February 7-14. Your account will also carry over to the upcoming open beta.

Matrix Online Stratics is pleased to offer you a new official The Matrix Online wallpaper: Machines. This is one of several new wallpapers that are being released. For the time being, this one's available exclusively right here at MxOS. Just click on the thumbnail at the right to see the full-sized 1024x768 image (also available in 640x480, 800x600, 1280x960 and 1600x1200 versions).

We're working on some other nifty things, so please stay tuned. Enjoy!