The Matrix Online Q&A - The Combat System

If you've seen any of the Matrix motion pictures, then you already know that the combat in the movies is some of the best ever filmed, whether it be the exciting gunfights or the highly stylized martial arts battles. This obviously puts expectations on the combat in The Matrix Online to be just as varied and exciting. The Matrix Online is the upcoming online role-playing game that will let you and thousands of other players explore and fight in a virtual Matrix. To understand just exactly how the combat system will work in the game, several key members of the development team from Monolith Productions answered our questions. We recently caught up with Toby Ragaini, lead game designer and online creative director, as well as game designers Bruce Harlick and Adam D. Bormann.

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Check out the basics of how to execute close-combat attacks.

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GameSpot: Could you give us an overview of the three major combat systems in The Matrix Online? How have they changed over time, and how will they relate to one another in-game? A rock-paper-scissors balance scheme, perhaps?

Monolith Productions: The three major systems are: close combat (or interlock), free fire, and hacker combat. Interlock is our system for having two or more opponents in a tightly coupled combat exchange with all of the great wire fu-style visuals of the Matrix films. Free fire is a mode where opponents can move around while only stopping to use abilities or to fire guns. Hacker combat occurs mostly outside of interlock, with some of the most powerful programs requiring only a few uninterrupted seconds to launch.

The easiest way to see their relationship is to look at each combat specialist to see where he or she can use special abilities. Soldiers who focus on martial arts, such as aikido or kung fu, have many interlock special abilities. But soldiers who focus on rifles or submachine guns have special abilities that work best in free fire. The trick is to figure out a way to attack someone when he or she is out of his or her element. The exciting thing about the ability system in the Matrix Online is that because you can specialize in a number of different things, you will be keeping your opponent guessing as to what your element really is. Imagine disarming a soldier in close combat only to discover that he is actually an aikido grand master!

Combat in The Matrix Online has been evolving throughout development. We started with the core gameplay of interlock, because that allowed us to do the exciting moves, with visually connecting hits, throws, counters, traps and everything that a player would expect to see in Matrix combat. Then we brought in free fire and hacker modes to bring more flexibility in targeting, area-effect attacks, spy sneak attacks, and other elements to balance the different ability sets.

GS: Tell us about the hand-to-hand martial arts fighting in the game and how it works, exactly. How much of it will depend on players' fast reflexes? How much of it will depend on strategy (such as choosing the appropriate attacks and counterattacks for each situation)? And how much will depend on luck or random chance? How well will hand-to-hand fighting stack up against other kinds of combat?

MP: During each round in interlock, you choose an action that you will perform during the next round. The basic options are the four tactics: speed, power, grab, and block. Speed attacks are quick strikes that do the most damage against unprotected targets. Power attacks are penetrating blows that can break through an opponent's defenses (such as a soldier's combat toughness). Grab moves are counterattacks that have a chance of disrupting any power-ups that may be affecting your opponent. Finally, block will let you regain inner strength (which is used to perform special maneuvers), and you'll also have a chance to shake off any ill effects that may be affecting your character.

Generally, the other options you have are to perform a special move, change fighting styles or weapons, or withdraw. A special move is a powerful attack that takes a certain amount of inner strength to perform, and it often requires your opponent to be in a specific state. Soldiers and hackers that use their special moves wisely will see opportunities to chain different moves together for maximum effect.

Every move, whether it's a tactic or a special move, generates a tactic score that is a combination of your abilities and a little bit of luck. Your opponent's tactic generates a score, too. The player with the higher score wins the exchange, and his or her move is performed.

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See advanced close-combat tactics in action, from machine-gun fists to speed attacks.

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GS: Tell us about the weapon-based fighting in the game? To what extent will the real-world properties of various weapons (ammo loadouts, firing modes, weight, and more) be modeled in the game? How will the range advantage of using a gun be balanced against players that specialize in hand-to-hand combat?

MP: In free fire, you just choose a target and select free fire or a special move to attack. Every weapon has a maximum range, which is based loosely on real-world constraints. Rifles have a longer range than submachine guns, which have a longer range than pistols. Also, things such as the bullet-spraying capabilities of a submachine gun can be used in free fire to hit a number of targets if they are standing in a group.

One of the ways that gunmen can effectively keep martial artists from tackling them and engaging them in interlock is by using the evade combat ability, which allows them to attempt to slip through their opponents' fingers to keep their distances.

As we discussed above, most people using guns will perform best in free fire mode. Guns can be used in interlock, but with penalties. The exception to this rule is handguns. A soldier using pistols in interlock will be able to hold his own against a martial artist. The martial artist has a chance to temporarily disarm the gunman, which may be the gunman's cue to cut and run, or it may be a chance to show off the kung fu ability the gunman just picked up off the marketplace.