and again 3 new screenshots

Freddy Krueger

it will be for the PC (of course) and it's comming out after august or something. they keep changing the date. then it's august, then it's november and then it's october.

from what i readed at the moment there are 3 classes (mabey more will come out later)

first is the SPY. the stealth characters. here info from the site
Spy Abilities

"I think I'd like a stealth ability where you can hide yourself in code, if you will. Makes it harder for agents to track you and easier to sneak up on people."

--LohanCross

Subterfuge, misdirection, espionage... this is the focus of the Spy Ability Tree.

A character with Spy abilities can sneak past the guards, disable the security system, crack open the vault, disguise themselves as an office worker, and then walk out the front door. Oh and if they need to, they can perform devastating sneak attacks.

As if this wasn't enough, the Spy abilities also include "Tap Data Node". Some of you might recall reading about this in my previous article on non-combat game play options. Spies are the masters of Information gathering, and tapping Data Nodes is the single fastest way to acquire it.

Lets take a look at some specific Spy abilities.

Disguise - Disguising one's self in the Matrix is far more than changing clothes, or putting on a fake moustache. Characters with the Disguise Ability can make themselves physically appear as an NPC. The actual disguise is determined by the specific disguise mask used. (Note that the character in the new Spy themed wallpaper is wearing a disguise mask.)

Twistflip Escape - The character leaps backwards, as if doing a back flip. At the same time, the player spins to the left. Also known as a full gainer twist, this move can be used to evade just about anything. Target is Stunned and Confused for 10 seconds while the character escapes from combat.

Freedom to Joints - In this sneak attack, the attacker comes up behind the opponent and places them in an arm bar. Once the shoulder is snapped, the attacker proceeds to place the opponent into the chicken wing position, snapping the rest of the shoulder joint. Finally, the attacker gets his opponent into the last hold, the shoulder lock, where he extends the arm outward, which not only destroys the rest of the shoulder joint, but also breaks the joints in the elbows. The opponent falls to the ground with one arm in good condition, while the other flails lifelessly.

Lastly, I'd like to apologize for the delay in getting this article to you guys. Although I'd like nothing better than to hang out here and write articles, I have to, you know, make sure the game is finished on time. :-) That said, with the transition of the site, our goal is to have a more direct (and frequent) line to the community. Thanks for you patience, and as always, please let me hear your thoughts and concerns in the forums.

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then the hackers
Hacker Abilities

"In the movies, ingested "code" affected the individual. What of being able to write code to affect or infect other players, either positively or negatively. You don't have to eat in the game, but an injection could be given, etc. or maybe even simulated visual input could have an effect, like encoded strobe light."

--gupyuson

Your wish is my command. Hacking is a big part of the Matrix and we knew from the start that we wanted to incorporate hacking into MxO game play. But since all of our game play takes place inside the Matrix, we needed to allow for a way for people to hack from inside the Matrix. Unfortunately, this ruled out the Operators as playable characters.

The answer, as usual, was in the films. On close reading of the scripts, we realized that hacking the Matrix code happened all the time. Neo, of course, had the unique ability to reshape the code with sheer will. But even something like the "bug extractor" that Trinity used on Neo was in fact a visual metaphor for an anti-virus program.

Armed with this information, we worked with the Wachowski brothers and came up with the notion of Programs.

A Program is a kind of Ability that directly manipulates the Matrix code. Programs are a big part of the Hacker Abilities. Here are some samples of Viruses (harmful Programs), and Upgrades (helpful Programs).

Viruses

Buffer Overflow: fills the targets buffer with bogus data

Logic Bomb: disrupts the target's RSI, causing them damage

Vision Disruption: creates blindness in the target

Upgrades

Anti-Viral Sweep: attempts to remove any viruses affecting the target

Overclock: speeds up the processes controlling a character, granting them bonuses

Signal Bounce: grants an additional layer of signal protection to the target

Of course, there are a lot more programs than are listed here, but this gives you some insight into the kind of functionality that Programs enable.

Another major branch of the Hacker Ability tree is devoted to Writing Code (read the Non-combat Gameplay article for more on Writing Code).

And of course, there is the Ability to actually hack into computers in the Matrix (in order to find Code and Information).

But that's just a taste of what is available in MxO. Stay tuned and I'll go over the third major Ability tree.

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and of course the soldiers (the real fighters, that can do super jumps like trinity and morpheus ect.)

The Soldier Ability Tree

"Why don't we start with something a little fun?combat training"

Last month we described some non-combat activities available in MxO. To balance things out a bit, I thought we would go over the most combat oriented ability tree in the game: Soldier abilities. (Abilities are the basic building blocks that player's use to outfit their character.)

Soldier abilities are for the action junkies of the world. These abilities focus on combat, maneuvering, and other kinds of physical action. Advanced Soldier abilities allow characters to perform superhuman feats like bullet-time maneuvers, and jumping across an entire street.

A character equipped with the appropriate Soldier abilities can be effective alone or in a group. They are the heavy hitters in a mission team able to absorb the most damage, and dish it out in turn.

Accordingly, characters with strong Soldier abilities are the most effective combatants in a straight-up fight. Their various abilities allow them to specialize in certain kinds of weapons and techniques, or maintain a broader understanding of many different kinds of warfare.

"It would be very cool to see some "high level" ability codes that change the way you move during a gunfight."

-NastyJay

Good point, NastyJay. But before I can touch on that comment, I want to discuss some of the basics. The Soldier ability tree contains three types of martial arts, and three types of firearm abilities. These are described below:

Martial Arts
Aikido: a defensive style with lots of grabs and throws
Karate: a powerful style with strong punches and kicks
Kung Fu: a fast style with a variety of graceful strikes and circular movement

Firearms
Handgun: proficiency with revolvers and semi-automatic pistols
Submachine Gun: proficiency with small caliber automatic weapons
Rifle: proficiency with shotguns and assault rifles

In addition, these abilities lead to more advanced versions and "special maneuvers" that allow players to perform even more devastating attacks.

Here is the description of a special move branched off of the Handgun ability.

Pistol Evasive - Character performs a one-handed cartwheel while firing. A bonus to defense is enjoyed for a number of combat rounds in addition to the damage inflicted on the opponent during the special maneuver.

So there you go, NastyJay. Coming soon, I'll continue the descriptions of the other ability trees. Talk to you soon.