These are the updated notes for Update 46, which is undergoing final testing for release on Tuesday, August 29, 2006. (See annoucement.)

Featured Changes

The Matrix Online Story Continues in Episode 5.3!
The 5.3 Storyline missions and cinematic are now available in game.
The first 5.3 critical mission will be available as soon as the patch is live. The remaining four missions will roll out each following Thursday (8/31, 9/7, 9/14, 9/21) at 1:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (0800 hours GMT).

White Hallways Open for Business
Archivist vendors now sell very special, very expensive keys that give access to certain areas through hallways. These keys require 100 or more Reputation points in the appropriate Organization to use.

Note: Current Archive mission waypoint indicators will point you to dead-end doors. There are two working doors in each District. Make sure you read the mission text for the map coordinates of the doors you are supposed to use. This will be fixed in a later update.

New "Prop Vendors"
"Prop Vendors" at Tabor Park West, Camon Heights Central, and Stamos Northwest hardlines sell a selection of over one hundred prop items. These items have no particular function of their own, but can be traded to other players for roleplaying purposes.

Pandora's Box Mission-Spawn Changes
Pandora box missions with high NPC numbers were causing significant amounts of lag--the ~30 NPCs per phase of the final mission were likely the cause of most of the mysterious, intermittent lag in north-central Downtown. NPC counts in the following Pandora's Box missions have been reduced; : arc 2, mission 2, "Walking Papers"; arc 3, mission 1, "A Key for Every Lock"; arc 4, mission 3, "Trial By Fire". In most cases, the level of the remaining NPCs has been increased by one.

Dead Redpills Flag no PvP
You can no longer become flagged for PVP while you are dead.

Fixed /ignore Command
Fixed a bug that caused an Ignored player's text to still appear in the chat window.

Death Effect Bug Fixes
We have fixed the following issues with the Death Effect:

• The Death Effect now only affects Influences (things that give bonuses to Attributes, usually designated by a percentage) and has a maximum penalty of 30%.
• The Death Effect wears off correctly now.
• The Death effect timer no longer resets when you reconstruct and jack in.

Changes and Improvements

• Zero One Soldiers and the Zero One Taskmaster have new loot drops. A new collector in Downtown may be interested.
• Density of Zero One Soldiers and Laborers has been increased.
• Level of Zero One Soldiers has been increased.
• The Taskmaster Beret is no longer dropped by the Taskmaster and can now be traded.
• Mission rewards will now be emailed to you if you don't have enough space in your inventory.
• Damage for Infect Area 2.0 has been increased.
• Having large amounts of code recipes no longer prevents recipes from being viewed in the code analyzer UI.
• Gang boss "Big Dog" now drops the access node key at a higher rate. (Matches drop rate for other gang bosses.)
• Morpheus will now appear in mood "regal" in the last chapter one Archive mission.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that allowed players to move at normal speed while using a Stealth Ability. Engaging in an activity that shouldn't break Stealth now prevents movement until the Stealth Ability has re-applied itself. (Fixes several exploits.)
• Fixed a typo in the operator's text in phase 1 of Merovingian archive mission 4.1.4, "The Gathering Storm."
• Straightened out the confusing multiple names of a spy in Merovingian mission 2.2.2, "Honor Among Thieves."
• Fixed typos in the description of Corporate Security gang members.
• Fixed a typo in Tyndall's dialog at the beginning of the second phase of Zion 5.2.3, "Repairman."
• Fixed a typo in Yttri's text in the second phase of her third mission, "The Instrumental."
• Fixed a typo from the Machine redpills in phase 2 of Merovingian archive mission 4.1.4.
• Fixed a bug where you could get out of order speech from the contact's secretary in phase 1 of Greene's first mission, "Special Delivery," if you talked to the contact before talking to the secretary, then talked to the secretary twice.
• Fixed typo in the operator's text in Merovingian mission 1.2.15, "Unbearable Burden."
• The female Red Eye Beret no longer turns bright red at a certain distance.
• Fixed typo from Flood at the end of Merovingian mission 1.1.3, "Signature Manipulation."
• Fixed typo from Agent Gray in Machine mission 3.1.3, "Decapitation."
• Removed male names from female Exiles.
• Your contact in the second phase of Raini's first mission, "Careful What You Wish For," no longer asks for the Data after it has already been given.
• Two NPCs have replaced the mysterious dressers in the second phase of Sister Margaret's fifth mission, "Saving Grace."
• Fixed a typo in Tyndall's text at the end of Zion 1.1.3.
• Corrected the level range of loot drops from the Zero One Beta Taskmaster.
• Morpheus now has regular eyeballs instead of Morpheus'-entire-head-on-his-eyeballs eyeballs.
• The locked door in phase 1 of Zion Archive mission 1.2.5 no longer unlocks mysteriously when some of the imposter Agents are killed.
• Fixed an issue where changing chat filters could permanently disable a certain type of system chat.
• It is no longer possible for an attribute to be leveled beyond 30.
• Emotes (/e [text] command) now work correctly.
• You may no longer initiate interlock for 5 seconds after withdrawing from it.
• $info is no longer awarded for completing critical missions that you have already completed.
• Fixed a typo in Agent Gray's dialogue during "Return to Sender" mission.
• Fixed the bug that allowed players to appear in game with a working Loading Area UI available. (Fixes exploit.)
• The player now gets a notification when finding Operetta.
• The Archaelogist now appears on the map in the Historic District.
• The code shaper vendor Marble now appears on the map in Industry Square.
• All org collectors now appear on the city map.
• The map no longer shows the Archaeologist near Mara Central.
• The vendors in Pendhurst-Amaranth plaza now show up on the map.
• Using the Merovingian Cake while in Sneak no longer breaks the move speed limiter. (Fixes exploit.)
• Fixed a bug that allowed items to be Coded without using code fragments. (Fixes exploit.)
• The imposter Agent in Merovingian archive mission 1.2.10, "Into the Hive," now has a full Agent name, instead of just being called "Agent."

These are the full notes for Update 47, scheduled to release on Friday, October 6, 2006.

The Matrix Online Story Continues in Episode 6.1!
The 6.1 Storyline missions and cinematic are now available in game.
The first 6.1 critical mission will be available as soon as the patch is live. The remaining four missions will roll out each following Thursday (10/12, 10/19, 10/26, and 11/2) at 1:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (0800 hours GMT).

Org-Construct Training Simulacra
The org-specific White Hallway missions now include combat training simulacra. Activate the marked computer in the area to spawn the simulacra. The simulacra are very powerful, so be careful!

Increased Unlimit Activity
Hostile Unlimit soldiers are now appearing in all districts.
Are the Unlimit cheat codes leaking into the System? We could swear it's a little brighter and greener around the city than it used to be.

Chapter 5 Missions Archived
Tickets for the chapter 5 archive missions are now available from Archivist Vendors. Tokens from the last mission in each subchapter may be turned in to the PDA vendors for a new reward item.

Slums/Barrens Rebundle
The first District rebundle is complete. The Zion white hallway mission door pointers now point to the correct doors in the district.

Construct Boss-Drops Increased
The special-item drop-rates for the Yuki, Ashencourte, Sakura, and Widow's Moor construct bosses have been quadrupled (again). They now drop at an average rate of 1 in 30 times (you should expect to have to kill the Sakura Tengu about thirty times to get one female Ninja Mask, for instance, but it can vary to be more or less than that, since it is a fixed 1 in 30 random chance per kill); the previous drop rate for these items was 1 in 120.

Agents Re-armed
Agents now use the System FM-1500 Magnum as their standard sidearm.

Crew/Reputation System Changes
You may not join a crew unless you have a reputation of at least 0 in that crew's organization. Joining a crew will set your reputation in the other organizations to -5 unless your reputation is already lower than this. You will not lose your crew if your reputation falls below 0, but if you leave or are kicked you won't be able to rejoin until you get your reputation back to 0.

Changes and Improvements

• Story items now show up in the "Items > Tools > Awakened" Marketplace category.
• The code versions of items found on the Prop Vendors now have standard code icons.
• Unique NPCs (Ookami, Morpheus, Argon, etc) now have consistent character levels.
• Level 53+ Unlimit bosses are now loaded with nice loot.
• Patch Daemons now cast buffs as well as heals.
• The wording of the collector Binary Boy's exchange text has been clarified to make it clear that you can sell the Box he gives you for more $info elsewhere. Thanks Styan.
• There is a new yellow-green flavor of laptop computer in missions. Also, the gray laptops are no longer floating, and laptops no longer have ghostly green screen letters emerging from their keyboard.
• Removed the useless "HackComputerAbilityGrant" pills from Zion archive mission 1.3.3.
• Stealth abilities will now break after hacking a computer.
• Increased the buffs on the weaker archive construct loot items so that they should now be competitive, or slightly better than, standard buffed items of the same level.

Bug Fixes

• Players can no longer avoid losing Inventory items by uploading them at a hardline while they are dead.
• Fixed a typo in the head of security's first message, phase 2, Zion mission 5.3.4 ("Aqua Gulp". Thanks zeroone506.
• The Anome doppleganger in Machine 5.3.5 (archived version) is now correctly referred to as a "simulacrum" rather than a "simulacra."
• Added a word missing from Agent Gray's text opening the fourth phase of Machine mission 5.3.3, "Blackout" (thanks zeroone506).
• Fixed two typos in Brenda Utley's last message in Zion archive mission 5.3.3, "Sweet Tastee Wheat" (thanks Nicks).
• Fixed a typo in the operator's text when giving the documents to Persephone in phase 3 of Merv 5.3.3, "Persuasion" (thanks zeroone506).
• Fixed a typo in the operator's text in phase 1 of Zion archive mission 4.2.1.
• The final message in Machine archive mission 3.2.4 now comes correctly from the operator rather than from Agent Gray.
• The goal completion message in phase 5 of Zion archive mission 1.2.17, "Bombs and Betrayal," now comes from Tyndall instead of from the operator (thanks zeroone506).
• Fixed typo in second message from Brenda Utley, phase 4, Zion 5.3.1 (thanks personIII).
• Fixed a typo in the Effectuator's text in phase 1 of Zion mission 5.2.4.
• Added some missing lobby security guard groups in Morrell, Lamar, and Rogers Way.
• Movement speed penalties from Invisibility will no longer persist once invisibility is broken.
• Ghost strike will now properly reapply invisibility and will not indirectly trigger self defense.
• Combat Aura 2.0 vendor and crafting costs increased.
• U.I. Lag 2.0 vendor and crafting costs reduced.
• Overheat 1.0 vendor and crafting costs increased.
• Code Freeze 2.0 vendor and crafting costs reduced.
• Coder style vendor and crafting costs reduced.
• The $info cost for writing a code is now shown correctly in the Write Code UI.
• Unequipping abilities no longer removes upgrades or downgrades placed on you by other characters.
• Delete Upgrade 2.0 no longer clears the combat stance (Speed/Power/Grab/Block) on the target.
• Bug causing Delete Upgrade Abilities to only remove parts of a target's enhancements has been fixed. (All of a buff's effects are now cleared when Delete Upgrade is used successfully.)
• Antibiotic pills no longer stack with each other. (They do still stack with Negative Condition Sweep effects.)
• Fixed a punctuation typo in the operator's text in phase 1 of Zion archive mission 5.3.1 (thanks Othinn1 and zeroone506).

Sorry for not getting this up earlier, especially given the bug fix we got in. Enjoy!

Featured Changes

2006 Halloween Masquerade: Oct. 26 through Nov. 6
It's time for The Matrix Online 2006 Halloween Masquerade! Find the jack-o-lanterns around the Mega City and activate them to spawn Exiles. Defeating a wave of Exiles leaves you with a special treat: A box only you can open that contains one of nine possible Halloween masks.

Hardline and club decorations are up and the Halloween darkness and full moon have returned!

This year, there's a new danger in the Mega City. Zombies have infested the following neighborhoods and will attack redpills wandering through them:

• Slums: Mannsdale Housing Projects and Camon Heights
• Barrens: Manssen Park and Gracy Heights
• International: Furihata and Ikebukuro
• Downtown: Creston Heights and Edgewater

Players bitten by zombies will be infected by the zombie virus and turned into the living dead themselves. Player-zombies have access to the special bite attack, which can be used against other players in PvP combat.

Zombies are known to be vulnerable to Holy Water, which can also be used against player-zombies to clear them of the zombie virus. Player-zombies can also use Antibiotic pills to clear the virus themselves.

NPC zombies may drop one of six new masks, including two rare ones. Time to grab your boomsticks and go hunting!

Changes and Improvements

• Halloween Masquerade event runs from Oct. 26 through Nov. 6
• Jack-o-Lantern objects found around the city can be activated to spawn Exile NPCs.
• Ultra-dark skies with a Halloween full moon have been turned on.
• Hardline and club decorations have been turned on.
• All Halloween masks will work during this period.
• Old Halloween mask icons have been updated to match the new mask icons.
• Level-appropriate zombies will spawn on players in certain neighborhoods.
• Players can be turned into zombies by being bitten by an NPC or player zombie.
• Players infected by the zombie virus can use the Zombie Bite Ability (under Awakened in the Actions panel).
• Antibiotics can be used by player characters to clear the zombie virus from their RSIs.
• Holy Water causes extra damage to NPC zombies and clears the zombie virus from player characters.
• Seven new masks have been added this year: five common and two rare.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that allowed a character to have two title-Ability effects running at the same time. (Fixes exploit.)

Below are the notes for Update 48, which is scheduled to release on Friday, November 17, 2006.

Featured Changes

The Matrix Online Story Continues in Episode 6.2!
The 6.2 Storyline missions and cinematic are now available in game. The first 6.2 critical mission will be available as soon as the patch is live. The remaining four missions will roll out each following Thursday (11/23, 11/30, 12/7, and 12/14) at 1:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (0900 hours GMT).

The Machines have placed Neo's partially assembled RSI in the Matrix for the edification of their redpill operatives. A remote location was chosen so as to cause minimal disturbance in the lives of those plugged in to the simulation.

New Slash Commands
Welcome to the slash update! The following slash commands have just been added to the game:

• /afk: Toggles your AFK status on and off. (See below.)
• /cq: Displays your character's current CQ point total.
• /deatils: Displays your character's Information panel.
• /frags: Lists how many of each code frag and code bit you have in your Code Archive
• /getbackground: Displays your current background information in the chat window.
• /setbackground: Opens a window that allows you to change your character's background information.

AFK Status: Third Time's a Charm
The /afk command has been implemented and added to the chat menu. (Really this time.) While in AFK mode, an AFK tag will float above your head (under your discipline title), and you will auto-reply to /tells with an away message. You will only auto-reply once to each character that sends you a tell until you come back. Setting AFK mode with /afk message allows you to set a custom autoreply message.

Idling for 10 minutes turns on AFK mode with the default auto-reply. Setting AFK_Default_Message in your useropts.cfg lets you change the default AFK message.

There are two AFK options available through the Chat Options: Whether moving clears the AFK status and whether idling for 10 minutes automatically sets you to AFK. (Default is 'on' for both.)

Changes to /face and /follow
The /face and follow commands have been disabled for hostile players. A hyperjumping player leaves a contrail behind them for up to four seconds after takeoff.

Pacification Zones
Pacification Zones can now be placed by game admins. Entering a Pacification Zone will disable your PVP flag.

Remote Proxy Changes
Remote Proxy Abilities will now randomly generate one of the following Soldier types: Aikido, Karate, Kung Fu, Pistol, Rifle, or SMG. If you don't like the one you get, you can dismiss it and create a new one.

Changes and Improvements

• Guns have been given a spit-shine.
• CQ Points are now shown on other players' info panels (Right click and select 'details';).
• Toned down the DOT and Neuro-Dart FX. The Neuro-Dart knife now stays in the target's forehead for three seconds instead of ten, and the yellow FX that plays over their body has a less intrusive sound FX, a toned-down yellow cloud, and has had the falling "pyramid" sprites removed.
• The Merovingian white hallway mission door pointers now point to the correct doors in the district.
• The /drinkbottle animation now has a bottle attached to the hand.
• You may no longer send a mission team invite to the same person within 120 seconds of another invite, even if they select 'no'.
• Fixed a typo in the description of the Agent disguise tool.
• Fixed a problem where mission NPCs wouldn't automatically say their lines after taking an item unless you waited around for a while if you had talked to them before.
• Everything on the Options tab of the chat options window is now saved when you quit. What an amazing concept.
• The /report command now works the same as the /ccr command.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a typo in the locked-in NPC's text in phase 1 of Machine mission 1.2.6, "Gathering Evidence."
• Fixed some Dungeon NPCs that would sometimes spawn as 5 Points females if used in Live Events.
• Fixed LOD problems with Veil and Persephone's models.
• Merovingian Elite Guards no longer lose their hair texture at lower levels of detail.
• XP and $info are now awarded for repeating golden ticket missions.
• Fixed a typo in Flood's introduction text in the Merovingian "Meet Persephone" mission (thanks Chuui).
• Toggle Mouse Turn can now be turned off using the Right Mouse Button.
• Removed Spy abilities from a few level 16 Chang Wing Devotees who mistakenly had them.
• Guillotine gang scalps no longer clip through the backs of their masks at low level of detail.
• Fixed typo in dialog during the mission "Dissention".
• Fixed some Massive billboards in Park East that were rotated face upwards.
• Fixed an incorrect name reference by Agent Gray in phase 4 of Machine mission 6.1.2 (thanks zeroone506).
• Fixed a problem where one of the defectors would not follow you out of the area if you completed the goals in a certain order in phase 3 of Merovingian mission 2.3.3, "Military Action."
• Fixed a typo in the operator's text in phase 1 of Merovingian archive mission 2.2.5, "Perfect Enemy."
• Fixed a typo in the message that confirms a successful collector trade.
• Talking to the NPC in phase 1 of Grace's fourth mission ("Dark Side";) after taking a part from one of the computers no longer prevents you from putting the correct part in that same computer.
• In Operetta mission 3, "Chosen," the understudy's door is now properly locked, so the key carried by the guards has a use. Additionally, if you've already got the door open before the guards spot you or you get the key, you won't get operator text telling you to get the door open. Also added operator text in the case of mission failure due to the understudy's death, and added a missing emote for the bodyguard in phase 2.
• Fixed a typo on the names of G-Met Short T-Shirts.
• Fixed a typo in the description of the Sneak ability.
• Certain standard missions in which you had to place an item in a desk in the final phase now have a marker indicating the correct desk.
• Put the phase 1 photos inside a desk in Machine 1.3.3 ("A Matter of Faith";). They should no longer appear in the wrong room in certain buildings.
• Side Roll Escape and Canny Strike should work correctly against Aikido and Gun Styles now.
• The Warriors Turf Boss in the Morrell construction yard no longer uses the Lupine "Pounce" ability.
• Removed references to obsolete "Oni" NPCs in Demon Army gang descriptions.
• Fixed a typo in the system message shown when poison wears off.
• Fixed a grammatical error in the system message for melee free fire attack damage.
• The three "Firearms Vendors" Spartan, Snake, and Walt have been re-labelled "Gunman Vendors" to make it clear that they sell abilities, not weapons.
• Disciples gang leader Sylphia is now actually female.
• Fixed the description of the Nishiki Tempest.
• The "Security Interface" mission object is no longer visible/accessible through walls.
• A pedestrian no longer tells you about a martial arts teacher in "Sobraj Shores."
• The descriptions of Death Merchant gang members no longer say that they are pushovers compared to the rest of the Slums gangs.
• The spelling "bandana" is now used throughout the game, replacing "bandanna" in the name of some items.
• The long-absent 5 Points gang boss Party Boy Floyd has returned to his back alley in Apollyon.
• The system message you get when your destination is not available no longer has a strange symbol in it.
• Weapon and Fight Club vendors now have guns on their blankets.
• Fixed a bug that allowed buffs to remain on characters after the ability that generated the buff was unloaded. (Fixes exploit.)
• Merovingian cake no longer works unless the user is standing and idle.

An exciting new addition is coming to the world of The Matrix Online.  As part of Update 38 we will be introducing Massive in-game advertising to The Matrix Online. For long-time community members and those of you who play Planetside, it will be a familiar part of the game.

Real-world advertisements will begin appearing on billboards around the laceName w:st="on">MegalaceName> laceType w:st="on">CitylaceType> after Update 38 goes live. Just like real-world billboards, they’ll change to feature new advertisements over time. (Don’t worry: Your favorite ads for Slumberil, The Sentinel, etc., will remain a part of the game.) These static advertisements will not affect game performance in any way.

The inclusion of Massive in-game advertising opens up the possibility of something many community members have been asking for: player advertising around laceName w:st="on">MegalaceName> laceType w:st="on">CitylaceType>. We will be looking into the idea of running contests for selecting player-generated ads in the future as a way of incorporating these ads into the game. Once we have confirmed we can do this, we will make an announcement on Data Node One.  Stay tuned and we will keep you updated on our progress over the next few weeks.

Update 49 is scheduled to release to the live game the morning of Tuesday, January 23, 2007.

Featured Changes

The Matrix Online Story Continues in Episode 6.3!
The 6.3 Storyline missions and cinematic are now available in game. The first 6.3 critical mission will be available as soon as the patch is live. The remaining four missions will roll out each following Thursday (1/25, 2/1, 2/8, and 2/15) at 1:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (0900 hours GMT).

Winter Holiday 2006-2007 Ends
The 2006-2007 Winter Holiday officially ends with Update 49. We hope you enjoyed the winter weather and activities inside the Matrix. The yetis will miss you.

World Events Link Returns

We have re-activated the World Events in-game menu item. It now opens a list of active organization liaison officers.

Listing Commands with Options
/commands now takes an optional substring parameter and only displays matches if it is specified. Note that all commands start with the slash (/) character (and don't have a / anywhere else), so if you want to search (for example) for all commands starting with 'd', just do /commands /d.

If you wanted a list of all commands with the letter "d" in the command anywhere, you would want /commands d.

Final District Rebundle - Downtown
This update includes the last District rebundle to fix the bugs with White Hallway door locations. All Organization doorways should now appear on the in-game map correctly when running the White Hallway missions.

Changes and Improvements

• Decreased the DOT sound fx volume by 75%.
• The Machine white hallway mission now points to the correct teleport doors within the city.
• Removed the obsolete trap detecting and disarming tools from vendors and random loot (thanks Alphaea).
• Sixth Sense now has a more accurate message when used.
• Players can no longer use Hyper Jump while affected by the Powerless state.
• Character RSIs no longer turn in place when recieving a /tell.

Bug Fixes

• Holy Water, Wooden Stakes, Silver Bullets, and EMPs can now miss.
• /face is now interrupted when you change targets.
• Fixed some mission text typos.
• The UI arrow pointing from Infiltrator to Shadow is now straightened.
• Weak Points now increases Thrown Accuracy Bonus like it was supposed to.
• The operator no longer refers to the sometimes-male boss in phase 4 of the Zion intro mission "The Stolen Artifact" as a female.
• Fixed the cost for the Enrage Foes ability code.
• Deadly Throw should now properly deal double damage if the target is Off Balance. The additional damage may vary a few points from the original damage value however.
• Fixed a typo in the description of the Force Enhancer ability.
• Data Miner Abilities are now listed under Awakened in the Code Analyzer Tool.
• Enhanced Green Grapp Skirts are no longer referred to as "Greep" Grapp Skirts.
• Player anti-aliasing settings are now retained between game sessions.

Update 50 is scheduled to release to the live game the morning of Thursday, March 8, 2007.

Featured Changes

The Matrix Online Story Continues in Episode 7.1!
Chapter 7.1 begins with a new cinematic and critical mission on Thursday, 3/8, and a new critical mission for follows on each of the next four Thursdays: 3/15, 3/22, 3/29, and 4/5.

Chapter 6 Missions Archived
Archived versions of the chapter 6 critical missions are now available from Archive Vendors. Get all nine chapter 6 mission archive tokens by completing the archived subchapters for each org, and turn them in to one of the Organization Collectors for the chapter 6 mission archive reward item.

Seraph is No Longer a Weakling
The Seraph NPC is now a three-chevron rather than a one-chevron.

Full Inventory, Broken Item Fix
If an item with purity remaining breaks while your inventory is full, it will be bounced to your email rather than remain equipped and lose purity dots.

RSI Modification Pills
Dungeon NPCs (except for the NPCs in the boss area of the bottom floor) and the bosses themselves now have a chance of dropping pills that permanently alter a component of your character's RSI when used. These pills can also be traded or sold. Different pill types can be found in different dungeons:

• Mars Industrial Storage: Hair Color A (1-10, natural)
• Casinos: Hair Style (1-19 female, 1-18 male)
• Old Hammerville High: Hair Color B (11-20, natural)
• Old Talbot Building: Hair Color C (21-32, artificial)
• Abandoned Subway: Tattoos (1-8)
• Rawlins Corner: Facial Color (1-8)
• Ole Miller Projects: Facial Style (1-12 female, 1-13 male)
• Orchid Public Bath: Skin Tone A (1-8)
• White Lotus Hotel: Skin Tone B (9-16)
• South Vauxton Apartments: Head A (1-10)
• Hampton Green Hotel: Head B (11-20 female, 11-19 male)
• Creston Heights Museum: Body Type (1-3)

Permanent Pacification Zones
The Pacification Zones in Club Sphinx, Club Messiah, and the Rogers Way (Central) fight club are now on all three servers, and will reappear automatically after a server restart. They do not have the flashing borders of Pacification Zones placed by admins.

First-Pass Master Knife-Thrower Changes
All Spy abilities that used the range family timer now use the knife throw timer. Neuro Dart downgrades have been reduced to 15 seconds. New Interlock animations have been defined for Paralyzing and Blinding Throws to match actual ability timers. Knife throw Interlock animations have been extended to remove "popping".

Changes and Improvements

• Ctrl + F now disables all graphical effects.
• Unusual changes in the weather continue to accumulate in Sati's absence.
• The General has a shiny new black beret.
• The revolver with the long barrel has had its texture darkened slightly.
• Raindrops no longer have dark edges or an odd greyish blue coloration. They now have a softer transparency and slightly increased thickness.
• Combat Aura 1.0 no longer flashes the icon and fx every pulse (only the circular effect).
• Restore Group and Group Repairs re-use timers are now 4 seconds to match their family timers.
• Yuki "Warrior Initiate" NPCs now drop loot appropriate to their level, 15, rather than level 10. (Thanks Xintax.)
• The level 20 Blood-drinker NPCs in the Ashencourte construct now drop loot appropriate to their level, instead of dropping level 10 loot. (Thanks Wendigo.)
• The /cq command now works in the Loading Area.
• The query window that appears when someone uses the /weddingkiss group emote on you now tells you who is trying to kiss you.
• Unnamed bluepills in missions may now come in "waiter" and alternate-color officeworker varieties.
• Made italics easier to read in phase 3 of Zion mission 6.1.1, "The Corporate Ladder."
• The General's commandos no longer show up as random opponents in Merovingian standard missions.
• You may now chat while crafting.
• The central storage capacity and number of slots used are now shown in the loading area inventory screen.
• Code has been added to gather additional information about the Downtown lag issue.

Bug Fixes

• Bug causing Find Weakness to not activate every time it is used has been fixed.
• Fixed a typo in Hypatia's NPC detail text.
• Tweaked the General's NPC details text.
• "Bum" RSI types will now show up at random on unnamed bluepills in missions.
• Seral and Beirn's levels corrected from 50 to 70 in the critical missions in which they appeared.
• Client-side crafting timers should now take the * Maker ability bonuses into account.
• Attempting to /follow with no target will no longer cause a client crash.
• Fixed a bug that caused a client crash when being Recalled by a team member while trading with a collector.
• Female armored/shielded clothing without a minimum level now has a resistance of 6. (Matches male clothing.)
• Text for tools that must be equipped to be used now displays the correct amount of time until they can be reused. (Examples: Fly in Amber, Prison Mastery Device)
• Using a Disguise Tool now changes characters to the Spy Style.
• Using a Concealment Countermeasure Tool will now break the character's stealth.
• Fixed a typo in NPC text in the first phase of Merovingian mission 2.1.3, "The Misinformation Age."
• Cleaned up awkward grammar in the first controller and operator messages in the Sculptress' first mission, "Tools of the Trade."
• Fixed a typo in the operator's first message in the second phase of Zion 6.3.5, "Red Eye." (Thanks Nicks.)
• In the Downtown "Meet with Agent Gray" mission given when Machine reputation level 127 is reached, Gray no longer asks you to meet him in Tabor Park. The mission now takes place in the Network Media building.
• Fixed a typo in the "Meet with Agent Gray" mission that becomes available when you reach 127 Machine reputation points.
• Fixed a typo in Agent Gray's text at the beginning of the second phase of Machine mission 6.3.4, "Access Denied."
• Fixed a typo in Agent Gray's message at the beginning of the second phase of Machine mission 6.3.5, "Strata" (thanks Sykin).
• Fixed a typo in Mr. Po's message at the beginning of the third phase of his fifth mission, "New Dawn Fades."
• Fixed a text error at the end of the first phase of Mr. Po's second mission, "Incubation."
• Fixed a typo in the operator's text in the third phase of Machine mission 6.3.1, "Remote Control."
• Fixed a typo in the operator's text in phase 2 of Zion mission 6.3.2, "Whirlybird" (thanks Avalod).
• The first phase of Merovingian mission 5.1.5, "Into the Crosshairs," will no longer complete with one goal apparently still active in certain circumstances.
• Mission items will once again drop to the floor if your inventory is full.
• The assassination target in the second phase of Synn's fourth mission, "Nudged," is now male, corresponding to the pronouns used to describe him throughout the mission.
• The operator no longer refers to a female contact as male in the second phase of Mr. Bishop's second mission, "Unravel."
• Fixed a typo in the text of one of the followers in phase 3 of Merovingian mission 2.3.3, "Military Action."
• If one of your followers dies in phase 2 of Merovingian mission 4.1.2, it is now Flood who calls you a "fool," rather than the operator.
• Fixed a typo in the text of the grumpy NPC in phase 2 of Greene's fourth mission, "Smash and Grab."
• The "Gather information about the hardline" goal in phase 2 of Machine mission 1.2.10, "Witness Protection," no longer completes prematurely.
• The error message for the "Team" > "Advanced Find" level search parameters now lists the valid levels correctly.
• Dying on a bench/chair no longer breaks the bench/chair.
• Fixed a typo in Tyndall's dialogue in phase four of Zion mission 2.3.3, "Incommunicado."

Message Edited by Walrus on 11-21-2005 05:46 PM

Below are the notes for the Anniversary Event Update, scheduled to release on March 29, 2007.

Second Anniversary Event - March 29 through April 10

Disturbing rumors are circulating about recent viral outbreaks inside the Matrix. This "Smith Virus" apparently appeared after pieces of Agent Smith's viral code were found inside the Matrix. Data Miners have located odd objects at the center of each outbreak; however, we have lost contact with all Operatives dispatched to investigate.

Reports have also come in of programs called "Smith Virologists" that have appeared near the various city monuments. When approached, they state that they carry a message from the Oracle. All available Operatives are requested to contact the Smith Virologists and obtain whatever information they can from the Oracle.

Changes and Improvements

• Toned down the "Enraged" visual FX.
• NPC pathfinding optimized to improve performance in complex buildings (particularly in Downtown).
• Doubled the duration of the mission archive chapter reward FX items (Code Eyes, Blue Headlamp, etc) from one to two minutes.
• The NPC version of the Oracle now has Details text.

Message Edited by Walrus on 11-22-2005 09:53 AM

Message Edited by Walrus on 12-22-2005 11:44 AM

We're testing Update 5 right now, which includes the first full balance pass on NPCs. Still plenty more to do, but this will change things up a bit.

Keep in mind that we need your feedback on exactly what balance issues you see. "It sucks" isn't very helpful.

Message Edited by Walrus on 12-01-2005 07:24 AM

The Matrix Online has been entered into the running for GameSpy's Gamers' Choice: PC RPG/MMORPG of the Year 2005. Along with other great games, EQ2 Desert of Flames and SWG Rage of the Wookies are also on the list. Of course, we know which one of SOE's games has the best community, don't we? Show your support and vote MxO now!

The Matrix Online is also in the list for Gamers' Choice: Overall PC Game of the Year. Vote early! Vote often!

Message Edited by Walrus on 12-07-2005 01:36 PM

I began looking into this earlier when someone else mentioned the change--this should've been in the patch notes and I'm sorry it was overlooked.

However, I also understand the logic of the change. What you just described is essentially an unbalanced gain of bits--you shouldn't be able to create an item then gain more out of it than you put in. To look at it from another angle, what if we were talking about $Info here? Does it make sense that you could go buy an item for i$200 then go and sell it for i$400?

So how do players get bits? By Decompiling what you loot. Does this slow down coding? Yes, and I understand the gripe about that. But was the old system--where you could code an item for a number of bits then Decompile it and gain more bits from it--balanced? No.