I never saw The Matrix in theaters, as I was only 13 in 1999.  I remember watching it shortly after it's theatrical run at a friend's house and, of course, being completely entranced.  This was the smart, philosophical action movie I'd been looking for.  This was the reason I spent every free moment reading any new book I could find.  This was the movie that made me think for the first time about our inability to truly know anything for certain, even the basic facts about our own existence.

I saw Reloaded in the theater and absolutely loved it.  The introduction of Exiles made the central conflict of the story much more complicated, and introduced shades of grey where before there had been only monochrome.  I loved the new characters of The Merovingian, Seraph, and The Architect.  I was entranced by every monologue, even more so than by the action scenes.  Before the movie was over I was already thinking about the fundamental differences in worldview between The Oracle and The Merovingian.  And The Architect's speech blew me away with his revelation of the cyclical nature of Zion and The One.  I'm not one to talk at the movies, but I cheered inside when Neo made his choice and broke the cycle of control.

Revelations was all I could have asked for in a finale.  I knew going into it that the only ending I would consider "happy" would be if Neo brokered a truce between the humans and the machines.  The events of Reloaded had convinced me that the machines and programs were sentient beings, no less worthy or deserving of survival than humans.  Neo delivered exactly what I had hoped, sacrificing himself to create The Truce, putting his faith in the capacity of the machines, exlies, and humans to live in peace.

When MxO was first announced, I knew immediately that I would do anything to get in.  The game launched just as I graduated high school, and I felt ready to step into a role and confidently play a part.  The players in that game were going to determine, or at least participate in, the future of The Matrix.  I had to do everything I could to protect Neo's Truce and work for peace in this virtual world.  It sounds silly to say it, but I was never just role-playing.  I was actually doing my best to bring The Matrix to the conclusion I wanted it to have.  And, actual impact or not, I feel like I helped.  As part of the Winter Brood, I was there when we decided to not interfere in the killing of Invalesco.  I helped bring down The Assassin, the biggest threat to The Matrix since Smith.  And since I'm considering Rarebit's notes canon, I helped drive out the influence of the Oligarchs and reshape The Matrix into something better.

And now it's ending.  I confess that I feel a little hole in the pit of my stomach whenever I think about all this data, this whole virtual world shutting down forever.  I hate that in a few months, I'll never step into TPaine's white formal shoes again.  I'm graduating college in a week, and I honestly don't know which place I'll miss more, UCLA or MegaCity.  High praise from a True Blue Bruin.  I've formed some good friendships, and they will continue on, but The Matrix will not.

This is the end of this franchise, this world, this story.  And I am honored and proud to have been a part of it.

PBell wrote:

Hey...just who are you calling old?

You, ya fogie!

Not me though, I'm perpetually youthful.  As long as my cqs don't break 500 I'm still a newbie, right?

Procurator wrote:

I'd care. I can't stand free boards.

There are several people - myself included - who have the resources to host forums, and have no reason to ever close them (i.e. the cost is marginal or nonexistent). It's then a matter of trusting that person to not show any bias. You'd have to deal with that issue wherever the forums are hosted though; there's always going to be one person ultimately in control.

Kinda sounds like you're volunteering Proc.  I don't mean to pressure anyone, but it is a time-sensitive decision before we all lose this place.

I'm not worried about a current player (well, most current players) being the administrator, as I imagine the only thing that would be deleted would be spam or over-the-line offensive stuff.  I'd be happy to help out as a moderator, and I imagine many other MxO veterans would be as well.

I don't want to lose this rare thing, this mostly-mature, almost-always-civil, more-diverse-than-you'd-think online community that shares my interests.  We have until July 31st to decide on a new Place (identify the subtle reference for a cookie).

Since the MxO forums will be shutting down soon, I wanted to know if there's a particular fansite that the majority of the active MxO base will be using afterwards.  Stratics and Vault seem to be dead, and Rumbaar is almost deserted from what I could tell.

We'll probably want a place to form and advertise Redpill-run guilds for the major upcoming MMOs, as well as have a place to reminisce and host the screenshots that people are frantically compiling.

We should try to find some way of identifing each other in TOR.  Unfourtunately, I don't think Bioware is programming /dap in.

Phrack wrote:

Here.

Me too.  If a good portion of the Brood wasn't already committed to playing TOR, I'd totally consider an MxO guild.

Phrack, do you think the game will let you have Rupublic (Jedi, Troopers, Smugglers) and Sith (Bounty Hunters) players in your guild?  I think that would be weird considering the complete separation of the PvE experience and storyline.

Symmetric wrote:

Outside.

Me too, as my summer job is at a Boy Scout camp in the Sierras.  After that, who knows?

I'll check out The Agency if there's a free trial, but I don't expect that kind of game to hold a cohesive community or much storytelling potential.

Star Trek Online has diverged too much from what it originally was under Perpetual for me to be excited about it anymore.  I wanted to be just a Chief Engineer, crewing and running a starship with 5-10 of my closest guildmates.  Now everybody has to be a Captain.  Boring.

The next thing that's a definite purchase is The Old Republic.  From the previews, it basically looks like a ginormous Bioware RPG in the KOTOR vein, but with the option to team up with other people if you want.  Hell yes, I will totatlly pay a montly fee to play 8 more KOTORs (one for each character class).

Ah, I don't have any pictures of my hacking days, but there's a reason my character is a Troubled Intellectual.  I hacked my way all the way to level 50, but switched to Duelist after the changeover to CR2 when suddenly none of my hacks could get through Viral Resistence.  Stun/Crash/Logic Cannon is still some of my favorite combat memories though.

My guess might be excellent or it might be crummy, but Mrs. Spade didn't raise any children dippy enough to make guesses in front of a district attorney, and an assistant district attorney, and a stenographer.

Yes, the addition of Sugaree's contact summaries would be awesome.  The document is already excellent, I've already saved a copy to my keep-forever folder.

Something that would be cool but perhaps difficult would be to include one or two screenshots from each live event in the storyline summary.

Griffo wrote:

Keppen wrote:

TPaine wrote:

Ah...that takes me back.  Hion, no one writes quite like you.

Are you just going to necro every 3 and a half year old post you see? xD

No, he's just grabbing Hion and nnn2's posts.  Which are funny enough to justify it.  Plus, I think that's the first time I've been quoted 3+ years after the post. 

Oh yeah, I'm ready for TOR now.  Though I might dip into Star Trek Online just to check it out.

TPaine

thompaine@gmail.com

A Corruptor-sized THANK YOU to  Raijinn, Virrago and Walrus for riding this out for us and getting everything squared away.  Reinstatement of everyone who resubscriped even after June 1st is more than I had hoped for.

MetaLogic wrote:

I'm stuck on the authenticating part.

Did you try closing Firefox/restarting?

I resubbed on the 29th, so it looks like at least for now those of us who came back after the invisible deadline are being reinstated.

Darn, they fixed my forum account...it was nice while it lasted.

Hey, I can post again!  So at least something's being fixed...still can't jack in though.

Raijinn, thanks for keeping us company and letting us know you're looking for answers as much as we are.  You clearly understand the state of mind we're in.  I don't want my $15 back, I want to jack in! 

Even though I'm "Jacked Out", I still retain my powers of posting, editing, and PMing!   Using my powers outside of the Matrix is but the first step.  The prophecy given by The Oracle fortells that I will lead the remnants of the MxO playerbase to the promised land of peace!

Onward...to The Old Republic!

I have to vent somehow.  This situation sucks.

Like many many other players, my MxO launcher is telling me that my station account doesn't include an active subscription to MxO, even though I was just jacked in earlier tonight.

I know it's in R.R. too, but I think most people are only reading General these days, so...

I just jacked out, and now the MxO launcher is telling me I no longer have a subscription!

Holy s**t!

I just logged off, saw this thread, and now I can't log in.  Using the MxO Launcher, I've never had Station, and it's telling me my account doesn't have a subscription to MxO.

Getting Logic Cannon'd to death by Dare seconds after killing the Assassin.  I felt pretty stupid.

Wait...other MMOs don't have two-person emotes?  I guess I will miss that, then.

I'll miss the sense of actually fighting that interlock gave us.  I don't think there's another MMO out there that does anything but "click abilities and pretend the bad guy is reacting".

I'll especially miss the Duelist finisher where I cartwheel into the guy's face.

I'll miss standing at Uriah SW for hours helping out newbies and fooling around in faction chat.

I'll miss the feeling of being in the presence of heroes that I got every time Niobe or The Oracle or Morpheus dropped by.

...

Trayden wrote:

First level 255 Agent encounter will stay with everyone!

Oh hell yes.  I still remember the first (and only?) mission that had an Agent ambush.  Running, HyperJumping, scrambling for the hardline...felt just like I was in the movie.

HA!  I remember you.  Nice work keeping the beta forums under control.

Now, where's NullWhite? 

TPaine

email: thompaine@gmail.com

Orexis. wrote:

I feel like i'm signing a yearbook!

Well, if this is the yearbook I guess I better put something in.

I was in MxO at launch and I've been on-again-off-again in recent years, but I never lost my interest in the continuing storyline and vibrant community.  Even if I don't recognize every name in MegaCity like I did in the old days, I still like to think I'm a part of this universe and I will always treasure the opportunity to participate in the storyline of The Matrix.

Big thanks to the old-days Winter Brood crew.  Better friends and squadmates I could not have asked for.

TPaine - because Paine wasn't allowed

ThomP - storage character

DavidTainer - bluepill RP character

Lazer pew pew!

Lazer pew pew!

Also, swords and bikes.

ZaneZavin wrote:

I remember Linenoise and an old CvC party where I fought a guy 20 levels higher than me and got him to half health.

You know...that might've been me.  I was terrible at dueling back then. 

Also, hell yes Invalesco.  Players actually deciding the direction of the storyline FTW.

Die, jack***:

Are we supposed to be here?

Ah, the old LET debriefs

More than I can remember, but the highlights off the top of my head:

-RFZ DJs roleplaying the end of beta event

-TasteeWheat taking us to the White Hallways and White Room before it was allowed

-Being forcibly recalled by Seraph

-Finding one of the Morpheus clones on the Mara Church rooftop and watching him plant a codebomb

-Playing a part in the Winter Brood event where the Cypherites took out half our fleet

No...no...do not invoke the name of the Bofadee.

Welcome back Braids.

Welcome back man.

Post your 3 favorite screenshots of your MxO career:

(1) Die, jack***:

(2) I didn't take a pencil.  Did you take a pencil?

(3) Private debriefing:

I'm up for a run at the boss if we get a team together.  Jacking in now.

Feelin' nostalgic for old MegaCity...and the cool new format for crits might just keep me here.

Got a huge amount of storyline catchup to do (and probably farming...ugh).

Resub successful, patching finished...

Yeah, I'll be there.

-Paine