A (Somewhat) Normal Looking Glass
While I'll still be talking about Combat Revision 2.0 today, I'll spend some time talking about the dev side of things along with a bit about what else is going on around here. As always, work on The Matrix Online is a nonstop, multifaceted subject.

It seems many of you agree that Update 4 improved CR2.0 significantly. While there's still a lot to be done, the team did tackle many issues. If you haven't checked it out yet, you can get the details on what went in here.

There are a lot of upcoming changes that you'll be excited to know about. The team is hammering away at the updated Spy tree and hopes to have the first pass ready sometime next week. In addition, we've also been considering the comments about combat feedback and are working on some improvements. One that I can't wait to see is our take on helping players know when they and their opponents land hits during Interlock. That is also slated for next week, we hope.

I can't tell you how important your feedback has been so far. The team takes a lot of time to peruse your feedback on the forums and QA is gathering and checking all of your reported bugs. We appreciate all your help--keep it coming!

Ouch! Stop That! (Or "Why do I get Hit So Much?")
One point of confusion we've seen is players feeling like they're getting hit an awful lot during combat. Well, you are.

Under Combat Revision 2.0, two players of equal level (ignoring buffs of any kind) will hit each other roughly 66% of the time. This is the high point of the bell curve, which never gets below 1% or above 100% of the time. Given that we're used to a system in which one player always hits and the other always misses, it's going to seem like you're being hit too often.

In the new system, your Resistance bonuses (Ballistic, Melee, and Thrown) are going to play an even more important role than your Defense bonuses. While it's still important to raise your Defense bonuses, you're still going to be hit by players and NPCs of a similar level. Your Resistance bonuses will help reduce the amount of damage you take, so enhancing those Influences is important.

What Else The Team is Up To
Well, since I just posted a picture for the designers of Ookami Bull-Dogging Mercio (how appropriate), the in-game character appearances continue. HCFrog and Rarebit just had me update a bunch of character forum accounts, so you'll be seeing more of them around the forums, as well.

For everyone participating on the External Playtest server (you are participating, right?), we've added several forums for feedback on specific elements of Combat Revision 2.0. Please make sure to post in the appropriate place. General comments can still be placed in the External Playtest Discussion forum.

When not working on CR2.0, the team has been making some minor tweaks to the game. I'll be featuring some images related to those changes in the upcoming weeks. However, I figured I'd give you a head's up that you better be packin' like Neo if you're going to walk into the Kalt lobby after this upcoming change:

I'll be featuring some other tweaks in the coming weeks leading into Update 41, currently scheduled for February 14. More details on Update 41 will be posted soon.

Looking Ahead
As you all know, Combat Revision 2.0 is our primary focus right now. We're targeting Update 41 for Live release, but that all depends on testing and changes. That's why your input is so vital to this project: The more feedback we get from you, the quicker we get the revision done.

Even with the ongoing work on CR2.0, there's plenty else for us to focus on: Such as the new cinematic style we'll introduce in Episode 5.1, activating the Archival Missions, and the Critical Mission Completion rewards. As things progress, I'll keep you updated about them on Data Node One. (I personally can't wait to show off some stills from the 5.1 cinematic when they're ready!)

Oh, yeah. We also have The Matrix Online First Anniversary coming in March, not that we have any plans for that or anything...

See you on the other side next week.

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