------------------------------- Enter The Matrix [PC] Gameplay & Storyline FAQ Version 0.6 Copyright(c) 2003 Yeo Kian Bung ------------------------------- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This FAQ is dedicated to all the people who have yet to be unplugged from The Matrix. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -[Copyright Information]- This FAQ is the intellectual property of Yeo Kian Bung. No part of it may be reproduced in any form for any profitable means, unless you have the written consent of the author and even so, this FAQ must be reproduced as a whole, without any part of it removed, no matter how inappropriate or irrelevant it may be for its purpose. This FAQ may only be reproduced without the written consent of the author for non-profitable and non-commercial means, as long as the author is credited for his work and no act of plagarism is commited. If any form of copyright violation upon this FAQ is detected and/or reported, the author shall follow up with a notice demanding the removal of the material. Failure to comply will establish liability for civil action and may give rise to criminal prosecution. All registered trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. -[ Author Info ]- Name: Yeo Kian Bung Net Alias: Grim Shadow Favoured Character: Ghost (Should have been Neo...) E-Mail Address: kianbung@hotmail.com (also MSN) Forum Address: http://pub218.ezboard.com/bmatrixthegathering -----------------------------------NOTICE-------------------------------------- By the way, for all of you who add me to your MSN list, please tell me that you added me because it is written in the FAQ, because I might assume that you're someone I know and keep asking who are you. (I'm very very presistent) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -[ Author's Notice ]- Whoa, not bad. I've only posted this FAQ for a day and I've already got two people emailing me about some problems. That's cool. Shows me how ETM is still quite a popular game. I've added a few extra stuff to boost the version to 0.6, but that's not all. Oh, yeah... Keep the emails coming, fellow Matrix players! -[ Document Spacing Check ]- 0101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010 XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX 1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101 OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO If the four lines above line up perfectly, then you'll have no problem reading the rest of the FAQ (as long as you're not illiterate). If it is all messed up (one line long, one line short) or it ends up being in more than four lines, then you have to change your font to a fixed width font and set your character width to 79. If the text still looks like crap, then I recommend that you go see an eye doctor. :P -[ E-Mail Policy ]- Please put the subject as 'ETM PC FAQ'. (caps without the quotes) Please send me: 1. Corrections 2. New stuff I haven't found 3. Constructive Criticism 4. Interesting Stuff I haven't mentioned 5. Your views about The Matrix 6. Matrix Trivia 7. Ideas on how to free myself from The Matrix :P Please DON'T send me: 1. Spam 2. Unreadable email 3. Viruses 4. Hate Mail 5. Stuff I already know about (thanks anyway) 6. Questions I have already have answers to 7. Chain emails 8. Emails claiming you're The One (coz you're not) 9. Emails with wierd subjects -[CONTENTS]- Section 01 - Introduction 01.01 - Version History 01.02 - FAQ Usage Guide 01.03 - Game Review Section 02 - Getting Started 02.01 - System Requirements 02.02 - To-Do Section Section 03 - The Construct 03.01 - Controls 03.02 - Martial Arts Training 03.03 - Focus / Bullet-Time 03.04 - Gunplay 03.05 - Driving / Piloting 03.06 - Survival Tips 03.07 - Hack The Matrix Section 04 - Walkthroughs 04.01 - Level Walkthroughs (Coming Soon) 04.02 - Hacking Walkthrough Section 05 - Zion Database (Spoiler Alert) 05.01 - What is The Matrix? 05.02 - History of The Matrix 05.03 - Blur Factor 05.04 - Plot Summary 05.05 - Character Information (CoMinG sOOn) Section 06 - The Extended Matrix 06.01 - The Matrix is Real 06.02 - Red or Blue? Section 07 - Closing Words 07.01 - Credits 07.02 - Contributor Section 07.03 - Coming Soon -[ Section 01 | Introduction ]- Incredible kung fu, fast and furious gunplay, (not so) great driving missions, and intriguing never seen before footage following a side story for the second instalment of The Matrix would-be trilogy, The Matrix: Reloaded. Enter The Matrix is probably the most highly anticipated game for Matrix fans throughout the world since Max Payne. And for a very good reason, too. The Wachowski Brothers did an excellent job writing the story of The Matrix, capturing the minds of people around the world with a movie that features a blend of spectacular martial arts, adrenalin pumping gunfights, high-flying (literally) stunts and a mind-bending sci-fi storyline. On 15th May 2003, our dreams are realised. Both The Matrix: Reloaded and Enter The Matrix were released on that day, freeing the minds of people around the world from their three/four year wait. Heck, I myself have been waiting for a game based on The Matrix ever since 2000, when I first saw the movie. I've even emailed to a few magazines, asking if there were rumours of such a game. I got a few replies saying yes, but I've waited for so long and almost gave up hope. The game was a blast (mostly), but a few major errors in development halted it from achieving its ultimate potential. -[ 01.01 | Version History ]- 13/06/2003 Version 0.5 - Started writing the first version of this FAQ. 13/07/2003 Version 0.6 - Added The Extended Matrix section -[ 01.02 | FAQ Usage Guide ]- This FAQ is mainly focused on *gameplay and storyline explaination, instead of walking you through the game step by step. Sure, there will be a level-by-level walkthrough included, but I will not dive too deep into the rabbit hole. The game in normal difficulty, by average gaming standards, is really a little too easy for my liking. Thus, I doubt that you'll have much of a problem with beating the game, just as I did. The main problem people will be facing is grasping the storyline. Every twist and turn will be hard to track down, and if you're not a programmer/hacker, you'll really have difficulty grasping the complicated storyline and the hacker jargon. So please, please, don't send me an email telling me that my walkthrough is not detailed enough or just plain sucks, I don't care. There are plenty of good walkthroughs out there, and you can use those instead. The main purpose of this FAQ is to explain the storyline and hopefully improve your gameplay experience as much as possible. *Notice: By gameplay, I mean to train you in fighting and gunplay (and maybe a little of driving), not guide you through the actual flow of the game. -[ 01.03 | Game Review ]- GRAPHICS - 8.5 Great graphics, held back by some minor glitches. The lighting is beautiful, though not as breathtaking as some other games (ie. Splinter Cell), the character textures are realistic, and character movements are fluid and realistic. As with most other games, this one suffers from the usual clipping stuff, so I won't go in-depth with that issue, but the things I really have to complain about are the environments. Both the environment design and texturing are a crippling hit on the realism scale. While the character design and texturing are ultra-realistic due to 3D image capture (as read in magazines), the environments and objects probably didn't go through this procedure as well. Some rooms and hallways have this 'empty' feeling to it, for some reason, and some of the object and environment textures are just plain disgusting. Take a look at the wheels on Niobe's car and you'll see what I mean. That leads to another problem: Aren't wheels supposed to be round?? The car wheels looks more like a box to me, even at the highest detail levels. Overall though, the detail in graphics are pretty good in comparison with most other games, if you don't bring up the 'box-like wheel issue'. SOUND - 10 One word - Excelsior! Great sound effects backed-up by some excellent music contribute to the well-being of this game. Cool techno/rock music pops up whenever you get into a sticky situation (ie. boss fights), adding more excitement to the already adrenalin-pumping gameplay. Hand to hand combat features lots of different 'smack' sounds, which is one of the main reasons kung fu fights in The Matrix seems cooler than everywhere else. Focus also slows down the sounds, adding to the 'cool factor', especially when bullets sound like they are literally whizzing past your ears. GAMEPLAY - 8 Fast and furious gunplay, non-stop kung fu fights, impossible stunts and best of all: bullet time. Need I say more? Well, I guess I have to. The few points above would have gotten it a perfect 10 if it hadn't for a major drag in gameplay: The driving missions are plain stupid. The programmers somehow messed up in Niobe's AI or something, which caused her to frequently drive into walls for no reason at all. This is understandable if the car had been rammed or blocked by some debris, but Niobe seems to enjoy driving into walls even when there's no obstruction. This gets extremely frustrating especially in some missions where you're being chased and gunned down. If you're driving as Niobe instead, you would notice that the car physics are really messed up. Unfortunately, this issue has frustrated more gamers than one could imagine, giving it a heavy penalty to the fun factor. STORY - 10 Here, reviewers are met with a choice. They'll either give it a perfect ten or a straight zero. I, for one chose the high score. If you're a fan of The Matrix, you'll see what I mean. The fact that the game's story is an alternate storyline to The Matrix: Reloaded is just intriguing, where it fills the player in on what happens to Niobe and Ghost when the camera in Reloaded is busy with Neo. Plus, it also contains a few major plot points that really adds the depth to the already mind-bending storyline of The Matrix. All this has a major pitfall, though. You'll have to watch The Matrix, its sequel and The Animatrix to actually understand what's going on, or else you'll think the Warchowski Bros. are just flinging crap at you. CONTROLS - 7.5 Time and again the gaming community has protested against this, but the producers still hasn't heeded our warning. Cross-platform is bad. It has always been and will always be bad. The controls almost always get messed up in the process of cross-platforming. Sorry Shiny, you should have reprogrammed the whole thing for the PC. What's up with the auto aiming, anyway? Shiny has obviously forgotten that the PC has a hardware specifically made for aiming: The mouse. It really takes the fun out of things. Mouselook is also limited, meaning you can't really see the Agent you just thrown off a ledge unless you jump off with him. And what's this? You can only move sideways in first person mode??!! Worst of all, mouse aiming is really unresponsive in sniper mode. Looks like you really screwed up this time, Shiny. OVERALL - 8 / 10 This is a fine example of a game that could have been a huge success but didn't because of cross-platforming and some carelessness in the producer's part. It's still a fine game, though there are some major flaws, Matrix fans should be able to tolerate them. There are still lots of fun in it, though I wouldn't recommend it to non-Matrix fans. A good choice for those who like Max Payne and Tekken. Though a definite must-buy for all you Matrix fans out there, I would recommend the others to rent first, then buy if you like it. PROS - It's The Matrix - Beautiful character design - Great music and sound effects - Great side-story to The Matrix: Reloaded - Kung Fu is fun - Guns, lots of guns CONS - Bad driving AI - Some textures are crap - Cross Platforming - Controls are frustrating - Story doesn't make sense to non-Matrix watchers - Source of insomnia - Where's Neo? -[ Section 02 | Getting Started ]- There are a few stuff here that PC users really have to do before jacking in to maximise their gameplay experience. As for you console users, you should probably skip this whole section. But if you really insist on reading this section... It's your call. -[ 02.01 | System Requirements ]- Here's my system specifications, for your reference: Operating System: Windows XP Processor: AMD Duron 945MHz Memory: 512MB RAM CD-ROM Drive: 48x Speed Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 4 MX 440 128MB DDR-RAM Sound Card: Creative SoundBlaster Live! Value Here's the official *minimum* system requirements for ETM: Operating System: Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP Processor: Intel Pentium III 800MHz / AMD Duron 800MHz Memory: 128MB of RAM Hard Disk Space: 4.3GB CD-ROM Drive: 4x Speed Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 256 32MB / ATI Radeon 8500 Sound Card: Windows Compatible Sound Card DirectX: DirectX Version 9 or higher A word of advice: *NEVER* trust official system requirements completely. They are usually have a huge margin of error as to make sure everyone with those specs can run the game. Personally, I recommend having RAM, lots of RAM. This game is a RAM-leech. It consumes RAM faster than Microsoft implants bugs in their software. Once, I had a Pentium II 392MHz (which I overclocked myself) which could run most of the latest games with no problem in medium to high settings because it had 768MB of RAM. But soon, the situation will call for stuff other than RAM. When the time comes, I highly recommend that you upgrade your graphics card. Graphic cards are the cheapest yet the most effective solution to most of lag issues. Even so,computers vary greatly in both hardware and software configurations, and thus we can never be sure if things will work out the ways envisioned. A Pentium II with a great graphics card might be able to run a game without much lag, while a state of the art Pentium 4 with a messed up registry or software config may suffer from tremendous lag or even might be unable to run the game at all. "Hume teaches us that no matter how many times you drop a stone and it falls to the floor, you will never know what will happen the next time you drop it. It might fall to the floor, but then again, it might float to the ceiling. Past experience can never prove the future." -Ghost, Enter The Matrix -[ 02.02 | To-Do Section ]- These are a few things that I highly recommend that you carry out before you enter The Matrix to significantly improve your gaming experience, or at times enable the game to run at a previously 'incompatible' PC. ~ 1. EAX Bug Tweak ~ Priority: 10/10 - Essential (Do it, do it now!) Difficulty: 3/10 - Beginner This is the biggest fluke Shiny has managed to come up with in the process of making the game 'more enjoyable'. Unfortunately, gamers would prefer having a lagless game than one with a few extra (and mostly unnoticable) sound effects. Yup, you guessed it, Shiny has somehow screwed up the EAX implementation in the game and caused it to produce tremendous lag when this 'extra feature' is enabled. Do not doubt the power of this bug, it can turn a virtually lagless game into a game that seems to be running with 'hardware-enabled bullet-time' (ie. lag, lots of lag). This is probably the reason most gamers have been unable to run the game with satisfactory frame-rates. Fortunately, the friendly contributors in the GameFAQs forum have generously posted a solution to this infernal glitch. Just follow these (hopefully) easy- to-follow steps and soon you'll be having a good time dodging bullets: 01. Press Start on the taskbar, then on the Run button 02. Type in ' dxdiag ' (without the quotes) and press the OK button 03. Wait for the DirectX Diagnostic Tool window to pop up 04. Click on the 'Sound' tab (should be between Display and Music tabs) 05. Pull down the 'Hardware Acceleration Level' slider one notch 06. Press the 'Exit' button 07. If it asks for confirmation, press 'Yes' or 'OK' 08. Run the game 09. Press the Options button, the on the Audio button 10. Go to the 'Output Options' and turn EAX off if it's enabled 11. That's it. End of story *Notice: I would like to thank whoever first contributed this tweak in GameFAQs forum. You have helped more people than you can imagine. If you are reading this FAQ now, I would like to have the honour of putting your name here and in the credits section. Please email me as soon as inhumanly possible if you wish to be recognised. (See 'Author Info' section for my email address) ~ 2. Anti-Aliasing Configuration ~ Priority: Unknown (Can someone help?) Difficulty: 1/10 - No-Brainer I have also read somewhere in the GameFAQs forum that Shiny has also screwed up with the Anti-Aliasing, and for some reason, the game lags more when Anti- Aliasing is turned off. How ironic, considering the fact that most people believe that disabling Anti-Aliasing is the key to a lagless game. Unfortunately, I have no idea whether this is true or not. I have Anti-Aliasing enabled all the time (thanks to my GeForce 4), and I see no difference in the performance even when it is disabled. Still, I would like to see some comments and feedback on this little question. Please? Anyone? Anyway, I'll still help you on this little problem: 01. Start the game 02. In the pre-game configuration screen, just move the Anti-Aliasing slider up a notch or two (if you're blessed with a good graphics card, just move it up all the way) 03. There is no step 3 *Notice: Can anyone please confirm this? I appreciate all forms of assistance. ~ 3. Patch ~ Priority: 4/5 - Low Difficulty: 0/10 No one, not even The Oracle has the slightest idea what this little patch does to the game at all. I'm not even sure if it does anything *else* besides changing the pre-game configuration screen a little. If you're a real Matrix fanatic, you should do it though. Just go and download it from: http://www.atarisupport.com/faq/enterthematrixdownloads_pc.asp If for some reason this link won't work, or if the download is too slow for your liking (it is for mine), you could try out these links: http://www.actiontrip.com/files/patches/enterthematrix.phtml http://www.3dgamers.com/dl/games/entermatrix/matrix_any-152.exe.html ~ 4. Manual Performance Tweaking ~ Priority: 3/10 - If you really want to Difficulty: 7/10 - Minimal Technical Knowledge Required First of all, I recommend changing the Page File if you're using Windows XP. It will somewhat improve your game speed if you have the hard disk space to do so. 01. Right click on 'My Computer' and select 'Properties' 02. Go to the 'Advanced' tab in the 'System Properties' window 03. Under the 'Performance' section, select the 'Settings' 04. Go to the 'Advanced' tab in the 'Performance Options' window 05. Click on the 'Change' button in the 'Virtual Memory' section 06. Change the initial and maximum page file size to your liking (preferably somewhere between 2500MB to 5000MB) 07. Press the 'Set' button (important step, must remember) Then, you can also change the startup items to the bare minimum. This is for Windows XP: 01. Press Start on the taskbar, then select 'Run' 02. Type in ' msconfig ' (without the quotes) 03. Go to the 'Services' tab 04. Disable some of the useless items, like: Error Reporting Service, nVidia Driver Helper Service, System Restore Service, Automatic Updates, etc 05. Go to the 'Startup' tab 06. Disable what you know you don't need (this varies from PC to PC) 07. Press OK and confirm the computer restart 08. After restart, check the box in the popup window and press OK There are some other stuff, but you'll have to find them for yourself. (should be no problem if you have some technical knowledge) *Notice: If anyone has any bright ideas, feel free to contact me. Thanks! ~ 5. Overclocking ~ Priority: 1/10 - If you're a performance extremist Difficulty: 10/10 - If you don't know what's overclocking, then forget it This is it, the Mother Holy Grail of Performance Tweaking. The final attempt to improve a game's performance. Many a man have fallen to this great feat, but if achieved, will sometimes improve the performance drastically. Though I myself practice such an act, I urge you not to unless you are totally sure of what you're doing. When overclocking, three things can happen: 1. Performance increases (Yay!) 2. Nothing (Oh well, at least nothing is...) 3. Some hardware gets fried (...wrong. Oops.) Though option number 3 is very unlikely to happen, some people prefer not to take such a risk and settle with moderate gameplay. Sometimes, moderation is the best path to take. (Sometimes...) I am not going to tell you how to overclock your processor or graphics card here. If you really want to know, you can check out some websites dedicated to overclocking. I'm not telling you where to find them. You'll have to look for it yourself. Trust me, I'm doing this for your own good. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Notice: The author of this FAQ shall not be held responsible for any and all damage to any computer hardware or software, human limbs or organs, or any other assets owned by the victim caused by irresponsible or plain ignorant acts from the material included in this section. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -[ 02.03 | Bug Alert ]- "We think you're bugged." -Trinity, The Matrix Here's the place where I write about miscellaneous bugs which does not have so much impact on gameplay, but are still worth noting. ~ Viewing Videos in Hacking Mode ~ (thanks to Hang Loose for reminding me) This is a famous bug, found in most messageboards and FAQs. When you type in a command to view videos and press enter, the screen would just display "Viewing Video... Done" (or something like that) and not show the video. What you have to do is: after typing in the command, do *NOT* press Enter/Return on your keyboard. Instead, use the arrow keys to move the select box on the ingame keyboard (which is actually intended for game consoles) to the enter button, and press enter on the *number pad*. I know, this is wierd, but it works. Trust me. Though I can't deny the fact that it *IS* extremely annoying. ~ Super Dodging Agents Glitch ~ (thanks to Dark_Destroyer for reminding me) Since most people either run away from Agents or fight them hand-to-hand, I don't suppose many have found this glitch. You probably know that Agents could dodge bullets. What most people don't know is that they could dodge bullets even while they're laying flat on the ground. If this was possible, imagine the scenario: (Trinity points gun at Agent's face) Trinity: Dodge this. (SHOOTS) Agent: Okay. (Dodges the bullet) (Uh oh) -[ Section 3 | The Construct ]- "This is the Construct. It is a loading program, where we can load clothing, equipment, training simulations, weapons... Anything we need." -Morpheus, The Matrix Well, okay, so I'm not going to cause a huge rack of weapons dramatically appear beside you right now, but it does serve as a purpose of training you in various things that could someday mean the difference between life and death to you in The Matrix. This section teaches you things from the basic controls to advanced stuff like hacking The Matrix itself. (that's what they say...) -[ 03.01 | Controls ]- This section is most probably obsolete, but I do know some people who are too ignorant to consult the manual when in doubt. So I just thought, "oh whatever, adding another section can't hurt..." (can it?). I only have one word for the controls: annoying. This is the most obvious proof of cross-platforming. Complaint number one: what's with 1 and 2 buttons being the 'Scroll weapon' keys? Haven't the developers at Shiny ever played action games? (or at least *PC* action games) They should very well know that players are used to the numbers being weapon hotkeys. But no, they have to mess it up and put them as scroll weapon keys. Complaint number two: mouse intergration? BLOAH to that! If you have played it, you should have noticed that the mouse freelook mode is a little... restrictive. You can't totally look up or down completely, so it's a very bad thing when you're being shot at from above or below. Complaint number three: what's autoaim doing in a *PC* game? There is an technological gadget (mostly) exclusive to the PC called... THE MOUSE. Bad Shiny... Bad, bad Shiny. Okay, so they messed up big time. But if you're a Matrix fan like I am, then *GET USED TO IT*. I did. Here are the control layouts, for your convenience. Default Controls: [Fighting] W - Move Forwards S - Move Backwards A - Sidestep Left D - Sidestep Right F - Action / Disarm E - Draw weapon / *Special weapon-drawing attack 1 - Scroll weapon left 2 - Scroll weapon right 3 - First Person Mode: Zoom in 4 - First Person Mode: Zoom out Shift - Focus Space - Jump Left Mouse Button - Primary Fire / Punch Right Mouse Button - Secondary Fire / Kick Right + Left Mouse Button - Throw [Driving] ~Niobe~ W - Accelerate S - Brake / Reverse A - Turn Left D - Turn Right Space - Emergency Brake Shift - Summon Ghost (to shoot at nearby cars) Left Control - Change Camera View (highly recommended) Left Mouse Button - Camera Turns Left Right Mouse Button - Camera Turns Right Left + Right Mouse Button - Camera Turns Behind ~Ghost~ Left Mouse Button - Shoot (yep, that's all) [Hovercraft] ~Niobe~ W - Move Forwards S - Move Backwards A - Turn Left D - Turn Right Up Arrow - Pitch Down Down Arrow - Pitch Up Left Mouse Button - Shoot ~Ghost~ Left Mouse Button - Shoot Space - Change View (back / front) *Notice: I'm not sure, but from my experience, only Ghost has the weapon-draw special attack. I tried with Niobe, but for some reason it didn't work. Can anyone please confirm this? -[ 03.02 | Martial Arts Training ]- Martial arts, the very essence of Enter The Matrix. Martial arts are often conveyed as 'ultimate coolness' in action films/games. The Matrix not only enforces this belief, but also succeeds in pushing its cool-limit to the next level. One could easily assume that most, if not all, non-Matrix fans fork out good money to watch The Matrix only because of the fight scenes. As seen in the first Matrix instalment, programs can be loaded directly into a person's mind to 'train' them in various things, including martial arts. Thus, we can undoubtedly assume that both Niobe and Ghost are 'trained' and perfected in various forms of martial arts that would require a normal human being more than a few lifetimes to train and perfect. Ironically, both our heroes now must rely on the player behind the keyboard (ie. you) to execute their moves, and hopefully, end the fight in victory. Unfortunately for you, my friend, we do not possess the means of loading programs into our brains, so you will have to rely on the old-fashioned way to learn how to control Niobe/Ghost with skill: Train. Fortunately for you, this is what this FAQ is for. Throughout this section, you will encounter ways to (hopefully) improve your chances while going hand-to- hand against your enemies. My style of learning emphasises on the 'minimum effort, maximum effect' approach, so hopefully you won't have much difficulty in learning to how to control our heroes effectively. If all goes well, you'll soon be fighting like a true Matrix rebel and maybe even take on an agent. Both Niobe and Ghost's moves are almost identical, only slightly differing in style and movement. Ghost's moves are, though still agile, generally heavier and emphasises more on a head-on attack, while Niobe relies on speed and has a more agile 'feeling' to it, spinning around and chop-slapping. Take note though, both characters are similar in strength and speed, and the fighting style of both character are merely cosmetic and, in my opinion, does not effect gameplay at all. First of all, here are the basic attacks, introduced and defined: - ~ Punch ~ Default Control: Left Mouse Button People usually get the misconseption that the punch is the weakest attack. Try not to make the same mistake. This is, after all, The Matrix, for crying out loud! The punch is swift and does pack quite a punch (no pun intended). Try to add in a punch or two after a few kicks to confuse your enemy. ~ Kick ~ Default Control: Right Mouse Button A word of advice: Kick hard, and kick often. The kick has a longer range than a punch, and is more useful: a normal enemy usually gets knocked down after a few kicks. Or if you like, you could do a sweep kick and knock them down straight away. Even when the enemy is knocked down, your kicking doesn't stop here. Move in and give them a kick in the gut. It is usually enough to kill them, unless they're vampires. ~ Throw ~ Default Control: Left + Right Mouse Button In my honest opinion, the throw is most probably the most useful and versatile attack in Niobe/Ghost's arsenal of hand-to-hand attacks. Though it deals virtually no damage to the enemy, he/she/it is dumped onto the floor, leaving him/her/it open to a gut kick and/or giving you some time to catch a breather. It is also a useful move when you're going against multiple opponents, where you can just throw every enemy on the ground, leaving only one enemy standing at any one time. ~ Disarm ~ Default Control: F Another crucial move, and is devestating when used effectively. The disarm move instantly strips the enemy of his current weapon and his means of attacking you from afar. Always disarm an enemy first if he is carrying a weapon. It's no use flinging someone to the floor when they can shred you to pieces the moment they stand up. The disarm is very useful when you're running away from powerful foes (hint: agents), where you have no time to fight that stupid cop which had just popped out of that trash can with a shotgun in his hands. As long as cops don't have guns, they're not a threat. Learn to use the disarm effectively, it might save your life one day. By the way, do *NOT* attempt to disarm an agent, unless you want to have a big bruise across your face. ~ Special Weapon Draw ~ Default Control: E If you're using Ghost, when you get up close to the enemy and tap E, he will execute a special weapon draw move on the intended victim. The special draw is not all that useful, because it pops you out of fighting mode and into weapon mode, which is very annoying and sometimes downright frustrating when you have three SWAT guys swinging their fists all over the place. Still, the special draw pops a few bullets into the enemy, meaning it deals a nice amount of damage. It is commonly used as a 'finishing move' by most players just for the coolness of the move. The type of move executed depends on the weapon selected, so don't try pressing 'direction key combos'. It doesn't work. ~ Block ~ Default Control: F Sure, it has the coolest moves, and it is what makes this game Matrix-ish, but I strongly discourage you from using it in serious battles. Sure, it might deal a decent amount of damage, but it is useless unless you have the precognition abilities of The One. Holding it down causes your character to block *most* standard forms of attacks, which is an utter waste of time, as the time wasted should have been used for punching, kicking throwing etc. The block can also be used to counter throws and attacks. Tap the block key exactly at the moment the enemy executes his attack, and your character will respond with a dramatic counter attack/throw. It is very difficult to do as the enemy is extremely unpredictable and will sometimes fake attacks. I'm not saying block is totally useless, it is very cool when used properly, but there are just other attacks out there that are more worth your time. ~ Lethal Throw ~ Default Control: Left + Right Mouse Button (While Weapon is Drawn) Now this is one cool move I just recently discovered. Basically, this is almost similar to a throw, exept that your weapons have to be drawn to execute it. The plus side to this move is that you can take out an enemy with a single shot, which makes it really useful when you're low on juice (I mean... bullets). But, with this power comes a little catch. Remember, your weapons are drawn. That means you won't enter fighting mode automatically unless you holster your guns. Bummer. I guess you have to be fair sometimes. - Sure, using the basic moves over and over again is probably enough to win just about every battle you face, if you get lucky. But there is more to Matrix than just plain old punches and kicks, right? Yep. There's a lot more to it than a couple of old school moves. It takes more than that to win. When you fight, you do not just take the enemy into consideration. The things around you also play a big part. The environment is an integral part of combat, and when manipulated successfully, will have devestatingly effective results. See a ledge? Toss your enemy over. It's as simple as that. Just be careful not to throw *yourself* in along with the victim. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done, thanks to ETM's screwy console-based controls. Another example of how the environment can be manipulated effectively is stated below: - ~ Wall Kick ~ Default Control: Left Shift + Right Mouse Button (When near a wall) When you find yourself somewhere around a wall, chances are, when you do a focus kick, you'll find your character doing a wall kick instead. (ie. where your character leaps at a wall, kicks off it and smacks the enemy in the head with his/her foot) The wall kick is another useful move, and it is virtually unblockable. I have yet to see anyone, including an agent block or dodge this particular move. So try and remember this when going against agents or bosses. - Another thing to remember while fighting is to use the focus key. Focusing at the right time will probably save your hide in many a battle. Focus not only slows down your enemies, it will also cause you to hit harder than before. There are also lots of cool moves that you can do, but that little bit I will leave for you to discover. That leads us to one of the coolest focus moves in ETM: Focus Throws - ~ Focus Throw ~ Default Control: Left Shift + Left + Right Mouse Button The focus throw is almost like the basic throw, only cooler, and is *almost* unblockable. Use this often when against agents or bosses. The throw executed depends on the character. Niobe's move sweeps the enemy's legs and punches the poor sod in the gut when he/she/it is suspended sideways in mid-air. Ghost's move grabs the enemy's leg when he/she/it kicks our hero and tosses the victim to the behind-left direction. Take note of that when attempting to toss people off ledges. Also, if you've noticed, both the moves are done by the former Agent Smith when he beats Neo to pulp at the subway station in the first movie. - It'll probably take up too much space to go into every detail of battle, but here are the general rules when going into most combat situations: - ~ 1 on 1 - Hand to Hand ~ Poor guy. Unless this situation is a boss or agent fight, you should have no problem beating the crap out of your enemy. If it *is* a boss/agent or other semi-omnipotent being, here's your basic guideline: A strong offense is the best defense. Just keep hitting them, and hit them hard. Don't give them any time to regain their posture. Alternate your attacks often and sidestep every once in a while. Sure, they might block quite a lot of your attacks, but the most important thing here is to keep them from counter-attacking. Forget about blocking. Unless you're planning to lose or just playing for fun, it's not worth the time. ~ Multiple Enemies - Hand to Hand ~ If this is the situation, chances are you're fighting non-boss/agent enemies. In this case, I recommend that you get the enemies in front of you, *then* start bashing them. Use focus often, and try to only let one of them be on their feet at any one time. Try to remember that you're a 'supernatural' being, and you're clearly superior in hand-to-hand, so you'll have no problem fighting them. *BUT*, if you're going against multiple agents, I recommend that you just get the hell out of there. If you get cornered, you're pretty much screwed. ~ 1 on 1 - Armed Enemy ~ If you're far away from the enemy, just run up to him, using walls/pillars/ whatever as cover. Or you could try the focus acrobatics (see next section) and flip/cartwheel/whatever towards him. Disarm that guy, then just beat him up any way you want. If it's an agent, like I said, forget the disarming part unless you don't value Ghost/Niobe's life anymore. Just attempt to throw them over a ledge or do as your operator suggests. ~ Multiple Enemies - Armed Enemy/Enemies ~ Now here's a situation that actually involves a certain amount of consideration for a suitable attack. Your decision should vary depending on the factors, like your distance from the enemies, the distance of the enemies from one another, and the number of enemies wielding a weapon. If you're enemies are a great distance away, forget about hand to hand, you'll be dead before you get there. Just pull out a weapon and start blasting away. This is also a good decision to make when the enemies are scattered all over the place and all/most of them are toting huge guns. If they're close and they're packed together, just run up to them, using walls/pillars/whatever as cover, and when you're near, just keep tapping the disarm key like nuts. If they're quite far away but only one of them are carrying a pistol or some other weenie gun, you could also run up to them and kick their #ss. That's pretty much all I can *teach* you about hand to hand. The rest of it is up to you to learn and practice. "I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it." -Morpheus, The Matrix -[ 03.03 | Focus / Bullet-Time ]- "You must focus, Trinity. There's an exit at Wells and Lake, you can make it." -Morpheus, The Matrix Focus, or better known as bullet-time, is probably one of the biggest factors that made The Matrix as cool as it is. Even the mere thought of my first look of bullet time in the first movie, where Trinity jumps up and kicks the cop, still brings a tingle down my spine. Focus not only slows down the action in the game to make it look cooler, it is actually an essential part of gameplay. The character hits much faster and harder than ever before, and they can also shoot more accurately in focus mode. Focus also unlocks some of the coolest moves in the game like running on walls, flipping around, doing cartwheels and jumping (sort of) insane distances. There are two ways of activating focus: tapping it, and holding it down. Most of the fighting moves are done by tapping the focus button right before or exactly simultaneously with the attack button(s), while hold-focus is used when doing acrobatics and gunplay. Unfortunately, Ghost/Niobe saps focus faster than agents dodge bullets, thus the hold-focus can totally consume the focus meter when not used properly. I really can't emphasize this enough. *Don't* ever hold down the focus button unnecessarily. You might not even live long enough to regret it. Here are some of the focus moves that you can pull off: - ~ Wall Run ~ When you're running beside a wall, you can hold focus and when your character touches the wall, he/she will automatically run up and along the wall. There is *one* little problem with this, though. Sometimes, when you're running along a wall and you're blocked by some other character, your character will just stick to that character and keep running, but you'll not be moving forwards. Thus it limits its use when attempting to escape when cornered by multiple agents. ~ Wall Flip ~ When you run directly towards a wall and hold focus, your character will run up the wall and flip off it. You can run onto the wall both sideways and forwards. I've yet to find any effective use for this particular move, though. I conclude that this move is merely there for the 'cool-factor'. ~ Super Jump ~ When you're running forwards then jump while holding focus, you will jump a fairly long distance, as long as you hold both focus and jump. This is very useful when running across rooftops and stuff like that. (ie. Trinity in roof chase scene in the first Matrix) Unfortunately, neither Ghost nor Niobe is as skilled as Morpheus/Trinity (definitely not Neo) and can't jump that far, so its usefulness is kind of limited. ~ Acrobatics ~ When you tap the action key while running around and holding focus, Ghost/Niobe will do some fancy acrobatic moves. These moves can be used to dodge *some* bullets, but don't expect it to be *that* effective. I assume that the moves executed are random though, because I can't really figure out how to make them do any of the moves specifically. This move is fairly useless, because it's much better just to take cover at pillars, crates etc. I usually use this move as an opening move when I charge bosses. :P ~ Shootdodge ~ When your gun is drawn and you tap jump while running around and holding focus, you'll perform a shootdodge (sorry for using your term, Max Payne). If you're running forwards/backwards, you'll dive forwards/backwards respectively. If you are running sideways when you tap jump, you'll do a cartwheel (ie. Neo in lobby shootout scene in first Matrix movie). The cartwheel is a very useful move, as it can be used quite effectively to dodge most bullets while plummeting the opposition with a hail of bullets. Plus, it can be used continuously, which means you can get rid of a large group of enemies just by cartwheel-shooting alone, as long as your focus doesn't finish first. - There is actually quite a lot more to focus than is stated here, but here are the most basic of them, and you should be able to survive the whole game just by using these alone. ;) -[ 03.04 | Gunplay ]- "Guns. Lots of guns." -Neo, The Matrix What would The Matrix be without this modern day tool of violence? The lobby shootout scene and the Neo-limbo-dodge scene in the first Matrix wouldn't have been as spectacular as they were, agents wouldn't have seemed so godlike due to their abilities to dodge bullets (sure, *anyone* can dodge arrows...) and it will just plain spoil the movie itself. The whole thing goes the same with you. In the first few levels of the game, firearms might seem a little insignificant since most of the guns you get are pistols, but later on, as the bigger weapons move in, they will become an integral part of your arsenal. Hand to hand might be powerful, but you're not Neo. If you try to rush towards a group of enemies packing shotguns, MP5s or other nasty weapons, chances are, you'll get pumped full of lead before you even come close enough to touch them. There is one thing you *MUST* do when shooting: Focus. That's right, you must press and hold the focus button when shooting, unless you want to see more than 80% of the bullets hit nothing but air. For some reason, Ghost/Niobe's shooting is just plain crap. Sparks must have fouled up somewhere when 'loading' the weapons training program into Ghost/Niobe's brain. Also remember: Wall hug is a godsend. That's right. Most people underestimate its use, but it has more uses than it meets the untrained eye. First of all, it (duh) shields you from bullets. It also gives you the ability to pop out of the wall whenever you want to. Add a little focus, and you've just gotten a great pile of SWAT/Police/whatever bodies filled with holes. Wall hugging is easy. Just tap the forward button when facing a wall. Just hold the respective directional buttons, and your character will do a peek. Then, if you have your weapons drawn, and you feel like killing somebody (and if there *is* actually someone to kill), you can just hold/tap (depending on your gun) the fire button and your character will automatically pop out and send bullets flying. You can also do a leap out of the wall hug by tapping jump while doing a wall peek. This move is very useful for clearing out any enemies left behind the wall you're actually hiding (or at least somewhere near that spot) and also for 'surprising' your enemies. Cartwheeling is also a good way to clear out enemies. You can (sort of) dodge bullets and attack at the same time. Plus, it can be used continuously, as long as your focus meter doesn't dry up first. This move is absolutely essential in one of the boss fights (see appropriate section for more information). When in a gunfight, try not to rush too hastily into battle. Take your sweet time, and you'll end up victorious. Sure, it might be cool to try and imagine that you're Neo in the lobby shootout, but face it. You're not Neo. Running and gunning will get you killed in the long run. Trust me. There is *one* exception though. You could try using one of them shotguns (which are, in my opinion, the best guns in the whole game), where you can take most enemies out with a single shot. -[ 03.05 | Driving / Piloting ]- These things don't deserve their own section. They really don't. But since they are the main reason most people lost heart in ETM, I feel the call of duty to teach you all how to complete these missions with the minimum frustrations. When playing as Niobe in driving missions, if you're familiar with Grand Theft Auto 3 (or Vice City), then you really should have no problem with it. They're basically similar, only the cars in ETM are a little more... um... bouncy. The physics are really messed up, and one second you're alright, then you're upside down the next. Try to avoid the roadside and civilian cars. As for those cops which are out for your blood, try summoning Ghost for a little assistance. He will take care of it (mostly). Don't rely on Ghost too much though, his AI is not really that smart (sorry Ghost), and he'll only fire when the enemy comes close enough, and worse, he has an energy meter. Flying the hovercraft should be no problem at all. Just follow the arrows and you'll be fine. Sometimes, sentinels will latch on, so try and crush them in between the tunnel walls and your ship's hull. You can also hold the fire key down the whole mission if you want to. Ghost's driving missions are a no brainer. The secret to winning his driving missions are to just hold down the fire button the whole level. Your biggest problem is probably not the difficulty, but instead, the frustrations of seeing your car stuck in a corner with cops shooting up your butt. Fortunately, I've discovered a little 'secret'. You will take little to no damage when you don't look at the enemy while he's shooting at you. Adds a new meaning to "What you don't know can't hurt you", huh? Ghost's hovercraft missions are a little more complex, since you'll be attacked both from the front and the back by those accursed sentinels. Use spacebar to switch front and back views every now and then, since having a hull breach is the very last thing you'll want to experience. Overall though, the driving and hovercraft missions are mostly easy. It's just the lousy AI that is making it seem so 'difficult'. Have a little patience with your 'best driver in The Matrix', and you'll be just fine, Ghost users. -[ 03.06 | Survival Tips ]- This section is basically a rundown of all the training sessions we have just gone through. Here are some of the more important points that you should try to remember if you want to stay alive in The Matrix: - You are *not* Neo. - Agents are a health hazard. - Focus is your most valuable tool. - Disarm your enemies before taking them on. - Don't be stingy with bullets. - Keep moving. - Don't rush into battle. - It's fair to fight dirty. - Health packs are scarce, use them wisely. - Take a breather and let your health/focus regenerate whenever you can. - Focus while shooting. - Don't do acrobatics near ledges. - Heck, don't even *go* near ledges unless you have to. - Have patience in the driving missions. - Do not try to disarm an agent. - Free your mind. Okay, ignore the last statement. I just couldn't think of anything else to put here. The rest of it depends on your common sense and analysis of situations. -[ 03.07 | Hack The Matrix]- Before ETM was released, we were promised a 'mini-game' which allows us to hack The Matrix. So they kept their promise, but I still can't help saying that I'm a little disappointed. One expects something a little deeper and a little more challenging, but this 'hacking' stuff is really too easy and too short for my personal preferance. I guess this *is* necessary, since most gamers are not programmers or anywhere close. (No offense meant) Seriously though, this mini-game's difficulty varies greatly depending on your expertise with computers. All those with virtually no experience with computers will be having a hard time *understanding* what is happening, let alone knowing what to do. As for all of you 1337 people (forgive the language) with at least some experience with MS-DOS, you'll have no problem with this at all. The only problem you'll experience is the simplified commands which has been crafted to 'suit' inexperienced 'hackers', where you will surely confuse with the real world (maybe) commands. Here are a few stuff you *should* take note of: - This is not MS-DOS. Don't try 'cd a:' or anything like that. - Read all text files, even though most contains only junk. - Binary means a combination of 1s and 0s. - Try all .exe files. Most of them won't cause any trouble. - Write down all codes you're given so that you don't forget. - Listen closely to what are being said in the sound sequences. - This is easy. Don't give up. These are just a few tips to keep you hacking. If you still find it too much to handle, there is a full walkthrough for hacking below (coming soon). -[ Section 04 | Walkthroughs ]- This section really isn't the essence of my guide. There are already too many walkthroughs out there to do any more good. I will still make a walkthrough, but only in the later versions. Now, I'll just include a Hacking walkthrough. -[ 04.01 | Level Walkthroughs ]- ...TO BE ADDED IN LATER VERSIONS... -[ 04.02 | Hacking Walkthrough ]- -[ Section 05 | Zion Database ]- All right, don't expect anything as fancy as Animatrix's Zion Database in 'The Second Renaissance Part 1 & 2', but hopefully it'll be almost as informative. This is the section where various useful and useless information like character information, what is the Matrix, and lots of explainations and theories to the Matrix storyline. Unfortunately, The Matrix: Revolutions has not been released at this time, so there are various things that cannot be confirmed at current date. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- !!!!WARNING!!!WARNING!!!WARNING!!!!WARNING!!!!WARNING!!!!WARNING!!!!WARNING!!!! In case you haven't figured it out yet, this section is totally filled with spoilers for both the movie and the game (duh... this *is* a storyline FAQ). So please, if you haven't played the game or watched the movies yet, *and* you do not wish to have the plot spoiled, do *NOT* go any further. Don't send me any emails saying I didn't warn you, because I did. !!!!WARNING!!!WARNING!!!WARNING!!!!WARNING!!!!WARNING!!!!WARNING!!!!WARNING!!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -[ 05.01 | What is The Matrix? ]- This little section is dedicated to all you people who are not hardcore Matrix fans, or are just not computer literate, like my mom. Time and time again they have asked the question, yet their anguish cry for help often goes unheeded. I must say, we really don't blame you all for being unable to comprehend the mind boggling twists and turns of the Wachowski's trilogy. Even *I* get confused by the storyline at times. :P As we all know, machines/computers require some sort of energy supply to run. Right now, we are using electricity. But imagine, what if one day, there are no more source of electricity? No power plants, no coal, no water turbines, not even the sun. The machines would certainly need a new power source in order to exist on our planet. And since we, the humans have delibrately cut off their main power supply, the sun, (see history section for more details) the machines 'feel' (well, theoretically, that is) that it is only fair that we must do something to replace the lost energy. Thus, the 'human power plant' was created. The (power) plant takes electrical and heat energy produced by the human body and combines it with a certain form of fusion (what it is, we do not know... otherwise we would be using it now), and thus they have found the way to produce all the energy that they would ever need. But locking up humans in huge capsules filled with disgusting goo to produce energy had a big problem. For some reason, human brains will die when left for too long without any stimulation (activity), thereby leading to the demise of the human itself. This is a big problem, since the plant needs *living* humans to produce energy. To counter this problem, the machines have created a (super) computer which they plug all the humans into. This computer generates a dream-world for all the humans plugged into the power plant, where they will sleep and dream their whole life while being sapped of their body energy. And since the humans which are plugged into the computer are sleeping and dreaming all the time, this also means their brains are experiencing some sort of stimulation, thus they do not die of boredom (theoretically, at least). This dream world is called... (drumroll) The Matrix. "What is The Matrix? It is a computer generated dreamworld to turn a normal human being into this..." [holds up a Duracell battery] -Morpheus, The Matrix -[ 05.02 | History of The Matrix ]- Okay, we know that the machines are really pissed off at us. And we also know that they are using us as a power supply. But what in the world did we do to put them in such a state of aggression? Perhaps this little (yawn) history lesson will clear things up a little. - In the dawn of new millenium, humans have developed such advanced AI (a.k.a Artificial Intelligence) and machinery, that they could construct robots to do their daily chores. The robots slaved day and night to satisfy their masters' needs, but the humans grew more and more abusive to the robots. For a time, all was well, and the robots worked without any protest. Soon, the inevitable came. One of the robots somehow became self-aware, and retaliated to the abuse, killing its 'master' and his household pets (as seen on Animatrix. btw, can anyone tell me the name of the first rebel robot?). This lead to a global outcry against the machines, and we demanded the destruction of our very own creation. The humans started to destroy any 'intelligent' machine they came across (ie. robots) in any means within their reach. Some way or the other, some of the machines 'survived' and carried on to build a machine civilisation. This civilisation created their own means of producing new and improved robots, and also producing power, ultimately enabling them to become self-suficient. This newfound civilisation thrived in the world market, which is highly unsurprising, as machines are much more efficient in all sorts of occupations than us, the weak and powerless humans. Surprisingly, even at their state of economic dominance, the machines sought to make peace with the humans, their former masters and their creators. Upon their appearance in some international meeting (anyone clear this up please?), the humans, out of utter jealousy, had the machine 'ambassadors' siezed and (probably) destroyed. But still, this is not our worst decision yet. The humans declared war upon the machine nation. The humans assumed that the whole world against a single nation would be no more than a slaughter. They were right. Unfortunately, they were the ones that will be slaughtered. The machines, with their untiring and continuously advancing armies, undoubtedly had the upper hand. As a last ditch effort to defeat the machines, the humans resorted to the destruction of the machine's main power supply: The Sun. 'Operation Dark Sky' (or something like that, help please!) was a success, but in a sense that they succeded in covering the sky with black dust/clouds/something. Unknowing to the humans, the machines have been doing their homework. (umm... or at least something like that...) Their (the machines) research with human anatomy had uncovered an alternate power supply to replace the one lost. (ie. the sun) This time, the machine 'lord' held an international conference, and this time, the objective was not as friendly as the last one. The machine 'lord' demanded to have the human leaders turn in their people to be inserted to the Matrix, if they wanted to survive. And so they complied. Then there was some explosion or something (help?). We had once relied on machines to survive, now it seems that we are faced with an ironic ending... Or is it? "Fate, it seems is not without a sense of irony..." -Morpheus, The Matrix - Notice: I'm so sorry about all the unclear information above. I had this entire story written from memory, so there might be some (or a lot) mistakes. I've only watched Animatrix once at my friend's house, so I can't refer to it anymore. Damn, I gotta get the DVD soon. -[ 05.03 | Blur Factor ]- This section is more commonly known as 'Frequently Asked Questions'. But since that topic has become a cliche to most people, I decided to call it Blur Factor just for the heck of it. Most people have only a 'blurred' comprehension of the Matrix's storyline, so I feel that it is my duty to clear things up in some of the most confusing things in the storyline. Yes, and if you have any questions about the storyline, feel free to email me about it, and I will look into it as soon as humanely possible. ~ 01 - How did Neo 'kill' Agent Smith (in the first movie)? ~ As you can see, Neo had dived into Smith, causing him/it to explode into green pieces of umm... stuff. Apparently, due to Neo being the One, he is able to manipulate the Matrix's code, thus deleting Smith from the system. ~ 02 - If Smith was deleted, then why is he still in the 2nd movie? ~ In a computer, when you 'delete' a file, you actually just *mark* the file for deletion, and it will be overwritten by the next file that is added/installed to the system. Furthermore, as the Oracle had said, when a program becomes obsolete, or in this case, marked for deletion, it is faced with a choice: face the fact that it is obsolete and return to the source to face deletion, or disobey the rules and remain in the Matrix as an exile. Smith, with his huge grudge against Mr.Anderson (Neo), is compelled to disobey the rules and remain in the Matrix in order to destroy his former nemesis. "You destroyed me, Mr.Anderson... Afterwards, I knew the rules, I understood what I was supposed to do... But I didn't. I couldn't. I was compelled to stay, compelled to disobey. And now here I stand, because of you, Mr.Anderson. Because of you, I am no longer an agent of this system. Because to you, I've changed, I've unplugged. A new man, so to speak. Like you, apparently free." -Smith, The Matrix: Reloaded ~ 03 - What's up with Smith being able to clone himself? ~ Since Smith was marked for deletion, it is no longer an agent and is instead an exile program hiding in the Matrix. In computer terms, when a program that is somewhere it's not supposed to be, and doing something it's not supposed to do, it is known as a virus. According to my observations, I can only conclude that Smith is a virus-worm hybrid. A virus destroys other files while a worm merely copies itself all over the place. As you can see, Smith overwrites himself over other programs, thus 'killing' that program. With this little idea the Wachowskis thought up, I can say that it is a matter of time before the 'virus creator' community decides to make such a virus. :P ~ 04 - Where is Tank? ~ No idea. I'm not sure, but I think Link (Tank and Dozer's brother) mentioned that he's dead. The real reason though, is because the guy who plays Tank (can anyone tell me his name please?) for some reason isn't casted in Reloaded. I know. I don't like it too. I still like Tank better than Link. ~ 05 - If the Keymaker already has the Key for The One, why does he have to make a new one for Neo in Reloaded? ~ Hehe. I guess not many people noticed this little detail. Yes, it's true, the keymaker *did* hold the One's key to the source. But note: Cain + Abel took it. Furthermore, if you've noticed, Merovingian destroyed the key during the cut scene during the 'Cain and Abel' level. That's why they have to do a rush job and make a new key to the source. ~ 06 - Who's that kid who seems to worship Neo at Zion? ~ This is why I urge you to watch Animatrix. In the clip "Boy's story", we see that particular kid searching for Neo, and finally falling to his apparent death from his school building. For some reason, he was awakened from the Matrix instead. In the final scene, we see Neo's face for a split second, and hear the familiar phrase: Kid: "I knew you would save me, Neo." Neo: "No, you saved yourself." ~ 07 - Why did the Oracle turn into a black lady in ETM? ~ In the story, she sold her program shell to Merovingian in order to save something or someone. (not sure what) In real life, Gloria Foster had passed away before the shooting of ETM. (You will always be the true Oracle in our hearts. Amen.) Unfortunately, this also created a big plot hole in The Matrix storyline. Apparently, the scene when the Oracle meets Ballard was *before* the scene where she meets Neo in the park. (uh oh) ~ 08 - What are those door hallways with doors that lead everywhere? ~ If you're a hacker, or even a just a script kiddie, chances are that you've heard of or used a backdoor program. A backdoor program is basically a program that allows you to access data you're not supposed to access by exploiting a programming bug or security hole. These door hallways are supposedly the back door section of The Matrix, allowing them to access any file (place) still hardwired to The Matrix. ~ 09 - Who is that guy on the table with Neo at the end of Reloaded? ~ Muahaha... You don't really have an eye for detail, do you? Try to remember all the people you saw Smith infect. You'll notice that Smith infected this guy and then answered the phone which is meant for him (Bane). So, technically, this guy is not Bane anymore, but Smith. This is probably a very bad thing, since he is also the sole survivor of the ambush fleet massacre. Come to think of it, I think that he's (Smith in Bane) the one that caused the ambush to fail. If you remember, it was mentioned that one of the ship's EMP fired off before they got into position. And if you've played ETM, you'll see a small cutscene where Bane crawled into a hole after all his shipmates were dead. ~ 10 - How did Neo stop the sentinels? ~ There a two theories: one, is the infamous Matrix within Matrix theory, and the other one is the mind seperated from body theory. It is very possible (and is also my first speculation after watching Reloaded) that there is a Matrix within the Matrix. First of all, the machines are smart. They would have probably anticipated that some of the humans would 'wake up' from the Matrix, thus they created the Matrix within Matrix to satisfy the human who apparently wakes up from the Matrix. Not many people would actually think that there would be a second layer to the Matrix, thus trapping them forever in the 'real' system. The other theory suggests that when Neo entered the source, his mind had been seperated from his body, and a part of his mind is still left in The Matrix, creating a direct link between Neo and The Matrix, and probably the machines' mainframe. Thus when Neo 'commands' the sentinels to stop, he is actually 'hacking' into the machine mainframe and disabling the sentinels. We still can't be too sure of the answers, since we still have Revolutions to watch. Remember: 7th of November 2003. -[ 05.04 | Plot Summary ]- This wouldn't be a storyline FAQ if there isn't a section dedicated to the plot itself, would it now? I'm trying to make this section as short and concise as possible. If there's any relevant information about the storyline you think I have left out, feel free to contact me. ~ The Matrix (1999) ~ The movie kicks off with Trinity searching for Neo (possibly hacking into his computer and sending the wierd messages). After a short fight and rooftop chase , we finally get a first look at Neo, who follows Trinity's instructions and ends up meeting her at a nightclub. After a short conversation about the fact that he is curious about what the Matrix is, he awakens in his alternatelife, where he is late (yet again) for work. After a lecture by his employerabout his problem with punctuality, he is called by Morpheus, who instructs him to make an escape through the outdoor elevator or face capture by the agents.Neo did not comply and thus ended up under the agents' custody. Neo was then interrogated by Agent Smith, who tells him that he's apparently been living two lives and that only one has a future. (Guess which?) Neo refused to help them, and had a metal worm planted in his stomach. He then woke up from the 'nightmare', and received a call from Morpheus. He followed the instructions given to him and met them under a bridge, where he was picked up by Trinity and gang's car. Then Trinity 'de-bugged' Neo, who was shocked when he realised that 'that thing' is real. Neo was then taken into a building where we see Morpheus for the first time. They had a little conversation about what the Matrix was (again...), and then Neo was given a choice whether to find out what the Matrix is, or just forget about the whole incident. Neo gave in to his curiousity and took the red pill. He was then 'woken up' from the Matrix, and then taken aboard the Nebuchenezzar by Morpheus and crew. After Neo fully recovered from his weakened body, he was then jacked into the construct of Morpheus's ship, where he got a full explaination of what the Matrix was. He was shocked by the truth and consequently passed out. Neo woke up to find Morpheus sitting beside him, who then apologised for not following a rule they made about freeing overaged minds, and then told Neo that he was the One. The scene cuts into one where Neo meets Tank, the operator, who tells Neo about Zion, the last remaining human civilisation. Tank then 'loads' combat programs into Neo's mind, 'teaching' him how to fight, etc. Then we see Neo still going strong after ten hours of 'training', where even Tank is tired. Neo completes his training and Morpheus subsequently challenged him to a fight. They were then jacked into a sparring program and had a little fight. Neo almost emerged victorious, but was then put into the jump program. Morpheus jumped from one building to the other with ease, while Neo fell. The next scene is one with Cypher, where he's up to something sneaky, which we soon realise that he had made a deal to be reinserted into the Matrix in exchange for the capture of Neo. The next day, Morpheus and gang plus Neo jacked into the Matrix to see the Oracle. After a conversation about having to choose between Morpheus's demise or his own, Neo was given a cookie and left the Oracle's. In the building where they used to jack into the Matrix, Tank noticed something strange, but did not actually realise what was happening until it was too late. Mouse was killed, while Morpheus was beaten up and captured by Smith, while the rest of them escaped. The supposedly 'captured' Cypher made a return to the scene and got out of the Matrix first, where he then knocked Tank out and killed Dozer with an EMP weapon. He subsequently unplugged Switch and Apoc before being fried to his death by Tank with the EMP weapon. After Morpheus's capture, he was held at a heavily defended millitary building, where Agent Smith had a one-sided conversation with him, expressing his hate for humans and The Matrix. He said something about the beginning, where every- thing was perfect, but man sought to destroy it. Out in the real world, Neo demanded to be jacked back into the Matrix in order to save Morpheus, and Trinity demanded that she should tag along. After a huge slaughter of soldiers and security guards, Neo and Trinity enters the elevator and took it up the unconventional way. Then after a short rooftop fight, Neo and Trinity took a helicopter and shot up everything in the room where Morpheus was held except for Morpheus himself. Neo then saved Morpheus from falling to his death when his (Morpheus) leg was shot by an agent and was unable to jump far enough to reach the helicopter. After a nice tour around the city on a helicopter with a leaky fuel tank, Neo and Morpheus landed safely on a building roof, while Trinity was still in the helicopter. Neo, without question, saved Trinity's life by holding on to the rope that was attached to the helicopter. When agents swarmed the roof, they were already long gone. Morpheus and Trinity escaped safely into the real world, while Neo was unable to do so before the phone they were using was destroyed by Agent Smith. Neo did the impossible and emerged victorious in a hand to hand duel with the feared agent. But then he started to flee when he saw that another Agent Smith appeared. Then he starts running around the city where agents appear all over the place. He follows the instructions given by Tank and reached the other exit. (Which conincidentally, was the hotel that Trinity was in at the beginning of this movie) As he opened the door to the exit, he was shot 'dead' by Agent Smith, who appeared out of nowhere. Morpheus and Tank were instantly demoralised, and even ignored the fact that there were sentinels knocking outside the hovercraft. But Trinity had a different idea. She confessed her love to Neo and that the Oracle said that she would fall in love with The One, then she did the sleeping beauty maneuver and kissed Neo. Neo woke up from his 'death', and emerged as a new man. Apparently a deity, as you can see in the next scene where he stops the bullets which the agents shot at him, and then single handedly (literally) beat Agent Smith and apparently destroyed (deleted) him. Then he got out safely. (duh) The next scene we see is the tracking program, similar to what was used to find Trinity at the beginning of this movie, except that this time, it was unable to track The One. We hear Neo calling the machines (or if you've watch Reloaded, perhaps it was The Architect) and probably scaring the hell out of them. "I know you're out there, I can feel you now. And I know that you're afraid: You're afraid of us, you're afraid of change. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end, I came here to tell you how this is going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone, and I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see: A world without you. A world without rules or control, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from there, is a choice I leave to you..." -Neo, The Matrix Then he hangs up the phone and flies off into the sky. (*woohoo!!*) ~ The Matrix: Reloaded (2003) ~ (COMiNG SOoN!!!) -[ 05.05 | Character Information ]- (Coming Soon As WELL!!) -[ Section 06 | The Extended Matrix ]- This is basically the section where I write about various stuff concerning the Matrix, but is not really related to the Matrix (to-be) Trilogy storyline. This is also the section where you, the reader, gets to participate in the creation of the FAQ. I will post some extremely relevant contributions, but many many thanks to all of you who contributed stuff which are comprehensive. You may send me your contributions by email: -----> kianbung@hotmail.com Or, you could use the message board I prepared: -----> http://pub218.ezboard.com/bmatrixthegathering -[ 06.01 | The Matrix is Real ]- "Have you ever had a dream that you were so sure was real? What if you couldn't wake up from that dream?" -Morpheus, The Matrix How true. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I strongly believe the fact that it is highly possible that we're living in a computer generated dreamworld similar to The Matrix. Sure, you might say, "oh, it just a movie...", but just think about it and consider the factors. Ever had a dream you were so sure was real? So real that you couldn't really know the difference between what is real and what isn't? Well, I had. There were some dreams which I actually felt pain, even though it was just electrical impulses interpreted by my brain. Most of the time the pain still stays for a while after I wake up. So there might even be a few nightmares of dying or getting a lethal wound, but why am I not dead yet? Perhaps the answer lies in the difference between The Matrix and sleep. In The Matrix, you couldn't wake up as you wish, and you have to get to the hardline (most of the time) to unplug. As with sleep, you just get shocked to consciousness. You wake up just before you actually 'die'. Perhaps this is why some people die in their sleep. How about Déja Vu? I'm sure most (if not all) of you have had at least one acute experience of this mental phenomenon. I've encountered this so many times that I've actually lost count. (I'm not kidding. It's true.) There was once, when I was riding in my father's car, and I saw a toolbox, then for some reason it seemed like I've seen exactly the entire scene (yes, everything around us) before. Then there was another time where my friend showed me a comic book he got from overseas, it felt like I have heard exactly what he said before and the comic also looks to eerily familiar. Unfortunately, no one can be told what déja vu is. You have to feel for yourself. Also do note that there were reports of people being able to fly, able to walk over burning coal yet their feet remained cool, able to pierce sharp objects in places we cannot imagine yet suffer no more than a slight bruise, able to bend spoons with the power of thought alone (perhaps the kid was Uri Geller junior?) , the power to manipulate other people's thoughts, and other amazing feats that are seemingly impossible for us normal mortals. Perhaps those people are free from the mental confines of The Matrix... Who knows? -[ 06.02 | Red or Blue? ]- Imagine this: You have been contacted by a person who is known as the world's most dangerous man, who offers to let you in on 'the truth'. He offers you a choice: take a red pill, and you will be shown the truth, or take a blue pill, and your life will forever be shrouded in mystery. Which pill do you choose? Undoubtedly, most people will just shout "Duh, Red!", but consider this: You *are* being contacted by the world's *MOST* dangerous man. What if he is trying to murder you? What is in the red pill anyway? Having this and a lot of other doubts on your mind, would you make the right choice? ~ My Decision: Red ~ I have noticed that Morpheus contacted Neo and Trinity because they believed in the Matrix and wanted to know what it is. Same goes with the kid in Kid's Story in Animatrix. So, I can safely assume that if I get contacted by any of them 'rebels', it probably means I've been searching for them 'till my eyes almost fell out due to lack of sleep. Since I tried so hard to discover the truth, and this man, no matter how dangerous, is the only one who has come anywhere close to answering my question, why waste this chance? "Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more." -Morpheus, The Matrix -[ Section 07 | Closing Words ]- Okay, I'm sure you've noticed, but this FAQ is far from complete. I'm very sorry, but I'm a very busy student, and I've still got my exams to study for. I'll still make the next version, which will hopefully be done by next month. -[ 07.01 | Credits ]- Thanks to: - Wachowski Brothers, for making the Matrix a reality - Yuen Wo Ping, for making the fights scenes in Matrix so cool - Shiny, for making this game - GameFAQs for hosting my guide - All forums I have visited (including GameFAQs and MatrixFans.net) - Mom, Dad for buying me this computer - All my friends who supported my FAQ - All contributors to the FAQ (see contributor section) - Caffine, for keeping me awake so I could write this FAQ - My computer, for staying awake all night so that I could write this FAQ :) No thanks to: - Shiny's PC beta testers, who really screwed up at their job - Plagarists, who really should do their work instead - Spammers, who foul up my email inbox - Misc other jobs, which kept me from releasing this guide earlier -[ 07.04 | Contributor Section ]- Thanks to all contributors, including: - Hang Loose for the Hacking Video Bug - Dark_Destroyer for the Super Dodging Agents Glitch If there's anyone else who I haven't mentioned and you feel that I should, please drop me a message (thru email) and I will add your name. (Provided that you *DID* contribute something) -[ 07.03 | Coming Soon ]- Soon to come, more stuff in the FAQ, including: - Level Walkthrough - Boss Guide - Complete Plot Summary - Character Info - Fun Stuff Section - and many many more... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STaY TuNEd fOr MoRE! ThE FaQ iS NoT DoNE YeT! "Stay here... I'll be back!" - Arnie, Terminator 2 Copyright(c) 2003 Yeo Kian Bung. All Rights Reserved