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NOTICE: THIS FAQ IS DISCONTINUED (29th March 2004)
I will not be replying any more emails regarding this game. Sorry.
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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!
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(Coming Soon)
04.03 - Boss Guide
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)
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:
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)
~ Gone Ethereal ~
I found this bug myself in the level where you have to drive to the exit while
being chased by the twins. I crashed into a stack of pipes, or rather, gone
through them. Then I hit a wall and fell into a non-existent hole, where the
car ended up spinning and spinning in empty space.
-[ 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 Germanhost~
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 Germanhost~
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 Boss Guide.
-[ 04.01 | Level Walkthroughs ]-
...TO BE ADDED IN LATER VERSIONS...
-[ 04.02 | Hacking Walkthrough ]-
... COMING SOON ...
-[ 04.03 | Boss Guide ]-
Sure, sure. Every FAQ has a kick-#ss boss guide. It's just one of those stuff
people expect you to put in. I don't really mind, though I expect most of you
to have little to no problem in winning the so-called 'bosses'.
Bosses in ETM are a little different from other games. They don't flash 'BOSS'
in front of the screen, nor are they actually that powerful. Most of them *DO*
have the old-school boss life bar though. *MOST* of them.
~ SWAT Helicopter : Ghost Only ~
This boss is quite easy once you get the hang of it. The only thing I don't
really like about it is that it takes a little too long to beat this chopper.
Still, slow and steady wins the race. If you've noticed, the pattern for this
chopper goes like this: First, it shoots you through the windows, so you have
to hide either at the far left or far right of the room (it's better if you do
the wall hug). Then it flies back from the left to the right *WITHOUT SHOOTING*
, so this signals your turn to take a pot shot at it (remember to focus). After
that, it drops five (I think) annoying SWAT soldiers from the glass roof. Here
is what I like to do. Notice the statue (or whatever large stone object) in the
middle of the room? Use this as a cover against the SWAT guys. Then use it for
cover (wall hug and peek) and take pot shots at the annoying mortals. After you
take care of the SWAT guys (you should have no problem), rush out and grab
their guns as fast as you can, because the chopper's coming back to take
another shot at you. Just keep repeating this, and you should have little to no
problem at all in beating this so-called boss.
~ Agent Helicopter : Ghost Only ~
You're trapped in a control tower with your only means of escape shut tight. An
Agent flies up in a chopper and starts taking pot shots at you. Sounds like an
impossible level? Probably. But remember what Morpheus said:
"I've seen an Agent punch through walls, men have emptied entire clips at them
and hit nothing but air, but they are still built on a world based on rules,
that is why they will never be as fast or as strong as you will be."
-Morpheus, The Matrix
That's right. There's something glitchy about this Agent's programming. He
seems to move in patterns (yawn). Once you get his pattern of movement, you
really should have no problem at all beating him. It doesn't really matter what
weapon you use (as long as it's not your fists), though automatic weapons will
help. Note the ASCII drawing below:
As you can see in my not so beautiful ASCII drawing, the Agent starts off at
the point marked 1. Before the Agent appears, move to the northwest pillar and
stand at the place marked A. Be sure to equip your guns. As the Agent's chopper
appears, start cartwheeling (see Focus and Gunplay section for more info) to
point B while shooting the Agent's chopper. Whatever you do, do *NOT* stop. The
cartwheel is the only thing keeping you from being shredded to ribbons by the
chopper's guns. When the chopper moves from view, go to point C and repeat the
same thing, only this time you cartwheel to point D and the Agent's chopper
appears at point 2. After that, repeat the same thing with point E to F where
the chopper will appear at point 3. Then an annoying thing happens. A SWAT guy
apparently appears out of nowhere and starts shooting at you. Take him out as
soon as possible, but do not let down your guard. The Agent will still repeat
the pattern while you are busy dealing with Mr.SWAT. Make sure you don't get
caught with your pants down. After a few repeats of this pattern, you should
have damaged the chopper enough for it to crash on its own. :)
~ Agent : Niobe Only ~
This one's so easy, I'm not even sure if it can be considered as a boss. You
have to throw the Agent overboard, but the only way to throw him out is shut
tight. There is a green button that can open that cargo door (since this is a
cargo plane, obviously), but unfortunately, the Agent starts off in front of
that button. So what do you do? Well *duh*. Just rush over to him and try to
knock him down with punches/kicks/whatever (see Martial Arts section). As soon
as he hits the floor, get to the button and press it. Now that the cargo door
is open (*YAY*), it's all downhill from here. Just keep hitting him until you
get him near the door, or lure him there, then just knock/toss/kick/whatever
him out the cargo door to his doom. Note that you might have to do this a few
times, since the aircraft might experience some turbulence, which will bounce
the Agent right back in. Oh, yeah. One more thing. Make sure you don't follow
the Agent out the door. It won't be a pretty sight if you do.
~ Vlad : Niobe Only ~
This vamp is not all that difficult once you know the trick to it. Just keep
hitting him until he drops. The only thing about him is that you have to fight
him twice. Punch, kick, throw, whatever. Just keep alternating your attacks and
you should have no problem beating this little guy.
-[ 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.
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.
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.
NOTICE: Big big thanks to Nathan White for filling in lots of holes!
-
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. The robot
was called B1-66-ER. 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 a
NATO meeting where the machines wanted an official nation and join with the
humans, 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 Storm'
was a success, but in a sense that they succeded in covering the sky with black
dust/clouds/something and cutting off the machines from the sun.
Unknowing to the humans, the machines have been doing their homework. They also
collected humans besides killing them. Their (the machines) research with human
anatomy had uncovered an alternate power supply to replace the one lost. (ie.
the sun)
This time, the machines held a NATO meeting, and this time, the objective was
not as friendly as the last one. The machine ambassador (a more sinister
looking one, in my opinion) demanded to have the human leaders surrender the
war. And so they complied. The surrender was broadcast live to let all people
know about it. Then all the leaders were blown away to further frighten the
masses into submission.
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: Once again, thanks to Nathan White, the only person to reply my call
for help.
-[ 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...
