New Update Coming for The Matrix Online

A more detailed breakdown of Combat Revision 2.0 follows:

• Faster Combat
  A major goal of Combat Revision 2.0 was to “speed up” combat by eliminating
  pauses in the action. Rounds have been shortened along with animations with
  the result of smoother, faster combat rounds.

• New Combat UI
  The combat user-interface has been updated to give better feedback without
  having to take your eyes off the combat itself. Interlock rings appear under
  both opponents’ feet while in Interlock that flash red when that character is
  going to be hit that round. Slot numbers in the hotbar flash red when an
  Ability has been selected and go solid red when that Ability will be used in
  the next combat round. When an Ability is used, a special effect plays on the
  hotbar icon: red for a miss and green for a hit.

• New Combat Styles
  Each branch of the Discipline tree now has
  access to special Styles that grant combat bonuses appropriate for that
  branch. While the combat-focused branches get their own Styles (such as Aikido
  or Handguns), Hackers, Coders, and Spies also get their own Styles.

• Modified Weapon Classes
  Since Combat Revision 2.0 rates everything on a
  Damage Per Second (DPS) basis, we’ve made some modifications to available
  weapon classes. Handguns, Rifles, and Sub-Machine Guns (SMGs) now have varying
  rates of fire that significantly affect they way they play. Rifles do the most
  “up-front” damage, SMGs have the highest rate-of-fire, and Handguns are the
  best Interlock weapons.

• Melee Free-Attacks
  Under the original combat system, Martial Art
  specialists (Karate, Kung Fu, and Aikido) were only left with one option
  outside of Interlock; to pull out a weapon and fire. The addition of Melee
  Free-Fire attacks allows martial artists to use their primary strengths to
  affect combat from outside Interlock.

• More Customization from Stat Development
  Character Stats (Focus, Perception, Belief,
  Reason, and Vitality) used to have little impact on character development and
  putting all your points into one could leave your character “crippled” at high
  levels. Now, each Stat has a list of Attributes (such as Melee Damage,
  Ballistic Resistance, and Maximum Health) that they impact, giving players the
  opportunity to focus development on what they want their characters to excel
  at. In addition, players may now take a special mission at any time to earn an
  item that allows them to reconfigure their Stats at any time.

• Second Hotbar
  The original user interface had one hotbar with
  ten slots for players to put links to frequently used Abilities and items.
  Combat Revision 2.0 adds a second hotbar with an additional ten slots for
  quick access.

• More Hotbar Space
  With the extra usable hotbar comes additional
  hotbar space. Ten more rows have been added for a total of twenty possible
  hotbar configurations. Players now have enough room to make specific hotbars
  for almost any Ability loadout imaginable.

• No More Zero-Sum Combat
  Under the old system, there was one loser and
  one winner in any Interlock round; both attack numbers were compared with the
  highest number winning. Now, attack numbers are compared to the opponent’s
  appropriate Defense score. Each round, both opponents have the opportunity to
  deal damage.

• No More “Always Hit/Always Miss” Scenarios
  Because the attack numbers are directly compared
  in the current combat system, a high-level character can effectively “lock
  out” a lower-level character because his attack numbers are so high. Changes
  in the combat formula now make it possible for even a level-one character to
  hit a level-fifty character. Everyone can contribute something in any combat
  scenario.