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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!
-[ Document Spacing Check ]-
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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)
~ 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)
~ 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
~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.