Sony Online Entertainment sent me word that they’ve overhauled the combat system in Matrix Online in hopes of attracting new players and pleasing current ones. After lackluster sales, it seems they decided they needed to enhance parts of the game that was getting the most criticism; the combat. From their marketing pitch:

Combat Revision 2.0 is designed to take THE MATRIX ONLINE combat experience to a next level of excitement. The modified player-interface allows players to feel more “in the moment” by making it easier to focus on the fight itself. Players can see who is going to take damage and whether a special attack succeeds or fails without having to look away from the on-screen action . These are just a few of the new features and gameplay enhancements that players will see beginning in late March.

These new combat features go live just in time for the first anniversary of THE MATRIX ONLINE! In honor of the occasion, we are introducing some exciting new game adventures wrapped around our “Piece of Blue Sky” in-game concert. As part of the special in-game celebration, all current, active players who attend the concert event can get a great anniversary gift in-game: Special concert T-shirts and baseball caps—the first time baseball-cap style objects have been offered! So, get ready for intrigue, excitement, and mayhem – the world of The Matrix is in your hands! Jack in.

• 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.