The Matrix Online Interview, Part One

Stratics has published the first installment of a Matrix Online interview they did with Monolith Productions' director of online development, William Westwater. Check it out:
Q: It's widely known that The Matrix Online will feature gunplay along with martial arts combat. What are the differences between martial arts and firearms combat from a player's perspective?

A: In MxO, martial arts is face-to-face kinetic combat, you versus your enemies. If you turn around and try to run, your opponent may knock you down before you can get away; unless he's too busy to try to stop you. (Pays to have friends).

Standard gun combat is much more distant. You shoot at your target, who is usually too busy trying to do something else - fight someone, run away, or initiate a virus for a few examples - to focus on dodging your shots. You fire and move freely as you see fit; he does the same.

However, as you know from the movies, operatives in the Matrix have exceptional abilities. When two gunmen focus on one another, they can begin what we loosely call dueling. This is the Interlock form of gun combat and here you can use many special moves that combine the fierce energy of martial arts with the explosive power of the modern gun. Kick. Bang. The best of both worlds.