Welcome to another edition of the Community Uplink. We have a lot to cover this week, so let's dive in with both feet, shall we?

INCREASING YOUR MEMORY

As you may have seen in the patch notes, the Dev Team implemented an increase in Memory Gain. We asked Bruce Harlick, Game Designer, to explain a little bit about the changes. Here's what he had to say:

"What we did was to front load much of the memory gain. We also spread the gains so that rather than getting a large chunk of memory every 4 or 5 levels, we give you smaller increases every level. This means players get more of their memory capacity at the lower levels (when they need it more), and get some memory each level. Players will likely be able to load something new in their loadout each time they level, be it an optional ability, a new core discipline ability, or one of the Awakened abilities.

One of the nice side effects of this is that it eliminates these level memory jumps, where, for example, a level 24 character had seven less memory than a level 25 character. While they were only one level apart, the level 25 was able to load many more abilities than the level 24, making her much more effective. Those types of level disparities should be gone now."

Good news, wouldn't you say? Don't forget to thank your Dev Team, they really are listening!

THE COMMUNITY CAPTION OF THE WEEK

We picked our top three fan suggestions for the Caption of the Week, and look! Here they are now:

1. "Operator, I need a download for an IRS1040EZ!" - Fidelity 2. "If you see an IRS Agent, you do what we do& Run, run your ass off." - Insertion 3. "...there is no spoon, there is no spoon, there is no spoon, there is no spoon..." - Darbsllim

Kudos to all three! You can check out the announcement on our community page here.

YOUR QUESTIONS MEET OUR ANSWERS: A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

There are just too many good questions to answer one a week! So here's a collection of piping hot answers, crafted just for you by The Matrix Online Lead Designer, Toby Ragaini. Enjoy, won't you?

Synth asks:

Q:	Is there going to be an increase in level cap sometime after launch?

TR:	The game has been designed to easily allow higher level caps. The content to support these higher levels would most likely be made available in an expansion pack.

Iceberg asks:

Q:	Can a Faction leader give their leadership to the next-in-line if they choose to?

TR:	Yes, faction members can always promote or demote members who are lower rank.

NanoHaxial asks:

Q:	We've heard there will be HvCFT bonuses, but what kinds of HvCFT and Faction bonuses can we expect?

TR:	I'm afraid we can't announce these kinds of details until Zion is able to rebuild the Hovercraft fleet. You should expect bonuses that improve your crew's performance in the Matrix.

That's it for this week's question queue. Do you have a question for The Matrix Online Development Team? You can post them here. I can't guarantee that all your questions will be answered, but I promise you that we review every single one. So get to posting!

AND NOW... CAPTION THIS!

Post your suggested captions to this thread Remember the rules: Keep it content and context appropriate, and have fun! As always, the chosen redpills will get a top billing on the Community Site, and a Get Out of Mara Free Card. Well, okay – just top billing on the Community Site.

EVENT HORIZON

By now you have no doubt seen the Player Events Forum. If you haven't, you should click here immediately!

It was our hope that you would find it a useful place to post event ideas, scheduled happenings, and event recaps for all to see. So jump in and check it out! Here's a look at some of the Player Events and discussion threads going on now:

djsandman posted an announcement for the next installment of the wildly popular Duel Tournaments:

What: Red Pill Duel Tournament v4
Where: Jacob's Ladder in Apollyon on Algorithm
When: Friday Febuary 25th
Start Time: Doors Open 4pm PST/7pm EST, Event Starts 5pm PST/8pm PST
Prize: 3 million info
Entry Fee: 10k per fighter

You can read more about this announcement here.

Null White asks for some feedback on planning European events:

"I'd like to get a few things going at a time suitable for the Euro players, to give us more of a chance to enjoy some events, and want to know: Is there going to be a lot of interest in this? The events (are) not entirely directed at Euro people, everyone is invited, but the times will be obviously early in the morning for the US people, and evening/night for the Euro people."

You are invited to weigh in on this topic here.

EXPLOITS DEFINED

The Matrix Online Team defines an exploit as "The use of existing game mechanics in order to benefit the player, but in a way that was not intended by the development team."

Thoth had the following to say about the use of exploits:

"The forbidden fruit... the seducing power of exploits claims many an eager gamer. Some use them to make the game easier for themselves. Some use them to make the game harder for others. What makes an exploit bad? It's using the game in a manner that throws the balance and stability of the game out the window. In the end, everyone loses. The designers and developers for this game work long, hard hours to ensure that the game is not only fun, but fair.

Just as such temptation leads to reward, it also leads to trouble. The Customer Support team takes exploit use very seriously. We try to be fair, but always steadfast in our approach to dealing with exploit use. Using exploits can result in a temporary removal from all gameplay, or a"suspension. Repeated use of exploits, and/or use of exploits that seriously damage the game, can and will result in a complete and permanent removal from the game (also known as a "permaban.")

We don't want to remove people from the game, but part of our job is to make sure that everyone is playing within the boundaries of gameplay set down by the designers and not disrupting the game for everyone else.

So what should you do if you know about an exploit?

1. Don't do it. If you're caught in the act, even if you're trying to reproduce it to verify that it exists, you can still be subject to disciplinary action.
2. Report it... Immediately! The longer an exploit is out there, the more damage it does and the greater the effect will be to the entire player-base when actions are made to rectify the results of the exploit.

While it might seem harmless at the time, exploits hurt everyone sooner or later. It's up to you as beta testers to make sure that exploits are rooted out and removed from the game."

This is important stuff folks. We really don't enjoy removing people from the game. It is a shame that we have to consider it at all, especially since a dose of common sense would save a lot of trouble at the outset. As an aside, The Matrix Online forums are not the place to report bugs and exploits. Take Thoth's advice and use the petition system via /ccr in-game or via the support link on the website to report exploits. It really is your responsibility as a beta tester, and anything less than that degrades The Matrix Online experience for everyone.

AND FINALLY, THANK YOU!

The Matrix Online Community Team truly values your feedback. What you have to say is important, and though we are not able to comment on every single idea, we do spend a lot of time discussing your suggestions and sharing your feedback with the entire team. Your contribution to The Matrix Online Beta Test has been phenomenal, and we appreciate it immensely!

Cheers!