Popular Science: Massive Attack. "Once created, Massive characters are inserted into unpopulated scenes. The characters are then left to do what they've been created to do, and a battle scene assembles itself. This can take minutes, or overnight, depending on the size and complexity of the scene. Beyond general tendencies, the filmmaker does not know precisely what a character will do, since each is an autonomous and, within the confines of the digital landscape, sentient being. Regelous' laptop still contains an early sequence in which a pair of fighters—an Orc and a human—began a strange dance borne of too-finely balanced combat and obstacle avoidance modules. The digital opponents approach, circle and brandish weapons, but never clash. In another early simulation, Jackson and Regelous watched as several thousand characters fought like hell while, in the background, a small contingent of combatants seemed to think better of it and run away. They weren't programmed to do this. It just happened. "It was spooky," Jackson said in an interview last year."