Phantasy Star Online 2 - Official Pre-Release Topic

[Sharky]

I think the game looks very good, graphically it seems to suffer most in the forest area, which isn’t a surprise it's always difficult to do flora and fauna textures convincingly... The other locations like the hub and the rocky place look a lot better.

That said, the game could benefit greatly from bump mapping.

[Sharky]

I just wanna say that I love the enemy designs.

Yeah there are some good ones and the Rappies are the best yet imo.

[ezodagrom]

Info taken from the briefing, Famitsu, and 4Gamer:

Good Morning, Phantasy Star Online 2 Official Site updated today. News of the briefing is covered below from both Famitsu and 4gamer.

You, the player, are a member of the planet investigation team called the “Arks.” They travel aboard the space fleet “Oracle” to planets unknown. The first planet you visit is called ナベリウス Navelius (sp?). In the forest area, your first job is to defeat the beasts that roam the land who became brutal.

So far the weapon types revealed are Sword (Hunters) Wired Lance (Hunters), Assault Rifle (Rangers) and Gun Slash (All Classes). The Wired Lance acts kind of like a whip but allows it to latch onto enemies and spin them around (like the new AXE PA in PSP2). The Gun Slash acts the way it did in PSZero.

Not only can you play with the GAME PAD, but you can also play with Mouse and Keyboard!

When 4gamer played the game using the gamepad, they had their buttons set for these actions;

Using Gamepad Buttons
Normal Attack
PA/TECHNIC
Selection/Item Pickup,
Jump/Cancel.

Using L buttons
Lock On/Off
Sub Palette Access (L1)

Left Stick
Character Movement
Auto Run (When Pressed in)

Right Stick
Camera Movement
POV Change (When Pressed in)

Arrow Key
Change Action Palette (Up / Down)
Sub Action Palette Target Change(Left/Right)

Features:

Random field
Randomly generated fields occur every time you step foot. From the enemies that appear, to the typography of the terrain, to even the events that occur within the mission. You can enjoy fresh gameplay each time.

Interrupt Events
Surprising events can occur during a run. Situations like, “Kill a number of a certain enemy, or save an ally from the enemy’s trap.”

Multiparty Areas
PSO2 introduces Multi Party areas, allowing multiple parties at the same time. You can have up to 12 players in one area.

Jump
This allows you to jump into the air and attack enemies from above. You can also jump over various terrain, utilize it for strategic attacks like sniping enemies from above.

TPS Style
You can use third person shooting to snipe at enemies. In this style, the camera will shift behind you so you can aim precisely at, for example, enemies dropping eggs, or aiming for a head shot.

Levels and Skills
The general concept of character levels do not exist in PSO2.* Instead PSO2 will use your class level. When you increase your class level, you can learn skills to enable further character growth.

(Update: We’ve checked three sources all saying the same thing, character levels don’t exist. キャラクターレベルの概念はなく，クラスと呼ばれる職業のレベルのみとなる。クラスレベルを上げるとスキルを習得可能で，キャラクターを成長させていけるわけだ。)

Players can further enhance their character by selecting skills. We see skill paths like:

Guard > Just Guard > Just Guard Master > Just Guard Stun.
Step > Step Attack > Step Advance.
4gamer stated that after they learned the Guard skill, they were able to utilize it by pressing SHIFT.

Enemies
The larger enemies are ferocious, they could even grab a hold of you and throw you. As for the dragon, once it has collapsed, for the first time you are able to jump onto its back and attack its weak point directly!

Weapon Types
The gun slash allows you to shoot and attack enemies. You can switch over your action by pressing the SHIFT key. This weapon allows you the ability of comboing melee attacks with ranged attacks and finishing it off with a special PA attack (Right mouse button).  The range for this weapon is short, and is unreliable against 1 vs many enemies at the same time.  It’s attack speed is fast and the gun’s firepower is not as powerful as the Assault Rifle.

The Wired Lance, it has a wide attack range but it has slow attack speed. You wave this weapon to attack about 5 steps ahead of you. You can also grab onto enemies with this weapon and spin them around in a circle. By the way, if you learn a certain skill, you can press SHIFT to defend.

Recovery Items
According to 4gamer in their playthrough of the game, when they used a recover item, they had to stand still for a brief moment. This might be a concern for you if you are surrounded by powerful enemies. It might be a better opportunity to be healed by a force instead of using a mate.

Character Creation
At the character creation screen, you can choose one of 3 races, Human, Newman, or Cast. In the next screen you choose your class, Hunter, Ranger, or Force. Character creation is robust allowing you to customize various parts of the body freely. Now you have infinite freedom to create the character you want!

We saw sliders for eyes, ear length and direction, nose and mouth, bust size, arm size and length, leg size and length. We also saw the ability to use hairstyles, beards, tattoos, and even stamps to place on your outer armor.

When they demonstrated character creation they went through several different looks from an old boy, to an old man, to a black muscular then fat guy. According to 4gamer’s observation, you can add up to 3 accessories, and choose among 17 different voices.

With the Cast parts, you can customize different parts of the body, like the head, arm, legs, body, and the parts size.  In addition you can color main body of the armor with several different sub colors.

http://bumped.org/psublog/phantasy-star-online-2-features/

[Team Andromeda]

Textures need work and to be improved, otherwise this is exactly what I was hoping for and wanting it simply looks incredible and PSO for the next gen . Please bring this to the consoles with 12 players SEGA - You've lost to much ground to Monster Hunter and it's about time you hit bcak BIG time , and this game onthe console and Vita is it

[Barry the Nomad]

I'm excited for the game, no doubt, but considering we haven't heard of a US release yet and it's Windows only thus far, I haven't really delved into all the info about the game. But the photos and the recent videos look great! I like the character creator.

[Sharky]

[ezodagrom]

New info:

Courtesy of Shougai PSO, here is a synopsis of the latest PSO2 information as published in the July 27 issue of Famitsu Connect!On and the July 28 issue of Famitsu.

Game server specs
* There will be several servers, each known as a "world."
* Each world is independent of the others.
* Different worlds cannot interact with each other.
* Essentially worlds are as they were in PSU.  (EK note:  Though they are now known as "entrances," originally they were called "worlds.")
* When you start the game, you can choose the world you want to belong to.
* You can create characters on multiple worlds.
* They are considering the ability to move a character from one world to another as a future possibility.
* If you want to play with your friends, make sure you all decide on a world to start on!

Races
* There are three races, however...
* Sakai says, "this is an online game, after all, so we could always decide to increase that number."

Skill tree
* This system is used to learn class skills.
* EXP earned goes toward increasing your class level.
* You accumulate points by leveling up.
* By using these points, you can learn class skills.
* Class skills can only be used on the class you learned them with.
* For example, a skill learned as a Hunter cannot be used by a Force.
* Even if you max your class level, you cannot learn all skills.
* You will have a limited number of points to put toward skills, so individual skill combinations will vary.
* The ability to redo learned skills is under consideration.

Wired lances
* This weapon cannot be used to throw larger enemies.

Rods
* You can link three techniques to a rod.
* Only linked techniques can be charged (for stronger attacks).
* A technique's power, range and effect change when charged.
* PP cost does not change for charged techniques.

Learning photon arts and techniques
* Disks are used to learn photon arts and techniques.
* Disks have certain learning requirements.
* Requirements are stat-related, for example, one may require 50+ TP.
* Unlike PSU, there will not be a limit on the number of PAs or techs you can learn.
* It is undecided if you will be able to return a learned PA or tech to its disk form.
* The ability to transfer disks to other players (such as through disk restoration) is under consideration.
* Disks will appear with the level they teach displayed.  For example, "Razonde (LV3)."
* High-level disks will of course be very powerful.
* High-level disks can be obtained as enemy drops.
* Low-level disks will include tutorials.
* Low-level disks can be bought at shops.

Jumping
* You can perform common and just attacks while jumping.
* It is unknown how photon arts will work while jumping.
* Techniques and original combos will change while jumping.
* Range changes will occur while jumping, for example with original combos.
* You can jump on the backs of enemies.
* Most enemies have a weak spot on their back.
* There are some enemies that, if not knocked down, you will not be able to jump on their backs.
* On the other hand, there are other enemies that, even if not knocked down, you can still jump on their backs.

Original combos
* You can set different photon arts to the three parts of a combo.
* Combined PAs will let you pull of three-part combos.  For example, Tornado Break to Spinning Break to Gravity Break.  Also, you can perform normal attacks between all of those.

Interrupt events
* Event occurrence locations are not set in stone.
* There are some rare events which can occur.
* Due to the wide range of enemy levels you will encounter, expect drastic changes between difficulty levels.
* Even if you fail an event by not meeting all of its conditions, you will not suffer a penalty.
* You will receive items and so forth for successfully completing an event.

Incapacitation penalties
* If you are incapacitated, your individual grade will fall.
* Results are on a character-by-character basis.
* For example, if Mr. A dies, Mr. B's grade will not be affected.
* In short, you don't have to worry about being blamed for giving your party a bad grade!

PSE and PSE burst
* There is a new component known as "photon sensitive effect."
* There is a fixed probability of PSE occurring while you continuously defeat enemies.
* Attack power, drop rates and Meseta drop quantities are all boosted for a fixed period when PSE occurs.
* If you acquire an "evolved drop" (details unknown) from killing an enemy, you get even more boosted attack power, drop rates and Meseta payout.
* If consecutive PSEs occur, you can perform a "PSE burst."
* Bonuses from a PSE burst last for one minute and include even higher drop rates and highly increased number of enemies that appear.
* You can extend the PSE burst's duration by killing more and more enemies.

Multi-party areas
* Certain areas allow for up to 12 people to play together simultaneously.
* However, this doesn't necessarily mean that you are limited to three parties of four people each.
* For example, 12 individual solo players can all gather in these areas.
* It is possible to reorganize your party in a multi-party area.
* For example, if you have three parties of four people each, players from each party can transfer from one party to another.
* At first you can have the following parties:  A1 A2 A3 A4 / B1 B2 B3 B4 / C1 C2 C3 C4
* But you can swap players around like so:  B1 C2 A3 B4 / C1 A2 B3 C4 / A1 B2 C3 A4
* In multi-party areas, support techniques will only affect your party.
* There are some techniques that have cross-party effects, however.

Drop items
* Drop items are decided on a character-by-character basis.
* Each character can get different drops.
* Item drops are based on real luck.
* The system is similar to that of PSZ and PSP2i.

Units
* Units exist in this game.
* They can be equipped to your arms, back and legs.
* Units can be additional costume parts for your character.
* When equipped, units can change certain visuals of your costume.
* Units can boost abilities such as defense and attribute rates.

Mags
* Mags exist in PSO2 as living, evolved protectors.
* Details on them are scarce at the moment.
* Unfortunately, they will not appear in the alpha test.

EXP
* Whether or not you receive EXP is determined by your range to an enemy.
* If you are within the enemy's range, you will receive EXP.
* If you are out of an enemy's range, you will not receive EXP.
* This may be a counter-measure for multi-party leveling.

Visual lobbies
* Event billboards will be in the lobbies.
* There will also be a large screen theater.
* Motion pictures of some sort can be played on the theater screen.
* This feature will be active during the alpha test.

Your room
* A feature similar to PSU's room will be in PSO2, but details are unknown.

Reincarnation system
* A system of this sort does not exist.  No comment was made as to if it would be added later.
* Note: The Reincarnation System is a game feature from Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity. After reaching the maximum level, you could reincarnate your character at level 1 and start with higher base stats.

http://www.pso-world.com/news/02386-new-phantasy-star-online-2-game-information

[CrazyT]

I remember pso being inspired by Diablo 2. The skill tree system also reminds me very much of that game. The changes they've made are really gonna add to pso's depth, but hopefully still very accesible pick up and playish

The scale of this game seems be huge

[ezodagrom]

Today there's new info about the Units in PSO2, plus there's now a Phantasy Star Online 2 official Facebook page:

Good Morning, today a new email newsletter was released showing some new images.  But first, Sega now has an official Facebook Fan Page for Phantasy Star Online 2.

A quote from the PSO2 Facebook page regarding questions made in english:

Thank you for visiting our facebook page.
We do love all world of PHANTASY STAR fans!

We will try to reply back to all messages in English but may not always be able to fully understand or reply fluently. So we apologize in advance.

But we hope that you will keep checking our page and writing messages for us! :D

The official site will show more new images and info on August 1st. So be sure to check it out!



Oh My! There’s something sticking out behind this character? Could it be? Mags? Nope, this is called a unit. This time certain units change the visual appearance of the character. You can also use Mags too, so Mags and Units can make your character have such a unique look! Did you know that the units are attached to the arm, back, and leg. They can increase your defense and attribute rate.



Why not attach them to your RAcaseal



Oh! Here it is from behind.



Did you know this is Bonkohara’s favorite unit? Here’s a HUnewearl wearing a unit with such a sharp design, it almost seems like a weapon.



Oh! Here you can attach it to this “Nurse” character.
Yes you can make such a character.

In addition, there are high rank and low rank units. The major difference between them is that low rank units have no graphics. So use the high rank ones to accent your look.



The gang’s all here!
HUnewm, FOnewm, FOnewearl, FOcaseal and FOCast!

http://bumped.org/psublog/phantasy-star-online-2-units/

[Radrappy]

I was initially opposed to the focasts but after having seen their designs, I guess it could work!  Kind of reminds me of Bal Bas Bow.  It still kind of betrays one of the more fundamental rules of Phantasy Star though. 

[Sharky]

pretty much everything ive seen about this game so far looks awesome, apart from the forest textures, they could really have been better.

The other locations look fine... its not a game breaker but it could look nicer.

[CrazyT]

The units having an impact on the characters looks is just awesome.

[ROJM]

pretty much everything ive seen about this game so far looks awesome, apart from the forest textures, they could really have been better.

The other locations look fine... its not a game breaker but it could look nicer.

I'm not plushed about the chara designs myself,but then i'm not huge on the PSO series. Still holding out for a real "offline" PS game.

[ezodagrom]

More info, this time about races, classes, keyboard controls, concept art and more:

Keyboard Controls:

Online Gamer JP wrote, "W" "A" "S" "D" keys were used to move around, "Spacebar" allowed them to jump, "E" lets them converse with NPCs, and "C" lets you chat. The mouse manipulates the camera.

New Screenshots:

There's a bunch of new screenshots in the PSO2 website, including screenshots related to the PSE Burst system:
http://pso2.jp/gallery/screenshot/

Concept Art:

HUmar:


FOnewearl:


HUcast:

Alpha Test Placeholders:

So did you ever wonder about the discreprancy between the character artwork and the in game models? Well Bonkohara shined some light on that subject through a mistake of her own.

FOnewearl Concept > FOnewearl Alpha Test:


When Bonkohara posted the pic of the FOnewearl, she originally wrote, “Unfortunately this character won’t be available in the alpha test version but she will appear in future versions.” But later she had to correct her statement with, “Sorry for the misunderstanding, it’s not the “character”, it’s the “costume” that won’t be available in the alpha test version. You can make a  female newman force in the alpha test.

Of major note, the FOcast concept artwork and alpha test design is considerably different.

Races:

Humans are balanced towards physical strength and photon, they can adapt to every class.

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/human-pso2.jpg

Newmans are skilled in handling the photon. To compensate for their physical weakness, their photon sensitivity is high, unrivaled by the other races.

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/newman-pso2.jpg

Casts are the machine race, but since their bodies are artificial, their handling of the photon is weak, to compensate for this, they have an exquisitely firm body.

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Casts-PSO2.jpg

Classes:

Hunters are mainly for close combat. With high defense and HP, their soloing ability is high. Their weapon types include Sword and Wired Lance.

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Hunters-PSO2.jpg

Rangers make full use of gun type weapons. This class attacks mid-range. Their shooting ability is at an all time high, and they can even aim precisely at enemies. Their weapon types include the Assault Rifle.

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Rangers-PSO2.jpg

Forces make full use of the photon to fight. This class is great to use for long distance combat. And by utilizing photon, they excel at using technics. Their weapon types include Rods.

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Force-PSO2.jpg

Interrupt Events:

During a quest, a sudden interrupt event might appear. In the earlier parts of the game, you will receive easy events like, “defeat a specific number of a certain enemy” and the like.  But later on you’ll receive missions like, “Protect a fallen aircraft from the enemy’s attack until repairs are completed.” Or “Rescue a person who was captured”*

Players should be prepared for these occurrences because you won’t know where an interrupt event occurs within the quest. And, even during this, the difficulty may suddenly change.

Multi Party Area:

In Phantasy Star Online 2, the maximum amount of players in a party is 4. However, there are areas where multiple parties can exist at the same time of up to 12 players.  This area is called a “Multi Party Area”, and there’s what’s known as the “Multi Party Quest.”

Random Field System:

Phantasy Star Online 2 introduces a random field system in which the field changes each time.  In PSO and PSU, there were some elements of randomness, but mainly it was a combination of patterns. PSO2 surpasses the conventional system of randomness, other than some of the geographical features at the goal of the quest, everything else is completely random. This also includes the enemy positioning and the location of events. So each time you enter, you can enjoy the adventure in a different field.

Jump Action:

The style of  battle has expended to new possibilities by introducing the Jump Action. Jump now joins the multitude of actions introduced since Phantasy Star Zero, and Phantasy Star Portable 2; including guarding, and dodge rolling! Hunters can now attack enemies in the air, and rangers can ascend to new heights and aim too. When forces jump, some of their technics’ effective range is expanded.

Original Combo:

Fight in the style you prefer with Original Combo! You can register your weapons to the action palette. Then setup your Original Combo of photon arts and technics to your special attack button. You can even mix in your normal attacks with your original combo, creating your own personal attack style. In addition, PSO2 reintroduces the sub palette system where you can register items, skills, and technics to the number keys.

Third Person Shooting:

Making Rangers and Forces even more interesting, TPS Style (Third Person Shooting), places an over the shoulder-like camera style. This gives you the ability to aim your gun and technics to a precise target. You can aim for enemy spawns as they fall from the sky, or even aim at specific weak point.

Character Creation:

In Character Creation you can select from 10 preset characters or morph your creation using the 4 points on the screen. Your hair color and skin color are modifiable too. You can even modify the more finer details too. Not only can you change the whole body, but you can also modify parts like the length and thickness of the hands and feet.

Costumes and Units:

Though the costumes are a one part suit, you can change your shape greatly by attaching various units to the arm, back, and legs. Low ranking units do not change your appearance, but eventually when you acquire high ranking units, you’ll see a distinct change.

http://bumped.org/psublog/phantasy-star-online-2-units/
http://bumped.org/psublog/phantasy-star-online-2-races-and-classes/

[Radrappy]

Everything's looking good but is anyone itching for some well, real gameplay videos?  I'm a little disturbed by how the focus of this game's entire media coverage has been the interrupt events and the ability to jump.  How about the core gameplay itself?  All the short gameplay clips we've seen have been a choppy chaotic mess with the camera flying all over and the characters lagging in and out non-stop.  So yeah, I'd love to see just 10 min or so of a player going through a level.  It feels wrong that with all the screens and info that's been released, I still have very little idea how this beast is actually going to play.