Phantasy Star Online 2 - Official Pre-Release Topic

[ezodagrom]

PSO2 announced for the PS Vita and concept art of non-default costumes.

Sakai has officially announced Phantasy Star Online 2 for Playstation Vita coming in 2013. The preview looks like it’s running the shader-less version of the game.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5OMPhKLhXQ[/youtube]

Although it may look so low res currently, keep in mind that the PSVita version is less than 10% complete. The 3d models, shadows, and shaders are at the lowest setting. These will be improved upon once the game is optimized so it can look close in comparison to the PC version.

The PSVita version shares the same server, the same data, and the same characters. Therefore the game saves are stored online and it shall be an online only game.

Female -non default- costume:



Male -non default- costume:



You may see these costumes in the next test, but they won’t be shown in the character creator. So how will you get to see them? You’ll have to wait for more information to find out! Next week some news will be coming out! See you next time.

http://bumped.org/psublog/phantasy-star-online-2-for-playstation-vita-announced/

The Vita version makes me a bit worried about post release updates, it's possible that the existence of the Vita version could limit the ammount of new content that could be made after the release, but I guess we'll see how it works out in the future...

[CrazyT]

Wow that's a smart decision so close after its launch. This will surely be a great boost for the franchise against monster hunter :d

[ezodagrom]

About my worries with the Vita version, someone in another forums posted this:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-08-sony-removed-psn-barriers-for-free-to-play-mmo-dust-514

Sony removed the PSN limitations for a free-to-play MMO when it comes to patching/updates, let's hope that they do this for PSO2 as well.

[Sieghardt]

March 18th is gonna be a good day

[Happy Cat]

March 18th is gonna be a good day

What is happening march 18th? did i miss something?

[ezodagrom]

What is happening march 18th? did i miss something?

PSO2 will be playable at this year’s Dengeki Game Festival which starts March 18, 2012. It looks like they’ll use an Alienware Desktop machine.

http://bumped.org/psublog/border-break-air-burst-and-sega-heroine-collection/

Also, some unrelated news, some people have been checking out the files in the alpha versions of PSO2, there's stuff related to the localization of the game into other languages:

Here's some localization info:

Between Alpha 1 to Alpha 2 they added the Title screen in different language directories, here is a list:

• language/ch/ui_title_logo.ice
• language/de/ui_title_logo.ice
• language/en/ui_title_logo.ice
• language/es/ui_title_logo.ice
• language/fr/ui_title_logo.ice
• language/it/ui_title_logo.ice
• language/jp/ui_title_logo.ice
• language/ko/ui_title_logo.ice
• language/tw/ui_title_logo.ice

Take a wild guess on what those stand for.

Each of these contains the title screen textures, here is the JP one:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12804628/PSO2/Tools/Textures/ui_title_main_logo01_jp.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12804628/PSO2/Tools/Textures/ui_ef_tex_jp.png

Here is the EN one:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12804628/PSO2/Tools/Textures/ui_title_main_logo01_en.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12804628/PSO2/Tools/Textures/ui_ef_tex_en.png

Things to note:

• All the ones except JP seem to be outdated, they have since moved the "Press Enter" somewhere else. Which is also now called "Push Enter Key."
• The EN one has the Japanese below PSO2 removed. (On the big one.)
• All the other language files are mostly the same to the EN one, but they still keep the JP text under all the PSO2s, only small difference in some of them is that the ©Sega is colored a bit differently.

While they obviously haven't made much progress localizing it they have already made directories and files for those languages, quite safe for me to say they are planning to localize to those.

http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2722909&postcount=203

Right. Forgot to post this, more Localization stuff:

There is also 2 different opening movie files for the Sega logo. (JP & US)

Differently colored as they have been for the regions in the past.

You can see the usual difference of the logos on their sites: http://www.sega.jp/ & http://www.sega.com/

Well here's PSO2's, JP:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9259868/pso2_jp_sega.png

US:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9259868/pso2_us_sega.png

http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2723466&postcount=222

[Happy Cat]

ahhh.. yes! english loclization files.. xD thanks for posting those, made my day

[ezodagrom]

More news about the Vita version:

After the news of PSO2 on Vita, Sakai received some feedback from the Phantasy Star veterans over his decision to make both versions cross playable. Generally the concerns stem from the handling of Phantasy Star Universe on PS2, how the PS2 version handicapped the updates for the PC version.

When making PSO2 for the Vita, he understood that you all would be wary of such a product, but under careful consideration and examination, they decided PlayStation Vita could indeed handle such a game.

Can PSO2 Vita even handle large-scale updates?

The PlayStation 2 version of PSU couldn’t support any large-scale updates at all, they couldn’t add any stages nor enemies.  But in terms of what they support, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 2 are two totally different platforms.

For one, there were PlayStation 2′s without a hard drive so of course you could not add more stages, or enemies, or even huge system updates. However the Playstation Vita can certainly handle it all.

Wouldn’t it be easier to cheat on such a device?

Well in the past, Phantasy Star Online and Phantasy Star Portable 2 stored data offline making it easier to cheat. Even so, they still were able to support the games by banning accounts of cheaters. PSO2 is online only, so data is stored online to keep it secure.

3G Players

Phantasy Star Online 2 can be played on 3G or Wifi! But the amount of data that’s supported on both is considerably different. On Wifi, data speeds were close enough in comparison to PC players. However, for 3G, it will be difficult for the data speeds to catch up, so they have plans to do something separate when you are on that network. (Sakai did not go into detail as to how different the data communication would be on 3G.)

About Cross-Platform playing on Vita and PC

It is possible for the Vita version to play at the same time with the PC version. However, Vita players would have to undergo their own beta testing to see if things go smoothly. It is not what they are aiming for, but depending on the results they may have to say, “PC and Vita players can not play together at the same time.”

They received lots of requests on how people wanted to play PSO2 on something other than PC. So they decided to give the PlayStation Vita a shot as a new alternative way to play this game.

March still has some more announcements to go through. By the end of the month, Sakai plans to make announcements about the next test!

http://bumped.org/psublog/concerns-about-phantasy-star-online-2-vita/

[ezodagrom]

News about the beta test:

Through various interviews we’ve long known that new weapon classes we’re going to be added into the game. For those who have read up on datamining of Alpha test clients would already know what weapon classes are hidden deep inside the data. But today we have our first confirmations to these weapon types. This was posted within Famitsu’s PSO2 Beta Test article, which Shougai summarized.

New Weapon Class: Partizan
- Hunter Exclusive
- Quick Attack
- Wide area attack
- It has a special action called “舞い dance?” (We’re not quite sure in what way the move actually looks like.) this speeds up your gear which eventually makes it likely that you’ll release some kind of forward shockwave.

New Weapon Class: Launcher
- Rangers Exclusive
- A heavyweight high power shooting weapon
- You hold this gun beside the body like PSU’s Grenade Launcher.
- Wide range blast.

New Weapon Class: Talis
- Force Exclusive
- Throw cards to directly hit the enemy
- Throw cards and a technic is fired off from the card.
*You could throw a card at a party member and make it cast resta
*You could throw a card in the sky and cast a wider range Razonde technic.
(Don’t know if you are supposed to jump to throw cards in the sky.)

Mags
- Mags have photon blasts
- When a mag does a photon blast it changes into a “幻獣” mythical beast.
- For example, it can change into something resembling a unicorn.
- The player can act freely during a photon blast too.

Lobby
- The Arks lobby has been renovated.
- In the center there’s a elevator that transports you between 2 floors.
- The upper level is called the Gate Area where you can receive quests.
- The lower level is the shop area and rest area.
- Shougai says the lobby is reminiscent of PSO ep2 Lab area.

http://bumped.org/psublog/what-new-weapons-are-in-store-for-phantasy-star-online-2-beta-test/

[Barry the Nomad]

Just want to say, ezodagrom, that I really appreciate the updates. Might not post a lot, but I do read every one!

[ezodagrom]

Closed Beta Famitsu Scans

New lobby sitting pose, and Mags have Photon Blasts.



Photon Blasts turn your mag into a mythical creature, like Unicorns.
During a photon blast, the player and the creature can attack together.



The partizan, and its “twirling dance move”.



The launcher



The Talis can shoot Technics!

http://bumped.org/psublog/phantasy-star-online-2-closed-beta-famitsu-scans/

[ezodagrom]

The PSO2 team has replied to a bunch of requests that were made during the alpha 2 test, here's the list of requests and replies:

Today a long list of responses to users feedback was submitted on the site. Sakai has planned to move ahead to the closed beta test, which will add a bunch of new content.

Story, quests, and weapon categories will be added. You can also play the new city area. More information will be revealed by the end of the month in a special presentation. This test plans to have 100,000 players. If you’ve already raised your character to level 10 in the second alpha, you are automatically given priority in this test. There is no need for you to apply again.

Sakai is planning a 2nd Media Briefing which will announce details about the Closed Beta Test. This will allow for details and the schedule of this test to be clearly explained to you guys through media outlets.  It will be something similar to the last media briefing event.

The lag is pretty bad, can you guys do something to improve it?
- During updates in Alpha Test 2, we improved the lag to some extent but it’s completely difficult to have no lag whatsoever. We will continue to make adjustments so you can play comfortably.

I wasn’t really able to meet other parties in multiparty areas, can you do something so it’s easier to meet the other parties?
- Since it was hard to understand the way you set up a multiparty quest, people generally didn’t cross paths with other parties. We’ll review this area and make it easier for you to meet them

I felt the attack power and HP of low level enemies were too high.
- We’ll adjust it so that beginners can play without much stress.

I felt soloing was too difficult.
- We’ll adjust it so that even if a few people are playing it won’t be extremely difficult.  Like previous games, we’ll let you add NPC characters to your party.

I think there’s a problem with PSE Bursts, when it happens you can stay in one area endlessly and gain levels very quickly.
- We’ll adjust the rate and duration a PSE Burst occurs so that it does not ruin the balance of the game.

In an emergency trial, the enemies kept re popping up endlessly, can you adjust it so that there can be a limit of how many enemies show up.
- In this particular case, it was a bug. we’ll correct it.

I felt some quests were too long. Could you make smaller maps?
- We’ll look into adjusting all quests, by looking at the average of their clear times and the length of maps they utilizes and make them smaller.

Like in the previous games, I think bosses should drop containers after they are defeated.
- Containers will appear and after breaking it you’ll get the boss drops.

I want it to hold more significance when you destroy a certain part of the body on an enemy.
- Only for boss enemies, if you destroy a part of the body, you’ll get additional drops.

My personal feedback: When you return to the camp ship area, the quest clear music should stop and change to the normal BGM.
- We’ll do it after the quest results are shown.

Grinders and Synthesizers come up in a red box, but because of this you are less excited to see rare drops.
- Grinders and Synthesizers and consumption items less than 6 stars will now be shown as regular drops.

I want you to do something since I can’t play with specific gamepads.
- During an update in Alpha Test 2, we supported a variety of gamepads. We’ll expand the gamepad setting functions and support more types of gamepads.

I think you should allow us to immediately change from Direct chat to normal chat somewhere else other than the options menu.
- We’ll allow it through the scroll lock key.

I want to be able to switch the map display while in Direct Chat Mode.
- We’ll let you be able to switch maps while in this mode by pressing CTRL+M for area map or CTRL+N for radar map.

The sub-palette should be accessed through the F keys, not the number keys when in direct chat mode.
- We’ll allow you to choose what keys you want in the options.

You can rotate the camera very quickly and it makes you feel dizzy, you should adjust this.
- We’ll allow you to adjust the rotation speed in options for both right/left and up/down

I felt the camera that faces the front of the character rotation speeds were too slow.
- We’ll make it faster.

You should allow us to use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. Even gamepads should have this option.
- We’ll add a setting in options so you can control this with the mouse wheel. Additionally you can set it from the quick menu when you are using the gamepad.

Sometimes I push the autorun button by accident, I’d like there to be a setting where you can change it or not have it set at all.
- In the initial settings, the gamepad won’t have a autorun button but you’ll be able to set this button in the options menu.

Even for gamepads, I’d like there be a way to change what you are auto-locked on to.
- In the options menu, we’ll allow you to change the settings to whatever button you’d like to use.

The game doesn’t really play in full screen mode. I’d like you guys to add a REAL full screen mode.
- Due to some circumstances we had to do a fake full screen mode in the alpha test 2. but now we’ll change it so you can actually play in full screen.

Can you make it so that that the number of detailed character models is higher than 50.
- Yes, we’ll increase it.

Can you make us save screenshots something else other than BMP.
- By default you’ll save them as JPEG but we’ll offer support for PNG too.

I want it so that you can clearly know what item categories are supported for the Photon Arts and their disks.
- On the first line of the item’s descriptions, we’ll show what categories are supported.

I want the icons of learned PA disks in the Item Pack and Storage greyed out.
- We’ll do so.

In the same way as weapons, I want equipped units to be able to utilize item customization features in the Item Lab.
- We’ll do so.

In the quickmenu’s shortcut word list, I want you to show the first part of the message.
- When the list is shown, we’ll make it so that the first line of the shortcut is shown.

You should make it easier to know what mode you are in when using weapons like the gunslash.
- The center icon in your palette will clearly show which mode your weapon is using.

The icon when you receive mail is small and inconspicuous.
- We’ll make it so that you can see it better.

When showing the mail you received, I want a different tab to show system mail messages like when you register new friends.
- We’ll make a new tab that shows all of your system mails.

While taking screenshots, I’d like to know if the screenshot was taken.
- We’ll show a message informing you that a screenshot was taken.

I want there to be a ON/OFF function on whether or not you’ll use Auto Words.
- We’ll do so.

I want there to be chats where you can talk to any player 1 to 1.
- We will implement a Whisper chat that allows you to do this.

For people I have been in parties with, I want there to be something where you can add them to your friend or black list.
- We’ll make a player history function that allows you to see who you’ve played with in the past and you can decide whether to add them to your friend list or black list.

I want a feature where you can know whether your friends are logged in.
- As an optional setting, when your friends log in, you’ll see that information displayed on your screen.

I want a room lock function added to My Room.
- We’ll add room lock functions where you could also set it to allow only friends to visit.

I want a function in My Room, that shows you what weapons I’ve acquired.
- We’ll implement a room item that shows the weapons you have.

I want you to add a jukebox to my room so I can change the BGM that plays in there.
- There will be a room item where you can change the BGM for your room.

I want to be able to perform actions when you access room items in your room.
- Though it was temporary in Alpha test 2, only sit was available, but we plan to add a variety of actions.

I want to be able to put accessories on top of room items.
- Again, we’ll allow you to place accessories on room items like desks and shelves.

Like the My Shop, I want to be able to directly trade items between players.
- We’ll allow you to trade directly with players with the item trade functions.

I want there to be a search criteria where you can search for specific abilities attached to items in the My Shop.
- We’ll do so.

I want to make sure I don’t sell very rare items in shops and such.
- We’ll make it so that if you equipped it once you won’t be able to sell a rare item in shops or trades.

In Character Creation, I want to be able to save the character I made as a character base model to work off of.
- We’ll add a function where you can save character creation data to the PC.

In Character Creation, I want to be able to make male faces more square jawed, and female faces more round.
- We’ll add more variations to facial shape structures.

After I create characters, I want to be able to customize them.
- Like previous games, we will implement a makeup counter to customize your character again.

http://bumped.org/psublog/phantasy-star-online-2-heads-onwards-to-the-closed-beta-test/

Title Screen, Character Selection Screen, Login Screen Changes

Sakai updated his blog today. There’s more changes in store for Phantasy Star Online 2. In the Alpha Test, the title and character creation sequences were only temporary. Now we push ahead to the new changes in store for these areas.

The new PSO2 Title Screen
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/PSO2-Title-sequence-change.jpg

Well it doesn’t look like much of a change but if you notice the background, it’s more spacey.

The new Ship Selection screen with blurred ship names and a wireframe model representing the ship.
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/PSO2-Ship-selection.jpg

The character selection screen!
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/character-creation.jpg

First you’ll see a prologue movie, then switch to the screen to create your character. The background gives it more of a SciFi game feel. Afterwards the tutorial and story begins.

The closed beta test news starts by the end of the month. There’s going to be a 2nd Media Briefing which will show what new things are in store for the Beta Test. This test plans to have 100,000 players!

http://bumped.org/psublog/pso2-title-screen-character-selection-screen-login-screen-changes/

Mags, new lobby, and new weapons

Our 3rd post for today is a recap of information updated on the official site. Some information has become clearer.

Mags

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/PSO2-Mags.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jJ4U9.jpg

Mags are mechanical life forms that support the player in battle and serve as pets.  When you give them items they grow up and acquire special abilities. Mags that grow up will have various effects.

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/PSO2-Unicorn-Mag.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-mag-photon-blast.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-mag-photon-blast-2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TTUwU.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-mag-photon-blast-3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/04mA9.jpg


After you accumulate a certain amount of damage, your mag will transform into a mythical creature (like this Unicorn type Photon Blast.). Now the AI takes over and the creature will attack on it’s own,  players can also fight alongside with it.

The Arks Lobby Upper Level

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Arks-Lobby-Gate-Area.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Arks-Lobby-Gate-Area-2.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-new-lobby-4.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-new-lobby-5.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-new-lobby-6.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-new-lobby-7.jpg

The upper level is called the Gate area, you can access the quest counter and Camp Ship from here.

There’s an elevator in the Arks lobby that divides two main areas.
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Shop-area-3-elevator.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-new-lobby-1.jpg

Arks Lobby Lower Level

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-new-lobby-21.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Shop-area-lower-level.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-new-lobby-3.jpg

The lower level called the Shop area. This lower area can also be used as a rest and relaxation spot where players can meet and hang out.

3 New Weapon Classes

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-partisan.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-partisan-1.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/PSO2-Partisan-shockwave.jpg

Hunters can now use Partisans. They can do quick attacks,  have extended reach, and can attack surrounding enemies. It has a special action simply known as dance/twirl which fills up the gear gauge.

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/launcher.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-launchers.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-launchers-3.jpg

Rangers have access to Launchers that shoots a missile which gives an explosive blast.You can’t shoot while moving though. (In screenshots it appears you can shoot while in the air.)

http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/PSO2-Talis-Cards.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/pso2-talis-2.jpg
http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Razonde-Talis.jpg

Talis is a card throwing weapon for forces. You can throw them to attack enemies and cast technics from them. Throw them to enemies in the air and your technic could have wider range.  Or you could throw it and cast resta to provide support from long distances.

http://bumped.org/psublog/mags-and-the-new-lobby-in-phantasy-star-online-2/

[ezodagrom]

Footage from the Dengeki Festival presentation, showing the new lobbies, new weapons and mags:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaJszSQ5aKw

[ezodagrom]

The latest PSO2 news.

2nd Media Briefing Schedule:

Phantasy Star Online 2′s second Media Briefing will take place on Monday March 26th, 2012 @ 13:30 JST.

Media Briefing 2nd
- When: March 26th 2012 @ 13:30
- What: To discuss Phantasy Star Online 2′s closed beta test, including billing information when the official game starts, future development schedule, and new game information.
- Where: Watch it live on NicoNico!
http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv86290530

Please pay attention to the times and dates to watch this live in your timezone. Eastern refers to Sunday night, not Monday night even though it technically happens on Monday.

Time Zones:
- March 26th, 12:30 AM Eastern
- March 25th, 11:30 PM Central
- March 25th, 10:30 PM Mountain
- March 25th, 9:30 PM Pacific
- March 25th, 6:30 PM Hawaii
- March 26th, 5:30 AM United Kingdom
- March 26th, 6:30 AM France

http://bumped.org/psublog/phantasy-star-online-2-2nd-media-briefing-schedule/

First Story Character Reveal:

Sakai updated his blog with a clearer video of the one that was shown in the Dengeki Event, titled “PSO2 Closed Beta New Video.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1rqFjlM3ZA[/youtube]

Closed Beta Elements
- Now the lobby from the Alpha Test has expanded into two areas. There’s a Gate area and Shop area, with some new facilities like the Medical Center.
- New weapon category, Partisans have a “twirl” move which can fill up the “gear gauge.” Partisans are quicker than the sword and can hit surrounding enemies.
- Launchers, it is heavier than the assault rifle, so you can’t move and shoot at the same time. Its projectiles can give explosive damage.
- Talis (Cards), like a shooting weapon, you can just throw it to give damage. Or, you can throw it and cast technics off of it.
- Mags, an artificial life form that grows up when you feed it items. It can attack enemies directly if it becomes a “Striking” type Mag. If it is a “Range” type mag, it can shoot from a distance from the player’s position. It can offer support to the player too. Actions can be added by specific conditions with an item called “Device.”
- Photon Blasts, by filling the blast gauge, mags can transform into a mythical beast and fight alongside with the player.

Another new element is the Story, so let’s look at our first glimpse of a story character.



When she appears, she says some strange mysterious things to the player.  You can see her talking within these screenshots but her speech is  slightly odd. She entrusts the player with something called a “Matter Board”, this thing seems to be important in advancing the story.



Her voice actor is Megumi Ogata, she’s best known for playing Shinji in Evangelion. More voice actors will be introduced at the media briefing.

http://bumped.org/psublog/phantasy-star-online-2-our-first-story-character-reveal/

[ezodagrom]

Just finished watching the 2nd media briefing, since I don't know japanese, I couldn't understand alot of it, but here's a few tidbits from the briefing.
- The game is going to be released for the PC, PSVita and Smartphones (iOS and Android).
- The smartphone version is going to use data from the PC/Vita versions, but seems like it's either a separate game, or something that focus just on the social aspects (checking email and player shop?).
- All versions are going to be free to play with free client download. There's going to be microtransactions (Arks Cash).
- Closed Beta test applications are going to start being accepted tomorrow.
- Character Creator is going to be available on April 5th (no idea if it'll only be accessible by accepted beta players or everyone).
- Closed Beta test is going to start in the 2nd half of April.

Probably tomorrow there should be more detailed articles about the briefing, I'll post here with more info then. And now, I'm going to sleep. :>