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View Full Version : Next Phantasy star needs to go back to basics



stalkernight
Jun 9, 2008, 09:19 PM
I know everyone wants a super next gen PS game next time around.
However I really think if sega does this they are going to destroy PS as a online game series forever.
PS can simply not compete with modern online RPGs especially now that they are going to consoles, by the time the next PSO game is released games like age of conan, DC universe online, the agency, champions online and many more will be out on consoles.

I really believe that the only way PSO can survive is to go back to basics and become a simple online hack and slash again.

For starters make the graphics highly stylised and simple, this would make new content incredibly easy to create and release quickly.
Scrap everything apart from mags, no crafting or anything complicated etc.
have varied areas connected to a central hub so that any level can easily be accessed within seconds of logging on.
have a good pvp system in place.
keep only three classes in first release of hunter, ranger and force and release new classes though content packs.
make everything less complicated no ranks for missions or PAs just attacks and spells that level up as your character does.
Make it very easy to pick up find a team and play for 10minutes in quick bursts.
no big story mode.


The big thing would be to release it only as a downloadable game onto the Playstation and xbox stores aswell as pc, no boxed version.
Have no suscription fee but release new content packs every few months.
content packs could include new area with missions, clothes packs etc.
To give people reasions to buy the packs aswell each would include new items and raise level cap though settings for example, the game would ship with level 1-50 but would cap your character at 50 unless you bought a content pack etc.

Because the graphics would be stylised and simple it would also be possible to release it as a boxed game for the wii and PS2 and simply release content discs with the downloadable content on much like guitar hero does.
So PS2 players of universe who cant afford a next gen console wouldnt have to miss out.

This is the way forward for PSO even though it goes away from what people think they want.
It would generate amazing revenue for sega along with keeping PSO as a viable online game as many many people would buy it on the stores since it would have no suscription fee and they can choose what content packs to buy.
It would also mean many wouldnt mind buying it even if they play or pay for other online suscription based games.
It can survive much like the wii has in the console wars by being everyones second online console game.

I know many here will not want anything like this because as fans you want to see it moving forward but the simple fact is nomatter what sega cant make a true next gen online game that will compete with the big boys of online games.
As a downloadable simple online game though with no suscription fees and quick play gameplay many more would open there wallets and play it.

chaoskila
Jun 9, 2008, 09:33 PM
pvp lol
segac lol
new areas lol
i miss regular pso...

Elley
Jun 9, 2008, 09:33 PM
The next Phantasy Star game should be a true MMORPG. Huge overworld to explore with instancing ala WoW. That would be amazing.

Omega_Weltall
Jun 9, 2008, 09:33 PM
i still want my turnbased Phantasy Star 5 :(

furrypaws
Jun 9, 2008, 09:40 PM
EDIT: I should read over my posts before I post thm. This isn't meant to sound so mean, it's just it pretty much sounds like you want Sega to rerelease PSU and start all over from the beginning or remake PSO, neither of which I want to see.
DOUBLE EDIT: Now I feel really bad about my post. I think I'll just omit it.

Realmz
Jun 9, 2008, 09:52 PM
The next Phantasy Star game should be a true MMORPG. Huge overworld to explore with instancing ala WoW. That would be amazing.

While I like the idea of the over world, I don't think an online Phantasy Star game would work well with that, personally. The way I’d do it, is get rid of missions all together, and have several cities on a planet (or planets) that players can start in and wot wot.

You can then go, with a party of solo out of the city into your own instanced world, full of monsters and entrances to other cities. No more of this block 1 block2 stuff, one huge world, with Dungeon entrances and monsters roaming around in areas that make sense.

Such as, say you find yourself in a huge plain, and overhead you see the obligatory Dragon for this area. Have your ranger shoot at it to get its attention and down it comes to try and crush you underfoot. Boss battles are gone, instead it's much more of a pick and choose your fights kind of game.

At least until you get into animals habitats. The further you and your friends venture into that forest, the more and more monsters are going to actively attack you instead of just waiting around doing their own things.

Story wise I’d probably have a short offline game to explain the state of the world, but past that everything is online, also adding in story missions that would probably function much like PSU does now.

I'd probably still have normal missions, but more like side quest missions in traditional RPGs, someone might say that they need a few dragon talons. You get some buddies and go hunt some dragons and bring them back to him. No cluttered mission panel for this either, it’s all just conversation anyway.

While getting rid of some of these main stays of dungeon crawls, I’d also like to bring back some other things, such as getting rid of the in game map. Build the worlds in such a way as to have landmarks for players to follow and make note of. You know where the cave with the giant crabs are, because “that big rock is over there, with those weird looking trees next to it, so if I go that way there will be the cave entrance” Remind players that they can always make their own maps for the worlds if they wish, but try to make everything in a way that after a little while it becomes second nature.

just my take on it

Zorafim
Jun 9, 2008, 09:55 PM
How is going back one game in a twenty year old series going back to the basics? And how is PSU different from what you just said?

Juza
Jun 9, 2008, 10:39 PM
I really believe that the only way PSO can survive is to go back to basics and become a simple online hack and slash again.


have a good pvp system in place.


Basically, turn the franchise into something that will be absolutely slaughtered by the billions of mass-produced Korean games now available.

PS can never go back to PSO. PSO was remedial Diablo (nao with 3dz!1111111) at best. It filled a niche that was sorely lacking at that time; that niche is now filled to the brim and overflowing - and even PSU isn't anywhere near the top of the exploding masses. Guild Wars, for example (which PSU bears a striking resemblance to, come to think of it), is now officially ancient(tm) and kicks PSU's butt ten ways from Sunday, population wise.

And PvP and PvE do not mix. You cannot balance races and classes against brainless NPCs AND other players. The online gaming community has been trying for decades. Yes, decades - before the rise of graphical online games. It doesn't work. At best, you get awesome PvP and rather crappy PvE. (See GW, DAoC, and as I expect, WHO.) Not that I wouldn't mind awesome PvP and crappy PvE. As long as I get to jab a claw into Hahn's squishy insides. >D

I don't trust Sonic Team to blend PvP and PvE and have it come off as anything other than steaming poo, unfortunately.

I'd love to see ST try a real MMOG, but I doubt their ability to deliver, to be honest. A full-scale MMOG requires content. Not that PSU isn't a far cry from PSO's complete lack thereof, but as things stand now, ST could not deliver a competetive MMOG.

My advice to ST? Go back to PS. Hire or kidnap a good writer, and bring us a glorious story we have not seen since End of the Millenium. Or preferably PS II, since EotM was far, far too short. Go completely crazy on graphics, character customization, whatever. Order any staff member uttering the words, "But what about online?!" to commit seppuku. Bring us the old school RPG of the century, and rake in the cash.

(Then expand your staff by several orders of magnitude and return to online gaming, with the money and resources to be competative.)

Shinko
Jun 9, 2008, 10:44 PM
Just no. I sry i just don't agree with this. Going back to the basic would only make old players of pso happy. That's not good you always want to try to stick with the times and get as many players as you can.

Now let say a 12 year old kid or better yet lets say 18 year old wants an online game. This is his 1st time playing online games so he unsure what to get. he pick up your verson of the new Phantasy star and then pick up some other online game. He looks at the Phantasy star one and think meh... it's looks just ok but it seem very easy to play and he like that. but then i see that this other one is more challenging, better graphic, better gameplay, more features, and most of my friend who are online have to one already.

Which one you think he'll most like get. Yea granted some would still get your version of Phantasy star because some ppl do just like it simple but most ppl would get the more advance online game one.

lolURISH
Jun 9, 2008, 11:02 PM
We already saw how turn based pso went. cards = no thanks.
the whole not having to load through zones would be nice but not possible since PSO doesnt really take place on one planet. Episode 1-Universe didn't stay on one planet, why would the next?
also adding PA's, Crafting, expansive online story mode, etc made it so people didn't feel so compelled to just go out and GRIND CONSTANTLY.
one of the things I hated the most about 1/2 is the fact that that was the only thing to do, or piping.(and there wasnt any frosting included ;___;.)
ST was right in keeping the simplistic battle engine that made 1//2 a blast and yet adding onto it in the form of specialized attacks, and yet adding an amazing large amount of things to do in the newest installment.
Segac got it Right Finally. Possibly.
And I hope the only thing they change about the next installment is adding a ST US/EU branch so that way We don't feel like the bastard child of the servers.

Complex_Jao
Jun 10, 2008, 01:07 AM
The next Phantasy Star game should be a true MMORPG. Huge overworld to explore with instancing ala WoW. That would be amazing.
i can only dream of an open world Phantasy Star...

ThEoRy
Jun 10, 2008, 01:30 AM
There are so many things wrong with this topic I don't even know where to begin. Let me just bow out of this one gracefully.

Maskim
Jun 10, 2008, 01:41 AM
How is going back one game in a twenty year old series going back to the basics?

This...


i still want my turnbased Phantasy Star 5 :(

...and this.

Need a PS5, which gives some official story linkage between the classics and the new generation of Phantasy Stars.

Shinko
Jun 10, 2008, 03:17 AM
There are so many things wrong with this topic I don't even know where to begin. Let me just bow out of this one gracefully.

lol sry i just had to laugh and reply to this

Iduno
Jun 10, 2008, 03:49 AM
We already saw how turn based pso went. cards = no thanks.
the whole not having to load through zones would be nice but not possible since PSO doesnt really take place on one planet. Episode 1-Universe didn't stay on one planet, why would the next?
also adding PA's, Crafting, expansive online story mode, etc made it so people didn't feel so compelled to just go out and GRIND CONSTANTLY.
one of the things I hated the most about 1/2 is the fact that that was the only thing to do, or piping.(and there wasnt any frosting included ;___;.)
ST was right in keeping the simplistic battle engine that made 1//2 a blast and yet adding onto it in the form of specialized attacks, and yet adding an amazing large amount of things to do in the newest installment.
Segac got it Right Finally. Possibly.
And I hope the only thing they change about the next installment is adding a ST US/EU branch so that way We don't feel like the bastard child of the servers.

Actualy I rather liked Episode 3 lol (was offline on it though)

And I think this could work, if viewed for what it would be ie. A cheap downloadable game with a bit of lasting value.

I lose count of how many cheap games I download on the XBL arcade and would really like to see one with the kind of lasting value (and support) the OP is suggesting and if they get the pricing for the expansions right I would happily drop a few pounds on it every now and then. (also that works better then a subscription since if your not too bothered about an update you dont need to pay for it)

Sure it wouldnt be the next big thing but hell people still play marble blast ultra and other downloadable games so why not?

sikotic_demon
Jun 10, 2008, 04:20 AM
ok i have to ask...... was this supposed to be a topic on how to murder the phantsy star games?


no loading screens would be nice....

open world, pvp,hack-n-slash....keep that crap for another game. ill take the timing based system we have now.
i played pso probably far too much on the dc and it was no hack-n-slash game.
open world and picking your own battles dont work either that would make this just a rip off of wow.
give back the original mags from ver1 & 2. though i dont like it keep the online fees just give us what we pay for (protection from hackers, good maps/drops, more in depth things we can do to make our charecters more uinque instead of what little we have now etc....)
make each boss totaly diffrent (no more lazy re skins) that might keep people from doing like they do now..... white beast is like crack to some.... they just dont know when to quit running it....
keep doing the events and seasonal lobby things but give us a more diverse city and maybe even a better story where you can take you offline charecter online....... drop in drop out online play make it as seemless as possable.....

ill probly catch a lil flack for not wanting the super simple game that some do but i like my psu the way it is...

redroses
Jun 10, 2008, 05:11 AM
I don't know...but your Idea makes me think you want a Word of Warcraft PSU version or something. Sorry, but all your suggestions sound like you took them out of WoW, doesn't even have to do much with PSO.
I am really temted to say go play WoW :/

I like the way PSU is because it's different from other online games. I like all the options and classes and everything we have. It would be nice if the levels were more build up like on PSO that we could have missions with longer blocks that would change every block but also still missions like we have now, for those that only want to do a couple missions quick or something.

I also sure don't want to run to the game store every two months because a new content expansion came out. And I don't feel like having over 9000 CD's laying around like with the Sims (the reason why I stopped playing the Sims :/ you need a whole PC alone for all the Sims expansionslol).

Realmz
Jun 10, 2008, 06:00 AM
i rather liked my ideas =\

Weeaboolits
Jun 10, 2008, 06:22 AM
They could just make a game that plays the way they made it sound like PSU would, then give it the style of the previous games, then it would be awesome.

Vent
Jun 10, 2008, 06:31 AM
PSU lacks something PSO had, sure, but what exactly? You can point out some bad parts of the game, but you can do that just for PSO. The argument that people are running the same mission over and over again is pointless, people spammed TTF or Desert runs in PSO too, isn't that the same?

I say it's more a mental thing than a quality issue. PSO was unique compared to other games at his time. Not to mention that is was the first online game (iirc) on a console. So the first impression was amazing and I think that is what kept PSO alive.

redroses
Jun 10, 2008, 06:47 AM
i rather liked my ideas =

If you meant me, my post was directed at the Original Post >_< sorry about the confusion.

Weeaboolits
Jun 10, 2008, 06:52 AM
PSU lacks something PSO had, sure, but what exactly?Style.

Aside from that, the gameplay itself isn't bad, my main gripes are the lack of unique missions (though some of the old ver1 missions are pretty neat), weapon variety, art direction, and some balancing issues.

Vent
Jun 10, 2008, 06:53 AM
Style.

I might agree with you if you explained exactly what that is.

furrypaws
Jun 10, 2008, 07:39 AM
I might agree with you if you explained exactly what that is.

The ability to spend 500 hours on a character and have it flushed down the toilet with a pretty little buzzing sound. ;)

Cracka_J
Jun 10, 2008, 09:17 AM
I say it's more a mental thing than a quality issue. PSO was unique compared to other games at his time. Not to mention that is was the first online game (iirc) on a console. So the first impression was amazing and I think that is what kept PSO alive.

Truth. There was a bit of ST magic in PSO that made it special, but the big issue of "why pso is so great" is because it was different from everything else in it's time. Actually, a lot of people fail to see that PSU is the same way, because, well, there's so many cookie cutter mmo games out there...and it's hard for the average gamer to distinguish which is which from surface play alone.

Going "back to basics" won't keep this series alive. They need to evolve and innovate, two words the current sega seems mortified to even mention. I want this series to stick around, but I do not want to spend $50 on a game I played 10 years ago just for nostalgia's sake. If I was into that type of shyt, I'd buy a new copy of "dat madden" every year. That's not what I want PS to become.

Innovation and creativity brought the fans to PS and PSO in the first place. If they ever want to re-establish the series, they will have to innovate, evolve and be creative again. I don't want a cookie cutter game, I want a unique experience. Going "back to basics" will not solve anything.

Akaimizu
Jun 10, 2008, 09:37 AM
The ability to spend 500 hours on a character and have it flushed down the toilet with a pretty little buzzing sound. ;)

Nah, that isn't it. The definition of this ability is.......

NOL - The ability to spend countless hours on a character and have it flushed down the toilet. PSO's greatest hacker threat.

Just one of the things I'm thankful for with PSU's server-side decision.

Weeaboolits
Jun 10, 2008, 09:55 AM
I might agree with you if you explained exactly what that is.General aesthetic and atmosphere.

Akaimizu
Jun 10, 2008, 10:00 AM
I think this game has plenty of style and atmosphere in the weapons/items/and even character department. Though I guess the variety of outfits does make it a little less concentrated than before.

The biggest aspect in which I believe style was dropped for very typical presentation would be menus (both HUD menus and other menus). Most of those are very standard looking instead of the wickedly sci-fi look given to menus like in PSO. (While I don't appreciate how much of the screen some of those PSO menus took, the general artistic look of them was unique).

panzer_unit
Jun 10, 2008, 10:26 AM
PSU needs:

* more Sci-Fi clothes that look like military or paramilitary gear. Characters are supposed to be part of some fighting force, right? Instead it looks like a gaggle of teens headed to a dance club (at best) or fetish party (at worst, but only morally)
* more Party and Event missions. The three Party missions plus the old Firebreak stuff were amazing in terms of PSU gameplay. The team has to co-ordinate, split up, use fancy SEED-erasing equipment etc. They're not shy about throwing in buffed max-level monsters that actually give players a run for their money. They're not shy about time limits and interesting mission objectives. All good stuff.
* get rid of all the missions where every block is the same area, there should be some sense of travelling from place to place. Crimson Beast, you go from inside the relics to raffon meadows. Lightning Beasts, you go back and forth between street level and inside buildings
* good loot drops in every mission
* drop-only A/B/C rank equipment in lower rank missions
* PVE missions with striker tanks
* PVP ARENA WITH STRIKER TANKS
* fly a spaceship!

RemiusTA
Jun 10, 2008, 10:40 AM
I know everyone wants a super next gen PS game next time around.
However I really think if sega does this they are going to destroy PS as a online game series forever.
PS can simply not compete with modern online RPGs especially now that they are going to consoles, by the time the next PSO game is released games like age of conan, DC universe online, the agency, champions online and many more will be out on consoles.

I really believe that the only way PSO can survive is to go back to basics and become a simple online hack and slash again.

For starters make the graphics highly stylised and simple, this would make new content incredibly easy to create and release quickly.
Scrap everything apart from mags, no crafting or anything complicated etc.
have varied areas connected to a central hub so that any level can easily be accessed within seconds of logging on.
have a good pvp system in place.
keep only three classes in first release of hunter, ranger and force and release new classes though content packs.
make everything less complicated no ranks for missions or PAs just attacks and spells that level up as your character does.
Make it very easy to pick up find a team and play for 10minutes in quick bursts.
no big story mode.


The big thing would be to release it only as a downloadable game onto the Playstation and xbox stores aswell as pc, no boxed version.
Have no suscription fee but release new content packs every few months.
content packs could include new area with missions, clothes packs etc.
To give people reasions to buy the packs aswell each would include new items and raise level cap though settings for example, the game would ship with level 1-50 but would cap your character at 50 unless you bought a content pack etc.

Because the graphics would be stylised and simple it would also be possible to release it as a boxed game for the wii and PS2 and simply release content discs with the downloadable content on much like guitar hero does.
So PS2 players of universe who cant afford a next gen console wouldnt have to miss out.

This is the way forward for PSO even though it goes away from what people think they want.
It would generate amazing revenue for sega along with keeping PSO as a viable online game as many many people would buy it on the stores since it would have no suscription fee and they can choose what content packs to buy.
It would also mean many wouldnt mind buying it even if they play or pay for other online suscription based games.
It can survive much like the wii has in the console wars by being everyones second online console game.

I know many here will not want anything like this because as fans you want to see it moving forward but the simple fact is nomatter what sega cant make a true next gen online game that will compete with the big boys of online games.
As a downloadable simple online game though with no suscription fees and quick play gameplay many more would open there wallets and play it.

You want them to create a game as similar to PSO as you remembered.

You fail to realize that a game of that caliber will NEVER sell in 2008, let alone 2004. This is no different than the 100 million "PSO FER WII"/"BRING PSO BACK SEGA PETITION" topics back in PSO General.

PSU is the new PSO. End of story. There is nothing wrong with PSU, so much as wrong with Sega. So, if you ask for Sega to "Go back to basics", that is just an excuse for them to hand you complete and total bullshit for a game.

Just look at the Sonic community. They've been asking Sega to take Sonic "back to basics" for years now, and time and time again they fuck it up.


The PSU graphical style is as stylized as something from the Kingdom Hearts series. The only reason they dont completely fit together correctly is becuase this game started development sometime in the early 2000's and was released a little over a year ago.

There is nothing wrong with PSU visually. This game was designed by the exact same designers who worked on PSO. The only reason PSO "Felt" better graphically is because its graphics were described as "AMAZING BEAUTIFUL" back then.

About the music of this game, it was composed by the same composer(s) who worked on PSO, except they split them up between the planets. (which was retarded.)

Fumie Kumatani (JGR/JSRF/Sonic games and Sonic Adventure series, PSO) and Hideaki Kobayashi (PSO) were responsible for the music in this game. So really can blame nobody but SEGA for their work. Either they were told to use a different style than they are used to. Hideaki Kobayashi really did a horrible job with most of the Parum music, except for the mellow/fast tracks that hes good at like the relics and Scarred Planet. So you can notice that he really is only good at doing the music hes traditionally used to making.

ThePendragon
Jun 10, 2008, 10:41 AM
PSO was decent for it's time. Compared to PSU it's ass.

Weeaboolits
Jun 10, 2008, 10:57 AM
Not just talking about PSO, the original Phantasy Star games as well. PSU was supposed to be going back to its classic roots, but, aside from a few parallels and name drops, it's a bit lacking.

Why not make PSU versions of some of there PSIV monsters (http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/genesis/ps4/monsters.shtml)?

They fully shoulda made Grass Assassins throw blades at us like Locusta did.

PSIV's cast was a crapton more interesting than PSU's as well.

RemiusTA
Jun 10, 2008, 11:04 AM
Not just talking about PSO, the original Phantasy Star games as well. PSU was supposed to be going back to its classic roots, but, aside from a few parallels and name drops, it's a bit lacking.

No, it WASNT.

GOD DAMN, WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP SAYING THIS STUPID SHIT.

PSU =/= PSO =/= PSVI,III,II,I.

Fucking stop saying that. Its a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME, which is why it ISNT called Phantasy Star, and it ISNT called Phantasy Star Online.


Phantasy Star IV and Phantasy Star Universe have absolutely NOTHING in common. Similarities in names, yes. Enemy designs, maybe. Gameplay and storyline, NO.

Why is that so hard to understand? PSO players keep coming to PSU to find a PSOv3, and that is NOT what it is. Jesus.

Weeaboolits
Jun 10, 2008, 11:10 AM
No, it WASNT.

GOD DAMN, WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP SAYING THIS STUPID SHIT.

PSU =/= PSO =/= PSVI,III,II,I.

Fucking stop saying that. Its a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME, which is why it ISNT called Phantasy Star, and it ISNT called Phantasy Star Online.


Why is that so hard to understand? PSO players keep coming to PSU to find a PSOv3, and that is NOT what it is. Jesus.Yes it was, the developers straight up said it flat out in an interview while the game was in development, hence the 3 planets (Algol had 3, with similar names no less).

And pay attention, I didn't say it was supposed to be a damn remake, but kind of get back to its roots a little bit.

Realmz
Jun 10, 2008, 11:25 AM
to me "going back to the basics" is like saying "i can't think of something new"

i haven't played any of the older PS games, just PSO (and some of it's other incarnations) and PSU. I don't know about some of you, but after a while the dungeon crawl that is PSO/PSU wares me down, and i need a break. Thats why in my post i tried to put in things that i think would be cool to have in a game like an online Phantasy Star. Personally i just think the games need more of what they have. Bigger areas, more monsters, more methods of travel. At it's core theres really not much wrong with PSU.

Bring in monsters we've seen from other games, sure, to my understanding that's one of the mainstays of Phantasy Star, you get some old monsters that people liked (or hated i suppose) along with a bunch of new ones, thats fine. Bosses that play like a previous games boss, sure! again throwbacks to previous games are nice tidbits for the older players. Just don't make the same damn game over and over like Final Fantasy.

Vent
Jun 10, 2008, 11:29 AM
Yes it was, the developers straight up said it flat out in an interview while the game was in development, hence the 3 planets (Algol had 3, with similar names no less).

And pay attention, I didn't say it was supposed to be a damn remake, but kind of get back to its roots a little bit.

They definitely failed that aspect. I haven't played PS classic, but I doubt I need to to understand that you don't go back to the roots if you add all those fancy stuff like synthesizing.

PSU doesn't have a exaggerated style. That I can agree on. PSO had the real sci-fi feeling, but aren't those styles getting a bit cliche? Although I can't say I like PSU's atmosphere too, but I can't put my finger on why.

I think PSU needs an innovation on missions, not keeping all the interesting missions for events. MAG was comparable with an Endless Nightmare mission. If you look at all the missions available now. You'll see that only the Guardian Branch missions are different. So I'd say make cool missions where you actually need to do your best to finish it, instead of mindless PA spamming. Maybe even make the 'normal' missions no missions anymore, but just a 'free field' stage like PSO had. It will make the 'boring missions' different than running the more interesting missions.

Yusaku_Kudou
Jun 10, 2008, 11:42 AM
Yes, I agree next PS needs to be truly MMO. We also need separate PS single-player games. But keep MMO PS story-oriented a la FFXI.

Ryosuke_Kura
Jun 10, 2008, 11:42 AM
Phantasy Star only needs to improve from what we have now for its next-gen version.


IMPROVE THE ANIMATION

Let each rank of weapon have a different animation, and that the animations on higher ranks will not only look cooler, but be better then the C rank you had.
Not only for the normal attacks, but make the PA you use on a A rank weapon be better, stronger, and cooler looking on a S rank weapon.

Also animation improvement in other areas (I'm not gonna type all that out though)


BRING GRAPHICS AND DETAIL UP

They don't have to be WOW AMAZING!!!!! Bring them to a point that the game can run smooth, but still be nice looking.

Better involvment with the evironment.
For example, if you knock a enemy in the water, the water reacts to the impact.
Another example, being slammed into walls, and causing cracks in it.


VARITEY OUTSIDE OF MISSIONS

As in races, casino, and a mini game room with different things like photon bowling. =]


NO LOADING

I'm sure, there must be some loading or atleast very little.
I'm not sure what the transition would be like going from planet to planet without a quick
loading screen. (What we have now.)

Once you're on the planet/colony though, it's virtually no loading at all.

As for missions, when you start let it be one big area.
Like someone else said (not sure who) with no blocks.


MORE CONTENT (and consistent updates/service)

Clothes, weapons, items, etc...


MORE DIVERSITY

Monsters
Bosses
Missions

Weeaboolits
Jun 10, 2008, 11:48 AM
PSU tries too hard to comply to the styles of each planet and manufacturer, sometimes this ends up creating an undesirable result.

Also the planets' styles are kind of uninventive, neudaiz is like some sort of neofuedal japan, moatoob is a big ball of dirt, and parum's just kind of there.

A lot of it though is things seem to be on template, there's little uniqueness between weapons, why not make certain weapons better for certain arts? Like have Ruby bullet give a small elemental modifier bonus if you use fire, or revive Psycho Wand's boost to Ra level techs, maybe give certain striking weapons a boost on a particular skill? I'd like to see a difference between the weapons aside from just their render model and stats.

Shinko
Jun 10, 2008, 12:01 PM
Phantasy Star only needs to improve from what we have now for its next-gen version.


IMPROVE THE ANIMATION

Let each rank of weapon have a different animation, and that the animations on higher ranks will not only look cooler, but be better then the C rank you had.
Not only for the normal attacks, but make the PA you use on a A rank weapon be better, stronger, and cooler looking on a S rank weapon.

Also animation improvement in other areas (I'm not gonna type all that out though)


BRING GRAPHICS AND DETAIL UP

They don't have to be WOW AMAZING!!!!! Bring them to a point that the game can run smooth, but still be nice looking.

Better involvment with the evironment.
For example, if you knock a enemy in the water, the water reacts to the impact.
Another example, being slammed into walls, and causing cracks in it.


VARITEY OUTSIDE OF MISSIONS

As in races, casino, and a mini game room with different things like photon bowling. =]


NO LOADING

I'm sure, there must be some loading or atleast very little.
I'm not sure what the transition would be like going from planet to planet without a quick
loading screen. (What we have now.)

Once you're on the planet/colony though, it's virtually no loading at all.

As for missions, when you start let it be one big area.
Like someone else said (not sure who) with no blocks.


MORE CONTENT (and consistent updates/service)

Clothes, weapons, items, etc...


MORE DIVERSITY

Monsters
Bosses
Missions

yea yeah and yes. This is what i been trying to say. it need to get with the times. It needs to adopt to the new-gen systems and what's in now. Now saying that can't be different. yea they can still do that but they have to do it in a way that stick with the new

Vent
Jun 10, 2008, 12:07 PM
Like have Ruby bullet give a small elemental modifier bonus if you use fire, or revive Psycho Wand's boost to Ra level techs, maybe give certain striking weapons a boost on a particular skill? I'd like to see a difference between the weapons aside from just their render model and stats.

Ah yes, that would be great. PSO's weapons were really interesting because of that. Although I doubt it will happen anytime soon, but it's really possible. The pace we're getting new weapons is really slow. Sweet Death and Crea-weapons come to mind when it comes down to weapons that have special abilities..

lostinseganet
Jun 10, 2008, 12:16 PM
"have a good pvp system in place"

NUUUOE's!+1 What they should focus on is the social aspect of the fighting. Fighting enemies don't need to be hard they just need to be a means to need other people. They need to have more than 6 players interacting. If you look at lobbies many more than that talk and interact. They need to get people interacting and reacting to some kind of stimulus. Cooperative Play should always stay with phantasy star.

Kylie
Jun 10, 2008, 12:39 PM
People must be really tired of PSU with all this "next Phantasy Star" talk lately. Anyway, why couldn't they keep up with all the next-gen MMORPG's? I think they could manage a decent title. Then again, I'd probably choose The Sims 3 over PSU 2 or 3 (or whatever) if it was an MMO, but yeah... If they couldn't compete, I highly doubt "going back to basics" would help them any (if people really are going to be all over the fresh stuff).

Shishi-O
Jun 10, 2008, 04:05 PM
The next Phantasy Star game should be a true MMORPG. Huge overworld to explore with instancing ala WoW. That would be amazing.exactly.

How about a personalized skill tree?

No skill cap, but constantly refinable skills?

No lvl cap, but lvlz that take effort to attain?

In the real world all skills/ jobs improve/ qualify me for the next lvl of job,... Why not here?

Why can't I be an elite guardian? To reflect how much of a life I don't have?

Why can't I lvl all classes and subtlely have all my stats improved for it?

What's the point of ecelling if a noob can have everything u have from 1 event?

All this doesn't have to be over the top, but it would kill most complaints

Abashi76
Jun 10, 2008, 05:18 PM
The next Phantasy Star game should be a true MMORPG. Huge overworld to explore with instancing ala WoW. That would be amazing.

Good idea, that maybe would be the way to go, just keep the instant action gameplay.

Realmz
Jun 10, 2008, 06:27 PM
Good idea, that maybe would be the way to go, just keep the instant action gameplay.

huge overworld with instant action gameplay? the general idea of a large world is so that players explore it, the two generally can't be done well together.

perhaps i should revise and restate my idea, since it seems no one has read it haha

Ryosuke_Kura
Jun 10, 2008, 06:43 PM
huge overworld with instant action gameplay? the general idea of a large world is so that players explore it, the two generally can't be done well together.

perhaps i should revise and restate my idea, since it seems no one has read it haha


I read it.
Your idea reminded me of Monster Hunter
(PSU in general reminds me of Monster Hunter though).

Basically you said (I hope ^^; ) how we can have more options of what to do in a mission/area.
Instead of a linear a path, we have a huge area to roam, and we decide what we want to do.

Which I kinda like, but I think Sonic Team should just vastly improve upon what we have now ( stated in my earlier post.)

Doing what you said (if I was correct on that ^^) would really be changing the way PSU would be played.


Then again they could make the starting point a path to different areas.
Let's uses Parum for this example.

You start the mission which is one huge level with 3 different paths to different areas.
Ones path leads to the meadows, the next leads to a more forested area, and the last leads to a mountainous area with
the dragons lair.

You can go any path, and go kill the enemies for the items you want.
If you want mission points and meseta though, you have to complete the mission you selected.

Realmz
Jun 10, 2008, 07:38 PM
I read it.
Your idea reminded me of Monster Hunter
(PSU in general reminds me of Monster Hunter though).

Basically you said (I hope ^^; ) how we can have more options of what to do in a mission/area.
Instead of a linear a path, we have a huge area to roam, and we decide what we want to do.

Which I kinda like, but I think Sonic Team should just vastly improve upon what we have now ( stated in my earlier post.)

Doing what you said (if I was correct on that ^^) would really be changing the way PSU would be played.


Then again they could make the starting point a path to different areas.
Let's uses Parum for this example.

You start the mission which is one huge level with 3 different paths to different areas.
Ones path leads to the meadows, the next leads to a more forested area, and the last leads to a mountainous area with
the dragons lair.

You can go any path, and go kill the enemies for the items you want.
If you want mission points and meseta though, you have to complete the mission you selected.

more or less the idea yeah. with added stuff like vehicles for getting around areas and cities, and being able to bring like ten players in one party.

of course to go along with this monster difficulty would scale up as well, since in my version we will have more or less done away with the whole "kill everything, door unlocks" mechanic (except maybe in an actual dungeon area) if you don't want to fight something that wants to fight you, hope onto your air board, or floader or whatever and get the hell outta there.

I've never actually played Monster Hunter, but from the movies and such i've seen of it, it does look rather like what i thought up here.

the only real play changes i actually see in my idea is the exclusion of a Map for players, and them having to get used to the land to tell where they are going. But most of everything would be more for giving the player a better sense of the world they are on actually being alive, and real, instead of a bunch of blocks with monsters that poof into the room, thats something i always hated about PSO and PSU.

but yeah basically, more of everything, and less less less loading screens, perferably none at all, one thing i always like in games is the feeling that i've actually gone someplace, instead of just appearing in an area (moving from one city to another, or planet to planet, ect. is fine, since it'll be a cinematic of the ship taking off and landing)

game concepts tend to be a big thing with me actually. I tend to not be able to come up with something right out of the blue, but i'd like to think i can get some good ideas on how to improve a game (hell the people on the Space Cowboy boards seemed to like my ideas, even if we all knew they'd never be put in)

RemiusTA
Jun 10, 2008, 08:06 PM
someone here said it, when they said "Going back to basics" is another way of saying "im all out of ideas".

Thats such a cheep way out. EVERYBODY is "going back to basics".

Proff
Jun 10, 2008, 08:24 PM
My biggest gripe with PSU vs PSO is that many of the PSU missions have no sense of exploration. In PSO, I felt like I was actually exploring the Forest or the Ruins, while I made sure to activate the three columns.

In PSU, sure you run faster, but you're running through ginormous rooms/areas where you'll only fight one or two mobs and it's usually just a handful of enemies. Demons Above comes to mind. Huge blocks with only a handful of mobs. In PSO, one "room" would keep you busy for a few minutes while you fought several waves of more diversified mobs. So yeah, it's great that I run so much faster but I'll be damned if I'm not running 10 times as far between planets, colonies, hives, lobbies, rooms, and unnecessarily huge mission blocks.

In PSO, I liked how you could fight several types of enemies at one time. In PSU, one block will never have more than 3 enemies. If you fight Distova, Koltova, and Polty in the first room of Block 2, then those 3 enemies are all you're fighting until Block 3. So the repetition hits harder in PSU for me.

PSU just stretches and stretches everything out that it's just plain fucking annoying. Do we really need multiple versions of most missions? Why 2 Mushroom Forests? Why is there that stupid Raffon mission before the De Ragan one that nobody even runs? Why so many fucking lobbies? As if it we weren't already stretched all across a big empty solar system. Most of the lobbies look just like the god damned mission I just ran anyway. Two lobbies per planet (not counting the city) would be plenty, assuming you did away with the "same mission as De Ragan but no boss" missions.

I also miss the tons of unique weapons, shields, armors (with animations!) mags, etc. PSU did good with the huge variety of clothing though; something PSO could have definitely used. I'd also say that, for the most part, PSU's combat is better too.

Manticore
Jun 10, 2008, 08:31 PM
I would be happy if the next PS game was SOLID. thats all I ask. ._.
thats where I think PSU falls apart. PSO is SOLID, it feels SOLID, Like an old Oak coffee table.
PSU on the other hand, does not feel SOLID, PSU feels like Suedo Stylish Furnature you would buy at the DOLLAR STORE that falls apart when you try and move it.

android 007.5
Jun 10, 2008, 08:35 PM
I feel the game should have more detail to little things. Such as water effects, being able to

tell if the wind is blowing. Being able to create a character in so much detail that you would

not run into your twin. "that pisses me off more than anything" Make haveing a weapon have

meaning. not because only your character class can use it but because you had a part of your

say so in the weapon. Kinda like The Elder scroll did but better. I would like to have

individualism in this game more than anying. Being able to pick your group of friends out of a

crowd would be the next best thing for psu.

Zorafim
Jun 10, 2008, 09:36 PM
What's wrong with going back to the basics? FFXI did it, and I love it for it. It went back to the pre-PSX FF job system, but added its own touches. It went back to the overworld with scattered towns, and it felt incredibly immersive. It went back to dangerous caves and dungeons, with useful treasures. It was like playing FFI, with its own twist. That's what I wanted from PSU.

I wanted to see a game where the original series was seen in every day game life, while keeping and expanding upon everything that made PSO great. Frankly, I got a taste of this, and it tasted sweet.
The multiple planets were a great touch. There are three distinct cultures in Gurhal, each with their own problems and styles. This felt similar to how going from one planet to another in the original series felt like huge changes in areas. Having distinct jobs made it feel like you filled a particular slot in a party, instead of doing everything and focusing on one thing (as much as I fought against the idea of losing my techs). I even saw some of the characters come back as classes or clothing styles.

I don't like how they integrated some things from the elder series into this one, however. For instance, I barely caught the connection to Nei and Neifirst between Merei and Karen. That was just tacked on, almost as an afterthought. There are also instances where characters are modeled after elder series characters, being put in circumstances that are just awkward. The game should definitely have its own story and characters. Though a nudge or inspiration from the older games can be appreciated, it has to be more subtle.


Again, I believe FFXI made a perfect balance between old and new. They took many attractive things from the old series, and expanded upon them. However, they didn't directly copy each thing. Yes, they copy-pasted many old jobs, but the combat system was completely different from what was seen before. They kept many of the story elements, but it was so different it was its own story line. It was its own little world, inspired by the older series and expanded upon what made it work, yet completely different at the same time. If this worked so well, why can't PSU follow in suit?

Proff
Jun 10, 2008, 09:41 PM
If this worked so well, why can't PSU follow in suit?
Because the "good" Sonic Team is dead.

Zorafim
Jun 10, 2008, 09:45 PM
Because the "good" Sonic Team is dead.

Flawless logic is flawless.


I think Sega simply needs to put more resources into the game. At its core, it really isn't a bad game. The story is lame, but it had the potential to be great. The combat is fairly stale, but it could have been much smoother. If I turn off the music of the game, and just stare at any given area, I can find an incredible amount of beauty and uniqueness. Despite this, many times people consider the game's style generic and mainstream. Hell, after pirating the soundtrack of the game, I found some amazing songs. Very few of them, however, I've heard in game, and often aren't implemented well.

The game has potential, and that's what I've been playing this game for. It's enjoyable and by no means terrible, but it could have been so much better had more energy been put in to it.

zandra117
Jun 10, 2008, 10:08 PM
i can only dream of an open world Phantasy Star...
Im working on an open world MMO Phantasy Star fangame called "Phantasy Star: The Final Days" It's 2D though and has the graphics of phantasy star 3 and 4. I've posted about it here before. Now that school is out I can work on it more.

http://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=psmmoyh4.png an early development screenshot from a dungeon.

The game takes place on board the worldship NeoPalm immediately after the destruction of Palma. Before being destroyed by Rolf and his party, Mother Brain made copies of herself and transmitted them to the control systems of all the worldships except for Alisa III(which contained a Dark Force). These Mother Brain copies act as computer viruses and cause the systems of the worldships to go crazy. The systems have just started going crazy on the NeoPalm. You and your friends must team up, find the source of the chaos, correct it, and destroy the Mother Brain clone to ensure the survival of the Neopalm.

The game environments/maps will heavily resemble Phantasy Star III. The overworld maps will actually be modified versions of the PSIII maps. The enemies will be a mixture of Phantasy Star II and IV enemies(I would never use the terribly animated enemies of PSIII lol). And I will use character sprites from PSII and IV.

Character Types:
Palman - Your standard non-magic Human, Good melee ability. (Similar to Orakians in PSIII)

Esper - Magical Humans, Good magic and not so good melee skills. (Similar to Layans in PSIII)

Newman - Biomonster/Human hybrid, all female, perfect balance of melee and magic, fastest stat growth.

Newmans will start out overpowered compared to other types but as they level up they will begin to balance out with other types of equal level. To compensate for their overpoweredness they will start inside the bottom of a level 7 dungeon with low exp rewards instead of beginning inside of a starting town like the other types. They will have to fight their way out.

Android - you can't play as them, the Mother Brain clone virus on NeoPalm made them go insane. They are enemies.

I will be making the fighting system similar to PSIV. I cant make combo attacks though.

I will be using music tracks from the classic PS games and PSO along with some remixes.

lokey013
Jun 10, 2008, 11:05 PM
I think one thing that's been mentioned is a vast world as compared to WOW or FFXI.....I think just traversing areas would be amazing....if it had graphics like Oblivion but had the style of the PS series....man.....*drool*

Ken_Silver
Jun 11, 2008, 12:32 AM
Flawless logic is flawless.


I think Sega simply needs to put more resources into the game. At its core, it really isn't a bad game. The story is lame, but it had the potential to be great. The combat is fairly stale, but it could have been much smoother. If I turn off the music of the game, and just stare at any given area, I can find an incredible amount of beauty and uniqueness. Despite this, many times people consider the game's style generic and mainstream. Hell, after pirating the soundtrack of the game, I found some amazing songs. Very few of them, however, I've heard in game, and often aren't implemented well.

The game has potential, and that's what I've been playing this game for. It's enjoyable and by no means terrible, but it could have been so much better had more energy been put in to it.

That sums up everything. That's why I play too. No need to backtrack (since ST can't recreate the past anyway, see Sonic series for an example) and none of their new stuff is too great either. PSU can work. Sonic Team just needs to sit back, get a kick in the pants and pick it up from where they are now.

While PSU is "crap" to some, PSO can't even be compared to PSU. The reason people consider PSO better is because of 3 topics: it's familiar (people no like change), it was solid (no Segac of America) and it is finished (the game is done and we know all of its good and bad points.) PSU is the better game. Get some kids who have never played PSO or PSU and get them to play both. See which one they like the most.

And (on a side note) I like the story of PSU so far. But I'm up to where the US servers are at storywise and I don't like how it appears how they are going to rush the Illuminus issue and tackle Rykros next.

RemiusTA
Jun 11, 2008, 01:46 AM
Flawless logic is flawless.


I think Sega simply needs to put more resources into the game. At its core, it really isn't a bad game. The story is lame, but it had the potential to be great. The combat is fairly stale, but it could have been much smoother. If I turn off the music of the game, and just stare at any given area, I can find an incredible amount of beauty and uniqueness. Despite this, many times people consider the game's style generic and mainstream. Hell, after pirating the soundtrack of the game, I found some amazing songs. Very few of them, however, I've heard in game, and often aren't implemented well.

The game has potential, and that's what I've been playing this game for. It's enjoyable and by no means terrible, but it could have been so much better had more energy been put in to it.

in a nutshell.

Sonic Team's problem is commitment. They commit to nothing anymore. Today, its all RELEASE RELEASE RELEASE FANSERVICE FANSERVICE FANSERVICE and nothing good about any of it.

I mean, just look at that new Nights game developed for the Wii. That game could have been SO much if it used even a fraction of the Wii's hardware, but that game could have easily ran on the gamecube. Its was ugly, medicore, no heart put into it.

PSU was a bit more "quality" than "fanservice" becuase they KNEW that they couldn't get away with it this time, since the money comes from subscribing to play online. But they still dont put enough into it even now.

Mman2000
Jun 11, 2008, 05:18 AM
This idea is a shipment of fail waiting to happen.


Scrap everything apart from mags, no crafting or anything complicated etc.

That's crap and you damn well know it. You want to know why I pushed a force up to 120 and never got a ranger or hunter passed 80 in PSO? Because a force was MORE COMPLEX than a hunter or ranger. Having to know elemental weaknesses made it more interesting as a force than spamming the attack combos as a hunter or ranger. I like the photon arts and I like the item synthesis function in this game. Being able to actually refine a skill as I play makes it more rewarding and the PAs make playing as a melee or gun class just as fun as playing as a force. Synthing better weapons instead of buying or picking up a generic weapon makes the game more rewarding as well.

Your failure to appreciate what these "complicated" things contribute to the game does not mean they shouldn't be there.


have varied areas connected to a central hub so that any level can easily be accessed within seconds of logging on.

If you like the idea of a "central hub" as uninteresting as that that was in in PSO, knock yourself out. You do know that your idea would make it so those "various areas" didn't have much of a place for stops where you could log off, come back on, and pick up where they left off. If PSU's areas were done like PSO's system of one transporter, they would be huge and no one would be able to complete them without spending several hours running through them. The ruins in PSO took nearly two hours to run from the entry point to defeating dark falz. I can assure you a run from valley of carnage block one to the casino would be considerably longer.


have a good pvp system in place.


If you thought PSO had a good pvp system, I have four letters for you: L, M, A, and O.


keep only three classes in first release of hunter, ranger and force and release new classes though content packs.


If they did this, everyone who plays as a human in PSU would be anal-raped without lubrication. Oh by the way, an extreme lack of variation in an original game is a GREAT way to motivate people to get an expansion. Sega should hire you as a consultant!!


make everything less complicated no ranks for missions or PAs just attacks

Whatever you meant by "no ranks for missions", I can still see it being a failure of an idea. I've already explained why "no PAs just attacks" is a bad idea but I'll do so again since some people may not be bright enough to get it the first time. Having only a generic attack is BORING, and it involves no strategy to use the same thing against every enemy. If you like one dimensional gameplay, go play some old arcade shit.


and spells that level up as your character does.

There goes two things that were fun in PSO: finding a new disc to power up your spells and twinking a new force with badass spells they would never find as a newb. Damn, you have this uncanny ability to destroy fun things in a game.


Make it very easy to pick up find a team and play for 10minutes in quick bursts.

An MMORPG is never a game you only play for "10minutes in quick bursts". Oh and by the way, your spacebar: fucking use it when you type a number and then a word.


no big story mode.

Right because random, meaningless killing is so much better.


The big thing would be to release it only as a downloadable game onto the Playstation and xbox stores aswell as pc, no boxed version.


Because it's ten times more fun to play when there's no hard copy and you're fucked if your hard drive breaks.


Have no suscription fee but release new content packs every few months.
content packs could include new area with missions, clothes packs etc.


First off, if someone made a game like you proposed I wouldn't play the original long enough to want a new content pack. Second, if you think Sega can make a PS game work like the Sims, you are delusional. This concept of new content packs would most likely mean that sega would release an unfinished game and make you pay again for a finished version.


To give people reasions to buy the packs aswell each would include new items and raise level cap though settings for example, the game would ship with level 1-50 but would cap your character at 50 unless you bought a content pack etc.

Again your ideas would result in a game where people were bored stiff before they reached 50. Moreover, this would NOT give people a reason to buy packs at all until they hit the cap. Some people would take MUCH LONGER to hit a level cap than others, sega wouldn't get the regular income from these packs the same way as they do with the subscription. I should also note that I like having the subscription. If you want to know why, go play a free game for a while. It won't take long to find out.


Because the graphics would be stylised and simple it would also be possible to release it as a boxed game for the wii and PS2 and simply release content discs with the downloadable content on much like guitar hero does.

I'm not going to bother explaining the PS2's lack of a supported hard drive and how this would mean that an expanded version of the game would have to be put on a disk every time....


So PS2 players of universe who cant afford a next gen console wouldnt have to miss out.

First off, people who play PSU on a PS2 should get their consoles smashed by a sledgehammer for limiting the game's potential. However, limiting a game's potential does not compare to stripping away its potential, which is what your ideas would do.


This is the way forward for PSO even though it goes away from what people think they want.

Taking content out and reducing gameplay to a simplistic, outdated version of itself is not the way forward. It is very much the opposite. I don't think I like the new content in PSU, I know damn well I do. If I didn't I would have cancelled my PSU subscription, started my gamecube, and gone back to PSO.


It would generate amazing revenue for sega along with keeping PSO as a viable online game as many many people would buy it on the stores since it would have no suscription fee and they can choose what content packs to buy.

Bad ideas do not generate amazing revenue. Turning the clock back on a game series does not keep it viable. If anyone agrees with your attitude, I would like to know what they're smoking.


It would also mean many wouldnt mind buying it even if they play or pay for other online suscription based games.

That line about getting what you pay for seems to hold true here.


It can survive much like the wii has in the console wars by being everyones second online console game.

No one makes a game to be "everyones second online console game".


I know many here will not want anything like this because as fans you want to see it moving forward

We also wouldn't want it because it's a crappy idea and would make a crappy game. That happens to be the reason I never wanted Fusion Frenzy, Big Rigs, Chibi Robo, or any other game that's gone down as being downright bad.


but the simple fact is nomatter what sega cant make a true next gen online game that will compete with the big boys of online games.

I know that PSU is not another WoW. That's a good thing to me, I didn't like WoW when I played a trial of it. I did, however, like PSU and still do. Sega doesn't have to compete with them for the same reason people who sell fruit don't have to compete with people who sell veggies.


As a downloadable simple online game though with no suscription fees and quick play gameplay many more would open there wallets and play it.

If someone tried to turn PSU or PSO into what you said, it would be crap. This is not an opinion, it is a cold hard fact. PSO was never a simple online game, PSU was never meant to be simple. If people want something as simple as this, they wouldn't go to a PS2, PS3, Wii, 360, or PC. They would play a system that is known for simple, easy to play on the go games such as the DS or PSP. Sega is a business, they do what makes them money. The fact that they didn't make PSU the way you suggested a PS game should be should tell you that your ideas may not be, and most likely will not be, the gold mine you are suggesting it would be.

Omega_Weltall
Jun 11, 2008, 11:13 AM
Single Player Turnbased Phantasy Star 5 with the budget of a Final Fantasy game... all that NEEDS to happen.

Akio-Kasai
Jun 11, 2008, 11:45 AM
PS can simply not compete with modern online RPGs especially now that they are going to consoles, by the time the next PSO game is released games like age of conan, DC universe online, the agency, champions online and many more will be out on consoles.

What do you mean NOW that they're going out on consoles? >.> Wasn't PSO on Dreamcast way back when? Hasn't PS been on consoles for like... 7-8 years? lol

Metal Heart
Jun 11, 2008, 09:49 PM
for the people with PvP issues. really all we need is the cool arena PSO has, that would be a good enough PvP for me, I don't expect massive WoW or Runescape PvP, but a nice small one that PSO accomplished would be nice...

Omega_Weltall
Jun 11, 2008, 09:51 PM
Phantasy Star has been on consoles for about 20 years now ( Phantasy Star 1 released in Japan on December 20, 1987)

Aewyn
Jun 15, 2008, 04:31 AM
Are people seriously falling over themselves to get back to PSO? My eyes bleed if I'm in the same room as that game anymore. If you define graphic 'style' as 'eye-gougingly horrible graphics' then PSO fits the bill with its horrible frame rate and lackluster world. I truly have no idea why people prefer the atmosphere of PSO to PSU. It boggles my mind to consider going back to PSO after all this advancement that's been made into PSU already. Maybe if you people played something other than White Beast you might enjoy PSU a little more, hey?

Realmz
Jun 15, 2008, 09:01 AM
Omega, Akio.

he ment online games in general are comming more and more on consoles, not Phantasy Star. Since PSO theres been something like four games that tried to do the same thing and none of them panned out. Now a bunch of devlopers are trying again

Now granted PSO was the first one that really did this with any kind of success.

That being said, out of the games he listed I'm only interested in The Agency. mostly because of just the differences it gives off, I'd have to wait and see how the finished product turns out. (so wait six months after release, when they fix all the bugs they couldn't before launch date)

I'm tired of the Tolkien Fantasy worlds that oh so many MMO's are puttering around, so Age of Conan can go screw itself, and DC sucks anyway. Give me my Warhammer 40000 MMO already THQ, I know you've got a some of it made, give us some screens dammit!

Meta77
Jun 15, 2008, 10:16 AM
I personally hope that sega just relases a new expansion that fixes most the problems. That includes new worlds....like 4. PVP, guilds you know normal mmo stuff.
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z1/Meta33/motivator7808358.jpg

Broodstar1337
Jun 15, 2008, 10:26 AM
Phantasy Star's basics were fine and dandy back in the past, but gaming in today's day and age requires so much more thought and development. You can't just make PSO-with-pretty-graphics and expect it to stand up against every other next gen game in existence.

To make the next Phantasy Star a good one, we need to identify the problems that keep PSU from being the Phantasy Star everyone wants.

- Balance. This has been a lingering problem since the dawn of MMOs. When the Master classes come out, we will have a dozen classes to choose from. Of which, the melee classes are both the most powerful AND the most fun to play. There are 4 races, 2 of which have special abilities and one is only efficient as a magic class, the weakest classes in the game. Why can't all classes be strong? Don't give me that "techers ARE strong" shit, because it takes time for their offensive magic to be useful and when the other classes are so much stronger, their support magic amounts to donkey dick. Why can't all classes be fun to play? Seriously, what's more fun, ripping through enemies while surfing a spear or standing still and shooting at enemies straight out of Retard Doom? Where's the gunner that has a flashy dance while he pumps his foes full of photon bullets? Why don't all races have a special talent? Don't tell me "humans are well rounded and newmans have great magic". Beasts and Casts have incredible strength and they get Nanoblasts and SUVs.

- Gameplay. PSU is a grind. No doubt about that. I'd like to do more grinding away from White Beasts. Give us reasons to want to experience 100% of a game's content. Give the harder, longer, more teamwork-oriented missions good drops that get dropped more frequently than other runs. Incorporate some kind of system where certain runs can allow 6 lvl 80s to run a run while the same run could only let 3-4 lvl 120s run it, because turning everything into swiss cheese in a second stops being fun after awhile. Or if that's not feasible at all, give our enemies decent AI and make 'em be able to take a hit and dish it out. Vanda Orga was a good start on MAG, but we don't see it enough. Where's the anti-guardian that tears YOU a new asshole with Dus Majarra. Where's the boss that realizes a mob is kicking the shit out of him and has to do more than just stand in place for a minute before trying to fend them off? Why can't our enemies be as savage as we are in battle?

- Controls. Fighting enemies is a cocktease too. So many times I've seen them roll out of the way of my fireballs, take a knee, and fire off a couple rounds. There are so many things I'd like to see control-wise in the next Phantasy Star online game. Being able to dodge roll. Jumping. Controlled blocks. It's bad enough I don't have the option to do any of this, but when I see my enemies doing what I'd like to do, it just brings my piss to a boil.

- Overworld. Phantasy Star Universe. Say it with me. UNIVERSE. This game shouldn't feel like it's the size of at most a state. Unless each of these planets are roughly the size of Massachusetts. A dungeon-crawler was decent for it's time, but we have the technology to do more now, and thus we expect more out of our games.

- Graphics. I'm lenient on graphics in most cases, but if a game can run on a PS2, it better DAMN WELL RUN PROPERLY ON A 360! Now to be fair, the PS2 slugs and chugs when you play PSU, but playing it on a 360 or a PC isn't much of a step up in the graphics department. On stronger machines, it shouldn't have any framerate problems. Ever. Games should be designed to run on the platforms they will be played on. Another gripe, stop with the fucking reskins. Fighting Gaozoran's cousin on Her Secret Mission v2.0 (Komazli on White Beasts for people oblivious to the joke) just shows how lazy you are. Do the work and people might actually like what you put out.

- Story. Now I'm not asking for anything like Metal Gear Solid 4 in a video game, but if you want a storyline, make it a good one. Give us half-decent characters acted by half-decent VAs to keep us entertained. And if all else fails, LET US SKIP THE FUCKING CUTSCENES! Wanna know why I'm not hunting for Blackheart boards or Neta Notes for my Koltova Guns in story mode? Because Sega took it upon themselves to make us sit through their literary holocaust before we can get a chance to snag what we're hunting for. Basically I want to be able to skip anything that's not gameplay. This isn't a movie and I'm not down for watching it.

- Sega. If people could get a job just by having ideas, I'd be working with Sega right now with the next Phantasy Star or Sonic the Hedgehog. But that doesn't work. You have to work with a company that recognizes good ideas and takes the necessary steps to get them incorporated into the game. A good company has the patience and the money to put together a solid game first and then iron out the wrinkles next. PSU is flooded with problems that should not exist; tedious gameplay, slowdown, balance issues, gamebreaking bugs, and I could go on forever but you get the point and odds are you've addressed your gripes to Sega themselves. How are most of these complaints addressed? Brushed off or postponed for extended periods of times, mostly. I remember when Bungie released a Halo 2 map called Relic and that had a glitch where you can use an inactivated teleport to go from one end of the map to the other; that was fixed in a week. Is it hard to get that kind of developer support? I realize that money doesn't grow on trees, but rushing game development and giving the community a cold shoulder is a horrible way to conduct business.

Sega has a lot of obstacles they need to overcome before they should ever consider making another Phantasy Star.

Elley
Jun 15, 2008, 10:34 AM
^ ^ ^ ^ What he said. Probably the best post I've ever seen on this board.

Realmz
Jun 15, 2008, 11:05 AM
wait wait, metal gear solid has a good story line?

when did that happen?

A2K
Jun 15, 2008, 12:18 PM
- Overworld. Phantasy Star Universe. Say it with me. UNIVERSE. This game shouldn't feel like it's the size of at most a state. Unless each of these planets are roughly the size of Massachusetts. A dungeon-crawler was decent for it's time, but we have the technology to do more now, and thus we expect more out of our games.

I would prefer the game remain focused on instanced, squad-based combat. It's what makes Phantasy Star (post-2001), Phantasy Star, IMO. I don't think it's even possible to combine fast-paced action RPG combat with gigantic parties--at least not with today's connections.

The servers could stand to get more people running about various areas by compressing them into fewer universes with increased capacity, perhaps. The lobbies should be closer to the persistent world other MMOs have. They cities are certainly big enough and have more than enough chairs for everyone, it seems.

Having more random NPCs strewn about as in Story Mode and various little touches like that would actually go a long way on their own too.


Fighting Gaozoran's cousin on Her Secret Mission v2.0 (Komazli on White Beasts for people oblivious to the joke)

I hate Komazli. They laugh at me. Gaozoran just Foie you to death and move on. Komazli just have to rub it in.

Every game uses reskins. The game could stand to be a bit less obvious about it, though, that's for sure.


I remember when Bungie released a Halo 2 map called Relic and that had a glitch where you can use an inactivated teleport to go from one end of the map to the other; that was fixed in a week.

That was good of them, but there were numerous other issues (standby, superjumping, BXR) that were not dealt with at all ever, for various reasons. I think there are probably better examples out to choose from out there. This particular example could be equated to, say, the debug mission, with was dealt with similarly swiftly.

The rest I can agree with, to... varying degrees.