When PSU ends?

[Gibdozer]

I've been thinking about this for awhile, what happens to our characters when Sega shuts the servers down forever. I still have my Dreamcast characters(since they were saved to memory units) I almost never hook it up but they mean a something to me.

Over the last 2-3 years my wife and I have logged in about 1500 hours (not counting characters we've deleted), what happens to all that effort? I have to wonder if Sega has some plan that will transfer ownership of our avatars when they finally pull the plug on this wonderful experience.

I consider myself a connoisseur of video games, and Phantasy Star has been my favorite rpg since the Master System. Now in my 30s I don't get to dig through my library as much as I'd like, but occasionally I enjoy replaying an old gem (for example I recently fired up the original Zelda). When the day comes will we claim our data, or will the time and money we've invested be lost forever?

[Calsetes]

Nah, most likely they'll just switch them off and it's all gone.

Of course, they could go the route they did with Blue Burst, i.e. let the fans run an official private server, so long as it's free (I think that's what happened, right?)

[PALRAPPYS]

I hope Sega lets us transfer our characters into extra mode. Would be nice.

[The Overlord]

Hopefully they make a patch where you can do everything offline and with your char file aswell.

[Unit D79]

even better would be for sega to allow us to transfer characters to the next phantasy star. i like the way my guy looks and recreating will be a pain in the ass

[Overlord Zenon]

i wonder if this one will end, yes the story could but technicly speaking its cheaper for sega to digitallally just add more expansions, plus if the server on sega's end goes down we should just petition to have new server hosts, eg xbox live for 360, and i'm sure theres a few big ones for pc games/ps2, i dont play many pc games...gamespy comes to mind as the only one i know of

[Overlord Zenon]

its just not the same at least pso had offline 4 player on gamecube, psu's got nothing for local play

[Gibdozer]

Chillaura would we be able to keep out items weapons, parts, and clothes since many are AOTI exclusive? I could handle the level drop, but without our gear it's sort of just my characters name moved to extra mode.

[ChibiBecca]

well, it's better then nothing.. ^-^; at least it's being/been discussed.

[Gibdozer]

its just not the same at least pso had offline 4 player on gamecube, psu's got nothing for local play

Yeah but something would be better than nothing at all.

[Overlord Zenon]

well thats just a lame excuse, its not that difficult to do, tho it owuld require another expansion to accomplish the task, its not had when you look at it, weither sega really wants to put forth the effort to do it tho, is another story

[Halcyote]

I've pretty much accepted that the character data is going to go kaput when PSU closes its servers.

But it'd be nice if there were a way to keep the data and still play it.

[D1ABOLIK]

Im not too worried about my character honestly. I have great fun in creating and leveling new characters. I just hope that once the servers go down we get a disc released that contains all weapons, missions, units, armor, clothes, etc. from the whole lifespan of the game. I will gladly re create characters, i just want everything accessible. I would also like to see a split screen mode added like with PSO, so even with the game offline i can still play with friends.

[Overlord Zenon]

i well pc/ps2 users might get lucky with someone develope a free server for them, 360 users have to use xbox live so that kinda sucks

[Overlord Zenon]

I wouldnt unless its stated officially by sonic team or sega itself

[CrimsonBirdy]

I'd like to give people the benefit of the doutb but yeah we have no proof this person is the real GM or just an imposter trying to hack accounts. Just don't give out your info if they happen to ask- why would a GM need something they already have; login, password, etc?

Better safe than sorry.

I agree with the disc idea they should send us all a free game disc with all the info from the online version so we can continue playing the game with all its bells and whistles minus the online part of course. :p

[Overlord Zenon]

thats why for 360 users i'd say let xbox live take over hosting it, they could charge you say 500 ms points a month for it, doing it this way also re-release the game to try to get more players.

[グレッグ]

All I care about is this not being the last Phantasy Star in the series. I would like to see another similar to PSU, but larger, nicer graphics, more things to do, etc etc.

However this time, I will be one of the guys who play it from the start, not joining in at the end.

I don't mind my PSu character being deleted.

[Overlord Zenon]

i wont mind either, long as theres enough incentive to get the new one, and the PS-Os online phantasy stars have been giving sega alot of revenue, I highly doubt they'd end now.

[DAMASCUS]

Well there are two options that DON'T involve losing our characters.

- Download character data to a special offline game.
- Have access to current character data from an entirely new game using the same login.

I'd prefer the second option but that would probably mean starting back at level 1 with no items :/

[Gibdozer]

Yes I would be satisfied with a disk, not happy but satisfied. I already bought the PS2 version for precisely this reason. It's very good but I prefer it on the 360.

I really miss the DC where you could online and offline with your characters. That would certainly ease frustrations when the servers go down. I understand the current system is an effort to thwart cheaters, but it seems unfair to punish the many for the crimes of the few.

[Overlord Zenon]

so does PSU work on ps3?

[Ruru]

it depends on which version of PS3 you're using. newer versions of PS3 arent backwards compatible with PS2 discs. i cant remember which ones are but i know most versions arent anymore.

[DAMASCUS]

it depends on which version of PS3 you're using. newer versions of PS3 arent backwards compatible with PS2 discs. i cant remember which ones are but i know most versions arent anymore.

I can't believe they wouldn't just make a PC-like version available for download *sigh*

[Criss]

They'll probably try to keep this alive as long as possible after the supplemental update, after which they'll either move on to a new online PS series, or remake a brand new PSU like they did in PSO with Blue Burst.

Regardless of what happens, I'm fairly sure data from the current servers will just be scrapped.

[Suzuka Miyamoto]

I've heard it does, but I'm playing it on PS2 the game engine is identical though graphically not quite as fast/lush. With the AOTI version PS2 offline you have access to (almost) everything on the 360 online version.

[Sinue_v2]

I've been thinking about this for awhile, what happens to our characters when Sega shuts the servers down forever. I still have my Dreamcast characters(since they were saved to memory units) I almost never hook it up but they mean a something to me.

Yeah... until three years from now when you feel a pang of nostalgia, hook up the old girl and scream a single drawn out obscenity so loud it can shatter the neighbors window when you find out your memory card corrupted.

Then go on YouTube, pour a beer on the ground and shed a tear as you listen to Ep II's ending them.

You say it is hard to let it be
Baby, holding on is the only way
Love will never make it if you should go away

Cause nothing's going to last forever
All we can do
Is to believe in love

Since Sonic Team is apparently getting around the DVD size and expansion distribution costs issues by dropping the PS2 platform in all but basic compatibility for non-server side addressable issues, they might be kind of boned on this one. I could see it possible that Sega could release a "final patch" just before server shutdown for a minimal fee that would encapsulate all the modifications needed to download and play your characters offline (or with more open compatibility for private servers/peer2peer) as well as giving players offline access to Ep3 story missions. Bad as it is, PSU is the first Phantasy Star game in over a decade to have substantive storyline. It would be.... bad form... for them to leave it to posterity with the ending of the game forever missing. I could almost see them adding in the PSP storyline with it since sales will have dropped by then. The current storyline is two chapters away from over, and PSU is only half-way through it's proposed life cycle. What we get from here on out will probably just be menial side-story missions like "The Egg Hunters" which they can drop safely without seriously crippling the storyline.

And it's not totally without precident. Remember Ep I & II+.

Then again, Blue Burst didn't turn out that way - and the only way to even play it now is technically illegal. Considering Sonic Team's stellar track record of customer service, I could almost see an event like MAG's Error .057 causing management to just say fuck it and pull the plug then and there - forcing their CS staff to feed the community a "We're working on the problem" line for a few weeks before breaking the bad news.

Time will tell I guess. Recent improvements are not monumental, but indicate there is still some shred of "give a fuck" left at Sega by people who genuinely care for the game's welfare but are finding it almost impossible to effect the needed change within the current system. You know what I mean? Ever worked in a "tax write off" company? Some people really do take pride in their work and want to see their projects succeed - but if management is apathetic or incompetent, there's not much one can do aside from try to make the best of what little measure of influence they do have. Take, for instance, GM/MOD promoted community events. I think that's a good indicator that you have a motivated support staff with tied hands due to a bad management.

[Ruru]

it would be nice if they could give us a disc or a download patch to let us play with our online characters offline once the servers go down. it wouldnt be a real big issue by that time considering the main reason our characters are server side in the first place is to prevent cheating, but if servers are no longer running then i dont see an issue.

one thing to think about though. if we got to play the online game offline we at least wouldnt have to worry about random server down time or air conditioners deleting uni 1 and 2 >.>; or just random disconnects/lag/enemies warping, etc. i would love to play this game offline with all the online stuff mixed in, even if i'd be playing solo. (which i mostly do anyway). the only problem i could see with it would be that most of the Co-op missions would have to either be taken out completely or fixed to work for single mode.

[Calsetes]

Then again, Blue Burst didn't turn out that way - and the only way to even play it now is technically illegal.



I thought that Sega promoted like one or two free public servers when they were pulling the plug on Blue Burst, only because the guy (or people) running it charged nothing for it, and still endorsed a strict "anti-hacking" policy. I think it only becomes illegal when they say "you must pay us X amount of dollars / euros / yen / Monopoly money to play on our servers," especially if they didn't pay anything to Sega to begin with. If they never did that, then... I probably made a mistake signing up to what I did yesterday when the PSU servers went down. Anyway, unless a mod pops in here and says, "Yeah, they said it's cool, you can post a link to it," I'm not saying a word about it.

[landman]

I think you are wrong, they are illegal and you can still play in an official PSOBB server: the Japanese server.

I hope they at least release all the story related quest for the offline game, even if it is only on PC, it's a shame I cannot play the Principal an Lab quest exclusive from PSOBB now (unless I log into my offline private server made exclusively for this :wacko:)

[Delete]

I guess when it ends, it ends. Not really gonna bother me as I dont play PSU much anymore.

Thats not to say I don't like PSU, I do.

[Overlord Zenon]

theres s word tho "if" if sega choses to end this one, phantasy star is one of thier biggest cash ins

[Yunfa]

I've been thinking about this for awhile, what happens to our characters when Sega shuts the servers down forever. I still have my Dreamcast characters(since they were saved to memory units) I almost never hook it up but they mean a something to me.

Over the last 2-3 years my wife and I have logged in about 1500 hours (not counting characters we've deleted), what happens to all that effort? I have to wonder if Sega has some plan that will transfer ownership of our avatars when they finally pull the plug on this wonderful experience.

I consider myself a connoisseur of video games, and Phantasy Star has been my favorite rpg since the Master System. Now in my 30s I don't get to dig through my library as much as I'd like, but occasionally I enjoy replaying an old gem (for example I recently fired up the original Zelda). When the day comes will we claim our data, or will the time and money we've invested be lost forever?

Hey, you're married yet you dwell in such unproductive thoughts?

- Heres a question, what happens when we DIE? If you REALLY want a clear & definate answer, why don't you email directly to a GM over at the official sites instead of getting speculation replies from other gamers?


theres s word tho "if" if sega choses to end this one, phantasy star is one of thier biggest cash ins

What the heck does that have to do with anything? *blows up* You know from all of your posts, I have the most difficult time understanding you; is English not your native language?

[Kimil Adrayne]

I'm not expecting my Wartecher to survive. I'll just have to resurrect her in other games. I'm fine with that =D

[MadDogg]

I most likely could care less. I'm moving on to champions online when it comes out for the 360, which is being ran by a western company which means that the rest of the world that is not japan will not get treated like red-headed step children when it comes to sponsored events/prizes/ and updates.

It may sound cold, but PSU deserves to die. Had sega stopped treating every other paying region of the world like crap and did the whole "durrrrr, lets like unlock content on the disk bit by bit until the population friggin' gets fed up and leaves" and did honest to goodness downloadable content updates like every other friggin' online rpg out there, this game could have lived and been a hit like the first pso was in it's day.

I really like PSU too, its my favorite online rpg when it comes to the combat system and laid back playing style, not having to worry about character builds and such, but man they really need to sell the PSO/PSU franchise and give it to ncsoft or blizzard, so the entire world can get treated like equals when it comes to everything.

[Sylpheed]

they really need to sell the PSO/PSU franchise and give it to blizzard

No. Just no.

[Carma]

They really need to sell the PSO/PSU franchise and give it to blizzard.
To end with a click'n play like WoW ? No Thanks. At least with Sonic Teamc we know it would have decent gameplay.

[Volcompat321]

When PSU ends, I guess I have to find another game to play... :o

[Zyrusticae]

I most likely could care less.
ARGH! This internet-ism needs to die a horrible, painful death!

When you say you COULD care less, you're saying, yes, you actually do care and can most probably care less. What you SHOULD be saying is COULDN'T care less. It's such a basic grammar mistake I wonder WTF yer all thinking when you make it, if you're thinking at all.

Stop contradicting yourselves! Just... just stop! Arrrgh! [/rant]


As for this thread, you can expect another PS game to replace PSU by the time of its demise, which isn't for another several years, if I guess correctly.

[Waki Miko Syamemaru!]

Yea, Sega isn't that dumb to just kill off PSU without having another PS online game to take the reigns. I wouldn't be surprised to see if PS0 is just testing grounds for a newer "PSU".

[Calsetes]

I will never not stop not contradicting my-not-self! Pi is exactly three! Divide by zero!!!

And you're right, there will be something else there, saying "come play with me" for a few years before this dies out completely. Didn't they shut down Blue Burst (officially) like a year or two after this was out (at least the vanilla version)?

[Warlock01]

zyrusticae i was waiting for someone else to say that! lol it really annoy's me too.
espically over on the official forum's.

i could'nt care less what sega do.
as opposed to:
i could care less what sega do.

the latter being that you do care.

[Calsetes]

I've learned to just "correct" it as I read it. Only thing I really find super-uber-extremely annoying like that is all the "blue dog is blue" stuff. My brother's fiancee says it all the time and it makes me want to smack her one, but whatever. My almost monk-like patience holds out.

[Zivilyn Bane]

I don't know, I kind of enjoy the process of having to start over entirely. Sure carrying items over would be cool, but part of what makes Phantasy Star so enjoyable is the climb. Reaching that next level of equipment, being able to take on the larger enemies...

When I hit the level cap and max out my gear, I have more fun running through the game with lower levels to help them get to that point, but eventually it just gets repetitive. I get myself a little more in to the universe with every reset. One of my prime characters is the "same" guy through every version, just a really, really old CAST that keeps getting rebuilt.

Either way, the symptom of withdrawal between new versions of Phantasy Star Online/Universe always sucks a little.

[Waki Miko Syamemaru!]

And when the "new" PS online game comes out people will be like "Well we could do this and this on PSU! The music is more terrible than the stuff on PSU! How come it can't be like PSO? Why can't I teabag my enemies? Why does John Madden have to critique my kills and play style? I'm not Brett Favre ok!"

[Wailt]

I dont know what l will do when Psu ends.I play only offline version and dont see any new
eqipment or bosses ,I can't change hose stile and don't listen musik.I have only three character, But i dont cash any money for this game.
What is my problem?
Why I can't do all this ?

[Overlord Zenon]

I certainly dont see the game ending even after the next installment is made for a while, their still making new content for the game which is good, but story wise they can add more sub missions etc or sub chapters... if they wanted to expand, but basicly i dont see the game ending soon

[milka]

specullations... that how USA economy went down

[Gibdozer]

Hey, you're married yet you dwell in such unproductive thoughts?

- Heres a question, what happens when we DIE? If you REALLY want a clear & definate answer, why don't you email directly to a GM over at the official sites instead of getting speculation replies from other gamers?



What the heck does that have to do with anything? *blows up* You know from all of your posts, I have the most difficult time understanding you; is English not your native language?

lol, okay I'll forgive that, you'll find out why after you've been married for a decade or so!

The official word as of my last attempt is no official answer at this time. Player speculation is all I've really got right now, and I was curious about where you guys stood on the issue.

Nothing happens when you die, anyone who tells you different is selling something.

[Overlord Zenon]

most companies work from a productive standpoint what will gain them money and popular with thier userbase, so all im saying is all the userfeed back will either make a new phantasy star or a new expansion/ extension of the existing series, it all comes down to supply and demand

[thunder-ray]

Whenever psu ends some day I plan on trying other online games to keep me busy.

[Totori]

If PSU ends I know either three things will happen
1. Sega makes another game to get some money off of
2. Sega host PSU for free
3. SOMEONE....will somehow get a private server running....>.>

I believe sega will not kill this game so quickly.

[Chuck_Norris]

ARGH! This internet-ism needs to die a horrible, painful death!

When you say you COULD care less, you're saying, yes, you actually do care and can most probably care less. What you SHOULD be saying is COULDN'T care less. It's such a basic grammar mistake I wonder WTF yer all thinking when you make it, if you're thinking at all.

Stop contradicting yourselves! Just... just stop! Arrrgh! [/rant]


FUCK.
YES.

However, I just use this.
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm187/llahnewo/i-could-care-less.jpg

[Zivilyn Bane]

Think of it this way. PSO was released for the X-Box on 4.15.3, and had about a year to a year and a half run on LIVE, PSU was released for the 360 on 11.24.6 ( U.S. release dates for purists ).

That's about a year's time between when support fell off for PSO on the consoles and PSU was released. Games take a long time to code and produce, especially Massives. I think that if we do see support die for PSU, we'll see a new version get announced for release in fairly short order.