Thinking about returning.

[Allison_W]

I played vanilla Phantasy Star Universe on PC in mid- to late 2008, before Ambition of the Illuminus came out, and ended up leaving the game due to burnout about the time AotI debuted.

Now, it looks like several updates have taken place and new story missions added since I left, and beyond that, I've been away for long enough that the gameplay might be reasonably fresh again. Unfortunately, I also don't know if any of the people I used to play with are still around.

So I suppose my questions are threefold:

* One, is it worth coming back? I wouldn't be disappointed if it only kept me occupied for a few months before my next hiatus, which tends to be my nature anyway.

* Two, do any of the people I used to know still play PSU? I know of at least one that's now a mod (Congratulations!), but I don't know about others.

* Three, since I left, the househould has come into acquisition of an XBox 360 (but, I also now have an Exceedingly Good computer that would probably run PSU at tip-top specs). I already have the PC version of the base game, as well as time investment in characters (one of whom is mid-level, and I did leave some decent vanilla-PSU gear behind when I left), but I could be swayed to the XBox 360 version if the community there is better--I'm not afraid to solo, but I don't like to do it all the time. Any recommendations?

I appreciate any advice I may receive on this matter--and, hello again. :)

[Ryna]

1. A lot of new content has come out since AotI's release. This includes hundreds of new items, dozens of missions, and the release of the Master classes. There is enough content to keep you busy for a while.

2. The PC population is smaller than it used to be, but there are still a lot of veteran players left.

3. With the current event going on, it wouldn't be too hard to level a character on a new account. You should also be able to find rare items easily and cheaply. As for the debate on where to the choose the PC/PS2 or Xbox 360 servers, I'd suggest doing a forum search. Those debates come up quite often on this forum. To briefly summarize the most popular points:
-The PC/PS2 servers have less people (one full star at peak times), but some people feel the community is easier to get into.
-The Xbox 360 servers have 8 full stars at peak times, but you'll run into rude people more often.

Now is a good time to renew your account, the Summer Event is in full swing and there is one week left on the Shred the Darkness rewards. Those rewards include 2x Photon Arts leveling exp.

[Yunfa]

Are there no other fun online games where people are tempted to come back to PSU? What is the world coming to.

[Criss]

I think Ryna summed it up pretty well. I'd like to add that X360 has voice chat (which might or might not be a good thing depending on your point of view), while PC has the advantage visually with configurable graphics and fully reconfigurable controls (I play with my PS3 controller even), plus the ability to take screenshots with the press of a button. Of course, how well you'll get to run PSU depends on your computer.

[Tetsaru]

Are you a masochist?

Do you like running the same mission over and over again (because the population is so small, everyone flocks to the newest one) with little to no difficulty to get drops that don't synth or have low %'s?

Do you enjoy having to put up with Sega/Sonic Teams constant screw-ups, failures, and overall lack of knowledge to properly run and program an online game?

If so, sure, play PSU... -_-X

[Neith]

Are you a masochist?

If so, sure, play PSU... -_-X

Just because you don't like PSU (you won't be needing your stuff then, right?) doesn't mean someone else won't.

Although PSU does need some tweaks and fixes to be a better game, you're not going to do the population any good by talking it down all the time- let them decide from popular opinion and by checking the game for themselves. We all know PSU has had problems, but there's no need to put new players off.

To the OP: In the time you've been away, a lot has changed, and much has been added. It's well worth starting again, since we have an event with boosted EXP plus increased synth/grind/PA rates. If you're going to start, now is a great time. Ignore the naysayers and try it for yourself. If, at the end of the first month you don't enjoy it, at least it hasn't cost you much.

[beatrixkiddo]

Just because you don't like PSU (you won't be needing your stuff then, right?) doesn't mean someone else won't.

Although PSU does need some tweaks and fixes to be a better game, you're not going to do the population any good by talking it down all the time- let them decide from popular opinion and by checking the game for themselves. We all know PSU has had problems, but there's no need to put new players off.

To the OP: In the time you've been away, a lot has changed, and much has been added. It's well worth starting again, since we have an event with boosted EXP plus increased synth/grind/PA rates. If you're going to start, now is a great time. Ignore the naysayers and try it for yourself. If, at the end of the first month you don't enjoy it, at least it hasn't cost you much.

He refuses to follow my simple 3-step program for people unhappy with PSU.

1. Quit playing PSU
2. Quit paying for PSU
3. Quit posting on PSU forums

[Tetsaru]

He refuses to follow my simple 3-step program for people unhappy with PSU.

1. Quit playing PSU
2. Quit paying for PSU
3. Quit posting on PSU forums

I've got the first two down. =/ I may stick around just to try to get a Killer Elite (something that SHOULD'VE been out a LOOONG time ago, and you're a fool if you think I'm wrong because that item was available on the FIRST DISC IN OFFLINE), but come August 5th when my subscription ends, I'm gone. I'm pretty sure my friend red_ghost's sub also ends around July 28th... we're both just tired of how the game is being run, and there's no challenging endgame content for veterans like us - stuff games like FF11 and WoW have TONS of. I figure the OP would've liked to know that before deciding to spend whatever money to try to get back into the game. Of course, that's entirely his/her decision...

And no Neith, I'm not GIBBING RARZ, especially after all the bullshit and pure luck I went through to get most of em, so don't even try. That goes for all the rest of you guys too... -_-X

[Magus_84]

So you hate the game, but you're sticking around long enough to get an item that's a marginal increase over other items that have been available for far longer?

And not gibing ur rarz because it took you too long to get them?

And yet there's no content to challenge anyone.

...makes perfect sense.

Note: This post should not be misconstrued as me approving of everything ST does. They're the biggest trolls I've ever seen. But occasionally, there's value. It's those occasional bits of value that someone who plays intermittently (as the OP stated they do) will get the biggest benefit from.

Even without being the type of masochist that hates a game and yet sticks around to bash it.

[Tetsaru]

FYI, I've wanted that rifle ever since I laid eyes on it because it was the best rifle in the game, save for the Edil Fusil which was released much later (and trust me - we ain't getting it anytime soon... it looks like shit anyway). Think of it as one final goal for me to accomplish before I finally go. It's not my fault Segac was retarded enough to give a version 1.0 weapon to a PM first and not us. =/

[Magus_84]

FYI, I've wanted that rifle ever since I laid eyes on it because it was the best rifle in the game

That feeling?

Right there?

That one.

That's what keeps people playing this, even in the wake of all of ST's shenanigans.

OP, if you can empathize with any of these feelings, PSU's probably worth giving another shot.

[Powder Keg]

Tetsaru...give it a rest.


The game is still very fun if you have good friends to run with and don't mind meeting random players. IMO there are a lot of improvements over vanilla PSU.

[Tetsaru]

One item isn't enough to keep me interested in this game, though. As more powerful items come out, it's only logical that stronger enemies and missions be released too, which Segac has failed to do. Even worse is the fact that even characters who are 50 levels lower than the enemies they're facing can still kick their asses if they have good gear - easy to accomplish because the ability to equip a weapon is based on STATS instead of LEVEL, which really imbalances things. A level 60 noob (also insanely easy to level up nowadays) can equip just about anything at that point, and since most of the GOOD S rank items have been whored out during events, he/she can just buy w/e they want, because money is fairly easy to obtain nowadays (unlike Version 1.0). Throw in the fact that Scape Dolls can be bought practically ANYWHERE, and the game's difficulty drops down to that of a cake-walk.

I could go on and on with this, but I won't. I've just grown tired of the mediocrity. Yes, AotI is better than the original, but it's still not enough imo. =/

[Magus_84]

One item isn't enough to keep me interested in this game, though. As more powerful items come out, it's only logical that stronger enemies and missions be released too, which Segac has failed to do. Even worse is the fact that even characters who are 50 levels lower than the enemies they're facing can still kick their asses if they have good gear - easy to accomplish because the ability to equip a weapon is based on STATS instead of LEVEL, which really imbalances things. A level 60 noob (also insanely easy to level up nowadays) can equip just about anything at that point, and since most of the GOOD S rank items have been whored out during events, he/she can just buy w/e they want, because money is fairly easy to obtain nowadays (unlike Version 1.0). Throw in the fact that Scape Dolls can be bought practically ANYWHERE, and the game's difficulty drops down to that of a cake-walk.

I could go on and on with this, but I won't. I've just grown tired of the mediocrity. Yes, AotI is better than the original, but it's still not enough imo. =/

Yet you are going on and on with that, in at least 3 different topics that I've counted on the first page. >_> Perhaps not "that" specific phrase, but in the same vein in all 3.

I may be missing out on the "vet-fu" that everyone here seems to go on and on about that makes the game so easy. Unless I'm on my AT or my GM, the Event mission can give me a bit of difficulty. Even with them, if I'm careless, I can get beat on.

My AF and FT/MF just stay out of S2, as even though they "can" fight enemies 50 levels above them, they probably shouldn't be. They have that "good gear" you mentioned, by the way. As in high-grind, 40%+ melee weapons or high-grind tech stuff, etc.

The game ceases to be a cakewalk when you cease using only the strongest combination(s) against the weakest enemies. That's the other side of the "must have the strongest x in the game" mentality. Once you get it, the game becomes far easier.

Sega has screwed up in not putting in valid threats for "maxed out" characters, but that doesn't make a whit of difference to those that aren't maxed out. As in, the OP.

[SStrikerR]

I actually remember somebody coming back for once. Forum name, anyway. If I got a dollar for every toic like this, I'd already have a ps3. Someone pay me.

[The_Brimada]

*ignoring all other posts except the OP's*

Give it a shot for a month. If you don't like it then cancel.

Game can be tedious at times, but since you've been gone forever then there's plenty for you to do. As for the system, choose whichever you want(maybe even both if you have money to waste).

As long as you find a few good friends to play with, even a mediocre game like this can be very fun.

Welcome back(if you choose to come)

[MadDogg]

Are you a masochist?

Do you like running the same mission over and over again (because the population is so small, everyone flocks to the newest one) with little to no difficulty to get drops that don't synth or have low %'s?

Do you enjoy having to put up with Sega/Sonic Teams constant screw-ups, failures, and overall lack of knowledge to properly run and program an online game?

If so, sure, play PSU... -_-X

Man no offense, but you remind me of my friends down to the T.

PSO/PSU is my favorite game series of all time, but it is ran by a japanese company, so I am used to servers that are not japanese being treated like red headed step children. I already know this game isn't ran by the likes of blizzard or nc soft, so I'm usually used to getting screwed over and not complaining about it. Yeah, I should quit and play something like World of Warcraft, but I love this game's gameplay system and laidback style so much, no other MMO or online rpg can compare unfortunately.

This is where my friends come in. We all started playing during day 1 of psu, and of course they quit, join up again, quit, join up again, so on and so on. And they did the EXACT same thing you are doing now, they bitch, they complain, and bitch some more. It never ended. So after a while and many arguments of me telling them I'm sick of the whining, they sold their psu disk.

A lot of users here are like me. Yeah, we know the updates are garbage, we know we get events like a year later after the only fans that matter to them, the japanese, so there is no need to see all the whining about it over and over again in the forums. Just sell your disk and move on. Besides what is moaning about crap going to do to the fans, we aren't developers, nothing we can do about lack of updates.

[AngelofEnders]

If you can make/have friends that aren't dull, you can probably look past the game's flaws because the social aspect will cause you to want to keep logging on more than anything else. Honestly it's up to you, renew for a month, it's only 10 bucks. If you don't like it, cancel.

Getting other people's opinion really won't matter that much if you already had the interest before you made the topic.

[Miyoko]

and there's no challenging endgame content for veterans like us - stuff games like [...] WoW have TONS of.

I lol'd. I really wish you'd quit the forums, too.

To the OP, all you need is a good group of friends, and you're set. I've been randomly mailing people I see lately, and a lot of the people turn out to be really friendly. Y'just gotta put yourself out there :D

[nanoblaster]

I played this game for over a year then some stuff happened that came with A LOT of drama so I took a "break" from the game but that was like 6-7 months ago.
Now I'm thinking about coming back but I can't make up my mind about whether or not I will. I'm worried that if I do come back all of that drama will start back up again and I'll just end up taking another "break".
The only reason I wanna come back is because I miss my friends on there.
Can anyone help me try to make up my mind??
Like tell me some of the new things that have came out in the game that I can look forward to if I come back or something??
I played on the pc/ps2 servers so can someone from those servers tell me how the community is now??
I remember when I left a lot of people were talking about quitting and most of them did.
Are there a lot of new people playing now or have any other older players came back like I might??

[RAGNAGELPPOD]

The pc/ps2 community keeps getting smaller and tighter; It feels really good.

[ashley50]

http://pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166945

[Tetsaru]

I lol'd. I really wish you'd quit the forums, too.

I'm sorry, but I don't see what was so funny. PSU simply has NO endgame content. Once you hit max levels and find all the best equipment for your character, what is there to do... farm materials? Level your PA's? You can do that practically anytime you want; it's nothing special. There's nothing in the game that actually challenges you once you've reached that point, NOTHING that is so difficult that you actually NEED the best gear in the game... S2 missions don't count, they're too easy; like I said, you could be 50 levels lower that the enemies and still kill them, because you can Zerg rush just about anything...

The only missions that REALLY challenged me were The Magashi Plan and MAYBE Innocent Girl because 1 - you had to solo them, and 2 - once you died, that was it, no cheapass scape dolls (which I still feel are one of the main reasons why this game continues to be so easy... I mean when's the last time you actually saw someone stay down after getting KO'd?). I guess I can add Her Secret Mission in there too, but only because it was so damned annoying due to all the cheap ways you could get killed, which would just piss off the rest of the party...

Don't get me wrong, I loved PSO, I loved PSU, I played a little bit of PSP and enjoyed it... it's Segac I hate. If they would just get a clue and fix all these problems... but it's not going to happen. I hope they prove me wrong. =/

[Volcompat321]

I kinda agree with you Tet, and I love PSU.
I said I'd always be subscribed, til SEGA cancels PSU, but I think I'm gonna give it a rest.
I have faith in SEGA no more. :( I will not quit, I just wont stay sub'd for a while, til I get bored enough to come back, which will probably be in about 6 months or so :(
I tend to take long breaks from this game, in hopes SEGA will do something.

To the OP, play the game til you get bored. It may be tomorrow, it may be in 6 months.
Give it a try, what's 10 bucks to a working person? Almost nothing to try something.
Better than going to Game Stop or Wal-Mart and buying a game you might hate.
Since you already have the game, it's free other than subscription.
Have fun, and good luck!

[Powder Keg]

I'm sorry, but I don't see what was so funny. PSU simply has NO endgame content. Once you hit max levels and find all the best equipment for your character, what is there to do... farm materials? Level your PA's? You can do that practically anytime you want; it's nothing special. There's nothing in the game that actually challenges you once you've reached that point, NOTHING that is so difficult that you actually NEED the best gear in the game... S2 missions don't count, they're too easy; like I said, you could be 50 levels lower that the enemies and still kill them, because you can Zerg rush just about anything...

The only missions that REALLY challenged me were The Magashi Plan and MAYBE Innocent Girl because 1 - you had to solo them, and 2 - once you died, that was it, no cheapass scape dolls (which I still feel are one of the main reasons why this game continues to be so easy... I mean when's the last time you actually saw someone stay down after getting KO'd?). I guess I can add Her Secret Mission in there too, but only because it was so damned annoying due to all the cheap ways you could get killed, which would just piss off the rest of the party...

Don't get me wrong, I loved PSO, I loved PSU, I played a little bit of PSP and enjoyed it... it's Segac I hate. If they would just get a clue and fix all these problems... but it's not going to happen. I hope they prove me wrong. =/
Your problem is you're spending all of this time raging and writing paragraph after paragraph focusing on the negative while you could just be playing.

I can see from your tradelists alone that you don't have anywhere near every rare in the game. You could be enjoying yourself with friends. No one is forced to run the same mission over and over again. Hell, I don't think all of your characters are even capped, are they? And no one should really be expecting any kind of "endgame content" from an online game. Online games really don't have anything that "ends" until the server is shut down.

Point is, take your negative crap elsewhere if you're quitting. The last thing we need is you attempting to drive people away from an already small population. Not everyone is going to feel the same as you are.

[Dragon_Knight]

Honestly, I too hate that there simply isn't an end game thing...I also hate that some of the orginal content is STILL locked away (I'm talking mostly about the techs rentis and dizas) which got adjustments dispsite NOONE having them, and yes I do hate Segac's crappy support style for the game...

But still I play it, though its flaws, because I just happen to like hanging out with with the people I met along the way. Jagdpanzer, Red_Ghost, Coffee bot, Chotic Betty, and there are others. I could tell you stories about Jagd nearly boring me to sleep doing Desert Terror S2 with so many runs everyday, yet I would be healing/buffing as needed. XD I do miss the people whos lives did become to much to play PSU like Deja and Raven. But things happen even if I do leave...I'll probably be back after a couple of months...for me this game really has just been about hanging out with the people I've met along the way and sharing stories and creating new ones. Like the time Virus Alert seemed to piss off a whole crowd of monsters just by shouting her usual Stan Smith level Pro-American lines. XD

After all PSU is what you make of it.

[Ithildin]

The pc/ps2 community keeps getting smaller and tighter; It feels really good.


Yeah I'm on the pc and would generally agree with this. I'm still having fun and finding plenty to do. Why not just pay for one month, come back and see for yourself? You won't be wasting much money if you don't like it.

[Volcompat321]

http://pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166945

You beat me to it :o

[Ithildin]

After all PSU is what you make of it.

This. I've said this so many times along the way. PSU, you can take it or leave it. Play the hell out of the game or just play casual like I do. Its your choice.

Come back and give it a go. Don't listen to the whiners and moaners. I feel sorry for them tbh. Go and do something more productive with your lives. Shut up about PSU's bad points and get on with it. I'm enjoying PSU atm. Its idiots like you that ruin it for the people who want to try it out for the first time or want to come back. I say the more the merrier. Come back and I'll join your party!

[Mikura]

The pc/ps2 community keeps getting smaller and tighter; It feels really good.

I absolutely love how you phrased that btw.

[Ithildin]

I absolutely love how you phrased that btw.

Now reading it again... Hmmm O.O

[The_Brimada]

The pc/ps2 community keeps getting smaller and tighter; It feels really good.

Haha. You're right but that wording is lol.

[Mikura]

Why does it not suprise me that you would take it that way, Hentai Enthusiast?

You should expect no less from someone who has their mind in the gutter 24/7. And I'm almost positive he meant it to sound that way too. >.>

[ARASHIKAGE]

I remember when I left a lot of people were talking about quitting and most of them did.


You're right they did quit. But there's still plenty of us out there that will play untill they shut the servers down.

[Miyoko]

I'm sorry, but I don't see what was so funny. PSU simply has NO endgame content. Once you hit max levels and find all the best equipment for your character, what is there to do... farm materials? Level your PA's? You can do that practically anytime you want; it's nothing special. There's nothing in the game that actually challenges you once you've reached that point, NOTHING that is so difficult that you actually NEED the best gear in the game... S2 missions don't count, they're too easy; like I said, you could be 50 levels lower that the enemies and still kill them, because you can Zerg rush just about anything...

The only missions that REALLY challenged me were The Magashi Plan and MAYBE Innocent Girl because 1 - you had to solo them, and 2 - once you died, that was it, no cheapass scape dolls (which I still feel are one of the main reasons why this game continues to be so easy... I mean when's the last time you actually saw someone stay down after getting KO'd?). I guess I can add Her Secret Mission in there too, but only because it was so damned annoying due to all the cheap ways you could get killed, which would just piss off the rest of the party...

Don't get me wrong, I loved PSO, I loved PSU, I played a little bit of PSP and enjoyed it... it's Segac I hate. If they would just get a clue and fix all these problems... but it's not going to happen. I hope they prove me wrong. =/

I'm laughing 'cause the WoW endgame content is anything but a challenge. Seriously, I three-man the 5-man hard mode stuff. >_>

Not to mention, a large part of the endgame content, Heroic Dungeons, are litterally nothing but S2 versions of the dungeons you ran from 70-80. The only real difference in endgame content between the two is raids (which sucks), PVP (which also sucks [in WoW at least]), and Rep grinding (which is never fun).

[pinkace]

I think that so far in 2009 Sega has shown much better service than ever to non-JP servers, so I am hopeful they will continue and maybe by the end of this year we will be much closer to the JP status than we are now :)

Allison W:

As you have no doubt noticed, Tetsaru is the only one bitching. That's a good sign isn't it? :) come on back; using this thread as the canary in a coal mine, there is a 14/15 chance you will enjoy the game immensely.

[Tetsaru]

I think that so far in 2009 Sega has shown much better service than ever to non-JP servers, so I am hopeful they will continue and maybe by the end of this year we will be much closer to the JP status than we are now :)

No offense, but you give Sega WAAAY too much credit. Yes, I agree that they've done a better job than in the past, but I'm still far from impressed, considering the competition. At the rate our updates are going (and still with flaws, I might add), I'd say it'd take AT LEAST another year for us to acquire everything Japan has on their servers right now that we don't, and they keep getting new stuff all the time. The point at which we catch up with them will most likely be the point at which they decide to take the servers down... unless a miracle happens, and I'm not holding my breath. =/

The best thing that Segac did for PSU update-wise, imo, were the Guardians Boost Road events. New missions and harder difficulties were released, shit-tons of new items, and it ENCOURAGED people to play together and not spam the same mission over and over again. PSU needs more updates like THESE to be successful, not a single temporary event mission that just gets whored to death and bores everyone by the time the first week is over. They also need to have their development teams working overtime to create NEW stuff like those PSP weapons we're just now seeing in Japan, and not just slowly unlock content off of the disc, which is just appalling game design.

Being brutally honest here, there's just too much internal conflict going on between the US/Europe and Japanese branches of the company to really get anything huge accomplished, now that most of the big names like Yuji Naka, Naoto Oshima, Hirokazu Yasuhara, and Yoshihisa Hashimoto - the guys who ORIGINALLY started most of the major Sonic and Phantasy Star successes - have all moved on to other gaming companies. Kinda makes you wonder why so many of them left, huh? :3 Read up on it if you don't believe me. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_Team)

PSU isn't necessarily a BAD game... but it could be a HELLUVA lot better than what it is now if Segac would just pay more attention to current successful online gaming trends, as well as listen to their playerbase - both overseas AND in our neck of the woods. Advertising wouldn't hurt either.

To the OP: If you haven't played any of AotI yet, I'm sure there will be plenty for you to do. It's just that people like me who have played the hell out of this game for all its worth are always waiting for something new to come out, which Segac either never gives us, or somehow screws up. =/

[Legendria]

Tets, seriously, give it a rest.

I'm coming up on my second anniversary of playing PSU, been through every class and weapon type, and I still have a decent amount of fun with this game.

OP, get this game. Your vanilla gear will probably be totally useless but you can re-equip yourself with 10/11-stars for about 80k, most likely.

Although I really think you should get on 360 for the (much) larger shop selection, lower prices and player base, you should probably pick whatever you feel comfortable being on for hours, whether its PC or a TV.

[pinkace]

No offense, but you give Sega WAAAY too much credit. Yes, I agree that they've done a better job than in the past, but I'm still far from impressed, considering the competition. At the rate our updates are going (and still with flaws, I might add), I'd say it'd take AT LEAST another year for us to acquire everything Japan has on their servers right now that we don't, and they keep getting new stuff all the time. The point at which we catch up with them will most likely be the point at which they decide to take the servers down... unless a miracle happens, and I'm not holding my breath. =/

That is why I said I am hopeful :) it is called being an optimist.

You are obviously having a bad day/week though :(

[nanoblaster]

I'll probably try coming back for a month to see how it is. Who knows maybe some of my friends are still playing and even if they're not I'll probably make new ones.

[ashley50]

no rest for the wicked I guess...

[Wheatpenny]

Man started looking around and this thread was like a beacon to me. I was contemplating coming back. It has been a while I left for a few months then came back for AotI then left again. Good to see people still play. On the note of "While I was out." Have they added Fighmaster and Gunmaster and (insert techer equivalent here because I never knew the name to begin with) ?

[Dragon_Knight]

yea they did all classes are currently unlocked.

[Allison_W]

I went and ordered AotI for the PC on Newegg for $12.98, after shipping. Thanks for the help, everybody--even you, Tetsy. (Though I will note that in this case, low endgame content probably won't change much given the fact I rarely stick with anything that long anyway.)

See you folks soon!

[Wheatpenny]

I went and ordered AotI for the PC on Newegg for $12.98, after shipping. Thanks for the help, everybody--even you, Tetsy. (Though I will note that in this case, low endgame content probably won't change much given the fact I rarely stick with anything that long anyway.)

See you folks soon!


Welcome aboard.

[Dragwind]

It's been quite a while Allison_W. Drop me a mail in-game when you're back up and running.

[Nizulz]

I used to play PSU at it's initial release on the PC, but lost interest around half a year later when my subscription ran up. After uninstalling it, I am looking to play it again. So here we go:

--How is the relative population on the PC/PS2 server? I remember it was starting to dwindle to a few stars on only one server around the time I left.

--How bad is the shop inflation due to the hacked meseta? This probably won't have much effect on my decision, really.

--If I've lost my first disc, can I play everything with it from Ambition of the Illuminus? I've already heard I can do everything online just fine. Is there any difference from playing online with either? Or hey, is there a link from SEGA where I can still download it since I already paid for the disk?

--Just exactly how much stuff from PSO did they add? (regarding clothes, cast parts, areas, etc...)

--I've assumed I can, but just to be safe I have to ask...Can I reactivate my old account and keep playing with my old character?

That's just about it, thanks in advance.

[Criss]

- The PC/PS2 population is definitely small. I'd say the average is one full star on Uni 2 to 1 1/2 star.

- The hacked meseta has pretty much disappeared now, as far as I can tell. Of course, some people have hunted and sold rares enough to have stashed more than one stack of meseta, but overall I think prices are pretty stable (outside of events when they usually make certain rares so easy to obtain that their prices drop, but that's a different thing).

- If you play on PC/PS2, the AotI expansion is standalone, unlike on 360, so the original disk is obsolete. If you're on PC, you don't even need the disk at all once the game is installed.

- They added the forest, caves, mines and ruins in, but they're only available in rare missions or certain event missions. Also, monsters in those missions are just the PSU monsters that happen to resemble the PSO ones (except the boomas that they added in AotI, and the grass assassins that are much bigger than in PSO). Also, most if not all of the clothes/parts from PSO are in PSU with most of the original color schemes intact, and hats selectable as hair accessories.

- You should be able to reactivate your account without too much problem, if the billing server doesn't happen to be down. As for your characters... well, although SEGA reserves themselves the right to delete characters after more than 3 months of inactivity, I don't think they ever used that right. I've heard of cases where people came back after a year and had everything still intact. It's not like they need to free up data space with the current size of the population.

[Star☆Juice]

Welcome back! ^^

[Nizulz]

Sounds good. I'll definately come back if I can at least get one of my my friends, IRL or otherwise, to play with me.

I take it there isn't anyway to buy and download the game online?

[Criss]

Not directly in downloadable format, at least as far as I know. Some online retailers should have it though, but as a shippable retail box.

And if you start playing on PC/PS2, send me a PM. I'm always looking for friendly people to play with. :wacko:

[metalshadow04]

- The PC/PS2 population is definitely small. I'd say the average is one full star on Uni 2 to 1 1/2 star.

- The hacked meseta has pretty much disappeared now, as far as I can tell. Of course, some people have hunted and sold rares enough to have stashed more than one stack of meseta, but overall I think prices are pretty stable (outside of events when they usually make certain rares so easy to obtain that their prices drop, but that's a different thing).

- If you play on PC/PS2, the AotI expansion is standalone, unlike on 360, so the original disk is obsolete. If you're on PC, you don't even need the disk at all once the game is installed.

- They added the forest, caves, mines and ruins in, but they're only available in rare missions or certain event missions. Also, monsters in those missions are just the PSU monsters that happen to resemble the PSO ones (except the boomas that they added in AotI, and the grass assassins that are much bigger than in PSO). Also, most if not all of the clothes/parts from PSO are in PSU with most of the original color schemes intact, and hats selectable as hair accessories.

- You should be able to reactivate your account without too much problem, if the billing server doesn't happen to be down. As for your characters... well, although SEGA reserves themselves the right to delete characters after more than 3 months of inactivity, I don't think they ever used that right. I've heard of cases where people came back after a year and had everything still intact. It's not like they need to free up data space with the current size of the population.

So you're saying that if I've never even had the original PSU, I can buy AoI and still have all the features?
Just trying to verify.

[Ffuzzy-Logik]

Everything except for episode one of the story (the offline mode of v1).

[Criss]

So you're saying that if I've never even had the original PSU, I can buy AoI and still have all the features?
Just trying to verify.
You'll have all of the online features, as well as the offline Ep 2 story, but not not the original PSU ep 1 story. So if all you care about is the online, the original release PSU disk is completely obsolete.

This is only for PC/PS2 though. The X360 version of online AotI content is a downloadable install that doesn't have the offline Ep2 story, so you still need the original disk for that console.

[metalshadow04]

You'll have all of the online features, as well as the offline Ep 2 story, but not not the original PSU ep 1 story. So if all you care about is the online, the original release PSU disk is completely obsolete.

This is only for PC/PS2 though. The X360 version of online AotI content is a downloadable install that doesn't have the offline Ep2 story, so you still need the original disk for that console.

Yeah I meant for PC and I'm not that worried about PSU's original storyline. If I wanted to know the story I'm sure I could just find it on the internet.
I can pay for the license and everything but I just need my parents to put it on their card since I don't have one... meh.

[Nizulz]

I found out I can just borrow the old PSU disk from a friend. Will I be excluded from any online content for not having AotI?

[Powder Keg]

I found out I can just borrow the old PSU disk from a friend. Will I be excluded from any online content for not having AotI?

It's totally pointless to pay to play online with the original PSU disc. If you plan on going online, get the expansion.

[beatrixkiddo]

I found out I can just borrow the old PSU disk from a friend. Will I be excluded from any online content for not having AotI?

Yes, lots of it.

[Zantra]

To be frank, i'm trying to get a new job so I can come back to PSU... at least until PS0 comes out... then i'm outie 5,000...

[Alamar]

I returned after 2 years. All of my buddies are still playing. That makes it worth it. As for my WOW experience....decent game had some serious flaws. In the end was not worth $15 to me. Love PS always have this game has something I just can't put my finger on it. Just my thoughts

[Allison_W]

Love PS always have this game has something I just can't put my finger on it.

I'm going to guess that something is a combat system that actually asks for some coordination and even requires you be awake as opposed to hitting auto-attack and taking a nap.

[Alamar]

LOL.... Yes so true. No pun intended in the last post but yea. That certain game was mentioned in this post too.

[RemiusTA]

Are you a masochist?

Do you like running the same mission over and over again (because the population is so small, everyone flocks to the newest one) with little to no difficulty to get drops that don't synth or have low %'s?

Do you enjoy having to put up with Sega/Sonic Teams constant screw-ups, failures, and overall lack of knowledge to properly run and program an online game?

If so, sure, play PSU... -_-X

Population issues only exist on pc/ps2 really

In all truth, If you haven't played since the expansion came out, you'll have a shitstorm of things to do.

When you're a lower level you shouldn't have problems getting people to tour the missions with you, but amongst higher levels, people tend to whore the popular missions. They'll be fun the first time you play them, but soon after just get boring. However, at any given time if you request people to go run missions outside to norm with you, you shouldn't have any problem getting a few people.

I HIGHLY reccomend getting either the PC version or the 360 version. The PS2 version is an absolutely pathetic version of this game once you play on a competent PC / a 360.


People bitch about the content in this game, but what people really fail to realize is they aren't bitching about the content, they're bitching about the amount of useful content. This game is chocked full of missions, enemies, bosses, ect, but its only the ones with good payout that get played. So upon returning, i doubt you'll see what people are bitching about. Only when you get to a higher level and start searching for a mission that will test you / payout in proportion to your level will you start seeing why people get pissed at the speed ST releases new content.


tl;dr, this game is tons-o-fun until you run out of things to do, in which case you have to turn to sega and wait on the updates we are waiting to recieve from the jp servers, in which case you'll learn how bad Sega sucks at it.

[Powder Keg]

I'm going to guess that something is a combat system that actually asks for some coordination and even requires you be awake as opposed to hitting auto-attack and taking a nap.

I can agree with this....but I end up running into walls and taking naps anyway. :(

[Nizulz]

Well, I'm officially back as soon as this 060 error stops.

[Paggos]

I'm also thinking about resubbing, but have one question.

Is White Beast still the spam mission?

[ashley50]

I'm also thinking about resubbing, but have one question.

Is White Beast still the spam mission?
While the event is going on...no

[misstigress]

Man no offense, but you remind me of my friends down to the T.

PSO/PSU is my favorite game series of all time, but it is ran by a japanese company, so I am used to servers that are not japanese being treated like red headed step children. I already know this game isn't ran by the likes of blizzard or nc soft, so I'm usually used to getting screwed over and not complaining about it. Yeah, I should quit and play something like World of Warcraft, but I love this game's gameplay system and laidback style so much, no other MMO or online rpg can compare unfortunately.

This is where my friends come in. We all started playing during day 1 of psu, and of course they quit, join up again, quit, join up again, so on and so on. And they did the EXACT same thing you are doing now, they bitch, they complain, and bitch some more. It never ended. So after a while and many arguments of me telling them I'm sick of the whining, they sold their psu disk.

A lot of users here are like me. Yeah, we know the updates are garbage, we know we get events like a year later after the only fans that matter to them, the japanese, so there is no need to see all the whining about it over and over again in the forums. Just sell your disk and move on. Besides what is moaning about crap going to do to the fans, we aren't developers, nothing we can do about lack of updates.

Don't feel too bad about World of Warcraft -- I just reactivated my PSU subscription after having to endure the latest of Blizzard's shenanigans (and trust me, there have been plenty as of late, such as eradicating the 2v2 bracket in the arena and the authentication/login servers going down for hours at a time nearly every day for over a week, which is not an exaggeration). Oh, but may I be struck by lightning for daring to criticize the godliest of the MMOs in existence! Burn the heathen at the stake!

(And I'm someone who has played WoW since beta, and PSU since day one, so I'm not just a random "newb" who is spewing drivel without actually substantiating it in some manner. My point: PSU is far from perfect; everyone knows this. However, other games, such as WoW, FFXI, etc., are not in a state of perfection, either; and the point I'm attempting to convey is that if you enjoy PSU, you shouldn't have to feel ashamed if you actually enjoy playing it. Also, as I said before, I'm back here again primarily because I grew tired of being greeted every day by Blizzard's authentication server failure (and lo and behold -- PSU's authentication server was down also, as luck would have it).

I personally migrate to wherever I feel I should be (MMO-wise) in order to derive the most enjoyment from my game-play sessions, and I think other players would be more content if they would give themselves a long desired rest when they start to experience "burnout." It IS only a video game, after all. But enough of this philosophical crap -- OP, I will tell you that I, personally, love the myriad additions to the game that AotI included, and no one can give you a definitive answer as to whether or not you'll enjoy it since it would be obviously biased (individual taste varies, after all); however, I can say that PSU is my favorite online game after WoW, and in some areas (remember, this is a SUBJECTIVE statement), I feel that certain aspects of PSU transcend WoW's implementation of the same features (e.g. the plethora of character customization options available; the ability to avoid pick-up groups if necessary, etc.).

Just pay the monthly fee (which is ridiculously cheap in contrast to the price that most MMOs charge), and see for yourself. If you don't like it, it's not as if you lost much in the process. Just remember that if you're not having fun, then it's time to move on to something else.

[Hood]

i was wondering how long does psu keep ur character active?? i've been gone for 9 months from the xbox360 version but if all my stuff is gone and my character's level is gone then im not coming back...does anyone out there know??

[Allison_W]

OK, my copy of AotI is currently in a UPS facility about three hundred miles from here--it's already completed its arrival scan and its "location scan," whatever that is. Maybe if I'm really lucky it'll complete its departure scan tonight. But in any case, it sounds like it'll be here tomorrow or Wednesday.

[Calsetes]

Cool - a new person for the PC servers. Our population just increased 10%!

Anywho, assuming you can actually get online with the few problems going on right now, feel free to drop me a line - either post on the BB in Calsetes' room (do a search for shop by name) or drop by Nuku Nuku's room and leaver her / me your card (as I'm logged in as her until they fix these problems). Since there are several Nuku Nuku's though, just look for the one with the 120k base S'es in her shop - it should be a pretty low account number (like, less than 2000). If I'm AFK, I'm sitting on my bed.

[NiceOnes]

i was wondering how long does psu keep ur character active?? i've been gone for 9 months from the xbox360 version but if all my stuff is gone and my character's level is gone then im not coming back...does anyone out there know??

I left for 14 months and everything was as I left it.

Xbox360

[Paggos]

Aw what the heck its only $10. Look for me on PC/PS2!

-Artek, beast PT/fF

[MadDogg]

Don't feel too bad about World of Warcraft -- I just reactivated my PSU subscription after having to endure the latest of Blizzard's shenanigans (and trust me, there have been plenty as of late, such as eradicating the 2v2 bracket in the arena and the authentication/login servers going down for hours at a time nearly every day for over a week, which is not an exaggeration). Oh, but may I be struck by lightning for daring to criticize the godliest of the MMOs in existence! Burn the heathen at the stake!

(And I'm someone who has played WoW since beta, and PSU since day one, so I'm not just a random "newb" who is spewing drivel without actually substantiating it in some manner. My point: PSU is far from perfect; everyone knows this. However, other games, such as WoW, FFXI, etc., are not in a state of perfection, either; and the point I'm attempting to convey is that if you enjoy PSU, you shouldn't have to feel ashamed if you actually enjoy playing it. Also, as I said before, I'm back here again primarily because I grew tired of being greeted every day by Blizzard's authentication server failure (and lo and behold -- PSU's authentication server was down also, as luck would have it).

I personally migrate to wherever I feel I should be (MMO-wise) in order to derive the most enjoyment from my game-play sessions, and I think other players would be more content if they would give themselves a long desired rest when they start to experience "burnout." It IS only a video game, after all. But enough of this philosophical crap -- OP, I will tell you that I, personally, love the myriad additions to the game that AotI included, and no one can give you a definitive answer as to whether or not you'll enjoy it since it would be obviously biased (individual taste varies, after all); however, I can say that PSU is my favorite online game after WoW, and in some areas (remember, this is a SUBJECTIVE statement), I feel that certain aspects of PSU transcend WoW's implementation of the same features (e.g. the plethora of character customization options available; the ability to avoid pick-up groups if necessary, etc.).

Just pay the monthly fee (which is ridiculously cheap in contrast to the price that most MMOs charge), and see for yourself. If you don't like it, it's not as if you lost much in the process. Just remember that if you're not having fun, then it's time to move on to something else.

It isn't like I love WoW (trust me I don't. Blizzard can not get class balance right if their life depended on it), its just sometimes it seems like if you are an american MMO player, its like you have to play an american made MMO just to get equal treatment when it comes to customer service and updates, instead of trailing behind in every korean/japanese made mmo/online rpg (maple story and blue burst being the biggest offenders). PSU would actually be great if all versions got updated at the exact same time.

But yeah when I get burned out of PSU, I usually take like a month or a couple breaks at a time. Luckily I have xbox live, so I have a lot of others games to kill time in until PSU gets updated again. But whatever MMO comes out, PSU is still the most fun online rpg I've ever played, and I played nearly every MMO out there.

Sometimes, I wish sega would just force the japanese players to upgrade from their PS2s in just get this game on PC or 360. This game would be so much better if it was built ground up for current gen systems, we would have no slowdown which means no tech visual nerfs. We could have all the content on the disk unlocked from the get, and simply get additional missions and such via the hard drive. Hopefully sega makes an expansion soon that is PC/360/ and PS3 compatible, it just might be possible for this game to make a come back if you eliminate the weakest link. I really don't see myself playing any other ORPG besides this game in the future, so I want this game to live =/

[misstigress]

It isn't like I love WoW (trust me I don't. Blizzard can not get class balance right if their life depended on it), its just sometimes it seems like if you are an american MMO player, its like you have to play an american made MMO just to get equal treatment when it comes to customer service and updates, instead of trailing behind in every korean/japanese made mmo/online rpg (maple story and blue burst being the biggest offenders). PSU would actually be great if all versions got updated at the exact same time.

But yeah when I get burned out of PSU, I usually take like a month or a couple breaks at a time. Luckily I have xbox live, so I have a lot of others games to kill time in until PSU gets updated again. But whatever MMO comes out, PSU is still the most fun online rpg I've ever played, and I played nearly every MMO out there.

Sometimes, I wish sega would just force the japanese players to upgrade from their PS2s in just get this game on PC or 360. This game would be so much better if it was built ground up for current gen systems, we would have no slowdown which means no tech visual nerfs. We could have all the content on the disk unlocked from the get, and simply get additional missions and such via the hard drive. Hopefully sega makes an expansion soon that is PC/360/ and PS3 compatible, it just might be possible for this game to make a come back if you eliminate the weakest link. I really don't see myself playing any other ORPG besides this game in the future, so I want this game to live =/

I completely agree with you about not receiving equal treatment; it seems as if that isn't changing any time soon, either, so I guess I just take a "sink or swim" approach, meaning I play if I feel like it, and don't when I get too frustrated or burned out altogether. Like you, I love PSU even with its spate of issues, and I want to see its existence continue in some form, so I'll support it until the servers go down indefinitely.

(I'm such a PS addict that I bought V2 of the DC game the day it came out, played Episode 3 twice, imported PSZ, and still play PSO from time to time -- I even bought a PSP just for Phantasy Star Portable, just to show Sega some support for the franchise. If I had it my way, I would like to see every region play on the same server(s) so that we would never fall behind in terms of content updates, although I'm sure that there would be many issues to contend with that I'm unaware of, but one can still dream, right? )

[Follisimo]

Welcome back to PSU and enjoy your time back. I personally only renew my account on PSU when events that are worthwhile come out. I've sold my soul to WoW. No MMO type game is perfect, but it's backed by a world renowned company who isn't a former shell of themselves.

If you need help leveling and see a white cast named Triton ask me for some help. I probably have some gear you could have too.

[Allison_W]

error 60, lol

[nigh]

error 60 sucks Allison_W, Im getting same error :/

[-Xehanort-]

Hey PSOWorld

I took a 2 year long break from PSU after my laptop stopped working and I was busy with school. But I have a new computer and no school until October!

Is PSU worth returning to? How many people are playing it now?

[deso123]

im waiting for whats after psu before i join again.