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View Full Version : Alpha Trial Announcement Set For 24th



AzureBlaze
Jun 17, 2011, 02:46 AM
Mike was correct.
I just got this letter in the mail now, here is the google translate of bits of it which appear to be relevent. It seems ANYone who signed up for the alpha trial gets this, so it should be common amongst PSOW users. But if you were not able to sign up, you would still like to know. This is a combo of google & my own attempting to clarify the word order.

"Hello friends!
The current intensive development of "Phantasy Star Online 2" is,
Notice the date it was decided α test winner at last! "

"Also, everyone submitted to the registration lottery to participate in testing of α,
We offer exclusive wallpapers Merumaga rice gratitude!
Please use the download size of your choice! "

everyone who entered this thing gets wallpaper regardless of if you're in or not*

"Winners announced via email june 24th"
MORE winners will be announced so even if you don't get in right away you still could later.

"We are going to post some pix on the official site so watch it closely"

Opinion:
Excellent news. Especially the 'adding more alpha participants' as time goes on. A lot of the usa/non native entries are probably very 'iffy looking' if they are running human checks over the entries not just machine/randomize picking them out of a hat. The more people in this thing the better. Them throwing everyone a bone with more pic / vid content over at the official site is great/should keep the news more active for it. 2nd planet with its own tiny moon on horizon is rather pretty/interesting addition (do we get to go there? & etc). Does the grass seem rather low -rez?

Insta-Edit:
They DID post new pics on the site already. Go and see
http://pso2.jp/
Right away! (The wallpaper is the 3rd image in the gallery) For rock throwing monkies & more of those prickly 4 legged things.

NoiseHERO
Jun 17, 2011, 02:54 AM
The email came with a wallpaper?

AzureBlaze
Jun 17, 2011, 03:15 AM
A link to a wallpaper.
It's the 3rd image on the abovementioned site, in various sizes, but someone has pasted a mini JULY calander onto it in one corner. But in the biggest size the leaves/wall/hedge whatever that is looks smearey a little bit and the grass seems to be low rez or made out of big pixels or something. The people all look fine though. It's a decent graphic for a wallpaper, and a nice thing to keep people watching.

Zaix
Jun 17, 2011, 04:20 AM
Why is Monday, July 18th red on the wallpaper?

Mike
Jun 17, 2011, 05:32 AM
Why is Monday, July 18th red on the wallpaper?

July 18th is a national holiday.

r00tabaga
Jun 17, 2011, 08:06 AM
Why am I not seeing the wallpaper or new pic? All I see is the movie & original 15 images. Help?

Arika
Jun 17, 2011, 11:13 AM
Here is the link to wallpaper : http://pso2.jp/download/mm/wallpaper/pso2_mmcal201107_1920x1080.jpg

anyway, hope many of us here got as many alpha tickets as possible. I know we all really want it.

Zyrusticae
Jun 17, 2011, 11:18 AM
I'm not terribly excited. :p

Seriously, you guys do realize what you're in for, right? It's an ALPHA. Most games you don't even see them in their alpha state, and many games are barely even playable in beta right up until release (which is kinda a sad thing to see in game development and definitely something that should be avoided, but last-minute or even POST-LAUNCH completion is very common in the games industry).

The game is going to have limited customization, move sets, weapon types, environments, and a seriously ridiculous number of bugs. If the game IS, in fact, eminently playable then that is a minor miracle in and of itself.

I'll be curious to see just how complete it is in its alpha state, but I'm not holding my breath for any real info. The game is going to be less than half-finished so there's a lot of info we're not going to be able to get anyways (because the development simply will not have been done yet).

r00tabaga
Jun 17, 2011, 11:34 AM
Did you expect it to be the full game? 'Cuz none of us did. Everyone knows what an Alpha is Z.

AzureAsh
Jun 17, 2011, 11:44 AM
It's just a shame that I was far too busy with my exams to actually go back to PSU JP to get a ticket, but I don't exactly mind as I'll just wait for the actual game to come out.

Zyrusticae
Jun 17, 2011, 11:55 AM
Did you expect it to be the full game? 'Cuz none of us did. Everyone knows what an Alpha is Z.
Plenty of people are expecting juicy info from the Alpha.

I'm reminding them that they may not actually learn anything new about the game at all. We might have already seen almost everything that's actually finished for the game so far.

Malachite
Jun 17, 2011, 12:03 PM
I'm not terribly excited. :p

Seriously, you guys do realize what you're in for, right? It's an ALPHA. Most games you don't even see them in their alpha state, and many games are barely even playable in beta right up until release (which is kinda a sad thing to see in game development and definitely something that should be avoided, but last-minute or even POST-LAUNCH completion is very common in the games industry).

The game is going to have limited customization, move sets, weapon types, environments, and a seriously ridiculous number of bugs. If the game IS, in fact, eminently playable then that is a minor miracle in and of itself.

I'll be curious to see just how complete it is in its alpha state, but I'm not holding my breath for any real info. The game is going to be less than half-finished so there's a lot of info we're not going to be able to get anyways (because the development simply will not have been done yet).

Have you played any alphas or betas before? Now, I'm not all that excited, nor did I register to play it, but apart from glitch fixing/graphics polishing and a few changes here and there, Alpha tests are a pretty good representation of the final game. Of course, not EVERYTHING will be in it, but you're gonna get the general idea of PSO2 from it, and that's what people are excited about. It's not nearly as bare-bones are you're making it out to be.

moorebounce
Jun 17, 2011, 12:23 PM
Can't wait to see more videos. If this is anything like the last two portable games I will probably not see the light of day for a while. lol

NoiseHERO
Jun 17, 2011, 12:26 PM
I'm not terribly excited. :p

Seriously, you guys do realize what you're in for, right? It's an ALPHA. Most games you don't even see them in their alpha state, and many games are barely even playable in beta right up until release (which is kinda a sad thing to see in game development and definitely something that should be avoided, but last-minute or even POST-LAUNCH completion is very common in the games industry).

The game is going to have limited customization, move sets, weapon types, environments, and a seriously ridiculous number of bugs. If the game IS, in fact, eminently playable then that is a minor miracle in and of itself.

I'll be curious to see just how complete it is in its alpha state, but I'm not holding my breath for any real info. The game is going to be less than half-finished so there's a lot of info we're not going to be able to get anyways (because the development simply will not have been done yet).

Like you would know!!!

Stupid BAKA!!

AzureAsh
Jun 17, 2011, 01:00 PM
Honestly, nobody can actually have an idea of what is going to be in the Alpha test until it happens.

And of course after that, there's an NDA but I'm sure some people will ignore it. :P

NoiseHERO
Jun 17, 2011, 01:12 PM
Did they really say there was going to be an NDA?

Dragwind
Jun 17, 2011, 02:27 PM
The time draws closer, and the excitement grows. I'm itching to get a feel of what the gameplay is going to be like. I'm also dying to see exactly how far we'll be able to push the graphics in this alpha, if the options are there.

Zyrusticae
Jun 17, 2011, 03:15 PM
Have you played any alphas or betas before? Now, I'm not all that excited, nor did I register to play it, but apart from glitch fixing/graphics polishing and a few changes here and there, Alpha tests are a pretty good representation of the final game. Of course, not EVERYTHING will be in it, but you're gonna get the general idea of PSO2 from it, and that's what people are excited about. It's not nearly as bare-bones are you're making it out to be.
You must be joking.

I have participated in quite a few beta tests, and I can assure you that a lot of developers leave things out until the final stretch of development.

For example, Tera Online didn't have anything beyond basic character customization (y'know, colors and presets) until a few months before launch. Guild Wars 2 still hasn't shown its character customization to the public, meaning it is still incomplete. Vindictus left beta with only 2/5 character classes available. Blade & Soul just had its first CBT, and only basic presets were available there. Champions Online had a number of sliders and options that didn't even show up until the last month before release (most notably the female mouth slider, which I remember quite a few threads lambasting them for not having since the default mouth is, well... this (http://hosting04.imagecross.com/image-hosting-06/4238LipsCartoonColor0112_8.jpg).)

And that's just character customization. To be fair, a number of companies release their games far too early (Cryptic in particular is a huge example of this), but there's quite a few cases of games that don't reach feature-completion until just around the time of launch. Not all developers have the resources or wherewithal to have a fully feature-complete game for months or years and beta test it for for that length of time (re: Blizzard, Valve).

Also, it's hilarious that you just proved r00tabaga wrong - you clearly don't know what an alpha test usually entails, or else you wouldn't have posted that.

An alpha test is usually involves a lot of tooling around with the basic concepts of the game. The art is usually simple placeholders, the code is heavily unpolished, and the game is essentially a shadow of what it will be a few months down the line. The alpha build is usually never even shown to the public, as I said. Whatever you get for the alpha, you can bet your arse is not going to be anything like the game is at release. The whole point of having a public alpha test is clearly so they can implement the feedback they get from it into the final build; a game is FAR more difficult to change when its code base has grown immense, so this is a very smart move on their part.

They'll release the alpha, take up the feedback, and then drastically change the game. Then they'll do another test (alpha or beta, at this point it doesn't matter) and do the same until either A. they start running out of funding, or B. they decide the core gameplay (and the engine) is strong enough. Only THEN will they flesh out the game with more weapons, class options, environments, and etc.

Don't get too attached to whatever you see in the Alpha build. For that matter, don't expect much in the way of new stuff, either.

I mean, if you WANT to get your hopes up, go right ahead! But that wouldn't be realistic. You'd just be putting yourself on the road to disappointment. If you're perfectly fine with being disappointed, who am I to stop you?

Ffuzzy-Logik
Jun 17, 2011, 03:17 PM
Hey boys and girls, did you know that the terms "alpha" and "beta" as applied to software are extremely subjective and depend only on what the developer wishes to call it?

Well, they are!

AzureAsh
Jun 17, 2011, 03:20 PM
Did they really say there was going to be an NDA?

I'm not too sure, I'm just assuming there's probably going to be one because it's an alpha, if it isn't go crazy.

Videos, screenshots and information will still leak regardless.

Zyrusticae
Jun 17, 2011, 03:52 PM
Hey boys and girls, did you know that the terms "alpha" and "beta" as applied to software are extremely subjective and depend only on what the developer wishes to call it?

Well, they are!
Doesn't change the fact that that the term "alpha" has certain (strong) connotations to go with it, and that people should manage their expectations accordingly.

Ffuzzy-Logik
Jun 17, 2011, 03:57 PM
True, but keep in mind that previous PSO/PSU betas were nothing more than free trial periods, maybe with slightly different content.

RemiusTA
Jun 17, 2011, 05:31 PM
Alpha -> Playable shell of the game that will be built and expanded upon as development continues. Lots of things are very subject to change, from player models to entire gameplay systems.

Beta [test] -> Essentially finished version of the game, given to the playerbase to play and test to finish ironing out any bugs. For MMO's, this is probably also used primarily as a stress test for the servers, as well as balancing.






This is the first year i've seen so many developers start showing off their games during alpha stages, as most "alpha" versions of games you'd get in the past, you would only see through leaks and hacks. I'm starting to believe the term is being used for psychological gain (who wants to Alpha Test an FPS game anyway?) In PSO2's case, though, i wouldn't deny that this is indeed an alpha test. I don't believe the graphics are going to change much, but you would be very surprised.


And what are these "new screenshots" the OP mentions? I see none!

Mike
Jun 17, 2011, 08:15 PM
And what are these "new screenshots" the OP mentions? I see none!
This is because there are none. The OP just misread the mail.

vagabondkitten
Jun 17, 2011, 08:56 PM
All I can say is that I hope that someone will post some force gameplay. I really want to see how my favorite class fares in this version. Meanwhile I'll have to continue saving my paychecks so I can get a new laptop that doesn't suck...

r00tabaga
Jun 17, 2011, 09:30 PM
All I can say is that I hope that someone will post some force gameplay. I really want to see how my favorite class fares in this version. Meanwhile I'll have to continue saving my paychecks so I can get a new laptop that doesn't suck...

Hell yes, forces aren't necessarily my favorite class to play with, but they are what makes a good party great. They are the face of the series in many ways.

RemiusTA
Jun 17, 2011, 11:30 PM
Force was always my favorite because they played uniquely from the other two classes.

Hopefully, Forces dont follow the same mechanics as the hunters or rangers while casting magic. Im hoping for a more PSO-style magic caster (using the elements as your primary weapons) instead of PSU (using your weapons to cast magic). While it sounds like it's the same thing, it's a bit different. Anyone who's played a PSO force knows what i mean.

While other magic users in videogames are traditionally slow and immobile, PSO forces were able to strike quickly and were very versatile with their spells. I really liked that.

Randomness
Jun 17, 2011, 11:34 PM
Force was always my favorite because they played uniquely from the other two classes.

Hopefully, Forces dont follow the same mechanics as the hunters or rangers while casting magic. Im hoping for a more PSO-style magic caster (using the elements as your primary weapons) instead of PSU (using your weapons to cast magic). While it sounds like it's the same thing, it's a bit different. Anyone who's played a PSO force knows what i mean.

While other magic users in videogames are traditionally slow and immobile, PSO forces were able to strike quickly and were very versatile with their spells. I really liked that.

Truthfully, PSO's mechanics locked everyone in place while attacking (more or less, some weapon combos moved a bit, but otherwise...)

FOs are the best classes in both PSO and PSU in terms of what they bring to a team. It's hard to top Shifta/Deband/Jellen/Zalure for adding damage. That said, the returns on FOs also diminished rapidly... you only need one person to keep SDJZ going, after that... well, others will probably outdamage them.

Back on topic, hoping to see some new info from the alpha. Somewhat. I can wait, I guess.

RemiusTA
Jun 17, 2011, 11:40 PM
PSU's force mechanics were terrible. Even buffing was an overly cumbersome task in that game.

Randomness
Jun 18, 2011, 11:30 AM
PSU's force mechanics were terrible. Even buffing was an overly cumbersome task in that game.

The problem with buffing was the asinine PA leveling system. They were useless unless you spent hours mindlessly leveling them.

Zyrusticae
Jun 18, 2011, 11:55 AM
The problem with buffing was the asinine PA leveling system. They were useless unless you spent hours mindlessly leveling them.
And THAT is definitely something I'm hoping doesn't return in PSO2.

And I'll bet it won't. No way the Japanese players are cool with it.

NoiseHERO
Jun 18, 2011, 12:05 PM
It'll probably have some new more complicated system that expands on customization.

But may possibly prove to be horribly annoying, which is why we're having an alpha test.

There.

Alexvrb
Jun 18, 2011, 10:14 PM
The problem with buffing was the asinine PA leveling system. They were useless unless you spent hours mindlessly leveling them.

I actually didn't really mind that part that much. It wasn't fun, and I wouldn't want it to return. But in and of itself, it didn't ruin them for me. In fact, solo I used them all the time on my Wartecher. Well, at least Shifta and Deband. The part that bothered me the most was that buffs didn't stack, not even partially. Worst yet, the most recent one overwrote the existing one, rather than refreshing duration or supplementing it. I don't know if this changed, I haven't played in some time. So as a Wartecher, if there was a 'techer in the party with a higher tier version, mine was less than useless - it actually had a negative impact if I used it.

Don't get me wrong, they shouldn't stack fully, but the strongest buff should remain in place plus a small bonus for additional ones (diminishing returns). Or they could at least refresh the duration of the stronger one. They also didn't scale as gradually as I would like. Every 10 levels was a ramp IIRC. Plus duration wasn't that great, but I complain about that in most MMOs that have buffs, because I am lazy and/or forgetful.

Jinketsu
Jun 18, 2011, 11:15 PM
I'm with you, Krigo. I'm very interested in playing this game, but not so much the pre-finished stage.

Congrats to everyone who does, and got in! Link me all your screenshots and gameplay videos when the time comes! :P

Randomness
Jun 19, 2011, 12:17 AM
And THAT is definitely something I'm hoping doesn't return in PSO2.

And I'll bet it won't. No way the Japanese players are cool with it.

It was REALLY bad. Anyone other than hunters basically had to grind PAs for hours to hit their potential. Rifle bullets... level 4 status>anything... but you have to grind. And grind. And... yeah, AFK overnight mode bad. Buffs, as noted.

The leveling was just ridiculously all over the place. Shotguns leveled without trying. Rifles leveled so slowly anyone with more than one element HAD to be AFKing them.

Arika
Jun 22, 2011, 10:05 PM
One more day~

Niered
Jun 23, 2011, 01:22 AM
I'm honestly kind of torn on how much I want to follow the inevitable flood of screenshots and videos that will accompany this alpha. On the one hand, if I do find this game making up for the clusterfuck that is PSU, I want to be able to play it totally fresh, no content spoiled for me.

On the other hand, I won't know if the game is any good unless I follow it pretty closely, since I followed PSU pretty religiously and still got suckered into that.

Quite the dilemma eh?

Ark22
Jun 23, 2011, 01:48 AM
Bout time!

ARASHIKAGE
Jun 23, 2011, 02:01 AM
I'm honestly kind of torn on how much I want to follow the inevitable flood of screenshots and videos that will accompany this alpha. On the one hand, if I do find this game making up for the clusterfuck that is PSU, I want to be able to play it totally fresh, no content spoiled for me.

On the other hand, I won't know if the game is any good unless I follow it pretty closely, since I followed PSU pretty religiously and still got suckered into that.

Quite the dilemma eh?
Sure you could try the eyes closed technique but, you have already decided PSO2 is going to make up for the "clusterfuck" that was PSU. That said it seems you are already on the hook (even exploring the PSO2 threads are we?), embrace the information Niered! (Over the shoulder third person shooting for rangers, oh my god get excited!)

I two was one that complained heavily while playing PSU, and I kept playing... playing and complaining. Why did we do this? :confused: I'll tell you why; because we love Phantasy Star, because we have friends that love Phantasy Star and because at the end It was still enjoyable.

In PSU if you got to the point were you decided not to play anymore (many of us did) then that's a different story. There are plenty of other games out there to fill your MMO hunger.

I hope that helps with your dilemma Niered, and I look forward to seeing the ever increasing plague of Retardacons on the PSO2 servers!

Arika
Jun 23, 2011, 10:26 PM
Now, it is lunch time of 24th June in Japan. I wonder if anybody get Email yet?

Mike
Jun 23, 2011, 11:18 PM
Not yet. Watch #pso2 on Twitter and if it explodes, the email has probably been sent and received.