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View Full Version : what i think ST should do that they havent in there prevoius phantasy star games.



EvilJohn
Dec 12, 2011, 07:11 AM
Same mistake ST Makes with PSO/PSU's is they dont have commercials on tv for it in america canada or europe....hopefuly when PSO2 comes out in america they make a commercial. and give us the same updates as japan...then PSO2 might be big in america/EU. anyone else agree?

NoiseHERO
Dec 12, 2011, 09:19 AM
knowing sega and this not being sonic or some published western game, the best thing we're gonna get is some popular game site giving it some light.

RemiusTA
Dec 12, 2011, 11:22 AM
this game will never be popular here. Sega will not put in the effort needed.

Besides, this game gets more and more Japanese every new entry, which wasn't nearly as much of a problem 10 years ago as it is today.

amtalx
Dec 12, 2011, 12:43 PM
No amount of advertising will make PS a notable franchise in the US. It's not a game that's ever really been designed with western ideals in mind, and I hope that never changes. I play PS games because they are distinctly eastern.

maxx69
Dec 12, 2011, 02:23 PM
Good idea. I bet they'd get a lot of people by highlighting the boob customization and loli HUnewearls.

Macman
Dec 12, 2011, 02:30 PM
And then some zealot spouts on the news how PSO2, among videogames in general are promoting pedophelia.

Ceresa
Dec 12, 2011, 02:32 PM
No reason they can't use the char creator to make some bald and bulky ramars and show a 15 second tv spot of a group of them shooting bugs and robots with lasers in that third person shooter mode.

Retaining even 1% of the people who fall for the bait and switch would still increase the sad, lonely Western playerbase by 100x...

Kent
Dec 12, 2011, 02:47 PM
I find it interesting that PSO did so well, considering the almost complete lack of advertising for it. I believe there were magazine ads back in the day (though not many), but that's about it. Everything else was game reviews and word of mouth driving the hype machine. In that sense, it's not all that different from so many other online games out there, though they have banner ads all over, for what that's worth.

A good advertising campaign could do a lot for making the game bigger and more popular and put emphasis on getting more updates out there faster, but at the same time, there are numerous free-to-play games out there that only do some banner ads and nothing else, and they still pull in profits. There are a lot of factors going into the decisions regarding the game's advertising, and a lot of them are things that haven't been announced yet.

Kazzi
Dec 12, 2011, 03:01 PM
PSO was basically a black sheep, it was never meant to become a success, it actually took ST by surprise when it did. I first heard about it in a magazine that gave it quite a critical review, I was intrigued, so I went out and bought it. Ever since then it's become my favourite game of all time!

Even if they did something little, like make a facebook page then it could make a difference. But regardless, every MMO is going to be compared to WoW. The number 2 at the end of the title may worry people who've never played the original either. All you have to remember is that PSO does have a dedicated fanbase, if we can spread the word viral, then that'll be enough. Especially if it managed some sort of memetic mutation. As much as I'd love them to do some advertising, it probably wouldn't make a difference at this point.

AzureBlaze
Dec 12, 2011, 03:32 PM
Kazzi:
They did/do have a facebook for PSO2 right now. It is at:

http://www.facebook.com/sega.pso2

and it occaisionally has started posting in Eng due to abundance of nonjp country 'likes'. So, if you have a FB going and getting everyone you can think of to like at it would really help the USA/EU/SouthAmerican cause for getting this game & showing support directly to them that people here ARE interested and maybe some ads would be worth it.

I basically bought PSO because it was a Sonicteam game & I love Sonic games (before some of those 'meh' ones they did of course) and then PSO just turned out to be my all time favorite game.

Kazzi
Dec 12, 2011, 04:04 PM
Kazzi:
They did/do have a facebook for PSO2 right now. It is at:

http://www.facebook.com/sega.pso2

and it occaisionally has started posting in Eng due to abundance of nonjp country 'likes'. So, if you have a FB going and getting everyone you can think of to like at it would really help the USA/EU/SouthAmerican cause for getting this game & showing support directly to them that people here ARE interested and maybe some ads would be worth it.

I basically bought PSO because it was a Sonicteam game & I love Sonic games (before some of those 'meh' ones they did of course) and then PSO just turned out to be my all time favorite game.


Well I meant a dedicated english one, I'm aware of the JP one ^^;

pikachief
Dec 12, 2011, 04:42 PM
I'm sure PSO2 can still interest many people if they just showed commercials here. There are plenty of people that would love the game but there are just too many people who have no idea what it is because there is no advertising!


But regardless, every MMO is going to be compared to WoW.

I have met many people on PSU that played the game basically because it wasn't like WoW. They found an MMO type game that wasn't, "find monster -> click monster -> click attacks -> collect loot -> find monster" but instead it was in the format of an action game where you also level up and collect loot.

Devil May Cry, Lost Planet, Elder Scrolls are all things you can compare this game's Hunter, Ranger, and Force to. Sure they aren't the same at all but its the same idea of magic, guns, and swords. I'm sure if they advertised it as an MMO then showed the combat and a boss in a 12-player area most people would be at least interested.

RemiusTA
Dec 12, 2011, 07:09 PM
Good idea. I bet they'd get a lot of people by highlighting the boob customization and loli HUnewearls.



Heh, Loli spam is one of the main reasons japanese games dont happen over here anymore. It's far more likely to disturb or scare people away. In fact, it disturbs even me.



It's a thing from japan that is only really shared with pedophiles here. Nowhere in western culture does "4'5" girl with no clothing" translate to attractive.



Describe a loli to anyone on the street without mentioning the actual word or japan. Watch people look at you insane.

kyuuketsuki
Dec 12, 2011, 08:07 PM
Heh, Loli spam is one of the main reasons japanese games dont happen over here anymore.
Uh, what?

It's a thing from japan that is only really shared with pedophiles here. Nowhere in western culture does "4'5" girl with no clothing" translate to attractive.
Please, show me a girl with a child-like figure of early pubescence (since that's what generally defines a lolita, not simply being short) with no clothing being advertised in PSO or PSO2.

The default HUnewearl look does not constitute a lolita. The FOnewearl might, but she is far, far from unclothed.

I don't think the lolita thing has anything at all to do with Japanese games not being successful (as though there aren't quite a lot of Japanese franchises that are successful in the Western markets), let alone PSO.

Tetsaru
Dec 12, 2011, 08:11 PM
I think it would be in Sega's best interest to advertise PSO2 at least a little bit outside of Japan, whether it's TV, magazines, or internet banners. They'd just have to localize it a bit, that's all.

I was happy to see that Sega advertised Sonic Generations on TV, at least. I can't help but think it was at least somewhat more successful because of it.

maxx69
Dec 12, 2011, 08:39 PM
Uh, what?

Please, show me a girl with a child-like figure of early pubescence (since that's what generally defines a lolita, not simply being short) with no clothing being advertised in PSO or PSO2.

The default HUnewearl look does not constitute a lolita. The FOnewearl might, but she is far, far from unclothed.

I don't think the lolita thing has anything at all to do with Japanese games not being successful (as though there aren't quite a lot of Japanese franchises that are successful in the Western markets), let alone PSO.

He's talking about Japanese games in general. Many of them do have anime art and loli characters, because that's what gamers like over there.

As for PSO2, 71.5% of players in the alpha played female characters. So "those people" might be the core audience over there.

NoiseHERO
Dec 12, 2011, 09:12 PM
No amount of advertising will make PS a notable franchise in the US. It's not a game that's ever really been designed with western ideals in mind, and I hope that never changes. I play PS games because they are distinctly eastern.

If people can eat up that final fantasy and star ocean shit.

Then I think PSO2 maybe PSU screwed up on that but DEFINITELY PSO2 could do well if people just knew it existed.

Sounds like you guys WANT this game to be hipster underground unpopular with all this black sheep uniqueness glorification. @_@

But it's just a sci-fi anime action rpg/dungeon crawler mmo these days plus the cult following it got from PSO. SEGA just has to NOT suck.

Poubelle
Dec 13, 2011, 05:04 AM
i hope they do advertise it.

the problem with PSU was that nobody knew what the fuck it was . people just looked at it and it looked like a shitty single player RPG starring ethan waber in his belly shirt.

PSO2 is just a straight MMO thank god so hopefully they can advertise it as being an awesome new online game.

but yeah if its good at least it will get recognition on popular gaming sites which will encourage people to try/buy it.

amtalx
Dec 13, 2011, 12:04 PM
If people can eat up that final fantasy and star ocean shit.

Then I think PSO2 maybe PSU screwed up on that but DEFINITELY PSO2 could do well if people just knew it existed.

Sounds like you guys WANT this game to be hipster underground unpopular with all this black sheep uniqueness glorification. @_@

But it's just a sci-fi anime action rpg/dungeon crawler mmo these days plus the cult following it got from PSO. SEGA just has to NOT suck.

Final Fantasy has achieved a pedigree that PS never will, or Star Ocean for that matter. Star Ocean is successful enough, but still receives tepid reactions in NA. I'd say it's on par with the Tales series -- rabid fans, but not in huge numbers.

It's irrelevant to me how popular PSO2 gets, as long as it can maintain a viable player base. I don't think there are very many gamer hipsters here, scratching their neck beards and worrying that the CoD crowd will infest their beloved game. It's simply that there is a uniquely hospitable feel to a game where there are enough players to meet new people, but few enough that you'll see familiar faces.

RemiusTA
Dec 13, 2011, 01:26 PM
I don't think the lolita thing has anything at all to do with Japanese games not being successful (as though there aren't quite a lot of Japanese franchises that are successful in the Western markets), let alone PSO.


I do.


In fact, i 60% believe this is the very reason. Of course, this is only my opinion.


Not so much lolita in general, but everything that has come along with it. What is popular with male japanese anime fans has fallen completely out of whack with what used to be somewhat shared with the same audience in the west. No longer spikey hair, giant swords, big weapons, interesting outfits or crazy fighting abilities. Now it's all about REAAALLLLYYY spikey hair, REALLLLYYY giant swords, REEAALLLLY big weapons, AS CRAZY AS YOU CAN THINK OF fighting abilities, RIDICULOUS outfits....and beautiful j/kpop idols. Not to mention Moe, which is where i begin to disconnect from anime completely. Now, im not saying the fad of pretty boys and ridiculously colorful females didn't exist 15 years ago, but it never saturated japanese crap like it has today in my opinion. Evangelion vs Rebuild of Evangelion is a wonderful example of a series i originally really admired becoming saturated with a bunch of completely unnecessary shit, when it already had its own dose to begin with that worked.


To me? Everything just looks the same now.

For example, i saw people talking about Star Ocean and Final Fantasy recently. Do me a favor. Do a Google Image search for Star Ocean 1. Now, do the same for Star Ocean 2. Now, do the same for Star Ocean 3. When you get to 4, you're going to notice a change in the character designs that's obviously different than the other 3, ASIDE from the fact that they're pre-rendered. They look shockingly similar to a game we're all very used to. Oh, and speaking of Phantasy Star, you can go ahead and do the same for that series as well. Around the time of the current generation, the art style slowly shifts from "unique" (PSO, some of PSU) to "ive seen this somewhere before". (AotI, PSP2). You could do the same with Final Fantasy, but they have exclusive artists, who for the most part can switch it up very well; but to say Final Fantasy hasn't fallen victim to this same dieline that other japanese things have would be a stretch. SO much focus has been put on CHARACTERS and ACTION that the series has almost become completely disconnected from itself, with Final Fantasy XIII only consisting of...well, a cast of characters and a bunch of action. And that's it.

But you can do it with any long running japanese franchise with a recent entry, and you can tell me whether or not somewhere down the line, the overall feel of the game just completely shifts.



This isn't to say about 15 years ago, japan didn't have its own prominent tropey art elements to draw from, because they most definitely did, and it's obvious. All im saying is that there were alot more of them to see, and omitting art styles, they wern't so easy to disconnect from western stuff.



I think someone said it best when they said "it isn't that japanese games suck now. It's just that they aren't for us anymore." The evolution of Phantasy Star alone supports this statement more than anything i can try to use.


[SPOILER-BOX]
In fact I can't remember the LAST time i saw a beast-kin race in a Japanese something that wasn't either 1) exclusively female or 2) extremely cute, where in the past they didn't seem to be that uncommon. The last time i PERSONALLY can remember seeing any in a big title was Final Fantasy XII, although the only race in your actual party that wasn't human was Fran, the Viera...an exclusively female (and somewhat revealing) race. Hmmmmm.....


Phantasy Star had them prominent, but they've all magically disappeared, with the clostest to them becoming Beasts in PSU which are damn near indistinguishable from humans. Shining Force thrived off them, but recent entries destroyed them. Breath of Fire also had nearly every character in your entire party belong different race of some sort, but for SOME REASON Capcom over the years decided such a wonderful franchise (my favorite honestly) would no longer appeal in Japan, let alone the US. Gee, I wonder why?



[/SPOILER-BOX]

Zipzo
Dec 13, 2011, 01:35 PM
Same mistake ST Makes with PSO/PSU's is they dont have commercials on tv for it in america canada or europe....hopefuly when PSO2 comes out in america they make a commercial. and give us the same updates as japan...then PSO2 might be big in america/EU. anyone else agree?
I think this has been said before but...I don't believe Sonic Team is at all involved in the development of PSO2.

RemiusTA
Dec 13, 2011, 01:40 PM
I dont think they are either. The game would look significantly more appealing if so.

Mag-X
Dec 13, 2011, 02:23 PM
I remember when the Dreamcast was out, they barely ran any commercials at all. I can't see them starting now.

Macman
Dec 13, 2011, 02:33 PM
I dont think they are either. The game would look significantly more appealing if so.Isn't that what Sonic Team specializes in these days? Making games LOOK appealing, then they release and it plays like total garbage?

RemiusTA
Dec 13, 2011, 03:06 PM
Both Sonic Colors and Generations were amazing

NoiseHERO
Dec 13, 2011, 04:23 PM
To me? Everything just looks the same now.

For example, i saw people talking about Star Ocean and Final Fantasy recently. Do me a favor. Do a Google Image search for Star Ocean 1. Now, do the same for Star Ocean 2. Now, do the same for Star Ocean 3. When you get to 4, you're going to notice a change in the character designs that's obviously different than the other 3, ASIDE from the fact that they're pre-rendered. They look shockingly similar to a game we're all very used to. Oh, and speaking of Phantasy Star, you can go ahead and do the same for that series as well. Around the time of the current generation, the art style slowly shifts from "unique" (PSO, some of PSU) to "ive seen this somewhere before". (AotI, PSP2). You could do the same with Final Fantasy, but they have exclusive artists, who for the most part can switch it up very well; but to say Final Fantasy hasn't fallen victim to this same dieline that other japanese things have would be a stretch. SO much focus has been put on CHARACTERS and ACTION that the series has almost become completely disconnected from itself, with Final Fantasy XIII only consisting of...well, a cast of characters and a bunch of action. And that's it.

But you can do it with any long running japanese franchise with a recent entry, and you can tell me whether or not somewhere down the line, the overall feel of the game just completely shifts.


Pretty much, it's just like everything else in media, do what you can to hold people attention. The easiest way out is looking like what's popular more and more. I'm sure popular Japanese game characters didn't start making all of their characters look like shounen jump and kingdom hearts characters on accident.

I'd say it works even at first... But after decade of this I'm sure everyone is waiting for games to look more original again. OR the other easy way out, going for the classic throwback look. I'm sure if Nintendo were on a desperate budget, Mario's overalls would turn red again.

RemiusTA
Dec 14, 2011, 02:50 PM
Yeah, you know i think thats why i enjoy retro games. I think we're a bit spoiled by the increased graphical power of newer games, but i really am starting to believe we've finally hit the maximum in terms of graphical capabilities. These days i'd much rather opt for lower graphics and better use of the processsing power for gameplay elements, like physics and whatnot. Although, many developers seem to fail at using that as well. I haven't played a single Tomb Raider game that was as impressive as the first.

Kazzi
Dec 14, 2011, 02:54 PM
Isn't that what Sonic Team specializes in these days? Making games LOOK appealing, then they release and it plays like total garbage?

Not gonna lie, I laughed because it's mostly true ;_;

Getting the right balance of aesthetics and gameplay isn't as easy as it sounds though. Modern games are much easier to play than the retro games, but they're also more difficult in terms of coding etc. It's a strange irony when you think about it.

But at least ST are actively listening to their userbase and making the changes people request. So who knows, by the time it's released we could end up with something quite awesome. It's nice to have a bit of optimism. The greatest tool in advertising is word of mouth.

RemiusTA
Dec 14, 2011, 03:04 PM
Like i said, both Sonic Colors and Generations were amazing.


In fact, Unleashed was a damn good game as well. The biggest issue i had with that game was the terrible framerate issues and the werehog fight music playing over the godlike stage BGMs.



Regardless of how you decide to overexagerrate Unleashed's issues, Sonic Team hasn't made a bad game since. They said during development of Unleashed that they basically hired a whole new team, and they've been RAPIDLY improving. Even if you were to somehow view Sonic Unleashed as complete trash, Sonic Colors came out only like a year afterwards, and pretty much everyone loves that game.

Generations is either amazing or shit depending on how retarded of a sonic fan you are.

Kazzi
Dec 14, 2011, 03:06 PM
Generations was amazing, but it's was painfully short with no re-play value unless you were desperate for achievements. Should have had another set of stages in my opinion.

But it's true, Sonic Team are really trying to improve and make great games again. This is why I'm not too worried about PSO2 at all.

RemiusTA
Dec 14, 2011, 03:28 PM
...That's the issue, Kazzi. Sonic Team isn't making this game. Have you seen a Sonic Team logo anywhere on any trailer or website for PSO2? Ever?



Generations wasn't very short to me. Unlike Sonic Unleashed, all the extra missions actually felt like stages in themselves instead of cheap fan mods.

It's better than them trying to play that bullshit "RPG ELEMENTS" crap that just forces you to talk to a bunch of random people. I never have an issue with it, but im not going to complain that it was absent. I had fun playing through Generations from stage to stage like i did.

kyuuketsuki
Dec 14, 2011, 03:29 PM
But it's true, Sonic Team are really trying to improve and make great games again. This is why I'm not too worried about PSO2 at all.
But uh, Sonic Team isn't making PSO2...

And I really should start playing Generations again. I keep getting distracted...

Edit: D'oh, beaten to it by Remius. *shakes fist*

Kazzi
Dec 14, 2011, 06:45 PM
...That's the issue, Kazzi. Sonic Team isn't making this game. Have you seen a Sonic Team logo anywhere on any trailer or website for PSO2? Ever?



Generations wasn't very short to me. Unlike Sonic Unleashed, all the extra missions actually felt like stages in themselves instead of cheap fan mods.

It's better than them trying to play that bullshit "RPG ELEMENTS" crap that just forces you to talk to a bunch of random people. I never have an issue with it, but im not going to complain that it was absent. I had fun playing through Generations from stage to stage like i did.

I was not aware of that actually, I thought they'd be developing it since they created PSO. That's a big mistake on my behalf, sorry!

RemiusTA
Dec 14, 2011, 10:18 PM
But uh, Sonic Team isn't making PSO2...

And I really should start playing Generations again. I keep getting distracted...

Edit: D'oh, beaten to it by Remius. *shakes fist*

muwahahahahaaaaaa


I was not aware of that actually, I thought they'd be developing it since they created PSO. That's a big mistake on my behalf, sorry!


I didn't realize it either. Someone else pointed it out to us, but i can't remember who.

Malachite
Dec 15, 2011, 01:29 AM
It's been pretty well known for awhile.

I actually think it's good that they're not.. because reasons and stuff that I can't be assed to turn into coherent thoughts at the moment.

I don't know. I'm drunk as hell.

SELENNA
Dec 15, 2011, 03:16 AM
So who develops the game? Even Wikipedia says Sonic Team

pikachief
Dec 15, 2011, 03:32 AM
Yeah, you know i think thats why i enjoy retro games. I think we're a bit spoiled by the increased graphical power of newer games, but i really am starting to believe we've finally hit the maximum in terms of graphical capabilities.

If I can play this (running smoothly) in an actual game with special effects, weather effects and especially people that look just as good as the rest of this video without the game lagging up, then i'll think that we've reached the maximum in graphical capabilities.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_IKqjb9TRY&feature=player_embedded

People I've shown this to have thought that this was real life stuff at first.

RemiusTA
Dec 15, 2011, 04:03 AM
No, we can definitely keep going upwards in some areas. Lighting Effects and physics are where the biggest leaps are coming from, really.

Kazzi
Dec 15, 2011, 11:52 AM
So who develops the game? Even Wikipedia says Sonic Team

Maybe someone needs to update Wikipedia then? I went through the official sites and it really doesn't say Sonic Team is working on it at all...

NoiseHERO
Dec 15, 2011, 12:07 PM
If I can play this (running smoothly) in an actual game with special effects, weather effects and especially people that look just as good as the rest of this video without the game lagging up, then i'll think that we've reached the maximum in graphical capabilities.

T.l.i.t.d. WIP update #5 now in !!CRYENGINE 3!! - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_IKqjb9TRY&feature=player_embedded)

People I've shown this to have thought that this was real life stuff at first.

Ehn...

Something just doesn't seem quite right...

I'm still getting that transformers beastformers(if anyone remembers that cartoon) CGi vibe from it...

Maybe it's just the colors or lighting, just looks unnatural...

In terms of comparing it to real life at least. For a game I guess that'd be top notch in a lot of standards. But yeah something to give it some atmosphere would be perfect...

I guess it's not really an art project but more like something to show its potential?

Akaimizu
Dec 15, 2011, 12:40 PM
The main reason I got into Phantasy Star wasn't for the Eastern aspect of it. Heck, as far as I knew, it tread on many Western concepts and had that as a good basis of play. No, the real thing that brought me into the franchise is that I love the unusual aspect of the world. Basically, it's a good example of someone putting Fantasy into a Science Fiction realm. Heck, my first impression of the concept (though not entirely right) was that Phantasy Star (with PSO) was using a concept of technically advanced humans *making* stuff of Fantasy a reality (Anne McCaffrey style). With the Newman concept, casts, and certain bio-creation monsters...I was given the feeling like Humans were like "Hmm. We don't have elves, dragons, and such. We can make our own." In a place where bio-science was free to practice what they wanted as long as they didn't go creating something too destructive. To a degree, I was half-right instead. That is, fantasy creatures are still fantasy creatures, only the humanoids are all human constructs. Still, that with the crazy futuristic art style and music was a big thing for me.

RemiusTA
Dec 15, 2011, 08:16 PM
Ehn...

Something just doesn't seem quite right...

I'm still getting that transformers beastformers(if anyone remembers that cartoon) CGi vibe from it...

Maybe it's just the colors or lighting, just looks unnatural...

In terms of comparing it to real life at least. For a game I guess that'd be top notch in a lot of standards. But yeah something to give it some atmosphere would be perfect...

I guess it's not really an art project but more like something to show its potential?

I know what you mean, i think its because the textures are really basic. The lighting engine is really good, but everything looks like plastic. Light doesn't reflect off wood like that.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bt_eUf6JyY&feature=related


Something like this is where graphics have to go to look realistic, but stuff like this is extremely taxing on processors.

Also, things like rocks and grainy things, they use texture/lighting tricks (bump/normal mapping, parallax occlusion mapping) to simulate the effect of actually having everything mapped out in geometry. (DX11 Tesselation actually allows for you to take the texture and turn it into actual geometry, but guess how many graphics cards can handle THAT crap...)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtNHmj7vznI&feature=related



on the subject of PSO (well, Sega), the Hedgehog Engine pretty much built most of its look off using Global illumination (how one color bounces off surfaces and onto others) to make everything look much more realistic and blend in with its environment. Since this is extremely taxing on hardware, they would build an entire stage, and then spend a few days rendering the lighting calculations, and then "bake" it into the engine so that it could be easily run at realtime. Some engines i think do this during runtime, but probably doesn't do it very thoroughly for the sake of melting your framerate.


The only issue with the Hedgehog Engine is that they basically pre-rendered the lighting calculations into the game, so things like the DLC for Sonic Unleashed didn't look nearly as good as the regular stages, which looked amazing. It's a simple technique, but it works very well.

http://images.wikia.com/sonic/images/2/27/Hedgehogengine.jpg

the diffused light -> Lighting with no GI > Lighting + GI


[SPOILER-BOX]
http://info.sonicretro.org/images/7/76/Unleashed_Blog_1.jpg
Lighting with no GI
http://info.sonicretro.org/images/1/12/Unleashed_Blog_2.jpg
Diffused light
http://info.sonicretro.org/images/1/15/Unleashed_Blog_3.jpg
final image


[/SPOILER-BOX]

Cryengine 3 does the effect calculations in realtime, but IMO it's not nearly as sophisticated for obvious reasons (it's in realtime). But as you can see it can make a huge difference in how the scene looks in the end. But doing the effect correctly can bring out some CGI-quality graphics if everything else was up to par.

kyuuketsuki
Dec 16, 2011, 02:14 PM
I know what you mean, i think its because the textures are really basic. The lighting engine is really good, but everything looks like plastic. Light doesn't reflect off wood like that.
It does if the wood is lacquered. Just sayin'. Although you're right, everything in that demo is just way too shiny.

RemiusTA
Dec 19, 2011, 10:56 PM
I thought that too, but for how realistic that engine can look, that ship looks good, but imo it fails at looking "realistic". There's a difference.

It's only a bad thing if thats what they were going for.

Fayorei
Dec 25, 2011, 09:49 AM
I thought that too, but for how realistic that engine can look, that ship looks good, but imo it fails at looking "realistic". There's a difference.

It's only a bad thing if thats what they were going for.

I hope that the final build will have some improved lighting renders. Didn't they already improve some stuff that they showed in the Christmas Eve show?:)

I seriously do hate the plastic trend though. It's part of what turned me off from SWTOR.

RemiusTA
Dec 25, 2011, 12:06 PM
SWTOR turned me off because it looks like a copy of every other MMO out today.


Seriously, Jedi Outcast/Academy were the best star wars games to me, back when getting hit with a lightsaber meant you actually, you know, died.

Fayorei
Dec 25, 2011, 11:26 PM
SWTOR turned me off because it looks like a copy of every other MMO out today.


Seriously, Jedi Outcast/Academy were the best star wars games to me, back when getting hit with a lightsaber meant you actually, you know, died.

Exactly! It seems like everyone I know is playing it, and constantly telling me to buy it. I don't have a huge problem with themepark MMOs, but I just don't feel like playing another one.:(

I loved those games, though. I also liked the old sidescroller Return of the Jedi one for SNES that actually got pretty hard at times.

I know you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink- yet I can't help but feel since most of my RL friends are also anime fans and wanting more action-RPG combat they'd like PSO2 when it came out. Or heck, even playing one of the portable games. Not enough Star Wars I suppose.:P

Mitz
Dec 27, 2011, 04:42 AM
A more anime-focused world was not was lured me to PSO or PSU and it sure isn't the factor that is luring me to PSO2 either. SWTOR is a very decent game just like Rift is a very decent game but why make the switch if I already put in hundreds of hours into building a WoW character up from scratch. It's pretty much the exact same gameplay. Hell, on the SWTOR beta I made sure I even had the same keybinds. It's that much of the same thing all over.


Now PSO2 has an extremely different approach to this, which puts it more in line with how Koreans make their games and how a lot of single player console games are. But for a PC game, it has limited appeal so I do agree that SEGA should maximize their marketing campaign to reach as broad an audience as possible.

It's also nice for the community to have more 'spokesmen' that outsiders can tune into and enjoy. Like how people like Day9 brought the world of e-Sports to people who had never seen a game of Starcraft before. Those things go viral.

Of course, we all know SEGA will give this game minimal exposure to the west, if any.

Fayorei
Dec 27, 2011, 05:42 AM
A more anime-focused world was not was lured me to PSO or PSU and it sure isn't the factor that is luring me to PSO2 either. SWTOR is a very decent game just like Rift is a very decent game but why make the switch if I already put in hundreds of hours into building a WoW character up. It's pretty much the exact same gameplay. Hell, on the SWTOR beta I made sure I even had the same keybinds it's that much of the same thing all over.


Now PSO2 has an extremely different approach to this, which puts it more in line with how Koreans make their games and how a lot of single player console games are. But for a PC game, it has limited appeal so I do agree that SEGA should maximize their marketing campaign to reach as broad an audience as possible.

It's also nice for the community to have more 'spokesmen' that outsiders can tune into and enjoy. Like how people like Day9 brought the world of e-Sports to people who had never seen a game of Starcraft before. Those things go viral.

Of course, we all know SEGA will give this game minimal exposure to the west, if any.

I agree absolutely about SWTOR. I love my friends... however they got me into playing WoW a few years ago- and though I've played on and off, I have an end-game enhancement shaman I really love. I tried Rift, and it was great- but just the same thing. I figured it'd be the same with SWTOR.

What I found interesting, though, is that they seem to be sick of hotbar combat. They want a more action RPG-type feel, and I think PSO2 is definitely bringing that. I think a few might be averse to anime-style graphics, however. Some do enjoy anime a fair amount, so that shouldn't be a problem. The main hurdle is the fact that it doesn't get much coverage here, and it kinda plays into a niche. I'm glad to see that niche expanding though- Tera Online coming to the US is an example of that.

As for myself, I just really enjoy action RPGs. All the better if there's a massive online aspect where I can group up with whomever. Hopefully, the advertising for PSO2 here will go a bit better this time. Most people I know get their news of new games from the various video game blog sites as opposed to even a couple years ago. I think Kotaku will cover a lot about PSO2, as well as Joystiq.

moorebounce
Dec 29, 2011, 02:10 AM
Good idea. I bet they'd get a lot of people by highlighting the boob customization and loli HUnewearls.

lol That would get a lot of U.S. kids in line to buy if they had a commercial showing that.

Cayenne
Dec 29, 2011, 02:21 AM
#1 rule in advertising: Sex Sells!