PDA

View Full Version : Episode 4 Story Discussion



Pages : [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Rupikachu
Jan 27, 2016, 11:17 AM
Is Pietro Luther's engrish reincarnation?

Is sega shipping waifus around the world?

Why there are fish on the ship's bridge?

Now on a more serious note. I'm the only one who's extremely confused?

Selphea
Jan 27, 2016, 11:18 AM
Apparently the answer is you go to Earth because Photons™ and the Power of Friendship™ you have with the mysterious shota you just met!

Gourd
Jan 27, 2016, 11:20 AM
This game has a story? :y

NephyrisX
Jan 27, 2016, 11:26 AM
Can anyone give a summary of the cutscene when we are thawed out?

Selphea
Jan 27, 2016, 11:28 AM
"Sup you've been frozen for 2 years. Oh you lost your memories? No prob, just GET TO WORK!"

Vintasticvin
Jan 27, 2016, 11:32 AM
"Sup you've been frozen for 2 years. Oh you lost your memories? No prob, just GET TO WORK!"

XD LMFAO Kinda figured thats what was going on

EspeonageTieler
Jan 27, 2016, 11:38 AM
wait did we really lose our memories?

Selphea
Jan 27, 2016, 11:45 AM
I think she mentions something about memories being patchy, but something might have been lost in my moon rune deciphering.

NephyrisX
Jan 27, 2016, 11:46 AM
Damn, please tell me we didn't lose the memories from EP1 to EP3.

arkeido
Jan 27, 2016, 11:49 AM
There goes my hope anime somewhat not linked to EP4 when menu + LOGOUT appear :nono:
And no we doesn't seems to lose memories (important one so far...)

[SPOILER-BOX]http://i.imgur.com/PZSjPKp.jpg

[/SPOILER-BOX]So Demise is retconned now? (We get frozen after PD fight and no mention of apprentice + Sierra as new operator on TD4)

Also Megane Sierra a cute.
http://i.imgur.com/STA0luZ.jpg

Zorafim
Jan 27, 2016, 11:52 AM
Did someone say fish?

EspeonageTieler
Jan 27, 2016, 11:52 AM
its probably just a way for them to get new players who jump right into ep 4 a bit familiar with the story

Renvalt
Jan 27, 2016, 11:57 AM
So I haven't gotten too far, and I don't understand Japanese well enough to understand all of what Ciela said, but here's the gist of what I got based on what I COULD make out (spoilers though I guess? so read at your discretion):

[SPOILER-BOX]During our time in cryostasis, the ARKS underwent a massive hierarchical structure revamp.

Basically, Ulc's the boss of all ARKS, with Theodore directly under her, and then the Six Pillars have been completely dismantled and restructured into four divisions, with the former members of the Six becoming the heads of these divisions (in order, Huey and Claris are Div 1 Leads, Maria and Sara are Div 2, Regius and Zeno head up Div 3, and Casra and Quna head up Div 4).

Our character and Matoi take up what was basically Quna's old spot in the system - the "Guardians". We basically don't necessarily answer to any one particular group, but are subordinated as the situation calls for it (basically, Guardians are free-agents).[/SPOILER-BOX]

With that now covered, we move on to Chapter 1's plot (or what I could make of it, for that matter). Note that the following is extremely tl;dr, so don't open unless you like reading long explanations.

[SPOILER-BOX]Ciela sends us on what is basically a "rehabilitation mission" to get us used to doing work in the field again (since she apparently thinks we need it). Our "mission" as it were is the training of one "Hitsugi" (the blonde shota ARKS that we see, more on this later). Routine patrol, although Darkers show up so we do what must needs be done.

However, at the end of the line, a DF-tier "presence" appears, and due to our recklessness (or lack of classification of the threat, more rather), we almost get infected.

"Hitsugi" shoots the DF-Ghost, saving our hides, but they let their guard down, causing the presence to attempt infection. However, with one of the "powers" gifted to us by Xiao when he left to go calculate how to unravel the Madoka-tier time loop we all made, we purify our naive ARKS friend of the Darker taint.

In the aftermath of all that BS, "Hitsugi" undergoes a panic attack, and in a facepalm-worthy moment of Laharlian fourth-wall breaking, they "log-out". Yeah, I'm not making this up. They log-out. They were "playing the game".

We find out that "Hitsugi" is actually a generic anime waifu that looks like the long-lost twin of Azanami, and that, in her carelessness during the situation, her "logging-out" had the unforeseen side-effect of "creating" our blonde friend in her dimension (complete with its own Matoi-grade cluelessness - and with an extra bonus of being in the buff in a JS-girl's bedroom).

Hitsugi freaks out, thinking this is some weird delusion or dream or whatever, but it's not, and she continues to freak (for more reasons than one, naturally - considering who else is in the room). However, suddenly, space zombie attacks. Our blonde friend "Aru" shields Hitsugi from the attack, and then her pleas cause us (in another four-wall breaking moment) to come out of the computer in her room to deal with these space-zombies.

We do our stuff, get the hell out of there, and Hitsugi wakes up, thinking it's a dream, but blondie's presence reminds her that shit just happened, and now she has to deal with her own Laharlian screw-ups (which, need I remind you, were her fault because she logged out before the photons we gave her cooled down). [/SPOILER-BOX]


tl;dr version: ARKS got a cabinet rework, a stupid high school girl playing a vidya logged out during a Deus Ex invocation, the whole thing created life and gave rise to space zombies on Earth, and now Ciela demands that we fix this shit. Because reasons.

Korima
Jan 27, 2016, 11:58 AM
Why Pietro looks and talk like one of those villains in the shadows? is he the master mind? he will transform his pet into a monster?

Vintasticvin
Jan 27, 2016, 12:01 PM
Sooo wait.... We somehow the gameworld crosses into reality....?

The Walrus
Jan 27, 2016, 12:04 PM
So I haven't gotten too far, and I don't understand Japanese well enough to understand all of what Ciela said, but here's the gist of what I got based on what I COULD make out (spoilers though I guess? so read at your discretion):

[SPOILER-BOX]During our time in cryostasis, the ARKS underwent a massive hierarchical structure revamp.

Basically, Ulc's the boss of all ARKS, with Theodore directly under her, and then the Six Pillars have been completely dismantled and restructured into four divisions, with the former members of the Six becoming the heads of these divisions (in order, Huey and Claris are Div 1 Leads, Maria and Sara are Div 2, Regius and Zeno head up Div 3, and Casra and Quna head up Div 4).

Our character and Matoi take up what was basically Quna's old spot in the system - the "Guardians". We basically don't necessarily answer to any one particular group, but are subordinated as the situation calls for it (basically, Guardians are free-agents).[/SPOILER-BOX]

With that now covered, we move on to Chapter 1's plot (or what I could make of it, for that matter). Note that the following is extremely tl;dr, so don't open unless you like reading long explanations.

[SPOILER-BOX]Ciela sends us on what is basically a "rehabilitation mission" to get us used to doing work in the field again (since she apparently thinks we need it). Our "mission" as it were is the training of one "Hitsugi" (the blonde shota ARKS that we see, more on this later). Routine patrol, although Darkers show up so we do what must needs be done.

However, at the end of the line, a DF-tier "presence" appears, and due to our recklessness (or lack of classification of the threat, more rather), we almost get infected.

"Hitsugi" shoots the DF-Ghost, saving our hides, but they let their guard down, causing the presence to attempt infection. However, with one of the "powers" gifted to us by Xiao when he left to go calculate how to unravel the Madoka-tier time loop we all made, we purify our naive ARKS friend of the Darker taint.

In the aftermath of all that BS, "Hitsugi" undergoes a panic attack, and in a facepalm-worthy moment of Laharlian fourth-wall breaking, they "log-out". Yeah, I'm not making this up. They log-out. They were "playing the game".

We find out that "Hitsugi" is actually a generic anime waifu that looks like the long-lost twin of Azanami, and that, in her carelessness during the situation, her "logging-out" had the unforeseen side-effect of "creating" our blonde friend in her dimension (complete with its own Matoi-grade cluelessness - and with an extra bonus of being in the buff in a JS-girl's bedroom).

Hitsugi freaks out, thinking this is some weird delusion or dream or whatever, but it's not, and she continues to freak (for more reasons than one, naturally - considering who else is in the room). However, suddenly, space zombie attacks. Our blonde friend "Aru" shields Hitsugi from the attack, and then her pleas cause us (in another four-wall breaking moment) to come out of the computer in her room to deal with these space-zombies.

We do our stuff, get the hell out of there, and Hitsugi wakes up, thinking it's a dream, but blondie's presence reminds her that shit just happened, and now she has to deal with her own Laharlian screw-ups (which, need I remind you, were her fault because she logged out before the photons we gave her cooled down). [/SPOILER-BOX]


tl;dr version: ARKS got a cabinet rework, a stupid high school girl playing a vidya logged out during a Deus Ex invocation, the whole thing created life and gave rise to space zombies on Earth, and now Ciela demands that we fix this shit. Because reasons.

amazing

EspeonageTieler
Jan 27, 2016, 12:05 PM
So I haven't gotten too far, and I don't understand Japanese well enough to understand all of what Ciela said, but here's the gist of what I got based on what I COULD make out (spoilers though I guess? so read at your discretion):

[SPOILER-BOX]During our time in cryostasis, the ARKS underwent a massive hierarchical structure revamp.

Basically, Ulc's the boss of all ARKS, with Theodore directly under her, and then the Six Pillars have been completely dismantled and restructured into four divisions, with the former members of the Six becoming the heads of these divisions (in order, Huey and Claris are Div 1 Leads, Maria and Sara are Div 2, Regius and Zeno head up Div 3, and Casra and Quna head up Div 4).

Our character and Matoi take up what was basically Quna's old spot in the system - the "Guardians". We basically don't necessarily answer to any one particular group, but are subordinated as the situation calls for it (basically, Guardians are free-agents).[/SPOILER-BOX]

With that now covered, we move on to Chapter 1's plot (or what I could make of it, for that matter). Note that the following is extremely tl;dr, so don't open unless you like reading long explanations.

[SPOILER-BOX]Ciela sends us on what is basically a "rehabilitation mission" to get us used to doing work in the field again (since she apparently thinks we need it). Our "mission" as it were is the training of one "Hitsugi" (the blonde shota ARKS that we see, more on this later). Routine patrol, although Darkers show up so we do what must needs be done.

However, at the end of the line, a DF-tier "presence" appears, and due to our recklessness (or lack of classification of the threat, more rather), we almost get infected.

"Hitsugi" shoots the DF-Ghost, saving our hides, but they let their guard down, causing the presence to attempt infection. However, with one of the "powers" gifted to us by Xiao when he left to go calculate how to unravel the Madoka-tier time loop we all made, we purify our naive ARKS friend of the Darker taint.

In the aftermath of all that BS, "Hitsugi" undergoes a panic attack, and in a facepalm-worthy moment of Laharlian fourth-wall breaking, they "log-out". Yeah, I'm not making this up. They log-out. They were "playing the game".

We find out that "Hitsugi" is actually a generic anime waifu that looks like the long-lost twin of Azanami, and that, in her carelessness during the situation, her "logging-out" had the unforeseen side-effect of "creating" our blonde friend in her dimension (complete with its own Matoi-grade cluelessness - and with an extra bonus of being in the buff in a JS-girl's bedroom).

Hitsugi freaks out, thinking this is some weird delusion or dream or whatever, but it's not, and she continues to freak (for more reasons than one, naturally - considering who else is in the room). However, suddenly, space zombie attacks. Our blonde friend "Aru" shields Hitsugi from the attack, and then her pleas cause us (in another four-wall breaking moment) to come out of the computer in her room to deal with these space-zombies.

We do our stuff, get the hell out of there, and Hitsugi wakes up, thinking it's a dream, but blondie's presence reminds her that shit just happened, and now she has to deal with her own Laharlian screw-ups (which, need I remind you, were her fault because she logged out before the photons we gave her cooled down). [/SPOILER-BOX]


tl;dr version: ARKS got a cabinet rework, a stupid high school girl playing a vidya logged out during a Deus Ex invocation, the whole thing created life and gave rise to space zombies on Earth, and now Ciela demands that we fix this shit. Because reasons.

this is why you dont combat log kids you

Azure Falcon
Jan 27, 2016, 12:06 PM
So how long have we been in cryostasis, and in particular why were we in cryostasis?

Renvalt
Jan 27, 2016, 12:07 PM
Why Pietro looks and talk like one of those villains in the shadows? is he the master mind? he will transform his pet into a monster?

He's basically the Karmic-reincarnation of Luther - complete with all the rules that apply to reincarnation in the Buddhist doctrine.

He was a dick in his past life, so now his pet Wanda is there to remind him that he's no longer the big bird of the house, and that he will om him and nom him as much as he feels it is necessary to remind him of this fact (also, he was reincarnated as one of the races he considered his "playthings").

If that's not just desserts for everything he did in EP2, I don't know what is.

Will say that it genuinely made me laugh though.


Sooo wait.... We somehow the gameworld crosses into reality....?

Pretty much, yeah. Via some dimensional schism that our using god-tier photons ended up making.


So how long have we been in cryostasis, and in particular why were we in cryostasis?

2 years, as far as I could make out. As for WHY we were in cryo-stasis... my Japanese is not good enough to ascertain that particular factoid.

Also, apparently we're not the only ones either - they've got a whole system full of them.

P.S. Should mention that selecting a new character creation gives you a slightly altered version of the Cryostasis CS in Xenoblade Chronicles X (if you've played or are familiar with that game), which THEN transfers to the actual character creation. Also Regius' bit is removed and replaced by Xiao narration.

Morgan Fumi
Jan 27, 2016, 12:07 PM
Frozen?

Are we Master Chief now? Just sitting around in freezers when we're not needed?

Renvalt
Jan 27, 2016, 12:11 PM
Frozen?

Are we Master Chief now? Just sitting around in freezers when we're not needed?

No. We're Cross from Xenoblade Chronicles X, it would seem. Except mass produced on a global scale, given the massive network that the new opening cutscene shows us.

Vintasticvin
Jan 27, 2016, 12:25 PM
After finding out the story... It gave me a stomach ache and I feel queasy. I don't think I was prepared after all.

Rupikachu
Jan 27, 2016, 12:36 PM
tl;dr version: ARKS got a cabinet rework, a stupid high school girl playing a vidya logged out during a Deus Ex invocation, the whole thing created life and gave rise to space zombies on Earth, and now Ciela demands that we fix this shit. Because reasons.

Our MC doesn't work for Segac, she should be submitting a bug to them. IE. Game summons waifus/husbandos into reality alongside yakuza zombies and dinosaurs. Plz fix the zombies and dinosaurs part, i don't mind keeping the waifu.

Poyonche
Jan 27, 2016, 12:50 PM
Oh so it isn't a "Phantoms are the fruit of people's fear" ? :(

Just a weird spacial distorsion shit.

I guess what we'll have to keep in mind after EP4 is "Never log out until your progress is complete."

oratank
Jan 27, 2016, 01:04 PM
that cold sleep pot also clean dark force that we absorbed since ep1-3. it took 2year to clean it if i read it right

shera said earth is another dimension there is no earth is arks universe. so we have to clear the mess that high school girl bring back to her dimension and sneak peek on her life to learn about waifu i mean earth

HeyItsTHK
Jan 27, 2016, 01:17 PM
Jesus christ we got Star Ocean 3'd

kurokyosuke
Jan 27, 2016, 01:48 PM
I don't like Sierra.
... That's the only thing I want to comment on at the moment.

Oh, and why are we translating his name as "Aru" and not "Al"? Aru makes it sound like he's female.

Weiss9029
Jan 27, 2016, 01:49 PM
So they really fucked the story up for those who enjoyed it huh?

Vampy
Jan 27, 2016, 01:53 PM
Jesus christ we got Star Ocean 3'd

I'm surprised I didn't catch that thinking about it something similar did happen with characters going in to the "real" world.

landman
Jan 27, 2016, 02:08 PM
This lost memories thing is just awesome, more, more of this! and once we reach the end of Episode 4 I really really hope it will end as I wished first day, as just a dream and going back to kick PD's ass just a month after Ep3's end lol

Seriously, Earth does not need to happen, it's fun, yeah, but that's it.

Vintasticvin
Jan 27, 2016, 02:20 PM
The more I read about the story the I need someone to hold me and whisper "Its going to be okay its all just a dream" to me

Dark Emerald EXE
Jan 27, 2016, 02:23 PM
The more I read about the story the I need someone to hold me and whisper "Its going to be okay its all just a dream" to me



http://dab1nmslvvntp.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/1394332737Go-Deeper-Inception-Movie.jpg

Zyrusticae
Jan 27, 2016, 02:48 PM
So I haven't gotten too far, and I don't understand Japanese well enough to understand all of what Ciela said, but here's the gist of what I got based on what I COULD make out (spoilers though I guess? so read at your discretion):

[SPOILER-BOX]During our time in cryostasis, the ARKS underwent a massive hierarchical structure revamp.

Basically, Ulc's the boss of all ARKS, with Theodore directly under her, and then the Six Pillars have been completely dismantled and restructured into four divisions, with the former members of the Six becoming the heads of these divisions (in order, Huey and Claris are Div 1 Leads, Maria and Sara are Div 2, Regius and Zeno head up Div 3, and Casra and Quna head up Div 4).

Our character and Matoi take up what was basically Quna's old spot in the system - the "Guardians". We basically don't necessarily answer to any one particular group, but are subordinated as the situation calls for it (basically, Guardians are free-agents).[/SPOILER-BOX]

With that now covered, we move on to Chapter 1's plot (or what I could make of it, for that matter). Note that the following is extremely tl;dr, so don't open unless you like reading long explanations.

[SPOILER-BOX]Ciela sends us on what is basically a "rehabilitation mission" to get us used to doing work in the field again (since she apparently thinks we need it). Our "mission" as it were is the training of one "Hitsugi" (the blonde shota ARKS that we see, more on this later). Routine patrol, although Darkers show up so we do what must needs be done.

However, at the end of the line, a DF-tier "presence" appears, and due to our recklessness (or lack of classification of the threat, more rather), we almost get infected.

"Hitsugi" shoots the DF-Ghost, saving our hides, but they let their guard down, causing the presence to attempt infection. However, with one of the "powers" gifted to us by Xiao when he left to go calculate how to unravel the Madoka-tier time loop we all made, we purify our naive ARKS friend of the Darker taint.

In the aftermath of all that BS, "Hitsugi" undergoes a panic attack, and in a facepalm-worthy moment of Laharlian fourth-wall breaking, they "log-out". Yeah, I'm not making this up. They log-out. They were "playing the game".

We find out that "Hitsugi" is actually a generic anime waifu that looks like the long-lost twin of Azanami, and that, in her carelessness during the situation, her "logging-out" had the unforeseen side-effect of "creating" our blonde friend in her dimension (complete with its own Matoi-grade cluelessness - and with an extra bonus of being in the buff in a JS-girl's bedroom).

Hitsugi freaks out, thinking this is some weird delusion or dream or whatever, but it's not, and she continues to freak (for more reasons than one, naturally - considering who else is in the room). However, suddenly, space zombie attacks. Our blonde friend "Aru" shields Hitsugi from the attack, and then her pleas cause us (in another four-wall breaking moment) to come out of the computer in her room to deal with these space-zombies.

We do our stuff, get the hell out of there, and Hitsugi wakes up, thinking it's a dream, but blondie's presence reminds her that shit just happened, and now she has to deal with her own Laharlian screw-ups (which, need I remind you, were her fault because she logged out before the photons we gave her cooled down). [/SPOILER-BOX]


tl;dr version: ARKS got a cabinet rework, a stupid high school girl playing a vidya logged out during a Deus Ex invocation, the whole thing created life and gave rise to space zombies on Earth, and now Ciela demands that we fix this shit. Because reasons.
Holy shit.

Mattykins
Jan 27, 2016, 03:12 PM
So, like, does our character at least have a massive existential breakdown upon learning that they're just a character in a shitty MMO?

Rupikachu
Jan 27, 2016, 03:14 PM
What shocks me most is...
[spoiler-box]
https://i.gyazo.com/a2cb5072d4717076698862e2683383b6.png
[/spoiler-box]
This person has the english patch!

Dark Emerald EXE
Jan 27, 2016, 03:33 PM
^^^^^^^

That amusese now that you mention it

Renvalt
Jan 27, 2016, 03:43 PM
So, like, does our character at least have a massive existential breakdown upon learning that they're just a character in a shitty MMO?

No, actually. It's worse. They're surprisingly calm about the whole thing.

They act like it's somehow natural (only giving Ciela the "are you shitting me" look like once throughout the first half).


Holy shit.

I think it's safe to say that SEGA has gone off the deep end in terms of giving a shit about the seriousness of the story anymore at this point.

Granted, I never had any real opinion of the "story" prior to this point anyways - I just had some kind of obsession with finding out what came next (possibly because gameplay wise I liked PSO2 and wanted to see what SEGA would come up with - just out of vain curiosity).

In terms of bad storytelling, this ranks a little lower than the "fanfic" I wrote in high school (that my teachers actually used to give me credits towards my English graduation reqs, but that's neither here nor there), but it's still high ranking in terms of "bad story". So I'm with you guys on this at least.

I'm here for the lulz at this point. I stopped giving any real fucks about PSO2's "story" at this point.

Dragwind
Jan 27, 2016, 03:43 PM
What shocks me most is...
[spoiler-box]
https://i.gyazo.com/a2cb5072d4717076698862e2683383b6.png
[/spoiler-box]
This person has the english patch!

Wow.

All I can say is...

Sega :wacko:

landman
Jan 27, 2016, 04:00 PM
This really feels like a bad joke, if their current japanese target audience can really enjoy something like this I really don't know what to think about them, and if they think this is as shit as we think it is I hope Sega gets the message.

EspeonageTieler
Jan 27, 2016, 04:02 PM
did they actually say that we are from a game tho? or just that its different universe/dimension?

Mattykins
Jan 27, 2016, 04:04 PM
Well, seeing as we had someone literally log out during a Story Quest, I dunno what else to assume.

And our char is mostly fine with this? I was expecting a little more, well...

[SPOILER-BOX]http://i.imgur.com/dQdn9Zz.gif[/SPOILER-BOX]

Renvalt
Jan 27, 2016, 04:05 PM
did they actually say that we are from a game tho? or just that its different universe/dimension?

I'm honestly going to say that they may have just pulled a Star Ocean 3 here.

Also if E4-1 is any indicator, then I think I might have an idea of what Earth's second area could be (though I could be wrong as I usually have been so don't quote me on this).

EspeonageTieler
Jan 27, 2016, 04:08 PM
I'm honestly going to say that they may have just pulled a Star Ocean 3 here.

Also if E4-1 is any indicator, then I think I might have an idea of what Earth's second area could be (though I could be wrong as I usually have been so don't quote me on this).

not sure what that means tbh

jk just wiki'd it pretty interesting there are actual theories about the subject too

Massaki
Jan 27, 2016, 04:08 PM
Jesus christ we got Star Ocean 3'd

Jesus Christ, hahaha. This is so on point it hurts. I almost can't believe they actually went with this route.

Rakurai
Jan 27, 2016, 05:17 PM
I was really afraid they were going to go the whole Star Ocean 3 route with this, as well.

Here's hoping there's something more to this and that isn't actually the case.

Squall179
Jan 27, 2016, 05:19 PM
I've completed all the storyboard so far I can get to, I want that Soro outfit, but... while I've done N3 and O4, how do I get to O2 and how do I get past N2? Am I missing something?

.......and am I the only one actually finding this more entertaining than annoying? I mean, yeah, its weird as all hell, but Sega has had weird things before similar to this. Just look at the storyline for Virtual-On. They actually pulled this in the backstory for Virtual-On in the 90s.

You, as the player sitting at the arcade machine, are fighting a war in another dimension entirely. This isn't actually out of the realm of Sega's actions when you factor THAT in.

landman
Jan 27, 2016, 05:28 PM
I've completed all the storyboard so far I can get to, I want that Soro outfit, but... while I've done N3 and O4, how do I get to O2 and how do I get past N2? Am I missing something?

.......and am I the only one actually finding this more entertaining than annoying? I mean, yeah, its weird as all hell, but Sega has had weird things before similar to this. Just look at the storyline for Virtual-On. They actually pulled this in the backstory for Virtual-On in the 90s.

You, as the player sitting at the arcade machine, are fighting a war in another dimension entirely. This isn't actually out of the realm of Sega's actions when you factor THAT in.
Yeah but the same as in Star Ocean, this is a problem when they are actually affecting a whole franchise. I don't want all my games to transform into this:

http://i.imgur.com/26jyOED.jpg

Killerwing
Jan 27, 2016, 05:31 PM
So I haven't gotten too far, and I don't understand Japanese well enough to understand all of what Ciela said, but here's the gist of what I got based on what I COULD make out (spoilers though I guess? so read at your discretion):

[SPOILER-BOX]During our time in cryostasis, the ARKS underwent a massive hierarchical structure revamp.

Basically, Ulc's the boss of all ARKS, with Theodore directly under her, and then the Six Pillars have been completely dismantled and restructured into four divisions, with the former members of the Six becoming the heads of these divisions (in order, Huey and Claris are Div 1 Leads, Maria and Sara are Div 2, Regius and Zeno head up Div 3, and Casra and Quna head up Div 4).

Our character and Matoi take up what was basically Quna's old spot in the system - the "Guardians". We basically don't necessarily answer to any one particular group, but are subordinated as the situation calls for it (basically, Guardians are free-agents).[/SPOILER-BOX]

With that now covered, we move on to Chapter 1's plot (or what I could make of it, for that matter). Note that the following is extremely tl;dr, so don't open unless you like reading long explanations.

[SPOILER-BOX]Ciela sends us on what is basically a "rehabilitation mission" to get us used to doing work in the field again (since she apparently thinks we need it). Our "mission" as it were is the training of one "Hitsugi" (the blonde shota ARKS that we see, more on this later). Routine patrol, although Darkers show up so we do what must needs be done.

However, at the end of the line, a DF-tier "presence" appears, and due to our recklessness (or lack of classification of the threat, more rather), we almost get infected.

"Hitsugi" shoots the DF-Ghost, saving our hides, but they let their guard down, causing the presence to attempt infection. However, with one of the "powers" gifted to us by Xiao when he left to go calculate how to unravel the Madoka-tier time loop we all made, we purify our naive ARKS friend of the Darker taint.

In the aftermath of all that BS, "Hitsugi" undergoes a panic attack, and in a facepalm-worthy moment of Laharlian fourth-wall breaking, they "log-out". Yeah, I'm not making this up. They log-out. They were "playing the game".

We find out that "Hitsugi" is actually a generic anime waifu that looks like the long-lost twin of Azanami, and that, in her carelessness during the situation, her "logging-out" had the unforeseen side-effect of "creating" our blonde friend in her dimension (complete with its own Matoi-grade cluelessness - and with an extra bonus of being in the buff in a JS-girl's bedroom).

Hitsugi freaks out, thinking this is some weird delusion or dream or whatever, but it's not, and she continues to freak (for more reasons than one, naturally - considering who else is in the room). However, suddenly, space zombie attacks. Our blonde friend "Aru" shields Hitsugi from the attack, and then her pleas cause us (in another four-wall breaking moment) to come out of the computer in her room to deal with these space-zombies.

We do our stuff, get the hell out of there, and Hitsugi wakes up, thinking it's a dream, but blondie's presence reminds her that shit just happened, and now she has to deal with her own Laharlian screw-ups (which, need I remind you, were her fault because she logged out before the photons we gave her cooled down). [/SPOILER-BOX]


tl;dr version: ARKS got a cabinet rework, a stupid high school girl playing a vidya logged out during a Deus Ex invocation, the whole thing created life and gave rise to space zombies on Earth, and now Ciela demands that we fix this shit. Because reasons.

There is an extra detail that Renvalt hasn't mentionned about his summary of the story that should please a lot of people that seem to think the plot is Star Ocean 3 again. (Kinda glad I decided to translate the cutscenes with Google Translate. Even if the translation is nowhere near perfect, it does give a good gist of what is going on).

Will cover the info in a spoiler box(there's a few extra notes about the anime included) just in case, but here it is:

[SPOILER-BOX]In one of the two cutscenes before the actual Story Mission takes place(specifically, it's the one right before she explains the new ARKS organization, Ciela plays an audio message(or it's an audio communication) from Ulc, who is now ARKS's commander. She explains that lately, there has been a number of odd/irregular ARKS members that have begun appearing, and she wants us to investigate the issue.

So if you fast forward back to the Story Mission, you can realize that the 'training' mission with Hitsugi is basically a pretense to keep an eye on him(though Ciela is quick to point out at the end of the cutscene where you meet Hitsugi that he seems to behave a bit more like a girl).

In other words, there's a very good chance that somehow, the people of Earth have been able to connect to ARKS, most likely due to how their revolutionary worldwide internet system works. If you've been watching the anime, then you should know that the anime serves as a prelude to the events of Reborn: Episode 4.

Especially since in the anime's first episodes so far, the characters clearly don't somehow enter the world. They're just playing it as if a normal MMORPG. And also, the anime happens 1 year before Reborn: Episode 4, so in that 1 year gap, clearly something happened if somehow the girl had managed to 'enter' the 'game' of PSO2(given the first cutscene in which we see her, she literally pops out of her computer screen.[/SPOILER-BOX]

Therefore, it's likely that based on what I just stated in the Spoiler Box, that this might not be a remake of Star Ocean 3's plot.

Edje
Jan 27, 2016, 05:34 PM
Soooo if i keep playing this game and in my case i have the possibily of appering a 1 meter and 90 cm tall naked dude in my bed. Time to make a waifu in the new slot. kappa

Squall179
Jan 27, 2016, 05:38 PM
...like I said. Virtual-On refers to this as Reverse Convert. taking digital data and turning it into solid mass, and the other way around (VO MARZ EN translation redubbed this in the easier to say Retroconversion) If something like players accidentally tying into an existing reality can happen that just so happens to exist within another dimension, again, Virtual-On provides an answer. They are in Metacyberspace in PSO2, they exist within this entirely other plane of existence where physics behaves differently, photons can provide powers to their wielders and so on. WHo is to say the process of Reroconversion is new to ARKS? or Not new? Is that not the principal of the storage and retrieval system that ARKS uses for its equipment?

Sega could very well just be applying what they made use of i nVirtual-On to PSO2's setting for this venture, and the process of entering the world outside of PSO2/Meta Cyber Space, is a Retroconversion process, taking matter that, to us would be digital but within meta cyber space has actual mass, and restructuring it to function as solid mass within the world outside.

And does anyone have an answer to my previous question about how to get to Storyboard O2? I cannot find a way past N2.

Zyrusticae
Jan 27, 2016, 05:42 PM
Okay, so maybe it's NOT a completely fourth-wall breaking "it's really just a video game" thing... but it still makes absolutely no sense without handwavey space magic bullshit. Which I guess is par for the course for this series at this point, but still.

[spoiler-box]I can only wonder what their explanation is for how the fuck Earthlings are making fake ARKS members appear in their world.[/spoiler-box]

Rupikachu
Jan 27, 2016, 05:47 PM
Okay, so maybe it's NOT a completely fourth-wall breaking "it's really just a video game" thing... but it still makes absolutely no sense without handwavey space magic bullshit. Which I guess is par for the course for this series at this point, but still.

[spoiler-box]I can only wonder what their explanation is for how the fuck Earthlings are making fake ARKS members appear in their world.[/spoiler-box]

A) It's all a plot of the profund darkness.
B) Dudu is actually Sega. Found arks were not trusting him enough so he needed more customers. Even if they are from another dimension.
C) Photons

Killerwing
Jan 27, 2016, 05:50 PM
And does anyone have an answer to my previous question about how to get to Storyboard O2? I cannot find a way past N2.

Just click on the O2 icon. It will automatically play out the cutscene for you.

Extra notes from Sierra in the cutscenes after the mission seems to say that we somehow connected to an alternate universe(Earth 2028 ). That kind of stuff hasn't been too far-fetched in the Phantasy Star lore in general, along with time travel.

Squall179
Jan 27, 2016, 05:51 PM
Just click on the O2 icon. It will automatically play out the cutscene for you.

Extra notes from Sierra in the cutscenes after the mission seems to say that we somehow connected to an alternate universe(Earth 2028 ). That kind of stuff hasn't been too far-fetched in the Phantasy Star lore in general, along with time travel.

There is no O2 icon for me, the space beyond N2 is blank.

EspeonageTieler
Jan 27, 2016, 05:54 PM
...like I said. Virtual-On refers to this as Reverse Convert. taking digital data and turning it into solid mass, and the other way around (VO MARZ EN translation redubbed this in the easier to say Retroconversion) If something like players accidentally tying into an existing reality can happen that just so happens to exist within another dimension, again, Virtual-On provides an answer. They are in Metacyberspace in PSO2, they exist within this entirely other plane of existence where physics behaves differently, photons can provide powers to their wielders and so on. WHo is to say the process of Reroconversion is new to ARKS? or Not new? Is that not the principal of the storage and retrieval system that ARKS uses for its equipment?

Sega could very well just be applying what they made use of i nVirtual-On to PSO2's setting for this venture, and the process of entering the world outside of PSO2/Meta Cyber Space, is a Retroconversion process, taking matter that, to us would be digital but within meta cyber space has actual mass, and restructuring it to function as solid mass within the world outside.

And does anyone have an answer to my previous question about how to get to Storyboard O2? I cannot find a way past N2.

im not sure which one it is but there is one where i got lost aswell and figured out you have to go talk to the new operator girl and click the story board option she has and do it from there

Rupikachu
Jan 27, 2016, 05:58 PM
There is no O2 icon for me, the space beyond N2 is blank.

Did you do the free exploration?

landman
Jan 27, 2016, 06:03 PM
...like I said. Virtual-On refers to this as Reverse Convert. taking digital data and turning it into solid mass, and the other way around (VO MARZ EN translation redubbed this in the easier to say Retroconversion) If something like players accidentally tying into an existing reality can happen that just so happens to exist within another dimension, again, Virtual-On provides an answer. They are in Metacyberspace in PSO2, they exist within this entirely other plane of existence where physics behaves differently, photons can provide powers to their wielders and so on. WHo is to say the process of Reroconversion is new to ARKS? or Not new? Is that not the principal of the storage and retrieval system that ARKS uses for its equipment?

Sega could very well just be applying what they made use of i nVirtual-On to PSO2's setting for this venture, and the process of entering the world outside of PSO2/Meta Cyber Space, is a Retroconversion process, taking matter that, to us would be digital but within meta cyber space has actual mass, and restructuring it to function as solid mass within the world outside.
Sorry I didn't understand the VirtualOn reference at first and rushed to answer, now I got it more clear, thanks.

[Ayumi]
Jan 27, 2016, 06:11 PM
Okay, I'm done with PSO2's story.
From now on I make up my own 100%.

PSO2 is a continuation of PSO1 in the distant future after the Hunters and Arkz came to an agreement and started to travel into space as Arks to find a new home just like Coral used to be.

There.

Kazzi
Jan 27, 2016, 06:19 PM
I went and rewatched that stupid cutscene to see if the log out button was actually English and it was.

I don't have any positive to say about the story other than the out of context reactions it got on twitter with a corridor zombies and a naked shota sleeping with a school girl with a gundam watching them.

Why is this happening?

untrustful
Jan 27, 2016, 06:22 PM
[spoiler-box]Wait Luthor got reborn literally?[/spoiler-box]

Sp-24
Jan 27, 2016, 06:24 PM
Hopefully not, because he is supposed to be inside PD intact, just like Persona is, and how he was in Double's stomach.

EDIT: Just noticed that spoiler: Pietro looks more than two years old.

Renvalt
Jan 27, 2016, 06:28 PM
There is an extra detail that Renvalt hasn't mentionned about his summary of the story that should please a lot of people that seem to think the plot is Star Ocean 3 again. (Kinda glad I decided to translate the cutscenes with Google Translate. Even if the translation is nowhere near perfect, it does give a good gist of what is going on).

Will cover the info in a spoiler box(there's a few extra notes about the anime included) just in case, but here it is:

[SPOILER-BOX]In one of the two cutscenes before the actual Story Mission takes place(specifically, it's the one right before she explains the new ARKS organization, Ciela plays an audio message(or it's an audio communication) from Ulc, who is now ARKS's commander. She explains that lately, there has been a number of odd/irregular ARKS members that have begun appearing, and she wants us to investigate the issue.

So if you fast forward back to the Story Mission, you can realize that the 'training' mission with Hitsugi is basically a pretense to keep an eye on him(though Ciela is quick to point out at the end of the cutscene where you meet Hitsugi that he seems to behave a bit more like a girl).

In other words, there's a very good chance that somehow, the people of Earth have been able to connect to ARKS, most likely due to how their revolutionary worldwide internet system works. If you've been watching the anime, then you should know that the anime serves as a prelude to the events of Reborn: Episode 4.

Especially since in the anime's first episodes so far, the characters clearly don't somehow enter the world. They're just playing it as if a normal MMORPG. And also, the anime happens 1 year before Reborn: Episode 4, so in that 1 year gap, clearly something happened if somehow the girl had managed to 'enter' the 'game' of PSO2(given the first cutscene in which we see her, she literally pops out of her computer screen.[/SPOILER-BOX]

Therefore, it's likely that based on what I just stated in the Spoiler Box, that this might not be a remake of Star Ocean 3's plot.

Well now... that is some valuable info there. And if you ask me, I'd say that makes the anime worth watching. At least so that they can clear up this little nugget of confusion - specifically on WHEN they gained the power to transcend space-time data (if I had to guess, Aika's presence on Earth is somehow related to this in some manner; she's the only person there that is effectively a living, breathing OOparts with regards to Earthling society).


[spoiler-box]Wait Luthor got reborn literally?[/spoiler-box]

That's kinda the joke I'm making about Pietro. Since he behaves as flamboyantly as Luther was known to, but has more antics that make him seem like a one-man Katori/Saga gimmick (albeit he has to use reverse-animal abuse to do it - by which I mean his pets are abusing the hell out of him).

Sp-24
Jan 27, 2016, 06:29 PM
The PSO2 craze in the anime starts over 9 months into your cryosleep, so there wasn't anyone logging in and out during episodes 1~3. The anime keeps hinting that PSO2 is "real" and not just a game, and you are outright told that Earth is in a parallel universe and isn't the real world to your virtual one in the latest story.

untrustful
Jan 27, 2016, 06:45 PM
That's kinda the joke I'm making about Pietro. Since he behaves as flamboyantly as Luther was known to, but has more antics that make him seem like a one-man Katori/Saga gimmick (albeit he has to use reverse-animal abuse to do it - by which I mean his pets are abusing the hell out of him).

Ah, maybe it's like a dev insider joke.

Nanaha
Jan 27, 2016, 06:48 PM
Why is this happening?
http://puu.sh/mMaLo/0d8d7a6cd7.jpg

Rupikachu
Jan 27, 2016, 07:01 PM
I just copypasted outa the game the First 3 sierra convo boxes (I skipped Pietro because i don't care bout that luther copycat).

Basically It's wakeup. Sierra introduction. Ulc Talking. Suush what a pain. Google translate it at your risk

[spoiler-box]Rupikachuさーん。
こっちこっち、こっちですよー!
おはようございます、気分はいかがです?


あっ、挨拶遅れました! はじめまして!
私、Rupikachuさんの
専属オペレーターとなります、シエラです!

無事、目覚められたようでよかったです。

体にもおかしなところはないですか?
ダーカー因子も……はい、きれいに
浄化されてるみたいですね。

おやっ?
首をかしげられてるご様子。
もしかして、記憶が曖昧だったり?

そういうことがあるかもと
医療部から連絡は受けてました。

ではでは、僭越ながら
専属オペレーター、シエラ。
状況の説明をさせていただきますね。[/spoiler-box]

[spoiler-box]

貴方はですね、『A.P.238/2/20』に
惑星ナベリウスにて『アークス』入隊の
修了任務を行いました。

かの修了任務の後、すぐにアークスとして
頭角を現していった貴方は、数々の冒険を
繰り広げ……

ダーカーや、ダークファルス……
さらには、全ての元凶である【深遠なる闇】との
戦いで、目ざましい活躍をされました!

いやあ……振り返ってみてもすごいことです。
そんな人が今私の目の前に……!
……あ、すみません、説明途中でした。

今現在、【深遠なる闇】の復活から
二年ほどの時が経っています。

驚くのも無理はないです。
Rupikachuさんにとっては
一瞬だったと思いますし。

貴方は、【深遠なる闇】との緒戦ののち
ダーカー因子の集中浄化のため
コールドスリープに入ったんです。

その間も【深遠なる闇】たちとの戦いは
続いていましたが……ご安心ください!
アークスは健在! 宇宙も健在です!

そしてついに
Rupikachuさんも復帰……!
これでアークスは万全の体制です!

……でも、そう簡単にいかないのが
世の常ってことなんですよねー。


ダーカー因子の浄化が終わったばかりの
Rupikachuさんにすぐ
起きてもらったのは、お願いがあるからです。

あ、でも、そのお願いをお話しする前に
これを渡しておきますね。


これぞRupikachuさんのための
物語を紡ぎ出すもの!
その名も『ストーリーボード』です!

身体動かすのも兼ねて
それの扱いにも慣れておきましょう!

[/spoiler-box]

[spoiler-box]

おかえりなさい!
どうでしたか、なんとなーく使い方とか
わかってきた感じです?

ま、わからないことがあったら
お気軽お手軽にこの私、シエラに
聞いてもらえれば大丈夫ですからね!

なんといっても私は
Rupikachuさん専属の
オペレーターも兼ねてますから!

ということで、続きまして
アークス総司令からの大切なお願いです。
こちらをご覧ください。

Rupikachu! お久しぶり!
私のこと覚えてる? ウルクだよ!
あれよあれよと、総司令にされちゃいました。

記憶が曖昧になってるかも、って話だから
本当は直接会いたかったんだけど……
シャオ君にいろいろ押しつけられて、忙しくてさ。

声だけになっちゃってごめん。
きちんと会うのはまた今度ね!

ま、つもるはなしはさておいて……
ちょっと貴方にお願いしたいことがあるの。

最近、正規のアークスとは思えない
出自不明のアークスが、ちらほら現れているんだ。

情報部に調べてもらってるんだけど
カスラがさ、報告ちゃんとしてこなくて
なーんか隠してる感じなんだよね。

そこで、貴方にも別口で
調査をお願いしたいの。

怪しいアークスの目星はついてる。
ちょっとの間、つきっきりで
監視してみてくれないかな。

起き抜けでこんなこと頼んじゃって悪いけど
貴方が動くのであれば、カスラだって
文句言えないし、よろしくお願い!

以上、ウルク総司令からの
連絡でした。

なるほど、Rupikachuさんに
声をかけたのはそういう理由だったんですねー。
納得です。

ウルク総司令、シャオから指示系統を引き継いで
とっても大変そうにしていましたからねー。
私からもお願いしたい感じです。

ではさっそく、出撃の準備をしましょう。
準備が出来たら私に話しかけてください。

あ、あとですね
アークスの組織体系なんかも
結構様変わりしてるんですよ。

興味がありましたら
いつでも私に聞いてくださいね。[/spoiler-box]

Selphea
Jan 27, 2016, 07:12 PM
From what I could gather, Ciela wanted you to investigate the sudden surge of unregistered ARKs, which is why she gets the player to follow Hitsugi (Shota). When they meet, Ciela comments that Hitsugi is suspicious because he looks like a boy but acts like a girl (yes wtf), but otherwise couldn't find anything wrong.

After that the whole Dark Falz and zombie thing happens. In the debrief, Ciela says it seems to be Photons™ that allowed the player to cross worlds to save Hitsugi on Earth - she needed help and the player went to help her and that resonated with the Photons™. BUT she admits she can't explain how exactly that works and tells the player to keep quiet about it.

She does refer to Earth as "Isekai" though, aka "Alternate World". And that happens to be the same term typically used to refer to fiction about Earth characters being transported to the MMO world.

Interesting reversal in that the people from PSO2 consider Earth as the Isekai, when it's typically the other way round.

Meteor Weapon
Jan 27, 2016, 07:12 PM
Well at least its amusing to watch, so I'm guessing Ciela/Sierra is gonna be our permenant personal navigator for EP4 in certain crucial missions such as TD4?

Sp-24
Jan 27, 2016, 07:14 PM
Well at least its amusing to watch, so I'm guessing Ciela/Sierra is gonna be our permenant personal navigator for EP4 in certain crucial missions such as TD4?
She introduces herself as your personal operator.

Meteor Weapon
Jan 27, 2016, 07:35 PM
Yeah, I know but was wondering if she'd stick around in TD since Melitta is a pain in the ears to listen

Sp-24
Jan 27, 2016, 07:38 PM
She'll definitely be in TD4 (it's even said so in update notes) and later emergencies and story quests, but I doubt we'll see her in what is supposed to be past scenarios. What happened to the other operators, anyway?

Now, one thing I don't understand about the story: if you had the richest history of being exposed to Darker influence, including personally fighting and even killing Falzes, traveling inside one, and almost becoming Dark Falz yourself on two occasions, why are you the first to wake up in that chamber?

landman
Jan 27, 2016, 07:42 PM
Photons :wacko:

Korima
Jan 27, 2016, 07:51 PM
Why the streets of Tokyo are so empty? I mean, mutant yakuza, bears, rats, tanks, helicopters, trains, where is the police?, in Tokyo they take vandalism so seriously.

https://youtu.be/Yj9grGyXl5M

Chris_Chocobo
Jan 27, 2016, 08:01 PM
I think that ''ESC-A'' network or whatever it is that we saw on the anime its being controlled by some kind of Mother Brain and uses a MMORPG (in this case PSO2) to link our dimension with pso2 dimension for unknown but bad reasons.

Let's wait to see how the story continues on the next chapters or see if the anime gives us more clues.

NephyrisX
Jan 27, 2016, 08:03 PM
I am entertained by this. I mean, it isn't the best writing evah, but I am digging the concept.

Eternal255
Jan 27, 2016, 08:05 PM
Any chance someone can compile a summary thread of the story for Ep4 as it goes along & keep updating OP, similar to Renvalts on page 2? I would love to keep up with the story & I'm sure the story patch will be slow.

Dycize
Jan 27, 2016, 08:09 PM
So here's the thing.
Earth is from an alternate dimension, Earth doesn't exist in ARKS dimension.
We get to it through subspace.
How do we get there? Xiela (because really, Shion/Xion, Shao/Xiao, Shie/Xie... yes I also just made the connection) hypothesizes that, get this, photons reacted when Hitsugi called for help.
YES, PHOTONS IS THE ANSWER.
And inter-dimensional travel is also a thing.
What a time to be alive.

Ezodagrom
Jan 27, 2016, 08:12 PM
Why the streets of Tokyo are so empty? I mean, mutant yakuza, bears, rats, tanks, helicopters, trains, where is the police?, in Tokyo they take vandalism so seriously.

https://youtu.be/Yj9grGyXl5M
The areas we access in the quests are likely quarantined by the arks.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIkCVwhbf_8

landman
Jan 27, 2016, 08:21 PM
Earth is from an alternate dimension, Earth doesn't exist in ARKS dimension.
Nothing stops different (but similar) Earths from being in different dimensions, so I'd just say PSO2-anime-Earth is in a different dimension than PSO2-game.

Dycize
Jan 27, 2016, 08:23 PM
But Hitsugi appears in PSO2 anime opening.
Unless they're just really close alternate dimensions.
Parallel worlds.
That kind of stuff.
This story is going to be rough on my head.

NoobSpectre
Jan 27, 2016, 08:24 PM
I think every time some ARKS Ship sunk by Dark Falz Elder, its due to Sierra's fault.

Maybe not, but really, enough waifus, and I am not into harem thanks.

Meteor Weapon
Jan 27, 2016, 08:26 PM
She'll definitely be in TD4 (it's even said so in update notes) and later emergencies and story quests, but I doubt we'll see her in what is supposed to be past scenarios. What happened to the other operators, anyway?

Now, one thing I don't understand about the story: if you had the richest history of being exposed to Darker influence, including personally fighting and even killing Falzes, traveling inside one, and almost becoming Dark Falz yourself on two occasions, why are you the first to wake up in that chamber?

I guess our character is the only one( probably Matoi too) who went cold sleep to remove Darker Energy

Houten
Jan 27, 2016, 08:27 PM
Why the streets of Tokyo are so empty? I mean, mutant yakuza, bears, rats, tanks, helicopters, trains, where is the police?, in Tokyo they take vandalism so seriously.

https://youtu.be/Yj9grGyXl5M

Isolation field thingy from those shounen manga to keep unrelated people out of the fight. Wonder if its more of a area cloak field or a alternate dimension field.

Sp-24
Jan 27, 2016, 08:30 PM
Probably the same kind of force field that protects crates from your grubby hands. The ones that are scattered all around Lilipa even have ARKS written on them, so maybe we can do something similar.

dot_Hacker
Jan 27, 2016, 08:33 PM
All you need to know is in this image.

https://embed.gyazo.com/a2cb5072d4717076698862e2683383b6.png

ENGLISH PATCH CANON CONFIRMED

Houten
Jan 27, 2016, 08:35 PM
PSO2 LOCALIZATION 2028 CONFIRMED!!

CrossOmega
Jan 27, 2016, 09:48 PM
My only question given all these is what the hell is Xiao doing after all these BS he is throwing us in and how in the PSO2 dimension and Earth alternate dimension is he going to recompensate for 2 years lost in income?

Ezodagrom
Jan 27, 2016, 09:54 PM
My only question given all these is what the hell is Xiao doing after all these BS he is throwing us in and how in the PSO2 dimension and Earth alternate dimension is he going to recompensate for 2 years lost in income?
Think I saw someone posting a while back that Xiao has been trying to calculate a way of getting rid of PD for good.

CrossOmega
Jan 27, 2016, 09:56 PM
He better come back he still owes me at least 2 years worth of TACO income :v

Tyroki
Jan 27, 2016, 10:16 PM
What does pig-tails chicklet say in the control room after the first chicklet you talk to in the cry-chamber?

Rakurai
Jan 27, 2016, 10:32 PM
I find it strange that the Phantoms still have the PD-styled infection cores on them, though the glow they give enemies and their projectiles are blue instead of purple.

fuusen_gum
Jan 28, 2016, 08:27 AM
can anyone explain why we put in cryostasis mode for 2 years ? i've been reading this thread but no explanation about that or am i missing it ?

Ce'Nedra
Jan 28, 2016, 08:36 AM
Appearntly to purge the darker energy we and Matoi have in our body. Makes me wonder if that actually works. Wouldn't you just freeze the energy with us?

yoshiblue
Jan 28, 2016, 08:50 AM
http://i.imgur.com/hX6g5yZ.png?1

IceBlink
Jan 28, 2016, 08:59 AM
From what I could gather, Ciela wanted you to investigate the sudden surge of unregistered ARKs, which is why she gets the player to follow Hitsugi (Shota). When they meet, Ciela comments that Hitsugi is suspicious because he looks like a boy but acts like a girl (yes wtf), but otherwise couldn't find anything wrong.


Only clue I caught in the dialogue was Hitsugi referring to himself with "Atashi", which in anime stereotypes is how a young girl addresses herself (no idea if real japanese girls actually use that, haha).

Rakurai
Jan 28, 2016, 09:12 AM
I'm just going to assume the Profound Darkness is behind the interdimensional shenanigans that are happening.

It would certainly explain why the Phantoms have its infection cores.

Skornedemon
Jan 28, 2016, 09:21 AM
[SPOILER-BOX]http://i.imgur.com/rPNVTY3.png[/SPOILER-BOX]

I can do that too game

I really didn't want the game to go this direction... but it went this direction.

TaigaUC
Jan 28, 2016, 09:30 AM
Xiao is probably busy levelling Summoner.

Rupikachu
Jan 28, 2016, 09:31 AM
Appearntly to purge the darker energy we and Matoi have in our body. Makes me wonder if that actually works. Wouldn't you just freeze the energy with us?

I don't really get that part tho. I mean, Matoi should have cleared us when we were turning into pd (i guess she didn't since we turn into persona in bad end). And later on Persona ended eating all of it to be the PD. So we should be clear or something...


Xiao is probably busy levelling Summoner.

Xiao is busy watching japanese animu

TaigaUC
Jan 28, 2016, 09:34 AM
The remove darker energy thing is an excuse to cover the truth.
The true purpose of cryosleep was to hide a sinister fact from the ARKS: that they are characters in a video game.
So what happened in the years our characters slept?
The answer is simple.

Maintenance.

EvilMag
Jan 28, 2016, 09:36 AM
Episode 4 is secretly a fan's private server for the game. Your character is sleeping for 2 years because it took the creator that long to make the server after the game shut down.

Dugs
Jan 28, 2016, 09:43 AM
The real real answer is that Klotho needed time to restock his wallets.

Shirou66
Jan 28, 2016, 01:32 PM
quick answers, my japanese isn't the best, so...

1. why woke up in the freezer

not ordinary freezer, mainly to clear out all the darker matter

Yes, persona takes the profound darkfalz matter from matoi and us

but fighting with profound darkfalz apparently cause us to absorb a lot of darker matter

apparently...

Specially when the whole EP4-1 always remind us that we are one that give a lot of contribution in the fight

2. what's the relation between Earth and Arks

Different Universe, Subspace

Arks Universe -> Arks are real
Earth Universe -> Game

(Remember when Aurora says that photoners threw fail copies of xion to subspace?
Pretty much the same idea)

and I think that's also the unregistered Arks part, those are just players in Earth Universe, if I'm not mistaking Hishigi is to find Bugs in the game? (I didn't pay attention on that part, my bad)

3. Where is Xiao

Busy try to find a way to stop Profound Darkfalz in mother ship

If you've completed EP3, after fighting Profound Darkfalz, there's a part where he says that because of our time travel power thingy, somehow someway It just tp himself back to where he wasn't dead (Didn't pay attention on this part too)

So that's why in the beginning of the story , Sierra says that this two years they've been keep on fighting PD

And that's also why Uruku become the leader of these whole system
and that chart shows up explains what everyone's doing

and now we and Matoi are a special role called "Guardian"
if i'm not mistaking it means we can do whatever we feel like doing(?)

4. why is there anyone in Tokyo

It's the power that similar to quna's weapon(?)
It seems to be using photon to create an area to let Earth Universe human to go through or something like that, and actually we're beating up stuff in there?
(not paying attention)

but you'll get the idea when you saw the
キャラクタークリエイト体験版 ベンチマーク設定6 映像 on youtube?

It shows what the Earth Universe actually sees

LonelyGaruga
Jan 28, 2016, 01:45 PM
I don't really get that part tho. I mean, Matoi should have cleared us when we were turning into pd (i guess she didn't since we turn into persona in bad end). And later on Persona ended eating all of it to be the PD. So we should be clear or something...

And then the player character goes and beats up PD, absorbing part of it.

For the bad ending, the player character deliberately turns into [Persona] through contact with the Coat Edge they used to kill [Persona] and Matoi, which was contaminated by negative photons afterwards.

AkuTenshiiZero
Jan 28, 2016, 03:34 PM
Oh good, I was afraid this was going to be Phantasy Sword Art Online. Turns out it's just Phantasy Star Ocean 3. Or maybe it's Phantasy Last Starfighter. I honestly could not give one steaming turd anymore, it's not like the story does. Thanks for getting me invested in an epic space opera for the past four fucking years just to take a hard left into this weaboo wet dream where video game characters come to life.

I have never seen a franchise so expertly self destruct. But then again, y'know, this is SEGA. There's a minimum quota of paint huffing required to work there.

Mega Ultra Chicken
Jan 28, 2016, 05:45 PM
So... how much of the Arks did they freeze? Did they freeze like, thousands of them? Or only a select few?

Zeroem
Jan 28, 2016, 06:34 PM
So... how much of the Arks did they freeze? Did they freeze like, thousands of them? Or only a select few?

My guess is.......only us and Matoi? AFAIK, both us and Matio are the only one with the capability to cleanse negative photons. And I am surprised we mastered that during 2-years cryosleep.

I guess other thing worth mentioned that when the enemies glowing blue and shown their 'abnormal' side (like T-Rex's laser beam), if you look at the blue core that pop up, for a second you can see the logo that showed up during Rina's explanation on Episode 2 of the anime.

Might be red herring, though; since I failed to get a clear shot of the logo.

Taurus83
Jan 28, 2016, 07:58 PM
i was wonder are ARKS is 4th dimension race or something else to fix the virus darkness program spreading bug on Earth?, a bit Star Ocean 3 but related to PSO2 animation.

Zorua
Jan 28, 2016, 08:01 PM
Why can't I activate story board node N-2?

Zeroem
Jan 28, 2016, 09:51 PM
Why can't I activate story board node N-2?

N-2 needs you to unlock/complete Tokyo free field. Complete EP4-1 story mission (a.k.a. Guardian Awaking), then you should be on the right track to unlock the free field

arkeido
Jan 28, 2016, 09:54 PM
I guess other thing worth mentioned that when the enemies glowing blue and shown their 'abnormal' side (like T-Rex's laser beam), if you look at the blue core that pop up, for a second you can see the logo that showed up during Rina's explanation on Episode 2 of the anime.

Might be red herring, though; since I failed to get a clear shot of the logo.

It is ESC-A logo

[SPOILER-BOX]http://i.imgur.com/uqraHG9.png
http://i.imgur.com/jHsMbOM.jpg[/SPOILER-BOX]

Zorua
Jan 28, 2016, 09:56 PM
N-2 needs you to unlock/complete Tokyo free field. Complete EP4-1, then you should be on the right track to unlock the free field

Oh, thanks for the help. I guess my mistake was trying to do the story board before playing in the field.

Freshellent
Jan 28, 2016, 10:11 PM
Alright, I took the time to read through the thread. I even went back and looked up bits of the first few Episodes just to confirm for myself that I didn't miss anything.

Despite everything, I can't find it within myself to be upset about this. Maybe that emotion left me at Universe, when it came to this series. This is more of a:

"Well, okay then."

It's no secret that this particular 'stuck in a game' variant is getting quite popular again, we haven't really seen it in force since .hack and all it's branches.

Did it get popular again with Sword Art Online? I found that show [spoiler-box] Not to my tastes. [/spoiler-box] and [spoiler-box] Log Horizon and Overlord much more enjoyable for myself. Simply because they actually focus on the game world themselves and the mechanics involved and the romance plots and long drawn out conversations about grinding mobs and what really happens to people stuck in these fictional places.[/spoiler-box]

Most of my friends couldn't finish the anime. I suppose I need to give it a real shot at some point, but reading through this and logging onto the game... I'm conflicted. Shout-outs to gmcustom00 for streaming, I watched the new map a little and sort of wondered why they couldn't just have placed that somewhere else that wasn't earth.

I think... I can say with confidence it's a cash in. This game must make them tons. I admit to being excited about the PSO2 x FFXIV collab. Because I think Rappies are a perfect fit for FF.

Hmm, typing that out now- I suppose it was never meant to taken seriously. This game since it's launch has always been a little off, but now they just embrace it because it's what keeps it afloat.

Do I think PSO would have served itself better if it just upgraded the original formula? Yeah, definitely. Darker scifi stories still have a place, and always will. They could have really just made the extra effort and done better. It's just a shame, I think.

Still, I'm curious to see what they do next.

CrossOmega
Jan 29, 2016, 12:01 AM
quick answers, my japanese isn't the best, so...

1. why woke up in the freezer

not ordinary freezer, mainly to clear out all the darker matter

Yes, persona takes the profound darkfalz matter from matoi and us

but fighting with profound darkfalz apparently cause us to absorb a lot of darker matter

apparently...

Specially when the whole EP4-1 always remind us that we are one that give a lot of contribution in the fight


Ever since ep 3-7, storywise we were fighting asshole double, PD (which we took back part of what Persona took from us + Persona's portion),mbd 4 apprentice zia + 4 falz human mode and one anga. I say that quite reasonable for the need to clear darker matter.

LordKaiser
Jan 29, 2016, 12:48 AM
The only thing it could happen is that 4D Corporation is involved. And that PSO2 is just a clone of the Blue Sphere.

starwind75043
Jan 29, 2016, 02:19 PM
[QUOTE=Killerwing;3324826]There is an extra detail that Renvalt hasn't mentionned about his summary of the story that should please a lot of people that seem to think the plot is Star Ocean 3 again. (Kinda glad I decided to translate the cutscenes with Google Translate. Even if the translation is nowhere near perfect, it does give a good gist of what is going on).

Will cover the info in a spoiler box(there's a few extra notes about the anime included) just in case, but here it is:

[SPOILER-BOX]In one of the two cutscenes before the actual Story Mission takes place(specifically, it's the one right before she explains the new ARKS organization, Ciela plays an audio message(or it's an audio communication) from Ulc, who is now ARKS's commander. She explains that lately, there has been a number of odd/irregular ARKS members that have begun appearing, and she wants us to investigate the issue.

So if you fast forward back to the Story Mission, you can realize that the 'training' mission with Hitsugi is basically a pretense to keep an eye on him(though Ciela is quick to point out at the end of the cutscene where you meet Hitsugi that he seems to behave a bit more like a girl).

In other words, there's a very good chance that somehow, the people of Earth have been able to connect to ARKS, most likely due to how their revolutionary worldwide internet system works. If you've been watching the anime, then you should know that the anime serves as a prelude to the events of Reborn: Episode 4.

Especially since in the anime's first episodes so far, the characters clearly don't somehow enter the world. They're just playing it as if a normal MMORPG. And also, the anime happens 1 year before Reborn: Episode 4, so in that 1 year gap, clearly something happened if somehow the girl had managed to 'enter' the 'game' of PSO2(given the first cutscene in which we see her, she literally pops out of her computer screen.[/SPOILER-BOX]



So basicly.

Corporation makes a "Game"

But its not a game your actually crossing over into our world

the arks start to notice this and want to investigate.

ShinMegamiSensei
Jan 29, 2016, 03:46 PM
Up to episode 3 Anime and 4-1 spoilers[spoiler-box]If that corporation is testing the waters, using the (anime) school as a test, it could be that the current "pso2" we see in the anime is the predecessor and actually is just a game. Then later on, the actual interaction with the pso2 universe happens and people can enter it themselves like we see in 4-1.

Theyre dropping hints that blondie girl is actually from the pso2 universe, probably visiting about this early stage of the interaction between worlds.

The current anime pso2 has all the characters in their lobbies knowing they are just characters so it doesn't seem to be in the actual pso2 universe yet.

All just a theory of course. I have not seen episode 4 of the anime yet.[/spoiler-box]

Chris_Chocobo
Jan 29, 2016, 09:00 PM
Now i want to know more about that ESC-A Corporation. Who is his CEO and why is doing that about sending people via a ''innocent'' MMORPG to another dimension.

PS: How the Spoiler tag works on this forum?

yoshiblue
Jan 29, 2016, 09:08 PM
[SPOILER][\SPOILER]

Meteor Weapon
Jan 29, 2016, 09:24 PM
Up to episode 3 Anime and 4-1 spoilers[spoiler-box]If that corporation is testing the waters, using the (anime) school as a test, it could be that the current "pso2" we see in the anime is the predecessor and actually is just a game. Then later on, the actual interaction with the pso2 universe happens and people can enter it themselves like we see in 4-1.

Theyre dropping hints that blondie girl is actually from the pso2 universe, probably visiting about this early stage of the interaction between worlds.

The current anime pso2 has all the characters in their lobbies knowing they are just characters so it doesn't seem to be in the actual pso2 universe yet.

All just a theory of course. I have not seen episode 4 of the anime yet.[/spoiler-box]

The school tried to ban access to PSO2 in the school grounds/dorms as the student president council, Izumi Rina says, so I doubt that. Izuma Rina is just trying to prove that the game doesn't effect their studies.

ESC-A and their ethernet thingy probably experimenting something and fuck shit up causing time space distortion, and also causing Phantom's popping up. PSO2 verse is something they'd found and had the public experiment on it as a game without knowing the reason behind it.

No idea about Aika since I feel like her personality is too stoic/serious even for an ARKS, I don't think even Quna and Matoi from 10 years ago are that serious. I mean who'd show up in someones bedroom and say "You're openly defenseless!". I bet even an ARKS like Zeno or Afin would get totally surprised.

Sp-24
Jan 29, 2016, 09:29 PM
Phantoms might be popping up due to PD crossing dimensions and winding up on Earth, which in turn caught the interest of ESC-A and made them run experiments on it, just like how it was with Falz on Coral.

Though I wonder how fast they've set it all (the internet, PSO2, Mother system) up, since there's only about a year gap between us defeating Profound Darkness and the anime starting. PD can always just arrive and ruin everything instead of being the cause, though.

JoycieC
Jan 30, 2016, 07:52 PM
I have never seen a franchise so expertly self destruct. But then again, y'know, this is SEGA. There's a minimum quota of paint huffing required to work there.

Send in the ambulance, I'm dying. 10/10

aryayudhaprakasa2
Jan 30, 2016, 10:00 PM
If only "us" and Matoi can absorb D-arker energy? Why are there many cryonic freezer beside us?
Are all ARKS can absord darker energy now? considering this as story mission

And where's matoi?

Dark Emerald EXE
Jan 30, 2016, 10:51 PM
If only "us" and Matoi can absorb D-arker energy? Why are there many cryonic freezer beside us?
Are all ARKS can absord darker energy now? considering this as story mission

And where's matoi?

I mean......they could of had the Cryonic freezer for the "what if" scenario.

As far as matoi guess we'll see once more chapter are revealed.

Was it ever mentioned in dialogue "Why" the character and matoi was frozen?

yoshiblue
Jan 30, 2016, 10:53 PM
Probably something standard on all ships if PS Nova is anything to go by. Also, the Type 15 is a pretty cool looking tank. Would be funny if they released specs that compared it to the Type 10.

oratank
Jan 31, 2016, 12:27 AM
i think ESC-A made phantom before pd come to earth. when pd cross dimension to earth it make phantom Influence with dark energy and gone rouge

TaigaUC
Jan 31, 2016, 03:45 AM
If only "us" and Matoi can absorb D-arker energy? Why are there many cryonic freezer beside us?
Are all ARKS can absord darker energy now? considering this as story mission

And where's matoi?

They're all Matois and Personas from other timelines.

Shiikii
Feb 7, 2016, 02:01 PM
O-3 node - Wut is dat, why can't play it?



I want to go inside my monitor and play...

Tymek
Feb 7, 2016, 02:18 PM
So I haven't gotten too far, and I don't understand Japanese well enough to understand all of what Ciela said, but here's the gist of what I got based on what I COULD make out (spoilers though I guess? so read at your discretion):

[SPOILER-BOX]During our time in cryostasis, the ARKS underwent a massive hierarchical structure revamp.

Basically, Ulc's the boss of all ARKS, with Theodore directly under her, and then the Six Pillars have been completely dismantled and restructured into four divisions, with the former members of the Six becoming the heads of these divisions (in order, Huey and Claris are Div 1 Leads, Maria and Sara are Div 2, Regius and Zeno head up Div 3, and Casra and Quna head up Div 4).

Our character and Matoi take up what was basically Quna's old spot in the system - the "Guardians". We basically don't necessarily answer to any one particular group, but are subordinated as the situation calls for it (basically, Guardians are free-agents).[/SPOILER-BOX]

With that now covered, we move on to Chapter 1's plot (or what I could make of it, for that matter). Note that the following is extremely tl;dr, so don't open unless you like reading long explanations.

[SPOILER-BOX]Ciela sends us on what is basically a "rehabilitation mission" to get us used to doing work in the field again (since she apparently thinks we need it). Our "mission" as it were is the training of one "Hitsugi" (the blonde shota ARKS that we see, more on this later). Routine patrol, although Darkers show up so we do what must needs be done.

However, at the end of the line, a DF-tier "presence" appears, and due to our recklessness (or lack of classification of the threat, more rather), we almost get infected.

"Hitsugi" shoots the DF-Ghost, saving our hides, but they let their guard down, causing the presence to attempt infection. However, with one of the "powers" gifted to us by Xiao when he left to go calculate how to unravel the Madoka-tier time loop we all made, we purify our naive ARKS friend of the Darker taint.

In the aftermath of all that BS, "Hitsugi" undergoes a panic attack, and in a facepalm-worthy moment of Laharlian fourth-wall breaking, they "log-out". Yeah, I'm not making this up. They log-out. They were "playing the game".

We find out that "Hitsugi" is actually a generic anime waifu that looks like the long-lost twin of Azanami, and that, in her carelessness during the situation, her "logging-out" had the unforeseen side-effect of "creating" our blonde friend in her dimension (complete with its own Matoi-grade cluelessness - and with an extra bonus of being in the buff in a JS-girl's bedroom).

Hitsugi freaks out, thinking this is some weird delusion or dream or whatever, but it's not, and she continues to freak (for more reasons than one, naturally - considering who else is in the room). However, suddenly, space zombie attacks. Our blonde friend "Aru" shields Hitsugi from the attack, and then her pleas cause us (in another four-wall breaking moment) to come out of the computer in her room to deal with these space-zombies.

We do our stuff, get the hell out of there, and Hitsugi wakes up, thinking it's a dream, but blondie's presence reminds her that shit just happened, and now she has to deal with her own Laharlian screw-ups (which, need I remind you, were her fault because she logged out before the photons we gave her cooled down). [/SPOILER-BOX]


tl;dr version: ARKS got a cabinet rework, a stupid high school girl playing a vidya logged out during a Deus Ex invocation, the whole thing created life and gave rise to space zombies on Earth, and now Ciela demands that we fix this shit. Because reasons.

AMAZING

MightyHarken
Feb 7, 2016, 04:09 PM
Everyone say good bye to a serious sci fi story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kyRrIvdImA

untrustful
Feb 7, 2016, 04:55 PM
You're about 4+ years too late for goodbyes.

Sp-24
Feb 7, 2016, 05:31 PM
You'd need at least a "Hello" to bid any farewells as far as "science" part is concerned in Phantasy Star series. But at this point, it's a tradition to pronounce PSO dead any time the newest game gets an update.

Great Pan
Feb 7, 2016, 07:17 PM
The only good ending for this is everyone dies in the end.

TaigaUC
Feb 8, 2016, 02:54 AM
I finally did the start of episode 4 a few days ago, to unlock Tokyo.
I couldn't help but laugh at how silly it is. It was very, very cringeworthy.
Not only in terms of story, but also how often and long Hitugi talks to herself.
Feels like very poor delivery. They're trying to convey the setting through her monologue. Probably the most boring possible method.

I guess you could say the story concept is unique, but there's probably a good reason why it hasn't been done before.

Poyonche
Feb 8, 2016, 05:15 AM
The funniest moment was when Aru rejected all the name ideas of Hitsugi.

Or when she just noticed that a naked blond guy had appeared on her bed. :wacko:

Dugs
Feb 8, 2016, 05:37 AM
I'd take those names, I can't hate her for her naming ideas.

Mega Ultra Chicken
Feb 8, 2016, 06:47 AM
But at this point, it's a tradition to pronounce PSO dead any time the newest game gets an update.This.

TaigaUC
Feb 8, 2016, 10:56 AM
Is it just me or does Aru sound like Matoi?
I've only seen that first naked bed cutscene though.

FANSean
Feb 8, 2016, 10:57 AM
This.

PSO2 won't die even if you kill it

Sp-24
Feb 8, 2016, 11:05 AM
Is it just me or does Aru sound like Matoi?
I've only seen that first naked bed cutscene though.
He does, a bit. Though he resembles Matoi in a number of ways, mysteriously appearing out of nowhere, being obviously connected to whatever the current big bad is, etc.

Wonder if Hitsugi has played episode 1 to see the connection.

yoshiblue
Feb 8, 2016, 11:09 AM
PSO2 won't die even if you kill it

Just those fate stay collabs doing work.

Rupikachu
Feb 8, 2016, 11:20 AM
He does, a bit. Though he resembles Matoi in a number of ways, mysteriously appearing out of nowhere, being obviously connected to whatever the current big bad is, etc.

Wonder if Hitsugi has played episode 1 to see the connection.

Isn't aru more like an accident? (Hitsugi logging out when you're doing magick on her, pulling aru out of there). I wonder why we didn't kidnap him back for study, like we do with rappies lol.

I'm guessing that "ingame" theres no story mode

Kondibon
Feb 8, 2016, 11:22 AM
I'm guessing that "ingame" theres no story modeThis reminded me I need to make my chart explaining how I think things are set up (and gave me another factor to consider).

Z-0
Feb 8, 2016, 11:57 AM
There's definitely story in the PSO2 "ingame" universe (man, you know what I mean).

When you're introduced to Hitsugi she starts talking to herself about how you're a "key player" since Shiera mentions you're the one who defeated Profound Darkness 2 years ago, meaning everything that happened was definitely canon and the players definitely know about it, but it definitely doesn't run on "our" timeline, if you will, and the semantics are definitely different. So instead of PSO2 just being a game where everyone follows the same story, it's more like it has its own story that is unique to every player, and they're all part of that particular story.

Kondibon
Feb 8, 2016, 12:00 PM
OK, so here's what I think is going on. Most of this is probably obvious to some of you, but I wanted to get it off my chest anyway. First, a poorly made diagram that doesn't properly explain my thoughts
http://i.imgur.com/iK6iHz0.png

I don't think the earth in the anime and ingame aren't meant to be, as far as I can tell, our earth. And the PSO2 they're playing isn't meant to be our PSO2. Based on the episode 4 events, and the direction the anime seems to be going in PSO2 is "real" in the anime, and the players of the in-universe PSO2 game are actually making avatars in the ARKS universe. Patty and Tea mention the sudden rise of unregistered ARKS, and from what I heard that's part of what you're investigating in the current Story Board quest.

The implication seems to be that they're the player characters from Earth in-universe. That this never came up earlier, the fact that our player characters are actual registered ARKS members, and the way we got to earth in the first place, seems to mean, from an in-universe perspective, our characters are likely "real" too in the same sort of way Aika is. Likewise, Those were actually Patty and Tea in-universe, not npcs. The stuff about npcs is probably just a ruse by Selee whatever that company is called.

Sp-24
Feb 8, 2016, 12:24 PM
What if the Earth in PSO2 is actually an anime that ARKS can enter somehow. Would explain why all the bits of surveillance on Hitsugi and Aru are conveniently entertaining slice of life episodes that you can watch on demand.

Kondibon
Feb 8, 2016, 12:26 PM
What if the Earth in PSO2 is actually an anime that ARKS can enter somehow. Would explain why all the bits of surveillance on Hitsugi and Aru are conveniently entertaining slice of life episodes that you can watch on demand.What if PSO2 is a game and an anime at the same time. Nothing is real, trust no one. Put the glasses on! Put 'em on!

Sp-24
Feb 8, 2016, 12:30 PM
What if PSO2 is a game and an anime at the same time. Nothing is real, trust no one. Put the glasses on! Put 'em on!
At least it's safe to say that PSO2 On Stage is ESC-A propaganda to brainwash everyone into thinking that PSO2 is just a game and is not real.

Zeroem
Feb 8, 2016, 12:31 PM
OK, so here's what I think is going on. Most of this is probably obvious to some of you, but I wanted to get it off my chest anyway. First, a poorly made diagram that doesn't properly explain my thoughts
http://i.imgur.com/iK6iHz0.png

I don't think the earth in the anime and ingame aren't meant to be, as far as I can tell, our earth. And the PSO2 they're playing isn't meant to be our PSO2. Based on the episode 4 events, and the direction the anime seems to be going in PSO2 is "real" in the anime, and the players of the in-universe PSO2 game are actually making avatars in the ARKS universe. Patty and Tea mention the sudden rise of unregistered ARKS, and from what I heard that's part of what you're investigating in the current Story Board quest.

The implication seems to be that they're the player characters from Earth in-universe. That this never came up earlier, the fact that our player characters are actual registered ARKS members, and the way we got to earth in the first place, seems to mean, from an in-universe perspective, our characters are likely "real" too in the same sort of way Aika is. Likewise, Those were actually Patty and Tea in-universe, not npcs. The stuff about npcs is probably just a ruse by Selee whatever that company is called.

The company name is ESC-A, though it's the general computer OS for Earthlings and has no real connection to the creation of Earth's PSO2........yet.

Besides that, I guess this is pretty much one of the conclusions that some of us get at this point regarding EP4 story.

Kondibon
Feb 8, 2016, 12:34 PM
The company name is ESC-A, though it's the general computer OS for Earthlings and has no real connection to the creation of Earth's PSO2........yet.
I'm glad you added that "yet" because I was going to bring up the fact that PSO2 is apparently, automatically on all ESC-A computers. And... you know... the whole thing with Phantoms having its logo pop up on them, and I think the jingle that plays when Ghidoran spawns on the field is supposed to be a boot up for an OS. Whether its intentional or not, I dunno.

Zeroem
Feb 8, 2016, 12:37 PM
I'm glad you added that "yet" because I was going to bring up the fact that PSO2 is apparently, automatically on all ESC-A computers. And... you know... the whole thing with Phantoms having its logo pop up on them, and I think the jingle that plays when Ghidoran spawns on the field is supposed to be a boot up for an OS. Whether its intentional or not, I dunno.

Don't forget that the technology advance for 'playing' PSO2 ramps up too fast in just 7 months before ARKS discover Earth.
I mean, from notVita and computer to literally enter the 'game'?

Also, all this talk really made me curious of Aika. If she's indeed an ARKS (for all we know, Aika could be revealed later in the anime as a heavy case of chuuni), who sent her to the Earth? Or, a better question, how she managed to reach Earth?

Kondibon
Feb 8, 2016, 12:38 PM
Don't forget that the technology advance for 'playing' PSO2 ramps up too fast in just 7 months before ARKs discover Earth. I mean, from Vita and computer to literally enter the game?It makes me wonder where they got the tech in the first place, since, again, it doesn't seem intentional. Maybe it has something to do with PD going on vacation to another timeline whenever we defeat it?

Anduril
Feb 8, 2016, 12:40 PM
I actually think that the jingle that plays when it spawns is supposed to be the chime that plays when the train arrives or the doors open and close.

Kondibon
Feb 8, 2016, 12:43 PM
I actually think that the jingle that plays when it spawns is supposed to be the chime that plays when the train arrives/the doors open.Are you talking about the Jingle or the bell noise? Cause it makes a different sound when it spawns in the field. I know when it spawns in the boss room there's a train crossing bell sound, but in the field it sounds like the kind of thing you'd hear when booting something up. You can hear it here I think (I dunno cause it took me getting new headphones to hear it). https://youtu.be/H95pLtMdiUA?t=33s

If that's what you're talking about then... maybe, I dunno, is that a thing in Japan? ._.

EDIT: and here's the crossing signal for reference. https://youtu.be/Dmhaw9LnaPg?t=5m30s

EDIT: Fixed links

Zeroem
Feb 8, 2016, 12:48 PM
I think that's a train jingle myself. The tune might be different from my country's train jingle, but it do sounds similar in a sense.

And speaking of Train Ghidoran, I was paying attention to the boss area as of lately. Isn't the red building looks similar to the Tensei Academy (forgot the actual name but it was referred as Seiga's sister academy in anime)?

Anduril
Feb 8, 2016, 12:49 PM
Are you talking about the Jingle or the bell noise? Cause it makes a different sound when it spawns in the field. I know when it spawns in the boss room there's a train crossing bell sound, but in the field it sounds like the kind of thing you'd hear when booting something up. You can hear it here I think (I dunno cause it took me getting new headphones to hear it). https://youtu.be/H95pLtMdiUA?list=PL66453E67755F6B4B

If that's what you're talking about then... maybe, I dunno, is that a thing in Japan? ._.

EDIT: and here's the crossing signal for reference. https://youtu.be/Dmhaw9LnaPg?list=PL66453E67755F6B4B
Yeah, his own field spawn is the crossing sound. Regarding the spawning in Free explore, the sound reminded me of the safety chime that plays when the train is arriving at the platform or when the doors are opening and closing (I used to take public transit a lot as a kid, so hearing it triggered those memories). It varies by place and transit company as some lines only have a message, some have a jingle, some have long tones; check out this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fi0m8ei_B4).

Kondibon
Feb 8, 2016, 12:54 PM
I think that's a train jingle myself. The tune might be different from my cluntry's train jingle, but it do sounds similar in a sense.The only trains I'm familiar with are the DC metro, we don't have that kind of thing, but if that's actually a thing that makes more sense.
EDIT: To reiterate, I mean I didn't know having an actual jingle, as in a short song, was a thing, I'm used to it just being a few beeps or something like in the video Anduril linked.


And speaking of Train Ghidoran, I was paying attention to the boss area lately. Isn't the red building looked similar to the Tensei Academy (forgot the actual name but it was referred as Seiga's sister academy in anime)?I thought it was a train station because train, but that could be it too. I'm too lazy to check though.

NightfallG
Feb 9, 2016, 03:06 AM
Don't forget that the technology advance for 'playing' PSO2 ramps up too fast in just 7 months before ARKS discover Earth.
I mean, from notVita and computer to literally enter the 'game'?

Also, all this talk really made me curious of Aika. If she's indeed an ARKS (for all we know, Aika could be revealed later in the anime as a heavy case of chuuni), who sent her to the Earth? Or, a better question, how she managed to reach Earth?

In the fourth episode of the anime, at the very end near that warehouse toilet some Darker 'blood' splatters and iirc, we see Aika. The implication is she killed a Darker bug that appeared.

Now, as to theorizing, I figure since on PSO2 Earth 'ethernet' is implied to be a recent discovery and entirely wireless, this ESC-A company is actually tapping into some Really Secret Photoner Shit or some other MacGuffin based contrivance that'll be explained later on. The other guess is they're gonna have some contrived Wesker/Selee type(s) leading ESC-A and it'll all be some instrumentality shit, maybe leading to a fight against Mother Brain or revamped Mother Trinity or something.

Sandmind
Feb 9, 2016, 04:01 AM
Speaking of Mother Brain, I believe it was mentionned by Aurora in MB 3-8 that the Photoners failed multiple times to clone Xion and throwed the failures away to subspace? One of them showing up on Earth, and control/get used (or both) by ESC-A isn't too farfetched.

Meteor Weapon
Feb 9, 2016, 04:12 AM
I see Aika being way too military formal/serious/lack of common sense even for an ARKS, Quna and Matoi has far more common sense than her. I mean she doesn't even know a guy can pee or keep distance on someone's private space.

Kondibon
Feb 9, 2016, 04:20 AM
Speaking of Mother Brain, I believe it was mentionned by Aurora in MB 3-8 that the Photoners failed multiple times to clone Xion and throwed the failures away to subspace? One of them showing up on Earth, and control/get used (or both) by ESC-A isn't too farfetched.I forgot about that. That's totally a possibility.


I see Aika being way too military formal/serious/lack of common sense even for an ARKS, Quna and Matoi has far more common sense than her. I mean she doesn't even know a guy can pee or keep distance on someone's private space.Honestly the ARKS are so full of varied characters its not much of a stretch.

Chris_Chocobo
Feb 9, 2016, 04:33 AM
Speaking of Mother Brain, I believe it was mentionned by Aurora in MB 3-8 that the Photoners failed multiple times to clone Xion and throwed the failures away to subspace? One of them showing up on Earth, and control/get used (or both) by ESC-A isn't too farfetched.

Phantasy Star 2 all over again.

Meteor Weapon
Feb 9, 2016, 04:38 AM
Mother Brain from PS2 and Mother Trinity PSZero fucks up a lot of shit throughout generations of civilization, Eartlings in PSO2 are lucky enough to have ARKS arrive before anything worse could happen.

Then again, Kuronians ran out of luck and all of them ended up getting eaten by Double.

oratank
Feb 9, 2016, 04:46 AM
I see Aika being way too military formal/serious/lack of common sense even for an ARKS, Quna and Matoi has far more common sense than her. I mean she doesn't even know a guy can pee or keep distance on someone's private space.

may be she isn't arks but esca experiment with a fake memory from clone data or aika can have a role as nei

well if aika is real arks. it odd that arks didn't know earth exist before we cross dimension

Z-0
Feb 9, 2016, 06:30 AM
I personally get the impression that absolutely nothing is going to happen in the anime, because if there were weird occurrences or some big event in 2027 at Hitsugi's "sister school", why doesn't she link the weird happenings in 2028 to those?

So the events of the anime can probably be completely ignored and 2028 story is something else entirely.

Kondibon
Feb 9, 2016, 06:49 AM
I personally get the impression that absolutely nothing is going to happen in the anime, because if there were weird occurrences or some big event in 2027 at Hitsugi's "sister school", why doesn't she link the weird happenings in 2028 to those?

So the events of the anime can probably be completely ignored and 2028 story is something else entirely.I dunno, I get the feeling after the "obligatory" hotsprings episode we might see some actual plot. Depending on how they set it up 6 episodes could have a lot of interesting stuff happen. It could go either way though I guess. It's pretty obvious Hitsugi has been doing that "go into the game" thing for long enough for it to be normal though.

Sp-24
Feb 9, 2016, 06:55 AM
The OP shows Apprentice, so the anime's plot is very likely to be as relevant to the game as the rest of MBD stuff.

NephyrisX
Feb 9, 2016, 06:56 AM
It is possible that Aika is like that male ARKS guy that materialised in EP4.

Kondibon
Feb 9, 2016, 07:01 AM
The OP shows Apprentice, so the anime's plot is very likely to be as relevant to the game as the rest of MBD stuff.It's probably going to be canon but I imagine all the actual important stuff will be explained in the game anyway.


It is possible that Aika is like that male ARKS guy that materialised in EP4.Are you talking about Aru/Al? I don't think he and Aika are the same. Aika seems to originally be from the ARKS universe, while Aru was originally Hitsugi's avatar in the "game" who got brought back with her when she logged out.

Zeroem
Feb 9, 2016, 08:28 AM
In the fourth episode of the anime, at the very end near that warehouse toilet some Darker 'blood' splatters and iirc, we see Aika. The implication is she killed a Darker bug that appeared.

I watch the anime, so I already knew about that reveal. I'm just throwing suspicion up in the air, that's all. Maybe after 6 more episodes, all of the hints from the anime could be a massive red herring in attempt to troll everyone who's watching the anime and playing EP4.
Just saying.

......Anyway, after a closer look on the train Ghidoran's field; it do bear a certain degree of similarity to Tensei high school; but until it's stated otherwise in-game, I'll just consider it a red herring it's not Tensei high school, it's Tokyo Station. Could be a lot better if there's a cameo on Tensei high school building somewhere on Tokyo field, but eh.


I see Aika being way too military formal/serious/lack of common sense even for an ARKS, Quna and Matoi has far more common sense than her. I mean she doesn't even know a guy can pee or keep distance on someone's private space.

To be fair, almost all of the ARKS member are nut-jobs to certain degree.


Phantasy Star 2 all over again.
I won't be surprised if SEGA pulled the similar setup again, considering the 'necessary' element (ESC-A) are already in place.

Meteor Weapon
Feb 9, 2016, 10:30 AM
well if mother brain would be the boss for the Earth Chapter , they'd need to at least have remix of PS2 final boss theme just like they did on PSU and lets hope Mother Brain isn't a reskin lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9xFRp6tknU

TaigaUC
Feb 9, 2016, 12:42 PM
I thought the Gidoran field looked like Tokyo Station. Am I wrong?

By the way, I was thinking about the episode 4 story.
When your character shows up to save Hitsugi, they don't seem to question who Hitsugi is or why there's a naked boy on her bed that looks like the Hitsugi they were just investigating.
I haven't played past that though. Maybe I missed the explanation.

Sp-24
Feb 9, 2016, 12:54 PM
It seems to happen out of the blue, but after you are back on ARKS ship, you just casually start peeping on Hitsugi. So I assume the player character was told about Hitsugi controlling her unregistered ARKS from a different dimension.

That still doesn't explain Aru being there with Hitsugi, though. But maybe you thought Aru was the player who randomized his character, and Hitsugi was his girlfriend.

Zeroem
Feb 9, 2016, 06:13 PM
I thought the Gidoran field looked like Tokyo Station. Am I wrong?

*googling Tokyo Station picture* Ah, it is Tokyo Station.
Well that front look on the red building kinda reminds me on Tensei high school on a first glance basis, but the size of the yard is off on further inspection.

TaigaUC
Feb 9, 2016, 06:19 PM
Oh. That's nice.

CrossOmega
Feb 9, 2016, 07:38 PM
It seems to happen out of the blue, but after you are back on ARKS ship, you just casually start peeping on Hitsugi. So I assume the player character was told about Hitsugi controlling her unregistered ARKS from a different dimension.

That still doesn't explain Aru being there with Hitsugi, though. But maybe you thought Aru was the player who randomized his character, and Hitsugi was his girlfriend.

Randomization: Giving a perfect look-alike 100% of the time!

I also admit that our character is kinda creepy given we are "casually peeping" in on a girl :v

Meteor Weapon
Feb 9, 2016, 07:48 PM
You know that was Sierra doing all the peeping, our characters even questioned Sierra's method of snooping on them.

NightfallG
Feb 9, 2016, 07:59 PM
The impression I caught was that Aru is supposed to be Hitsugi's character made into a separate person, at least from how he looks.

Tymek
Feb 13, 2016, 05:22 AM
I am really annoyed by Hitsugi, in her "unregistered ARKS" form, acting really strange and freaking out during the Story Quest on Naberius.
What was that all about?

wefwq
Feb 13, 2016, 05:26 AM
I am really annoyed by Hitsugi, in her "unregistered ARKS" form, acting really strange and freaking out during the Story Quest on Naberius.
What was that all about?
Nipponese anime girl happened.

zandra117
Feb 13, 2016, 05:34 AM
Calling it now. "Earth" is actually the "inner universe" of Xion that the Photoners (Earthlings) have decided to live in. The appearance of the Phantoms and the generation of unregistered ARKS are the result of disruptions caused by Xion assimilating with the Profound Darkness.

Zeroem
Feb 13, 2016, 08:48 AM
I am really annoyed by Hitsugi, in her "unregistered ARKS" form, acting really strange and freaking out during the Story Quest on Naberius.
What was that all about?

I don't 100% understand the story (due to limitation on my JP knowledge and haven't replayed it once again for the dialogues); but let's consider all of the factors around.

Imagine if you're a player doing a mission, then suddenly the operator told you that another person would join the tutorial, and happened to hold a role in in PD's suppression(which I guess would be 'seen' by Hitsugi as a massive backstory event in the game).......which did not happened before in other people's case. And this did not include the shadowy figure later on.

Not to add Hitsugi clearly play as the opposite gender and (miserably) tried to hide that fact.

SilenWhisper
Feb 13, 2016, 08:58 AM
Not to add Hitsugi clearly play as the opposite gender and (miserably) tried to hide that fact.

Of course.Who does that these days.

Kondibon
Feb 13, 2016, 09:24 AM
Calling it now. "Earth" is actually the "inner universe" of Xion that the Photoners (Earthlings) have decided to live in. The appearance of the Phantoms and the generation of unregistered ARKS are the result of disruptions caused by Xion assimilating with the Profound Darkness.Didn't Xion kill herself specifically so that wouldn't happen?

zandra117
Feb 15, 2016, 09:29 AM
Didn't Xion kill herself specifically so that wouldn't happen?
you need to see the end of episode 3

[spoiler-box]http://i.imgur.com/lvim9de.jpg[/spoiler-box]

Kondibon
Feb 15, 2016, 09:59 AM
you need to see the end of episode 3

[spoiler-box]http://i.imgur.com/lvim9de.jpg[/spoiler-box]I never really went back to it after it got translated, so I didn't know she said that last bit. Everything else I knew.

loafhero
Feb 22, 2016, 07:08 AM
To be fair, almost all of the ARKS member are nut-jobs to certain degree.
Most of the NPC ARKS members are cliches of anime characters. So its fitting that Aika is the "naive to basic human interaction girl which conveniently leads to unnecessary fan service" type of character that typically exists in most anime.

But seriously, what I don't get is why ARKS would choose such a naive and ignorant girl for what is clearly an undercover mission that requires not just basic knowledge on human interaction but the ability to act like a normal teenager. It would have made more sense to send someone like Sarah who has the whole teenage spy thing down pretty well.

I'm also quite surprised that Matoi seems to be completely ignored in EP4's story. If the player character's goal for going through all this weird and insane stuff is to find Matoi, then that would have made a more compelling reason for the player to get involved. Based on previews of upcoming story chapters, EP4's story seems like it will be more like EP1's story where the player is mostly just a side character who gets involved in other people's story.

Meteor Weapon
Feb 22, 2016, 08:29 AM
It's still chapter 1, Matoi probably still stuck in some "carbon-freezing chamber" for now.

But seriously, Aika is a character that doesn't even represent a normal ARKS operative behaviour. Most ARKS ops in the game are more aloof than her, even Quna herself, which is why I don't like Aika with all her lack of common sense. I mean seriously she can't even figure out that AiAi is her own nickname.

Zeroem
Feb 22, 2016, 08:53 AM
But seriously, what I don't get is why ARKS would choose such a naive and ignorant girl for what is clearly an undercover mission that requires not just basic knowledge on human interaction but the ability to act like a normal teenager. It would have made more sense to send someone like Sarah who has the whole teenage spy thing down pretty well.

I'm also quite surprised that Matoi seems to be completely ignored in EP4's story. If the player character's goal for going through all this weird and insane stuff is to find Matoi, then that would have made a more compelling reason for the player to get involved. Based on previews of upcoming story chapters, EP4's story seems like it will be more like EP1's story where the player is mostly just a side character who gets involved in other people's story.

Well, the situation around Aika herself is kinda wonky as of what we know (it could change at anytime within the next 6 episodes of anime or on our next update). It's pretty clear at this point that Aika is not Earthling. And judging from Ulc and Sierra's reaction; the Earth's existence was only found recently when we interfered, thanks to Hitsugi. Unless that video by Ulc and information relayed to us are only to-know-basis.

"Who sent Aika to the Earth in the first place?" is still one of the biggest question about the EP plot, along with "What is ESC-A?" and "What roles does ESC-A take in the whole irregular ARKS issue?" question. Besides, it's safe to assume that Earthlings knew about the game's important figures and timeline. Sending Sara (for example) would spells disaster on the whole info-gathering matter, since she play a part in the story. (Sidenote: sending Henry could work, in retrospect). Then again, the line was only recently established.

Where's Matoi? She's currently undergo a 'plot' surgery (hue).
Other than that, I guess SEGA's still deciding for her new outfits.....again.


It's still chapter 1, Matoi probably still stuck in some "carbon-freezing chamber" for now.

But seriously, Aika is a character that doesn't even represent a normal ARKS operative behaviour. Most ARKS ops in the game are more aloof than her, even Quna herself, which is why I don't like Aika with all her lack of common sense. I mean seriously she can't even figure out that AiAi is her own nickname.

Well, Aika's very own being are still full of question marks, in a sense. Even when it's pretty clear that she's not Earthling.
Who promoted her to ARKS? If she's already on Earth during our cold-sleep, why ARKS still need our help to find out about Earth? How she got to the Earth in the first place?

........In any case, at this point we can only wait for the next patch for the post-anime information about the settings to further discuss about the EP4's plotline.

loafhero
Feb 23, 2016, 12:27 AM
Besides, it's safe to assume that Earthlings knew about the game's important figures and timeline. Sending Sara (for example) would spells disaster on the whole info-gathering matter, since she play a part in the story. (Sidenote: sending Henry could work, in retrospect). Then again, the line was only recently established.
Yeah, completely forgot that the NPCs are well known enough to the Earthlings.

Besides, the Earthlings seem very gullible as they barely pay any attention or even care about Suzuki's weird behaviour due to her good looks.



But seriously, Aika is a character that doesn't even represent a normal ARKS operative behaviour. Most ARKS ops in the game are more aloof than her, even Quna herself, which is why I don't like Aika with all her lack of common sense. I mean seriously she can't even figure out that AiAi is her own nickname.
I don't think its worth paying much care to Aika's behaviour as her character is clearly just the product of the writers half-assed attempts at making easy opportunities for cheap fan service and humor. You see plenty of this type of cliche female characters in animes and cliche is exactly what the anime is. Not that having cliches is a bad thing though as its all a matter of taste.

Kondibon
Feb 23, 2016, 02:22 AM
normal ARKS operative behaviour. There isn't exactly a standard...

Meteor Weapon
Feb 23, 2016, 02:53 AM
Well at least they had enough sense not to...well...staring at someone of the opposite gender pissing or barging into a mens bath <:3c

oratank
Feb 23, 2016, 02:56 AM
i still think aika not arks nor earth. more like esca game keeper or a secret 3rd party organization

Mio
Feb 23, 2016, 04:57 AM
Regarding the Train Jingle:

Here in Japan each station has a different Jingle! (The purpose is so that you can rest in the train and wake up at the correct Jingle)

wefwq
Feb 23, 2016, 06:12 AM
Regarding the Train Jingle:

Here in Japan each station has a different Jingle! (The purpose is so that you can rest in the train and wake up at the correct Jingle)
what if i can't wake up

Sp-24
Feb 23, 2016, 07:41 AM
Well at least they had enough sense not to...well...staring at someone of the opposite gender pissing or barging into a mens bath <:3c
Sounds like something Lisa would do. Through the scope of her rifle.

Sizustar
Feb 23, 2016, 08:13 AM
what if i can't wake up

Then you miss your stop.

Zeroem
Feb 24, 2016, 03:29 AM
Welp, the very first event is an info dump. Kinda.
Working on getting the script atm. Thank god for OCR.
So far, there are interesting name pop up, such as Ethernet, ESC-A, and [マザー・クラスタ]

Also.......chill your panties out Kohri.
Goddammit.

Kondibon
Feb 24, 2016, 03:35 AM
[マザー・クラスタ]http://i.imgur.com/RG0BS1U.gif

Zeroem
Feb 24, 2016, 04:05 AM
.......*sigh* I've viewed the whole new story chapter. My SS folder are practically bloated.
The only thing worth full translation are most of P-3, some part of Q3, and a part of S-3 (maybe). and I'm still working on the logs.

The rest are safe to ignore and it's not really hard to understand even with body gesture alone.
- R-3 is basically the trip of Hitsugi+Kohri+Aru to get Aru new clothes. There's some techno babble there and a mention of YMT (gonna find the SS first).
- T-3 is Kohri being Kohri and asked whether Aru already bathed or not.
- U-3 is bathroom hi-jinks between those 3. 100% safe to skip, unless you want to see some accidental breast touching and grabbing......if that's your thing. And no, not by Kohri. It's Aru.
- V-3 is Aru scared to sleep alone.

What our character do during all that? Doing a Truman Show with Sierra.

wefwq
Feb 24, 2016, 04:18 AM
unless you want to see some accidental breast touching and grabbing
Is this really happening? I'm more curious about the potential hand clipping more than the actual scene itself.

Zeroem
Feb 24, 2016, 04:32 AM
Is this really happening? I'm more curious about the potential hand clipping more than the actual scene itself.

Well, not shown on-screen. Kohri one is completely out of the screen, and Hitsugi case is blocked by her own body. Will see if I can get some freeze-frame on that scene as soon as I finished doing OCR on P-3

But when there's squishy sound effect, Aru's asking what is this soft thing, Kohri almost moaning; it's really hard to deny that accidental breast-grabbing did not happened.

wefwq
Feb 24, 2016, 04:34 AM
Well, not shown on-screen.

But when there's squishy sound effect, Aru's asking what is this soft thing, Kohri almost moaning; it's really hard to deny that accidental breast-grabbing did not happened.
Heh, i just see that scene myself, Aru touching Hitsugi's Hitsugis too.
Can't show too much since it's CERO C after all, hahah.

Zeroem
Feb 24, 2016, 04:58 AM
Well, here's what OCR got on the important bits so far.

Warning, a lot of Japanese kanjis. Now with spacing.
Also note that this is P-3 only and OCR's acting up just now. Some word might be incorrect.
[spoiler-box]
『PSO2』 とは、超高速通信『エーテル』の 普及とともに、爆発的に広まった オンラインゲームのこと。
エーテル通信により実現した 次世代クラウド型Os『エスカ』。

『PSO2』 は『エスカ』に 標準インストールされてるソ エーテル通信上で誰でも一
レイ可能。

そういう一般認識じゃなくて。 『あたしたち』にとっての認識は?

『わたしたち』?・ああ。 『マザー・クラスタ』のみんなが あのゲームをどう思ってるか、だね。
誰でも簡単に、いつでも誰とでも エーテルインフラ上でプレイできるゲーム。 そこの認識は同じだよ。

『マザー・クラスタ』の目的は Os『エス力』の保守、『エス力』に生じたバグを 取り除くことだからね。
そのために、マザーにスカウトされた、 総勢千人を超える『マザー・クラスタ』のメンバーが 日々『エス力』の保守と保全を行ってる、でしょ?

うん、そして『エス力』に 標準インストールされている『P S02』の中にも そのバグが混ざり込んでいるみたい。

AIとは思えない不可解な挙動をするNPCとか いろいろおかしなところが多いから
わたしたち『マザー・クラスタ』の所属者が 『PSO2』を調査して 情報を集めてるの。

わたしたちじゃなくても情報は集められるけど やっばり直に調べてみないと、わからないこと たくさんあるだろうしね。
まとめると『PSO2』はゲームって認轟ょね。

そこに, バグのょうなものが生じてるって
考えてるのよね。
うん`そうだよ?
[/spoiler-box]

So, from what I gather; [マザー・クラスタ] are tasked for the maintenance of『エスカ』(ESC-A) and used for the recognition of something related to the game. Interesting thing to be noted, according to Kohri there are cases of 'irregular behavior' of NPCs that's not close to its standard AI behavior. Sounds familiar?

Also, might want to keep an eye for YMT Corporation in-case there are more mention about this company in the future.
I will see if I can get a proper OCR capture later on, since OCR's acting weird.

Meteor Weapon
Feb 24, 2016, 05:28 AM
マザー・クラスタ= Mother Cluster.

Welp Mother Brain chapter confirmed.

DRAGONxNOGARD
Feb 24, 2016, 05:31 AM
Heh, i just see that scene myself, Aru touching Hitsugi's Hitsugis too.
Can't show too much since it's CERO C after all, hahah.

want Hitsugi to friend partner list

saraishadow
Feb 24, 2016, 06:07 AM
They could have at least released something playable rather than have us sit through a bunch of cut-scenes, that's my only gripe about this story update.

loafhero
Feb 24, 2016, 06:23 AM
What our character do during all that? Doing a Truman Show with Sierra.
I don't understand that reference but I'm guessing our character still has nothing to do with the plot yet, right?

Kondibon
Feb 24, 2016, 06:32 AM
I don't understand that reference but I'm guessing our character still has nothing to do with the plot yet, right?As far as I can tell we are literally standing beside Sierra and watching her stalk a couple of highschool girls and a little boy through magic internet.

So yeah.

Zeroem
Feb 24, 2016, 06:37 AM
I don't understand that reference but I'm guessing our character still has nothing to do with the plot yet, right?

Wait. You don't know Truman Show?
Seriously?
[spoiler-box]]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cd/Trumanshow.jpg[/spoiler-box]
That should explain what is Truman Show without spoiling much. Seriously, go watch that movie when you have the time.

That aside, Kondi already ninja-ed my answer.

Chris_Chocobo
Feb 24, 2016, 07:24 AM
So, apart from stalking schoolgirls in bath, shoping and more shit. Nothing interesting?

Poyonche
Feb 24, 2016, 07:28 AM
So, apart from stalking schoolgirls in bath, shoping and more shit. Nothing interesting?

Pietro get beaten up by Cery. :wacko:

loafhero
Feb 24, 2016, 08:14 AM
As far as I can tell we are literally standing beside Sierra and watching her stalk a couple of highschool girls and a little boy through magic internet.

So yeah.
Well, that's disappointing. Sounds as if our character really is being sidelined.

What about the optional cutscenes? Does our character get to reunite with any of the other NPCs from the previous Episodes beyond the ones in chapter 1?

vbetts
Feb 24, 2016, 08:20 AM
Windows 10 ad-placement. I'll have to get a screenshot of it...lol.

Also, the story line so far is like the start of a hentai scene...

Sega is cocky lol. "Everyone on the streets just play PSO2 in this timeline!"

Sirius-91
Feb 24, 2016, 09:07 AM
Windows 10 ad-placement. I'll have to get a screenshot of it...lol.

Also, the story line so far is like the start of a hentai scene...

Sega is cocky lol. "Everyone on the streets just play PSO2 in this timeline!"

Every anime or show that SEGA has spawned has their product's propaganda everywhere.

Korima
Feb 24, 2016, 10:16 AM
Plot twitst, Pets attack Pietro because he is a darker inside.

Sp-24
Feb 24, 2016, 11:09 AM
Also, might want to keep an eye for YMT Corporation in-case there are more mention about this company in the future.
I will see if I can get a proper OCR capture later on, since OCR's acting weird.
There will be more mention of the corporation all right, considering that YMT stands for ヤ・マ・ト.

Great Pan
Feb 24, 2016, 07:16 PM
ESC-A = SEGA....

SEGA, I knew it! It was you who's all behind this!

loafhero
Feb 24, 2016, 11:03 PM
I've managed to see some of the newer cutscenes in Youtube. I don't understand what their saying but I can certainly say that the plot isn't moving much as of now. The only thing that's being given focus is Hitsugi growing closer with Aru and learning to accept him as her little brother. Maybe this will eventually get build up to a point where Hitsugi defends Aru's right as a living being, seeing as how Aru would not be considered "real" by both Earthlings and the PSO2-verse.

I think a more interesting way of making the PC and Sierra more involved in the plot is to have them debate over the unethical nature of violating Hitsugi's privacy by monitoring her every day life XD

Zorak000
Feb 25, 2016, 12:27 AM
there was mention of a "Mother cluster" in there too; I guess we can't have earth without mother brain then

Raujinn
Feb 25, 2016, 12:28 AM
Eh I kind of like that they're taking time to tell some story. Makes a change. Pity about the actual story that they're telling this way but oh well.

Also the face you pull while Pietro is getting attacked by Cery is fucking incredible.

Sp-24
Feb 25, 2016, 01:50 AM
I think a more interesting way of making the PC and Sierra more involved in the plot is to have them debate over the unethical nature of violating Hitsugi's privacy by monitoring her every day life XD
That's pretty much how one of the cutscenes ends.

zandra117
Feb 25, 2016, 02:27 AM
SEGAC old meme
SE-AC
ES-AC
ES-CA
ESC-A

ranmas
Feb 25, 2016, 06:11 PM
I've seen this question asked before, but no answer was given.

How do you get past the O-3 spot on the story board, or is that the current end?

Thanks for the help

Sp-24
Feb 25, 2016, 06:13 PM
Have you tried talking to your personal operator after she told you to?

Anduril
Feb 25, 2016, 06:24 PM
SEGAC old meme
SE-AC
ES-AC
ES-CA
ESC-A
Easier:
The G separates to a C and "-", then we have SEC-A, switch the S and E. Boom, ESC-A.
[spoiler-box]http://i.imgur.com/y2NrSLg.gif[/spoiler-box]

ranmas
Feb 25, 2016, 06:42 PM
Thanks for the help with that.

Can't say that I noticed or understood that very well, and I don't make a habit of going to the bridge just to do the story board. Then again maybe I should.

Anyway, thanks for the help

Sp-24
Feb 25, 2016, 06:43 PM
You actually should, since that's the only place where you can view the story board events, even after you've watched them once.

AnikaSteinberg
Feb 25, 2016, 06:46 PM
There will be more mention of the corporation all right, considering that YMT stands for ヤ・マ・ト.

Yes, not to mention that the story kind of revealed(?) during the interview scene on the big building screen that the president of YMT Corp. is a fan of current and old technologies, so far as to mention his admiration for the battleships Yamato (spoiler?) and Musashi.

ranmas
Feb 25, 2016, 07:05 PM
Hmm, I would have sworn I watched a few of them from the gate area....

Oh well.

Sp-24
Feb 25, 2016, 07:30 PM
I just tried rewatching the bath scene for purely research purposes, and it wouldn't let me do it outside the bridge. I couldn't even watch Io's event again.

Zeroem
Feb 27, 2016, 12:52 AM
One scene that I forgot to OCR, is that what Kohri said. She said that "Fashion Creator" app she's using for picking Aru's clothes are made by YMT Corporation. And apparently you can say that YMT Corporation are responsible for improvements in the Earth life, especially from what we saw in anime so far.

it started to shape that YMT Corporation is the big bad on this episode; but I can't shake suspicion that [マザー・クラスタ] is the true villain, or influenced by a true-villain-we-all-know-too-well.

With the recent anime's revelation, can't help to think. Isn't the console Kohri's using similar to the NotVita used in the anime?

Chris_Chocobo
Feb 27, 2016, 07:19 AM
One scene that I forgot to OCR, is that what Kohri said. She said that "Fashion Creator" app she's using for picking Aru's clothes are made by YMT Corporation. And apparently you can say that YMT Corporation are responsible for improvements in the Earth life, especially from what we saw in anime so far.

it started to shape that YMT Corporation is the big bad on this episode; but I can't shake suspicion that [マザー・クラスタ] is the true villain, or influenced by a true-villain-we-all-know-too-well.

With the recent anime's revelation, can't help to think. Isn't the console Kohri's using similar to the NotVita used in the anime?

The president of YMT loves Yamato and then Yamamoto ship attacks japan. He's bad as fuck. I hope he uses Mother Brain on his company to achieve all this shit (influenced by the PD of course)

Eternal255
Feb 27, 2016, 10:55 PM
Any summary of the newest chapter of the story?

Great Pan
Feb 28, 2016, 07:48 PM
Any summary of the newest chapter of the story?

Another fanservice highschool light novel. Nothing to see here.

untrustful
Feb 28, 2016, 07:53 PM
This matches the story of how profound darkness came into being, via negative emotions, same applies to yamato probably.

Kondibon
Feb 28, 2016, 07:55 PM
After reading the stuff on Bumped, I kinda hope Hagito is a red herring, because even with what little information we have he just SCREAMS of being a badguy, and it would be nice to have there be a twist. At least with Luther we had Xion to basically say "yeah, he's a problem" as soon as he showed up instead of pretending it's supposed to be a secret. Though I guess we'll see in the next update. :/

Sp-24
Feb 28, 2016, 09:09 PM
This matches the story of how profound darkness came into being, via negative emotions, same applies to yamato probably.
Except this time, it materializes because of the earthlings who play PSO2 and get worked up about the story.

You, personally, could have prevented it!

NoobSpectre
Feb 28, 2016, 09:55 PM
You, personally, could have prevented it!

Life is so bored, people are so salty, might as well see and battle a senkan or two, so nope.

#AndYeahIJustSometimesInterestOnSeeingTheWorldBurn #

Zeroem
Feb 28, 2016, 10:28 PM
Except this time, it materializes because of the earthlings who play PSO2 and get worked up about the story.

You, personally, could have prevented it!

To be precise, the fault lies within Hitsugi for being braindead and logout before we 100% cleansed her from the negative photons, allowing the negative photon residuals to reached Earth in the first place.

Meteor Weapon
Feb 28, 2016, 10:40 PM
Phantom phenomenon already existed before EP4 started tho.

Zeroem
Feb 28, 2016, 10:55 PM
Phantom phenomenon already existed before EP4 started tho.

That's true, but we can assume its from the collective negative photons gathered from 'irregular' ARKS killing Darkers. The fact that we now get zombie, T-Rex, tanks, choppers, and Train Ghidorans showed that Hitsugi's action made it worse............Welp, I guess I did mis-worded my previous post.

What Hitsugi did........was pouring oil into the ember, I guess.

NightfallG
Feb 29, 2016, 07:47 AM
So, the talk about the app Kohri was using for Aru's fashion reminds me of Psycho-Pass, just a tad.

Also, the talk about Hagito and YMT reminds me of Shizuru and Inhelt. The entire phantom thing and the Ethernet screams subspace experiments, too.

It's kinda artfully hidden, but isn't this on a similar path as PSP2's story?

Eternal255
Mar 7, 2016, 07:54 PM
Another fanservice highschool light novel. Nothing to see here.

But I'm actually interested in what happened, even if it may be bad.

Anyone care to explain with a little detail please?

untrustful
Mar 7, 2016, 07:58 PM
The latest storyboard?

Well the main character and Sierra just chitchat and do computer stuff the entire time.

The 2 girls and the arks guy just talk here, there, some mildly threatening monologue happens out in Tokyo via an ad with the ymt president interview. That's it.

Eternal255
Mar 7, 2016, 07:59 PM
The latest storyboard?

Well the main character and Sierra just chitchat and do computer stuff the entire time.

The 2 girls and the arks guy just talk here, there, some mildly threatening monologue happens out in Tokyo via an ad with the ymt president interview. That's it.

Awesome, thank you!

Rupikachu
Mar 8, 2016, 10:39 AM
The latest storyboard?

Well the main character and Sierra just chitchat and do computer stuff the entire time.

The 2 girls and the arks guy just talk here, there, some mildly threatening monologue happens out in Tokyo via an ad with the ymt president interview. That's it.

I thought mc and sierra were spying Hitsugi & Co pervy stuff via photons.

untrustful
Mar 8, 2016, 12:31 PM
Well she looked serious/mad at one point, so I got the impression she was trying to track down that fake arks after maybe 1-3 attempts.

Meteor Weapon
Mar 9, 2016, 05:27 AM
"It's just like Mother said"

So...is this latest story board hinting about humanity on Earth started getting brainwashed and rely too much on this "Mother Cluster/Mother Brain" to the point they stop developing and start growing lethargic just like how it happened in PS2?

Chris_Chocobo
Mar 9, 2016, 09:28 AM
"It's just like Mother said"

So...is this latest story board hinting about humanity on Earth started getting brainwashed and rely too much on this "Mother Cluster/Mother Brain" to the point they stop developing and start growing lethargic just like how it happened in PS2?

https://youtu.be/lubwf6GHSX0?t=1159 again