Theoretical ways to play offline?

[MDashK]

INFO: This post is a follow up response to this initial thread: http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209881&page=2
I just posted and didn't realised the thread as 3 years old... XD

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I wonder if the same can be applied to PSO2 that was applied to PSU AotI?
If I recall correctly, the game was also online-only, and then again, now there is a offline patch to the game... But I really don't know how that offline patch works...

But, to my mind, comes 2 ways:

- Either create some sort of "offline patch" as I previously mentioned, even if that patch has to somehow do some sort of server emulation in a localhost way, or;
- Have a way to create a server of your own, but use it in a localhost way. I personally use this in PSOBB, using the Tethealla server files. Just configure the server to run in localhost, and make the game EXE to connect localy, and you're good to go! But for this one, you would still need the server to be developed, or somehow, the official server be leaked in the wild internet...

Anyways, the best option would be for SEGA to, near the end of the game life, just decide to include an offline option to the game. I mean: I can understand a game dieing due to aging and other consequences, but for those that invested hundreds and hundreds of hours in the game, it's good to, in the end, reach those gamers and say "Hey, since you spent so much time and money in this, here's an offline mode so that from now on, you can enjoy the game from time to time at least".

But... For this to happen... I dunno... I have more hopes on the server (https://github.com/PolarisTeam/PolarisServer) instead of this one...

[[Ayumi]]

Whenever it's possible to do like with PSOBB and such, I'll be truly happy.

[vbetts]

PSO2 requires a connection to Sega servers.

You could write a server, and host it on your own connection and forward PSO2's connection to an internal ip.(10.6.8.201 for example)

Now if it were that easy to write a private server. Also, is there a demand? Usually there is a demand for private servers for games that are pay to play. PSO2 is a free game with premium options, so I don't think interest is going to peak until the server closes. Even then, a group of dedicated people need to show some interest in the project. PSU had a free version available, but there simply was not enough interest to make a working one. Clementine is a prime example of that, there is very slow progress but I believe it's only one man working on it. PSO DC, GC, and BB were all formed by a community of people developing a server or tools at least.

What I'm trying to say is it could happen in the future, but don't count on it.

[Z-0]

There's demand for F2P games as well but they have to be very popular to warrant it (it's usually people who aren't satisfied with the experience offered by the original servers), and PSO2 is not that popular in the west.

The reason an offline-patch worked for PSU, by the way, is because the foundation was already there -- PSU was already an offline game so all that had to be done was make it read new content (this is very, very barebones, there's obviously a lot more work than that, but you get the point), rather than have the client not send out packets and just change things in the executable itself.

PSO2 requires a connection to the server because the .exe demands it, and a lot of stuff is stored on the server only (the client will request data but doesn't store it, meaning many things wouldn't work offline unless it was heavily worked upon).

In other words, it would require an obscene amount of work. It'd be great if it was offline as well as online, it's something I liked about the original PSO, but naturally that causes a lot of issues with cheating and what not...

PSO also got a server churned out relatively quickly because there was demand and there wasn't that much work to be done either, as the server didn't do all that much, most of it was client-sided.

[Gama]

youd need a modified game client and a modified internal server.

to do that you'd need a fully working server "exe?" and then have the game look for it (localhost?)

if a working private server ever appears you could be lucky and modify it to connect locally.

thats how the psobb offline mode works. you simply trick the game, with a local server.

[MDashK]

Weird... Got my post moved to a new thread... Meh... XD

*after reviewing stuff up...*

Wait... I posted in a 3 year old thread? Doh! Sorry, my mistake.. Didn't even noticed that... ^^"

[landman]

Sega will not do it, there is no profit in it, they will either have a new project they will want you to play and shut down pso2 for good (like they did finally shut down PSOBB and some time later PSU before they launched PSO2. Only option is that a custom server ever exists and it's made public. But look at PSU, still no proper online, and seems like far from restoring Episode 3 story and extra events, unless the offline patch has actually added those.

[Petunia]

The problem with an offline mode is that it would need to store the data on your computer while offline then send this data to the main server when you connect online so everything stays updated.
This means players could modify their save while offline to make the server think they have or did a certain thing when they did not.
It's not like PSU where there was an entire single player, preset story with an online portion packaged in.

[Zeroem]

Putting aside the percentages and legal aspects, you need 3 things: modified client, modified server, and SEGA's 'data key'. All three must present, or it won't work at all. I guess if people are willing to try (and have access to the things that they needed), they could create dummy server given time.

Now to the legal aspects......getting the hands on the server data and SEGA's data key are pretty much only available via illegal means, unless SEGA handed it willingly as a sign of goodwill (which would never happened). And unlike PSU, it's harder to do because PSO2 is an online game from its birth, while PSU is single player game with online mode datas are locked half-half (half in the disc, half in SEGA).

[ZerotakerZX]

Play PS Nova instead, I say :D

[MDashK]

Play PS Nova instead, I say :D

Yeah... I play PSNOVA and I think the game doesn't even reach half of the content/quality/gameplay emotion that PSO2 reaches...
I mean come on! Almost the entire game is around desert areas or similar! Reminds me of Episode 4 on PSOBB...



That aside.... Is it possible for the internal engine of the game have the option to select either to use local storage or server-side storage for the gameplay save and other stuff?

My thinking is: Nowadays, every game is pretty much done using some sort of engine, either third party developed or internal. But even internal engines, sometimes they tend to have a lot of options, some of them sometimes not even used by that specific game. Maybe PSO2 has an internal option in it's engine to use local storage, but it's simply not used... Who knows...

[Z-0]

I personally think Nova beats PSO2 in content easily because you actually play that game unlike PSO2.

[Petunia]

Is Nova F2P too?
Been interested in it, but don't really want to pay for a game I probably wont understand :P

[MDashK]

Is Nova F2P too?
Been interested in it, but don't really want to pay for a game I probably wont understand :P

No, NOVA is bought only.
If you're used to PSO2, NOVA won't be much of an issue. You can always resort to use some pieces of the guide at the blog (http://www.bumped.org/psublog).

[Z-0]

Also forgot to mention that Nova drops the desert areas in the latter half of the game and has some more interesting ones.

[MDashK]

Also forgot to mention that Nova drops the desert areas in the latter half of the game and has some more interesting ones.

Yeah, I know... I'm close to the end of the game, but still... Meh... Not nearly has half of the diversity that PSO2 has...

[jooozek]

psu had an offline component, pso2 doesnt, apples to oranges
/thread