PSU official page updated...

[DarK-SuN]

http://phantasystaruniverse.com/

The section about "The World of Phantasy Star Universe" has been updated with information about techniques.
I guess if someone could translate it, it'd make things clearer about how techniques work in PSU.

[Rubesahl]

Sadly, not one kanji has furigana on top, otherwise I could make out what it says pretty well. I'll be trying anyways -gets kanji book- (needed to get studying anyways). Even if there isn't a translation, those techs look amazing O_o

[_Tek_]

That second picture looks like a shinku hadoken!

[Nash]

I think it's going to be the same general info about the types of techniques as was in that Japanese magazine recently, as the pictures look similar (same?).

I don't think we will get clear details on how they are used till they put the System section of the site up unfortunately.

[Dhylec]

the 4th pic looks like fire is coming out directly from the weapon
i wonder if it's the pp system we are talking in http://www.pso-world.com/viewtopic.php?topic=100957&forum=20&19

[Reenee]

It doesn't look like techniques are just limited to Canes/Rods/Wands now...

[RoninJoku]

Damn! I wish the english site would care enough to post this stuff too >.< I really wanna know how techs work o.o

[Nash]

From the look of the latest trailer, all weapons in the game have a certain amount of photon points (PP). This is shown as a bar in the bottom-right of the screen, under the button lay-out. The button layout shows 2 named attacks, one normal and one heavy, same as PSO.

Standard attacks don't drain the bar, but heavy attacks do. So a heavy strike with a sword uses a small amount of it's PP. I think the techniques in these screenshots are the special attacks for these weapons, and would also use up PP when you do them. In the same way as PSO had guns with Zonde as their special, or fire wands, ice staff etc. In PSU I expect there will be more weapon-specific techniques, rare wands that cast one-off things.

This does mean that weapons will eventually 'run-out' of PP, and you would only be able to use standard attacks, but you might be able to get them recharged on the equivalent of Pioneer. Or there might be support-techniques that refills PP. It would fix one of the problems of PSO with it's overpowered weapons, and add another element to consider. With this system in PSU you could have a weapon with a very powerful special, but could only be used a limited number of times before it becomes useless and needs to be recharged.

I just hope techniques aren't *only* done using weapons now, as it would remove the customisation element of PSO. I hope a Force-type character can still choose from any technique, and cast them with nothing equipped, rather than be limited to the weapon they are holding. Dual-weilding would allow for some options, but it still wouldn't be as versatile as PSO.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Nash on 2005-07-29 12:15 ]</font>

[King_Rappy]

I'm willing to bet that monofluids will restore PP.

[butzopower]

Didn't the EGM story have something about how weapons have certain combinations that you have to master? So like, using PSO terminology, Light-Light-Light would have a different effect than Light-Hard-Light.

I know for sure there was something about the 3 combo system being out. So maybe something like Light-Light-Hard-Special would do some other skill, or cast a technique.

Since there's a whole class seemingly dedicated to techniques (Numan), I can't imagine spell casting being overly complex. Maybe higher level spells will require some combination, but will have a very dramatic effect.

[Nash]

That would make sense, I think they said combo-strings were up to 6 now and that they could include techniques. A 6 string combo could result in a much bigger attack/technique at the end.

It would also explain why they introduced the PP system, to stop you just doing 6 string combos over and over again like you could in PSO with the 3 string.

Combined with the Zelda style lock-on system, giving you the ability to circle and back away from an enemy, I think the combat system in PSU could be very interesting. Just wish they'd put the System section up on the site so we'd know for sure how it all works, especially regarding regaining PP.

[Kupi]

Just to throw some wild speculation/freeform game design out here... maybe there will be both Technique Points and Photon Points. TP is there to act as a limiter on what we know as Techniques; they drain every time you use a Technique like Zonde, get restored by -Fluids, and do not regenerate (unless that's a Newman bonus trait or what have you). Photon Points, on the other hand, act as a limiter on ANY action, and you've much fewer of them. Normal, weak attacks are free, but Heavy Attacks or any other sort of special move, as well as Techniques, will drain PP. PP regenerates over time, and you gain a small amount of PP by landing a weak melee attack.

The net effect of this system would be the aforementioned mixing up of your actions; if you do nothing but heavy attacks, special attacks, or Techniques, you'll run your PP out and be forced to either wait or use weaker attacks until the bar refills. As usual, this is all just how I imagine the system working; nothing official.

[Nash]

There is a second bar under your character's HP bar, but after looking at the trailer from this year's E3 it looks like it's for your EXP. So you can see how close you are to levelling up without pressing start. That's a nice little change.

So I don't think there will be TP, because there's nowhere on the current HUD to show it.

Maybe your character has a 'base' level of PP though, which weapons then boost? So Force-type characters would have a certain amount of PP even without anything equipped, whereas a Ranger for instance would have to rely on weapons to get PP. A Force equipping a wand would then boost their PP even higher, letting them do techniques that would be out of the range of other characters who used that wand.

[_Tek_]

This is quite a new a refreshing system for the online ps series. So could it be possible that techs are out, and now the special weapons moves are the techs. I suppose if a character is focused in mst, they'd be using the special more often to do more damage that way since regular attacks would be weaker

Then a character in high atp and low mst would use the regular and hard attacks. more often, and instead os TP, it would jsut be weapons energy? Maybe it will happen maybe it wont.

[DarK-SuN]

Thing to note for those who didn't really see it (because the two trailers containing it were pulled off IGN about 10 minutes after being put up, I was one of the lucky few who got them on time), hard attacks are not the same animation of the weak attacks with more damage, they're in fact completly diferent attacks.

In one of these "removed" trailers, we see Ethan with a sword doing three weak attacks and two hard attacks, making for a 5 slash combo.
Again, in these same removed trailers, we see Ethan doing two saber slashes, then doing a kick followed by the jumping overhead slash.

This clearly indicates you can make very diferent attack combos depending on what you press, hard first, weak first, hard second, weak second, etc.




<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DarK-SuN on 2005-07-29 21:18 ]</font>

[_Tek_]

So I suppose guns will stay the same? Hopefully there will be some varied special moves for them as well. Perhaps mechguns hard attack will be where the character spins around firing in a rotation, or something different.

[Nai_Calus]

If it works anything at all like just about any of these suggestions, ST will need to be smacked repeatedly. >_>

If it all really does rely on something that can't be refilled except by a trip back home... Um, the numbers given to mage-types had better be hellishly high, considering that my FOmar still regularily burns through a good six or seven Trifluids on any given trip through TTF, and all he does is support outside of boss battles. >_>

Also, forcing weapons reliance would lead to me finding the person responsible and beating him or her upside the head. I never use a weapon on Zero unless I'm meleeing. XP And I know my limits for that too. Now if it regenned on a weak attack a bit, well, that's cute, but then you'd be forcing melee and/or standing around for hours.

Maybe only mage-types have the equivalent of TP?

And damn it, they're making new things up again for the world/races/etc anyway, why no magic? XP I wanna make an Esper. http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_frown.gif

But yes, I dearly hope they've tested whatever the hell system they're using and made damned sure that it doesn't completely fuck over those of us who prefer to support the team or blow shit up as opposed to mindlessly smacking things. XP

[DarK-SuN]

They probably did, or are in the process of testing.
Whatever is the case, I'm pretty sure better weapons will have a much higher PP and TP (or something similar to it) will have to be in there somewhere otherwise casting limitation per race will be non-existent since it'll depend on the weapon and not on the ammount of TP.

In one of those videos which were pulled off, we can see regular attacks reducing a weapon's PP, so maybe PP is also the weapon's "energy" or durability.

[_Tek_]

Well I'm assuming the weapon "TP" constumption will depend on the weapons power in special attack. Pluss you'll probably get to keep a lot of refils with you.

I also expct support techs like resta and such to be given to the character, and not placed on a weapon like teh attack techs.

[RoninJoku]

Is it just me or has the official page been getting updated on a pretty much weekly basis?

[Uncle_bob]

There have been more updates recently, but more often than not it's screenshots we've seen weeks beforehand or information that cannot be translated. :|

[_Tek_]

Yeah we haven't been able to find someone to translate for us. I don't think many of use from pso-w are always on the psu forum.