Questions for Beta players

[Phaze37]

If anyone who's played the beta could answer one or more of these questions for me, I'd be grateful.

Is there damage cancel in PSU?

Is the 1st person aiming smooth? Can you adjust the sensitivity? What is the aiming like without using first person view?

How do you knock enemies into the air, and what can you do to them once they're up there? If I'm a ranger and a hunter hits an enemy into the air, can I shoot it in mid-air?

Are the characters balanced, or is a RAcast simply better then a RAmar? Do Beasts always make the best hunters? Is a FOcast as worthless as it sounds?

I've heard about the shared bank, but will my characters have their own individual banks as well? How many items can these two banks hold? And how many items can a Personal Machinery carry?

Can you change the direction that the radar faces, like you could in PSO? The default option in PSO has the top of the radar always pointing north, but I preferred the other option, which had the top of the radar pointing in the same direction as the camera.

How does earning experience work in PSU? Does it use the same system as PSO, where you have to tag enemies before they die to gain exp from them? Or is there a new system? I like the system from PSO, because I've seen a few MMORPGs use a system that I absolutely hate, which divides the exp between the players and the higher level players get a bigger share, which means that if you have someone in the party who is a significantly higher level than everyone else he prevents the other players from getting exp. I hate this system and I hope PSU hasn't adopted it.

Thanks for taking the time to answer these, I may add more questions as I think of them.

[PandaMasterX4]

On 2006-08-02 12:29, Phaze37 wrote:

How does earning experience work in PSU? Does it use the same system as PSO, where you have to tag enemies before they die to gain exp from them? Or is there a new system? I like the system from PSO, because I've seen a few MMORPGs use a system that I absolutely hate, which divides the exp between the players and the higher level players get a bigger share, which means that if you have someone in the party who is a significantly higher level than everyone else he prevents the other players from getting exp. I hate this system and I hope PSU hasn't adopted it.

Thanks for taking the time to answer these, I may add more questions as I think of them.



I haven't played the beta but I am just speaking from MMO experience. The whole level vs exp is an issue to prevent speed levels and power leveling. A lot of people pretty much use this method just to boost in high levels but really suck at the game. Even PSO had a slight function of it, but they were more liberal with the whole situation.

I played the E3 demo 2 times (This year and the previous) but it was the offline and not online. My speculation would be that the higher the level will get more xp than a lower level (but not a huge difference, thus it won't hurt xp much). I believe they also kept the portion where, the killer of the mob gets more xp than the rest that is shared.

Since I haven't played online, I'm not sure if they kept it at the same method where, you only need to hit the monster once in order to attain xp from that specific mob.

[Kyunji]

I wasn't a beta tester, but I can tell you the following:

The personal bank (accessible only by each individual character) has unlimited storage. I believe the shared bank does not.

I recall reading in a beta discussion topic some time back that the "tag" EXP system is still in place.

I believe we're still not sure about damage cancelling. There was some discussion about it a while back, but I don't think anyone knows for certain.

[Lyrise]

1. Because damage calculations are done from the server now (also preventing damage hacks), damage cancel is a thing of the past.

2. I don't know if you could call first person aiming smooth. If you're not in a rush, then yes, you can pretty much aim up all the shots you want pretty easily. But usually the case is, you're in a rush, and will therefore rush the aiming. Without FP mode, aiming is manual, your get indicators if your enemy is in your attack range (that is your attack will be aimed at them) but now it's a line of sight affair; no more PSO styled locking.

3. Enemies can be launched or sent flying depending on the property of your attacks. Usually, this property will be found in Photon Arts. Launching an enemy can be useful, since you can still inflict damage to the target while they are helpless in the air with all kinds of range attacks and techs, some Skill Arts too, and even after they crash into the ground (no more invincibility windows, for both you and the enemy)

4. Limited to the scope of the beta and extrapolating from it, the classes are indeed balanced. Some race weakpoints can be covered by other advantages that particular race may have. I can't give a definitive answer because it was limited to the beta and nothing else, meaning we have no idea how everything works past lv.30, past lv.10 form level and going on missions at S level.

5. All characters will have their own personal storage areas. Coincidentally, it's your PM that's going to be carrying your items. I believe the shared bank was limited to 50 items, but I never really hit the maximum on my personal storage.

6. You can indeed change it to a fixed or dynamic map.

7. The system is the same as it was in PSO, with a minor tweak to it. You can tag enemies for experience, but if you don't output any damage, you don't get points. (Meaning if your attack inflicts 0 damage, your exp gained = 0) This is just meant to prevent people from getting experience twinked.

[Nuclearranger]

And i Guess in psu Misses show up as 0s too so thats why 0 counts as no Exp

[PandaMasterX4]

On 2006-08-02 14:06, NuclearRanger wrote:
And i Guess in psu Misses show up as 0s too so thats why 0 counts as no Exp



I'm pretty sure that would be right. PSO was like that so I don't think that'll change.

[Kyuu]

I'm pretty sure that would be right. PSO was like that so I don't think that'll change.

Actually, in PSO you got credit for tagging a mob even if you did zero damage. As long as you hit it, you tagged it. And in PSO, misses were misses, not zero damage. So in neither way is it like PSO.

[DarK-SuN]

That's mostly because missing is now registered as the monster blocking your attack, not you actually missing it.
At least that's how it works for some monters in the Beta, but we'll soon find out if it's the same for every other monster.

[Kyuu]

On 2006-08-02 14:52, DarK-SuN wrote:
That's mostly because missing is now registered as the monster blocking your attack, not you actually missing it.
At least that's how it works for some monters in the Beta, but we'll soon find out if it's the same for every other monster.

For every mob in every area in vids of the PSU beta, I never saw a "miss," only zeroes.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kyuu on 2006-08-02 14:55 ]</font>

[DarK-SuN]

Yes, as I said, the misses are registered as blocking the attack, thus the 0s.

[_EiN_]

im greatful for topics like this. by this i mean its useful and not just to the op. some of those questions i was also pondering, but i have one more for beta users, or anyone else who might know. when the enemys "block" is there an animation or just assumed because of the zeros? it would be hardcore if the blocks were shown.

[Lyrise]

A zero does represent a miss, but it can also represent 0 damage (you actually hit it, it is reeling, but 0 damage). There's no real enemy animation on a block, just a visual barrier of sorts.

[vitius137]

Attacks can be blocked and thats where the 0s come from, but misses still happen when you fail to actually hit the enemy, but there is no text that shows that you missed. scince you can't lock on the same way as PSO it might not be as easy to hit enemies but if you do there is still a chance it will be blocked. AI at its finest XD

[_EiN_]

assuming you ve played beta ver. of psu. how was it? did it play like i drempt it would. lol. but suriously it was beautiful wasnt it.

also this may seem like a dumb question, but can you actively block? i mean purposely.

is the evasion still the same? the little barrier that would appear and block.

im sorry if youve heard these questions before. you dont have to answer them a link to the answers will suffice. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: _EiN_ on 2006-08-02 16:35 ]</font>

[PandaMasterX4]

I didn't play the beta but I played the E3 demos. The PS2 was the version that I played and that versions graphics were far inferior to the PCs due to the resolution and output.

You can't actively block and the evade is pretty much in the same effect as before where you have the block animation and you see the evasioin shield go up.

The graphics aren't mind blowing, but if your PC can run it at 2.6, it will be at least something to look at.

[doulin35]

Doesanyone know how much the monthley fee will be?

[Saner]

maybe 12 dollars the first month. and 8-10 dollars every month after that.

[DarK-SuN]

About the "blocking animation" for enemies, some DO have one (very few from the little I could see in the heat of battle), but not all.
No idea if it's because of the Beta status and not every monster animation was complete, or maybe because that's really how they intended it to be.

[Phaze37]

The personal bank (accessible only by each individual character) has unlimited storage.

That is great news! 200 items per character wasn't nearly enough. This eliminates the need for mule characters.


1. Because damage calculations are done from the server now (also preventing damage hacks), damage cancel is a thing of the past.

This is also good news! By the time I had learned about damage cancel, my pure-spellcaster FOnewm on gamecube was already at level 120. I didn't realize that nuking with Ra techs could cancel out the damage from a hunter, making the character I had spent hours on absolutely useless.


2. I don't know if you could call first person aiming smooth.

Not good news, but not at all surprising either. Although considering that this is the best reason to be a ranger that I can think of, and rangers are going to be spending countless hours using this feature, they could have at least made it as smooth as the aiming in an average console FPS. Oh well.


Without FP mode, aiming is manual, your get indicators if your enemy is in your attack range (that is your attack will be aimed at them) but now it's a line of sight affair; no more PSO styled locking.

Is it difficult to aim without using first person view? The only thing that annoyed me about PSO's lock-on was that it was forced on you. Isn't there a lock-on button in PSU? That would be perfect.


Launching an enemy can be useful, since you can still inflict damage to the target while they are helpless in the air with all kinds of range attacks and techs, some Skill Arts too, and even after they crash into the ground (no more invincibility windows, for both you and the enemy)

Sweet, that sounds like alot of fun! I'm a big fan of virtua fighter 4, so I enjoy juggling enemies as they lie helpless in the air.


4. Limited to the scope of the beta and extrapolating from it, the classes are indeed balanced.

I hope you're right. I really want to be a RAmar in PSU, but not if he's blatantly inferior to a RAcast.


I believe the shared bank was limited to 50 items, but I never really hit the maximum on my personal storage.

50 items in the shared bank sounds reasonable, especially if my PM can hold infinite items.


6. You can indeed change it to a fixed or dynamic map.

Great! I found the dynamic map to be very useful as a ranger in PSO. While shooting one enemy I'd look at the radar to find my next target, and since the radar is aligned with me I'd know the exact angle to push the analog stick to face him and shoot him before the camera even has a chance to look at him. Can't do that with a fixed radar.


7. The system is the same as it was in PSO, with a minor tweak to it. You can tag enemies for experience, but if you don't output any damage, you don't get points.

So Jellen and Zalure don't tag enemies anymore? That's a pretty significant change. I guess when I'm using a force those won't be the first spells I cast anymore.


Thanks for the feedback everyone.

[Inazuma]

nah, jellen and zalure should count for exp, since they are actually doing something. compare that to hitting for 0 damage which is pretty much useless.

[Kyuu]

On 2006-08-04 15:29, Phaze37 wrote:

Is it difficult to aim without using first person view? The only thing that annoyed me about PSO's lock-on was that it was forced on you. Isn't there a lock-on button in PSU? That would be perfect.There's a lock-on for melee weapons, but not for ranged. Ranged weapons get side-strafing, and that's it.


Sweet, that sounds like alot of fun! I'm a big fan of virtua fighter 4, so I enjoy juggling enemies as they lie helpless in the air.I dunno. Sounds too cheap in my opinion, if enemies can be easily juggled through the air and rendered helpless nearly all the time. At the very least, it better not be as "floaty" as Virtua Fighter.


While shooting one enemy I'd look at the radar to find my next target, and since the radar is aligned with me I'd know the exact angle to push the analog stick to face him and shoot him before the camera even has a chance to look at him. Can't do that with a fixed radar.I find it easier to use the radar for things like that when it's fixed, actually. Guess it's just personal preference.


So Jellen and Zalure don't tag enemies anymore? That's a pretty significant change. I guess when I'm using a force those won't be the first spells I cast anymore.No, it was said that doing 0 damage doesn't tag anymore. Whether or not J/Z tags is a completely different matter, and it's likely they will count as tagging. I'm sure ST would've noticed how diminishing it is for support FOs to be unable to tag with their support spells.

[Phaze37]

There's a lock-on for melee weapons, but not for ranged. Ranged weapons get side-strafing, and that's it.

Ok, then how does aiming work without using first person view? If there's no lock-on at all, does your character simply shoot straight ahead? If someone could explain how it works in detail, I'd appreciate it.


Sounds too cheap in my opinion, if enemies can be easily juggled through the air and rendered helpless nearly all the time. At the very least, it better not be as "floaty" as Virtua Fighter.

In VF4 air combos were balanced by the fact that there was some sort of catch to most juggle-starting moves. They'd often have to land as a counter-hit, or they'd execute slowly, or leave you vulnerable if blocked, etc. Lyrise said that it's usually Photon Arts that knock enemies into the air, which cost PP. That sounds pretty balanced and reasonable to me. I'm not saying that juggling enemies in this game should be anything like it is in VF4, but I'm interested in finding out what's possible.


I find it easier to use the radar for things like that when it's fixed, actually. Guess it's just personal preference.

That's exactly why it's good to have the option. I just wanted to be sure that the dynamic map wasn't removed, because I havent seen any screenshots with a dynamic map, and most players seem to prefer the fixed map. If they dropped it I'd probably be the only one who would notice.


No, it was said that doing 0 damage doesn't tag anymore. Whether or not J/Z tags is a completely different matter, and it's likely they will count as tagging. I'm sure ST would've noticed how diminishing it is for support FOs to be unable to tag with their support spells.

Ok, that's good news. I thought what Lyrise was saying was that we have to deal damage to an enemy to tag it.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Phaze37 on 2006-08-04 19:17 ]</font>

[Velocity_7]

Is there damage cancel in PSU?Haven't heard of it in PSO before, but I don't think anyone's been able to demonstrate it during the beta; that or it was not doable at all.


Is the 1st person aiming smooth? Can you adjust the sensitivity? What is the aiming like without using first person view?I was using a gamepad for the duration of the beta, but there were no settings to adjust sensitivity. If you want to do that, set that up via your gamepad settings in Control Panel. FPV was somewhat smooth for me, for the most part. I would have liked it to be more like how MGS3 does FPV.


How do you knock enemies into the air, and what can you do to them once they're up there? If I'm a ranger and a hunter hits an enemy into the air, can I shoot it in mid-air?You could probably use another combo on the enemy once he's in mid-air, but that'll depend on the situation. FPV allows rangers to shoot anywhere basically, so they can hit anything no matter where it is... as long as it's in range, of course.


Are the characters balanced, or is a RAcast simply better then a RAmar? Do Beasts always make the best hunters? Is a FOcast as worthless as it sounds?Beta didn't get enough time to let the community really analyze the classes, but perhaps the current PS2 Closed Beta has allowed for that. What I have noticed though is that parties were a must; if you did not have a FO with you, you were screwed. If you did not have a HU with you, you were screwed. If you did not have a RA with you when the rest of the party was dead, you were also screwed.


I've heard about the shared bank, but will my characters have their own individual banks as well? How many items can these two banks hold? And how many items can a Personal Machinery carry?There's the shared bank and the personal bank. Both are separate. The PM can probably carry infinite but I haven't tested this. I'd assume so, since it's able to act as a shop and sell stuff to other players (if you buy the Shop Reform for your My Room).


Can you change the direction that the radar faces, like you could in PSO? The default option in PSO has the top of the radar always pointing north, but I preferred the other option, which had the top of the radar pointing in the same direction as the camera.Didn't bother to do this, but I assume you're able to.


How does earning experience work in PSU?Same as always; you gotta tag enemies to kill them. I did not test the "you must do damage at all to get EXP" theory though. Seems you get only 80% EXP if someone else deals the finishing blow.


Doesanyone know how much the monthley fee will be?Not sure for USA, but for Japan... it's 1050 yen per month if you pay by credit card, 1260 yen per month if you pay by Netcash. If you'd like to check how much these are in USD at the time you read this, go check http://www.xe.com

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Velocity_7 on 2006-08-04 19:45 ]</font>

[Kyuu]

On 2006-08-04 19:16, Phaze37 wrote:

Ok, then how does aiming work without using first person view? If there's no lock-on at all, does your character simply shoot straight ahead? If someone could explain how it works in detail, I'd appreciate it.That's just about exactly how it works. You're given a little leeway, though; like a tiny amount of side-to-side give, so you don't have to be aiming exactly at the enemy. That's how it looks to me, anyway. Here's a good video of a RAcaseal using a rifle pretty extensively: Click here! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKg2WqL0Cvs&mode=related&search=PSU)


In VF4 air combos were balanced by the fact that there was some sort of catch to most juggle-starting moves. They'd often have to land as a counter-hit, or they'd execute slowly, or leave you vulnerable if blocked, etc. Lyrise said that it's usually Photon Arts that knock enemies into the air, which cost PP. That sounds pretty balanced and reasonable to me. I'm not saying that juggling enemies in this game should be anything like it is in VF4, but I'm interested in finding out what's possible.Aye... I'm pretty sure PAs are the only things that can send enemies flying, so it'll probably be fine. Plus it's not really that easy to juggle them about, judging from the videos I've seen.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kyuu on 2006-08-04 22:37 ]</font>