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uhawww
Sep 4, 2006, 02:02 AM
http://phantasystaruniverse.jp/news/wis/?mode=view&id=34

"To everyone,
We thank you for purchasing Phantasy Star Universe.
We realize the sudden ternimation of the game server for Network play was a great inconvenience to you all, and again, we apologize. We continue to work out the server and character issue that have arrisen since the game's release, and we have posted all of our available resources to bring the situation under control. Concerning the reopening of the Network Mode server, we issue the following report.

-September 6: Reopening the Network Mode Service for normal use to the players.

-Throughout the month of September, we will monitor the game's operation and immediately tackle any problem that may arise.

-October 1: Official service will restart. All players will have their free month renewed (Ending November 1)

-September 6: Reopening the Network Mode Service for normal use to the players.

We will have the problems with charater data and universe/My Room access repaired by this time. Please realize that due to load, you may have problems with Login, My Room, or disconnections between 9pm and 1am (JST). There is also the chance for other unexpected troubles during this time. We ask for your patience and understanding, and please report any issue to our inquiry site.

-Throughout the month of September, we will monitor the game's operation and immediately tackle any problem that may arise.

During September, we will be performing intense root cause analysis and verification of the both the cause of these failures, and our fixes for them. We ask that you make use of Network Mode to assist us to this end. Furthermore, if the need arises, we will be prepared to enact rollbacks. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, however we do not forsee this happening on a frequent basis.

-October 1: Official service will restart. All players will have their free month renewed (Ending November 1)

Incumbent upon the forseen success of our tests, all players who have registered their game key will have their free 30 day period reset.

Temporary change to SEGAlink

Until the official service begins, you will no longer be able to purchase Guardian Licenses (Though you may still register your game key to play if you purchase the game after this point). All customers who have registered their Credit Card information with SEGAlink will have official correspondance sent via mail. You will not be billed until the end of the official service's first 30 day cycle.

To those of you who have enjoyed Phantasy Star Universe, both online and off, we realize this is disheartening news. All of the staff members here are suffering. We have gotten many comments about these transpirings, both positive and negative. We will continue to build upon, change, and construct the PSU service. This is a promise from us all. We implore you to assist us as best you can, in inquiry, comment, and by playing through September. Any and all information will be posted to the official site.

Again, we ask for your understanding, cooperation, and forgiveness."

Sounds like they've identified the problem, but until it's 100% gone, they will not restart official service.
Testing all through this month.

Sounds like there should have been an open stress test. 13,000 people was almost 1/10 too few...

At least I'll have Story Mode done by then.

(+countless ninja edits)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: uhawww on 2006-09-04 00:08 ]</font>

peenk
Sep 4, 2006, 02:08 AM
lol What kinda problem is there that ST is taking a month to fix it. ( or is it up to Sep. 6?)
So you can play up to Nov 1 for free basically but I dont get it, they will roll back (delete?) charson Oct 1? Or is that if some kinda problems arise ...again...
gg ST, pwnd



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: peenk on 2006-09-04 00:10 ]</font>

Unknown_PC
Sep 4, 2006, 02:08 AM
On 2006-09-04 00:02, uhawww wrote:

-October 1: Official service will restart. All players will have their free month renewed (Ending November 1)


Well, looks like I can't complain.

Thank you for the translations http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

watashiwa
Sep 4, 2006, 02:10 AM
On 2006-09-04 00:02, uhawww wrote:
Until the official service begins, you will no longer be able to purchase Guardian Licenses (Though you may still register your game key to play if you purchase the game after this point). All customers who have registered their Credit Card information with SEGAlink will have official correspondance sent via mail. You will not be billed until the end of the official service's first 30 day cycle.


Okay, this part is slightly confusing. I'm wondering if this means that NEW importers and NEW Japanese players won't be able to obtain a license to play online at all? (Even with their game keys..?) Or does this mean that no one can PURCHASE a license with money..? And if so.. why would ANYBODY purchase a license with money now when there can't be anybody, in the current state of the game, that is anywhere close to ending their trial. On top of that with the trial extended for another month.. why are they even making mention of not being able to purchase a license?

To me, I'm reading this as... "You can register your key for offline play, but you won't be able to obtain a license for network play." Correct or not?

Ether
Sep 4, 2006, 02:10 AM
In before "lol no online game launches without problems"

At least Sega is talking and being honest with us. I wonder if I can get to 50 by October >.>

uhawww
Sep 4, 2006, 02:10 AM
On 2006-09-04 00:08, peenk wrote:
lol What kinda problem is there that ST is taking a month to fix it. ( or is it up to Sep. 6?)
gg ST, pwnd


It will be back back up on Sep 6, but they aren't gonna start charging anyone for it until after Oct 1.

uhawww
Sep 4, 2006, 02:14 AM
On 2006-09-04 00:10, watashiwa wrote:
Okay, this part is slightly confusing. I'm wondering if this means that NEW importers and NEW Japanese players won't be able to obtain a license to play online at all? (Even with their game keys..?) Or does this mean that no one can PURCHASE a license with money..? And if so.. why would ANYBODY purchase a license with money now when there can't be anybody, in the current state of the game, that is anywhere close to ending their trial. On top of that with the trial extended for another month.. why are they even making mention of not being able to purchase a license?

To me, I'm reading this as... "You can register your key for offline play, but you won't be able to obtain a license for network play." Correct or not?



Since day one, you could enter your credit card information and purchase a GL (though it wouldn't have been charged until after trial ended).
It means they are temporarily suspending purchases through Credit card, Netcash, Sega Cash, or Sega Mileage.

However, you can still register your key and play both online and offline

peenk
Sep 4, 2006, 02:17 AM
On 2006-09-04 00:10, uhawww wrote:
It will be back back up on Sep 6, but they aren't gonna start charging anyone for it until after Oct 1.



-October 1: Official service will restart. All players will have their free month renewed (Ending November 1)


Sounds like free play untill Nov 1 to me. Kinda nice of ST to do that but then again...they shouldn't have to in the first place.

zandra117
Sep 4, 2006, 02:20 AM
September 6th is tomorrow, JP is a day ahead of us.

Espada
Sep 4, 2006, 02:32 AM
Wow...This is leaps and bounds beyond anything I've seen them do for PSO issues. They're really serious about fixing everything up. And the free month? Wow. I'm really happy about the way they're handling things and speaking up about it. It makes me feel a little safer with the idea of going online when it comes to the US.

Still...I hope they've learned from this and opt to do beta in other countries before the official release. It probably won't be nearly as popular as it is in Japan but...better safe than sorry, no?

I R PROWD OF SEGA! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

Nekomimi
Sep 4, 2006, 02:36 AM
Welcome to the beta! Thanks for paying us so you can test our product. Don't complain! You get two months of free (beta) playing!

DoubleJG
Sep 4, 2006, 02:38 AM
We can only hope that PSU for America and Europe doesn't end up having a month of bugs that need fixing. Chances are they won't, yet you never know.. Thankfully Sega IS acting on this, and for one I am thankful. If anyone did complain about this, they could always just play Story Mode / level up their Extra Mode character.

Either way, I hope that Sega will continue to look after PSU long after this "month of glitch lookout" is over.

Saner
Sep 4, 2006, 02:38 AM
Japan had a beta and look what happened anyways. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif

they could just learn from Japan's data and mistakes and make our version better prepared.

A2K
Sep 4, 2006, 02:49 AM
I'm not too surprised. How long did it take Blizzard to iron out their server issues when WoW came out? The game was damn near unplayable then, I heard. At least with PSU you can burn some time with Story Mode.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: A2K on 2006-09-04 00:50 ]</font>

Saner
Sep 4, 2006, 02:50 AM
ya it may start rough but then things get better and then its full speed ahead! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif


besides even new consoles go through the same struggle.

kassy
Sep 4, 2006, 04:55 AM
Lol, looks like a 2nd beta for the month of September! XD

But seriously, I commend them for actually taking action, and for compensating players with the 30 day extension starting in OCT.

I just hope their answer to every other future problem (cause you know there will be more ;P) that occurs isn't; "rollback!"

But I will say I hope to see the same dedication to fixing any glitches/bugs/exploits that arise from SOA/SOE when the time comes http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif

Melian_PSUO
Sep 4, 2006, 06:15 AM
I am not sure to understand one point... ALL the players who register their game key during september will have one more free month , OR that is just for those who have registered before the 6 September?

Parn
Sep 4, 2006, 07:37 AM
I smell another US/Europe Phantasy Star Universe release delay!

Tystys
Sep 4, 2006, 07:41 AM
I really hope not.

If they delay, I know who's head will start rolling first...unless you keep them movies coming out Parn XD

Kazzi
Sep 4, 2006, 07:48 AM
On 2006-09-04 04:15, Melian_PSUO wrote:
I am not sure to understand one point... ALL the players who register their game key during september will have one more free month , OR that is just for those who have registered before the 6 September?



When the server wipes on October 1st every account registered prior will recieve another month of play for free. Or so i figures but that sounds right.

Thank you for translating this! Its great to see how dedicated ST are to PSU. I do feel really sorry for them though i dont think they were expecting so many people to want to play! At least this gives us a chance to test/screwthingsup before the server resets!

Tystys
Sep 4, 2006, 07:50 AM
Yeah, they're pretty much gaining my respect back inch by inch.
Let's just hope they give the same worth while service to their US players

Blueblur
Sep 4, 2006, 10:55 AM
Color me surprised! I'm hoping for no more US delays though!

Saner
Sep 4, 2006, 12:52 PM
aaaaaaaah a US delay would be complete madness!!!! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_eek.gif

simply madness!!!! and the type of madness I do not like. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/sprite.gif


well there are 2 games in October that might keep me busy but those are late in that month and 1 has already been pushed to November!
http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/ducky.gif

RoboKy
Sep 4, 2006, 01:01 PM
Damn, they better not delay PSU. It's a MMORPG and console game dry spell and I'd rather have a 30 day play of PSU with a roll back than have nothing to do.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: RoboKy on 2006-09-04 11:02 ]</font>

Saner
Sep 4, 2006, 01:03 PM
a delay wouldn't help at all anyway, it would only delay the unavoidable potential problems the servers may face.

they should release it soon so they can deal with any problems as early as possible. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/cone.gif

as the Japan release has taught us.
no beta can prepare them for many things. they need to release the game and get real actual data and feedback to identify and fix the problems that appear.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Saner on 2006-09-04 11:04 ]</font>

McLaughlin
Sep 4, 2006, 01:08 PM
No. What the closed Beta taught us was you can't do a stress test with 3000 people or so.

Saner
Sep 4, 2006, 01:15 PM
actually the PC beta had about 10,000 people, but ST simulated by themselves around 80,000 population stress test. but of course simulated. then again, even simulated it looks like they didnt have enough servers to handle that many to begin with.

this was mentioned in an interview.

vitius137
Sep 4, 2006, 01:20 PM
Lucky Japanese PSU importers get 2 months free to play PSU T_T

Does anyone know if the US version even has 1 free month?

PJ
Sep 4, 2006, 01:29 PM
On 2006-09-04 00:36, Nekomimi wrote:
Welcome to the beta! Thanks for paying us so you can test our product. Don't complain! You get two months of free (beta) playing!



Welcome to PSOW! Please shove your ass-like opinions elsewhere http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

PSU must be damn good if, even with these server problems, people are still saying good things about them. And ST is working hard, cut them some damn slack.

McLaughlin
Sep 4, 2006, 01:44 PM
Their servers were meant for 20,000 people...

There are currently 5 times as many people as the servers can handle that have registered.

vitius137
Sep 4, 2006, 01:58 PM
On 2006-09-04 00:36, Nekomimi wrote:
Welcome to the beta! Thanks for paying us so you can test our product. Don't complain! You get two months of free (beta) playing!



If you are unsatisfied with PSU and feel it is incomplete then you can wait for the PSU expansion http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif

Ether
Sep 4, 2006, 02:07 PM
On 2006-09-04 11:29, PJ wrote:
Welcome to PSOW! Please shove your ass-like opinions elsewhere http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif


On 2006-09-04 11:58, vitius137 wrote:
If you are unsatisfied with PSU and feel it is incomplete then you can wait for the PSU expansion http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif

Such clearly well thought out opinions I see here! Why don't you both just admit you're jealous of people who are playing the game. I mean, how can you NOT call this a beta? Sega said it themselves! As of Wednesday when the servers go back up, we are no longer playing the official game. We're playing a beta that Sega asks us to help them test the servers by playing online

"October 1: Official service will restart"

Everything til then is Beta now

PJ
Sep 4, 2006, 02:11 PM
I'm jealous of the people mashing buttons cause they can't read Japanese?

EDIT: Regardless of the content of the post, it was said in a way to be, well, an asshole. Neko-whoever was being an asshole. I wish everyone who complained every step of the way to PSU (Or to any game for that matter) would either drop dead, or just stop playing that game. Yeah, dropping dead would be more productive though.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: PJ on 2006-09-04 12:17 ]</font>

Saiffy
Sep 4, 2006, 02:16 PM
Hint: Don't like the beta idea, don't play online.

It's also funny, cause people WANTED an open beta, now they got it, they can't stop bitching. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

Parn
Sep 4, 2006, 02:20 PM
Open beta != Open beta after already paying for the product

McLaughlin
Sep 4, 2006, 02:20 PM
"October 1st: Official service will restart"

That means that until October 1st, no one has to register a Guardian's Liscense to play (because SEGAlink will be down).

I think.

watashiwa
Sep 4, 2006, 02:24 PM
On 2006-09-04 12:20, Parn wrote:
Open beta != Open beta after already paying for the product



It's more like.. a half-open beta.. like I said to you earlier, lol.

Half-open 'cuz we paid to get in. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wink.gif

I'm not really upset at the whole thing, but it's clear that this could have been avoided if they did a real open beta earlier, however..

S'all good, I'm all set for Beta 2 on the 6th.

Parn
Sep 4, 2006, 02:26 PM
Likewise. BTW, your torrent is like OMG so fast.

watashiwa
Sep 4, 2006, 02:28 PM
YOU'RE SO FUNNY AND CLEVAR, PARN-KUN. It'll pick up as more people get more of the data.. =P

I hope they open up Moatoob soon online, though. I need some hard hitting melee weapons!!! Plus, I kind of like the Moatoob field music...

I wonder if they'll post a schedule of unlocking soon?

Parn
Sep 4, 2006, 02:29 PM
ONLY AFTER THE BETA.

watashiwa
Sep 4, 2006, 02:33 PM
On 2006-09-04 12:20, Zeta wrote:
That means that until October 1st, no one has to register a Guardian's Liscense to play (because SEGAlink will be down).

I think.



Oh yeah, before I forget... Wrong! You'll still have to register to play.

Their servers would be in a state of total inability to use if they just let everybody play who had a copy of the game, legit or otherwise. You'll definitely need to register that key. =P

McLaughlin
Sep 4, 2006, 02:44 PM
The Key, yes, but you won't have to sign up for a Liscense till the 1st of October...Right?

My reading comprehension is off today >_< I was referring to more the PS2 and Xbox 360 versions, not the PC one. I already know about the Key http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wink.gif

Saner
Sep 4, 2006, 02:47 PM
On 2006-09-04 12:16, Saiffy wrote:
Hint: Don't like the beta idea, don't play online.

It's also funny, cause people WANTED an open beta, now they got it, they can't stop bitching. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif



ya, maybe if there was a complaint videogame, it would sell millions. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

tank1
Sep 4, 2006, 02:48 PM
Only chumps would buy it.

Minswune
Sep 4, 2006, 02:53 PM
Regarding what neko wrote, about comparing this game to a beta, i honestly cant see how you can complain, "You paid for a game, only to play it as though it were a beta", when the beta is through, you already own the final product at no extra cost, so whats the problem? <.< (no extra cost, discluding the monthly fee kicking in after November 1st)

Saner
Sep 4, 2006, 02:55 PM
whoops wrong topic.

ummm well things will get better. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Saner on 2006-09-04 12:59 ]</font>

PJ
Sep 4, 2006, 02:59 PM
On 2006-09-04 12:55, Saner wrote:
some people just enjoy being upset over nothing. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif



Saner wins! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

A game about people complaining would probably sell, if it were packaged as something else. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif

tank1
Sep 4, 2006, 03:00 PM
Well youve got to remember that these people have payed for a finished product not a Beta hence the annoyance.

uhawww
Sep 4, 2006, 03:07 PM
The Story Mode is worth the cost alone.
I consider this a negligible inconvenience.

Play the story mode if you have, you will not be disappointed in the least.
Even extra mode is fun as hell.

tank1
Sep 4, 2006, 03:09 PM
I guess thats true uhawww but i can understand people being annoyed at not being able to properly play a game that they payed money for.

Saner
Sep 4, 2006, 03:10 PM
On 2006-09-04 13:00, tank1 wrote:
Well youve got to remember that these people have payed for a finished product not a Beta hence the annoyance.



considering the history of online RPGs and their problems at the start,

if people feel so cheated, they should have waited to see how it turned out instead of jumping into the water right away. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

and anyways Sega already redeemed itself by offering an extra free month and dealing with the problems as we speak.

its so easy to ignore the facts and cry like a baby. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif

tank1
Sep 4, 2006, 03:16 PM
Ultimately Sega is a company. A company that sells games and its customers have the right to buy a game and have it work. Dont get me wrong im well aware that Online RPG's tend to be bugged at first but ultimately companies shouldnt release games until they are sure they have nailed everything 100%.
Though atleast people have Offline mode to play in the mean time.

Saner
Sep 4, 2006, 03:21 PM
they wouldn't have released it if they weren't sure.

this stuff came up unexpectedly. right now, the developers and consumers should cooperate so they can make things better, and things will get better, ppl just need to be patient.

tank1
Sep 4, 2006, 03:26 PM
Ultimately though you have a point Saner no amount of bitching will make this problem go away any quicker. But the fact that such glaring glitches such as "body snatching" (as ive heard it referred to) have slipped through the net after the Beta worry me and i understand 100% why people are angry.

DarkShadowX
Sep 4, 2006, 03:32 PM
On 2006-09-04 13:26, tank1 wrote:
Ultimately though you have a point Saner no amount of bitching will make this problem go away any quicker. But the fact that such glaring glitches such as "body snatching" (as ive heard it referred to) have slipped through the net after the Beta worry me and i understand 100% why people are angry.



True, but I doubt this'll happen again, unless ST makes the mistake of not having enough servers to handle the amount of players that'll log on since that was pretty much the main cause of all this.

Saner
Sep 4, 2006, 03:38 PM
gee I know they are not the richest company, but they should of had more extra servers just in case. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

MoonSblaise
Sep 4, 2006, 04:14 PM
This makes me think when i get the US version, story mode first, so i can leave it to the test tube players to check if theres anything wrong rather than go through the pain of losing a level <cough>5 character... The torture and torment must be evaded.

Saner
Sep 4, 2006, 04:46 PM
ya it's convenient it has offline story and extra mode.

if this was a typical online-only mmorpg, ppl would be trapped with nothing to play from it until it's fixed. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime2.gif

HyperShot-X-
Sep 4, 2006, 05:24 PM
what's disturbing is that they could have been more prepared in estimating number of users going online based on the number of copies printed from day 1, having server ready for only 1/5th of all registered users is just way off and i don't see how quickly they can install more servers to meet 5 times more population than they been expecting at start.

More than 100k copies sold from day 1 should be more than enuff profit to invest on maintaining online server cost to meet the demand.

Hopefully, 1 more month of open beta is not too long to keep up with stabilizing server capacity and patching all major bugs related and to keep all new players interested at the same time until new online contents start to appear.

I can't help but concerned that there's just too much unexpected happenings too early in the 1st week of release and it might have some impact on the number of copies to be sold in the 1st months of game release.

Customers are there to support the game already but it's up to developer on how fast they can keep up with the demand before they change their minds...

Sev
Sep 4, 2006, 05:28 PM
If all they need to do is get more servers... Then I don't see how this is THAT big of a problem in the long run. Yes, as of now it's something to be concerned about.... In the long run though, if all they need to do is get more servers to handle the stress better, then that's what they're gonna do... They aren't planning to just leave this game in the dust and move onto something else, they're planning to stick it out and get the game up and running.

If this problem were a client side thing... Then I think everyone would be very concerned, since it's not though... This is just an inconvenience for now, and one that alot of people including Sega are very upset with.

And another thing... I hear alot about 1/5 with would be 20,000... But weren't they testing for up to 80,000? Did I miss something?

Ether
Sep 4, 2006, 07:32 PM
On 2006-09-04 00:10, Ether wrote:
In before "lol no online game launches without problems"
On 2006-09-04 13:10, Saner wrote:
considering the history of online RPGs and their problems at the startIt had to be Saner http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif
On 2006-09-04 15:28, Sev wrote:
If all they need to do is get more servers... Then I don't see how this is THAT big of a problem in the long run
Thats not really the whole problem. This is more about the character swap bug and duping potential
On 2006-09-04 15:28, Sev wrote:
But weren't they testing for up to 80,000? Did I miss something?That was info posted by Saner http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ether on 2006-09-04 17:33 ]</font>

Sabinblitz
Sep 4, 2006, 08:07 PM
I'm new so sorry if this sounds off but...

Most MMO's have launch server issues, it's no secret, however, I don't recall one that stopped registration after launch and needed a month to iron out the bugs. Don't get me wrong I'm appreciative of what they are doing. However, Guild Wars, which uses a similar technology of being in an area of 1000+ people had a closed beta, a 10 days before launch an open beta which lasted a couple days before the game launched, and also gave those who preordered a chance to play one sun. a month to see how the game progressed and make sure nothing crashed. And what happened? Well it's wildly successful (maybe not on the scale of WoW and EQ but still...) and there was no crashes to speak of at launch. They had a few problems and if I do remember had a patch daily for 4 days and everything was set (though in my experience I never had a problem). Oh yea it doesn't have a monthly fee either.

What Sega is doing is taking immediate action and not billing people until the testing is done. Regardless of a supposed character wipe (lvl 1) or rollback (yer lvl when the game functioned properly), they should be commended for not charging people. Personally, probably cuz I'm not playing it, a wipe would be fair to those who cannot register and would be behind immensely if character data was kept once the servers went up.

Consider yourselves lucky to an extent. If anyone here played Lineage II, they'll remember how NCSoft worked. They had a beta, and the game had issues but they were gonna be addressed by launch. Well not only did every known exploit stay in, but the servers were very unstable and crashed for extensive periods of time. They compensated people for like 2 free days (which I don't know how that worked, this was after I quit) even though servers had been down for much longer so don't consider this unfair treatment.

Kazzi
Sep 4, 2006, 08:11 PM
On 2006-09-04 13:16, tank1 wrote:
Ultimately Sega is a company. A company that sells games and its customers have the right to buy a game and have it work. Dont get me wrong im well aware that Online RPG's tend to be bugged at first but ultimately companies shouldnt release games until they are sure they have nailed everything 100%.
Though atleast people have Offline mode to play in the mean time.



They can NEVER nail something 100%. No online game is perfect, every last one of them has their bugs and glitches. It's one of those inevitabilities (damn thats a long word) of online gaming. The bug was probebly only caused BECAUSE of the mass amount of players connecting, something which ST could not have predicted.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kazzi on 2006-09-04 18:11 ]</font>

Sev
Sep 5, 2006, 03:23 AM
On 2006-09-04 15:28, Sev wrote:
If all they need to do is get more servers... Then I don't see how this is THAT big of a problem in the long run
Thats not really the whole problem. This is more about the character swap bug and duping potential



Right, I know that the potential duping and character swap bug are the problems... But I thought those problems were caused generally due to stress the servers weren't meant to handle/weren't ready for.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Sev on 2006-09-05 01:24 ]</font>

peenk
Sep 5, 2006, 05:30 AM
First of all I am very tired of people defending SEGA.
SEGA screwed up launching this game more so than any other major title MMORPG.
IF they fix the problems by today like they said they would then everything is ok. I dont think that its all that bad with the exception of not being able to use FULL game online.


On 2006-09-04 18:07, Sabinblitz wrote:
What Sega is doing is taking immediate action and not billing people until the testing is done.

Dont forget that the game was held back TWO times. TWO times SEGA has changed the released date and what were people saying? "Oh damn, at least SEGA is doing something about bugs and what not because I want PSU to be without any problems." Sounds familiar?

Regardless of a supposed character wipe (lvl 1) or rollback (yer lvl when the game functioned properly), they should be commended for not charging people.

Of course they did the right thing. What else COULD they have done? Charge full time fee for a game you paid in FULL but only get to use some 10%?20%?40%? and get ur character deleted at the end?
Just because someone does what they should doesnt mean they should be pat on the back for it.


Consider yourselves lucky to an extent. If anyone here played Lineage II, they'll remember how NCSoft worked. ...even though servers had been down for much longer so don't consider this unfair treatment.

Yeah I suppose if L2 had one more month to beta test they would have been better off. Judging from all MMORPG launches companies shouldnt just learn from other's/their own mistakes and you should just be happy that you get an unfinished product. Oh ... wait ...

Parn
Sep 5, 2006, 05:47 AM
On 2006-09-05 03:30, peenk wrote:
SEGA screwed up launching this game more so than any other major title MMORPG.
Nope.

Saiffy
Sep 5, 2006, 07:44 AM
rofl, peenk shows his mighty intellgence yet again

uhawww
Sep 5, 2006, 07:45 AM
On 2006-09-05 03:30, peenk wrote:
First of all I am very tired of people defending SEGA.
SEGA screwed up launching this game more so than any other major title MMORPG.


It was bad, I'll admit it, but far from the worst.
As someone else said, NEVER underestimate the market.

DraginHikari
Sep 5, 2006, 08:45 AM
On 2006-09-05 03:30, peenk wrote:
First of all I am very tired of people defending SEGA.
SEGA screwed up launching this game more so than any other major title MMORPG.

What do expect on a forum developed by fans of a series, if you expect more then average bashing kinda the wrong place.



Dont forget that the game was held back TWO times. TWO times SEGA has changed the released date and what were people saying? "Oh damn, at least SEGA is doing something about bugs and what not because I want PSU to be without any problems." Sounds familiar?

They held the game back to improve other features in the game itself and to run the beta in the first place


Of course they did the right thing. What else COULD they have done? Charge full time fee for a game you paid in FULL but only get to use some 10%?20%?40%? and get ur character deleted at the end?
Just because someone does what they should doesnt mean they should be pat on the back for it.

So insulting and bashing is a better solution?




Yeah I suppose if L2 had one more month to beta test they would have been better off. Judging from all MMORPG launches companies shouldnt just learn from other's/their own mistakes and you should just be happy that you get an unfinished product. Oh ... wait ...


The problem with beta test is even though they help idenfity many bugs and glitches, they cannot find it in the manner went a full game is out and being used.

rpgposer
Sep 5, 2006, 12:54 PM
Does anyone know if these 'duping' and 'character swapping' bugs are due to cheaters?
If this is the case, I am glad that Sega is taking action now.
I would be upset about losing items and experience, but if that's what it take to fix a problem and they are refunding my money, let 'em fix it.
I think it's funny that they underestimated how popular PSU would be considering people are still playing PSO. Better add those servers and bandwidth quick, Sega.

Mewn
Sep 5, 2006, 01:09 PM
The problems are exploits and server issues, I've heard nothing about cheating.

rpgposer
Sep 5, 2006, 01:17 PM
Sorry, I tend to generalize and consider exploits as cheating... my bad for not being specific.

Valkayree
Sep 5, 2006, 02:30 PM
On 2006-09-04 00:32, Espada wrote:
Wow...This is leaps and bounds beyond anything I've seen them do for PSO issues. They're really serious about fixing everything up. And the free month? Wow. I'm really happy about the way they're handling things and speaking up about it. It makes me feel a little safer with the idea of going online when it comes to the US.


Yes, it is not often that any company in this day and age has the cohones to give the real reason why problems have occurred, and to offer an apology plus some sort of compensation to consumers. Remember the 360 release shortage? No explanation from Microsoft for months. Hype increases demand... Oil shortages and high prices even though Bush led his stormtroopers in and fought for oil not giving a crap about the public opinion? Still no explanation that doesn't involve a lie. Remember the first Madden for 360? The worst football game ever made. Tecmo Super Bowl on the NES was better. Refund or explanation why it was gimped? Nope. Square Enix really looking at FFXI and dealing with gil sellers, nm campers, and 3rd party software users? No help, the RMTs are still there, people still have their hacked maps. Bungie letting halo 2 cheaters run rampant and deleting accounts solely based upon user feedback which was often falsely sent out of anger and not investigated? No explanation, no help, no excuses.

Congratulations Sonic Team for stepping up and admitting to a problem and filling your customers in on the situation. That is tremendously admirable and even moreso wins you my support. Now I wonder if they give a rat's ass about the North Americans.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Valkayree on 2006-09-05 12:32 ]</font>

Celethalion
Sep 6, 2006, 02:44 AM
From a programming standpoint, ye can't foresee absolutely everything that could go wrong. If a company was waiting until they were 100.1% sure, then a game would never be released. EVER. And that is actually one of the hidden strengths of an online game. When something has gone wrong it can actually be fixed if the company chooses to!
ST is choosing to, as they should. But then why should we doubt them and say that they wouldn't bother?
I know some companies are only in it for the profits and do the bare minimum to keep enough players in the game for a decent chunk of change every month. But I have faith in Sega and ST to go beyond the minimum. I don't even want to compare them to other companies and games, as others have done, because that only causes distrust and flames. We are never told every detail surrounding an issue in a game, but be sure that the company will do something about it.
Back up for a second and honestly ask yourself, isn't this delay worth it so that we can get the best Phantasy Star game possible? What would happen if ST just let the whole thing slip and didn't care to fix the bugs, PSU wasn't playable, and then failed to sell. Would we never get a Phantasy Star game again? I do not want to see that happen. I had been so worried that the end truly was at PS4 on Genesis.
Just have patience.
Oh, and for those who mentioned being bothered about paying for the game to play another round of 'beta', don't be. Ye would have paid for the full game eventually anyway. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

Sabinblitz
Sep 6, 2006, 03:27 PM
On 2006-09-05 03:30, peenk wrote:

Of course they did the right thing. What else COULD they have done? Charge full time fee for a game you paid in FULL but only get to use some 10%?20%?40%? and get ur character deleted at the end?
Just because someone does what they should doesnt mean they should be pat on the back for it.



Every question you just had gets a "yes" because that's what Lineage II did. That game had the worst asian farming (the text came up in symbols so I don't know what it was) hacking (not only in game but account hacking) and too many exploits to name than any other MMO I've come across. They did nothing about it. Noone was banned, servers weren't fixed until months after the 2nd expansion came out (approx. 6 months later). Hell I don't know how they did it but there are sites that run the game for free (like Lineage II extreme {l2x}). The only thing NCSoft did was drop the price by nearly half a mere 3 months after launch hoping to lure people in who hadn't done research on the game with it's (then) fairly impressive graphics. So yes, worse can be done, and companies can just crap in your face despite the fact you threw down the dough to get their game. You don't have to be thankful, but much worse has been done so being discontent and expecting others to agree probably won't happen when people can name at least 1 other game that has done worse.

At least with this game you have two offline modes to keep you entertained until things are fixed.

ShadowDragon28
Sep 6, 2006, 04:24 PM
excellent post Sabinblitz. Am I the only one getting tired of the inflated negativity from some posters on this forum?

I am so so tired of the Sega and ST bashing, coming from people that have never written code for an online game, or been in the shoes of programmers, or in the shoes of IT persons given limited resources, and limited time to maintain a small network of servers for anykind of thing, especially an online game.

ST members and it's IT people are not omniscient gods that can have everything prestine and perfect nor could they predict that 100,000 JP gamers would rush onto the servers
en masse.
They are working damn hard to fix the problems, and install more servers (which cost time and lot's of money.

I'd hate to be the one at ST having to request more funds from higher-up people....

Takao: "um we need **,***,*** Yen added to our budget so we can obtain 5 more servers, and pay the overtime to the programmers writting the new patches...

Corperate Official: "WHAT?! You need a budget increase?! Fire your 5 QA software testers! Why haven't you finished that flashy PS3 game yet?!"

I wish people would give ST a bit more patetience. If I had the import PSU, i'd play storymode and Extra Mode on PSU and wait until October to play the online mode.

I am confident the problems will be solved, and the US version should run pretty smoothly by then. ST and Sega have the rest of Sept and until Oct. 20-ish to fix, patch and test servers and get them running good for the US version.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ShadowDragon28 on 2006-09-06 14:27 ]</font>

Ryudo
Sep 6, 2006, 05:01 PM
I'm just happy they didnt implement a stupid queueing system to lower server stress like certain other games.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ryudo on 2006-09-06 15:01 ]</font>