A question for the moderators.

[Mewone]

I genuinely think it is as Anuminus has suggested...it's not entirely the agreement with Gamespy; the people with power here hate the private server just as much. It's evident from the way his question was evaded by simply stating Gamespy policy -just another response that may as well have been automated. When ST goes down, how many of you will go to play on the private server? What are your feelings on it?

...or are you going to feed me some line about how that doesn't matter, or to make a new topic to which you will never respond directly?
This is my third attempt at this topic, having had the first one be deleted for being "off-topic," and the second deleted for being "spam" in the Off Topic section. Well, now it is in the forum made for spam; I -and other users of this forum, who shall remain nameless- hope for an answer.

So. Are you personally against the private server?

For the third time, I look forward to your response, be it in thoughtful words or another creative moderation.

[Dhylec]

This is not a joking matter, so I'll tell you this: PSOW does not support private servers.

[Mewone]

I asked if the moderators personally are in favor of it. Or are you speaking for all?

[VioletSkye]

Honestly, I don't see what's to be gained by finding out if the mods are for or against the servers. You have to keep in mind that none of the mods work for gamespy. We are simply members of PSOW which have been selected to try and help the forums run smoothly. Even if every mod here is for private servers, it does nothing to change PSOW's policy in regards to them.

I personally have no problem with the private servers and have in fact run one of my own for a short time quite awhile ago. I'm sure other mods have played on/messed with the private servers as well, but again none of that changes the reality that in depth discussion of said servers is against the forum rules. If I was currently running some forums, I'd have no problem discussing the private servers, however out of respect for PSOW I would not mention, nor link to that site. In a nutshell, mods don't make the rules, we just help enforce them. I suppose if anyone of us felt so strongly against a particular rule/s we would probably have the decency to ask to be relieved from our mod position, but overall I think the rules here are fair. I thought they were fair even before I was a mod. I received a warning way back because I had broken one of the rules, but I never questioned it or argued about it, I simply accepted it.

[Tomeeboy]

Whether the moderators or admins are in favor of private servers or not is irrelevant. This isn't a matter of anyone's personal preference. At the core of this issue is a simple fact, private servers are essentially illegal and not condoned by Sega. As this is the largest US fan site for the Phantasy Star franchise, we have some responsibility to support the developers and publishers of these games. If Sega changes their stance on these servers in the future, then so will we. Otherwise, it is information that belongs elsewhere.

Gamespy doesn't really have all that much to do with it, so I'm not sure what the reference to them is all about (it's hard to tell as it is out of context). While there are restrictions in our hosting agreement that specifically deal with the hosting of illegal files and content, the fact that Sega does not endorse these servers is the primary reason why we don't. The sooner that people understand that, the sooner we can stop beating the poor dead horse http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wink.gif Those who keep attempting to force the information upon this site are fighting their battle on the wrong front, as we are merely following Sega's lead on this.

[Mewone]

So far there is one actual response and two generic ones. Keep them coming?



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Mewone on 2007-03-06 15:04 ]</font>

[Tomeeboy]

I don't think that will be necessary. I think our policy has been make very clear http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif In case it hasn't, I'll simplify it a bit more:

Sega's Private Server Policy = PSOW's Private Server Policy

[HUnewearl_Meira]

I, for one, am in favor of Sega condoning private servers, once the last official server has gone down. I would personally like to see Sega release official software for private servers when that day comes. When it has become a legal possibility, I'd like to see PSO-World have its own private server. I am in favor of PSO, and some day, private servers will be the only real way that PSO will live on. For now, we still have Xbox and Blue Burst online and DC and GC offline. That is good enough.

I am not, however, in favor of Sega having to compete against its own game. They made the game, and they have every right to milk it for all it's worth. They have the right to do as they please with it. The best we can hope for is the eventual legal release of some official server software and maybe even some quest authoring software. That would grand. I would much prefer to see it condoned by Sega, however.

[Mewone]

I understand your legal position on free servers quite clearly, by now, and know that you can't talk about them -on the site. However, topics like this, that are within the rules, allow the thing that is important, and that is the attention brought to this subject.

It appears as though there are some conflicting views amongst you (especially because of the fact that I was actually AIM'd regarding this), but overall, you have answered most of my questions. Thank you for your time. ^_^

[HUnewearl_Meira]

I'd like to point out that you're free to talk about what you're doing on private servers, provided it doesn't conflict with any other forum rules. After all, we're not going to forbid people from talking about gameplay and such things, just because the official servers are going down.

Beyond that, maybe we'll get lucky when the last of the official servers goes down, and Sega will release a public version of the server software and quest authoring tools.

[Mewone]

From Sega, February 28, 2007:
we are sorry, but we can't disclose our technical intelligence
including "RSA key" for the authentication server construction to public.
I'd give you the link to the topic this came from...buuut...you know. Can't. At any rate, they aren't going to give anything to the players, especially their software.

However, there are versions of quest making tools that have been created by third parties, one of which is the creator of the private server (meaning he obviously has server software, as well). This specific quest making program hasn't been released to the public, unfortunately. It seems more likely than hoping for ST's software though. There is one "public" version, but I believe it requires extensive knowledge of hex and whatnot. It's supposedly not very simple to use.

My concern is more with the ideas being put in to the quests, rather than the software itself. You could say that the private server's homebrew quests are...a bit crude for my tastes (mediocre plots, many typos in dialogue, absurd rewards), but many players love them.

If you're curious about "extra" things, the server does have drop rates for Parasitic Gene: Flow, and is fully safeguarded against intentional FSOD. While hackers are allowed on the ships, they are not allowed to join strictly legit games; this is enforced by server GMs. While there may always be an "unofficial" feel about the place, it's very well done and offers more than the ST severs ever have.

Have I gone too far yet?

[HUnewearl_Meira]

You're walking the line, Mewone. I wouldn't hang about at that point for too long, but I, for one, am not going to warn you over it.

[Tomeeboy]

This is beginning to sound a little too much like an advertisement. I think the purpose of the topic has been served http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif