Polenicus
Jul 23, 2002, 12:41 AM
Here is another wishlist for some far off future version of PSO! Why? Because i'm bored and have nothing better to do!
Dungeons - this is what PSO is all about... but it falls kinda short, compared to some RPG's. A lot of high-level dungeons in most RPG's have as their hallmark puzzles, traps, pitfalls and hidden surprises.
PSO's dungeons have traps... kinda... puzzles... all involving those switches... and surprises... not.
Online quests remedy this a great deal, but honestly I think the regular dungeons could have been done much better. They feel too flat... PSO should take a page from First-person shooters on some aspects of level design. The levels should be more three-dimensional, have more depth... and more environment interaction. Sections of floor that give way, dumping you into another section of the maze, and more imaginative ways of opening paths than just those floor buttons.
PSO also needs more of them. More locals to play with. Ruins of the central dome, perhaps?
Storytelling - the problem with PSO is that it has a great story... and a great MANY stories. It has TREMENDOUS potential, but falls short. Why? Because it doesn't SHARE any of it.
For instance, in a regular RPG if you get a certain item and take it to someone, it can trigger a bit of background story that explains some things to you may have wondered about, and can be interesting at the same time. for instance, you find a red-series weapon, and while having it in inventory go see the principal. He recognizes the weapon as Rico's, and tells you a bit of her history.
A lot of what we know about PSO comes from sources OUTSIDE the game. We know the red weapons are Rico's because someone told us. We know DB was supposed to be some famous hunter, but we know nothing beyond that. We know bits and pieces, but even in the quests they tell us frustratingly little. Sonic Team has obviously thrashed out this wonderful storyline, but they're not bothering to TELL it to us. There's so much more going on than simply beating Falz.
And there's another thing... digging up some background info on the Ruins and where they came from would be a fascinating plot bit.
So far all the info we have is from Rico, and most of her messages are inane things like 'Watch out for Delsabers, or they will hit you.' Thanks Rico...
And while we're on the subject, if Rico's messages are supposed to be holographic recordings... why don't we get to see Rico? THAT would be neat, and not that tough to add in.
There should be some kind of training hall, will a bunch of NPC's who you can go talk to, who will give you background on things. On the world Pioneer 2 left behind, on the cataclysm that forced them to find a new home, on the different classes and their backgrounds and general society stuff we don't get to see much of.
Magic - Ah, HERE'S a big one. Think back to how you normally use magic in an RPG. Usually, you stick with physical attacks for the little weaklings as you fight through the dungeons. You have an arsenal of spells you can use, includinbg single hit spells, multi-attack spells, and a couple of really big, really draining armageddon-type spells. You stick to the small stuff mostly, but if you face a boss or get in trouble, you unlimber the big spells.
PSO is lacking something in its magic, and i believe it;s those big spells. Magic SHOULD be more damaging than normal attacks (When used by a dedicated magic user) and should be useful when you want to clear a room quickly. Instead, magic in PSO has been relegated to support, with Forces using their weapons to attack, as their spells, even at level 30 do less damage, cost TP better used for support spells, and are hobbled by type-resistances of monsters.
PSO needs stronger attack spells. It needs a few of those type-less, armageddon-level attack spells that drain damn near all your TP to cast, but are guaranteed to clear the room. considering each room usually has waves, this wouldn't unbalance things too badly, as using it indiscriminantly would leave you with no TP when you most need it. It would also give Forces something to seriously injure bosses at the beginning of a fight, and then allow the other brawlers to finish it off. THAT is how most RPG's go.
At any rate, Forces need to be given some better ofensive capabilities (At the cost of their endurance in spellcasting, of course)
Dungeons - this is what PSO is all about... but it falls kinda short, compared to some RPG's. A lot of high-level dungeons in most RPG's have as their hallmark puzzles, traps, pitfalls and hidden surprises.
PSO's dungeons have traps... kinda... puzzles... all involving those switches... and surprises... not.
Online quests remedy this a great deal, but honestly I think the regular dungeons could have been done much better. They feel too flat... PSO should take a page from First-person shooters on some aspects of level design. The levels should be more three-dimensional, have more depth... and more environment interaction. Sections of floor that give way, dumping you into another section of the maze, and more imaginative ways of opening paths than just those floor buttons.
PSO also needs more of them. More locals to play with. Ruins of the central dome, perhaps?
Storytelling - the problem with PSO is that it has a great story... and a great MANY stories. It has TREMENDOUS potential, but falls short. Why? Because it doesn't SHARE any of it.
For instance, in a regular RPG if you get a certain item and take it to someone, it can trigger a bit of background story that explains some things to you may have wondered about, and can be interesting at the same time. for instance, you find a red-series weapon, and while having it in inventory go see the principal. He recognizes the weapon as Rico's, and tells you a bit of her history.
A lot of what we know about PSO comes from sources OUTSIDE the game. We know the red weapons are Rico's because someone told us. We know DB was supposed to be some famous hunter, but we know nothing beyond that. We know bits and pieces, but even in the quests they tell us frustratingly little. Sonic Team has obviously thrashed out this wonderful storyline, but they're not bothering to TELL it to us. There's so much more going on than simply beating Falz.
And there's another thing... digging up some background info on the Ruins and where they came from would be a fascinating plot bit.
So far all the info we have is from Rico, and most of her messages are inane things like 'Watch out for Delsabers, or they will hit you.' Thanks Rico...
And while we're on the subject, if Rico's messages are supposed to be holographic recordings... why don't we get to see Rico? THAT would be neat, and not that tough to add in.
There should be some kind of training hall, will a bunch of NPC's who you can go talk to, who will give you background on things. On the world Pioneer 2 left behind, on the cataclysm that forced them to find a new home, on the different classes and their backgrounds and general society stuff we don't get to see much of.
Magic - Ah, HERE'S a big one. Think back to how you normally use magic in an RPG. Usually, you stick with physical attacks for the little weaklings as you fight through the dungeons. You have an arsenal of spells you can use, includinbg single hit spells, multi-attack spells, and a couple of really big, really draining armageddon-type spells. You stick to the small stuff mostly, but if you face a boss or get in trouble, you unlimber the big spells.
PSO is lacking something in its magic, and i believe it;s those big spells. Magic SHOULD be more damaging than normal attacks (When used by a dedicated magic user) and should be useful when you want to clear a room quickly. Instead, magic in PSO has been relegated to support, with Forces using their weapons to attack, as their spells, even at level 30 do less damage, cost TP better used for support spells, and are hobbled by type-resistances of monsters.
PSO needs stronger attack spells. It needs a few of those type-less, armageddon-level attack spells that drain damn near all your TP to cast, but are guaranteed to clear the room. considering each room usually has waves, this wouldn't unbalance things too badly, as using it indiscriminantly would leave you with no TP when you most need it. It would also give Forces something to seriously injure bosses at the beginning of a fight, and then allow the other brawlers to finish it off. THAT is how most RPG's go.
At any rate, Forces need to be given some better ofensive capabilities (At the cost of their endurance in spellcasting, of course)