What would you like to see in pso2?

[Razan]

What I want to see most of all is the unwillingess to follow the usual MMO design, with too many buttons, horrible controls, unresponsive actions, etc.

PSO is at its core an action RPG. You can make a lot of variations to the idea, by adding, removing, etc. but that action RPG part of it, is constant. Of course, now, that's just my opinion, but anyway.

Relating to this and to my next point... as far as I can tell, PSO2 was announced only for PC, which is pretty much the only thing that bothers me as a lot of the things I mentioned above are consequences of PC design, which is what I fear the most.

PSO was by design "a console game". It must stay as such. Now, it can be released only on the PC, that's not a problem, but it's design must be "console".

Also, MAGs. They're awesome. My dear, dear Sato.

[valuanguard]

Yes, pso2 should NOT have a PC-conventional MMo system aka "tab target" a mob, and the "run up, autoattack, press 1-9 for skills, etc." It should be dynamic "non-targeting", no auto attack, etc. PSU's control scheme for PC was just terrible imo, bought an x360 controller and never looked back.

People playing first-person shooters on consoles are generally shafted, because using mouse to aim and look around is MUCH better than using a stick on a controller....

so ill just refer to that game in open beta right now, Vindictus. Use wsad to move, mouse to move the camera angle around and move like a first-person shooter, left click for attack, right click for secondary attack, 1-9 can activate special moves, just no "click a mob run up and autoattack" nonsense......PC users get a mouse, they should utilize it

[Razan]

Yeah, it's tricky thing.

You want to use the tools given to you, but then again the tools are often the thing that makes everything so... stale and usually needlessly complex (I'm looking at you FF14).

If you ask me, I think they should've just went and do this on PS3 and XO. Which might still happen, but I wouldn't bet on it. :/ Granted, you could've done less with it, that's for certain, but that's the point. I still believe that a large part of PSO's charm is caused by DC's limitations. Things that would've never happened if the game was made for the PC.

This is not about PSO2 anymore, but I still like to say this, whenever I get a chance, without a shadow of doubt in my mind : Next evolution of MMOs will happen on a console. It will be more limited, more streamlined and simpler, but it will have more depth and it will play better than anything that came before it.

[doubleEXP]

I totally agree. One reason I can (and do) still play PSO from time to time is because of how stale and boring mmo's are -- and this from a long-time mmo player who finally quit the genre a few months ago. You just target something and auto-attack starts and then you trigger actions as they come off CD (cool down). Mmo's have their moments, and they tend to offer huge worlds (which are cool) and dynamic economies and all that, but at their heart they are designed to eat up your time while keeping you on a hamster treadmill for gear.

For sure PSO including a chase for gear, but the game itself -- each moment of it -- has a certain fun and charm that goes beyond the gear chase. Like Razan said, it is a true ACTION rpg, which means you swing your weapon in real time, you can actually sidestep enemy attacks (or dodge incoming missile attacks like lil megids, etc.) and you can get enemies to chase you, stop and attack, run, etc. In mmo's it's pretty much: enter range, fight to death triggering CD's as they come available. Huge difference. Even the twitchiest characters in WoW, for example, like a rogue, are still waiting on the GCD between each attack, whereas in PSO it's a matter of learning your weapons or techs and then executing in realtime. It's a completely different combat model, and it's part of what makes PSO unique.

Also, you can participate in all levels of PSO even without uber gear. I know that my Redria RAmarl, Zenith, is level 166 and she never had many good rares, and no uber rares ever. She still uses a Hell Arms with 50% hit and Freeze Vulcans with 50% hit -- relatively common drops in Ult mode. She had some mercy rares from friends (including a Frozen Shooter) but none had hit % and none were uber. Still, she could (and did) more than hold her own in Ult mode online. The super shiny rares were just something cool for hope for. In mmo's you have to grind for the rares in order to qualify for the next higher up grind, and so it goes.

Hopefully PSO2 will remember and continue the spirit of PSO and NOT be like a MMO or even like PSU. It doesn't have to be a clone of PSO, but I hope it genuinely feels like the true next gen of PSO, and not some mish-mash of PSO and PSU and PSP2 and WoW.

[Zyrusticae]

Next evolution of MMOs will happen on a console. It will be more limited, more streamlined and simpler, but it will have more depth and it will play better than anything that came before it.

I think you're a bit late on this one.

[Razan]

@doubleEXP: Well said. All true. Those rares... sigh. Still remember when I got my doublesaber. But the monkey bar still eludes me. Or maybe that was v2. :/

Anyway. Reading that just lead to a little flashback to the early days of playing PSO. Caves in a group with 3 low levels and one high one. It was awesome at the time, I remember that much. The waterfall. But seriously, I think this is extremely important. Like getting to Ruins before your own time. Another one of those things, that might not work this well in a proper open environment of modern MMOs?

Like said, the huge worlds look great and give a lot of space, but considering the MMOs I've played, I'd still rather have the good old Pioneer, over a huge landscape with nothing else than a tree, an NPC in a corner with a exclamation mark above their head, and 3 hundred what you might call solo multiplayer gamers that want to have nothing to do with me.

I think you're a bit late on this one.

We shall see, we shall see.

EDIT: Looking at the videos and the interface shots, I'd say no. N O.

Of course, my concept of the evolusion is more theory than actuality.

[Rockleept]

*Section IDs. (Choose one at start, don't base it by names)
*Mags(all the old ones plus new ones for the game)
*Diverse weapon/armor selection.
*Committed SoA or SoJ for updates.
*Unique armors with Visuals(I think Visual Units were a bad idea)
*MOME!

it's ok for MOME,but i hope we dont get nole(d)!!!

[Zyrusticae]

EDIT: Looking at the videos and the interface shots, I'd say no. N O.

Of course, my concept of the evolusion is more theory than actuality.

This is kind of off-topic, but actual gameplay tends to be a lot more informative.

[Razan]

This is kind of off-topic, but actual gameplay tends to be a lot more informative.

Yeah, I watched couple of small ones from youtube and while this was certainly better, it doesn't change anything, my answer remains ever the same. No. It doesn't seem bad, at all, of course. But as far as evolution goes, or my idea of it, not even close. Let's start with the button box and the chat window. Both of those need to go "puff".

But to return to topic... what I'd like to see... Vertical worlds. PSU had some of it, but now I'd like to see it made better. I loved the ship and planet idea from the first moments I saw PSO so I'd like that to continue.

Things should be kept small as possible whenever possible. No huge worlds/levels just for the sake of it. It's unnecessary. It's weird though, it's only in MMO games where huge landscapes without anything to do on is considered a good thing. I wonder why? I don't want to play a hiking simulator. Also team sizes, less people, more intimate, more personal. Bigger groups just lead to faceless interaction.

Monomates, gotta have monomates. I'm done for now.

Oh and word select. It's gotta have word select.

[Tetsaru]

Things I'd like to see in PSO2:

- A competent development/management team working on the game and keeping it updated.
- All regions and consoles play on the same servers, and receive updates simultaneously.
- No bullshit synthing or grinding systems. While I'm at it, no Kerselines or other similar useless "rare" items. Bring back Mono/Di/Trigrinders.
- No horribly reskinned/recycled enemies, maps, or weapons.
- Make stats like DFP and MST actually relevant, unlike in PSU.
- Make all classes able to use techs to varying degrees, without having to equip rods/wands first. Make said rods/wands able to perform physical attacks. DON'T MAKE TECHS LAG THE GAME.
- If enemies have multiple hitboxes, don't treat them as a pseudo "multiplier bonus" to allow hard-hitting players to shred through them and deal more damage. Techers didn't have this benefit early on with their AoE techs; why should melee fighters?
- Melee characters should NOT be able to hit flying enemies out of their reach, UNLESS THEY HAVE A PA TO DO SO. PERIOD. Use a ranged weapon (like a gun or slicer) or a tech.
- Don't make rare items incredibly easy to obtain, especially during events or through player shops. Also, don't flood the economy with so much meseta that everyone's selling items for stacks.
- Make each job/class be able to do something UNIQUE that no other class can do that doesn't involve stat-stacking of some sort (Protranser being the only class that can use EX Traps, Fighgunner being the only class that can use doublesabers, etc.; NOT Fighmaster can use Lv50 Skills where Fortefighter can only use Lv40, etc.)
- Return of MAG's as customizable equipment
- Return of ID system to influence drops and encourage trading
- Return of rare monsters, such as Hildeblues, etc.
- Return of rare weapons changing form as you attack, and having special abilities
- A better drop system so that players don't argue over drops or drop settings, or implement unique drops for each player similar to how PSZ was
- Increase the overall difficulty of the game from PSU. Players shouldn't be able to easily level up and solo zerg rush their way through everything all the time.
- Make missions more than just "kill everything and get to the end"
- Don't provide Scape Dolls to players at every fucking NPC store for cheap. Don't allow them to stack either. MAKE THEM RARE.
- TONS of character customization options
- Allow for first-person controls, especially for gunners
- If multiple planets are included in the game, make it to where we can explore more than just one town and the instanced missions associated with them.
- Include vehicles/mounts. (I never saw Lungas or tanks online on PSU, and Landeels and Airboards once... >_> ) Make them not control like ass, either.
- Include an auto-translate function (similar to what FF11 had) to help communicate across different languages. On that note, translate things properly. NEL's Claw? Agito REPCA?? Lern 2 ficks Engrish.
- Get rid of Gameguard "support." If you want support, play as an Acrotecher or start wearing a training bra. Ugh.
- Don't make the storyline lame, don't fill it with Japanese stereotypes. Bring back old PSO characters, but don't ruin them (for example, "UBWAAA!" )
- Perhaps include Dumans(?) and other old-school Phantasy Star races as playable characters. Also, give each race their own unique ability and balance them appropriately. People shouldn't have to sway towards playing CASTs or Beasts all the time.
- Don't make the chat system obnoxious and spammable. I hated seeing/hearing explosion-style bubbles and characters' faces spouting nonsense every time an event was going on in PSU. Not only did it make my screen look like the victim of a pop-up ad attack, IT SLOWED DOWN MY GAME AND I HAD TO BLACKLIST EVERYONE. The bubble system is cute and everything, but I'd much rather have either voice chat or have the text organized into a box that you can adjust, because those bubbles just obscure my view and get in the way. Furthermore, get rid of the retarded censoring, or at least be able to turn it off.
- Don't make PA's spammable to the point where normal attacks aren't even used.
- Include PA's in the game, but make some of them drop-only items instead of NPC-buyable. A system similar to PA Fragments can be implemented, but don't make it to where they become useless once you have everything that you can trade them for. Finally, make PA's to where you have to level them up for them to get stronger. To me, it makes sense to be able to find a disc for a new move, but not a disc of a move you may already have, but at a higher level; that's what weapons are for.
- Return of a "My Room" area from PSU that can be customized

I think that covers most of my concerns.