PSO1 enemy AI in PSO2

[gigawuts]

For the record: Acklepus were too "hard" because they would constantly and continuously flinch you and anyone anywhere near you while going underground and charging towards you with their fin every second.

This was only really an issue for melee classes. Other classes could easily and reliably jump while using attacks with decent range that would flinch them at the ranges acklepus prepped to launch these attacks. Melee classes had few if any options for doing that, most requiring them to be on the ground, and almost none were able to be canceled or had short enough attacks to make it possible to reliably evade hits. Your best hope was using other spin to grab one and throw it at a few others, hoping none were charging you from behind, and after finishing the PA you had to step around like a madman to avoid the ones that by now were definitely coming back around for another hit.

That was the obnoxious part - getting hit by 2-4 during just one single PA, then having them run out of your attack range in every odd direction and turn right back around as soon as they finished that attack. Ranged classes could just spam their same stupid PAs with borderline impunity. Gibarta and Elder Rebellion were examples of easy win buttons against a full spawn of 8-10 acklepus.

It was tedious and annoying. Darker's Den wasn't at all the same kind of "hard." Acklepus were flinch crazy, removing control from the player after they were hit by an attack from an enemy that wasn't even on their screen until the last 3 frames.

edit: Oh, and before anyone says dicadas were the same thing, no. No they were not. Dicadas only teleport so often, but acklepusses were nonstop over and over spam - and they spawned in larger numbers, plus they usually aggroed on the same person (the closest one most of the time, afaict). Dicadas split their aggro, attack with lower frequency, have pretty blatant tells if they aren't teleporting, stay close after their attack, and if they are teleporting they won't even always come back for you. Acklepusses rushed through you and go way out of any melee class's attack range, usually in sets of 2 or more in different directions.

If acklepusses stayed as close and behaved as tame as pre/dicadas there wouldn't have been a problem at all.

[landman]

I think the only game refereed as PSU2 was PSP2, at least it was refereed with this name in an old "leaked" sheet from a Sega-Sony meeting (and most of the things in this list ended being true, while others were provably cancelled like some DC ports)

[Laxedrane]

PSO wasn't "Hard" becuase of it's aggressive ai. IT was challenging by the time you hit Ult becuase of how cheap the enemies were in ult. Between one hit KOs, Being able to launch devastating attacks from the other side of the room, and just that one mob in almost every area that could jump from the other side of the room onto your face.

Most seasoned players got use to patterns and with the exceptions of a few quests could get through an ult run in any zone/ quest without dieing. However the aggressive AI was not key... It was the tools the monsters had that made it more challenging then what you find in PSO2.

[gigawuts]

Also, yes, the only hard part about ultimate in PSO1 was stepping over the new and disproportionately higher EVP and DEF wall that enemies had.

When you could start hitting enemies, and your hits dealt more than 1 damage (2 crit!), you were fine.

That did mean using your highest ATP/ATA weapon despite lacking in other areas, and yes that did mean punching something to death with one of the stupid high ATP knuckles at first, but after you were able to step over that ledge you were just fine.

The only area that stayed challenging after that was mines, and only because gills wouldn't get knocked down 100% of the time. They just kept freaking coming. It wasn't anything some freeze traps and/or shock couldn't handle, or you know running back and forth across the room like usual (lol). Seabed arguably stayed challenging, but I don't particularly consider 1shots/flinchkills "challenging" so much as "tedious."

[Alukard]

PSO wasn't "Hard" becuase of it's aggressive ai. IT was challenging by the time you hit Ult becuase of how cheap the enemies were in ult. Between one hit KOs, Being able to launch devastating attacks from the other side of the room, and just that one mob in almost every area that could jump from the other side of the room onto your face.

Most seasoned players got use to patterns and with the exceptions of a few quests could get through an ult run in any zone/ quest without dieing. However the aggressive AI was not key... It was the tools the monsters had that made it more challenging then what you find in PSO2.

PSO wasn't hard unless you asked for it. I know a few vanilla players that go full Hunter with locked DF etc. It's one shot'ing the enemy or being one shot. Coupled with the rng elemets ( early walks/warps, dmc, dorphon rushing through gif, desync etc) it adds a strategical layer that requires extensive planning of positioning, timing and knowledge ( combo kills, spawn knowledge etc)

Most quests in pso2 don't require you to know the spawns. It's quite sad. Wish there were more quests with set spawns like the ta quests.

[qoxolg]

Also, yes, the only hard part about ultimate in PSO1 was stepping over the new and disproportionately higher EVP and DEF wall that enemies had.

When you could start hitting enemies, and your hits dealt more than 1 damage (2 crit!), you were fine.

That did mean using your highest ATP/ATA weapon despite lacking in other areas, and yes that did mean punching something to death with one of the stupid high ATP knuckles at first, but after you were able to step over that ledge you were just fine.

The only area that stayed challenging after that was mines, and only because gills wouldn't get knocked down 100% of the time. They just kept freaking coming. It wasn't anything some freeze traps and/or shock couldn't handle, or you know running back and forth across the room like usual (lol). Seabed arguably stayed challenging, but I don't particularly consider 1shots/flinchkills "challenging" so much as "tedious."

Oh LAWL! the PSOv2 days!

Running trough Ult forest with your Brave Knuckle, barely doing 100 damage and then, in forest 2, when you open that box that drops your first Red Handgun with 45% Native Attribute! OMFG! ZERK!

then you got into Caves, OMFG WTF! their attacks are faster then my handgun combo! ARRRGGG.. and those freakin megid lilies! NNGGGG.. oh! 45% A. Beast Red Handgun! ZERK!

Then you got into mines and my freakin GOD! those lasors.. and don't get me started about Sinow Red buffing the enemies with Shifta and Deband.

And after playing Mines twice.. Ruins.. WTF!? and I even had an 50% attribute handgun.. NNNGGGGGGG. it took me HOURS of door camping and tons of scape dolls to kill Falz.

Ver3 and up was for pussies!

[Akakomuma]

Better yet, make Phantasy Star Zero 2 and have full range motion on the circle pad.

[Macman]

Making the enemies more difficult with better AI is unlikely to ever happen. Aculpus got nerfed as soon as people complained they were 'too hard'.

I think it was less of "it's too hard" as much as it was "bullshit flinch spam can't even recover" with ridiculous hitboxes that homed in on you and made it nearly impossible to avoid. (Org Blan arena was the worst)
But then again PSO2 is all about flinch spam, so what do I know?

[The Walrus]

We should get a special mission where we fight Aculpus' with their old ai. Because it was fun in a masochistic sort of way...

mostly bullshit but whatever

[yoshiblue]

Could always come up with a magic reason to restrict movement to PSO's. Too bad I can't use magnets in space when we were all all-stars fighting Falz.