Here are the details regarding payment and Service In.
On July 15th, Service In will begin (full retail).
At this time, any Open Beta accounts must pay to continue play with their accounts, and of course must download the new retail clients if necessary.
Any accounts made aftrer Service In will have a free 15 Day Trial Period in which to play. During this period, they may have full access to the game and all available modes, but may not level past level 20 in any characters. At level 18 and 19, a message will be sent to the player much like the one shown here stating that the character is about to become level 20. Once the character levels from level 20, the player will be forced to stop playing until payment is made on the account.
Account charges are as follows:
1050 yen per month for a recurring payment (auto-payment)
1260 yen per month for a one time 30 day payment
Payments may be made with Webmoney or a Credit Card, much like current HL options.
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ST posted more PSOBB production sketches. Looking good, aren't they? So how many people are up for BB?
Discuss this in our forums. Our PSOBB section was also updated with GM/Guardian information, staff character information and TOS Violations information.
Credit:Getintothegame "Some exciting news about PSO BB. Formal service will start on May 21st, 2004.There will be a new map, as well as a new enemy that will appear for the first time on PSO BB! Shown below are the production sketches. The new map and enemy addition are part of the new storyline exclusive to PSO BB.
PSO BB will be available through the following ways:
1. Free May 21st game magazine addition,
2. Free download on May 21st
Both ways will only let you play the game for gree for up to Level 20.
3. Special package edition sale starting June 3rd at 1,980 Yen (2,079 including tax) with 30 days play free
4. June 3rd download at 1,200 Yen (1,260 including tax) with 30 days free
Hunter's License fees are at (payable through credit card or Webmoney):
1. 1,200 Yen (1,260 including tax) for every 30 days or
2. 1,000 Yen (1,050 including tax) for every 30 days with automatic renewal.
IGN Reported this today in their PC news:
April 13, 2004 - As reported in our recent Gaming Life in Japan, the latest Phantasy Star Online game is coming to the PC.
Blue Burst is actually just the PC version of Phantasy Star Online: Episode 1 & 2 which already appeared on GameCube and Xbox. However, there are a few changes in store. You can now access shortcut commands, visible at the bottom of the screen. A new character, Momoka, appears in the game's lobby area and offers up new quests. More exciting is the new "Team System," where you hook up with team members and can even communicate with one another from across different ships.
There is also the promise of improvements in a few areas that have gotten a bit stale in the PSO world. Sonic Team has mentioned improved graphics and control. We're not sure how much these areas will be improved, but with the PSO engine being a few years old now, we'll take any additions.
The biggest change appears to serve as a good means of keeping people from cheating. Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst is an online-only experience. Character data is now stored on the game servers far out of reach from those who would modify their characters to give them an advantage in battle.
A closed Beta test for Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst began recently in Japan, meaning an official release for the game should happen shortly.The official Blue Burst website is up and running.The site goes on to say that there will be many new elements to this version of PSO featuring game masters that will establish order in the communities, a new "team system," server side saving to preserve character data, increased polygons, new graphics and new interactivity. The same old 12 character classes still exist and there are no new character classes.
The new team system will let you register teams with the server and be known by that team which will enable you to create mini communities. Once you have a team made, you have your own real time chat channel that runs independently of what ship/game you are in.
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You can view more screenshots of PSOBB in our Screenshots section
A new character will appear in the principal's room which introduces a Episode 2 new storyline through a new Episode 2 quest category: "The Principals Prefecture".
The free closed beta trial will start on Friday, April 9th at 7pm JP time and participants have already been picked. ST apologizes for not being able to cater to everyone. For those of you that made it into the trial, please do not connect tot he game server before the starting time.
The ASOBITTO city mall event on Sunday, April 4th, was a huge success and many people showed up to get a chance to play the trial. Closed beta trial kits and special mousepads were distributed to the people who showed up. All 500 kits were given out in less than 20 minutes.
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ST has posted more news regarding EP 1 & 2 PC. The PC version of Ep 1 & 2 will be called "PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst." This version was given this new title so that everyone can have a fresh outlook on it. The Closed Beta Tria will commence on Friday, April 9th. 3000 online applications will be accepted. Selections will be made using a lottery based system. Prority will be given to those who played PSO Ver. 2 PC. Please note that applications ended on Wednesday, March 31st. There will be a total limit of 5000 accepted applications, both from online and offline applications. "Closed beta trial kits" will be delivered to approved applicants who applied through PSOExpress.
The new official Blue Burst site will be active and available starting on Monday, April 5th at 7pm JP time. It will contain more information on the game, what new features there will be as well as an online manual and game support information.
On Sunday, April 4th, between 10m and 6pm, there will be a special event held in anticipation of the Closed Beta Trial. In ASOBITTO city mall No. 1 town (1F entrance) in Japan, there will be an event in which visitors can try out PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst. There will be 4 PC terminals set up for this and groups of 4 visitors can simultaneously play a n Episode 2 quest for a maximum time limit of 10 minutes. Because of the limited number of terminals, visitors are served on a first come basis. At the same time, up to 500 Closed Beta Tria applicants will be accepted on site. These people will also receive a Blue Burst mousepad featuring the new sub character, pictured below.
Accepted entrants to the closed beta must be using a JP version of Windows, and only JP mailing addresses will be accepted.
3000 entrants will be accepted into the closed beta from the pool of available entries, based upon criteria that Sonic Team uses to determine eligibility. It is not a first-come first-serve basis. Part of the application process is requires providing your old PSO PC v2 serial number, so please have this handy. The closed beta is free.
Applications are being taken from March 25th at 7 PM JP time till March 31st 11:59 PM.
Applications, once signups begin, can be completed at this page:
http://sega.jp/pc/pso/closed_beta/
Future entrants will be accepted from inserts in various PC and game magazines sold in the future.
System requirements are listed on the page. Remember, JP operating systems only! Please note that they do say that play is only allowed in Japan.
| Minimum | Suggested | |
| OS | Windows 98/Me/2000/XP JP version or later | Windows XP JP version |
| CPU | PenitumIII 700 MHz | Pentium 4 1.5GHz |
| Memory | 128MB | 256MB |
| Empty HDD | 1.3 GB (Future patches taken into consideration) | |
| Graphics | Direct 3D Compatible & 32MB VRAM | Direct 3D Compatible & 64MB VRAM |
| NVIDIA GeForce, ATI Radeon 8500 or later | ||
| Sound | DirectSound Compatible | |
| DirectX | DirectX 9.0b | |
| Controllers | Keyboard, mouse, DirectX compatible game controller | |
| Network | Internet Connection. 256 kbps or more | |
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