Month: March 2012

Now the post we've been all waiting for, Closed Beta Features! In the closed beta you can now change your class and level that up to level 20.

 

In the tekker shop, ?Special Weapons can also be low rarities. At the time your weapon is decided you can choose an attribute, and choose one special ability. At random, one special ability can also be attached.

 

At the makeup counter you can customize your character like in character creation. It can also be used to change your clothes, thus the makeup counters can be used to change your hair, face, clothes, and body. Arks Cash is needed to use SOME parts of the Makeup Counter, but other areas are available for free. You can try on some things for free inside the makeup counter without paying  if you leave the store without officially applying the customizations.

 

In the costume shop, they will sell default clothes and parts for meseta. Now there's a preview window in the lower right corner to see what the outfit looks like. In fact this same preview window also shows up at the weapon shop and player shops, and you can see what a character looks like with the weapon or clothes.

 

In the gate area you can watch the camp ships depart and watch the screens on the monitors.

 

There's a team counter here. If you are level 10 or up in any class, you are allowed to set up a team.

 

Like the portable series, the Title Counter allows you to win special things by completing specific activities.

 

You can also display a title you received over your head to other players, like in the portable games.

 

The Medical Center is different from PSO. If you are familiar with PSPo2's Sayo, you can get a special effect that lasts for one quest by purchasing drinks. As you progress through the game more drinks are available. The medical center doesn't use Arks Cash.

 

My Room now has more themes and room items than Alpha test 2. Arks Cash is needed to get a room, but you can go to other players rooms for free. You can get room items from drops, purchasing them in the lobby, or client orders.

 

Now there is an item to access your Player Shop from your room. It's a bit different from accessing the shops through the visiphone, with this item you can access the room owner's shop directly.

 

Symbol Art allows you to create a picture using more than 200 pieces of art symbols and shapes at the same time. They have preparations to have more than 300 varieties of symbols you can choose from. You can use these symbol art in speech, and even as a mark representing your team. Sound effects are available too, (even the OLD ones…)

 

Like a partner card or guild card, you have the ARKS Card. Write a paragraph introducing your character, and type out a wish list. You can attach symbol art here too!

 

Like PSPo2i's Support Characters, the Friend Partner System lets you summon a friend of yours as a party member. You can't summon characters who aren't registered as friends though. Friend Partners are controlled by AI, they will use whatever your friend registered as auto words too just like PSPo2i.

 

The Team system similarly to PSOBB, lets you have up to 100 members in one team. You can even input a website of your team here too.

 

There's also team chat, that lets you talk only to team members.

Right now, there aren't any elements implemented for raising your team. (Though not specified by Sakai, let's say your team could have levels and things unlock as you gain more levels.) They may add some elements like this in the future.

There's more information to be discussed about the Closed Beta Features but for now we'll wait for a future post from Sakai.

 

Other Voice Actors

The role of Afin (Affin) will be played by Hiro Shimono, you may know him as Alone from Saint Seiya or Sho from Fairy Tail.

 

Suspicious Ethan Waber lookalike Zeno will be played by Ryōhei Kimura. You may know him as Shouma in Spinning Penguin-Drum.

 

The role of Echo will be played by Yōko Hikasa, you may know her as Mio in K-On!

 

Sega's Press Release

 

[It] is essential to streamline organizations in the field of home video game software in the U.S. and European markets, while shifting to a structure that corresponds to change in environment, including strengthening development in the field of digital content. 

…

We conducted detailed reviews of earnings projections for titles targeted toward the U.S. and European markets and decided to narrow down sales titles from the following period and after to strong IPs, such as “Sonic the Hedgehog,”, “Football Manager”, “Total War” and “Aliens” which are expected to continue posting solid earnings. In accordance with this, we are canceling the development of some game software titles. [segasammy]

Not that I'm intending to make this doom and gloom, and considering PSO2 is Free to Play anyway, this is still something you should think about. Not just for this game but other Sega titles you are expecting. We await the list of which games are cancelled and then we can make an informed conclusion from there.

 

Good morning! Sakai updated his blog about the character creation demo. Compared to the fiasco yesterday I can take my time writing it today.

 

Character Creation Demo

There's 4 key points about this Demo you can play on April 5th

• Unlike the main game, it works without being connected to a network
• It's the same character creation like the Closed Beta, and you can save your character data.
• You can use this character data in the closed beta test.
• You can use this demo as a benchmark to see how PSO2 works.

Seems like this is a good tool to use to recommend to people who don't know much about PSO2.

This demo is a little over 450MB. You will unzip the file then install the contents inside. (Look for a cute baby rappy icon). As shown above, this demo does not need an internet connection to play. When you start it up you can also change the settings similarly to the main game.

環境設定 (Settings)

• 簡易描画設定 Is a quick way for changing the graphical settings of the game.
• 画面: Allows you to change screen size and interface size.
• 描画: Allows you to change the Texture and Shader settings
• 音声: Allows you to change the BGM and Voice Volume.

You can take screenshots in this version too, it will display a Phantasy Star Online 2 copyright text at the lower right corner. However, in this version screenshots are taken with JPG, but the main game will also support PNG and BMP.

This is the title screen.

 

Demonstration

There's a demonstration where you'll see characters running around the city area, this city area will be introduced in the Closed Beta. They are the four characters who appear in the opening movie, Humar, Fonewearl, RAcast, and Hunewearl.

 

 

If you push the enter key you'll see this screen.

• 動作検証 (Benchmark Test)*
• キャラクタークリエイト Character Creation
• オプション Option
• ゲーム終了 End Game

 

Character Creation

Though it is roughly the same as the Closed Beta, there are some differences.

• Can't choose voices in the demo (The Main game will also have some new voices)
• Casts can't choose Hover. (You can in the main game,)

There are also some changes from Alpha Test 2

• Male and Female Newman Ranger Default Costumes were added
• A few human type face variations were added
• Save / Load character data.
• Checkbox Confirmation of Edits

 

You can also save character data mid-way and load it. When you save your character data, it will be stored under MY DOCUMENTS\SEGA\PHANTASYSTARONLINE2. You can not save a file if there's already a file of the same name so just add a different name to the file. You can not choose the file for a character you are editing if it is a different  race/sex than the one you saved. Class data is not saved in this file either.

After you are done you can proceed to the benchmark test

 

Benchmark Test

Instead of the default HUmar, your character is shown in his place. This allows you to see how your character looks like while in the game and see benchmark scores.

 

When you finish this demo, a score will be shown on the screen.

If your score is less than 2000, it is advised you change graphical settings so that there isn't so much of a load on your system.

2001 to 5000: Your game runs well in this setting, however if you are near the edge of this score, it's recommended you change some settings.

Higher: Your game works beautifully!

As with alpha test 2, you can show this demo to the public, there's no NDA obviously.

The character creation contest details will be revealed at a later time. Tomorrow he's going to discuss the new features in the Closed Beta test.

 

Morning folks, Sakai updated with a very long post. Unfortunately I'm pressed for time today as it's not a usual day the blog updates on.  I covered most of it already in these last three posts but here's what you need to know.

 

Closed Beta details

• In the closed beta test movie it was written that you can go up to level 30. Well Sakai states it is actually level 20, there was a change in the game's balancing so they had to make the adjustment. Sorry for the mistake.
• The character creation demo in April does indeed work offline.
• If you've applied for Alpha Test 1 or Alpha Test 2 or the Email newsletter you are already in the drawing to participate in the Beta test.
•  The closed beta expects to have 100,000 players and already 10,000 new entries were sent in. If you reach level 10, you can get a weapon hologram room item you can use in the Open Beta.
• They understand your concerns for cheaters in F2P games and will do what they can to provide a safe community.

 

As of now, their plans is to start the PC game officially in early summer. The smartphone version uses the same play data as the PC and Vita version. You can play a single player game that includes character creation, raising your character, go on an adventure with your friend's character, check mail from your friends, or confirm sales from the shop. The smartphone version is aiming to start in Winter 2012. Since there will be some interlocking connection to the PC version of the game, smartphone users will undergo a test to ensure quality.

PC/Vita/Smartphone users can download the official game fore free. On each version the  standard game is free. It will be supported by cash items.

Their game policy is to ensure that by playing for free there will not be any restrictions on what class level you can go up to. They will not allow  the direct sales of highly over powerful weapons (and such) for large sums of cash either.

For example, there will be a campaign to receive select game  items from purchasing particular Microsoft and Intel products. These items are not intended to rob the motivation of players since these weapons are not powerful, and the same kinds of items will eventually drop sometime after the official game starts.

 

The Various Forms of Cash Items

System type items

• Storage and Skill Tree expansion (Instead of skills costing money, you could acquire a new skill tree.) Add-ons like allowing you to set up a My Room/My Shop, and expanded features in Item Trade services, etc.
• (Clarifying note:  Sorry, since it was causing confusion, I incorrectly worded the sentence.  The basic sentence was to say that these are features that you add or expand upon your game by purchasing these services. )

Consumption Items

• The sales of some consumption items like Scape Dolls. You can of course revive other players for free by using moon atomizers.
• Some cash items can have larger effects on health restoration.

Limited Time Effect Based Items

• Items that can increase the success rate of grinding, drop boosts, and experience rate. And drop  and experience rate boosts will have an effect for a limited time.

Avatar Items

• You can purchase items that affect your character's appearance, including variations of clothing and accessories and costumes. Only certain areas of the makeup counter will be charged.

Some cash items are available in  "Arks Scratch". It appears to be some kind of lottery game. With items you acquire from "scratch" you can sell most but not all these items in your player shop and even use them in meseta transactions. There are two styles of scratch. The cheap version consists of various cash items including clothing and accessories. In the slightly expensive version, it only consists of clothing and accessories. (As explained above, weapons are not included here.)

 Tomorrow he wants to talk about the Character Demo releasing on April 5th.

PSO2's higher quality main visual designed by Mizuno
who also did artwork for PSP2 and PSP2i.