Category: Phantasy Star Online 2

Hello, the Phantasy Star Online 2 Character Creator is up. You do not need a SEGA ID to download it. You don't have to be in the Alpha nor Beta Test to download it. You can download it for free and use it to your heart's content and share it to your friends.

You must download the file from here.

Though the Character Creator is in Japanese, most of the options are visual and can be figured out without any Japanese knowledge. However certain areas need to be explained. This post will expand explaining a few particular features as it becomes available.

This post is currently unfinished!

Screenshot Guidelines:

• Please follow these guidelines because you may trigger a copyright violation if you don't follow these steps.
• On the bottom of each screenshot you must write: （C）SEGA 
• On the page you post your images please place:

「画像は『PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2』キャラクタークリエイト体験版において撮影された実機画像です。」

『PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2』公式サイト
http://pso2.jp/

• You can crop, and resize the screenshots you take and edit them to place the copyright text.
• If you take screenshots within the game it will automatically add the copyright text for you.

Video Guidelines

• At the beginning and end of your video insert the: （C）SEGA for more than 2 seconds.
• Also you must include this text in your video description.

「『PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2』キャラクタークリエイト体験版において撮影された実機動画です。」

『PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2』公式サイト
http://pso2.jp/

• You may not use other music and videos in combination with the Character Creation footage. You may not change the playback speed either.
• But you are allowed to edit the video to insert the copyright information.

 

Startup Screen and Settings

• Game Start ゲームスタート
• Settings 環境設定 
• File Check ファイルチェック
• Close 終了

In your settings options, you can quickly set the graphical settings for the game.  Level Five is the highest and Level One is the lowest. Please note that there are 2 shader options, simple and standard. Your graphics card may not be able to handle standard shaders and can crash the game to desktop.  You may need to update your graphics card drivers for it to work. Any setting 3 or higher will use standard shaders by default.

 

To save your settings, follow these steps

• Look for the left most blue button at the bottom.
• Click 設定を保存 (Save Settings)
• A blue box will open up, click 戻る (Return)
• Look for the last blue button at the bottom.
• Click 戻る (Return) to reach the startup screen.

 

The third page in settings (画面) changes resolution and windowed mode.

ウィンドウモード Window Mode

• ウィンドウモード表示 Window Mode
• フルスクリーン表示 Full Screen Mode

画面サイズ Screen Size

• Choose a Window Resolution Size

インターフェイス倍率 Interface Zoom

• Standard Zoom
• 1.25x Zoom
• 1.5x Zoom

 

 

The fourth button at the top (描画) changes your shader and texture settings

テクスチャ解像度: Texture Resolution [Left Column]

• 高解像度 High Resolution
• 通常 Normal
• 圧縮 Compressed

シェーダー品質: Shader Quality [Right Column]

• 標準 Standard
• 簡易 Simple

Editing Shader Settings

Basically there are two settings, one inside the actual game, and one before you run the game. If you have been reading the whole post up until now, you've been changing your graphical settings outside of the game.

However, in this demo, it seems they have disabled you from changing in game specific shader settings. So as a workaround you can also edit these shader settings in a text file and in ENGLISH too!

In your Documents\SEGA\PHANTASYSTARONLINE2 look for a file called "user_benchmark.pso2", and open this file in notepad.

       
            Function = {
                Reflection = true,
                LightGeoGraphy = true,
                LightShaft = true,
                Depth = true,
                Bloom = true,
                LightEffect = true,
                Blur = true,
                AntiAliasing = true,
            },

You can change these Shader settings to false if you are having trouble running the game with "Standard" shaders on. The game will definitely run faster than before but that's still really dependent on your computer specs. *Please take note that changing these shader settings won't have any effect on performance if you've already set the shader to simple. "ShaderQuality = true," is the same as using "Standard" shaders.

You can also change the shadow settings in this file too.

 

Save and Load Characters

The mouse is hovering over the button where you save your character.

Near the bottom of the character creation screen, you can save and load characters that you've made and use them in the Closed Beta.

クリエイトデータ Character Creation Data

• クリエイトデータの保存 Save Character Data
• クリエイトデータの読込 Load Character Data

In your Documents\SEGA\PHANTASYSTARONLINE2 folder your character save data is stored as the name of the file with the extensions:

• Male Human .mhp
• Female Human  .fhp
• Male Newman .mnp
• Female Newman .fnp
• Male Casts .mcp
• Female Casts .fcp
  

You can send this file around to other players.

 

Facial Sliders and Adjustments

Throughout character customization you may see some sliders that have drop down menus. The cool thing about PSO2's character creator is that you can blend different face types together, like if you want a cross between a cynical and pudgy face, you can certainly do it! If you don't happen to know what a face type actually says, you can test the waters by choosing a face type and moving the yellow point close to the name.

 

顔バリエーション選択 Facial Variations

Each face template under Facial Variations has different facial blending styles. For simplicity sake we have split them up into Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 is the default facial template, while Type 2 seems to be new facial templates.

 

When you click on any of these four drop down menus in the game you will see a list. You can select these.

顔ブレンドモーフィング (Face Blend Morphing) for both sexes (Type 1)

• クール系 Cool
• 熱血系 Hotblooded
• 癒し系 Soothing
• ガッチリ系 Rugged
• クール系大人顔 Cool Adult Face
• 熱血系大人顔 Hotblooded Adult Face
• 癒し系 大人顔 Soothing Adult Face
• ガッチリ系大人顔 Rugged Adult Face
• クール系子供顔  Cool Child Face
• 熱血系子供顔 Hotblooded Child Face
• 癒し系子供顔 Soothing Child Face
• ガッチリ系子供顔 Rugged Child Face

顔ブレンドモーフィング (Face Blend Morphing) for Males (Type 2)

• シャープ Sharp
• コミカル Comical
• ぽっちゃり Chubby
• シニカル Cynical
• シャープ面長 Sharp Long Face
• コミカル面長 Comical Long Face
• ぽっちゃり面長 Chubby Long Face
• シニカル面長 Cynical Long Faces
• シャープ小顔 Sharp Short Face
• コミカル小顔 Comical Short Face
• ぽっちゃり小顔 Chubby Short Face
• シニカル小顔 Cynical Short Face

顔ブレンドモーフィング (Face Blend Morphing) for Females (Type 2)

• シャープ Sharp
• 元気 Genki
• ぽっちゃり Chubby
• ミステリアス Mysterious
• シャープ面長 Sharp Long Face
  
• 元気面長 Genki Long Face
  
• ぽっちゃり面長 Chubby Long Face
  
• ミステリアス面長 Mysterious Long Face
  
• シャープ小顔 Sharp Short Face
• 元気小顔 Genki Short Face
  
• ぽっちゃり小顔 Chubby Short Face
  
• ミステリアス小顔 Mysterious Short Face
  

A cynical male face.

 

シニカル面長 / シニカル小顔
Cynical Long / Cynical Short

 

 Body Morphing

Just like facial sliders, body morphing lets you change the thickness and size of your entire body. This slider allows you to choose weight distribution too as we will outline below.

体型ブレンドモーフィング Body Blend Morphing for Females

• ぽっちゃり Chubby
• 細め Thin
• 肩幅狭め Narrow Shoulders
• グラマー Glamour

体型ブレンドモーフィング Body Blend Morphing for Males

• ガッチリ Rugged
• 細め Thin
• 肩幅狭め Narrow Shoulders
• 太め Plump

Emphasis can also be selected with the drop down menu. You will see these suffixes:

• _ _ _ _ で上半身強調 Emphasize Upper Portions
• _ _ _ _ で下半身強調 Emphasize Lower Portions

Here's an example:

ぽっちゃり で上半身強調 / ぽっちゃりで下半身強調
Chubby Upper Areas / Chubby Lower Areas

 

Benchmark Scores

 

• ★ Less than 2000:  Please adjust your game settings because the processing load is quite heavy.
• ★★ 2000 through 5000: The game runs fine at the setting, if you have room, you can adjust some settings.
• ★★★ 5001+: The game works wonderfully at this setting.

 

Another unusual day for Sakai to post. The Story is now accessible in the Closed Beta Test. The player is a newcomer to the Arks and first visits the planet Naberius. Naberius could be the place most chosen for training due to its docile creatures but….

 

The Darkers showed up…

 

You will first meet up with Afin. He's also new to the Arks just like you. He calls you partner.

 

You will also meet Zeno and Echo who are your superiors. Your superiors will teach you various things. There's also Shion which we introduced before with her strange voice who gives you the Matter Board.  These voice actors haven't played any characters in the Phantasy Star Series until now. What's also cool is that Sakai has recorded voices for most of the player characters. The story can occur in both story quests and normal quests too.

 

Now comes the Matter Board which acts as the item that advances the story. You are basically going around collecting Matters for this board. You do this by achieving certain conditions.  These conditions can cover things like, acquiring a specific item, or coming in contact with specific characters, etc. The goals for the matter board are shown at the top right corner.

 

As you achieve these conditions, you collect matters, and new matters open up.  And as you acquire these, even more matters open up and so on. By doing this, you can watch new events show up.

 

With the matters you've done, when you play story quests again, you may see different developments occur.

There are no Arks Cash elements in Story Quests, you can enjoy them ALL for free!  When the game releases, several story quests will be available and more will be added progressively through updates. Could new developments for the story open up based on player feedback? Hmm..?

 

There is now a tutorial to understand the basic functions of the game. It's up to you to choose whether you want to play the tutorial or not. In the tutorial, your instructor is Yoshiko Sakakibara, well she will be voicing the character "Hilda". You may know this voice actor for her role as Queen Nehelenia in Sailor Moon!

 

In Client Orders, you can clear specific requests. By doing so you receive EXP and Rewards!

 

When you meet Arks members through the story, they may hand you their card. Once you obtain their cards, you can invite them to your party.

 

It is up to the player to invite Story Characters or Friend Characters!

 

 

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.