Given the current state of affairs in Japan, you'd think that Sega might have decided to put updates for Phantasy Star Universe on hold for a little while. For a week, that was the case, but now it looks like Sega of Japan is ready to move on.
Information about this week's content update has been posted on Sega's Japanese Xbox 360 PSU Web site. The regional servers will see the arrival of the missions that made up the 3rd Anniversary Thanks Festa on the Japanese PC/PS2 servers. The event will run until Friday, May 13, for a total of seven weeks. A lobby change is also slated for this week's maintenance.
I'm sure this is a welcome surprise to many players (especially those who have been clamoring for this event for awhile). Meanwhile, the update cycle resumes on the Japanese PC/PS2 servers this week as well; Sega of Japan has also announced that it will be reducing the number of universes on those servers during this maintenance to help with the power situation there. Players on those servers were also reminded that service failures may still be possible due to rolling blackouts.
Personally, I didn't think updates would start up again so quickly. I guess it's a business decision more than anything else and the desire to get things back to normal, which is commendable. In any case, it looks like the update suspension is over.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Content Updates Postponed Indefinitely
PSU GM Edward has announced that there will be no server maintenance this week, and that scheduled content updates will resume "as soon as we are able".
The reason for this announcement should be obvious to everyone. Sega of Japan plans the updates, and due to the recent earthquake, tsunami, and escalating nuclear disaster there, there are obviously more important things to worry about. Updates on the Japanese PC/PS2 servers have been also been suspended as a result of this tragedy, and Sega of Japan has advised players to be wary of potential service failures due to rolling blackouts or other issues.
Anyone who thinks they have the right to complain about this is out of their mind. The only thing that matters right now is for the Japanese people to get back on their feet, clean up, and rebuild from these disasters. Your precious content update can wait.
The reason for this announcement should be obvious to everyone. Sega of Japan plans the updates, and due to the recent earthquake, tsunami, and escalating nuclear disaster there, there are obviously more important things to worry about. Updates on the Japanese PC/PS2 servers have been also been suspended as a result of this tragedy, and Sega of Japan has advised players to be wary of potential service failures due to rolling blackouts or other issues.
Anyone who thinks they have the right to complain about this is out of their mind. The only thing that matters right now is for the Japanese people to get back on their feet, clean up, and rebuild from these disasters. Your precious content update can wait.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
PSU Demo Shutting Down
Sega today announced that the Phantasy Star Universe demo servers for Xbox 360 would be shutting down on Monday. In this post on the official PSU forums, GM Edward stated that maintaining the demo servers is no longer feasible, a statement that I'm sure most of us agree with.
Somewhere, in a remote corner of the Internet, the porn-spammers and phishers are complaining about this, but I don't think anybody else will mind. For many months now the demo servers have been a waste of processing power, occasionally bringing players to the full version of PSU but not doing much else.
This is probably a good reason why the full Xbox 360 PSU servers should never be free, although I do often wonder if the Japanese PC/PS2 "free course" draws a crowd similar to the demo server here...
Somewhere, in a remote corner of the Internet, the porn-spammers and phishers are complaining about this, but I don't think anybody else will mind. For many months now the demo servers have been a waste of processing power, occasionally bringing players to the full version of PSU but not doing much else.
This is probably a good reason why the full Xbox 360 PSU servers should never be free, although I do often wonder if the Japanese PC/PS2 "free course" draws a crowd similar to the demo server here...
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Initial PSO2 System Requirements Revealed
The official Phantasy Star Online 2 Web site has been updated with the system requirements needed to play the game when the alpha test starts later this year. This is quite possibly the most interesting piece of PSO2 news to hit so far this year (other than the alpha test announcement, I guess!)
For those of you who don't feel like clicking through, here are the system specs you'll need to play:
Operating System
Windows XP SP3 x86 (32-bit)
Windows Vista SP2 x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit)
Windows 7 SP1 x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit)
CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 or better (see this page for processor specs)
Memory (RAM)
At least 1.5 GB (2 GB for Windows Vista / 7 systems)
Hard Drive
At least 8GB free space required
Monitor Resolution
1280 x 720 (minimum)
Graphics Card
nVidia GeForce 7800GT (or equivalent) or better
Sound Card
DirectSound compatible (requires at least DirectX 9.0c)
DirectX Version
9.0c or higher
This news bodes well for those of us hoping for a PC-only release. PSO2's system requirements are already significantly higher than PSU's in several important categories. Here are some of the key system requirements for Phantasy Star Universe, taken straight from the back of the box:
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 1.6 GHz (2.6 GHz recommended)
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 4 series / ATI Radeon 8500 series (64MB video RAM required)
Maybe this is an indication that consoles could have a hard time running the game at a decent frame rate. Of course, it could just be that Sega / Sonic Team are arbitrarily increasing the system requirements right now so that players with pieces of shit for computers don't register them to play the alpha test. Without any screenshots it's hard to tell what this information really means!
For those of you who don't feel like clicking through, here are the system specs you'll need to play:
Operating System
Windows XP SP3 x86 (32-bit)
Windows Vista SP2 x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit)
Windows 7 SP1 x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit)
CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 or better (see this page for processor specs)
Memory (RAM)
At least 1.5 GB (2 GB for Windows Vista / 7 systems)
Hard Drive
At least 8GB free space required
Monitor Resolution
1280 x 720 (minimum)
Graphics Card
nVidia GeForce 7800GT (or equivalent) or better
Sound Card
DirectSound compatible (requires at least DirectX 9.0c)
DirectX Version
9.0c or higher
This news bodes well for those of us hoping for a PC-only release. PSO2's system requirements are already significantly higher than PSU's in several important categories. Here are some of the key system requirements for Phantasy Star Universe, taken straight from the back of the box:
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 1.6 GHz (2.6 GHz recommended)
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 4 series / ATI Radeon 8500 series (64MB video RAM required)
Maybe this is an indication that consoles could have a hard time running the game at a decent frame rate. Of course, it could just be that Sega / Sonic Team are arbitrarily increasing the system requirements right now so that players with pieces of shit for computers don't register them to play the alpha test. Without any screenshots it's hard to tell what this information really means!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Rewards as Content, Part II
Three weeks ago, I dashed off a post about the arrival of the first set of rewards from Absolute Zero.
At the time, some Xbox 360 players were apparently a little irritated that they weren't getting all of the event rewards in that update. I had said then that I thought it was a good idea to split the rewards up, if only so that players wouldn't feel rushed trying to take advantage of all the bonuses at once. I also hoped that the next content update would be more than just the second half of the rewards.
Here we are, three weeks later. The update for this week has been announced. Lo and behold, the remaining rewards are pretty much the only things the regional servers get this week, which is exactly what GM Edward said would not happen.
To be fair, obviously Edward does not get to decide what goes into the next content update; he only reports what Sega of Japan has told him. Things can (and probably often do) change, and as PSU GM and community liaison, Edward unfortunately has to take the brunt of the players' criticism when that happens. However, Sega of Japan shouldn't be putting Edward in the position to be the bearer of bad news. What it has done here is insulting to players and merely underscores why things continue to go downhill on the US/EU servers.
In addition to receiving the second set of reward updates, players will also be getting the White Day lobbies and an update to the missions Unsafe Passage, Fight for Food, and Moonlight Beast that makes them Ambition of the Illuminus compliant (which I presume is only a drop chart change and maybe a difficulty increase). I don't see any significant updates here at all. For Sega of Japan to say they have "something planned" besides the reward update and then throw out a lobby change and minor mission update is ridiculous.
In any case, it will be interesting to see how the community responds to this announcement. Players didn't take the announcement of the first set of rewards too well, so the next day or so should be fun!
At the time, some Xbox 360 players were apparently a little irritated that they weren't getting all of the event rewards in that update. I had said then that I thought it was a good idea to split the rewards up, if only so that players wouldn't feel rushed trying to take advantage of all the bonuses at once. I also hoped that the next content update would be more than just the second half of the rewards.
Here we are, three weeks later. The update for this week has been announced. Lo and behold, the remaining rewards are pretty much the only things the regional servers get this week, which is exactly what GM Edward said would not happen.
To be fair, obviously Edward does not get to decide what goes into the next content update; he only reports what Sega of Japan has told him. Things can (and probably often do) change, and as PSU GM and community liaison, Edward unfortunately has to take the brunt of the players' criticism when that happens. However, Sega of Japan shouldn't be putting Edward in the position to be the bearer of bad news. What it has done here is insulting to players and merely underscores why things continue to go downhill on the US/EU servers.
In addition to receiving the second set of reward updates, players will also be getting the White Day lobbies and an update to the missions Unsafe Passage, Fight for Food, and Moonlight Beast that makes them Ambition of the Illuminus compliant (which I presume is only a drop chart change and maybe a difficulty increase). I don't see any significant updates here at all. For Sega of Japan to say they have "something planned" besides the reward update and then throw out a lobby change and minor mission update is ridiculous.
In any case, it will be interesting to see how the community responds to this announcement. Players didn't take the announcement of the first set of rewards too well, so the next day or so should be fun!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Debating PSO2 "Global Support"
Back in September of last year, Phantasy Star Online 2 officially became a reality. When news of the game broke, the community quickly picked up on the phrase "global support", a vague term shown in the game's initial trailer.
Shortly after the announcement, I blogged a little about my desire to see international servers for the game. Some time later I wrote about the potential implications console releases of PSO2 would have for that "dream".
Now, those posts have somehow fueled the debate thanks to this thread over at PSO World (hi, everyone! Thanks for reading!) Apparently I insinuated that Sega's failure to provide international servers for PSO2 would be the game's death knell in the West. This is not quite what I said, but it's not too far off. (I do stand by my comment that the game should be PC-only, though.)
If Sega eventually does decide to separate US/EU players from the Japanese, that doesn't mean that the Western version of the game will be dead on arrival. However, I do think that segregated servers would only serve to cement PSO2's status as a niche online game, at least in the West.
Why? If past history is any indication, there's no reason to believe that Sega will run PSO2 any differently than it did Phantasy Star Universe. For US/EU players, that means trickle-down content updates that the Japanese game received 18 months ago. That means second-class support from Sega of Japan. That means pissed off US/EU players berating the Sega of America GMs, who unfortunately are at the beck and call of their Japanese masters. It all equates to players leaving the game in droves, just as they did with PSU several months after that game's release.
Of course, there's no guarantee that anything like that will happen. I can only speculate based on past experience. Maybe Sega's business model for PSO2 will be vastly different, but if that's not the case, players will let their wallets do the talking and leave. And those that have been through the process before with PSU will leave even more quickly because the outcome is predictable.
I've already seen plenty of comments on PSU forums where players have said they would play on the Japanese server if region-separated servers become a reality. If that doesn't tell Sega what should be done, I don't know what will.
Finally, I should mention that I only make these comments because I want PSO2 to succeed. I sincerely hope that Sega makes all the right decisions and gives us a visually engaging, addictive, fun-to-play online game that every player worldwide can enjoy together on the same servers. Yes, I've been highly critical of Phantasy Star Universe on this blog, but only because I am disappointed that the game did not live up to its potential due to circumstances that were preventable to begin with. While most of that was Sega's poor management of the game, I don't hate the company, nor do I hate PSU. I just don't want PSO2 to suffer the same fate. One of the best things Sega / Sonic Team can do for the community in this regard is provide international servers.
Shortly after the announcement, I blogged a little about my desire to see international servers for the game. Some time later I wrote about the potential implications console releases of PSO2 would have for that "dream".
Now, those posts have somehow fueled the debate thanks to this thread over at PSO World (hi, everyone! Thanks for reading!) Apparently I insinuated that Sega's failure to provide international servers for PSO2 would be the game's death knell in the West. This is not quite what I said, but it's not too far off. (I do stand by my comment that the game should be PC-only, though.)
If Sega eventually does decide to separate US/EU players from the Japanese, that doesn't mean that the Western version of the game will be dead on arrival. However, I do think that segregated servers would only serve to cement PSO2's status as a niche online game, at least in the West.
Why? If past history is any indication, there's no reason to believe that Sega will run PSO2 any differently than it did Phantasy Star Universe. For US/EU players, that means trickle-down content updates that the Japanese game received 18 months ago. That means second-class support from Sega of Japan. That means pissed off US/EU players berating the Sega of America GMs, who unfortunately are at the beck and call of their Japanese masters. It all equates to players leaving the game in droves, just as they did with PSU several months after that game's release.
Of course, there's no guarantee that anything like that will happen. I can only speculate based on past experience. Maybe Sega's business model for PSO2 will be vastly different, but if that's not the case, players will let their wallets do the talking and leave. And those that have been through the process before with PSU will leave even more quickly because the outcome is predictable.
I've already seen plenty of comments on PSU forums where players have said they would play on the Japanese server if region-separated servers become a reality. If that doesn't tell Sega what should be done, I don't know what will.
Finally, I should mention that I only make these comments because I want PSO2 to succeed. I sincerely hope that Sega makes all the right decisions and gives us a visually engaging, addictive, fun-to-play online game that every player worldwide can enjoy together on the same servers. Yes, I've been highly critical of Phantasy Star Universe on this blog, but only because I am disappointed that the game did not live up to its potential due to circumstances that were preventable to begin with. While most of that was Sega's poor management of the game, I don't hate the company, nor do I hate PSU. I just don't want PSO2 to suffer the same fate. One of the best things Sega / Sonic Team can do for the community in this regard is provide international servers.
Monday, February 7, 2011
PSO2 Alpha Test Eligibility Details Announced for PSU Players
The eligibility requirements have been announced for Phantasy Star Universe players wishing to get in on the Phantasy Star Online 2 alpha test later this year.
Drawing chances will be distributed in three waves. To receive a chance to "win", players must have an account on the Japanese PC/PS2 servers (obviously) and meet the following criteria during the eligibility period:
The second wave of chances will be distributed in April, and will be given out to all players who meet the eligibility criteria between February 21 and March 31.
The final shot at a drawing entry will occur in May, and is open to all players who meet the eligibility criteria between April 1 and May 30. This eligibility period will be open to PC PSU players only (though it wasn't really mentioned whether PS2 players would be eligible at all).
Former Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst players are also eligible. Players who purchased a Hunters License at any point during 2010 will receive a chance to "win" at some point in the future. Obviously this is also for players of the Japanese game only.
The official Phantasy Star Online 2 Web site has been updated with all of the necessary information. It's nice to see the slow trickle of information increasing ever so slightly! Now, if only we could get some screenshots...
Drawing chances will be distributed in three waves. To receive a chance to "win", players must have an account on the Japanese PC/PS2 servers (obviously) and meet the following criteria during the eligibility period:
- The player must be subscribed to the Premium Course option, or
- The player must have purchased at least ¥3,000 (roughly $36.45 USD) in Guardians Cash
The second wave of chances will be distributed in April, and will be given out to all players who meet the eligibility criteria between February 21 and March 31.
The final shot at a drawing entry will occur in May, and is open to all players who meet the eligibility criteria between April 1 and May 30. This eligibility period will be open to PC PSU players only (though it wasn't really mentioned whether PS2 players would be eligible at all).
Former Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst players are also eligible. Players who purchased a Hunters License at any point during 2010 will receive a chance to "win" at some point in the future. Obviously this is also for players of the Japanese game only.
The official Phantasy Star Online 2 Web site has been updated with all of the necessary information. It's nice to see the slow trickle of information increasing ever so slightly! Now, if only we could get some screenshots...
Saturday, February 5, 2011
PSO2 Alpha Test to Begin This Summer
An event related to the upcoming Japanese release of Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity provided some interesting information about the near future for Phantasy Star Online 2.
During today's event, PSO2 producer Satoshi Sakai announced that an alpha test for the game would take place in the summer. A contest will be held to determine who gets to participate in the test. Players that purchase a first-run copy of Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity (in Japan, obviously) will receive a code to be used in the PSO2 alpha test drawing. Japanese Phantasy Star Universe and Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst players will also be eligible for the drawing, though no additional information has been provided on how this will work.
This is very promising news. Perhaps the release of PSO2 isn't as far off as we all think! Now if there was only a way for US/EU players to get into that alpha test...
Source: Phantasy Star Online 2 Alpha Test Kicks off This Summer
During today's event, PSO2 producer Satoshi Sakai announced that an alpha test for the game would take place in the summer. A contest will be held to determine who gets to participate in the test. Players that purchase a first-run copy of Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity (in Japan, obviously) will receive a code to be used in the PSO2 alpha test drawing. Japanese Phantasy Star Universe and Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst players will also be eligible for the drawing, though no additional information has been provided on how this will work.
This is very promising news. Perhaps the release of PSO2 isn't as far off as we all think! Now if there was only a way for US/EU players to get into that alpha test...
Source: Phantasy Star Online 2 Alpha Test Kicks off This Summer
Monday, January 31, 2011
Rewards as Content
I don't typically post about content updates anymore. Maybe that's because I don't play the game anymore (if you think I play on the Xbox 360 you obviously don't read this blog enough). Maybe it's because I just don't care anymore. However, I spotted the update news for this week on the official forums and I felt obligated to write something about it.
The update itself is pretty minimal. In addition to a GAS update and Valentine's Day lobbies, GM Edward announced that the rewards from Absolute Zero would be arriving this week.
...That is, some of the rewards would be arriving this week. Specifically, the item rewards, PA experience boost, shop discounts, and casino bonus are slated to be added. The other rewards -- 3* Luck, synthesis boost, and grind boost -- will be coming at an as yet unannounced date.
Apparently the reward distribution news did not sit well with players, because within 20 posts Edward was right back in the forums trying to justify the decision. I can understand how Sega could spin this as a decision to "benefit the players" -- split up the rewards and the players have more time to enjoy them. That makes sense, and I don't think it's such a bad thing to do. If all the rewards were given together I bet you'd see somebody complain on the forums about having too many rewards to take advantage of in only a 2- or 3- week period.
However, if the next maintenance period comes and the remaining rewards are listed as the only content update, you can bet that the community will not be happy. Edward claims that this won't happen; whether it does anyway remains to be seen. I just don't think anybody (myself included) would put it past Sega to do such a thing to extend the life of the game another month.
In any event, the players in the forum thread raged for awhile before settling down and talking about the upcoming content. Hopefully Sega won't release the rest of the Absolute Zero rewards as a standalone update, because if that happens the player reaction will be quite different next time.
The update itself is pretty minimal. In addition to a GAS update and Valentine's Day lobbies, GM Edward announced that the rewards from Absolute Zero would be arriving this week.
...That is, some of the rewards would be arriving this week. Specifically, the item rewards, PA experience boost, shop discounts, and casino bonus are slated to be added. The other rewards -- 3* Luck, synthesis boost, and grind boost -- will be coming at an as yet unannounced date.
Apparently the reward distribution news did not sit well with players, because within 20 posts Edward was right back in the forums trying to justify the decision. I can understand how Sega could spin this as a decision to "benefit the players" -- split up the rewards and the players have more time to enjoy them. That makes sense, and I don't think it's such a bad thing to do. If all the rewards were given together I bet you'd see somebody complain on the forums about having too many rewards to take advantage of in only a 2- or 3- week period.
However, if the next maintenance period comes and the remaining rewards are listed as the only content update, you can bet that the community will not be happy. Edward claims that this won't happen; whether it does anyway remains to be seen. I just don't think anybody (myself included) would put it past Sega to do such a thing to extend the life of the game another month.
In any event, the players in the forum thread raged for awhile before settling down and talking about the upcoming content. Hopefully Sega won't release the rest of the Absolute Zero rewards as a standalone update, because if that happens the player reaction will be quite different next time.
Friday, January 28, 2011
JP PSU Gets a Third Expansion; PS2 Support to be Removed
Sega of Japan announced on Thursday that Phantasy Star Universe would be receiving a third expansion update that includes new environments and missions for the game. Images of some new areas were posted with the announcement on the JP PSU Web site.
In related news, Sega also announced that PS2 support for PSU will be dropped after March 31, 2011, one year to the day after the US/EU PC/PS2 servers shut down. PS2 players are being encouraged to upgrade to the PC version of the game, which is a free download.
These announcements are great news for PC players of PSU in Japan, and in my opinion, even better news for potential future players of Phantasy Star Online 2. With this news, Sega seems to be indicating the direction they are interested in taking for the next iteration of the series, and this is a great start.
Once PS2 support for Japanese PSU has been removed, players will only be able to play the game online on a PC. It's no coincidence that Sega then decided to give players some real new content for the PC version. Clearly the game developers have realized that the consoles are holding back the development and expansion of the PSU world. This causes the game to become dull and boring, and as a result, players leave.
If this is in fact the case, a console release of PSO2 looks very much in doubt, which would be fantastic. For several months, I've been arguing the potential consequences of putting PSO2 on the consoles. The only way to create a truly immersive, expandable game world is to release the game only on the PC.
Recently, it was also discovered that Phantasy Star Online 2 is further along in development than many people may think. Hopefully, this means that a release in 2011 is not out of the question (at least not for Japan, anyway). And as we all know, the game is still only slated to be released on the PC, so perhaps that's more validation that Sega is interested in keeping the game alive with new content for a long time like it is now apparently doing with PSU.
As a side note, the odds of seeing the new PC content arrive on Xbox 360 someday are very, very slim. Yes, the Xbox 360 has a hard drive, but it sounds like this content is being developed for the PC specifically and I would be very surprised if Sega of Japan ever made the decision to port it to the Xbox 360. Of course, you never know...
In related news, Sega also announced that PS2 support for PSU will be dropped after March 31, 2011, one year to the day after the US/EU PC/PS2 servers shut down. PS2 players are being encouraged to upgrade to the PC version of the game, which is a free download.
These announcements are great news for PC players of PSU in Japan, and in my opinion, even better news for potential future players of Phantasy Star Online 2. With this news, Sega seems to be indicating the direction they are interested in taking for the next iteration of the series, and this is a great start.
Once PS2 support for Japanese PSU has been removed, players will only be able to play the game online on a PC. It's no coincidence that Sega then decided to give players some real new content for the PC version. Clearly the game developers have realized that the consoles are holding back the development and expansion of the PSU world. This causes the game to become dull and boring, and as a result, players leave.
If this is in fact the case, a console release of PSO2 looks very much in doubt, which would be fantastic. For several months, I've been arguing the potential consequences of putting PSO2 on the consoles. The only way to create a truly immersive, expandable game world is to release the game only on the PC.
Recently, it was also discovered that Phantasy Star Online 2 is further along in development than many people may think. Hopefully, this means that a release in 2011 is not out of the question (at least not for Japan, anyway). And as we all know, the game is still only slated to be released on the PC, so perhaps that's more validation that Sega is interested in keeping the game alive with new content for a long time like it is now apparently doing with PSU.
As a side note, the odds of seeing the new PC content arrive on Xbox 360 someday are very, very slim. Yes, the Xbox 360 has a hard drive, but it sounds like this content is being developed for the PC specifically and I would be very surprised if Sega of Japan ever made the decision to port it to the Xbox 360. Of course, you never know...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)