This was mentioned earlier. . . But you're ignorant to think this won't cost more than a p2p game.
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Phantasy Star Online 2 Closed Beta Test invites sent; test dates announced
- Thread starter Blueblur1
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This was mentioned earlier. . . But you're ignorant to think this won't cost more than a p2p game.
Wyndstryker
Member
It's a f2p game.
It can cost nothing or way more than a p2p. I didn't say anything about it costing less or more, I just saying that the current prices shouldn't be taken as final.
The game is free to play, but some features can only be rented in the cash shop (30, 60 or 90 days, depending on the features), like being able to use the my room feature, creating a player shop, trading items, or expanding the storage.
Then there's other things that can be bought in the cash shop, including boosters (exp boosters, drop boosters), expansion of the inventory, a scratch lottery thing where some new clothes can be obtained, creating a new character (free players can only have a single character), resetting the skill tree, creating extra skill trees, ...
One thing though, Sakai (the producer) doesn't want to have overpowered weapons being sold in the cash shop.
In my opinion the cash shop isn't bad here, they're planning on the core of the game being completely accessible to those who don't use money in the cash shop. Free players have access to all quests and areas, story, they're able to change class, have a decently sized inventory and storage (at least in the closed beta, dunno if it'll be changed in the final version), and so on.
The game is still in closed Beta, so some things could be changed until the release.
You need to clear stuff on your matter board and certain cilent orders to unlock more areas. I'm @ work right now or id link you to translations/guides. Google for the site PSUblog and that should clear things up for you.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Game = 100000 X More Awesome with the english fan patch!!!
$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$
Quests have to be unlocked, at level 7 you can unlock the forest free field through a client order.
After completing the free field once, you can unlock the Caves normal quests.
At level 10 you can unlock a mag.
After completing the Caves quests, you can unlock the Caves free field.
First, if I'm not mistaken, you have to complete B-3 in the matterboard, so you can do client orders.
Matterboard goals:
http://bumped.org/psublog/#goals
All client orders to unlock every quest and the mag come from this NPC in one of the quest counters (new client orders appear as a blue icon above her head, completed client orders appear as a green icon):
To unlock the Forest free field, first you need to be level 7 and complete all Forest quests once, and then complete the client order where you need to S rank the 3rd and 4th Forest quests in less than 20 minutes, and get 5 items that drop randomly in those quests (they will start appearing as item boxes similar to monomates, but yellow instead of green).
To unlock the Caves normal quests, you first need to complete the Forest free field once for the client order to appear, then in the client order you need to S rank the Forest free field in less than 20 minutes.
To unlock the mag, you need to be level 10 and do another client order from that NPC, you need to get 2 quest items that drop from the forest mini boss, Rockbear.
To unlock the Caves free field, you first need to complete all Caves quests, then you do the client order where you need to S rank the 2 last Caves quests in less than 20 minutes and get 5 items that drop randomly in those quests.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
I saw that guide yesterday when I installed, but I really need to read through it. I feel like the English Fan Translation helped a ton, but all the intricacies are still beyond me because of the language barrier.
Also is it just me or does it feel like it takes forever to level at early levels? I figured you'd at least level a little faster up till like level 5 or something.
Also is it just me or does it feel like it takes forever to level at early levels? I figured you'd at least level a little faster up till like level 5 or something.
aliencowz7
Member
It takes forever to level in general, they increased the amount of exp needed per level between alpha and closed beta. I wouldn't expect it to get any better either with them selling exp boosters in the cash shop.
That random drop is from the dragon type level monsters only and has terrible drop rate.
The method I've used was killing the almost-infinitely spawning dragon-rats during the "Collect" interrupt event.
adversesolutions
Member
Yeah just hit level 10. Doing all these fetch quests has actually been really fun.
Diablohead
Member
does pso2's cave still have a water segment?
Skyfireblaze
Member
There is no water segment in the closed beta but people digging around in the client have found evidence for way more areas already so I wouldn't be surprised if the open beta brings one.
PSO2 Caves is a volcano area. Maybe it will have different tile sets depending on the subarea, but a water area is probably going to be in another zone.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
This is the type of thing that worries me when a title goes F2P. Oh well still having fun. I'm level 4 and got a red box "rare" drop last night.
On a side note anyone going to be around in the next hour want to play with a lvl 4? If I'm too low I understand.
Resolution
Member
My gpu had to die when i had the chance to play. So sad 
Smashkirby
Member
I notice that the hardest leveling is what you mainly use. Since the beta only have Lv.5 and Lv. 10 requirements for the levels, a level 1 can level up quite fast into Lv. 20.
Most of my first level problems were basically being level 13 while doing Lv. 10 quests still.
Most of my first level problems were basically being level 13 while doing Lv. 10 quests still.
LeMaximilian
Alligator F*ck House
Starting up my PSO2 Beta video series. Starts off slow but gets into big gameplay next episode.
PSO2 With Maximilian - Day 1 (PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2 BETA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdzr0j2ixV0
PSO2 With Maximilian - Day 1 (PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2 BETA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdzr0j2ixV0
The more exposure of this game to the West, the better. Thanks Max!
Wow, if the game is really like this I guess I won't be playing PSO2, even after putting in at least 1000 hours into PSO for the GCN. I can't stand garbage like that.
StarCreator
Member
As someone who's actually been playing it and has yet to use any of the provided cash, I can safely say you get an experience equivalent to the original PSO even when spending nothing. Most of the stuff the cash shop provides is stuff that never existed in the original game and is completely unnecessary, if not completely tangential, to gameplay.
I miss how PSO merged different themes into one level. PSO2 seems to be going the PSU route of separating everything into missions.
Let's just hope they don't follow the PSU route of reskinning bosses D:
Like the previous tests, there's a PSO2 closed beta survey.
The survey:
https://ssl.pso2.jp/cbt/enquete/
Translation of the survey, including a suggestion written in Japanese to put in the suggestions part (for those who want to put at least something there):
http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194605
Here are a few pictures, they're not from the closed beta though, they're from the alpha 2 test:
Forest block 1 - http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/8076/pso2044.jpg
Forest block 2 - http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/8443/pso2045.jpg
Caves block 1 - http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/2972/pso2046.jpg
Caves block 2 - http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/4467/pso2047.jpg
The survey:
https://ssl.pso2.jp/cbt/enquete/
Translation of the survey, including a suggestion written in Japanese to put in the suggestions part (for those who want to put at least something there):
http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194605
It seems more like PSO than PSU when it comes to areas. In the free fields so far there's 2 blocks, and the blocks have a few differences, but those differences are not nearly as big as the differences between each "block" in PSO.
Here are a few pictures, they're not from the closed beta though, they're from the alpha 2 test:
Forest block 1 - http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/8076/pso2044.jpg
Forest block 2 - http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/8443/pso2045.jpg
Caves block 1 - http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/2972/pso2046.jpg
Caves block 2 - http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/4467/pso2047.jpg
If you want to explore everything in the free field, it can take a rather long time, but if you try to be fast, you can get to the end of one rather fast.
Yeah, I really think that, barring some bizarre gonzo super-expensive AC Shop pricing*, the way they've structured the game's business model is really pretty player-friendly. The Premium Set is most definitely a subscription, and it gets you some really useful/fun perks, but it's also absolutely an "opt-in" subscription, and you're not missing out on anything essential by not having it. The other things you can buy tend to fall into two categories: 1) totally-100%-unnecessary-but-still-kinda-convenient (Scape Dolls, inventory capacity upgrades) or 2) necessary but only if you're a pretty hardcore player who will get their money's worth (extra Mags, skill trees).
The AC Scratch machines are the only things that I'm not really a fan of, mostly because I think it's kind of scummy to exploit the human impulse to gamble, especially when actual money is involved. Still, overall, it's a pretty player-friendly system. The only things that I feel I'd need to spend money on would be two extra Mags so I could have one dedicated to each class, and the inventory expansion to 100 slots, because I hate having to Telepipe up mid-mission to sell loot. If I find that PSO2 is sort of the 'main' game that I'm playing in a given month, I'll throw in for a month's subscription, but if I'm only logging in to play a few dungeons a couple of times a week, I wouldn't feel as though I was missing out on anything by not being subscribed.
*Let's not rule this out entirely, though; it is coming from the same people who thought that PSO and PSU were worth a monthly fee, after all.
It can be highly variable depending on what the game decides to throw at you and how you decide to play. If you just want to rush straight through to the boss, you can be finished, including the boss fight, in under 15 minutes, because the game doesn't lock every new room until you kill all the enemies in it.
However if you want to be thorough and explore/clear every room you come to, and the game starts throwing Emergency Trials at you one after the other, and you end up getting an Elimination mission that Changes Over into a boss fight against a Vol Dragon, and then halfway through a Dark Ragne shows up, then later on the game kidnaps one of your party members and throws them into a cage across the map, then makes you find and collect keys to get past a barrier that's between you and your friend, and when you get there a Kyatadoran pops up around the barrier... You could be looking at over an hour to clear everything.
digita1alchemy
Member
I like the game a lot, but my biggest complaint is the areas. I don't like how they are wide open with infinitely spawning enemies. I don't understand why they removed locked gates. Unless I get an event where you have to kill enemies to unlock a door, you can run clean through an area and past every enemy, straight through to the boss. Or at the very least, pick and choose which group on enemies to kill and which ones to ignore. It kind of kills the sense of progression. You can't "complete" an area since there are no rooms to unlock and enemies will spawn forever. It gives you more freedom, but after I got used to both areas in the Beta I started to feel like it was really watering down the experience.
Because the multi-party system wouldn't work with locked gates and a finite number of enemies. BTW, note that only multi-party areas have infinite spawning enemies, in single-party areas it's not infinite (free fields are multi-party areas, some quests are completely single-party, while others have a single-party block and a multi-party block).
moreover there's lots of rewards for actually killing everything, besides the obvious more drops/exp/meseta you'll want to kill stuff to count towards client orders, titles and you'll only S rank the mission if you kill most stuff which also gains you more stuff.
when it comes down to FORCING you to do something or rewarding you for doing so it should be obvious which is the better design
when it comes down to FORCING you to do something or rewarding you for doing so it should be obvious which is the better design
Haint
Member
XP and drop boosters smell like they're going to be the cash cows IMO, which is why I'm curious of their specifics (e.g. % of boost, duration, ect...). I foresee progression being designed to stall out for free players as you get higher, and it being an exercise in futility looking for upper tier rares without a booster active. I would have preferred they included the boost effects in the monthly premium sub rather than the other crap. Most people play this type of game for the loot and progression, not to decorate a room or set up shops of crap.
I agree. I've already done missions where I've missed out on the boss because everybody just rushed to it :/ that's not fun to me...
And while the areas are visually pleasant, they're not memorable. The great thing about PSO areas was there was so much variety in a single map. You could identify nearly every room and there'd be something unique about them. In PSO2 there's just a big open area that pretty much looks the same no matter where you are, and you don't really feel like you're progressing.
Another small annoyance... got some red boxes, rare guns, went to tekker.. 1 star item
EDIT: Are there still rare variations of enemies? Or did they cheap out and just make rare enemies have a "core" thing on them? pretty lame if so.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
I figured a ton of people have been in the beta for a for while for no need, but if people want me to I can take a few pics tonight. Just let me know if people want more pics.
Just an FYI I run the game at 1920 x 1080 with the graphics basically on/cranked except for the lighting at medium. Not sure if this would make people care more to see how the game looks or not.
Just an FYI I run the game at 1920 x 1080 with the graphics basically on/cranked except for the lighting at medium. Not sure if this would make people care more to see how the game looks or not.
You get a thank you message.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
EDIT: I guess I have to go talk to the person after seeing the 1st cutscene in Forest 1?
Okay I tried to read the guide link, but I'm still confused as funk on the Matter Board. I'm still at Step 1, and I'm not sure WTF I am suppose to do.
Can you help a brotha out?
So I just hit lvl 5 finally. Why do I feel like I'm missing something as I had to grind the collect 100 points quest a ton to get to that lvl to be able to do the next quest which has a lvl requirement of 5?
PS: I took a bunch of random pics with FRAPS if anyone wants me to upload/post any.
aliencowz7
Member
EDIT: I guess I have to go talk to the person after seeing the 1st cutscene in Forest 1?
Okay I tried to read the guide link, but I'm still confused as funk on the Matter Board. I'm still at Step 1, and I'm not sure WTF I am suppose to do.
Can you help a brotha out?
So I just hit lvl 5 finally. Why do I feel like I'm missing something as I had to grind the collect 100 points quest a ton to get to that lvl to be able to do the next quest which has a lvl requirement of 5?
PS: I took a bunch of random pics with FRAPS if anyone wants me to upload/post any.
Each node on the matter board has a objective like getting a drop from x mob or talking to x npc. Some of the nodes require you to do a certain mission and talk to a little tombstone looking thing that pops up.
As for missions you have to take client orders from random npc's in the town area and complete them, its a rather crappy system for unlocking missions really.
As for the cash shop stuff how is having to pay for TRADING of all things not a basic game feature from pso being relagated to cash shop. That's like one of the most important things from online play in pso. They are taking stuff out of the full game to put on the cash shop which is absolutely making the free version of the game not a "full experience"
If you enjoy it enough to play for free then by all means I encourage you to go for it but it absolutely is harmful to free players.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Thanks for the replies. I didn't even know to go talk to random NPCs around town to get quests. I figured it was all just handled at the quest counter.
Also I reread that guide, and I figured out I need to go talk to the chick near the shops after seeing the 1st video.
Count me into the group that likes this game, but the F2P model has me extremely worried with some basic features being pay walled liked trading.
Also I reread that guide, and I figured out I need to go talk to the chick near the shops after seeing the 1st video.
Count me into the group that likes this game, but the F2P model has me extremely worried with some basic features being pay walled liked trading.
aliencowz7
Member
Yeah I think there are only like 4 actual missions you unlock naturally at the quest counter, the rest you have to do the client orders to eventually unlock them. Takes quite some time if you don't stay up to date on picking up all the client orders.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
have you beaten the emergency mission? that one is pretty awesome too
Did you unlock the free roam volcano stage? It in the same tab as the rock ape one.
Yes I have and that is my favorite one.
Did it with 8 people (2nd party felt like staying with us in the multi-party area) and my god having 8 people destroy enemies left and right was fucking AMAZING!
(also the enemies spawned at a faster rate because of how much we were destroying)