Phantasy Star's universal issues
by Ross Miller 
{ Oct 14th 2006 at 5:19PM }
The amount of time the PSU beta would be available has been constantly diminishing, marred by a series of problems. Let's recap:
- The beta is announced as being up for download Oct 11 and 12 and then open to play until October 18. That gives us at most an entire week of gaming.
- Near the eleventh hour, Sega announced that the download would be delayed, but promised within a few days. The download then comes available this weekend, but still only lasts until October 18. Two less days to enjoy PSU.
- Xbox Live announces that they will be down for maintenance October 17th for up to 24 hours. That's another day we can scratch off.
- Server issues plague the PSU beta. Time to find another way to spend the weekend.
Continue reading for our entire PSU experience thus far, summed up in two screenshots.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Doug @ Oct 14th 2006 5:24PM
Works just fine for me. I've clocked in a least 13 hours and have a level 18 robot guy. Definitely buying.
Jeremy Wright @ Oct 14th 2006 5:27PM
Worked for me, no issues. Didn't like the game (just felt like it was on the Dreamcast), but it totally worked.
monkyofdoom @ Oct 14th 2006 5:28PM
I believe the reason for this is the fact that sega said only a certain amount of people could be on at one time. I just logged on fine
Someguy @ Oct 14th 2006 6:26PM
Has anyone had problems with the tutorial? The game hard locks when I reach the 3rd level of the spaceport. I can't get my free photon arts :/
There are also some latency issues when in the lobby and in the instance like people warping around.
Fandel @ Oct 14th 2006 5:31PM
Note To Sega: The whole point of a demo is to get people to actually buy your games. With this, and the disastrous Sonic The Hedgehog demo. One has to wonder if Sega actually wants to stay in business.
lolersticks @ Oct 14th 2006 5:34PM
If you cannot log in, exit to the dashboard and try again. Works wonders, and works almost every time.
I think the game is awesome. I got to level 13, and had a huge blast playing and messing with emotes.
Jay Converse @ Oct 14th 2006 5:35PM
The ingame action, for the most part, doesn't have any lag issues. What is really killer is the main lobbies... I was having disconnect problems and timeout problems all the time as long as I was in a lobby last night.
In the game itself, the lag wasn't all that bad, really. When it did get bad, it got really hard to figure out what was going on, as all of a sudden your and your party member's views of the action would be completely different from each other, and it was hard to accomplish much of anything until the lagging person caught up, which usually took 2 minutes or so when I was playing.
From the time I spent playing when the lag WASN'T bad, it actually wasn't all that bad of a game. More engaging than I remember PSO being, but it's really hard for a good impression to be left on me if I spend 2 hours out of 5 in a play session lagging out of the lobby.
nick @ Oct 14th 2006 5:37PM
A friend of mine was playing all morning, so apparently some people are playing.
Happy @ Oct 14th 2006 5:39PM
The game froze for me during a long boring tutorial.
Johnny @ Oct 14th 2006 5:48PM
I had a chance to play.
Somthing is definatly bugged with the tutorial.
passed that, I didnt like the game over all.
It felt like the Dreamcast version with only a few updates. and stiffer controls.
After about 7 years between this and PSO its still the same dungeon crawler its always been.
Character customization was actually nice. however when you get into the actuall game the camera is so far from the action that everybodt starts looking the same. whats the point of all those face options, when your not going to get close enought to appriciate it.
Mr. Khan @ Oct 14th 2006 5:57PM
It wouldn't be Sega Online without lots of problems
(leans back and reminisces nostalgically)
And if my PC weren't so buggy (its got RAM problems) i'd be right there with it...
Littleonetwo @ Oct 14th 2006 5:56PM
well i downloaded last night and got on no problem. But the game is just a mere update to the PSO series, better graphics and little tweaks to the interface. but without a keyboard the game's controls are seriously confusing and the timed attacks are off compared to the older versions. i didnt find anything in here that warrants a $10 a month fee, nothing special about it, not even fun just a button masher to the 10th degree.
PhantomVI @ Oct 14th 2006 5:58PM
After finally being able to connect to the server, the demo crashed/froze on me during the tutorial. First time that's ever happened to anything running off the hard drive. Looks like I'm going to pass on this one, especially since they're charging a subscription rate on top of this buggy crap.
nijah @ Oct 14th 2006 5:59PM
From the looks of the first screenshot it looks like you guys(joystiq crew) had some part in this, what with featuring the psu demo on the frontpage
ie: the joystiq/digg effect
Ross Miller @ Oct 14th 2006 6:03PM
nijah --
How could all 10 joystiq readers crash a server?
Watership @ Oct 14th 2006 6:05PM
I don't think Joystiq read the small print about the beta. Its an open beta, but they're limiting connections so they can test it out. Not everyone can get in that's why there are people who are not connecting.
Tob3z @ Oct 14th 2006 6:07PM
Yeh Joystiq. SEGA did say that they are only allowing so many people on at one time.
Psaakyrn @ Oct 14th 2006 6:11PM
Just wondering, who is doing the images for this newspost series? It sorta reminds me of Dinosaur Comics (a good thing, btw).
fidgetwidget @ Oct 14th 2006 6:21PM
I played it, had a few issues when I first tried to connect, but if you dont use 'retry' you get in after a few tries at most.
I had the game crash on me durring the tutorial once, and on a seperate ocation, I didnt see any of the text that explains what the third shop floor has on it.
I have also experienced quite a few disconnects, and one where it managed to reconnect without forcing me to the title screen.
All this, and I am still going to be buying the game. I LOVED PSO, and this game is just that much better. I dont have an HD tv, so the graphics are on par with most of the games on the 360 in SD.
There are a few things I dont really like about it, but there is more than enough to like. Loads of customization and collecting, and even a full single player RPG story. Its no PSV, but its still a great game from what I have played so far (12 hrs ish).
BIGGEN @ Oct 14th 2006 6:23PM
i had one issue where me and my party went through about an hour of a mission to get to a boss. you then have to transport to the boss's nest, only none of us could get past the NOW LOADING screen and eventually got booted. we lost all progress. BUT, i've been on there all day. definitely addictive, and i don't know why exactly......
Me_Izme @ Oct 14th 2006 6:42PM
I was able to get in the first time just fine, however it did freeze up on during the tutorial. I got through the tutorial a second time with only one freeze, which I needed to do anyway. I tried playing without it, and ended up getting lost in what the hell I was suppose to do.
Hell, I'm still mostly lost. While I've finally figured out how exactly to go to the "missions" on the planets (throught the "Linear Line Platforms" btw) I realized finally that I didn't have to wait for a party to invite me to come along, which helped speed things up.
Other than that, all I found were lag issues, mostly in the lobby, a little on the battlefield, even when I was dungeon crawling solo. But the options for weapon synthesis are cool (though I haven't found any boards for weapons and armors). I also liked the revamped weapon upgrading, though I haven't been able to get it to work, even though I have C-Grade grinders and C-Grade weapons.
I also like the dress-up options. Sega would do well to provide more and more cloth and part designs (a varied and wide plethora if you will) and add a whole other addictive factor to the online experience. The multiple clothing adds more to your character then the initial, limited designs of the first two. There's also much to be done with user created content here, in conjunction with Sega. Here's hoping this isn't just an afterthought, and just merely taked on. ^o^
I got the dreaded "Failure to Connect" message today and couldn't connect for around three hours, until I tried post #5's (thanks lolersticks!) little dashboard trick.
I happen to like it. The only gripe I would have is over the monthly fee. I've already paying for Xbox Live Gold, and have limited funds ever since my car needed repairs, which was not fun :( I still need to get the rest of the money to pay off the rest of my Wii!
But I doubt this little gripe will deter anything. I can't wait until the 24th/25th.
One male hunter, two female rangers (one CAST), and a soon to be female force user. At least, I hope. Changing classes in the game is expensive as hell, and only gets more so the higher in level you are.
Matt @ Oct 14th 2006 6:47PM
Ross has a point. ;)
Jason W @ Oct 14th 2006 7:07PM
Works just fine for me. Made me remember why I hate RPGs and MMORPGs. THen I played the Splinter Cell Demo. I forgot about this game.
Kia @ Oct 14th 2006 7:18PM
Heh, works just fine for me, too. I'm having a great time with the two characters I made, sucks for you guys. xD
Doug @ Oct 14th 2006 7:43PM
Ross: Hahaha! Well, there are 11 Xboxic readers, so maybe we did it ;)
Anna @ Oct 14th 2006 8:08PM
Apparantly some of you guys, do not comprehend the meaning of "Beta Test"
Chronos_777 @ Oct 14th 2006 8:08PM
You know, reading some of the posts, I wonder if people forget, or don't know the point of a Beta, to find all the bugs, problems and issues that crop up in a game like this. This isn't a demo, this is specifically to help the makers find the problems so that they can fix the game. Since it is so close to launch, they will just have a mandatory patch that will fix the problems. I was rather frustrated when it locked up on me during my third attempt to get through the tutorial, but I just hope that these issues are being documented and that Sega will be able to fix them.
Ross Miller @ Oct 14th 2006 10:07PM
Here's my beef.
To us online, we know it's a beta test. However, when perusing Xbox Live the PSU beta is constantly labeled "demo." I don't mind a message that says "high server load," but an absolute failure to connect is a bit odd given Sega's relative size and past infrastructure.
John Q. Xboxer gets XBL, sees a PSU demo, goes "oh boy oh boy," downloads it, and it doesn't work -- not just high server load, it just doesn't work. How is that going to bode for his likelihood of purchase?
This close to release, on a product that's already out in Japan and has a long history of predecessors, the servers should not be the aspect that is acting screwy.
kagai @ Oct 14th 2006 9:27PM
I enjoyed playing it, but it didn't make me want to spend $10 a month; however, it did make me wish that Sega would cut this MMORPG crap and just make a standalone adventure. God, I miss Phantasy Star!
Leggo @ Oct 14th 2006 9:35PM
Did you Joystiq folks read the fine print? Alongside the download in Marketplace, this text is shown:
"You are required to have an XBL Gold membership in order to play this demo. Also, due to the test nature of this demo, there will be a limited number of concurrent users who will be allowed to play at any given time."
This is an open beta, however there are a limited number of player spots on the single server they're testing. The server is not malfunctioning, it's just full. Presumably then, the point of this Beta is to stress the servers with constant full loads, and the only way to guarantee that is to make sure you've got a full server is to overbook (like talkshows with a live studio audience).
Now, if you start getting dropped midgame, that is a reason to panic, but this is spreading a false claim that might get picked up by the other gaming press sites and could end up being a bit embarrassing for you.
subVert @ Oct 14th 2006 9:50PM
I had a pretty good time with the demo/beta. The first time I tried I didn't get in, but I tried again an hour later and got straight in. I was running around slaying monsters with 5 or 6 strangers and having a great time.
The funniest momment was entering the lobby and finding that it looked like a dance club. Players were bunching up in groups and showing off their dance moves. Ok, I'll admit. I spent 5 minutes of my life that I'll never get back making my character do thing like point and laugh and throw himself on the floor.
matt @ Oct 14th 2006 10:36PM
I've had next to no problems with the servers (one message about load too high) and I think the game is a blast.
That being said, I have had a few in-game glitches. The tutorial glitch is now well-known, and I've had a few small lag problems, but that's it. However, this is a BETA, not a DEMO and has never been marketed as a demo. If there were a category for betas on XBLM and on the dashboard, I'm sure Sega would put it there. The build of this game is at least a month old and was obviously rushed. I'll still be a day-one buyer, however.
Top Rope Suplex @ Oct 14th 2006 11:07PM
The problem is a DNS server issue. You can't connect to the server if it's set to automatic. Find out your proper DNS number and put it in, and you'll connect. I tried all day Friday, and for about an hour this morning. Changed my DNS and I was in the very first time.
diskoboy @ Oct 14th 2006 11:27PM
When it started panning through the 4th floor, on the tutorial - mine froze up.
I haven't been able to log in since. Keep getting the high user load message.
Spilt_Milk @ Oct 14th 2006 11:40PM
Wake me when World of Warcraft come to the 360 with a mouse and keyboard.
Chrispy @ Oct 15th 2006 12:48AM
You mean hitting 'retry' over and over isn't gameplay to you? That's not next-gen?
Jay Converse @ Oct 15th 2006 12:42AM
People pointing out that it's a beta need to remember that, unlike most betas, the game is scheduled to come out a WEEK after the beta ends. If there are any problems in the current version, they'll have to be fixed with a launch-day patch when the game gets released. This isn't near-final code we're playing, this is FINAL code.
DannyHibiki @ Oct 15th 2006 1:24AM
THANK GOD FOR THE DNS FIX!
Too bad it was user generated and not done by Sega in the first place.
I really wanna like PSU, especially since I am no able to play, but all this shit around the launch of this demo (I doubt that this is really technically a beta...I think they are just labeling it that to cover their asses since the game comes out in less than a week.), makes me worry about buying it.
Ren Kneyber @ Oct 15th 2006 3:02AM
Yeah it's pretty impossible to have a beta four days before release: either that, or we're getting a shitty game. But there are many gripes.
1) It's absolutely a last-gen game. Controls are meager, animation is teh suxxor. What was in the way of some gameplay innovations then? It's basically the same game as 7 years ago.
2) What's up with the cost. I'm already paying MS 7 euro's a month for server costs. Now I have to pay 10 euro's extra for Sega's server too. It fails to make sense... How can I be playing on both servers at the same time?
3) It's nice to have a beta with limited users, but unless you somehow communicate this solidly. People will just get pissed and not buy your game: 'Cause it sucks'.
Anna @ Oct 15th 2006 3:26AM
Rene
The servers are being beta tested not the clients, they are making sure the server is up and running properally. and will be ready to handle everythnig. A last minute check for problems.
1) The controlls are what they are, its a little different then what people are used to, but not exactly bad. If you say its the same game becuase the controlls and graphics, you've either not played PSO in depth, or you haven't Beta'd PSU, or your just looking for problems, clearly different, and expanded.
2) The cost sucks, but your paying for New missions, updates, new items, and online gamemasters. Yeah two fees suck, but one fee pays for Live and its content and connection. The other pays for Sega to keep the game up todate and well managed. Do you really belive anything MMO will not have a monthly fee?
3) Um you mean something like... "Phantasy Star Universe - Online multiplayer Open Beta" in the title... and having the description of "Also due to the test nature fo this demo, there will be a limited number of concurrent users who will be allowed to play at any given time."
Your right, there is nothing at all that indicates that this is a beta test, that has a limited amount of users...
Nothing at all...
And only a genius would relize that you require one.
phorenzik @ Oct 15th 2006 1:32PM
If anyone needs the DNS settings they are: 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2. Manual
eric @ Oct 15th 2006 12:16PM
i've played it.i ain't paying for this sh!t!
Efren @ Oct 15th 2006 1:45PM
I think the best thing about PSU is that unlike PSO, the characters are stored on SEGA's servers.. so goodbye to sharkers and dupers!
LaughingTarget @ Oct 15th 2006 2:08PM
Anna -
The idea of a beta test of this nature is to flood the servers with as many people as possible to see if they can handle the load. Sega's limitations of the player count fails to perform the task an open beta is meant to do. Given that this is the case, Sega is not able to adequately test if their servers can handle the customer base when the game releases. They'll be out of excuses when a paying customer finds he can't log in. The days of limited customer logins died out with Meridian59.
Furthermore, an open beta does more than just load test the servers. They are meant to test broad base mechanics otherwise untestable without a large player base. The biggest factor is economy. Everquest and World of Warcraft made major changes to economy mechanics during the open beta period because they saw numerous problems when a large player base existed that went unnoticed in a small-scale alpha and beta testing environment.
Not that I'm all that worried. As stated above, the PSU model is antiquated and hardly covers "next gen" all that well. The game is a limited dungeon crawler that is already serviced, without online fees and for a much smaller cost, by Diablo 2. The camera work is miserable and the only visual improvement over the Dreamcast version is the resolution boost. I can't fully explain it, but playing the beta made me oddly disoriented. I normally get that way when playing games with low res textures on high res.
PSO is the console equivelant of the Korean MMORPG - a limited monster whacking escapade with no substance otherwise. Given the quality of the game itself, I'm not surprised Sega is completley ignoring the importance of an open beta that should last for, a minimum, a month, to properly ready the title for launch.
Anna @ Oct 15th 2006 2:52PM
LaughingTarget,
Not to nitpick, but Meridian 59 didn't have a login limit. Not one that was at a level that was ever reached, atleast since 1996, after Beta ended.
You seem to be misunderstanding the term "Beta" a beta is a test, thats all it covers, it does not require balancing the economy and npcs and all that unless thats what the creators wanted.
PSU is clearly a last minute stress test, put up a server, and see how much damage it can take. Its nearly impossible to do a stress test in a closed enviroment, but its extreamly possible to balance combat and the economy without a 3 month long public beta.
Also you compare it to Diablo 2, but thats a faulty analogy. Diablo 2, Blizzard wasn't releasing new missions for all the time, nor were there GMs hanging out in game. Diablo 2 didn't have a graphical 3d lobby, and characters weren't stored on there servers.
PSU may not be in the same league as WoW but its defintaly in a diffreent league then Diablo, and that requires bills get paid, and salaries get covered.
"The Korean MMORPG" hate to break it to you but there is more then one, and its a huge market, shouldn't judge something on faulty preconceptions, and then compare other products to it.
Anna @ Oct 15th 2006 2:57PM
Oh one more thing
"They'll be out of excuses when a paying customer finds he can't log in. The days of limited customer logins died out with Meridian59."
You've very clearly never been in a queue to login to World of Warcraft, the top of the line MMORPG, which has around 50% of the market (if not more), and has queues to keep the server population down...
Yet hasn't suffered financially from it...
Skullivan @ Oct 15th 2006 3:00PM
I have had NO problems getting or staying connected to PSU since Friday afternoon, which is really odd.I got disconnected once last night but I just reconnected and played for about 3 hours after that.
Let me tell you guys, you're not missing much, not because the game is bad but because there's next to nothing to do in the beta, it gets boring really quick. If you loved PSO and want more of the same, this game is it. It's a big disappointment as this game should've been out 2+ years ago.
It looks like a 2003-2004 game and after 6 years this game should be a huge leap over PSO (as in maybe a REAL MMO.) All this game is is the proper sequel that "Ver 2". and "Episode I and II" should have been years ago. So it's not a bad game at all, it's just 2-3 years late and we should be getting Phantasy Star Universe 2 already.
It's a shame that by the time we get to see a true next gen PSO game the 360 will probably be on it's last legs and at that point we'll be moving on to bigger and better...
footlong! @ Oct 15th 2006 4:15PM
I played it for hours and liked it.
BUT, i keep getting locked out of the server so im not getting enough time to try this out
and i dont think i like it enough to pay $10 a month. i mean, we're already paying like $4 a month for live which isn't bad at all. i think i maybe would consider it at $50 a month or less but $10 is just too steep
Hatch @ Oct 15th 2006 7:24PM
Just before you get to the fifth floor of the tutorial the game freezes. Ive had the exact same thing happen to 2 of my friends as well. Besides that the game ran solid afterwards.
D'juan Irvin @ Oct 15th 2006 7:45PM
There's a fix for a lot of people who can't get onto the PSU servers (other than the high server loads). Check it out if you're interested:
http://www.gamingtruth.com/2006/10/14/cant-connect-to-the-psu-open-beta-look-here/