Do you think PSO has changed?

[jaredchansen]

I know that Ultima prides itself in adding valuable content to enhance gameplay and reinvigorate the game. But do you think the game has changed much all these years later? Or is it just the same that you remember?

I know for me the game feels just the same, but different at the same time. Obviously, the mechanics don't feel different, but the environment has. I played almost exclusively offline on the GC for financial reasons (teenager, parents didn't want to pay), with occasional local multiplayer. However, with PSOBB being around other players is almost constant, and the community feel of playing on private servers is much different than my few excursions online in the old GC days. Back then, there were good people, and also a lot of hackers.

[Kikori]

Given I played years on Gamecube with nothing but offline vanilla Episode 1 and 2, my entire view of PSO is basically like realizing there's more than one single room in a whole house. Two months of this have absolutely shattered every record I had playing solo, except time on a character. I'm still catching up to all the "changes" by my perspective.

[Fyrewolf5]

Well, pso was never really a static game; there were multiple vanilla versions that were all vastly different. Dreamcast version1 is very different from Dreamcast version2, which is very different from Gamecube/Xbox, which is very different from Blue Burst. That being said, I think Ultima has done a good job of adding content while keeping the core gameplay mechanics and design principles the same. I've added a lot of stuff to the game, but I always consider where and how they should fit in to the overall framework in a way that meshes with the original design principles. There's not just micro levels to consider like how a new rifle should compare to other rifles or handguns, but how all rifles in general compare to all handguns, how slicers compare to arms compare to partisans compare to swords. There is a framework for how everything fits together, and recognizing those patterns is crucial to finding places to add new content that meshes with the game instead of breaks the game.

[Ricardo Gomes]

i have played alot in gamecube pso online ep1&2, still have it plugged, still love gamecube after this many years. the ultima server is changed for much better, with to many new stuff. i cant compare with others private servers since i never played in others, but i can say that only a few players will not like how Ultima server are about organization and playable stuff

[Ramirez]

Played on DC, GC, and then Blue Burst. I remember struggling to find hit materials and be anything but worthless when I finally reached ultimate even offline on DC. I guess the novelty kept me coming back. I remember how exciting it was to finally play online. I'd say GC felt like the golden age for a bit until dupes ran rampant and you had to choose whether you wanted to be "legit" or try to compete with the crazy items people had that would join your room. Still, there was some crazy compulsion and excitement to play in those days and -- not that it was healthy -- it was fun to see the first players on the server absolutely nolifing their way to level 200. I still remember this noobmar, The_Greatest, that I kinda kept up with for a short while before he blew past me in experience. I was happily throwing almost all my free time at the game back then as I met most of my best PSO friends there. I was that kid with the Japanese ASCII keyboard controller. Madness.

I remember loving Episode II when I first played it and then hating how derivative Episode IV was. Things didn't seem more difficult, just more cheesy and cheap. I've always preferred being in the fray as a hunter, but range became a more important part of the game and thus rangers solidified their position as the most viable class (if it wasn't already). This server has a few broken items IMO, but it's an age-old problem of imbalance that would probably happen one way or another. I do like the increased maximum character stats here and obviously the exp buff as grinding this all over again would be ridiculous. Add in a nice community, event planning, custom quests, and a "happy hour" to reduce the woes of RNG and the positive changes far outweigh the negative changes.

It's hard to have the ideal in terms of everything like community/economy/content/balance/gameplay, but Ultima has done a fantastic job overall.

Edited October 31, 2017 by Ramirez
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[McFunk]

Having played across a lot of different versions and servers of the game, I can accurately say that the game has evolved over time, but the people are mostly the same.

 

Of course you see a lot less hackers, Lvl 1000 mags, and little kids who get on their brother's character so they can run around with a 381% TJS mopping up enemies while spamming all caps in the lobby in their free time.