Games General

Nichi · July 23, 2015, 01:58:45 PM

So, apparently the PSO server I was playing on is officially dead. Or, rather, the admin took it down for "deep maintenance" back in early June, and dropped off the face of the planet shortly thereafter (Granted, he's barely around to begin with, and seems to leave the community in the dark). A few are still holding out in case it ever comes back online, but for the time being, many people have given up on the server ever coming back :\

There's always the Gamecube version, yeah, but it's a shame to lose my original Gardenia. Granted, it's possible the server could come back, but given how apathetic the server's admin has been in recent years, on top of the extreme server stability issues when I played earlier this year, I have my doubts.

EDIT: The further I read into it, I think it's probably a lost cause at this point; much like getting Sega to release PSO2

Chocofreak13 · July 23, 2015, 03:25:06 PM

that's so sad! i'm sorry, Pent. ;^;

Chocofreak13 · July 27, 2015, 01:56:36 AM

discovered i can't play computer Minecraft.

perhaps it's just due to my boyfriend's NOSEBLEED SETUP (massive tv about the size of a window that's in 1080p, quite close to one's face) or the mouse sensitivity that was going on, but i ended up getting massive headaches the 2 times i played yesterday and nauseous enough that i threw up a few times (little ones). a bit of dizziness and fatigue later (after the second try) and i'm ruling it out. console is just fine, though; Steve has an Xbone480 so if we got that version i'd be okay. :0

Bella · July 27, 2015, 02:01:19 AM

I'm no ergonomics expert but I can't imagine a monitor of that size that close to the user is particularly healthy.... especially if you have to look up at it (which I imagine you probably do). I'd try a different monitor or backing up from the TV set.

Chocofreak13 · July 27, 2015, 03:43:57 AM

the way the desk is set up, it wasn't really made for a tv of this size. he has no ill effects, but then, he's used to it (and less motion-sensitive than i am). i can't even read in the car, so it may just be a me thing. besides, he has a much better grasp on the game in terms of the sensitivity and whatnot.

ideally, though, when we're moved he's likely going to get a better desk, perhaps something like my brother-in-law's (which has a raised platform for the monitors). right now, though, it's eye-level. and i'd estimate it's around 2-3 feet from the face; i think i'm closer to my laptop right now. :0

Nichi · July 27, 2015, 09:49:15 AM

First-person games can be like that, yeah. I admit, if I haven't played one in a while, I usually can't play for long without getting a headache, until I adjust to it :\

Chocofreak13 · July 27, 2015, 11:50:13 AM

maybe i could power through. though i'd need to fix the sensitivity. :\

Nichi · July 27, 2015, 11:58:21 AM

Mmm. Some people can adjust to it and handle it, while others...not so much. Truth be told, the only game I ever played that made me want to puke was Naughty Bear; the laggy framerate on top of the wonky camera and the weird music made me feel nauseous .__.;

Chocofreak13 · July 27, 2015, 12:11:02 PM

mmm. so maybe i'm better off not trying. ;v;

Nichi · July 27, 2015, 12:36:46 PM

I'd give it one more shot before calling it quits, but that's just me
(Naughty Bear, again, was the exception)

Chocofreak13 · July 27, 2015, 09:32:39 PM

fair enough. and Naughty Bear reminds me of Catlateral Damage. Steve got it for me as a present on Steam, but i couldn't handle more than 10 minutes of it. it's adorable, but ill-thought-out, with horrible graphics and confusing (and needlessly difficult) gameplay. not to mention the goals are set a bit high for a first-timer; it's as if they want you to play the starter level several times before you get it right. :\

Nichi · August 09, 2015, 12:56:37 AM

I remember hearing about that game; kinda wanted to play it, but it's in the same boat as I Am Bread, in the sense of not really wanting to pay for it :\

So, in restarting PSO recently from the Gamecube version, there's some things I forgot about that Blue Burst (The PC version I was playing) didn't have. I'll go over them in the spoiler tag, for the curious:

PSO - Blue Burst vs. Gamecube: Show

Let's go ahead and get the two most obvious things out of the way:
- Gamecube version has offline play; as such, your character is stored on your memory card, nice and comfy next to your save for Super Smash Bros. Melee, instead of on a hard drive hooked up to a Raspberry Pi located in some guy's basement. There is the risk of file corruption, given how temperamental the GCN version was compared to the Dreamcast versions, but there are ways to backup your memory card.

- Episode IV is not included on the Gamecube version. Then again, given what happened last time I attempted EP4, I consider that a blessing. EP4 really was kinda crappy in retrospect, and a buggy, poorly maintained mess of a server didn't help one bit -w-;;

Now, onto the main stuff I made this post for:

One of the things noticeable outright is how you progress through the game. In Blue Burst, all areas are unlocked from the beginning of the game; meaning you can immediately jump to the final area right out the gate and get your ass handed to you that much quicker. Meanwhile, on Gamecube, you can only access the first area (The Forest) at the beginning; in order to continue on to the next area, you have to defeat a boss, and then report to Principal Tyrell (The guy that explains the situation right after you make your character). While more restrictive, this part does allow for a tighter sense of story in the single player mode; you still get most of the story delivered conveniently through the messages that Red Ring Rico left scattered around the world, though (A setup I still think was very effective).

The last big thing to bring up is the side-quests; on Blue Burst, much like how all the areas are open, all quests are open from the start, and you can replay them as many times as you want (Whither this was something present on the Sega servers or not, IDK). On Gamecube, what quests you can access are generally based on what area you're most recently reached, and once you finish it, it's marked as completed; if you want to do it again, you have to wait until you start playing on the next difficulty level. Which, the side-quests add some more personality to the game; you get more of a sense of the world beyond the main story, from stuff like bringing a crook to justice or collecting data for scientists, on down to stuff like stopping this lady's husband from wasting so much money on new weapons, and of course, the infamous cake quest.

Also, the graphics are both better and worse in regards; the NPC models aren't nearly as well polished on the GCN version as they were on BB, while some levels have fancy visual effects that were dummied out on BB (This wasn't a choice by Sega, but by the staff of the server I played on).

That's about all I can think of, really. I'm slowly crawling back through this game, to maybe get the clone of Gardenia back to where her predecessor was.

Bella · August 09, 2015, 07:06:49 PM

>mrw I'm level 4, strolling through the wasteland and see what appears to be a distant deathclaw

Chocofreak13 · August 09, 2015, 11:39:56 PM

the only game i've been into recently is Wazhack cause i don't want to sink the time into anything else. feels kinda sad. :\

Nichi · August 09, 2015, 11:55:02 PM

I know that feel. I really need to finish Persona 3, but I don't have room to hook up my PS2 right now, and my main sink has been PSO (I forgot how good some of these offline quests are...although, TBH, the ones where you have to fight other hunters instead of monsters tend to suck, due to the way the hit detection works for PVP)