About PSO

Now, Phantasy Star Online v2 is coming to gamecube and PC, but they will have monthy costs.  So heres a question.  I\'ve held off buying a dreamcast, but these days it\'s just really, really attractive.  If I can get the PSO original with the dreamcast, will the online play still be included with it?  Is it worth buying PSO v2 instead?

I could research this, but I figure others here have already done so.  Besides, now I have a hankering to go plug in my genesis and play some Phantasy Star II (best game ever).

you held off on buying a DC = your SOL!!

WHO IS LAUGHING NOW BITCHES?!?!?! hahahaa!!

I rule!


Eric Jacob


btw: where the hell have you been?

I\'ve been lurking.  

**** outta luck?  Is PSO no longer all inclusive?  I already checked around, I can find a DC really cheap, PSO will be about 45 bucks.....

i didn\'t buy a DC because i have my reasons, actually I never touched a sega console in my life, agin I have my reasons and it was segas own fault for not supporting holland

I would buy a DC now, if I had the money

you missed the good times of PSO, some people will tell you otherwise (SonyFan) but, you will get eaten alive on PSO. The hackers on there are not friendly to newbies, and if you get a used DC, make sure PSO was never played on it, or you will have to get your Serial number reset by Sega or clean it with Gameshark.

Good luck though, we can play sometime perhaps.


Eric Jacob

Heh I had 4 level 100 characters on my 4x VMU. I use to dupe a lot without a GS. SPRAY NEEDLES SUCK!
They are all deleted now.

I gave up once I heard I had to pay for Version 2.

I\'m cheap.

Aight, thanks for the info.

I guess I\'ll just wait and get PSO v2 for my PC.  I don\'t really want to have to hook up yet another system to my entertainment center (it\'s already a damn jungle back there)....

If theres one thing that can utterly ruin a game it\'s hacking and cheating, so that\'s that.  

Figures.. I go on vacation and a topic about PSO crops up. Personally, I say get the DC anyhow. There\'s more than enough AAA titles to make it worth your while, and PSO v.1 is only one of them. 5 a month for v.2 isn\'t exactly a ripoff either. If you feel like cheating though, stick with v.1. They don\'t tolerate cheaters in v.2. (Which is why there are still so many v.1 people running around) Most of my buds quit playing, but I\'ve still got a few peeps who are cool as hell to play with. Amy, Nei, Callia, Ankh, Raistlin, Testament, Moonlight (once he gets some shore leave)... If you need some people to play then I\'m almost always up for a game. Too bad PC, NGC, DC, and Xbox versions all have their own seperate servers and users can\'t mingle between systems.

Oh.. don\'t bother asking Altered to play a few rounds with you. He won\'t. He says he will, but leaves you stranded in Oberon with the Terrorists an Hooligan Clans. Hang around me for a little while tho.. and you\'ll learn how to spot & dodge the harmful cheaters.

BTW: If you want to dodge cheaters.. do NOT get the PC version. It\'s only been released in JP so far and it\'s already been hacked to **** and back. DC version 1 is NOTHING compaired to what hackers are going to be able to do on the PC. Besides, you still have to pay 5 a month for it.

I miss PSO...

I haven\'t played in like half a year.

SonyFan...

Did they change something in the PSO server? I tried logging on about 2 months ago and I couldn\'t connect. This was with V1. Do I have to start paying for V1 and upgrade to V2? Help me out here and I might get back into it and look you up sometime.

I think we\'re about to see the advent of PC-based online games that will be MUCH more hackproof than they have ever been.  Developers are finally getting wise to the danger hacking is posing to their revenue.  Third parties have already developed some interesting solutions for Counter-Strike that might even make me resume playing that game again.  I predict that Team Fortress 2, if it ever comes out, will be virtually hackproof.  Other franchises will have to start taking an interest, or they\'ll be left behind.  Time will tell.

Ashford, you probably just logged on at a bad time. Sega often takes the servers down to do maintinence and add more quests. Sometimes this can last a mere 20 minuites up to 2 days. You might also be having problems with your ISP. I don\'t know how to solve that one.. but if you were able to log on before, I don\'t see why you wouldn\'t be able to now. PSO v.1 is still totally free of all charges. Only with v.2 and the PC/Xbox/NGC versions will you have to pay to play.

Coredweller. Cheating will never be stopped. They can make it very difficult in some cases.. but the hacking community is by far larger and just as talented as those who who make the security software. PSO for the PC is already proven to be hackable. They\'re not going to rewrite the entire games code just for the US and EU releases. Same with Xbox and NGC\'s versions. Sorry.. but it\'s too late for PSO. Least with the PC version you can download patches and workarounds. They\'ll need that extra edge since PC hackers have a lot better tools at their disposal than Gamesharks & Codebreakers.

I think we\'re going to see more and more developers bring forth anti-hacking technology much like the anti-virus applications that have been around for years.  Hack-checking modules in the games will scan your hard drive for hacks based on weekly-updated hack profiles just like anti virus software.  The hack checkers will have to pass encrypted keys to the server to certify that the PC is hack free.  It will be sort of like an integrated, beefed up version of Punkbuster.  Sure, nothing is absolutely completely hackproof, but it is possible to make it so difficult that only a minute number of programmers will have the skills and time to crack it.  Any hacker successes will be short lived, as they\'re countered by the next hack data file, or patch.  Few hackers will be willing to throw away that kind of time on a hack that will be nullified in 2-3 weeks at most.  I remain optimistic.

I think I have a better idea.  Now, I\'m not going to say that I know allot because I don\'t.  I don\'t major in Computer Science.  I major in Electrical Engineering Technology.  I think they may be able to force feed an "ok" signal directly to the server.  But, if you keep info such as how much health you have and other important game data on a server, rather than on the console, the hacker will have to hack into the server not the cosnole that they are siting right next to. The amont of health you have and stuff would be sent to.  You would not send any such data to the server.  The server would keep up with how many times you have been hit and how much health you have.

I would think it\'s easier to network your Dreamcast up to your PC so that they\'re sharing the same internet connection, then write a proggy which scans the incomming data packets for irregular data. Then have a filter system which either disconnects you or drops harmful data packets before they even reach your DC. They should also have a nice "Ignore User" feature which when selected, blocks all incomming packets from a certain IP. That\'s just my idea though.

SonyFan...

I think I\'m gonna rejoin the PSO fun again but I only have V1. You still play? What ship and block are you usually on? I\'ll try looking you up and maybe we can hook up for a game.