PSO Questions & Answers

[Kombatologist]

Forgive me if this has been asked before, but is there a way to delete a character on PSOPC? Oddly enough, I see no option to do so.

[Aleron Ives]

You can only overwrite an old character with a new one, which is also how PSO DC works. The difference is that you can use the VMU interface in the DC's BIOS to delete the PSO system files from the VMU, whereas PC's system of storing all 100 characters in a single file means you can no longer delete individual characters from outside the game.

[Kombatologist]

Ah, okay. Good to know. Thank you!

[Zemekis]

Aleron, in the meantime while i'm waiting on my PlanetWeb disk to arrive might I ask which type of connection you use out of the three you listed earlier? If I can't wiggle my way through with a free ISP, i'll just do my best to copy your method.

[BlueCrab]

If you can manage to get a BBA, it's the best option for playing PSO. Hands down. That said, spending $150 on something to play one game seems silly to most people.

Short of getting a BBA, using a real dialup ISP with the modem is the best bet. It has the least variables involved in the process, thus making it a lot more likely you'll be able to successfully connect.

Another option (which wasn't mentioned) is to obtain a special device to use to dial into your home network, such as a Netopia R2020 router. Some of these (including the Netopia device) require a live phone line or at least a decent line simulator, which somewhat drives up the price of going this route. That said, you'll generally get a much more stable setup with that than trying to do a DC-PC server setup.

Then, there's the DC-PC server route, which can be tricky to set up initially, especially for those who aren't experienced in working with the software it requires. However, if you can get the setup working, you'll generally not have problems with it later and it is most assuredly the cheapest option of the bunch (unless there's a stable free ISP in your area and you don't mind tying up your real phone line).

[Zemekis]

Thanks for the quick response! Super informative too. As you said, the BBA is a bit expensive for me, since i'm not sure how long i'll be playing or if i'll ever get this to work. If I become dedicated to PSO, i'll likely buy one. I think I will probably go the 'real dialup ISP' route when all is said and done.

Moving on, I have some concerns that may seem silly...I have never paid for my home phone service or Internet package, so i am unfamiliar with these things. If I find a real dialup service online and pay for it, what exactly do they provide me with? They aren't going to replace the Landline in my home or the internet service for my address are they? To my understanding they will just provide me with a phone number I use to connect and DNS, is this correct?

Thanks again!

[tueidj]

For dial-up you normally just get a phone number to dial and a username+password to log in with. It's not tied to any specific landline or anything, just be aware of long distance charges if it's not a local call.

[Aleron Ives]

Dial-up ISPs and phone lines are totally separate, and you must have the latter to use the former, i.e. if you get your phone service through your cable ISP (VoIP) or have no home phone at all (likely by using only mobile phones), you cannot use a modem, and paying for a dial-up ISP is useless. If you do have a land line, you'll want to check it before you try using a modem: pick up the phone and listen. If there's a lot of static and crackling, you have old wiring in your area, and you will probably get disconnected a lot, which makes the modem an even less attractive option.

Using a Netopia router is more reliable than a DC-PC setup, but it can also be almost as expensive as buying a BBA once you throw in the cost of a line voltage simulator and whatever other peripherals you may need to get it working. It all depends upon what kind of a deal you can find on eBay.

To answer your earlier question, I have a BBA, but I don't play the game on my Dreamcast anymore (except to test new quests for DC compatibility). For that I use the PC version, which would really be your best bet. It doesn't require a BBA or a modem, it has no loading times, it looks better (if you have a decent nVidia or AMD graphics card with which to enhance it), it gives you the ability to create 100 characters without needing to buy 100 VMUs (or 25 4X cards), it lets you use any controller you want, and it's functionally the same as the Dreamcast version. If you only want to test the game to see if you enjoy it, you could always play the PC version before investing in the hardware necessary to make the DC version work.

[Zemekis]

Well folks I made it online tonight but couldn't get onto PSO. I used the XDP Browser to configure my settings (it comes preloaded with a phone number and settings) then i hit connect. Like magic it all just worked after a few hours of me trying free isps on PlanetWeb with no success. Then I used the loader, it recognized my PSO disc, and I booted it up...when I finally got to the screen where I choose my ISP settings to log in to the game, it wouldn't connect man, I was so close!

I agree that PSO PC is functionally better for me in every way, but playing on a DC has a certain appeal to me. It's become bit of a project i'd like to keep working on for a while to get it to work via dialup or maybe eventually the Netopia method. Any help figuring out why my connection works for a browser and not for PSO? Also, I did go listen to my phone line and thank goodness it wasn't crackling.

[Aleron Ives]

Well folks I made it online tonight but couldn't get onto PSO. I used the XDP Browser to configure my settings (it comes preloaded with a phone number and settings) then i hit connect.

What? How can XDP come pre-loaded with a number to dial? The number you dial depends upon your ISP and the city you live in. If you dial a long-distance number, using a modem will be very expensive. You also have to dial a number supported by your particular ISP.

Like magic it all just worked after a few hours of me trying free isps on PlanetWeb with no success.

What? How can it all work "like magic" if you were unsuccessful in finding an ISP? Unless you were able to visit Wikipedia, Google, or some other website, it wasn't working.

Then I used the loader, it recognized my PSO disc, and I booted it up...when I finally got to the screen where I choose my ISP settings to log in to the game, it wouldn't connect man, I was so close!

I am not aware of PSO having a screen where you select ISP settings. Your ISP is saved to the DC's internal flash memory, and AFAIK you can only have one saved, which PSO automatically reads. If you don't have a valid ISP saved to the flash memory, then PSO gives an error message saying you need to check your ISP settings and try again. If you have an ISP, PSO will inform you that it is dialing the number you specified in your ISP settings, and then it will report when it's sending your username and password. If the modem connects succesfully, you'll enter the online mode.

[Zemekis]

XDP has an option to auto-configure your ISP settings. Of course the access number provided wasn't a local number for me, but I don't mind that. What I meant when I said it worked was that it worked ONLY after letting XDP auto-configure. I think my wording was unclear.

Yes, it was in fact working, I was on Google and used it to reach about 10 websites last night.

I can confirm that PSO v.1 has a screen where you can select between saved ISP settings. I could even get a picture of it in the next few days when I hook everything up again. I was given 2 options, the game did not automatically detect my settings. I got to the screen you mentioned that says it is dialing, but it fails to connect every time, even when using the number that I can surf the web with.

[Aleron Ives]

My only guess then is that XDP saved the settings in a way that PSO does not understand, as I never saw such a screen when using the modem configured with PlanetWeb 2.0. Does the connection screen report that PSO is dialing the correct number? In Sega's infinite wisdom, they did not create an option within PSO to be able to set up the network settings in a way that PSO will definitely accept, so you have to configure an ISP with a separate disc, and I don't think all of them save the settings in the same way.

Other people have reported, for instance, that using PlanetWeb 3.0 to set up the BBA doesn't work with PSO at all, whereas using XDP does. Thankfully, USv2 contains its own BBA setup screen which creates BBA settings that PSO definitely accepts.

[Zemekis]

Yes, I get the screen that looks like i'm traveling through a space-warp or something like that, and it says Dialing (insert phone number here).
In order, I used the XDP auto-setup, went on some websites to make sure it worked, then inserted my patcher/loader disc, that recognized my PSO v.1 and started it up. Then I had to create a character and input my serial number and access number from inside my game case. It accepted those. Then I get a screen asking if I wish to play Online or Offline, I choose online and I can toggle between 2 saved ISP settings, although the 2nd one is Empty. The first one matches the access number I used for the XDP browser. When I tell PSO to go ahead with that access number, it dials and I fail to connect.

Does that tell you anything?

[Aleron Ives]

My best guess is that the blank extra ISP is causing trouble. The most reliable way to handle it would be to erase the flash memory on the DC, set up the ISP again with PW 2.0, save your serials to the DC flash again, and try to go online. If you have only one normal ISP set up, PSO should not give you that ISP screen.

[Zemekis]

I've found someone who claims to have his DC running fairly reliably on a Dial Up connection, so i'm gonna fill the ISP info with his settings and try that in the next few days, then if that doesn't work i'll give your method a try (erasing the memory). I guess in the meantime i'll look up a tutorial on exactly how i'm gonna go about doing that.
I've noticed you're saying PlanetWeb 2.0 a lot, but actually it might be important for me to add that i'm using PlanetWeb 2.6 included with XDP. Oddly enough I can connect to the internet within XDP's browser, but not on the PlanetWeb that they provide, despite using the exact same ISP information.

[Aleron Ives]

That would definitely indicate that XDP uses its own "special" ISP settings that US games don't support. It would make some level of sense, as XDP is a hack of one of the JP or EU browsers (Dream Passport? Dream Key?). My advice is to not use XDP. It's not official and does seem to be causing problems. Use a normal US browser (Planet Web). You can get PW discs on eBay for a few dollars. I do recommend PW 1.0 and 2.0, and 3.0 should work, too. I suggest you stay away from 2.6, as I've read rumours that it can randomly reset your flash memory without your consent. PW 1.0 is notable for letting you reset your flash memory at will by holding certain buttons during the boot process and is, AFAIK, the only non-homebrew way to reset your flash memory (and is the method I use).

You may need to erase the flash memory to get rid of XDP's borked settings, which you should be able to do by burning this for use in your Dreamcast, just as you did with BlueCrab's loader (unless you decide to buy a PW 1.0 retail GD-ROM). Doing this will erase all ISP information, as well as the PSO serials stored in the flash memory. Be sure you write down any useful information before you wipe the system.

[Zemekis]

I see what you mean, it does seem that XDP is using a method that ONLY works for itself. I've still got that copy of PlanetWeb 2.0 on its way in the mail, so I suppose I will go back to my original plan of using that to configure my ISP settings. When that other guy gets back to me with his settings i'll try running them through my PlanetWeb and go from there.

Edit: Suddenly I found a Free Dial-Up ISP that worked! Spent about an hour online last night without any hiccups in service so i'd say it's a fairly solid connection. I never erased my flash memory either, just fiddled with the settings for a bit longer and ran some access numbers through.

[Treamcaster]

Couldn't use Y button.

[Aleron Ives]

You need at least 10 PB to donate once, 20 PB to donate twice, and 30 PB to donate three times. Leave it to Sega to use the donation icon even when you don't have enough PB.

[Treamcaster]

I may say I never seen this icon before? It happened in a DC-GC game.
Also, I got some items in bank duped and I don't know what happened I lost my white ring and got two yellow rings instead (I had 1 yellow ring). I think this is related to /save /restore commands. Lost a few weaps too...
Btw, any news on extended bank limit feature? We need space